WEBVTT - 7 Meal Prep Hacks That Will Save You Time AND Money 0:00:00.560 --> 0:00:03.400 I'd like to begin by acknowledging the traditional custodians of 0:00:03.440 --> 0:00:06.920 country throughout Australia and their connections to land, sea and community. 0:00:07.360 --> 0:00:10.480 We pay our respect to their elders, past, present and emerging, 0:00:10.520 --> 0:00:13.200 and extend that respect to all Aboriginal and Torres Strait 0:00:13.240 --> 0:00:18.880 Islander peoples today. Welcome to Stepping Up the podcast where 0:00:18.920 --> 0:00:23.400 we explore all things organization, mental health, routines, personal development, 0:00:23.600 --> 0:00:26.720 motherhood and health. I'm your host, Steph Pace, and I'm 0:00:26.760 --> 0:00:29.720 the woman behind Just Another Mummy blog and also the 0:00:29.760 --> 0:00:32.640 founder of Steph Pace Planners. But I can assure you 0:00:32.720 --> 0:00:35.760 this is not just another podcast online. I'm known for 0:00:35.840 --> 0:00:39.120 my organization tips and tricks and the occasional banter, but 0:00:39.200 --> 0:00:41.879 it definitely wasn't always this way. I used to be 0:00:41.960 --> 0:00:45.320 a hot mess and occasionally still am. And I'm here 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:47.880 as your honest and real friend each week to show 0:00:47.880 --> 0:00:50.440 you how I turn my life of chaos into clarity. 0:00:50.920 --> 0:00:53.640 Between the house, health, kids, work, and wanting to be 0:00:53.720 --> 0:00:56.240 the best version of yourself, it can be overwhelming, and 0:00:56.320 --> 0:00:58.200 I'm here to give you the tools and tips to 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:01.040 stop you feeling like a slave to your daily tasks, 0:01:01.120 --> 0:01:04.480 home life, and especially the expectations you have on yourself. 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:07.120 Join me as I share my journey and insights into 0:01:07.120 --> 0:01:09.240 the art of balancing at all and speak to guests 0:01:09.240 --> 0:01:11.759 who can help us all live a better life. Whether 0:01:11.800 --> 0:01:14.679 you're looking to streamline your daily routines, boosh your wellbeing, 0:01:14.800 --> 0:01:17.960 achieve your fitness goals, dive into personal development, or find 0:01:18.000 --> 0:01:20.760 inspiration to step up into the best version of yourself, 0:01:21.040 --> 0:01:23.600 We've got you. So are you ready to step up 0:01:23.640 --> 0:01:28.319 your game? Let's go. Hello, guys, and welcome back to 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:31.480 Stepping Up. I'm so pumped for today's episode because this 0:01:31.600 --> 0:01:34.000 is one thing that you guys ask me about daily, 0:01:34.640 --> 0:01:36.160 and it's also one of the things that can be 0:01:36.240 --> 0:01:40.280 the toughest. And this is all about meal prep. And 0:01:40.319 --> 0:01:44.080 this is literally something I'm just so passionate about because 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:46.160 if you guys remember my story, if you didn't know, 0:01:46.840 --> 0:01:51.560 I've been on this huge health journey over twelve years now. 0:01:52.200 --> 0:01:55.600 I used to not know how to be healthy whatsoever. 0:01:55.720 --> 0:01:58.280 I literally was a girl that ate noodle box for breakfast. 0:01:58.920 --> 0:02:01.040 I put on twenty five kilos in a year. And 0:02:01.040 --> 0:02:02.720 it's not about the way which we know, but I 0:02:02.840 --> 0:02:05.320 was very, very unhealthy, and I did know where to 0:02:05.320 --> 0:02:07.320 start and I always found that, you know, I would 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:09.480 try to eat healthy and I didn't know what to eat, 0:02:09.639 --> 0:02:12.360 and then I would always get stuck. And then on 0:02:12.400 --> 0:02:14.640 the flip side of that, I feel like meal prep 0:02:14.720 --> 0:02:17.080 is a big one for people because everyone is so 0:02:17.240 --> 0:02:20.640 busy and we all hate where you get home from 0:02:20.680 --> 0:02:23.080 work or after a big day, you don't know what 0:02:23.080 --> 0:02:25.919 you're having, There's nothing in the fridge, and there's nothing 0:02:25.960 --> 0:02:29.600 worse than having to do a million Woolies trips in 0:02:29.639 --> 0:02:31.920 the evening and the kids are screaming for dinner and 0:02:31.960 --> 0:02:34.760 everything is a shit show. We're not doing that anymore. 