If you're making an effort to shift your carbohydrate intake more towards whole foods, baking a tray or two of roast vegetables before the start of each week is fantastic healthy meal prep for lunches and dinners.

Just grab a handful each meal and add into your salad, heat it up to have with some store-bought or pre-prepped roast chicken, or serve them up with dinner.

INGREDIENTS

Any vegetables you would like to roast. Some ideas include:

• Red onion
• Kumara
• Potato
• Beetroot
• Carrot
• Parsnip
• Courgette
• Broccoli
• Capsicum

Plus:

• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Herbs and/or spices (optional)

As an idea of how much to do, remember that a serve of starchy carbohydrates such as potato, beetroot or kumara is around a cupped handful, while a serve of other vegetables such as broccoli, courgette or capsicum is around two fists.

One kumara, a red onion and two beetroot will typically fit onto one baking tray and be enough for around three to four roast vegetable salads like the the Beetroot, Feta & Walnut Salad.

METHOD

Preheat oven to 220 degrees (200 degrees fan forced). Line an oven tray or two with baking paper depending on how much you're making.

Cut all veges into bite sized cubes or pieces. You don't need to peel the kumara, beetroot, potatoes etc. so just give them a wash before you chop them up. Place in a single layer on the oven tray, drizzle with olive, add a little salt and pepper. Sprinkle with herbs and spices if you wish.

Cook in oven for 25-30 mins until golden and starting to lightly brown at the edges, and the veges are tender/cooked through.

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to half a week.

Image / NZ Real Health