I don't know about you, but it seems to me that feeding the family seems to be getting rather complicated these days. By this I mean that the recipes seem to be turning into copies of gourmet restaurant meals, needing all manner of complicated ingredients and the photos of the end product look like they are barely enough to feed a flea let alone teenage boys and men!  I believe in keeping food simple. That means - less time spent preparing, less time clearing up afterwards and less time on my feet! There are all manner of enterprising recipes for those with the time and energy to create them for those on the GAPS diet, but for busy people, I want to show you that you can eat well, enjoy your food and all without spending hours at the stove. This post will provide you with plenty of ideas for easy meals to prepare in under an hour, or that cook themselves leaving you free to do other things. These recipes can be enjoyed by all.

Do remember that when you are doing GAPS, your personal list of tolerated foods will be different to other people, so when followingh these recipes, please replace items your family cannot tolerate with something they can if possible.
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By far one of the most simplest meals and loved by all - this is sure to be a winner!
For 8 servings

Ingredients:
2 packs 500g mince (beef/lamb/turkey/pork etc..)(1kg total)
onion (frozen makes it even quicker)
2 tsp sea salt
Black pepper
herbs (of your choice - sage for beef/turkey, mint for lamb for example)

Method
Simply squish the mince with the onion/herbs/salt/pepper straight into a large baking dish (save on wahing up!). Flatten it (as above) and pop it into the oven for 30 mins Gas 6, Fan 180C, 400F until cooked through and there are no pink juices.
Serve with baked squash/carrots, greens of choice and plenty of butter. Tomato puree straight from the bottle makes a good tomato sauce.
Pour fat from dish over meal as gravy.
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For these I love to use my big cast iron frying pan. these are fantastic as you can have as many different meals as you fancy using one method. Like hot stuff? Then throw in the spices. Like it mild? Then make it as you like! Some like to add a dollop of peanut butter or tahini (it does make a flavoursome sauce) - be creative!!

For these I use either mince (beef/lamb/turkey/pork) or cubes of chicken breast or pork.

Ingredients Basic:
Large knob of fat
1 large onion
500g meat of choice
Mushrooms if desired
Herbs
1 tsp sea salt/pepper 
500ml stock or toamto passat

Method:
Melt the fat in the pan and sautee the onion (and mushrooms if using) until soft. Then turn up the heat and brown the meat all over. Then turn the heat down and continue to cook the meat in its juices, stirring occasionally for about half an hour - until no pink meat remains and meat is heated right through. I cover the pan with a splatter guard which keeps some heat in and keeps the stove clean! In the meantime, prepare and cook the vegtables to accompany the meat. Finally, add the stock/tomato passata, salt/pepper and herbs/spices and bring back to the boil.
Serve with vegetables and plenty of butter.
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We are not great fans of fish, and I mostly use frozen or tinned fish - but fresh fish is delicious and so easy to cook.
Simply place the fish on a large piece of baking foil, add a little water, pat it with butter, you could squeeze some lemon juice on - or not as you like, and pop it into the oven about Gas 6, 200c./Fan 180C, 400F for about half an hour. Then prepare your vegetables as desired. It goes well with roast squash done as for the roast chicken legs - just pop the squash in the oven a bit before the fish, but it doesn't take long to cook. For children and some adults it is best to use boned fish, or the whole meal is ruined picking out the bones and worrying about swallowing one!

These are so easy I made them in a tiny galley went we went on a boating holiday. Using tinned salmon, these are a breeze to make - great for when you are caught out and the meat hasn't defrosted for the meal you planned!
Find the recipe here.

For the GAPs diet you need sausages made with just pork, salt, pepper and a pure herb. We are fortunate to have a local butcher who is prepared to make us a months supply at a time. However - they do make an easy meal. We always have them on Friday - so I don't have to think what to cook: Friday night - sausage night - and we always have them with squash chips. This meal replaced our pre-GAPS diet 'fish and chips' night!
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Cook the sausages as usual - I like to put mine in the oven as they then do not need my attention - just pop them in a roasting tin. If you want them quickly - then don't cover them but if you can leave them down low for longer, then do cover them. while they are in the oven the butternut squash chips can be cooking too - though be aware that they will take longer. I often put the chips in about 3 hours before tea and go out and leave them, coming back in for the last hour to put the sausages on and turning up the oven. At this point I uncover the chips so that they get a little crispy - they taste good that way!!
Sausages in the oven cook well at about Gas 7, 200C/Fan 180C, 425 F for about 45 mins. Check that they are nicely browned on the top before serving.
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I love casseroles as they cook themselves. Funny that children will often love a casserole, but the same meal made as a stew they don't like as much. Prepare it straight after lunch and tea will be a breeze!