0:02:35.040 --> 0:02:38.360 So how to meal plan, meal prep all those things 0:02:38.480 --> 0:02:40.400 is one of the biggest things I get asked about. 0:02:40.440 --> 0:02:44.480 And again I used to not know anything about it. 0:02:44.880 --> 0:02:47.840 I used to live on takeaway and now it is 0:02:47.919 --> 0:02:51.800 literally the thing that has enabled me to be healthy 0:02:51.919 --> 0:02:55.360 for the last twelve years and save money and be 0:02:55.480 --> 0:02:57.640 organized and be able to actually have a life. So 0:02:57.680 --> 0:02:59.840 that's what we're talking about in today's episode. I'm giving 0:02:59.840 --> 0:03:03.640 you the seven tips slash steps that you need to 0:03:03.639 --> 0:03:07.720 do to meal prep, meal plan all the things and 0:03:07.760 --> 0:03:10.840 that will allow you to save money, stop running around 0:03:10.919 --> 0:03:13.799 like a bloody stray Cat, I don't know what to say. 0:03:13.919 --> 0:03:16.520 You know someone that just like a hot mess, you 0:03:16.520 --> 0:03:18.240 don't know what you're gonna have for dinner. It's going 0:03:18.320 --> 0:03:20.080 to help your whole family, it's going to help you, 0:03:21.040 --> 0:03:22.840 and it's just going to change your life. So make 0:03:22.880 --> 0:03:24.920 sure you listen through the whole episode because at the end, 0:03:24.919 --> 0:03:27.080 I'm also giving you the hack that will make sure 0:03:27.120 --> 0:03:30.000 that you actually eat the food that you make and 0:03:30.080 --> 0:03:32.320 also your family and actually get your family to eat 0:03:32.360 --> 0:03:35.640 healthier as well. So excited. But before I get into it, 0:03:35.640 --> 0:03:37.560 I'm gonna do a bit of a life update. So 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:40.880 the new house that we're building, we're probably moving in 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:44.800 in another two months. It's just taking its time. You know, 0:03:44.880 --> 0:03:46.280 it is what it is. But I need to tell 0:03:46.280 --> 0:03:49.320 you the funniest story, and it's happened a couple or 0:03:49.320 --> 0:03:52.000 a few weeks ago now. But Ryan went to the 0:03:52.120 --> 0:03:53.880 block because if you guys don't know, we're building the 0:03:53.880 --> 0:03:56.400 house iself. Ryan is a builder. He's wrapping up soon 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:58.120 to work for me, but we're building the house. Anyway, 0:03:58.480 --> 0:04:00.680 he went there, he went to the site. We're at 0:04:00.680 --> 0:04:02.520 lock up stage now, so we just had like he 0:04:02.560 --> 0:04:04.600 opened the back doors. He was on the phone and 0:04:04.640 --> 0:04:07.440 he came back into the main like living area, and 0:04:07.520 --> 0:04:12.280 in there was like six baby goats. I'm not even joking. 0:04:12.320 --> 0:04:15.119 They were just just walking around, just checking it out, 0:04:15.160 --> 0:04:17.679 thinking it was an open house, just having a look. 0:04:18.160 --> 0:04:20.720 And Ryan was like literally thought he was on something. 0:04:21.440 --> 0:04:23.200 He was like, what the what the fuck is happening? 0:04:23.560 --> 0:04:26.480 And even one went down the stairs and they were 0:04:26.520 --> 0:04:29.680 like looking around downstairs and there was his random goats. 