Useful Recipes and Ingredients

In these uncertain times, I have been thinking of ways to support our parent community. I hope that Mimi’s Bowl can act as a resource for simple recipes, to nourish ourselves and our families. Using what I know about managing food shopping, meal prepping and batch cooking, to useful effect. This blog post compiles of our best batch-cooking recipes, I am personally storing a few home cooked meals in the freezer. I am also including a list of useful kitchen-cupboard ingredients, to have on stand-by. In the event that you need to self-isolate, or social distance, in the coming weeks. I don’t believe in stock piling food, at the detriment of our local communities; but I do believe in having a kitchen cupboard stocked with basics and home cooking to add some extra meals to your freezer. All of this is said with a stress placed on reasonable quantities. Now is the time to take care of ourselves and our loved ones, in particular those that depend upon us.

As we follow the advice we are being given and make sensible decisions day to day, let us also make sure we are eating well and nourishing ourselves and those around us. We need to to fuel up on healthy produce, in a variety of colours. I use a combination of fresh and frozen, for cost and convenience. I have therefore compiled 2 useful lists: one for kitchen cupboards and one for the freezer. These are not all essential, are exhaustive, just some suggestions of things I find useful when cooking meals for my family. Please use them as a template for your own personal shopping list, that works for you and your family.

I am lucky that I have always worked remotely on content for Mimi’s Bowl, however I am extremely mindful that I am in a minority. With some of us unable to leave home, or work, times are tough: I hope to be able to offer light relief through the content shared here. Finally, if you manage a small business and feel that in anyway this platform could help or support your work, then please feel free to reach out regarding a collaboration.

I hope this post will be useful, sparking ideas for good/ simple home cooking. I find solace in cooking in my kitchen, these dishes really are tried-and-tested; much loved by my family. Wishing you all the best in the coming weeks, as we navigate how to keep safe and healthy, take care

X Miriam

~ useful batch cooks: for ideas and inspo ~

pasta dishes

Mimi’s Vegetable Lasagna, Mac N Cheese Kale & Butternut, or Mac N Cheese Broccoli

really versatile sauces

Homemade Veggie Sauce, Beef and Tomato Ragu*, or a quick Broccoli Pesto

fish for the freezer

Mimi’s Fish Pie, Homemade Fish Fingers, or quick Butternut and Salmon Balls

chicken and poultry

Turkey and Apricot Burgers, Chicken Curry, Homemade Chicken Nuggets (the key is to marinate them)

red meat (a good source of iron)

Mimi’s Cottage Pie (with lentils), Slow Cooked Beef Stew and Beef & Tomato Ragu* (as above)

lentils

Red Lentil and Coconut Curry, Family Style Bean Stew, Chickpea Falafels

sweet

Fruit Compotes, Maple and Coconut Bread and Winter Fruit Crumble

useful kitchen ingredients ~

• Tinned plum tomatoes, chopped tomatoes, tomato passata, tomato puree

• Lentils: red lentils, puy lentils, brown lentils or green lentils

• Beans: kidney beans, black beans, cannellini beans

• Tinned tuna, sardines, mackerel

• Pasta and lasagna sheets, consider whole grain varieties also

• Rice: basmati rice, brown rice, risotto rice

• Flour: plain flour and self raising flour

• Oats: porridge oats and oat bran

• Baking: bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, vanilla extract, maple syrup

• Dried herbs: oregano, thyme, bay leaves

• Fats: olive oil, vegetable oil, coconut milk, nut butters* (*if no allergy)

• Dried fruits, nuts* and seeds* *(if no allergy)

• Snacks: oat cakes, rice cakes, breadsticks, crisp breads; look for varieties that are whole grain and lower in salt. These are all useful for fresh toppings and quick snacks.

useful freezer ingredients ~

• Vegetables: peas, spinach, sweetcorn, mixed vegetables, edamame beans

• Fruit: mixed berries

• Fish: I always keep a selection of frozen fish in the freezer. I buy fish, portion it and then freeze it ready to go (salmon, cod, haddock, lemon sole are all favourites)

• Pastry: filo and puff pastry

• Baked goods: rolls and pitta breads (I don’t use a whole packet at once and they are so useful for a standby meals). Also wholemeal pizza bases, as you can make your own toppings and its a fun activity with the kids

• Dairy: we eat dairy in my house so I store some butter (unsalted butter) and cheese (cheddar cheese) in the freezer

• Homemade Stock, I like to have a standby of homemade stock also (see recipes above) in the freezer. I make my own as I can use up leftovers and it has no added salt, additives or preservatives. Stock is the best base for soups, sauces, risottos and so on. Click for Homemade Vegetable Stock and Homemade Chicken Stock