I quit SUgar with the luchbox book

contents Introduction What does a healthy lunch look like? What about snacks? What about kids? You eat leftovers a lot for lunch…what’s the trick? How to use this book Recipes Inside Out Breads Totable Mugs and Jars A Bunch of Salad Jars Little Lunch Big Lunch Sunday Cookup Soups for All Seasons A Bonus Office Cake introduction At the I Quit Sugar office each day, lunch is a focal point for us all We are lucky enough to have a big office kitchen where we gather to assemble our “desk lunches” All kinds of ingenious ideas for toting, heating, dressing and adding pizazz are on display The team even have Friday cook-offs (follow them on Instagram!) Consider this book that you hold here a “best of” these ideas, compiled from a number of my previous print-only books Me, I rarely (if ever!) buy lunch out My midday meal is mostly an opportunity to ensure I get a big nutritious hit in the middle of the day And probably not a week goes by when I’m not asked how I go about doing this, by both busy office workers and parents How about we share with you my answers… and some recipes! Yours in wellness, Don’t forget to share your creations and tips on social media, tagging us so then we can share… and on and on goes the love! #IQSlunchbox #IQSJERF What does a healthy lunch look like? At I Quit Sugar we work to the bold aim of getting seven to nine serves of vegetables and fruit into everyone’s diets each day (the Australian guidelines recommend six serves; the UK just five) So lunch should contain about three serves of veg! Plus a portion of protein Add a serve of good fat (your good fats guide is here)… about tablespoon of extra-virgin olive oil, butter, coconut oil or ¼ cup of cheese or avocado, for instance This might come in the form of a dressing Most of the wonderful essential vitamins, minerals and amino acids in our food are fat-soluble only Without fat, you’re not getting the full bang for your nutritional buck! eating full meals I believe most people not eat enough – at least enough dense nutrition – particularly at lunch I was the same for years I’d get all modest with my midday meal, then turn to snacks (sweet ones) around 3pm It took several visits to Europe to get a good feel for how a meal should be eaten Over there, women and men alike commit to a proper lunch that fills them up until dinner They don’t afternoon tea and snacks are not de rigueur Some things to try: Eat a handful-sized serve of protein at breakfast, lunch and dinner Include at least cups of vegetables at lunch and dinner If it’s a salad, it should be cups While adjusting to this ‘three meals only’ way of eating, add an extra boiled egg (or two) or feta cheese (a proper slab) to your meal if you get hungry Throw on some seeds, nuts and, of course, a good glug of extra-virgin olive oil or dressing like the Europeans Don’t be shy about including several elements I’ll often eat a soup or broth and a box of leftover roast vegetables with a leftover chop What about snacks? The research that backed this approach pertained to diabetics You could say it’s a myth borne as a paltry fix for sugar addiction But most of us were not designed to eat this way – it’s inefficient and taxing on our bodies, which don’t get the opportunity to rest between meals An increasing number of studies are showing that bigger breaks between meals have big health benefits Plus, there’s this: Full meals tend to be nutritionally dense; snacks rarely The good news: Once you’re off sugar for several months, you’ll find you don’t need to snack curbing the snack attacks Most of the time when I think I’m hungry between meals it’s more a case of my not being quite satiated yet In such cases I find it helpful to: Wait 15–20 minutes Sometimes my metabolism is slow to react Wait a little – go for a walk, run an errand – and then see if you’re still hungry Drink some water Quite often hunger is actually thirst Eat a tablespoon of coconut oil This works 100 per cent and for a good few hours Promise! If I’m genuinely hungry between meals, I eat I recommend nuts, cheese or yoghurt They can be found most places (even in service stations) and they work fast Cinnamon and all things nice Why I add cinnamon to my ‘sweet’ recipes? Along with turmeric, cloves and bay leaves, it stimulates insulin activity (indeed, triples it) and helps process sugar more efficiently Sitting at a café in Paris recently, I heard an old man next to me comment on a couple walking past eating pizza on sagging paper plates “Pfft, they are obviously not European,” he said The French (and most Europeans) don’t eat on the run, It’s seen as déclassé (a promenade