0:04:29.920 --> 0:04:31.719 Like where we live there is a bit of farm land, 0:04:31.760 --> 0:04:34.240 but it was just the most random thing. And then 0:04:34.279 --> 0:04:36.320 he had to like try and get them out, and 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:39.279 it was just so funny. Like I just couldn't believe 0:04:39.279 --> 0:04:42.359 when he sent me the photo. There's no context. I 0:04:42.400 --> 0:04:45.000 was so so confused, and I posted it on Instagram 0:04:45.080 --> 0:04:46.800 and you guys thought we were full of shit and 0:04:46.800 --> 0:04:49.800 that Ryan photo shopped it. And Ryan couldn't photoshop it 0:04:49.880 --> 0:04:52.320 to save his life. But yeah, so that's a good time. 0:04:52.400 --> 0:04:54.480 So they actually came from like the neighbors up the back, 0:04:54.520 --> 0:04:56.480 I think, but they're super cute so I kind of 0:04:56.480 --> 0:04:58.680 want to keep them. But anyways, they had a good look. 0:04:58.720 --> 0:05:00.960 I think they approved of the house. They like the plans. 0:05:01.520 --> 0:05:04.360 Barry the goat was really impressed by the kitchen. So yeah, 0:05:04.400 --> 0:05:07.880 that's what happened. Anyways, let's get into it because this 0:05:08.040 --> 0:05:11.400 episode is going to change your life, all right. First 0:05:11.400 --> 0:05:13.479 step you want to do is schedule a time to 0:05:13.600 --> 0:05:17.279 meal plan and scheduling in time to meal prep. I 0:05:17.360 --> 0:05:19.080 used to do all of that in one day, and 0:05:19.120 --> 0:05:21.800 for me it does take time. It does take time. 0:05:21.880 --> 0:05:24.520 So now what I like to do is on Friday morning, 0:05:24.680 --> 0:05:27.360 I will do my meal planning, so plan at the 0:05:27.360 --> 0:05:30.080 meals which you'll get into, and then i'd like order 0:05:30.080 --> 0:05:32.440 my groceries and then they come that day all the 0:05:32.440 --> 0:05:34.800 next day and then our meal prep. So it's like 0:05:34.960 --> 0:05:36.680 broken up into a couple of days, so I'm not 0:05:36.720 --> 0:05:39.520 doing everything in one day. Some people do like to 0:05:39.520 --> 0:05:42.000 smash it out in a day. I used to do that. 0:05:42.080 --> 0:05:43.760 Now that the girls are older and they don't do 0:05:43.880 --> 0:05:46.720 naps like, I like to just do parts of it 0:05:46.800 --> 0:05:49.800 over like three days. So it really does depend on 0:05:50.279 --> 0:05:52.359 your situation or what you prefer. If you'd rather just 0:05:52.360 --> 0:05:54.000 do it all, they can go for it. So main 0:05:54.040 --> 0:05:56.360 point with this is scheduling a time for when you're 0:05:56.360 --> 0:06:00.320 going to do these things. Step two, before you even 0:06:00.360 --> 0:06:02.640 meal plan, before you even think about what you're going 0:06:02.720 --> 0:06:05.240 to eat for dinner or breakfast or lunch or snacks. 0:06:05.960 --> 0:06:10.520 Is I want you to shop your freezer and pantry now. 0:06:10.560 --> 0:06:13.000 I want you to physically go through your freezer and 0:06:13.080 --> 0:06:15.479 pantry and see what you've already got. And this is 0:06:15.760 --> 0:06:17.600 how you're going to save so much money. Now, how 0:06:17.600 --> 0:06:20.400 many times have you guys? I know we have guilty 0:06:20.960 --> 0:06:23.239 We've gone and book like mince meat and we've already 0:06:23.240 --> 0:06:26.359 got bloody three mince meats in the freezer. So you 0:06:26.400 --> 0:06:28.400 want to see what you've got. What meals can you 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:31.200 make from what you've already got. It's gonna save money. 0:06:31.640 --> 0:06:33.640 You're going to make sure you're not wasting food. Look 0:06:33.640 --> 0:06:35.800 in your pantries. If you've got rice already, if you've 0:06:35.800 --> 0:06:39.000 got pasta, what can you make with that? So grab 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:42.000 your SPP notebook, write it down, see what you've already got. 0:06:42.240 --> 0:06:45.520 Step three is now we're going to meal plan now 0:06:45.560 --> 0:06:48.640 that we've scheduled in our times, we've shopped our freezer 0:06:48.640 --> 0:06:51.000 and our pantry, and we already know some basis of 0:06:51.040 --> 0:06:52.880 what we can use. We know, okay, we've got heaps 0:06:52.880 --> 0:06:55.400 of rice, we've got pasta, we've got some mince, all 0:06:55.400 --> 0:06:57.960 of some chicken drumsticks in there. We need to use 0:06:57.960 --> 0:07:01.000 these up. Now, what meals are you going to make? 0:07:01.839 --> 0:07:05.000 My biggest tip with meal planning is to actually have 0:07:05.080 --> 0:07:08.240 it physically, visually in front of you and the whole family. 