There is nothing like starting the new year fresh and ORGANISED! Especially if you're trying to get into the habit of a health routine.. you want to be as organised and motivated as possible so you can give yourself the best chances of being able to continue that momentum as the year goes on! No one wants to return to old habits as soon as February rolls around..
One of the thing I absolutely make sure I'm doing to help my cooking time be 1000x easier, is call in the help from the big guns.. my freezer. I don't know about you but I much prefer to batch-cook or batch-prepare things from BARE Lean so that when it comes to cooking, I've already done over half the work! Thanks past-Leah.. you the best 😜
So if you're ready to get seriously organised, keep reading because I'm about to give you the Vegetarian edition of getting the most out of your freezer for BARE Lean Vegetarian! You ready? Let's Go! 🔽
BREAKFASTS
Chilli Bean Bowl
Page 39
These Chilli Bean Bowls for breakfast are so amazing for a savoury start to the morning, especially when it's a bit cold outside!! But did you know that instead of spending 30 minutes cooking them each time, you can cook in 1 big batch, and freeze your portions individually? Such a time-saver! And can even double as a life-saver when you've forgotten to buy ingredients for your breakfast.. open the freezer and BAM hello there chilli beans, welcome to today's breakfast!
Fritters
Page 45
My favourite part about breakfasts like these, is that you can take the most time consuming element (the fritters) and pre-cooking them to make your life WAY easier for another morning. Just prep once, cook, pop inside the freezer in your portions.. and then all you need to do on the morning of your breakfast is chop the fresh ingredients up! It's like as if you cooked everything fresh on the day.
Ricotta Pancakes
Page 52
Would it really be a BARE Guide without pancakes? These Ricotta Pancakes are to die for, but sometimes you just don't feel like preparing a whole batch on that morning. With this recipe, you can freeze the individual pancakes after you've cooked them, and just take out your portion the night before. Heat up on the pan or in the microwave, put your toppings on and you're done! You can also swap your toppings to what ever fruit you have in the fridge.. so this one's a great last-minute brekky!
Pumpkin Pie Smoothie
Page 51
Yeeesssss god damn I do love a smoothie and this Pumpkin Pie one tastes so yum! You can pre-cook the cubed pumpkin and pop them in the freezer in portions ready to grab and go! No need to defrost them either - the frozen cubed pumpkin and banana pieces will double-up as ice cubes, making your smoothie extra creamy and luscious!
SNACKS
Carrot Cake
Page 64
Oh hell yes. The hype is legitimately REAL for the BARE Lean Vegetarian Carrot Cake .. it's all of your incredible carrot cake dreams come to life.. and even better since you can freeze these! If you're going to go down that route, could be handy to make them into carrot cake muffins instead. These will need to go into the freezer un-frosted.. and muffins will make it a little easier for you to spoon frosting on with a spoon at your desk. Or, you know... the protein frosting acting as a dipping-sauce on the side of your muffin is definitely a winner also!
Bliss Balls
Pages 65 / 68 / 73
I absolutely love a good bliss ball and BARE Lean Vegetarian spares none! There are 3 variations of bliss balls inside the guide, including these Chai Spiced Bliss Balls (below), the Cookie Dough Bliss Balls (page 68) and the Lemon Coconut Bliss Balls (page 73) for you to feast over. These act as a seriously-perfect 3pm pick-me-up, and are especially great when you want to prepare a snack that's a one-pot-wonder (less cleaning!!). Make in bulk, keep in your freezer and just grab & go whenever you need!
Chocolate Brownie
Page 67
I know what you're thinking... brownies? In a BARE Lean guide?! Your eyes are seeing correctly hahaha I told you guys I was on a mission to break the stigma! Enjoy these brownies guilt-free as part of your tailored guide. They're also great to freeze in individual slices too. Less waste - just defrost a slice when you know you'll be having one later that day!
Babaganoush Dip
Page 60
Dips would have to be one of my FAVOURITE things to freeze. Seriously - prep everything, chuck it in a blender, measure out your portions (or a week's portion) to freeze and then just take it out when you're really vibing dip as a snack! So fresh and easy, I love it!
Pinwheels
Page 76
If you guys know anything about the BARE community, it's how much they love a pinwheel 🤣🤣 These are no exception, my vegetarian friends! You will absolutely love them. Bake them, wrap them individually, and take out your snack the morning-of. OR freeze them un-baked. That way all you need to do is defrost slightly and put them in the oven fresh! You. Are. Welcome!
Oat Slice
Page 74
The Oat Slice is so amazing. You get a little hit of banana, a bit of berry, the sweetness from the maple among other delicious goodies and BAM.. a perfect snack to go with your afternoon coffee or tea. You can make these in bulk and freeze them after you slice them up! Such an easy and simple prep with minimal mess.
MAIN MEALS
Black Bean Jackfruit Bowls
Page 85
I absolutely love this recipe! In fact, it was this recipe that helped me fall into a deeper love with cooking with jackfruit! But with all great dishes, they do take time and patience.. 45 minutes worth in fact for this one here. But it's super comforting to know that I can batch-cook it and freeze in individual portions. You just defrost, heat and add your freshly chopped salsa!
Falafel Recipes
Pages 102 / 103 / 104
These falafels... just you wait haha there's a reason why these little pockets of delciousness are in 3 of the recipes inside BARE Lean Vegetarian. They were just too good not too!! The picture below is their appearance in the Falafel Caesar Salad, but there is also the Falafel Wrap (page 103) and the Falafel Yiros (page 104). Create a bunch of these falafels all at once, and you'll give yourself multiple options on how you want to use them! So versatile!
Tofu Pho
Page 146
The key to a sensational-tasting clear soup is the quality of the broth. But the best stocks do take time, patience and lovin. The broth created for this recipe would have to be one of my favourites.. but who wants to go to all the effort of cooking a broth for over an hour every time? The answer? No one! You can create larger portions of this broth, and freeze them in individual portions.. talk about convenient!
Vegetarian Meatloaf
Page 148
Just like with BARE Lean Regular.. I developed a Meatloaf recipe thinking it was going to be a pleaser for some people, but not all people. Turns out, I was bloody wrong hahaha! The BARE Community WENT CRAZY over the Meatloaf! And I totally get it.. it's like a giant meatball what's not to love 🤣🤣 So I absolutely had to develop one for BARE Lean Vegetarian as well. This Meatloaf, once you've cooked it, can be cut into slices and frozen for later. That way you're not committed to eating it over 5 days, or falling victim to accidently leaving it in the fridge too long and it going to waste! Perfection!
Green Lentil Bowl
Page 109
I tell you what, a good curry has a warm place in my heart. I love it in winter, and also those days when you just want something warm to comfort you! This recipe is like a warm hug haha. But also, since my days go super quickly since I'm so busy.. sometimes I REALLY feel like a curry, but also get home quite late from work so have no time to prep it! That's where my freezer's time to shine really happens, because I can just grab a container of pre-cooked curry (like this one), re-heat it, grab a microwaveable rice-cup portion, and my dinner is done in minutes!
OR for the Top 15 Freezer-Friendly BARE Lean Regular recipes.. check out this article here!
