Over the last two months we have moved into a routine of preparing kai for the week on Saturdays and Sundays. The extent of our preparation varies from week to week, but even when we only have an hour and a half for food prep, our whole week is made a lot easier when it comes to having kai that tastes good and makes us feel good. Kai prep also helps to reduce food waste and save money by making it easy to eat what we already have at home.

Kai prep is not new, but it does take some trial and error to figure out what works for you. It consists of preparing a range of ingredients that can be mixed and matched in different ways throughout the week to offer variety and ease. Some ideas have come from social media, while others have come through trial and error. Below are three easy things you can prepare to make your weekday meals a little easier!

Roasted Vegetables: Every weekend we prepare a big tray of roasted veges. Just throw in whatever is left in your fridge: leftover onions, carrots, mushrooms. I bulk this out with fresher seasonal veges from the market like eggplant, or capsicum. As we move into winter we'll likely be getting more parsnips, cauliflower and broccoli. You can keep it simple with salt and olive oil; we often add some soy sauce and balsamic.

‍Satay Sauce: This really works with any of your favourite sauces. We've also tried harissa, pesto and chimichurri. Overall, this is like the glue that binds the meal together, making a bland, dry dish into your fave meal. This satay sauce is quite rich and concentrated so you really only need a little thinned out with hot water for each dish. Here is a great satay recipe to follow. We measure by eye and preferred taste. This sauce can keep in the fridge for up to 2-3 weeks.

Roast chicken (or any meat): Most weeks we will prepare some meat - either chicken or some plain mince. When roasting chicken, unless we have an idea of the cuisine we'll be cooking with for the week, we keep it plain, preparing it with olive oil salt and some simple herbs. Once cooked, we take all of the chicken off the bone and prepare the bones for bone broth. The bones just go into water and simmer on the stop top for a few hours. Chicken keeps for around 3-4 days in the fridge. Make sure to freeze the broth if you don't have plans for it (it's easy to thaw).

With these three easy kai preparations we can mix and match a whole variety of dishes for the week. We've listed some of our go-to's below:

Roasted vege, chicken noodle salad: Cook some noodles add them to the roast veges and a Tbsp or 2 of satay sauce thinned down with noodle water. Mix well, sprinkle with sesame seeds and spring onion. All done!

Roasted vege, chicken and grain salad: We always cook up at least a cup or two of grains each week - we've been exploring with pearl couscous, buckwheat and freekah. We throw our roast veges in with the grains and add either feta and fresh greens like rocket or spinach with a dressing or add a handful of chopped herbs with some dried fruit like cranberries and nuts or seeds with olive oil and lemon juice.

Crustless roasted vege frittata: Mix 6-7 eggs in a bowl, adding in a 1/2 a cup of self-raising flour (or a gluten free flour) and salt well. Add roasted veges into a dish, pour over egg mixture. Bake in the oven till ready. Here's a good recipe to follow.

Roasted vege pasta sauce: This one is especially good for kiddies. All you do is cook up tomatos as you usually would for pasta. Add the tomato sauce along with a cup of roasted veges and whizz in a blender. Add to a cooked pasta of your choice, or turn into a pasta bake adding cheese on top.

Satay chicken rice bowl: We often have cooled rice in the fridge, so all this recipe takes is reheating the rice with some roast chicken (bought or roasted at home) in the microwave. Add a spoonful of the satay sauce in for the last minute of cooking. To make a balanced meal, add in a side of cucumber or a plate of salad to use as salad cups. You can make a rice bowl as elaborate as you like, adding seaweed sheets, coleslaw, or edamame beans.

Satay coconut chicken soup: Noodle soups are a big game changer when it comes to fast food. Using our chicken broth, all it takes is reheating the broth with some garlic and ginger + a Tbsp of satay sauce and some coconut milk, tasting and adjusting as you go. Add cooked noodles, roasted veges and chicken to a bowl and pour hot broth over top to reheat everything. Serve with your preferred condiments.

Bonus content (For those with a sweet tooth)

Blueberry chia jam: Cook a cup or two of frozen blueberries in a pot on the stove. Add sweetener to your liking (although blueberries are naturally quite sweet). Take off the heat and add a few Tbsp of chia seeds. Allow to sit for an hour or so to allow the chia seeds to expand. You can use this mix to add sweetness to plain yoghurt, porridge, on toast with peanut butter, or as a side with a brownie. Blueberries are high in nutrients and the chia seeds add protein. This should last for about a week in the fridge.

To learn more about kai prep, check out the accounts below:
‍@LifebyMikeG
‍@kirstykaminski