Taking time to cook health-promoting meals can be easy, simple and fun. With a little advanced planning and bulk cooking, you can whip up several dinners in a flash on those busy week nights. Below I will show you how to take precooked brown rice to plan dinner for three days and beyond with little time in the kitchen.
On a Sunday afternoon, start cooking the brown rice. One cup of rice yields three cups of cooked rice. For a family of four, I recommend you cook three cups of brown rice which will yield nine cups. You will need to adjust accordingly for your family’s size.
Always rinse your rice before cooking. It is even better if you can soak your rice for an hour or longer in some warm water with either a little vinegar or lemon juice. This helps break down the phytic acid and will aid in digestibility, allowing you to absorb more of the nutrients. If you are unable to soak the rice for a long period of time, at least rinse it.
I personally use a rice cooker to prepare my rice and don’t know what I would do without it. I set it and forget it (very convenient)! Cooking brown rice on the stove is the next alternative. This method can take up to 60 minutes. I recommend you check the rice occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. You will need one cup rice to two cups water.
Once your basic brown rice is finished, here is a meal plan you can follow.
Sunday Dinner: Veggie Stir Fry
Veggie Stir Fry
Recipe by: Randi Munns
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 bags of frozen stir fry veggies
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger (optional)
- Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- Chopped scallion greens for garnish
Heat butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté 2 minutes. Add frozen veggies and cook according to package directions, usually 7 – 9 minutes. Add rice, scallion greens, rice vinegar and soy sauce and cook until heated through, approximately 5 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls, saving one serving for tomorrow’s lunch.
Monday Lunch
Veggie stir fry leftovers wrapped in a whole grain sprouted tortilla.
Monday Dinner: Ricotta & Green Chile Rice Served with Black Beans
Ricotta & Green Chili Rice
Recipe by: The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- Ground pepper to taste
Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Add rice, green chilies, ricotta cheese and cilantro. Cook until heated through, 5 – 7 minutes. Serve with Kicked-Up Black Beans. Reserve one serving.
Kicked-Up Black Beans
Recipe by: Randi Munns
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Two 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and melt butter. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beans and ½ cup of water and bring to a simmer. With a wooden spoon or whisk, mash some of the beans to create a creamier texture. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes.
Tuesday Lunch
Leftover ricotta and green chili rice with beans and a salad.
Tuesday dinner: Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup served with a tossed salad
Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
Adapted recipe by: Randi Munns
Original recipe by: Allrecipes.com
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 14-ounce can chicken broth
- ½ cup of butter with two tablespoons reserved
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken or two cans or pouches of chicken
- 3 cups of milk, divided
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté celery, onion and garlic for 3 – 5 minutes until onions are transparent. Add rice and stir. Add broth, reduce heat to medium low and bring to a simmer. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Slowly add the flour stirring often to make a roux. Add 2 cups of milk, ½ cup at a time, constantly stirring until you have a smooth consistency. Add this and the chicken to the rice mixture. If soup seems too thick, add some more milk or water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve with salad. Reserve one serving.
Wednesday Lunch
Leftover soup and salad
If you still have extra rice, here is a breakfast and dessert recipe you could try as well.
Breakfast Porridge
Recipe by: Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- ½ cup leftover brown rice
- 1 tbsp. rolled oats
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp. dried cranberries
- 1 shake of cinnamon
raw honey to taste
Bring rice, oats, water, raisins, and cinnamon to a boil. Lower the flame to simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until creamy. Add raw honey to sweeten. Makes one serving.
Brown Rice Pudding
Recipe by: Andrea Beaman
- 1 1/2 cups leftover brown rice
- 1 cup milk (rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk or organic whole milk)
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup or other sweetener
- 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
- 2 tbsp. dried shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp. tahini
Combine all ingredients and heat on top of stove for 7-10 minutes or bake in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Following a meal plan like this is not only healthy and time-saving, it is also budget friendly!!! Do you have frugal, healthy ways to prepare meals? Please feel free to share your tips below or visit me on .
Stay tuned for Part 3 of Easy Tips to Help You Prepare Home Cooked Meals and Avoid Drive Through Windows.
Health and blessings!
Randi
Randi’s passion is to create positive change in a person’s life that leads to prolonged health and happiness. She works with individuals who wish to control weight, increase their energy, lower stress and manage and prevent disease all without dieting, counting calories or feeling overwhelmed. She is a certified holistic health coach and is in the process of completing her personal training certification.
On a Sunday afternoon, start cooking the brown rice. One cup of rice yields three cups of cooked rice. For a family of four, I recommend you cook three cups of brown rice which will yield nine cups. You will need to adjust accordingly for your family’s size.
