The Maxi Box

Meal planning can become a real hassle.

Although all of our boxes offer exceptional value and allow you to regularly eat fresh, nutritious and healthy certified organic produce, you may not be sure of how to use all the items in your box. 

For the next few weeks we will be giving you a closer look at our boxes and giving you information on how to get the most out of your OrganicBox box by offering a weekly meal plan with healthy, delicious and budget-conscious recipes accompanied by a shopping list for extra items required for the week.

This week we are looking at the OrganicBox MAXI Box. Please read on to find out more!

A sample of what could be in your Maxi Box:

• Potatoes 1 Kg
• Sweet Potato    ½ Kg
• Jap Pumpkin 1 Kg
• 1 Small Cauliflower
• 1 Bunch Asparagus
• Broccoli 0.4 Kg
• Carrots ¾ Kg
• Bananas 1 Kg
• Grapefruit 1Kg
• Apples ¾ Kg
• Oranges 1Kg
• Tomatoes Small 04. Kg
• 1 Lettuce, Fancy
• 1 Rocket Bag
• Lebanese Cucumber .03 Kg
• 1 Baby Spinach Bag
• Zucchini ½ Kg
• 1 Bunch Spring Onions
• Mushrooms, White, 250g
• Celery half

This Week's Menu

Breakfast

• Organic Banana Loaf (16 Serves)
  
• Stewed Organic Apples with Yoghurt and Granola (12 serves)
  

Snack

• Organic Home-Made Marmalade (40 Serves)
• Organic Citrus Slices with Dark Chocolate 
  

Lunch and Dinner

• Roast Chicken and Vegetables (8 Serves)
  
• Roast Vegetable Salad with Baby Spinach and Feta (8 Serves)
  
• Chicken and Veg Soup (8 Serves)
  
• Garden Salad (8 Serves)
  
• Zucchini and Broccoli Pesto (8 Serves)
  
• Creamy Organic Cauliflower Soup (8 Serves)
  
• Hungarian Goulash (8 Serves)
  
• Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto (8 Serves)
  

Tips

1. Each Lunch and Dinner recipe makes around 8 serves. If you have a busy working week, you may like to make the recipes in bulk and then stock them in the fridge or freezer. Otherwise, you may prefer to make each meal nightly and pack the leftovers for lunch.

2. If you don’t already have one, a rice cooker is a great time saver to set and forget perfectly cooked rice every time. If you prefer, you can substitute for quinoa.

3. Vegans can easily use preferred substitutes in all meals.

4. Most recipes are low-FODMAP. If you are bothered by legumes, you can swap them for a preferred protein source.

Shopping List

Meat

• Whole Roast Cooked Organic Free-Range Chicken (Or Vegan Roast Substitute)
  
• 500g Organic Beef or Organic Tinned Lentils
  
• 500g  Cooked Organic Tofu or Organic Chicken Breast
  
• 500g Cooked Organic Tofu or Organic Lamb Chops
  

Dairy

• Organic Yoghurt (or vegan substitute)
  
• Organic Feta Cheese (optional)
  
• 4  tbsp Organic Butter (or vegan substitute)
  

Seasonings

• 2 cup Olive Oil
• Organic Nutritional Yeast
• Salt and Pepper
• 17 Cups Chicken Style Stock (or you can make your own using chicken carcass and veg peelings from roast meal)
• 1 tsp Organic tomato paste
• 2 tbsp Organic apple cider vinegar 
• 2  tsp Organic Vanilla
• 1 cup Organic Honey or Maple Syrup
• 2 tsp Organic Cinnamon

Nuts and Herbs

• 1 Organic Lemon
  
• 1 Head Garlic
  
• 1 Bunch Basil, Washed and Sliced (Or ¼ Tube Basil)
  
• 1 Cup Cashews, crushed
  
• 3 Sprigs Rosemary
  
• 1 Small Organic Capsicum

Pantry

• Muesli or Granola
  
• 750g Organic Penne Pasta or GF Pasta
  
• ¼ cup Organic Flour or GF Flour
  
• 2 cups Organic rice
  
• 4 cups Arborio rice
   

Breakfast

Home-Made Marmalade on Toast (40 Serves)

• All Organic Oranges
  
• 1 lemon
  
• 4 cups water
  
• 4 cups sugar
  1 tsp Vanilla and cinnamon (optional)
  
• Bread and butter (to serve)

1. Peel oranges, removing rind and white pith separately; slice rind thinly, reserve half the pith. Quarter oranges; slice flesh thinly, reserve any seeds. Tie reserved pith and seeds in muslin cloth. Place rind, flesh, muslin bag and the water in a large saucepan; bring to the boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 1 hour or until rind is soft. Discard muslin bag.

2. Measure fruit mixture, allow 1 cup sugar for each cup of fruit mixture; place in same pan, stir over high heat, without boiling, until sugar dissolves. Add cinnamon and vanilla if desired. Bring to the boil; boil, uncovered, without stirring, 30 minutes or until marmalade jells when tested. Pour hot marmalade into hot sterilised jars; seal immediately. Label and date jars when cold.