0:07:08.240 --> 0:07:11.280 So that's why I made my SPP fridge magnets. Their 0:07:11.360 --> 0:07:15.120 life changing. They look beautiful. You can have an ongoing 0:07:15.200 --> 0:07:17.200 running shopping list next to it, which I'll get into 0:07:17.280 --> 0:07:19.320 later as well. I have a whole system, guys. It's 0:07:19.360 --> 0:07:21.440 a full system and it makes life easy and that's 0:07:21.440 --> 0:07:24.240 why I make these products. So say, if we're having spaghetti, 0:07:24.680 --> 0:07:27.080 I'm still at work, I'm still running around ryanker home, 0:07:27.120 --> 0:07:28.720 and you can say, oh, we're having spaghetti. He can 0:07:28.760 --> 0:07:31.400 cook it. He's got your hands off your go love. 0:07:31.640 --> 0:07:35.680 It's all about being a team. So that's the first thing. Now, 0:07:35.760 --> 0:07:38.920 I want you to remember that on the days you're 0:07:38.960 --> 0:07:41.640 really busy, those are the days you want your dinners 0:07:41.640 --> 0:07:44.520 to be the easiest. You either want to make extra 0:07:44.600 --> 0:07:46.280 the night before and then you just heat it up 0:07:46.320 --> 0:07:49.360 and eat it. You're gonna have ready made meals. You're 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:51.600 gonna have something that's super quick and easy to chuck together. 0:07:51.800 --> 0:07:55.000 So for us, Mondays and Tuesdays are crazy. We always 0:07:55.240 --> 0:07:57.920 just make sure we have leftovers from the Sunday night 0:07:58.280 --> 0:08:01.160 or something super easy. So just be aware of your schedules, 0:08:01.200 --> 0:08:04.080 especially if you've got kids sports after school. Maybe have 0:08:04.120 --> 0:08:06.320 things already prepped so you can just chuck it in 0:08:06.360 --> 0:08:09.520 the microwave. Now, I want you to know when you 0:08:09.560 --> 0:08:12.080 were doing your meal plan. Obviously you write it's like 0:08:12.120 --> 0:08:14.720 Monday to Sunday and you write down your meals. Some 0:08:14.760 --> 0:08:16.920 people think that this means you have to eat it 0:08:16.960 --> 0:08:19.440 on that night. That is definitely not the case where 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:22.320 you will switch things up. How many times will you like, 0:08:22.400 --> 0:08:24.120 plan to eat something and you go to make it 0:08:24.120 --> 0:08:25.760 and you're like, I don't feel like it now. So 0:08:25.800 --> 0:08:27.920 that's why it's good to ensure when you are buying 0:08:27.960 --> 0:08:30.400 the ingredients and things to have a bit of leeway 0:08:30.480 --> 0:08:33.480 with the dates and if there is safe For example, 0:08:34.520 --> 0:08:37.880 I don't say steak one night. I'll actually write on 0:08:37.960 --> 0:08:40.160 my magnet the expiring date of the steak on them 0:08:40.240 --> 0:08:42.319 unless you just chuck it in the freezer, so I know, okay, 0:08:42.400 --> 0:08:44.520 like I've put it in for Monday to have steak, 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:46.240 but I don't feel like it. But it goes out 0:08:46.240 --> 0:08:48.120 a date on Thursday. So I've still got some days 0:08:48.120 --> 0:08:50.560 so you can mix a match, mix up your meals. 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:52.160 It doesn't mean you have to eat it on Monday. 0:08:52.200 --> 0:08:54.480 You can have it on Tuesday as long as you've 0:08:54.480 --> 0:08:56.400 got the ingredients for it and you've got it prepped. 0:08:56.400 --> 0:08:58.440 It does not matter. You don't have to stick to 0:08:58.480 --> 0:09:01.960 it one hundred percent. Remember we're not making big elaborate 0:09:02.040 --> 0:09:04.600 roasts on a Monday when everyone's running around like a 0:09:04.600 --> 0:09:07.840 crazy person. Save the more intricate meals for days where 0:09:07.880 --> 0:09:10.040 you have the time. So really look at your days 0:09:10.080 --> 0:09:12.640 in your planner. And also, one thing I love to 0:09:12.640 --> 0:09:15.160 do on my fridge magnets is I'll put in red 0:09:15.440 --> 0:09:17.480 when I need to take things out of the freezer. 