Kitchen Prep + Meal Planning: Step 2 ~ Sunday Prep + A Big Bowl of Chili

Yesterday was the “big game”. It’s was also Sunday, the day that I spend my morning prepping for the week ahead. Knowing what needs to get done allows me to not stress over the double batch of chili that simmered on my stove. Because I am organized, it didn’t throw me off my normal game.

This chili recipe calls for 3 cups of finely diced onions. As I chopped the onions for this recipe, at the same time I chopped an additional two onions and stored them for the week ahead. It also calls for 2 peppers. Again, I chopped extra just to have on hand. Once the chili was all prepped and simmering, I got down to business. Leeks were cleaned and washed, chard was trimmed and chopped(a good addition to soups and grain cakes), string beans(we like them roasted-I also throw them into vegetable soups) were washed and trimmed, eggs were hard boiled for an easy week day lunch, rice cooked in the rice cooker, and my citrus was zested and juiced. Today I am making granola bars for their lunch box sweet treat and a batch of cookie dough is resting in the fridge. Frozen in parchment logs makes slicing and baking off at a later date, simple.

One of my favorite tips to share is before juicing any of your citrus, regardless if you need it or not, zest your fruit and freeze the zest in 1 tablespoon increments. Once frozen, store them in small glass containers. After about 3 days, any juice that hasn’t been consumed, freeze in ice cube trays. One ice cube equals about 1 -1 /2 tablespoons. It’s the perfect portion for marinades, vinaigrette’s, and sauces. Plus, it’s a huge time saver.

5 Key Tips to taking the stress out of weeknight meals:
• Marinate poultry and beef. Place in a freezer safe container or plastic bag and freeze for a mid week meal. When ready to use defrost in the fridge the night before.
• When washing and cleaning leeks, don’t discard the green part. These are a delicious side dish when sauteed in a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with Celtic sea salt, fresh ground pepper, and a bit of shaved Parmesan. Toss the raw greens into your next batch of homemade stock, they add so much flavor.
• When cleaning out the vegetable bin, don’t throw your almost yucky vegetables away. Make soup! I will soon share my  most favorite puree of vegetable soup using bits and scraps.
• Ice cube trays are a must have kitchen tool. The day your buttermilk expires, pour into ice cube trays and freeze. Store in freezer bags and use in future doughnuts, frostings, cakes, and waffles.
• Don’t throw fruit and vegetable waste down the garbage disposal. Save for your composte (to use with your edible garden) or throw in your green trash bin.