Stewed Apples with Yoghurt and Granola (12 serves) 

• All OrganicBox Apples, peeled and sliced
• 1 Tbsp Vanilla Bean Paste
• 1 Tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 3 Tbsp Water
• Granola and Yoghurt (or vegan substitute)

1. Place all ingredients into a pot, lid on, and gently cook until almost soft

2. Remove lid approx. half way through cooking, for liquid to reduce to a syrup like consistency.

3. Serve two pieces of fruit with yoghurt and granola for a delicious treat!

Banana with Yoghurt and Muesli (4 Serves)

• 1 OrganicBox Banana
• 1 Tbsp Honey or Maple Syrup
• 1 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• Muesli and Yoghurt (or vegan substitute)

1. Make 4 Bowls with muesli and yoghurt.

2. Serve two slices of banana and a drizzle of honey or maple syrup for a delicious treat!

Lunch and Dinner

Roast Chicken and Vegetables (8 Serves)

• Whole Roast Free-Range Chicken
• Potatoes ½ Kg
• Sweet Potato ½ Kg
• Jap Pumpkin 1 Kg
• Carrots ¾ Kg (leave 1 carrot)
• Olive Oil
• ½ Head Garlic
• 3 Sprigs Rosemary

1. Separate 6 garlic cloves from head and lightly squash with the back of a large knife mix in with 1/4 cup of olive oil and the leaves from 3 sprigs of rosemary. Leave to sit while preparing vegetables.

2. Wash and slice root vegetables into similar sized wedges and arrange on two lightly oiled trays. 

3. Drizzle oil and herb mixture over the vegetables and season with salt and pepper.

4. Cook on 200 C for around 45 minutes or until vegetables are soft on the inside and lightly browned and crispy on the outside.

5. Put aside half for the Roast Veg Salad and serve the remainder with a hot roast chicken (or vegan substitute). Keep the chicken bones and veg peelings for chicken stock. 

Roast Veg Salad with Baby Spinach and Feta (8 Serves)

• Leftover Roast Vegetables
• All OrganicBox Baby Spinach
• Feta (Optional)

1. Mix leftover roast vegetables (if you prefer, you can warm them lightly in the microwave or oven first) with spinach and feta and toss lightly.

2. Drizzle with balsamic and olive oil and enjoy!

3. Delicious on its own or served with tofu or lamb chops.

Zucchini & Broccoli Pesto (8 Serves)

• 750g Penne Pasta
• OrganicBox Broccoli
• OrganicBox Zucchini (Spiralled or peeled into fettuccine strips)
• 1 Bunch Basil, Washed and Sliced
• ½ Cup Olive Oil
• 1 Cup Pine Nuts or Cashews, crushed
• Nutritional Yeast

1. Begin cooking penne as per directions on package.

2. While the pasta is cooking, mix olive oil, nuts, basil and nutritional yeast to form a paste.

3. Add broccoli and zucchini to pasta for the last two minutes of cooking.

4. Strain broccoli and pasta mix, and rinse pot.

5. Return pot to a medium heat and stir through basil mixture. Until well coated and cook for 1-2 minutes.

6. Serve topped with parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast

Creamy Organic Cauliflower Soup (8 Serves)

• OrganicBox cauliflower, cut into pieces
• 2 OrganicBox potatoes, diced
• 2 tbsp organic butter
• 1-2 Spring Onions
• 2 Cloves Garlic, minced
• 5 Cups Chicken Style Stock
• Salt and Pepper

1. In a large stockpot over medium heat melt the butter.

2. Add onions and sauté until soft and tender.

3. Add minced garlic and sauté for 1 more additional minute.

4. Add chicken stock, potatoes and cauliflower to the pot.

5. Bring back to a boil and reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until potato is soft.

6. Salt and pepper to taste.

7. With a stick blender blend soup until pureed and blended.

8. Serve hot with toast and top with feta cheese, coriander or nuts if desired. 

Hungarian Goulash with Rice 

• 1 OrganicBox Capsicum
• 500g Beef, cubed (vegan/budget alternative 3 cans lentils)
• 1 OrganicBox Carrot
• Potatoes  ½ Kg
• 1 Spring Onion
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Cups Chicken Style Stock
• 1 Tbsp Tomato Paste
• ¼ Cup Flour
• Salt and Pepper
• Rice (To Serve)

1. In a bowl, coat beef with flour.

2. Cook beef in olive oil for about 2-3 minutes.

3. Slowly add about ¼ cup of the beef broth to lift the brown bits off the bottom of the pan. Then add remaining broth and all other ingredients.

4. Stir and bring to a boil, cover, then reduce to a simmer for about 1 ½ -2 hours or until tender.

5. Serve with rice.

Mushroom and Asparagus Risotto (8 Serves)  

• 2 tsp Butter (or vegan alternative)
• 2 tsp Olive Oil
• 2 Spring Onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups Arborio Rice
• 10 cups Chicken Style Stock
• OrganicBox mushrooms, sliced.
• OrganicBox Asparagus, Sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, crushed
• Salt and Pepper

1. Bring the stock just to the boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and hold at a gentle simmer.

2. Heat butter and 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy stockpot over medium heat.  Add the mushroom, asparagus and lightly sauté. Add rice and onion and cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until the grains appear slightly glassy.

3. Add a cup of the simmering stock to the rice and stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the stock mixture, a ladleful at a time, stirring constantly and allowing the liquid to be absorbed before adding the next cup, for 20-30 minutes or until the rice is tender yet firm to the bite and the risotto is creamy.

4. Season with salt and pepper to serve.

Garden Salad (8 Serves)

• Preferred Protein (Goes well with Chicken, Tuna or Tofu), cooked
• Salad
• Tomatoes Small 04.Kg
• 1 Lettuce, Fancy
• 1 Rocket Bag
• Lebanese Cucumber .03 Kg

Dressing

• Juice from 2 Oranges
• 2 tbsp White Wine Vinegar
• ½ tbsp Olive Oil
• ¼ tbsp Sea Salt
• ¼ tbsp. Black Pepper

1. Put dressing ingredients into a jar or container and shake vigorously.

2. Wash and put salad ingredients into a bowl and toss to combine.

3. Pour dressing over salad and serve with your preferred white protein - chicken, fish or tofu.