0:09:17.480 --> 0:09:19.600 There's nothing worse than when you go to cook something 0:09:19.600 --> 0:09:22.560 and things are still frozen. So I actually write on 0:09:22.679 --> 0:09:25.400 my magnet the night before when to take meat out. 0:09:25.679 --> 0:09:27.680 I do actually have a discount code for you guys 0:09:27.720 --> 0:09:31.200 for all my staff based planner items. It's stepping up 0:09:31.360 --> 0:09:33.200 and you get fifteen percent off, So you guys can 0:09:33.320 --> 0:09:36.880 use that all right, So step four create a list. 0:09:37.120 --> 0:09:40.440 So now we've scheduled in time, shopped your freezer and 0:09:40.480 --> 0:09:43.600 your pantry we've done your meal plan. Now we go 0:09:43.679 --> 0:09:47.000 to create our shopping list. With the shopping list I 0:09:47.080 --> 0:09:49.680 made again, I'd done it in categories because it makes 0:09:49.679 --> 0:09:51.880 it a lot easier. So when I'm at the shops, 0:09:51.960 --> 0:09:54.480 if I decide to go to the shops, I am 0:09:54.520 --> 0:09:56.560 not running around like a mad person. There's nothing worse 0:09:56.559 --> 0:09:58.360 when you put in all the items you need to 0:09:58.360 --> 0:10:00.240 buy and it's in a random order, and then you 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:02.439 go to the fruit aisle and then you're back over here, 0:10:02.480 --> 0:10:04.760 and then you're running around and it just wastes time. 0:10:04.880 --> 0:10:06.920 So I did that, and I also put like a 0:10:06.960 --> 0:10:10.400 budget at the bottom of our shopping list, which, let's 0:10:10.440 --> 0:10:12.960 be honest these days is so hot, so that's why 0:10:12.960 --> 0:10:17.840 we're shopping our freezer. Another really good hack for this 0:10:18.280 --> 0:10:21.559 is if you do shop online. We shop on Woolies 0:10:21.600 --> 0:10:23.840 online a lot of the time. You can actually make 0:10:23.920 --> 0:10:26.840 lists in there. So I'll have a list for our 0:10:27.080 --> 0:10:30.679 weekly groceries, so items that we literally will buy every week, 0:10:31.000 --> 0:10:33.120 even down to the quantities. I'll have it in a 0:10:33.200 --> 0:10:36.520 list in the Woolies website. And I also have a 0:10:36.520 --> 0:10:39.920 fortnightly one and a monthly one. So in the monthly one, 0:10:39.960 --> 0:10:42.600 there's more things like house cleaning products and things that 0:10:42.640 --> 0:10:45.640 we don't have to get as often fortnightly. These things 0:10:45.679 --> 0:10:47.800 again like we don't need to get every single week. 0:10:48.240 --> 0:10:52.000 And if you have them already made lists on the website, 0:10:52.080 --> 0:10:54.400 I'm sure Coals and all that probably do it too. 0:10:55.440 --> 0:10:57.520 You literally just click it and then it goes into 0:10:57.559 --> 0:10:59.960 your cart, or at least I use it as inspa 0:11:00.280 --> 0:11:01.719 when I actually want to go to the grocery store 0:11:01.720 --> 0:11:04.400 and I write it on my shopping list. Best tip, 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:06.640 we actually used to own a on site van at 0:11:06.640 --> 0:11:08.800 a caravan park. I even had a list for that, 0:11:09.080 --> 0:11:11.600 so every time we would go down there, I would 0:11:11.640 --> 0:11:13.720 use the same list for just when we're going away. 0:11:13.840 --> 0:11:16.240 So it's so so good. So if you've got like 0:11:16.280 --> 0:11:18.679 babies and little ones, you can have separate lists for everything. 