When I first converted to a PaleoPlus diet, I bought everything. I filled my shopping cart with the super-size bag of dozens of fruits and veggies. So much so, that I was scrambling at the end of the week to finish it all before it went bad. (I hate to throw out food...it's like throwing out money!) I made myself nuts trying to eat something new and different at every meal. Or trying to have 6 different kinds of produce featured on our dinner plates. It was nuts!
It's taken nearly a year, but I think I've figured it out. I have 6 things that I keep prepped in my fridge (5 of them veggies) that I can fashion into a lot of different dishes.
Onions, Bell Peppers, Mushrooms, Kale (or spinach), Sweet Potatoes and Sausage Crumbles.
Out of these staples, you can make omelets, stir-fries, lettuce wraps, soups, sauces, hash, casseroles and easy side dishes for any protein.
Here's what you need to do to prepare for a week of easy family meals (cut the portions in half for an individual and use some in salads for lunches and snack time!):
Onions - buy these by the bag at Aldi or WinCo Foods for the best deal. I cut 2 sweet or yellow onions into a fine dice - best for quick sautes, omelets, lettuce wraps, etc. Then I cut another onion into 3/4" cubes. These are to use in fajitas, hash, soups and anything that cooks for an hour or more (think slow cooker or slow roasted meats).
Bell Peppers - I always try and buy all three colors (I don't count the green ones...they are too bitter to live in my kitchen! (sorry Mom!)) - red, orange and yellow. You kind of have to watch for sales on these or you can pay a whole lot of cash (sometimes as much as $2.49 each!). Last week I found big, beautiful bell peppers on sale at Aldi and Sprouts. These usually make it into the weekly grocery ads, so it's pretty easy to see who has the best prices. I cut half of my peppers into strips to use in snack bags and fajitas and 1" cubes for the other half to use in everything else. FYI - if you don't cook your peppers (after slicing them) for about 4 days, you run the risk of them getting slimy. At day 3 - I saute mine up with onions and mushrooms in coconut oil with lots of garlic, salt and pepper and they stay perfect for another 3 or 4 days. And, let's be honest, once they are cooked - they are so easy to use up.
Mushrooms - sometimes I buy my mushrooms pre-sliced (yes, IF they are on sale!) and sometimes I don't. If you don't already know this - the best way to clean a mushroom is to get a paper towel slightly damp and rub any grit or dirt off. This way they get clean, but you don't compromise the integrity of the mushroom with too much moisture. I am the lone mushroom eater in my family, so I usually stick to a pint. If the price on the giant package is too good to pass up - I chop half of them into tiny, tiny, tiny pieces and use them any time I cook up ground meats...it bulks up the protein and gets my kids to eat a vegetable without realizing it! They are a great way to add moisture and texture to meatloaf too! I always splurge when sauteing mushrooms and add a bit of ghee...I adore that cooked in butter flavor!
Kale - This is one sturdy green, far more sturdy than spinach. I always buy one big bunch. I wash my kale and take the stems out and stop there. In my opinion, it stays fresher than if you chop it ahead of time. Getting it dry and getting the stems out are the labor-intensive parts anyway. After that, it's just a quick chop with a big knife and you will be ready for salads, sautes, soups, sauces, super-greens, etc.
Sweet Potatoes - We are a family with a serious sweet potato problem! I buy about 8 pounds of them every week...and sometimes we run out and I have to go and buy more! I will also confess that I despise peeling sweet potatoes, so I do it all at once and get it out of the way! On a regular meal prep day, I bake 2 potatoes (yay, I don't have to peel these!!!), I cut enough 1"- 1 1/2" cubes of sweet potatoes to fill a gallon zipper bag (about 3 pounds) and then I cut the rest into smaller cubes and roast them. I toss mine in coconut oil and season them, spread them on a sheet pan covered in parchment paper and roast them for about 45 minutes @ 425° (it all depends on how big the pieces are, so you have to watch them until you figure out your oven). 10 minutes before they are perfectly roasted, I drizzle them with avocado oil, toss and let them finish in the oven. We like roasted sweet potatoes with pork, burgers, steaks...we like roasted sweet potatoes with pretty much everything! And although it takes 45 minutes to an hour, we also like them fresh out of the oven if we are eating them as a side dish. I use the pre-roasted ones for so many other things...and I love them too! (See? Serious sweet potato problem!)
Sausage crumbles - I gave you my favorite recipes for homemade, preservative and sugar free sausages the other day here. And I make it every week! Its been a life-saver on those evenings when my highly organized day goes to pot! I have a teenage boy at home and he requires some form of meat at evening meal time. AND, he knows how to make his own omelet - problem solved! I also crave sausage and sweet potato hash topped with a crispy fried egg over easy almost daily!
Okay, so now you have all 6 ingredients in your fridge...what to do? Here are 2 really good options!
Sausage & Veggie Soup - This starts exactly like the scramble, except for the pan!...Melt ghee or coconut oil in the bottom of a dutch oven or sauce pan, add your onions and bell peppers at medium low until translucent. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of sea salt, turn the heat up slightly and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Chop the kale into thin ribbons and add to the pan with a clove of finely minced garlic and toss, toss, toss until the kale wilts. Take everything out of the pan. Then you can heat the sausage and potatoes in the same pan or in the microwave. I usually use the microwave so I don't get too much color on the potatoes. If you use the same pan - remove the sausage and potatoes before moving on.
Melt another T of ghee in the pan, scraping up any brown bits of food and add 1 T almond flour (more if you are making a big pot of soup), stirring constantly to make a light brown roux. Gradually pour in warmed chicken or vegetable broth, stirring constantly until it's all combined. Add salt and pepper and add back in your veggies and sausage. At this point you can add a pinch of red pepper flake if you like a little bit of heat. Bring to barely a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer the soup for 15 minutes, uncovered. Turn the heat off, taste and add salt and pepper as needed. Then add coconut milk (at room temperature) until your soup is creamy. You can even "buzz" this soup with an immersion blender (if you are making a big pot) a couple of quick pulses to make it thicker...the color won't be as pretty, but the texture and taste are still amazing!
This soup comes together in less than 30 minutes and it is delightful. Once again, for one person or one 12 ounce portion - use a heaping Tablespoon of each veggie and 1/4 cup of sausage crumbles. You'll need about 1 cup of broth and about 2 T of coconut milk per bowl.
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