economie

I’ve followed the Mediterranean diet for many years. These are my 7 favorite easy meals to make in batches.

September 1, 20240
I cook my chicken meatballs in an air fryer.

George Arkley

Chicken meatballs pair well with all kinds of dishes and are easy to freeze to consume at a later date.

I usually combine ground chicken, chopped red onion, egg, breadcrumbs, and olive oil. Then, I mix in oregano, garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper and form my meatballs.

I pop them in the air fryer or oven until brown, let them cool, then freeze them in individual portions for later.

Stuffed peppers are cheap, easy, and perfect to freeze for later.
I eat half of my chicken traybake for dinner and the other half for lunch the next day.

George Arkley

A one-pan chicken traybake is perfect to throw in the oven on a busy weeknight, particularly if you also need lunch prepped for the next day.

For mine, I chop potatoes, onions, and lemons into medium-sized chunks and toss them on a pan with olive oil, capers, jarred peppers, sundried tomatoes, rosemary, oregano, salt, and pepper.

I start roasting them in the oven while I season chicken thighs with olive oil, salt, and pepper.

I fry the thighs skin-side down on the stove until the skin turns brown, then add them to the tray of things I began roasting. I cover the whole thing in foil for a bit, then keep baking and tossing everything around until my potatoes are crispy.

Once finished, I serve myself a portion and keep the rest for lunch the next day.

I cook Moroccan soup to use up any veggies that are on their way out.
I sometimes serve my beef stew with bread.

George Arkley

Sometimes I spend a free afternoon cooking a large batch of beef stew to fill my freezer with.

To make it, I brown ground beef in olive oil on my stove and set it aside on a plate. Then, I add diced onion, rosemary, and garlic to the pan I was using. I cook them for a few minutes and then add red wine.

I then pour in beef stock, canned chopped tomatoes, and jarred grilled peppers. I add the beef back in and cook my stew in the oven for two hours.

Then, I stir in canned butterbeans and olives and cook for another 30 minutes. I make a slurry with cornstarch and cold water and stir it into my stew to help it thicken. I let it simmer until I like the consistency.

Once it cools, I freeze individual serving sizes that I can thaw whenever I want them.

Try these fishcakes even if you don’t like white fish.
I add feta to my olive salad.

George Arkley

I prepare olive salad once or twice a week to keep in the fridge.

To make, I chop pitted olives, shallots, cherry tomatoes, carrots, and bell peppers into tiny chunks.

I toss those in a dressing made with lemon juice, sweet paprika, extra-virgin olive oil, and chili flakes. Lastly, I top my salad with fresh parsley, mint, crumbled feta, and walnuts.

It can be eaten on its own, but I usually serve a small portion of it with one of my batch-cooked recipes.