0:11:18.720 --> 0:11:22.800 It's so so clever. Well, if I do say so myself. Now, 0:11:22.800 --> 0:11:25.280 this isn't just a list of your shopping list and 0:11:25.320 --> 0:11:27.120 things like that. I want you to keep a running 0:11:27.160 --> 0:11:29.880 list throughout the week. So as I said, when I magnet, 0:11:29.920 --> 0:11:32.360 I've got the shopping list with the meal planner, and 0:11:32.480 --> 0:11:34.720 as you run out of things, you write them on 0:11:34.760 --> 0:11:37.520 the magnet. You write it down, because then you know, 0:11:37.600 --> 0:11:39.120 because there's nothing worse when you go to do your 0:11:39.120 --> 0:11:41.280 shopping list and you forgot that you run out of 0:11:41.320 --> 0:11:43.560 toilet paper, and you go there and you come back 0:11:43.600 --> 0:11:46.520 and everyone's stuck on the toilet. You know what I mean? 0:11:46.640 --> 0:11:48.439 Why did I say that? I say the weirdest shit 0:11:48.520 --> 0:11:52.560 on this podcast, honestly. All right, Now, Step five is 0:11:52.600 --> 0:11:55.880 about actual meal prep. Now, there's a couple of ways 0:11:55.880 --> 0:11:59.960 you can do this. You can batch cook things like pasta. 0:12:00.200 --> 0:12:04.960 You can do casseroles, pasta bakes, lasagna, curries, even I 0:12:05.000 --> 0:12:07.360 love to do big like Keisha's and I cut it 0:12:07.440 --> 0:12:10.440 up and have it for lunches as well. I really 0:12:10.559 --> 0:12:15.280 like to batch cook snacks. So my stuff paste clean treats. 0:12:15.320 --> 0:12:16.720 If you guys don't know, I've got my own range 0:12:16.720 --> 0:12:20.360 of clean treats with more life. I'll batch cook the muffins. 0:12:20.520 --> 0:12:23.120 I'll just do like boiled eggs as a snack. Anything 0:12:23.120 --> 0:12:25.760 that can be like a snack you can wrap all together. 0:12:26.320 --> 0:12:28.080 I usually like to keep those things in the fridge 0:12:28.120 --> 0:12:31.240 for about three days. Anymore, I'll freeze it. That's kind 0:12:31.280 --> 0:12:34.040 of my rule. Obviously I'm not a professional, but that's 0:12:34.080 --> 0:12:36.280 just what I do. So three days in the fridge anymore, 0:12:36.320 --> 0:12:39.440 I'll freeze it. But if you're someone who likes to 0:12:39.480 --> 0:12:41.560 kind of mix it up a bit more like myself, 0:12:42.000 --> 0:12:46.560 I actually like to cook components of meals. So one 0:12:46.640 --> 0:12:50.000 big one I do is cooking protein. So I like 0:12:50.080 --> 0:12:53.000 to chuck in chicken breast in a slow cooker with 0:12:53.520 --> 0:12:55.640 chicken stock, and then I shred it up after I 0:12:55.679 --> 0:12:57.400 cook it for like eight hours, and then you've got 0:12:57.600 --> 0:13:00.560 chicken ready for sturf fries. You got it for sandwiches, 0:13:00.559 --> 0:13:02.840 you got it for wraps with the kids, for anything. 0:13:03.120 --> 0:13:06.199 Also my Mexican beef, which I think I've got the 0:13:06.200 --> 0:13:07.760 recipe on my blog. I'll have to find it for 0:13:07.800 --> 0:13:09.679 you guys. I cook that up and then you can 0:13:09.679 --> 0:13:13.640 have that as tacos, burrito bowl, anything even down to 0:13:13.720 --> 0:13:15.760 like meatballs. There's so many different things you can do. 0:13:15.840 --> 0:13:18.640 So I like to actually cook components of meals, which 0:13:18.640 --> 0:13:21.600 actually leads me to my next point, the wash and chops. 0:13:21.640 --> 0:13:26.520 This is where I will literally prep again components of meals, 0:13:26.520 --> 0:13:29.280 and this is more about fruit and veg. Now you've 0:13:29.320 --> 0:13:31.800 possibly made up some pastas for the kids, which is 0:13:31.840 --> 0:13:36.160 really really handy, made up maybe for Tata kishe whatever, 0:13:36.400 --> 0:13:39.200 you've cooked some slow cooked beef, You've got your boiled 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:41.880 eggs and your healthy muffins and all that ready to go. 0:13:42.480 --> 0:13:45.040 You can even batch cook things like pasta sauce and 0:13:45.080 --> 0:13:47.640 then you freeze it into ice cubes and then you 0:13:47.640 --> 0:13:49.240 can just give it to the kids with their pasta. 