stroll with a gelato or glace is the exception) I see it as unhealthful Full meals are packed with nutrition and satiate On-the-run food is junky and leaves us wanting more The lack of mindfulness and commitment also means we’re not aware of what and how much we’re eating Again, no satiation what about kids? Although we don’t think adults need to snack, kids are a different story Their little bodies need as much fuel as possible for all that growing they need to Check out our section on little lunch for some great snack ideas to keep little tummies full between main meals My kids have a no peanut rule at their school… cool? Yup We’ve marked all nut-free recipes as “Kid-friendly” cups vegetable scraps (such as celery ends and leaves, onion trimmings, carrot tops) leftover herbs, optional used lemon, halved litres water sea salt and freshly ground black pepper To make stock in the slow cooker: Toss all the ingredients into slow cooker insert Cover and cook on low for hours or high for Strain stock, discard veggie scraps and allow to cool Store in 1/2 cup portions in the freezer To make stock on the stovetop: Place all ingredients in a large soup pot or saucepan Cover ingredients completely with water Bring stock to the boil then reduce to a simmer for hours Skim off any impurities every hour or so Strain stock, discard veggie scraps and allow to cool Pouring into jars and refrigerate for 3–4 days, or freeze for up to months roast chicken carcass, broken into pieces onion, chopped bay leaves tablespoon black peppercorns litres water a few cups of whatever vegetables you have on hand E.g chopped celery, carrots, parsley, leeks, zucchini To make in the slow cooker: Preheat oven to 200°C and roast chicken carcass in the oven for 15–20 minutes until the bones are browned Place roasted carcass into the slow cooker insert with the remaining ingredients Cover completely with water Place on low and slow cook for hours Discard chicken carcass and strain the remaining liquid Allow stock to cool before pouring into jars and refrigerating for 3–4 days, or freezing for up to months To make on the stove: Preheat oven to 200°C and roast chicken carcass in the oven for 15–20 minutes until the bones are browned Put the carcass and remaining ingredients into a large pot and fill the pot with water, bring to the boil and then simmer for 6–8 hours (the longer it simmers the more goodness leaches from the bones), skimming the scum off the top occasionally Discard chicken carcass and strain the remaining liquid Allow stock to cool before pouring into jars and refrigerating for 3–4 days, or freezing for up to months Cos (romaine) lettuce is best in this soup Or use two gem lettuces or an iceberg instead A handful of rocket, if it’s lying around, can be thrown in, too I think what gives this the real ‘crockery and copper-goblet spin’ is the frozen peas Yes? 1/4 cup butter tablespoon flour (any kind) leek or onion, chopped cloves garlic, crushed cups Homemade Stock (chicken or a veggie variation) nice big cos lettuce, chopped cups frozen peas 1/2 cup mint leaves juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 teaspoon granulated stevia or 1–2 drops liquid stevia (optional) sea salt and freshly ground black or white pepper full-fat organic plain yoghurt, to serve Heat the butter in a large saucepan over a low–medium heat Stir in the flour Add the leek or onion and the garlic and cook until soft (but not browned) Add the stock, cup of water, lettuce and peas and bring to the boil Whack on a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for about minutes Remove from the heat Add the mint, lemon juice and stevia (if using) Purée in the pan using a stick blender (or transfer to a blender) and season to taste with salt and pepper Heat again to serve Or cool, refrigerate and serve cold in summer! Serve with a blob of yoghurt or some soup toppers USE THE LEFTOVERS for a work lunch: Pour into jars, freeze and either microwave in the office or, in summer, drink cold like a smoothie tablespoons coconut oil, olive oil,butter or ghee onions, diced large parsnips, roughly chopped small pears, peeled, cored and roughly chopped teaspoon sea salt freshly ground black pepper 1.5 litres Homemade Stock (a veggie variation) sprigs thyme, leaves picked, plus extra sprigs to serve cream or full-fat organic plain yoghurt, to serve Heat the oil, butter or ghee in a large saucepan over a medium–high heat Add the onion and cook gently for 8–10 minutes, until soft and translucent Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil Reduce the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until all of the vegetables