As Sure as Lunch and Taxes... Lamb & Pumpkin Salad

Today, I'm doing my taxes.  Actually, that's also what I was doing yesterday.

It's probably what I'll be doing next weekend too because last year I wasn't too flash on the organisation. I've revised my sloppy ways a lot recently (I repent!), but this doesn't save me from the messy backlog or the unreasonable demands of my accountant (you want receipts and invoices??). Eee gads. :-/

Lunch!

I wanted to show you how easy it is to construct a good AIP lunch out of leftovers.  It's a really useful habit to cook more than you need at dinnertime and stash it in the fridge for lunch (or breakfast) the next day.

Last nights dinner was lamb chops and roasted pumpkin. Today I reheated some of the pumpkin and meat, added watercress and avocado, sprinkled with kelp salt and lemon juice and.. that's it! Done.

And with that, I'll get back to the bank statements.  I think this is irony, or perhaps a paradox.  I need to work to pay the tax I owe, and yet, I have to take two days off work just to figure out how much tax to pay. 

Now where do I claim for catfood and vet bills?  Razzy is my therapist after all. I'm sure that's deductible.

Food Preparation Ideas for Healthy Weekday Eats

The next few months are going to be quite crazy, and I mean that in a good way: lots going on with work, the biz, study and on a personal level.  

When I get super busy, it's über important to be prepped and ready with food so that I don't resort to takeaways or mass chocolate consumption when I'm tired or rushed.

As well as keeping the house stocked with healthy, energy supporting food like fruit, veg and nuts, I like to set aside half of Sunday, or another evening, to get a few things made that can function as quick food during the week. Here's what I've got in the stash right now:

Paleo Quiche. This is a quiche that consists entirely of eggs and veges. No crust, no flour, no dairy. It's just eggs and veges (this one contains onions, courgette(zucchini) and silver beet, which were lightly sauteed before adding to the beaten eggs). I've been using this for breakfasts.

Apple and Plum Crumble: this was mainly to utilise what was in the fruitbowl before it died a sad, uneaten death. Fruit crumbles are fab for that post workout munchie attack, and for filling up a hungry man if dinner lacked sufficient carbs.

Grilled lean protein: in this case free-range organic chicken breasts (yes they are smaller, because the chickens are not fed the unnatural food of hothouse chooks, and are a different breed). I sprinkled these with crushed garlic, salt and thyme, quickly fried them on each side to seal in the juices, then placed in the oven for 40 minutes.

Just add salad for a quick lunch or light dinner.  You can add a wrap, or some other carb (rice, chickpeas, hummus, crackers).

Sweet Treats: It's still important to have some indulgences.  These tangerine friands (sorry friand purists, I don't have a friand mould and used a muffin pan) are part of my cookin' with erythritol experiment, which is heading toward success (recipe in next post).

If only I hadn't slightly overcooked them...

They cook fast. (over)Done in 15 minutes.

Nut cheese: perfect for adding a little zing to the aforementioned chicken salad or paleo quiche.

And, of course, I still have some of my pickled veges for more super healthy probiotics.

I hope that gives you a few ideas about things that can be quickly put together over the weekend to make nutritious weekday eating an easier mission. No excuses to have macarons for lunch! (although.. if we are to be open and honest, who needs an excuse for that?). Not me..

What about you? Are you a pre-prepper, or a 'go with the flow'-er?
Any favourite recipes for keeping things decent when you are really busy?