Today we’re talking about the benefits of batch cooking for healthy weight gain.
So Happy New Year one and all. It seems fitting to start with a post that will help with organising meals over the year especially if your intention is to gain healthy weight
Because realistically we feel so time poor, we wonder if we even have time to cook.
(And that’s why food delivery services are a billion dollar industry.)
If you don’t already know, I’m a big believer in batch cooking for several reasons. It has made gaining healthy weight so much easier for me.
I tell everyone they should try it because batch cooking will help you eat healthier if nothing else.
For those that don’t yet know, batch cooking is basically preparing larger quantities of home cooked meals that you’re not going to eat straight away, but will generally freeze to enjoy at a later time.
So when you’re tired after a long day at work or school, are run off your feet, been stuck in traffic and have arrived home with no inclination whatsoever to cook, no worries!
Bust open the freezer (or fridge if you defrosted your meal) and voila! You and your family get to enjoy a delicious nutritious meal without breaking a sweat.
Benefits Of Batch Cooking
1.Batch cooking saves you money.
I love this one!
Firstly even before batch cooking, it’s best to menu plan for the week or even longer if you prefer.
Making a menu plan means you can pick a few ingredients you’d like to eat over that week and make enough for several meals.
Doing this saves money rather than trying to work out each day what to make for dinner and having to run out to get more ingredients because you’ve run out of what you need.
Also bulk buying some foods that are in season or on special will save you cash. Here are a few more tips on saving money when shopping.
After the menu planning and grocery shopping, then do your batch cooking, cool it down and freeze it.
Finally, having nutritious home-made meals ready to go means not having to order take-out and spend money because “there’s nothing to eat in the house.”
2. It saves you time
Once you figure out how often you will be batch cooking, it will save you lots of time.
I batch cook weekly but you could also do it fortnightly or even monthly. A lot will depend on how much room you have in your freezer.
Depending on how many meals and/or type of ingredients you are using, batch cooking can take a few hours.
But you do it that ONE time and then the only time you’re spending in the kitchen after that is re-heating your pre-cooked meals, minimal clean up, and maybe making a salad.
This means the kitchen stays cleaner for longer.
Batch cooking also means you don’t have to worry or think about what to have for your various meals.
And an added bonus is some foods like curries, stews, bolognaise, chilli, some soups and meats become even more flavourful when they aren’t eaten straight away after cooking.
3. Batch Cooking helps with eating healthier and healthy weight gain
Batch cooking is great because it makes it easier for you to eat healthier.
Remember that menu planning from earlier?
Well ideally, you’ll have come up with a bunch of delicious healthy weight gain meals that you actually want to eat that week.
It’s no coincidence that people who buy whole foods and cook at home eat better quality meals.
With batch cooking, you prepare that variety of healthy meals in one hit and store them away, until it’s time to chow down.
This little step gives you confidence in staying on track with your healthy weight gain goals. It sets you up for the day as all you need to do is pick out a meal from the freezer for lunch/dinner.
4. Reducing food waste.
Menu planning, smart grocery shopping and batch cooking are all strategies that help with reducing food waste in your home.
The stored food in your freezer or fridge is perfect for leftovers.
You don’t need to worry about what to take to work for lunch or for the kids’ lunches the next day. Eating up leftovers is a great way to reduce food waste.
Who knew? Batch cooking is actually good for the environment.
5. Adds more variety in your diet.
I know some people may be turned off batch cooking because they think that means they will be eating the same meals week in, week out.
It absolutely doesn’t have to be that way!
Batch cooking is a great way to experiment with different vegetables, meats and just recipes in general.
Jump online and be amazed at the variety of delicious foods you can batch cook.
If you’re not big on eating the same foods over and over again, be creative in mixing it up.
For instance, if you’ve cooked up a roast, you could use leftovers for a salad, sandwiches, wraps, omelette, stir fry with vegetables or make fried rice.
And don’t forget, increasing the variety of whole foods in your diet can lead to diversity in your gut which has health benefits including boosting immunity.
Examples of Batch Cooked Meals for Healthy Weight Gain
So the beauty of these meals is that they will help with healthy weight gain, are delicious and nourishing.
Oh, and they are one-pot or pan. Less cleaning up. It’s a win-win situation!
1.Shepherd’s pie
2.Roast and vegetables.
3.Eggplant and potato moussaka
4.Chicken, mushroom and spinach risotto.
5.Beef or chicken fried rice with Asian vegetables.
So there it is. Why don’t you try the benefits of batch cooking for healthy weight gain today?