I figured it was about time I made another video. My goal with these videos is just to visually show people how easy it is to prepare meal prep or maybe just a healthier meal. Plus, all the recipes I post are truly ones that I enjoyed eating all week - no bland meals that will send you running to the nearest fast food establishment before the week is over. Enjoying what you are eating is kind of key with maintaining a healthier lifestyle long-term. Anyways, I'll move on to talking about this recipe now. I made this one in both the slow cooker and Instant Pot and both turned out equally delicious and packed with flavor. The first time I made this I served it for fajita night with my friends, so we dressed it up with corn tortillas (Siete’s grain-free tortillas are a great option), peppers and onions, salsa, guacamole, and other fun toppings. This time I made it for meal prep, so I simply paired it with cauliflower rice and had some extra salsa and mini to-go guacamole packs to throw on top of it. You can still totally go the fajita route for meal prep though, it was just much easier for me to quickly heat up some frozen cauliflower rice. Like I said, both times this meal turned out delicious! My friends absolutely loved this one for fajita night and I enjoyed it just as much for meal prep all week. I went half and half with chicken breasts and thighs, purchased already made salsa from the produce section at the grocery store (check the ingredient label on those - most are made with whole food ingredients and no added sugars or preservatives), then already had all these spices in my pantry. Another extremely simple recipe that turned out really tasty! 

Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Ingredients:

• 4 lbs. chicken breast or thighs (recommend 2 lb. of each)
• 2 cup organic or homemade salsa
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 tsp. ground cumin
• 4 tsp. chili powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. ground coriander (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper (more for more heat)
• 1 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• Salad greens or Butter leaf lettuce
• Toppings: Fresh chopped veggies of choice, fresh cilantro, olives, avocado, fresh salsa, lime wedge etc.
• Optional: gluten-free tortilla (organic corn tortillas or Siete grain-free tortillas)

Slow Cooker Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except salad greens/lettuce and toppings in a slow cooker and cook on high for 4-5 hours.
2. Remove chicken and shred with 2 forks. Return to slow cooker and cook on low for an additional 30 minutes.
3. Serve chicken taco meat in a lettuce wrap, gluten-free tortilla or on a bed of greens, top with cilantro and add desired toppings.

Instant Pot Directions:

1. Place all ingredients except salad greens/lettuce and toppings into the bottom of the Instant Pot insert. 
2. Lock the lid in place and flip the vent valve to “Sealing” position.
3. Select “Poultry” or “Manual” setting then use the +/- buttons to adjust the cooking time up or down to 17-19 minutes (depending on how thick your chicken breasts are).
4. When cooking time is up, allow pressure to release naturally for 10-15 minutes before releasing any residual steam.
5. Carefully remove the lid once all steam has been released and shred the chicken with two forks right in the pot. If meat seems watery, select the “Saute” setting and cook for 5-8 minutes or until liquid is reduced.
6. Serve chicken taco meat in a lettuce wrap, gluten-free tortilla or on a bed of greens, top with cilantro and add desired toppings.

​Original recipe found here

Don't let the long list of ingredients sway you away from making this one! All you need is your pork shoulder, olive oil, beef stock, and a bunch of spices that you probably already have in your pantry. However, you can also purchase a jerk spice blend, like this Primal Palate Organic Spices Jerk Seasoning, and use 1/4 cup of that instead. See, not too many ingredients whatsoever! There are also instructions below for preparing this in the Instant Pot, slow cooker, or dutch oven, so plenty of options to accommodate everyone. Personally, I prepared this recipe as-is below in the Instant Pot and thought it came out full of flavor and absolutely amazing! If you are someone who enjoys preparing bulk protein quickly and with little ingredients, then definitely save this one. Not only was this super easy and simple to prepare, it also turned out tasting so delicious! I paired this with some roasted brussels and Instant Pot sweet potatoes, and truly enjoyed eating this meal all week long. 

Jamaican Jerk Pork Roast
Ingredients:

• 4 lb pork shoulder
• 2 tsp. cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp. dried parsley
• 2 tsp. onion powder
• 2 tsp. garlic powder
• 2 tsp. dried thyme
• 1 tsp. course black pepper
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp. ground ginger root
• 1 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup beef stock or broth

Directions:
For the Instant Pot:

1. Combine all spices in a bowl. Toss to combine.
2. Rub the roast with olive oil and coat with spice blend.
3. Set your Instant Pot to Saute and brown the meat on all sides.
4. Add the beef broth.
5. Seal the top according to instructions and cook on Manual, high pressure, for 45 minutes.
6. Release pressure according to instructions, shred and serve.

For the slow cooker:

1. Combine all spices in a bowl. Toss to combine.
2. Rub the roast with olive oil and coat with spice blend.
3. Sear the meat on all sides in a heavy bottomed pot.
4. Place the meat and 1 cup of beef broth in your slow cooker. (this is double the IP amount of broth because you’ll need it to offset the longer cooking time.)
5. Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours – or until the meat is tender.
6. Shred and serve.

