Long hours and busy shifts often make cooking dinner seem like an impossible task. This is easier on regular day shifts, but on calls can lead to convenient and possibly more unhealthy food choices, such as takeaways or ready meals. This article will aim to present the alternative of bulk cooking to save you money and keep your diet healthy whilst working long hours.
For the purposes of this article, bulk or batch cooking refers to the idea of making a large amount of one meal that can last for a few days without the need to cook daily. Some people may set aside time for “food prep” on a day off before a set of on call shifts to cook a couple of batch meals. It can feel time consuming, but then you don’t have to cook for the next few days!
Night shifts are a bit different and you may want to think about lighter food choices throughout the night (have a look at this article inThe BMJ about what you should eat on a night shift https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l2143). That said, having a bulk dish prepared for your evening meal before you start your night shift can be really helpful.
Bulk meal ideas will vary depending on your food tastes and the seasons; there’s nothing like a comforting and warming soup in the winter months. If you want to shop locally for vegetables, there are lots of greengrocers in Bristol, as well as farmers' markets like the ones on Whiteladies Road or in St Nick’s (https://www.bristol.gov.uk/markets-in-bristol). You may also consider investing in a slow cooker so you can chuck all the ingredients in and not have to worry for a few hours whilst it works its magic! Obviously, in order to store your delightful meals you will need to invest in some storage boxes which are fridge or freezer friendly.
Good batch meals include curries, chilli, soups, salads, pasta bakes and stews. Here are three of my favourite recipes that I enjoy making and have helped me to survive on calls.
Bean chilli
I use a recipe from BBC Good Food: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/double-bean-roasted-pepper-chilli.
It serves 8 people so you may need to increase or decrease the amount of each ingredient, depending on how long you want it to last. If you can’t source black beans, any alternative type of beans will do. Serve with rice and any additional toppings to spice it up, such as guacomole, salsa or jalapeños.
Soup
The Guardian reviews different recipes for Broccoli and Stilton soup and then collates them all to make its perfect recipe at the end of the article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2018/jan/04/how-make-perfect-broccoli-stilton-soup-cheese-shallots-stock-cream. You can serve with some bread, crackers or try adding potatoes to the soup to make it more filling.
Thai green curry
Curries are great bulk meals. If you are feeling fancy and have time, you can make your own curry paste, but if time is an issue then you can buy curry pastes in most supermarkets or Asian supermarkets in Bristol. Here is a good recipe for a Thai green chicken curry on BBC Good Food: https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/2991673/thai-green-chicken-curry. It serves 4 so you may need to increase the amounts if you want it to last longer.
Rebecca Kingston
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