Meal Prep For Busy People

Over the years I have mentioned to various people a recipe I use to make a very healthy, homemade vegetable soup. I’m big on preparing food in advance so that it is always available.

Recently, I was asked some specific questions so I thought I would write down everything regarding ingredients and preparation.

A 6 quart crockpot is needed.
The ingredients are mainly obtained at my local Trader Joe’s and are all organic.
Ingredients:
• Kale- 1 10 ounce bag- chopped
• Power Greens- 2 5 ounce bags- chopped
• Broccoli- 1 20 ounce bag- cut
• Carrots- 4-cut into pieces
• Mushrooms- 6 large mushrooms- cut into pieces
• Diced and Fire Roasted Tomatoes – 1 can
• Molasses- 1 tablespoon
• Honey- 1 tablespoon
• Sea salt- a pinch
• Olive oil- 1 tablespoon
• Flaxseed (ground meal) – one third of a cup
• Onion- 1 small
• Garlic-several gloves

Start by lightly sautéing the onion and garlic.

Put all the ingredients into the crockpot. Fill the crockpot to within a half inch of the top with filtered water. Cover the crockpot and seal the lid. Slow cook for nine or 10 hours.

When the cooking process is finishes and the ingredients have cooled stir all the contents evenly.

Usually the contents will provide enough to fill four or five Tupperware containers. Put the containers in the freezer for storage.

I keep a defrosted container in my refrigerator so that I can dish out the ingredients every day. I will ladle some into a cooking pot, add some Trader Joe’s Vegetable Broth, turmeric, pepper and Peruvian Sea Salt (which I get from Steel City Salt Co. in Millvale, Pennsylvania).

In the winter I like to come home at lunch and have a bowl with some chicken breast added. It really warms and energizes me on those cold, dark days. During the warmer months I’ll have a bowl in the morning with a separate batch of fried eggs.

Kale, greens and broccoli are all in the cruciferous vegetable family. Cruciferous vegetables are very important in detoxifying ourselves. It’s important to eat vegetables in this family every day.

Organic molasses is produced from sugar cane. Sugarcane roots extend deep into the ground and absorb a lot of minerals. Since organic molasses is not processed it is definitely okay to consume. It’s the white processed sugar that we want to avoid.

It’s good to combine pepper and turmeric. Pepper activates the powerful anti-inflammatory ingredients of turmeric and allows for better digestive absorption.

Preparation of foods is very helpful in maintaining a good diet. We can prepare many foods ahead. Some examples would be preparing a salad for the next day. Also defrosting chicken breasts, steaks, fish or any other kind of entrée for the following day. Having a bag of frozen vegetables in the freezer, readily available, for stir-fry is convenient.

By having foods prepped we are much less likely to grab just anything convenient at home or, even worse, stopping for fast food.