For the dutch oven:

1. Combine all spices in a bowl. Toss to combine.
2. Rub the roast with olive oil and coat with spice blend.
3. Sear the meat on all sides in a heavy bottomed pot or a dutch oven.
4. Add 1 cup of beef broth. (this is double the IP amount because you’ll need it if cooking on the stove.)
5. Cover and simmer on the stove top on low heat for 4 hours, or bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 3 hours or until the meat is tender and falling apart.
6. Shred and serve.

Original recipe found here

Yummm! This meal turned out tasting SO delicious! You can make the beef barbacoa in the slow cooker or Instant Pot (I used the Instant Pot), and you can broil it in the oven after if you want to make it crispy. There's not too much prep to this one besides dicing the onion and garlic, then preparing the rest of the ingredients into a sauce to poor over the browned beef. While you're waiting on the beef to cook you can quickly make the Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice, which is seriously so simple to prepare, especially if you purchase cauliflower that is already riced. If you need to add some more carbs to this just mix in some regular rice with that cauliflower rice and you're all set. This meal had an enjoyable citrus taste to it and was full of so much flavor! I definitely recommend giving this one a try for your next meal prep!

Beef Barbacoa (Slow Cooker or Instant Pot)
Ingredients:

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast, cut into 2 inch cubes (can also use beef brisket, I used a beef eye round roast)
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• 3/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (about 2 oranges)
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed lime juice (about 2 limes)
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tsp chipotle powder
• 2 tsp oregano (fresh or dried)
• 2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp ghee (or other cooking oil)

For topping/serving:

• romaine lettuce (or sub Siete Tortillas or other sturdy lettuce)
• cilantro
• avocado
• lime wedges

Directions:

1. Cut beef into cubes and set aside. Prep onion and garlic as noted.
2. Combine orange juice, lime juice, vinegar, tomato paste, cumin, chipotle powder, oregano, salt and ground cloves in a bowl or jar and mix well.
3. (If you don't have a pressure cooker then skip to directions below) Press the sauté button on the instant pot and add ghee. Once hot, add in the beef and brown it on all sides. Press cancel on the instant pot once the beef is browned.
4. Add in the diced onion and garlic cloves and pour the juice/seasoning mixture all over everything.
5. Secure the lid on the instant pot and close the pressure valve. Press the "manual" button (or "pressure cook" button) and set the time to cook for 30 minutes at high pressure. Once the time is up, let the pressure naturally release on its own for 20 minutes.
6. Manually release any remaining pressure and remove the lid. Shred the beef with two forks.
7. Serve beef in bowls over greens, in lettuce wedges or in tortillas with your favorite toppings.

Slow cooker instructions:

1. Follow steps 1-2 above.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and add ghee. Once hot, add in beef cubes to brown, just a minute or so on each side until all sides are browned. Transfer beef to the slow cooker.
3. Add in the diced onion and garlic cloves and pour the juice/seasoning mixture all over everything.
4. Cook on low for 8-10 hours. Once the beef is finished, shred it in the slow cooker with two forks and mix it with all the juices. Serve as noted above.

Optional step (for crispy beef barbacoa):

1. Set your oven to broil.
2. After shredding the beef, use a slotted spoon to remove the beef and onions from the instant pot and place on a large sheet pan. Spoon some of the juices from the instant pot over the top of the beef in the sheet pan.
3. Place in the oven to broil for 6-8 minutes, until the beef begins to develop some brown and crispy edges. Watch carefully and cook to your preference.
4. Alternatively, you can simply transfer some of the beef to a skillet over medium heat and cook it until it's crispy, stirring occasionally. This method is easiest if you are re-heating the leftovers from the fridge.

Original recipe found here

Cilantro Lime Cauliflower Rice
Ingredients:

• 1 head of cauliflower (I used two bags of frozen cauliflower rice)
• 2 limes
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 handful chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. (If making own cauliflower rice) Remove the leaves from the cauliflower, and cut the head in half. Remove the cauliflower from the core so you only have the florets. Place half the cauliflower into the processor and process until only small pieces remain. Remove from the processor and place into a pan. Process the remaining cauliflower repeating the steps.
2. Mince the garlic and add to the cauliflower in the pan. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly. When cauliflower is slightly toasted, and garlic cooked, remove from heat.
3. Toss with cilantro and juice from the whole lime.

