Batch cooking recipes

"Birth prep" for me, could be "anything prep" for you!

Jun 22, 2023

As I prepare for the arrival of our little one, I’ve been doing some batch cooking and easy baking to fill my fridge and freezer. I’m thinking of it as “birth prep” but this sort of batch cooking is perfect if you’ve got a busy schedule, a full house to feed or just want to get ahead so that you can cook once and enjoy for days or weeks to come.

I have written about batch cooking in this newsletter before and lots of you seemed to find my top tips helpful. So do check out this post if you’d like general batch cooking tips! Today’s newsletter is focused on recipes, rounding up the mini series I have shared on my Instagram over the last few weeks. I hope you enjoy. And don’t forget to label those containers you stash away in your freezer. We always think we’ll remember but we never do, or at least I don’t!

If you’re looking for containers for your fridge/freezer, silicone bags for storing baked goods or similar, you can shop my tried-and-tested favourites here.

Strawberry breakfast muffins

Makes 12 small muffins

300g strawberries, ⅔ sliced and ⅓ chopped
100g rolled oats
125g greek style full fat yoghurt
1 egg
15g melted butter or coconut oil, cooled a little
2 tbsp maple syrup or honey
20g pumpkin seeds
3/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
3 cardamom pods, ground in a pestle and mortar
Small pinch of sea salt

Preheat the oven to 170C. Line your muffin tin with muffin cases or grease generously with a little extra butter or coconut oil.

Apart from the sliced strawberries, add all the ingredients to a mixing bowl and stir well until mixed.

Use two spoons to transfer the batter into the muffin holes then top with the sliced strawberries pressing them only very slightly into batter. Optional to sprinkle extra coconut sugar on top if you fancy. Bake for 35-40 minutes until the tops are golden and until the middle is no longer goey to touch.

Cool in tin for 10 mins then cool completely on a rack. Store in an airtight container somewhere cool (out the sun) for up to 3 days or freeze and defrost then bake until hot through.

Hazelnut cacao power balls

Makes about 24 balls, takes 10 minutes

This will depend on how squishy your medjool dates are. If you can’t find medjool dates or your dates aren’t nice and squishy, soak in boiling water for 10 minutes to soften then drain.

150g pitted medjool dates
100g toasted hazelnuts
50g sunflower seeds
100g oats
3 tbsp cacao powder or cocoa powder
1-2 tsp vanilla extract, to taste
Big pinch of sea salt
If needed: 2-4 tbsp water

Put all the ingredients in a food processor and blend. Add the water 1 tbsp at a time until the mixture starts to clump together. Roll into bite sized balls and store in an airtight container. These last about a week in the fridge and freeze well too.

No-bake oat bars

Recipe here!

Big batch bolognese

Makes 15 portions

12 tbsp olive oil
1.6kg beef mince
4 large onions, finely chopped
4 sticks of celery, finely chopped
4 large carrots, finely chopped
1 large fennel bulb, finely chopped
2 courgettes, finely chopped
2 leeks, finely chopped
5 bay leaves
500g mushrooms, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Small handful of woody herbs, such as thyme, sage or rosemary, leaves picked
4 tbsp tomato puree
300ml milk
4x 400g tins of chopped tomatoes
Sea salt and pepper
Parmesan rinds - if you have any knocking about in the fridge, throw them in with the tinned tomatoes and milk

First things first, brown the mince. Get two large pans on a medium-high heat and add 2 tbsp olive oil to each pan. Once shimmering, divide the mince between the two and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until nicely browned.

As the mince browns, chop all the veg. You could use a food processor if you have one, or pop on a good podcast or a good playlist and get in the chopping zone!

Once the meat is browned, transfer to a large bowl and set aside as you cook the veg. Return the pans to the heat and add 4 tbsp olive oil to each pan. Once shimmering, divide all the veg, except the mushrooms, and bay leaves between the two pans. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 10-15 minutes until softened then add the mushrooms, garlic and herbs and cook for another 10 minutes until the mushrooms liquid has evaporated. Add the tomato puree and cook for another few minutes until it turns a darker shade of red.

Add the mince back to the pans along with the tinned tomatoes and milk. Simmer for 3-4 hours then check the seasoning. If you can bear it, this is even better the next day so try to make at least a day before you want to eat it!

Big batch bean chilli

Recipe here!

If you’re looking for containers for your fridge/freezer, silicone bags for storing baked goods or similar, you can shop my tried-and-tested favourites here.