Nadia Lim's Top Tips for Battling Family Kitchen Stress

Nadia Lim's Top Tips for Battling Family Kitchen Stress

A new school year has begun for some 6 million Australian families1, and so has the added stress of balancing work and home life, as school runs, homework and chauffeuring kids to extra-curricular activities calls again. With all the added commitments that back-to-school time brings, getting dinner on the table at the end of a hard day seems like a daunting task enough; let alone ensuring it tastes great and is healthy for growing bodies and minds.

International Celebrity Chef, Nadia Lim, has you covered in the new school year with her top five tips for a simple, delicious and stress-free ride through the chaos. As Head Chef and Dietician of premium food delivery service My Food Bag, the author of four best-selling cookbooks and a mother-to-be, Nadia believes in the benefits of her Nude Food philosophy, which values quick, healthy and delicious food which comes from the earth, sea and sky, and less from the factories.

1. Make the kitchen a fun place – get the kids involved in a baking day:
You don't need to be the on-call household chef, get the whole family involved in the kitchen in the new school year! Choose a healthy treat the kids would like for their school lunchboxes (e.g. oat cookies or a fruit slice) and set aside an hour to bake together on a Sunday afternoon, making enough for 2 weeks-worth of lunchboxes. Freeze half to then thaw the following Sunday, and you'll be organised with fresh treats weeks in advance!

2. Fuel brain power with a little blender power:
Throw a banana or any seasonal fruits (such as peaches, mangos or berries) in a blender with some milk and/or yoghurt and a squeeze of honey to be whizzed into a smoothie. They're a quick and easy treat the kids can make themselves for fuelling hard-working brains after a long day at school. Smoothies can also be frozen in plastic ice-block moulds for a healthy alternative to the corner-store icy pole after school or on the weekend.

3. Take advantage of an age-old Aussie BBQ tradition:
You and the kids may have gone back to work, but the long, sunny Summer afternoons continue. Take advantage of the extra hours of warm weather by taking your mid-week kitchen outdoors and firing up the BBQ. Not only does it add a delicious, smoky flavour to grilled meats and veggies, but it's also saves on washing up!

4. Planning ahead is your friend:
Know Tuesday nights are filled with piano lessons, ballet and sports practise, and Wednesday doesn't look much better? Get ahead for those stressful mid-week nights by harnessing any free time on Sunday afternoons to get ahead. Pre-cook grains like quinoa or brown rice in advance and store in the fridge to toss through salads or serve with grilled meats at a moment's notice. Also consider pre-cooking simple but flavourful meat or seasonal vegetable sauces for pastas, fresh tacos with slaw or as a pie filling. Freeze or refrigerate these in batches to heat and serve during the week.

5. Out-source the decision-making and shopping:
Why waste your precious moments of weekend downtime planning a week's worth of dinners and battling through the crowds at the supermarket? Try My Food Bag, we provide fast, easy dinner recipes and the freshest seasonal, Australian produce to create them delivered to your door. All you have to do is welcome our friendly delivery driver, unpack your goodies and look forward to creating a week's worth of dinners planned for you and your family! With six different food bag options, including My Family Food Bag, My Classic Food Bag, My Gourmet Food Bag and My Own Food Bag, everyone from families, couples and single person households are taken care of.

Nadia Lim is Head Chef and Dietitian of premium food delivery My Food Bag, which is solving the 'what's for dinner?" dilemma by taking the work out of feeding the people you care about. The winner of MasterChef NZ 2011, Nadia is the author of four best-selling cookbooks, and is a regular judge on MasterChef and My Kitchen Rules NZ.

My Food Bag is about bringing the fun back into cooking by creating innovative and exciting dishes while embracing Nadia Lim's -Nude Food' philosophy. Each bag contains ingredients for dinners alongside recipes designed by Nadia and her team of chefs and dietitians, which are simple to prepare, big on flavour, healthy and delicious.

For more information on our products and services, please contact the My Food Bag team on 1800MYFOOD (1800 693 663) or visit http://www.myfoodbag.com.au/

 

 

 

Beef and Chorizo Meatballs With Spaghetti and Crunchy Zucchini Salad

Ready In: 35 Min

Prep Time: 15 Min

Cook Time: 20 Min

Serves: 5

 

Ingredients

Beef And Chorizo Meatballs

500g beef and chorizo mince

1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

½ cup panko breadcrumbs

1 egg

1 clove garlic, minced

Tomato Sauce

2-3 teaspoons olive oil

1 brown onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jar passata sauce

1 can diced tomatoes

½ cup milk

350g spaghetti

Crunchy Zucchini Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

½ baby cos lettuce, roughly chopped

2 zucchini, peeled into ribbons

1 tablespoon finely grated parmesan cheese

To Serve

2 tablespoons finely grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons parsley

Method

BRING a large pot of salted water to the boil. Read through recipe.
In a large bowl, combine all meatball ingredients and mix well. Using damp hands, shape into golf-ball sized balls. Set aside.
Heat oil in a large fry-pan (preferably non-stick) on medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 3-4 minutes until soft. Add passata and canned tomatoes and simmer for 3-4 minutes until slightly thickened. Stir through milk and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Add meatballs to pan with sauce, arrange in a single layer and simmer gently, covered, for 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Gently turn meatballs halfway through cooking.
While meatballs are cooking, add pasta to pot of boiling water and cook for 8 minutes until al dente (just cooked).
In a large bowl, combine oil, lemon juice and parsley. Add lettuce, zucchini and parmesan and gently toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
TO SERVE, spoon spaghetti, meatballs and sauce into bowls, sprinkle with cheese and garnish with parsley. Serve salad on the side.