Original recipe found here

Another amazing chili recipe that does not have an overwhelming taste of tomatoes! This one turned out really tasty and the roasted sweet potatoes were the perfect pair. The spices were slightly different then your average chili recipe too and I really enjoyed the twist! I recommend preparing all the veggies the night before if you want to make your meal prep day even easier. That way you can wake up, throw everything in the slow cooker, and get on with your day. My preferred way to chop the peppers, onions, and carrots was to throw them in a food processor and pulse a few times. That is just way less time consuming and you can get those veggies down to rice size if you prefer. I ended up doubling everything below, so I threw everything in my Instant Pot since it's bigger then my crockpot. Plus, I utilized the 'saute' function to brown the turkey, which meant one less pan to clean. Since I doubled everything, I increased the cooking time to 8 hours in the slow cooker just to be safe. If you are looking for a super simple and delicious meal to make then I definitely recommend giving this one a try! 

Paleo Turkey Chili 
Ingredients:

• 2 lbs ground turkey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup onion, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced
• 1 cup peppers, chopped in small pieces
• 1 cup carrots, chopped in small pieces
• 40 oz canned crushed tomatoes
• 1 tablespoons paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (omit for less spicy)
• 1 teaspoon pepper
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Cook turkey over medium high heat until browned, approximately 10 minutes
2. While turkey is browning, chop all vegetables + prepare spices. 
3. Add browned turkey + all ingredients to the crockpot.
4. Stir all of the ingredients together in the crockpot until thoroughly mixed
5. Cook on low for 6 hours. Serve over steamed sweet potato noodles or cauliflower rice for a paleo/whole 30 option, or rice for non-paleo/whole 30 eaters!

Original recipe found here

My Roasted Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 4-6 Sweet Potatoes (Depending on how much you want to make. 5 medium sized sweet potatoes usually gets me 6 oz of sweet potato fries for 6 meals. I think my idea of medium sized is bigger than most though.)
• Olive oil spray
• Sea salt (I love using Garlic Sea Salt!)
• Optional: Cinnamon, Paprika, any other Spices

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
2. Skin and cut the sweet potatoes into whatever shape you want. I either do fries, wedges or circles.
3. Spray baking pan with olive oil. Lay down sweet potato fries flat (do not just dump a pile on the pan).
4. I fill my Misto with olive oil and lightly spray the fries, then add some sea salt (or whatever spices you enjoy).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Take out of the oven and move them around or flip them over. Bake for another 15-20 minutes.
6. Keep an eye on them, if they are thin bake for less time, and vice versa. Key is to move them around or flip them over half way through baking them. I usually make mine thicker, so I bake them for at least a total of 40 minutes.

Oh my goodness this meal turned out absolutely delicious! Besides dicing the bell peppers, green chili, and onion, all you have to do is sear the meat and throw everything in the slow cooker. I actually threw all of those vegetables in the food processor to dice up real small, then cooked this for 8 hours since I doubled everything below. I know I always pair recipes with riced cauliflower, but it is seriously the easiest vegetable to heat up and serve with most recipes. There are so many frozen riced vegetables in the grocery store nowadays too, so you don't even have to pick the plain cauliflower rice if you don't want to. Below are a few of my favorite ones that ONLY have vegetables and spices listed in the ingredients:

• Cascadian Farm Riced Cauliflower Blend (Roasted Sweet Potatoes & Kale) 
• Green Giant Riced Cauliflower 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower & Sweet Potato 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower with Lemon & Garlic 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Medley 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower & Broccoli 
• Green Giant Riced Veggies Cauliflower Risotto Medley
  
• Birds Eye Steamfresh Riced Cauliflower Original

If you want an easy and seamless way to start eating more vegetables, then I recommend grabbing one of those frozen rice veggie bags and serving with your protein of choice, like this slow cooker cuban-style beef! This meal seriously turned out amazing and had plenty of sauce to throw over top when done. I will definitely be making this one again soon!

Slow Cooker Cuban-Style Beef
Ingredients:

• 2 lb. beef chuck roast or flank steak
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 cups tomato sauce (or just 1 can of tomato sauce)
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 green chili, minced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 tsp. fresh cilantro, minced
• 1 tbsp. ground cumin
• 1 cup beef stock
• Cooking fat
• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Season the beef to taste with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
2. Melt cooking fat in skillet over high heat, brown the beef on all sides, 3 to 4 minutes total.
3. Place the beef in a slow cooker and add all the remaining ingredients on top.
4. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours.
5. Remove the beef from the slow cooker, let rest 10 to 15 minutes then shred using forks.
6. Place the beef back to the slow cooker, mix everything and serve topped with fresh cilantro.

Original recipe found here

I know it's not Fall anymore, but I had some extra cans of pumpkin that I wanted to put to use. Also, I love chili recipes, especially this pumpkin one, because they are packed with TONS of different nutrients and ingredients. I used a red, yellow, and orange bell pepper, a bag of already shredded carrots, diced tomatoes, pumpkin, and threw everything over top of cauliflower rice. Talk about getting those micro-nutrients in your life! Anyways, this chili did not have any overwhelming taste of pumpkin, and I feel like they never do unless you add more pumpkin spice to the mix. It did however still have a nice hint of pumpkin and I absolutely loved every bite of this meal. I personally don't like tomato based anything and this one did not have an overpowering tomato taste whatsoever. You can easily throw this chili over some plain cauliflower rice, regular rice, or mix the two together. Top with avocado and boom, you have a nice comforting, nutritious, and delicious pumpkin chili all week long!

