It’s meal prep Monday!
I’ve always asserted that any luck (ha! I wish it was luck!) I’ve had with weightloss and this journey can be attributed to the fact that I plan meticulously. I plan what I’m going to eat and when I’m going to eat it, how it fits into the rest of the day in terms of both calories and nutrition, and how the week will look overall. I’m organised and I’m prepared. Funnily enough, being this meticulous allows for some unexpected flexibility and splurging without messing anything up, which is probably why I like it so much.
If it sounds boring, it’s because it probably is. But it works! And after 10 months of this, it really doesn’t take up a lot of time or mental energy anymore. It’s second nature now, and I’m grateful for that. It means that a) I’ve been successful in changing my lifestyle for the better, and b) it’s completely sustainable. Fortunately, being prepared and drinking the meal-prep Kool-Aid works really well with my love for cooking. Work lunches are now a great opportunity to find new recipes that might not appeal to the rest of my family for dinner, and to up my veggie intake. Don’t get me wrong – there are plenty of weeks where I survive the work day on salad and salmon, or brown rice and tuna for days on end, but when I do have my act together, I much prefer something a little more exciting. 
Like this vegetable curry. It’s quick to make, spicy and warming, healthy, delicious, cheap, and freezes beautifully. It’s the stuff meal prep dreams are made of! It’s the perfect way to use up those sad looking vegetables populating the bottom of your crisper, and gives you something to look forward to on boring mornings. At only 200 calories per serve, there’s plenty of opportunity to carb it up with roti, brown rice or freshly made bread (or sliced, I won’t judge), but you can definitely get away without any extras, too.
Serves 5
Ingredients
1 large onion, chopped roughly
3tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced ginger
3tsp sambal oelek
1tsp garam marsala
2tsp ground cumin
1/2 tbs olive oil
2 tomatoes, chopped
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
400g can chickpeas, drained
300g pumpkin
1/2 head cauliflower, cut into florets
200g baby green beans
1 small birds eye chilli, thinly sliced (optional)
Method
- Place onion, garlic, ginger, sambal oelek and spices into a food processor, and process into a paste.
- Heat oil over medium heat, and add paste. Cook, stirring, for one minute,
until highly fragrant. - Add tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 1 minute until softened.
- Add stock and coconut milk, and stir to combine. Simmer for 30 seconds, and add chickpeas, caulifl
ower and pumpkin. Stir to coat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Add beans and cover for a further 5 minutes. - Serve topped with chilli.
