I know I write that all of my meals are delicious, but this one turned out like overly the top I could eat it everyday for weeks delicious! Seriously, this meal was so freaking good. This Asian-inspired Paleo blog is 3/3 with the recipes that I've tried. Although I am not sure if I'd put this one in the category of easy bulk meal prep recipes, but if you have some time to heat up a few batches of chicken in the wok or large skillet, this one is 100% worth trying out. On another note, I also had to quintuple the recipe below to get enough meals, so most people probably won't need to do that. Back to the recipe though... I pre-cut the stir-fry ingredients and marinated the chicken the day before cooking to help ease the meal prep Sunday load. Definitely make sure you thinly slice the chicken breast! While the chicken was cooking, I threw the sweet and sour sauce into the blender and heated up some plain frozen cauliflower rice in the microwave. There was SO much sauce at the end to throw over top of each meal that the plain cauliflower rice had plenty of flavoring once all put together. I personally did not use white pepper, but black pepper instead, and opted for the apple cider vinegar over the rice vinegar. As far the oils, I do recommend sticking to the sesame oil for the chicken marinade, but you can easily swap avocado oil for something like coconut oil instead when heating up the chicken. Basically, don't be discouraged by the ingredient list and make it work if you can, because this meal turned out tasting absolutely amazing! 

Chinese Sweet and Sour Chicken 
Ingredients:
Sweet and Sour Chicken:

• 1 1/4 lbs Chicken breasts or thighs, , skinless boneless
• 1 1/4 tsp Coarse sea salt
• 1 1/2 tbsp Coconut Aminos
• 1/4 tsp White pepper
• 1/2 tsp Ground ginger powder
• 1 tbsp Toasted sesame oil
• 2 tsp Arrowroot starch 

Stir-Fry:

• 3 tbsp Avocado oil
• Quarter one whole Yellow onion, diced
• 1 bulb Scallion, chopped
• 2-3 slice ginger, roughly chopped
• Half one whole green bell pepper, cut into bite size cubes
• Half one whole red bell pepper, cut into bite size cubes

Sweet and sour chicken sauce:

• 1/4 cup Dry apricots, or figs, or pitted prunes
• 1/3 cup Pineapple juice, fresh or from a can, not in heavy syrup
• 2 tbsp Coconut aminos
• 1 1/2 tbsp Rice vinegar, ,or 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp Tomato paste
• 1 small Pinch of sea salt
• 3-4 tbsp Chicken stock or water 

Directions:
Season the chicken:

1. Thinly slice the chicken breasts or dice the chicken thighs. Mix well in a medium bowl with the remaining chicken ingredients. Marinate in the refrigerator while preparing the stir-fry ingredients.

Sauce:

1. Blend dry apricots with pineapple juice, coconut aminos, rice or cider vinegar, tomato paste, and a little salt. Puree with chicken stock or water to thin the texture.

Stir-Fry:

1. Preheat a wok or large skillet over medium heat until it's too hot to place your palm nearby, about 2-3 inches away. Add 1.5 tbsp of the avocado oil. Add the chicken in the skillet in one shallow layer and pan fry until golden brown, about 2-3 minutes, flipping once to cook the other side for an additional 1 minute. Set aside along with the chicken juice.
2. Heat the remaining 1.5 tbsp of oil over medium-high heat in the same skillet, then lower the heat to medium. Add the onion, scallion, and ginger. Season with a small pinch of salt. Stir-fry for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the bell peppers. Season with another small pinch of salt and stir-fry for 5 to 10 seconds. Add the chicken back to the skillet. Add 3 to 4 heaping tablespoons of the sweet-and-sour sauce. Keep stir-frying until the chicken is completely cooked through. Serve hot and immediately.

Original recipe found here

I told you guys I'd be making some more recipes from this Asian-inspired Paleo blog! This recipe did not disappoint either. There are five ingredients to chop and dice, so I went ahead and used the food processor to help me out. Like the recipe notes below, just hit the pulse button a few times when using the food processor, so you are not left with a watery mess. Next comes forming the meatballs, which is always the longest step for me since I typically triple recipes to get enough food. The recipe as-is below will get you 18 two-inch sized meatballs though, so if that is all you need then forming meatballs should be a breeze. I did not use the muffin tin technique as described below, but that is because I had a lot more meatballs to bake then I did muffin tins. I thought using a baking sheet was just the same anyways, and I still turned the meatballs over as the directions instructed. These meatballs had a ton of flavor and were absolutely delicious paired with butternut squash noodles. I personally just heated some frozen plain Butternut Squash noodles with some coconut oil and garlic, until warm. Even if you would typically not pair with butternut squash, I totally recommend giving it a try this time. It was a nice sweet flavor with the meatballs and really brought the meal together since there was not any sauce. I also boiled some Sweet Potato Glass Noodles to get some more carbs with the meal, but you can easily throw in any additional noodle or rice that you want with this. If you have the patience to do some dicing and form the meatballs, then this is definitely a recipe worth trying. This one was a big hit this week! 

