Batch Cooking will SAVE. YOUR. LIFE. Part 1 - Let's talk Shepard's Pie!

This is something I've never thought to write about, and I have the ladies in the Facebook Paleo group to thank for the idea.   I am huge on preparing meals ahead of time and freezing them but I have yet to post any recipes of my go-to freezer meals!  Unfortunately, I won't have any pictures of the recipes, but rest assured, they are delicious and freeze beautifully!.  In actuality, most of the recipes on this site, have at one time, found their way into the freezer!  The mainstays for us include pre-making my burger recipe, the meatballs, the banana bread, the bacon, and the breakfast sausages!  I will add a couple more today!  Ok, first up, Shepard's Pie.

Shepards Pie

Base:
2 lbs ground beef
1 large onion, diced
2 stalks of celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, grated
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried Herbes de Provence
1 cup bone stock

Topping:
1 head of cauliflower, cut into florets
4 parsnips, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons avocado oil
1-4 tablespoons coconut milk
Sea salt, to taste
Black pepper, to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.  Toss cauliflower florets and parsnip chunks with the avocado oil and season lightly with sea salt and pepper.  
3.  Place on a parchment-lined baking sheet and place in oven.
4.  Roast until edges are golden and veggies are tender, approximately 25-35 mins.
5.  Remove veggies from the oven and set aside to cool for a few moments.
6.  While veggies are cooling, brown meat in a large skillet over medium heat.
7.  Add in onions, carrots, garlic, celery, and seasonings and saute until the onions are translucent.
8.  Add in bone broth, reduce to a simmer, and simmer until liquid has evaporated.
9.  Place roasted vegetables in food processor and pulse until you have a smooth consistency.  
10.  If needed, add coconut milk to thin to the consistency of mashed potatoes.
11.  Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
12.  In a large casserole dish (9x13) spread our your meat mixture evenly.  Top with cauliflower/parsnip mixture.
13.  Pop into the oven for 20-30 minutes until the top is golden.
14.  Enjoy!

*NOTE*  You can also steam the veggies, but I find that roasting adds so much flavour.  Also, if you steam the veggies, don't add in the coconut milk until after you've pureed them.  The cauliflower will hold a lot of moisture and you don't want a sauce instead of a puree.