This time last year, my standard lunch (read the lunch I would eat every day) was two peanut butter and cheese toasted sandwiches made from white bread. My lunch now is so very different!
In April I eliminated grains, refined sugar and dairy from my diet which meant I had to find new and far more nutritional lunches.
It takes more planning and organisation, but the effort is worth it. This recipe is on high rotation in our home. We will have the meat for a family meal with veggies or salad and then I will use the left over meat for my lunches. My husband is still eating grains, refined sugar and dairy, but he is working on eating more whole foods and is taking more left overs for lunch too.
For our family of seven to have a decent amount of left overs, I cook up over 2kgs of beef. The recipe makes a lot, so for smaller families you might need to halve the quantities.
Once the meat has been cooked and shredded, I keep a portion of the liquid stock from the slow cooker to use as a dressing on my salad. As you can see from the photo, the fat solidifies on the top. I spoon out some of the liquid from underneath the fat and warm it in the microwave before pouring onto the salad.
Depending on your preference, you can heat the meat up in batches as you need it for your salad, but it tastes terrific cold as well.
You could add a whole range of veggies and salad to the beef, but I really love the flavour of the beef, so keep it simple by just adding rocket.
- 2kgs boneless beef
- 4 cloves garlic
- ½ cup balsamic vinegar
- ½ cup maple syrup
- Place beef in the slow cooker
- Add halved garlic cloves, pour the balsamic vinegar over the beef and then pour over the maple syrup.
- Set slow cooker to cook for 3 - 4 hours on high or 6- 8 hours on low.
- You will be able to tell if the meat is ready as it will easily break off with a fork.
- Remove the beef from the slow cooker and place onto a large baking/lasagne dish.
- Using forks pull apart the roast, then gently pour half a cup of the sauce over the meat.
- The sauce has beautiful flavours, so keep it to add as a dressing to the salad.
- If you like the meat warmed for your salad, place in a microwave safe bowl and heat. Add rocket and then add about a tablespoon of warmed dressing and toss.
Family Friendly Recipes
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