​Paleo Asian Meatballs with Butternut squash and Sweet Potato Glass Noodles
Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 lbs ground beef
• 1 cup carrots, finely chopped
• Half 1 whole small yellow onion, diced
• 1 cup Italian flat parsley, finely chopped
• 3 bulbs scallions, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 tbsp fresh grated ginger
• Coconut oil (to grease the muffin tin)

Meatball seasonings:

• 1 1/2 tsp coarse sea salt
• 2 tbsp coconut aminos
• 2 tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 1/2 tbsp sweet potato flour or arrowroot flour, (optional item)

Optional pairing:

• 1 tsp minced garlic
• Butternut squash, sweet potato, or turnip spiralized noodles
• Cooking fat of your choice to saute the noodles

Directions:

1. Finely chop carrots, yellow onion, flat parsley, scallions, and prepare grated ginger. If use a food processor, toss the ingredients a few times but do not over process them. It will be too watery. 
2. Preheat oven to 410 F/210 C. Combine ground beef, ingredients under “Meatball seasonings”, and ingredients from Step 1. Combine and mix well.
3. Lightly grease a muffin tin with coconut oil. Use your hands to gently apply some pressure to form the meatballs. Make sure the chopped veggies and the ground meat are coherent well. Form about 18 individual meatballs.* 
4. Bake the meatballs in the muffin tin. First side about 15 minutes. Use a small spoon to carefully flip them and bake the flip side for an additional 10 minutes. 
5. In the meantime, heat ½ tbsp cooking oil in a large skillet over high heat. When hot, lower the heat to medium, add minced garlic and squash noodles. Give them a quick stir-fry until the noodles are softened yet still crisp. Season with salt and black pepper to taste. 
6. To serve: scoop out the meatball juice inside the muffin tin and use that as dressing over meatballs and noodles.

Notes:
* If you find it difficult to form meatballs without them falling apart, you can either add a bit more sesame oil or arrowroot flour/powder.
** To make the meatballs ahead, complete the entire cooking process, let cool,  and store them in glass and air-tight containers. Be sure to drizzle over some meatball juice before sending them to the freezer.
​
Original recipe found here

This one might very well be another staple meal prep recipe that I'll be adding to the rotation. The ingredients are minimal, prep is quick, and once it's in the slow cooker you are pretty much done! To get plenty of extra meals, I tripled most of the ingredients below with the exception of doubling the tomato paste and keeping the chicken stock at 1 cup. There was still plenty of sauce to cover all the chicken with that conversion. I did this in my Instant Pot using the slow cooker option, so at the end I did put the pot on Saute mode to reduce the sauce some and help shred the chicken. If your chicken breasts are larger, I recommend cutting them in half before throwing in the slow cooker. Anyways, I had friends in town this weekend, so I especially picked this meal out as something easy to whip up while I was busy hanging out with everyone. I paired it with an even easier and makeshift version of the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice I have posted many times before -- instead of heating everything up on the stove top, I simply microwaved some plain frozen cauliflower rice bags, then tossed in a big bowl with some fresh cut cilantro, fresh lime juice, and salt. It actually still turned out just as tasty, in my opinion, and was a great pair with this Chipotle Chicken. Grab some salsa, guacamole, avocado, lettuce, or whatever you want to top and you've got yourself a tasty meal. This recipe is definitely worth saving for a weekend or day when you have no time to meal prep and still want something delicious to eat all week long!​

Slow Cooker Chipotle Chicken
Ingredients:

• ​2 Teaspoons ground chipotle chili powder
• 2 Teaspoons onion powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 Teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 Teaspoons sea salt, or to your taste
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 – 6 ounce can tomato paste, 10 Tablespoons
• 1 cup chicken stock, or water
• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, about 2 1/2 pounds

Directions:

1. Whisk together the spices, sea salt, honey, and tomato paste in a slow cooker. Whisk in a small amount of chicken stock at a time until the mixture isn’t quite as thick before adding the rest of the chicken stock. Whisk until completely combined.
2. Place the chicken breasts into the tomato/spice mixture and turn to coat both sides.
3. Top the slow cooker with the lid and set the program for 4 hours on high heat or 8 hours on low heat.
4. When the cooking time is done, use two forks to pull apart the meat into shreds.
5. Serve immediately with your choice of sides. Rice/cauliflower rice are great along with your favorite taco toppings, like tomatoes, shredded lettuce, avocado, salsa, etc.