are cooked through Pour the soup into a blender and blitz to a purée Serve with extra thyme sprigs and a dollop of cream or yoghurt tablespoon coconut oil tablespoons red miso paste onions, roughly chopped cloves garlic, minced medium–large sweet potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped 1.5 litres Homemade Stock (a veggie variation) tablespoons chopped sage leaves sea salt and freshly ground pepper Heat the coconut oil in a flameproof casserole dish or large saucepan over a low heat Add the onion and garlic and sauté for minutes Add the sweet potato and continue cooking until slightly softened, then add the miso paste Pour over the stock and bring to the boil Cover, then reduce the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked through Season to taste Allow the soup to cool slightly, then blend in batches to your desired consistency tablespoon butter or ghee cloves garlic, minced large onion, roughly chopped celery stalk, roughly chopped carrot, roughly chopped bunch beetroot (about 800g), trimmed, scrubbed and cubed, leaves finely chopped apples, peeled, cored and cut into large cubes 1.5 litres Homemade Stock (a veggie variation) sea salt and freshly ground black pepper full-fat organic plain yoghurt, to serve Heat the butter or ghee in a flameproof casserole dish or large saucepan over a low heat Add the garlic, onion, celery and carrot and cook for 15 minutes or until the vegetables have softened Add the beetroot, chopped beet leaves and apple to the pan and cook for minutes more, stirring to soften slightly Add the stock and season to taste with salt and pepper Cover and simmer for 45 minutes or until everything is tender Serve the soup chunky, or cool it slightly and purée it in a blender Spoon into bowls and top with a swirl of yoghurt or a dollop of cream cheese Add a poached egg floater for extra protein Break an egg or two into a teacup Bring your soup to a gentle boil in a small saucepan over a medium heat (you’ll need the soup to be at least 5cm deep) Gently tip the egg(s) into the soup, turn off the heat immediately and cover the pan tightly Leave for 3–4 minutes, or until the eggs are cooked 270ml can coconut cream tablespoons cardamom pods, lightly crushed with a flat blade until the outer husks crack 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla powder or teaspoon pure vanilla extract 100g dark (85–90% cocoa) chocolate, chopped pinch of sea salt, plus coarse sea salt, to garnish berries, edible petals and activated buckwheat groats, to serve CRUST 1/3 cup coconut oil 1/4 cup rice malt syrup cups shredded coconut tablespoon raw cacao powder Preheat the oven to 180ºC To make the crust, melt the coconut oil and rice malt syrup in a saucepan Remove from the heat, add the shredded coconut and cacao powder and mix well Press the mixture into the base and up the side of a quiche or tart tin – no need to grease it – so that the mixture’s approximately 5mm thick all over Bake the crust for 15–20 minutes Remove from the oven and set aside to cool and firm up Meanwhile, heat the coconut cream, cardamom pods and vanilla in a saucepan to a simmer, then turn off the heat and cover with a lid Allow to steep for 10 minutes Strain the coconut cream mixture into a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup in the pan for emergency use later, if needed Discard the cardamom pods (or save to spice up chai tea) Add the chocolate and salt to the bowl, whisking it through until silky and melted If the fats separate and your ganache develops a chocolatey cottagecheese appearance, just add the reserved coconut cream, whisking swiftly to bring it all back together Once silky, pour into the tart shell and refrigerate until the ganache sets (at least hours) Garnish with a pinch of coarse sea salt and berries, petals and activated groaties, if desired Table of Contents Introduction Inside Out Breads Totable Mugs and Jars Salad Jars Little Lunch Big Lunch Sunday Cook-up Soups for All Seasons A Bonus Office Cake Thank You 17 28 43 55 68 80 90 100 103 ... mushrooms for 10 minutes until softened, then stir in cream Reduce the sauce until the desired consistency is reached Lift the loaf from the tin and slice into thick slices Serve with the the mushroom... whisk the eggs lightly with the apple cider vinegar Add the parsley, olives, zucchini, ham and cheese and whisk well, then add the egg mix to the dry ingredients Mix well to combine, then pour the. .. feta Rub the insides of two mugs with a little oil or butter Now hand them over to the kids and invite them to add whatever ingredients they like until the mug is halffull Cover the mug (I use a