Teriyaki Chicken with Vegetable Udon Noodles

Ready In: 30 Min

Prep Time: 20 Min

Cook Time: 15 Min

Serves: 4

 

Ingredients

Teriyaki Chicken

¼ cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons finely grated ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon sesame oil

2 tablespoons honey

650g chicken thighs

Vegetable Udon Noodles

280g dried udon noodles (4 bundles)

150g sugar snap peas, cut in half lengthways

1 tablespoon sweet chilli sauce

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 clove garlic, minced

½ red chilli, seeds removed, finely chopped (optional)

1 packet red cabbage slaw mix

To Serve

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

½ red chilli, finely sliced (optional)

Method

BRING a medium pot of salted water to the boil. Read through recipe.
To prepare teriyaki sauce, combine soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame oil and honey in a shallow dish. Pat chicken dry with paper towels, slice into 1.5cm strips and toss with sauce.
Cook noodles in pot of boiling water for about 4 minutes, add sugar snap peas and cook a further 1 minute until noodles and sugar snap peas are just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water to prevent noodles sticking together and transfer to a large bowl. Toss with sweet chilli sauce and soy sauce.
Heat a large, dry fry-pan on medium heat. Toast sesame seeds until light brown, about 30 seconds. Remove from pan and set aside; increase heat to high and add a drizzle of oil. Use tongs or a slotted spoon to remove half the chicken from sauce (reserving sauce) and stir-fry for 3-4 minutes until golden and cooked through. Remove from pan, set aside to rest on a plate and repeat with another drizzle of oil and remaining chicken. Keep pan on heat.
Add reserved sauce to same pan that chicken was cooked in, allowing it to bubble for about 30 seconds until reduced. Pour sauce over chicken
Heat another drizzle of oil in the same pan on medium to high heat. Add garlic and chilli (if using) and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Add noodles and vegetables to pan and toss to combine.
TO SERVE, divide noodles and vegetables between plates and top with chicken. Garnish with sesame seeds and chilli, if using.

Haloumi Zucchini Fritters with Sweet Potato Wedges

Ready In: 30 Min

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 25 Min
Serves: 4-5

 

Ingredients

Sweet Potato Wedges
600g sweet potato, scrubbed, cut into wedges

1 tablespoon olive oil

½ teaspoon salt

Haloumi Zucchini Fritters

2 zucchini

2 carrots

1 pack halloumi, grated

Zest of 1 lemon

2 eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup plain flour

2 tablespoons finely chopped coriander (optional, adults)

1/3 cup sweet chilli sauce, to serve

Avocado Smash

1 avocado, roughly chopped

2 teaspoons olive oil

1-2 teaspoons lemon juice, plus lemon wedges to serve

1 tablespoon roughly chopped coriander (optional, adults)

Method

PREHEAT oven to 220°C/200°C (Fan). Line an oven tray with baking paper. Read through recipe.
Toss sweet potato with oil on prepared tray and season with salt. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning once during cooking, until golden.
While sweet potato is cooking, make fritters. Grate zucchini and carrot, squeeze out excess water and place in a large bowl with remaining fritter ingredients (except sweet chilli sauce). Season with salt and pepper.
Heat a drizzle of oil in a large fry-pan (preferably non-stick) on medium heat. Using a dessert spoon, dollop heaped spoon-fuls of fritter mixture into pan and flatten to about 1cm and fry, in batches, for 2-3 minutes each side until golden and cooked through. If fritters brown too quickly but are still raw in middle, reduce heat. Set aside on paper towels and cover with tinfoil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining fritters, adding extra oil as required.
Place avocado smash ingredients in a medium bowl, season with salt and pepper and mash with a fork to desired level of consistency.
TO SERVE, divide fritters and sweet potato wedges between plates. Serve a teaspoonful of avocado smash on top of each fritter and sweet chilli sauce on the side.

Margherita Pizzas with Cherry Tomatoes and Crunchy Peanut Salad

Ready In: 35 Min

Prep Time: 15 Min
Cook Time: 25 Min

 

Ingredients

Margherita Pizzas With Cherry Tomatoes
4 Greek pita breads

1 cup pizza sauce

2 cups grated tasty cheese

1 punnet cherry tomatoes, cut in half

¼ cup roughly chopped basil leaves, plus extra to serve

Crunchy Peanut Salad

50g peanuts

1 avocado

2 Lebanese cucumbers

½ punnet baby salad leaves

Dressing

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 teaspoons white wine vinegar

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon wholegrain mustard

Method

PREHEAT oven to 220°C/200°C (Fan). Line two oven trays with baking paper. Read through recipe.
Place a pita bread on each prepared tray and place remaining pita bread on a clean, dry bench. Spread each base with pizza sauce, divide tasty cheese between pizzas and top with cherry tomatoes. Scatter over basil.
Cook pizzas for 10–12 minutes until cheese has melted and bases are crisp around the edges. You may have to switch trays in the oven (top to bottom) to ensure they cook evenly. Cook remaining two pizzas.
While pizzas are cooking, heat a medium fry-pan (preferably non-stick) on medium to high heat. Toast peanuts, shaking pan regularly for 2-3 minutes until golden. Set aside to cool for 2 minutes, roughly chop.
In a medium bowl, combine dressing ingredients and season with salt and pepper. Prepare salad; dice avocado and cut cucumber into 2cm dice. Add to bowl with lettuce and half the peanuts. Toss to combine. Scatter remaining peanuts over salad.
TO SERVE, cut pizzas into wedges and garnish with basil leaves. Serve salad on the side.

 

For more information on our products and services, please contact the My Food Bag team on 1800MYFOOD (1800 693 663) or visit http://www.myfoodbag.com.au/