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3 recipes you can cook once, and eat all week

Making a healthy homemade meal may be the last thing you want to do after a long and tiresome day on campus. Here are time-saving meal recipes you can cook once and indulge in throughout the week.

Mushroom risotto

Ingredients

  • 3 tbsps olive oil.
  • 1 brown onion, diced.
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced.
  • 2 cups mushrooms, chopped.
  • 2 cups baby spinach.
  • 2 cups brown rice.
  • 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock, warmed up.
  • 25g Parmesan cheese.
  • 2 tbsps fresh chopped chives.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

  • Heat the oil in a large pan. Add the onion and sautĂ© for a few minutes until translucent.
  • Add the garlic and rice, then stir to coat the rice with oil.
  • Pour the chicken stock slowly into the pan, one cup at a time and stir frequently. Add the next cup of stock once the first cup is nearly all absorbed by the rice. Be sure to continuously stir the rice during this process as brown rice takes a while to cook.
  • When the rice is almost done, add the mushrooms and last ladleful of stock.
  • When the rice is cooked, stir through the baby spinach and chives, then top with Parmesan cheese and pepper, and serve.

Green winter soup

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsps olive oil.
  • 2 shallots or 1 medium onion, finely chopped.
  • 1 medium or large leek; trimmed, halved, white parts thinly sliced.
  • ½ tsp sea salt.
  • 1 tsp dried thyme.
  • 350g Brussels sprouts; ends trimmed, yellow leaves removed, sliced into small disks.
  • 350g broccoli florets (from 1 medium to large broccoli).
  • 750g cauliflower florets (from 1 large cauliflower; you can use a smaller one).
  •  5 and ½ cups of low sodium vegetable stock or water with added stock cube.
  • 1 small bunch parsley, roughly chopped.
  • 150g raw cashews (optional).
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Optional

  • Dollop of sour cream or cream of choice.

Method

  • Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and set over high heat. Add the shallots and cook for a minute, while stirring occasionally. Then stir in the leeks, salt and thyme and cook for 3-5 minutes, until the leeks soften.
  • Add Brussels sprouts, broccoli and cauliflower florets. Stir the vegetables with the leeks and let them cook for about a minute. Pour over the vegetable stock, until all the vegetables are covered. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to medium-high and cover the saucepan with a lid.
  • Cook the vegetables until they’re tender (around 20 minutes) and stir occasionally. Remove the saucepan from the heat, toss in the parsley and cashews and keep covered for a few minutes.
  • Pour the soup into a food processor or blender and puree it until smooth. Transfer the soup back to the saucepan, taste and season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Chicken burrito bowls

Ingredients

  • 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
  • 3 bell peppers, any colour, sliced.
  • 1 large red onion, sliced.
  • 2 tbsps olive oil.
  • 1 tbsps seasoning of your choice.
  • 1 jar salsa.
  • 3 cups brown rice, cooked.
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed.
  • 1 can corn.
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. 
  • 1 lime, sliced into wedges (optional).
  • Fresh cilantro, to garnish.
  • Salt and pepper to taste.

Method

  • Preheat oven to 200ËšC.
  • Line a baking sheet with foil.
  • Place the chicken, peppers, and onions onto the baking sheet and drizzle with oil.
  • Sprinkle the seasoning evenly over both sides of the chicken breasts.
  • Sprinkle salt and pepper on the bell peppers and onions, tossing to coat.
  • Top each chicken breast with a generous amount of salsa.
  • Bake in a preheated oven for 25 minutes.
  • Rest the chicken for 10 minutes, before slicing into strips.
  • Add a base of brown rice to four food storage containers. Top each with a scoop of black beans, corn, additional salsa, cheddar cheese, cooked bell peppers, and onions, and sliced chicken. Garnish with fresh cilantro and a lime wedge.
  • Store in the fridge. Can be kept refrigerated for up to 4 days.
  • Enjoy!

References