Original recipe found here

Two seriously tasty recipes with this meal! The Chicken Yum Yum truly turned out absolutely yum yum, and the Easy Roasted Vegetables is the most simple and tasty way to make your next side of vegetables. All you need to do for the chicken is mix the ingredients together, throw in the Instant Pot, then saute the sauce down when done. Love those easy one pot meals! I used Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup, which I found at Wegman's for like $4.99. You can check out their store locator to find a location near you that sells this ketchup. You can also make your own homemade one, or just check out your local grocery store and find a higher quality ketchup (check out the ingredients and look for one with only whole food ingredients, and no added sugar if possible). I used a little less ghee and honey then the recipe calls for and thought the chicken still turned out pretty sweet and delicious, so don't be afraid to adjust those ingredients as well if you prefer. For the roasted vegetables you can adjust and use whatever vegetables you want. I used tri-colored carrots, a red onion, and shaved brussels sprouts. I also used 4 tsp of Herbs de Provence from Trader Joe's, instead of the rosemary, thyme, and basil since I did not have all of those spices in the pantry. Just throwing that note out as an option for others, plus it's totally worth getting that Herbs de Provence for this reason. Once your vegetables are cut, throw everything on a sheet pan with some olive oil and those spices listed, and just remember to flip halfway through baking. This was a very simple and easy way to quickly roast and make a delicious side dish of vegetables for any meal. From someone who usually roasts vegetables with just some sea salt and olive oil, this was a great reminder that I can easily (literally) spice it up from time-to-time. Overall, this meal was sweet, savory, and comforting. I will definitely be throwing both recipes into the meal prep rotation going forward! 

Instant Pot Chicken Yum Yum
Ingredients:

• 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs (frozen or fresh)
• 3 tablespoons homemade or high quality store-bought ketchup (I used Primal Kitchen Organic Unsweetened Ketchup)
• 1.5 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (or minced)
• 1/4 cup ghee
• 1/2 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons gluten free organic tamari or 1/4 cup coconut aminos
• 1/4 cup local honey

Directions:

1. Place all ingredients in your Instant Pot
2. Stir to combine and coat the chicken
3. Secure the lid, close the pressure valve and press “Manual”
4. If using frozen chicken, press the “+” button until 40 is displayed
5. If using fresh chicken, press the “-” button until 18 minutes is displayed (this could vary slightly)
6. Allow the chicken to cook then quick release the pressure valve once complete
7. Remove the lid when safe to do so and shred the chicken slightly with two forks (this is a suggestion not a requirement)
8. Now remove the chicken from the stainless steel basin and press the “Cancel” button followed by pressing the “Saute” button
9. Allow the sauce to reduce by allowing it to saute for 5 minutes
10. Serve over vegetable of your choice, we ate ours on roasted cauliflower. Or if you can eat rice, do it up starchy style!

Original recipe found here

​
Easy Roasted Vegetables
Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (you may need a bit more)
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1 - 1-1/2 inch chunks
• 1/2 pound (about 1-1/2 cups) large Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed and halved
• 1 pound (about 4-1/2 cups) baby red potatoes, halved or quartered
• 1 large red onion, halved and cut into thick 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound (about 1-1/4 cup) sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch thick slices
• 3/4 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3/4 tablespoon dried crushed rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• Freshly cracked pepper and sea salt
• Optional: fresh herbs (such as thyme or parsley) to garnish with

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grab a large (11x17-inch) or 2 smaller sheet pans and set aside. Prepare the veggies: peel the carrots and cut into large chunks (if they are thick do 1 inch chunks if they are thinner do 1-1/2 inch chunks), remove the outer leaves of the brussels and halve them, halve the baby red potatoes (quarter especially large ones), halve the red onion and cut into thick 1-inch pieces, peel the sweet potato(s) and cut into large 1-1/2 inch chunks/slices.
2. Place all the prepared vegetables in one even layer (do NOT overlap or you'll steam the veggies instead of roasting them) on the prepared baking sheet(s) and add the oregano, rosemary, thyme, and basil. Add salt and pepper to taste (I add about 1/2 teaspoon sea salt and about 3/4 teaspoon pepper). Add the olive oil and toss well, evenly coating all the vegetables with the seasonings and oil. (Add 1-2 more tablespoons of oil if the vegetables seem dry.)
3. Place on middle rack in oven and bake for 35 to 40 minutes, flipping the veggies 20 minutes into baking time.
4. Remove from the oven and enjoy immediately. 

Original recipe found here