Always rinse your rice before cooking. It is even better if you can soak your rice for an hour or longer in some warm water with either a little vinegar or lemon juice. This helps break down the phytic acid and will aid in digestibility, allowing you to absorb more of the nutrients. If you are unable to soak the rice for a long period of time, at least rinse it.
I personally use a rice cooker to prepare my rice and don’t know what I would do without it. I set it and forget it (very convenient)! Cooking brown rice on the stove is the next alternative. This method can take up to 60 minutes. I recommend you check the rice occasionally to make sure it doesn’t burn. You will need one cup rice to two cups water.
Once your basic brown rice is finished, here is a meal plan you can follow.
Sunday Dinner: Veggie Stir Fry
Veggie Stir Fry
Recipe by: Randi Munns
- 2 tablespoons of butter
- 2 bags of frozen stir fry veggies
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 teaspoons finely grated peeled fresh ginger (optional)
- Sea salt and ground pepper to taste
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup soy sauce
- Chopped scallion greens for garnish
Heat butter in large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and ginger and sauté 2 minutes. Add frozen veggies and cook according to package directions, usually 7 – 9 minutes. Add rice, scallion greens, rice vinegar and soy sauce and cook until heated through, approximately 5 minutes. Divide among 4 bowls, saving one serving for tomorrow’s lunch.
Monday Lunch
Veggie stir fry leftovers wrapped in a whole grain sprouted tortilla.
Monday Dinner: Ricotta & Green Chile Rice Served with Black Beans
Ricotta & Green Chili Rice
Recipe by: The Vegetarian 5-Ingredient Gourmet
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 4-ounce can chopped green chilies
- ½ cup ricotta cheese
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- Ground pepper to taste
Heat a large saucepan to medium heat. Add rice, green chilies, ricotta cheese and cilantro. Cook until heated through, 5 – 7 minutes. Serve with Kicked-Up Black Beans. Reserve one serving.
Kicked-Up Black Beans
Recipe by: Randi Munns
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- Two 16-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
- ¼ cup minced fresh cilantro
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Heat a large skillet to medium high heat and melt butter. Add garlic and sauté 2 minutes. Add beans and ½ cup of water and bring to a simmer. With a wooden spoon or whisk, mash some of the beans to create a creamier texture. Add cilantro and red pepper flakes.
Tuesday Lunch
Leftover ricotta and green chili rice with beans and a salad.
Tuesday dinner: Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup served with a tossed salad
Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
Adapted recipe by: Randi Munns
Original recipe by: Allrecipes.com
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 cups cooked brown rice
- 1 14-ounce can chicken broth
- ½ cup of butter with two tablespoons reserved
- ¼ cup plus 2 tablespoons of flour
- 1 ½ cups chopped cooked chicken or two cans or pouches of chicken
- 3 cups of milk, divided
- Sea salt and pepper to taste
In a large pot high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter and sauté celery, onion and garlic for 3 – 5 minutes until onions are transparent. Add rice and stir. Add broth, reduce heat to medium low and bring to a simmer. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the remaining butter. Slowly add the flour stirring often to make a roux. Add 2 cups of milk, ½ cup at a time, constantly stirring until you have a smooth consistency. Add this and the chicken to the rice mixture. If soup seems too thick, add some more milk or water. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Heat through and serve with salad. Reserve one serving.
Wednesday Lunch
Leftover soup and salad
If you still have extra rice, here is a breakfast and dessert recipe you could try as well.
Breakfast Porridge
Recipe by: Institute for Integrative Nutrition
- ½ cup leftover brown rice
- 1 tbsp. rolled oats
- ½ cup water
- 1 tbsp. dried cranberries
- 1 shake of cinnamon
raw honey to taste
Bring rice, oats, water, raisins, and cinnamon to a boil. Lower the flame to simmer and cook for 5-7 minutes, or until creamy. Add raw honey to sweeten. Makes one serving.
Brown Rice Pudding
Recipe by: Andrea Beaman
- 1 1/2 cups leftover brown rice
- 1 cup milk (rice milk, almond milk, coconut milk or organic whole milk)
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 2 tbsp. maple syrup or other sweetener
- 1 tsp. vanilla flavoring
- 2 tbsp. dried shredded coconut
- 1 tbsp. tahini
Combine all ingredients and heat on top of stove for 7-10 minutes or bake in the oven at 350º for 20 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Following a meal plan like this is not only healthy and time-saving, it is also budget friendly!!! Do you have frugal, healthy ways to prepare meals? Please feel free to share your tips below or visit me on .
Stay tuned for Part 3 of Easy Tips to Help You Prepare Home Cooked Meals and Avoid Drive Through Windows.
Health and blessings!
Randi