0:13:49.440 --> 0:13:52.720 Easy done. All right. So now number six is your 0:13:52.760 --> 0:13:54.920 wash and chop. So this is when you get home 0:13:55.040 --> 0:13:56.960 and you wash all your fruit and veggies. We chuck 0:13:57.000 --> 0:13:59.720 it all in there with white vinegar. We rinse it off. 0:14:00.080 --> 0:14:03.280 I pre chop it because yes, you can just leave it, 0:14:03.640 --> 0:14:05.800 but the chances are during the week you're going to 0:14:05.840 --> 0:14:08.240 be busy, and again there's nothing worse than having to 0:14:08.280 --> 0:14:10.160 chop up a million things and then you're cooking as well. 0:14:10.240 --> 0:14:12.680 Even when the kids were little, I would pre chop 0:14:12.760 --> 0:14:15.959 like strawberries and stuff. Now I don't do that anymore. Again, 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:18.080 it depends on the fruit, but I like will pre 0:14:18.200 --> 0:14:21.960 chop our roast veggies, so our like sweet potato, onion, 0:14:22.560 --> 0:14:26.400 white potato, carrot, and the hardy vegetables you will find. 0:14:26.560 --> 0:14:28.960 Depending agap from like the batch you get and what 0:14:29.120 --> 0:14:31.760 container you store it in, it will actually last you 0:14:31.840 --> 0:14:34.120 like four or five days not always the majority of 0:14:34.120 --> 0:14:36.280 the time, they last ages. And I will talk about 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:39.520 containers in a minute. So pre chopping everything, so when 0:14:39.520 --> 0:14:41.520 you get home, Hey, you've already got that component of 0:14:41.560 --> 0:14:43.800 meat that you cooked. You got your slaw cooked beef, 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:46.360 chock it on a plate. You've got your roast veggies 0:14:46.400 --> 0:14:48.240 that already pre chopped. Chuck it in the air fryer 0:14:48.760 --> 0:14:52.920 and you're done. You sort it so good. Now I'm 0:14:52.960 --> 0:14:57.280 going to talk about storage, so fridge organization and containers 0:14:57.320 --> 0:14:59.200 and like how to actually store this stuff. This is 0:14:59.240 --> 0:15:01.400 such a big question, and I get because I know 0:15:01.760 --> 0:15:03.920 there's nothing worse when you like cook things, and you know, 0:15:03.960 --> 0:15:06.520 especially if fruit and vege, they can spoil pretty quickly. 0:15:07.360 --> 0:15:11.200 So I use the little label coat containers and they're 0:15:11.280 --> 0:15:15.480 amazing because they do keep your fruit and vege lasting longer. God, 0:15:15.600 --> 0:15:18.000 you know you're old when you're doing a podcast on 0:15:18.120 --> 0:15:22.640 bloody containers for your fridge. Jesus, Steph, what's happened to you? 0:15:23.600 --> 0:15:27.560 Used to be so fun. Anyway, I do have a 0:15:27.600 --> 0:15:29.520 discount coach for a littlelabel co pop it in the show. 0:15:29.520 --> 0:15:32.520 Notes to you guys, Now, some little tips to make 0:15:32.600 --> 0:15:35.280 certain things last longer. If you're pre chopping your carrots. 0:15:35.800 --> 0:15:37.400 I personally am lazy and I like to pay an 0:15:37.440 --> 0:15:39.840 extra two dollars and I'll buy their carrot sticks. And 0:15:39.880 --> 0:15:41.480 then you don't have to store them in water, which 0:15:41.480 --> 0:15:43.560 I'm about to tell you, but if you pre chop 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.680 things like carrot and stuff, store them in a jar 0:15:45.800 --> 0:15:48.400 in water and they'll last longer. Same if you buy 0:15:48.440 --> 0:15:50.880 fresh herbs, pop it in a little jar of water, 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:53.760 it will last a lot longer. There's so many reasons 0:15:53.760 --> 0:15:57.240 why I love some good fridge porn. You guys are 0:15:57.400 --> 0:15:59.680 sure if you're listening to this podcast you've seen my fridge. 