These can be as simple or as complicated as you like. I will give the recipe for a simple version with ideas for ringing the changes.

Basic Recipe - serves 4

Ingredients:

Knob of fat: lard/butter/beef dripping
1 large onion
5 large carrots 
500g meat - diced beed, stewing beef, or mince of any sort are all good.
1 tsp sea salt
Black pepper
herbs (of your choice - sage for beef/turkey, mint for lamb for example)
750ml stock/water

Optional: 1 tin tomato puree
                 other vegetables (frozen peas/beans, mushrooms, peppers etc.. as tolerated.)
            
Method:
Melt the fat in a large pan and sautee the onion until soft. Meanwhile prepare the carrots and set aside.
Brown the meat in the pan with the onions. Add all the other ingredients (including other vegetables if including) and bring to the boil. Skim the scum from the top and carefully pour into a large casserole dish.
Cover and place in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours at Gas 3, Fan 150C, 325F.
Twenty minutes before serving time, prepare the vegetables.
Serve with plenty of butter. I love my silicone spoon for effortless serving.

Another meal to pop in the oven while you go out or get on with life! 
Simply place the chickens legs into a roasting dish - pat with butter and sprinkle with herbs if you wish, but I rarely think to do this.. and pop them in the oven and turn it on (some may need to preheat).  I tend to like to cook them for at least 1.5 -2 hours with the cooker on at about Gas 3, 170C/Fan 150C 325F. Practice the first time and see how your oven performs.
Then Prepare the squash - cut off the ends and then slice it horixontally into thick chunks. Then cut each chunk in half. Arrange the pieces in a baking tin and fill with about 1 1/2 cm water and put them in the oven too. You can take the seeds out before if you like but I usually leave them in as they are easier to remove once cooked. 
Half an hour before serving cook the vegtable to accompany the meal.
Serve with plenty of butter and pour the meat fats and juice over the meal as a gravy. 

​Check out our family meal crib sheets for easy GAPS friendly family meals - print them off and keep them handy in the kitchen!
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We were invited to our nephew's 18th birthday party last week. My sister-in-law messaged me to check the menu and said that the non-GAPS attendees would be having sausage rolls alongside cooked chicken and salad. That got me thinking as I liked the sound of sausage rolls but obviously pastry is pretty hard on the GAPS diet! So I rolled up my sleeves to see what I could create. The family were delighted with the result! We certainly didn't feel as if we were missing out. We had our 'sausage and chicken' flavour along with the rest! So I thought I would share it with you.

Gluten and Wheat Free pastry (nuts)
Of course the pastry had to be both so this recipe is ideal for any gluten-free friends. It is made from soaked nuts (I used cashews, but you can use a nut of your choice), coconut flour, butter ( though you could substitute coconut oil or lard) and egg. I like to soak my nuts to make them easier to digest. I have been working on a pastry for a while and this is my best yet. It holds together well and bakes well - just like ordinary pastry. It does not roll though, so sadly it had to be a pie rather than sausage rolls - but non-the-less tasty! If you are not on the GAPS diet, feel free to use any gluten/wheat free pastry recipe.

You will need to grind your nuts - soaked or unsoaked. I like my mini processor - it fits neatly on the work top, without stealing all the space in my small kitchen.

​The grain-free sausage filling
 I used organic pork mince as I like to get the best pork I can, preferably out-door raised.  I added some sea salt and pepper and sage to add flavour. I could of added 1/4 cup diced onions too. I didn't this time, but will next time. ​
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Versatile - sausage pie for breakfast, dinner and tea!
Great for breakfast, cold with salad for dinner, great in a packed lunchbox, or served hot with vegetables for the main meal. You choose!
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​How to make the GAPS/grain-free sausaage pie
​If you are using my pastry recipes, you will need to soak your nuts 2 hours ahead of making the pie.
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