If you are new to the autoimmune protocol then you may be wondering what batch cooking is and why I am writing about it. On the other hand if you have been in the AIP community for awhile then you have probably heard the term “Batch Cooking” numerous times. Batch cooking is simply making your favorite recipes in large amounts, ahead of time, all at once. This saves time in the long run and allows you to have nutrient dense AIP compliant meals readily available.
A year into my AIP journey I discovered batch cooking and I literally batch cooked for an entire week every Sunday for three months. I loved the freedom of not having to cook for an entire week but it quickly became too tiring to batch cook that often. Remember on a healing journey it is important to listen to your body. So I cut back and went to my current schedule which is to cook my meals for Monday-Wednesday on Sunday and then to cook my meals for Thursday-Saturday on Wednesday evening.
Every now and again I like to do a half day of batch cooking. Usually in the summer to prepare for the busy school season and upcoming Flu Season, over Christmas (winter break), and again in the Spring. Last week I did some batch cooking for September so I thought I would share with you what recipes I used.
Remember the key to batch cooking is to double or triple the recipes. I also recommend making a list of all the ingredients you will need and their quantities before hand. Then the day before I like to peel and chop all of the veggies that I will need (except for the onions and garlic). Make sure you have enough containers or jars to hold all of your meals. Put them in the fridge for 24 hours before freezing, especially soups and broth!
Tip- If you need broth for any recipes make sure to prepare that ahead of time or defrost it from the freezer. That goes for meat as well (defrost in advance).
Note: Not all of my containers are glass (some are plastic) and I reuse glass containers from nut butters, jams, and coconut butter. Even if it doesn’t look pretty, it still gets the job done. I am not buying anymore plastic but I am going to use these ones until it’s time to toss them.
Batch Cooking Recipes:
Turkey Chili from EAT HEAL THRIVE
Note: I added 1/2 cup of coconut cream to this recipe
Basil Zucchini Summer Soup from UNBOUNDWELLNESS
New England Clam Chowder from THE HEALING KITCHEN
Creamy Caesar Beef Skillet from THE HEALING KITCHEN
Blueberry Lemon Muffins from Moi
AIP Pesto Sauce from Moi (recipe coming next week)
If I had to make one recommendation for batch cooking it would be to purchase the book:
The Healing Kitchen.There is an entire section on batch cooking as well as videos online that go with it. It has a wide variety or recipes, something for everyone and I love that the recipes are so flavorful.
I hope this gives you some ideas for batch cooking. Do you batch cook? How often do you do it? Leave your favorite batch cooking recipes in the comments!
Happy Batch Cooking!
XO Meagen Ashley
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