0:16:00.120 --> 0:16:03.600 She's pretty beautiful. Clear containers. Everything just looks gorgeous. But 0:16:03.640 --> 0:16:06.360 there's a few reasons why I do this. Number One, 0:16:06.840 --> 0:16:08.400 you at least get to wash your fruit and veg 0:16:08.920 --> 0:16:11.640 and that's done. Number Two, you have it chopped and 0:16:11.680 --> 0:16:14.200 prepped and ready to go. Number Three, by using these 0:16:14.200 --> 0:16:17.200 clear containers, they are not only going to last longer, 0:16:17.680 --> 0:16:21.400 they're on display. And this means that when you go 0:16:21.440 --> 0:16:24.760 to your fridge, you are not going to be ruffling 0:16:24.800 --> 0:16:26.920 through and trying to find things at the back. And 0:16:27.160 --> 0:16:30.440 how many times have you guys bought things? It's been 0:16:30.480 --> 0:16:32.760 shoved at the back of the fridge and you forget 0:16:32.800 --> 0:16:34.560 about it, and then it gets out of date, and 0:16:34.680 --> 0:16:36.520 because you don't know it's there. It's the same with 0:16:36.600 --> 0:16:39.360 like I love pantry organization, because all this shit goes 0:16:39.440 --> 0:16:41.400 up the back. You've got twenty curry powders, and you 0:16:41.480 --> 0:16:43.840 keep buying more, you keep bringing them home. We're not 0:16:43.880 --> 0:16:47.440 doing that anymore. So that is why. Because it's like 0:16:47.840 --> 0:16:50.720 at a restaurant, if they bring out a plate of 0:16:50.760 --> 0:16:53.520 food that looks like a piece of shit, it probably 0:16:53.600 --> 0:16:55.360 tastes cool, but it looks like a piece of shit, 0:16:55.840 --> 0:16:57.800 You're not gonna eat it. You're not gonna want to 0:16:57.800 --> 0:16:59.160 eat it. But if they bring it out it looks 0:16:59.240 --> 0:17:02.560 really nicely, it's on display. They've done the little parsley, 0:17:03.080 --> 0:17:05.680 put like flowers and shit on it. It was good, 0:17:05.680 --> 0:17:07.800 you want to eat it. It's the same with the fridge. 0:17:08.240 --> 0:17:10.520 So if you have all your fruit and veg all 0:17:10.600 --> 0:17:13.320 nicely displayed in containers, guess who else is going to 0:17:13.400 --> 0:17:16.720 eat it? Instead of eating chips? Your children, My kids 0:17:16.760 --> 0:17:18.679 now will just go in there and grab carrot sticks 0:17:18.680 --> 0:17:21.320 and baby cucumbers and eat it. Because if it's out 0:17:21.320 --> 0:17:23.520 of sight, it's out of mind. So if you can't 0:17:23.560 --> 0:17:26.080 see it, and if you have to do the process 0:17:26.119 --> 0:17:29.000 of having to prep anything like carrot sticks and that 0:17:29.600 --> 0:17:31.159 you're not gonna eat it. You're not gonna grab some 0:17:31.160 --> 0:17:32.880 homess and have it as a snack. So if things 0:17:32.920 --> 0:17:36.320 are prepped, even down to the eggs, I will usually 0:17:36.400 --> 0:17:38.119 peel boiled eggs as well, and then I can just 0:17:38.200 --> 0:17:40.720 grab it and eat it. Now, one thing I want 0:17:40.760 --> 0:17:43.679 to say is you are not a bad person or 0:17:43.680 --> 0:17:46.680 a bad mum. If you're not making all these wholesome 0:17:46.800 --> 0:17:49.680 foods with one hundred ingredients. It's I'm not about that life. 0:17:49.720 --> 0:17:53.760 I'm about convenience. I literally will do the easiest recipes 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:56.240 on the planet, especially lately, guys, my life's been a 0:17:56.240 --> 0:17:59.320 hot mess with work. We will chuck nuggets in the 0:17:59.320 --> 0:18:02.080 air fry and get them some like carrots and fruit. 0:18:02.320 --> 0:18:05.000 It's fine, that is normal. You're a normal human for 0:18:05.080 --> 0:18:07.160 doing that. I'm not saying you have to make everything 0:18:07.160 --> 0:18:10.040 from scratch. This is just how to make things easier. 0:18:10.080 --> 0:18:13.560 I do actually have a really good a recipe e 0:18:13.640 --> 0:18:16.480 book and the ingredients, and they're really super easy. I'm 0:18:16.520 --> 0:18:19.080 not someone who likes to add on a million steps. 0:18:19.400 --> 0:18:21.160 I will do it the easiest way. And that's why. 0:18:21.320 --> 0:18:23.879 Like with my Mexican beef that I make in the 0:18:23.960 --> 0:18:27.280 slow cooker, it is literally beef packet of taco seasoning 0:18:27.280 --> 0:18:29.560 because I can't be bothered to mix four different types 0:18:29.600 --> 0:18:32.199 of spices together, and I chuck it in with like 0:18:32.320 --> 0:18:34.640 dice tomato and a bit of water and I'm done. 0:18:34.720 --> 0:18:37.840