Simplifying meal preparation

Remember that purposeful and fulfilling eating is possible even if you’re short of time and feeding a big family or if you’re a cash-strapped student.

First and foremost, when starting out, don’t try to do so much that you’re feeling overwhelmed. Just begin slowly by including more fresh ingredients, but don’t be restrictive. As you become more comfortable with using whole foods, try to include as many colours as possible in your dishes – you’re aiming to eat the rainbow so that you can fill your body with a variety of nutrients. Diversity is the key!

If preparation is where you feel most challenged, clear off the work surface and get ready for some fun and interesting meal-prep ideas:

•	Chop up or spiralise raw vegetables such as carrots, celery, zucchini (courgettes) and capsicums (peppers) into strips, batons and sticks, and store in the fridge. Then all you need do is whip up a quick dip for a delicious snack.
•	When roasting batches of vegetables on high heat to bring out their sweetness, find perfect partners with the same cooking times. Fast-cooking vegetables are asparagus, capsicum, broccoli, leeks, mushrooms, tomatoes and zucchini, while slow-roasting vegetables include celeriac, parsnips, potatoes, carrots, cauliflower, swede (rutabaga), daikon (mooli), butternut pumpkin (squash) and onions. If you require a mixture of fast and slow, cook slower vegetables on the stovetop first and then add to the baking dish. For a handy guide to the art of cooking vegetables.
•	Smoothies can be made in advance and frozen in muffin trays. When morning comes, take three out and simply whiz them in a high-speed blender.
•	When cooking something like chicken, cook two at the same time but with a couple of variations. One could be lemon and rosemary and the other Moroccan spices with yoghurt.
•	Eggs can be hard-boiled in muffin trays in the oven allowing you to cook a few batches of 12 at a time and store them to add quickly to salads for extra protein. Simply preheat the oven to 175°C (345°F), place a whole egg (in its shell) in each muffin hole, no water, and bake for 30 minutes. Cool in iced water if you need to peel them immediately.
•	Make a batch of frittatas in muffin trays, which can be stored in the fridge for up to five days. You won’t lose interest if you make them in different flavours.
•	Pre-assemble glass jars of soup ingredients; salads; or layered gluten-free oatmeal, buckwheat, coconut milk and berries. Glass jars help prevent the ingredients spoiling. Carry dressings separately, or place them at the bottom of the jar, under a layer of sturdier vegetables such as capsicum and carrots, then top with leafy greens. A wad of paper towel at the top will absorb moisture and enable you to store your soups and salad jars for three to five days.