I have created another simple cook up for those interested and now getting bored of the Coops Chicken Creation. It can be pretty challenging to cook up a full batch of meals for the week on Sunday when all you want to do is chill out and watch some television, but if you want to reach your goals you have no choice but to suck it up and get in the kitchen.

I never spend more than 30min in the kitchen when it comes to creating my meals for the week. I have better things to be doing like everyone else.

Use the recipe below as a guide and add the ingredients you prefer, below is just what I like and what works well for me. It is a very high protein meal with a decent amount of fiber, but if your wanting to bulk you could easily add some pasta or rice etc. Experiment, it’s fun!

Also the portions I have used are based on my needs for 5 days worth of meals but hey you might want more or less depending on your goals.

Below is a list of ingredients I purchased for this week (Some of these ingredients I will actually use in the second week) Sun Nov 20th 2011.

• 1kg Regular Mince – $6.00
• 1kg Mixed Veggies(McCain, Frozen) – $4.90
• Carrot
• Beans
• Broccoli
• Cauliflower
• 400g Red Kidney Beans – $1.00
• 400g/240g Lentils – $1.00
• 400g Diced Tomatoes – $0.80
• Sun Rice double packs (Brown 250g) – $2.49 each (On special)

Bare in mind that the above was not at the cheapest possible price… I just grabbed what I could.

If we take the above total cost ($18.68) and divide this over the 5 days (Not including left overs which I may have on the weekend) it works out to be roughly $3.75 per day for one meal a day (lunch), so how is this to expensive?

I am actually currently having the chicken dish as well but that is around 10-10:20am and then the mince meal will be after a workout at about 2-2:30pm.

Now time for the food…

Coops Mighty Mince Meal
Note: I am using a crappy old electric stove top so times and temps will vary, Also make sure to rinse your Red Kidney Beans and Lentils to remove any starch.

1. Turn stove top to high and heat pot
2. Add diced red onion and brown
3. Add mince and stir while breaking up using wooden spatula
4. Pick some of your favourite herbs and spices and add to the top of the pot, I like the following (But feel free to experiment)
• Mixed Herbs
• Chilli Flakes
• Pepper
5. Once mince has all been lightly cooked at your Red Kidney Beans and stir in well
6. Add your lentils and stir well
7. Add your can of diced tomatoes and stir in well
8. Turn stove top down to low and place lid on top of pot
9. Leave for 15min to cook through (use this time well, pack bag for the next day or put some washing on etc.)
10. Turn stove top back up to around medium and add your veggies make sure to stir in well
11.  Leave for 5-10min on medium and stir every so often
12. Turn back to low and leave for 10-15min (Once again use this time to do something else no need to hang around in the kitchen)
13. Once cooked leave to cool before placing into container(s)

That’s it… that’s how easy it is.

Once everything is cooked you can place them into containers, either 5 separate containers for each day or what I do is place it all in one big container and then dish out each morning before I go to work.

Once at work you can reheat without any problem or eat cold depending on what you like. You can even get a wholemeal roll to dip and eat. Stay away from white rolls, use your head people.

Now all up this pretty much takes me 25-30min. I don’t include the hanging around time because I used that time well and got my bag and stuff ready for the next day

If you have your own recipes that you would like to share. Something you do to make your life easier but still get the nutrients you need to get through the day, please don’t hesitate and send us your meal recipe with some photos.