Finally found a non-Instant Pot chicken meal that was simple and easy for meal prep. I've made similar recipes before, but this one is definitely the easiest and turned out so flavorful and delicious. While you cook the chicken, put all the pineapple ginger sauce ingredients in your blender, and that is really all the work you need to do. Big note on those medjool dates is to make sure you get them pitted! I did not and totally forgot to take the pits out before blending, and that ruined my first batch of sauce. Since I had to start over I was also left without any extra pineapple for topping, which was a bummer too. Other then that mishap, everything was smooth sailing with this recipe. I heated up some frozen plain cauliflower rice to pair with it since there was plenty of delicious sauce to top with at the end. I also opted for baking the chicken breast in the oven since I quadrupled everything below to get enough meals for the week. I thought that option worked out just as great if you'd rather do the same. I tend to shy away from a lot of "sauce" recipes because they usually involve so many ingredients, but this one literally has 5 ingredients! Even if you don't make the chicken part, I definitely recommend saving the sauce recipe for some grilling recipes this summer.
Pineapple Ginger Chicken Ingredients: Chicken
Chicken
Notes: Why medjool dates versus other kinds of dates? Medjool dates are picked early which means they tend to be very soft. This makes them awesome for blending and creating sauces. Yes, it does matter what kind of date you use! Original recipe found here
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I hope everyone is staying home and healthy, and also considering trying some new recipes or meal prep with this extra time at home we all have! I am finally going through a list of recipes I had saved to try for quite some time now, including this one that turned out absolutely delicious! This recipe is Instant Pot and Slow Cooker friendly, and did not have much prep to it whatsoever. Although I bought frozen cubed sweet potatoes and pre-cut onions and peppers, which left me with only having to cut the chicken. Either way, this recipe is definitely one of the simpler ones that I have tried. I also loved that there were peppers, green beans, sweet potato, and cauliflower rice with this meal. ALL the colors and nutrients! I had to almost quadruple the ingredients below to get enough meals for our house, so I also increased the cooking time in the Instant Pot to around 30 minutes. This was definitely over kill and my sweet potatoes paid the price, unfortunately. Just pointing this out in case you enjoy eating those chunks of potatoes instead of it getting cooked into the sauce. I would also suggest removing the potatoes and chicken while you saute the sauce at the end. Paired with some cauliflower rice and topped with raw cashews and this meal was a hit all week long. Let me know if you give it a try!
Sweet Potato Chicken Curry (Instant Pot or Slow Cooker) Ingredients:
For Instant Pot
For a thicker curry – mix together 2 Tbsp. of water with 1 Tbsp. tapioca starch. While instant pot is on the saute setting, stir into curry after the coconut milk is heated through and let set for a few minutes to thicken. Original recipe found here Another great Instant Pot recipe to add to the collection. What I enjoyed most about this recipe was that it tasted nothing like other cilantro lime chicken meals that I've made before. There was not a huge cilantro or lime bite whatsoever, but a delicious subtle hint of flavors that paired well with the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice. I ended up tripling the recipe below and using significantly less olive oil and ghee, but other then that made the recipe as. My only note was there was a ton of sauce to thicken up at the end, so I did throw in some arrowroot powder to help thicken it up faster. Since I did this with the chicken in the pot still, my nice chicken thighs turned into a shredded chicken real quick. I don't mind this at all, but if you want the full thigh in your meal, definitely don't throw them back in the pot until you are done thickening the sauce up and the saute mode is off. I lied, one more note is for the coconut cream all you need to purchase is a can of full fat coconut milk. You can use the thick condensed part at the top of the can for the coconut cream. A little easier and cheaper then using a can of coconut cream. Overall, we really enjoyed eating this meal all week long!
Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken Ingredients:
Directions:
*For chicken breasts: use 3 breasts, sliced horizontally in half. **I use ⅓ cup of broth combined with the juice from the lemon in a 6 Quart Instant Pot DUO with no problems or *burning sign - if needed you can increase the amount of liquid if this combination doesn't work for your Instant Pot model Original recipe found here I always search for Sheet Pan, Instant Pot, or Crockpot recipes for when I need a quicker, hands-off meal prep day. It doesn't get much easier then dumping all the ingredients on a sheet pan, Instant Pot, or crockpot and letting it cook while you finish up with whatever else you need to do in the kitchen, around the house, etc. This Sheet Pan Roasted Garlic & Herb Chicken and Veggies was just that kind of recipe. I bought pre-cut bell peppers, onion, and zucchini, so I only had to cut up the chicken breast and broccoli. A more expensive way to do it, but saves me time in the kitchen on meal prep day. I found Litehouse Farms Fresh Herbs Parsley and Cilantro at my local grocery store and opted to use those dried spices. You can also totally just get fresh herbs as well! No need to purchase one-off spices like that if you won't put them to use. Now I had to quadruple this meal, so I did one batch in the oven with all vegetables, followed by a second batch with only chicken. I thought the meal came out tasting light, refreshing, and delicious. Not to mention it was super easy to throw together while I had sweet potatoes in the Instant Pot to pair with this meal. I also loved having a mix of vegetables since I am used to having just one vegetable with most meals. This is a great sheet pan recipe to have in your back pocket for when you need to easily spice up your meal prep for the week!
Sheet Pan Roasted Garlic & Herb Chicken and Veggies Ingredients:
Original recipe found here Looks pretty similar to the sheet pan recipe I posted a couple weeks back, but this one has a completely different delicious taste! The only part I clearly did not do was roast diced sweet potato with the brussels. Instead, I opted for just pairing with a baked sweet potato, so I could make sure each meal had enough carbs for my needs. I guess I also used golden delicious apples instead of granny smith, so I'd say that one is up to your preference as well. The recipe below is for 4 servings, so make sure to double, triple, quadruple, etc. the recipe, as needed. If you get into tripling and above, I suggest roasting the brussles and chicken separately to make sure everything gets cooked evenly. This is the kind of recipe that makes your house smell delicious and all of your coworkers ask what that tasty smell is. Not to mention, the meal itself really did turn our tasting amazing. Since I use my trusty Instant Pot so much, these sheet pan recipes have been a great reminder that there are still other easy ways to get meal prep done. This one was a big hit in our house and is definitely worth giving a try!
Sheet Pan Chicken with Sweet Potatoes Apples and Brussels Sprouts Ingredients:
Original recipe found here This chicken turned out super flavorful and unlike any pineapple chicken recipe that I've tried before! I ended up tripling most of the ingredients below, with the exception of using 2 tsp cinnamon and just one can of full-fat coconut milk. Check out the note on the coconut cream below, but basically you can just use the thick part from a can of full-fat coconut milk, or dump the whole can in if you want. No need to let that ingredient stop you from giving this one a try. This recipe was extremely hands-off after cutting the pineapple and throwing everything into the Instant Pot. When it was done cooking, there was plenty of extra sauce. I followed the recipe below and added a Tbsp of arrowroot starch mixed with a Tbsp of water, and set the Instant pot to saute mode to help thicken up the sauce some. You can also just put the pot on Saute mode without adding the arrowroot starch, and continuously stir until the sauce reduces. The arrowroot starch just speeds the process up slightly. I also really enjoyed the green onions topped on this meal, so don't skip out on that if you can! With plenty of flavor and sauce, this paired perfectly with plain frozen cauliflower rice, which made for the easiest meal prep. Definitely a recipe that I will be throwing into the meal prep rotation going forward!
Instant Pot Pina Colada Chicken Ingredients:
To make your own coconut cream, simply place a can of full fat coconut milk in the fridge overnight. When ready to use, open can from bottom and drain out coconut water ( you can drink it or discard it). You will be left with pure coconut cream in the can. Original recipe found here Love a simple sheet pan recipe, especially one with vegetables! I ended up roasting the brussels and chicken separate from each other since I significantly increased both ingredients. The original recipe link below has a feature that allows you to adjust the serving size to your needs, which is what I utilized. Even after doing that though, I still did not use as much balsamic vinegar and honey as it calls for. I knocked off a half cup of the vinegar and a couple Tbsp of the honey. A little balsamic vinegar goes a long way, in my opinion, and I knew I wouldn't need that much sauce. Anyways, sheet pan recipes are the best because all you usually have to do is throw everything on the pan and put it in the oven. I even bought already shaved brussels for this recipe to make my life even easier. I thought this meal was delicious, light and comforting, and the perfect meal to eat going into Thanksgiving week. This one is definitely my favorite balsamic chicken I have ever tried too! Plus, not many ingredients whatsoever, so there really shouldn't be any reason not to give this one a try.
Sheet Pan Honey Balsamic Chicken & Brussels Sprouts Ingredients:
Original recipe found here 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:
Season the chicken:
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:
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:
Original recipe found here Easy Roasted Vegetables Ingredients:
Original recipe found here |
Erika CopelandSharing the recipes I prepare to help others eat more nutritious food and begin their journey to a healthier life. categories
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