​Instant Pot Paleo Pumpkin Chili
Ingredients:

• 2 Tbsp coconut or avocado oil
• 3 pounds ground beef or meat of choice
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 2 cup diced bell pepper
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 14.5 ounce can diced tomatoes, with liquid
• 2 15-oz. can pumpkin puree
• 2 cup chopped carrots
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 Tbsp chili powder, to taste 
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper, or to taste
• 1 cup broth or water
• fresh cilantro  and avocado for garnish, if desired

Directions:

1. Set your Instant Pot to the saute setting and add oil to the pot.
2. Once the oil is hot, crumble the meat into the Instant Pot. Brown for a minute or two until the meat is mostly browned, but still slightly pink. Scoop the meat out of the pot and set aside.
3. Next the garlic, onion, bell pepper, carrots to the Instant Pot. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper, chili powder paprika, and cumin.
4. Next, add broth or water. Stir it into the veggie mixture, being sure to scrape up the spices and veggies that may have cooked to the bottom of the pot.
5. Add the tomatoes, pumpkin puree and cooked meat. Stir to mix everything together.
6. Turn off the saute function . Place the lid on the Instant Pot, lock in place and turn the valve to sealing. Select the manual setting and set to cook on HIGH pressure, and set time for 17 minutes. It will typically take you Instant Pot about 10 minutes to get up to pressure.
7. When the chili is finished cooking, quick release pressure, carefully.
8. Taste and add more chili, salt and pepper, if desired.
9. Serve immediately, garnished with avocado or cilantro, if desired.

Notes:

1. Make this chili as spicy or mild as you like! To amp up the heat, add 1-2 chopped jalapenos to the Instant Pot before cooking or add an extra teaspoon of chili powder!
2. No Instant Pot? That's okay! Make it in your slow cooker! Brown the meat in a skillet and then add all of the ingredients into your slow cooker with an extra cup of broth or water and cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours!

​Original recipe found here

​About this recipe though... I wrote in parenthesis below, but I will typically increase the chicken amount to anywhere between 6-7 lbs since I am meal prepping for 3 people, and I love having extra for dinner when needed. If you don't need that much chicken though, just use the suggested 2.5-3 lbs as the recipe calls for below. No need to adjust anything else, although sometimes since I have so much chicken I'll increase the oil and spices some. This is a low fat and carb chicken recipe, so it definitely needs to be paired with a carb and vegetable of your choice, which you can then load with more fat according to your goals. I typically bake sweet potatoes to go with this buffalo chicken, and will roast some broccoli with extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and salt to complete the meal. If you need even more fat, I suggest increasing the coconut oil in the buffalo chicken, throwing some ghee or nut butter on your sweet potato, definitely using EVOO (or bacon fat 🥓) to saute or roast your vegetable of choice in, or top everything with a fried egg or two. The options are endless! This meal is typically what I eat before I head to the gym, so it's higher protein and carb, and low fat. If all this macro talk is going over your head though, don't pay any attention to it. The point of this post is to show how incredibly easy bulk making something delicious for your lunches all week is. That knocks out one meal on track everyday! If you are looking for more specific guidance then check out the nutrition coaching tab and send me a message!

Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken with Sweet Potatoes
Ingredients:

• 2.5 - 3 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts (I use closer to 6 lbs)
• 1 bottle hot sauce (I used PaleoChef Wing Sauce, or you can simply use Frank's RedHot Original as well!)
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cayenne
• 6 sweet potatoes (or however many you need)
• 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water to create a slurry*
• Chopped green onions, for serving

Directions:

1. Place the chicken in the bottom of the Instant Pot.
2. Place coconut oil in a microwave safe bowl or measuring cup. Microwave until the coconut oil is melted (about 45 seconds), then stir until smooth.
3. Mix the the hot sauce, salt, garlic powder, and cayenne in with the coconut oil.
4. Pour the sauce over the chicken. Cover the Instant Pot, place the vent to “sealing” position, and set it on manual for 25 minutes.
5. While the chicken is cooking you can bake the sweet potatoes: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Prick the sweet potatoes all over with a fork, then place them on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until the sweet potatoes are tender, about 45 minutes to 1 hour, depending upon the size of your sweet potato. (I always buy large ones, so they can take me anywhere between an hour to an hour and a half to bake.)
6. When the chicken is finished cooking, you can either use the natural or quick stream release method. Shred the chicken inside the pot (it easily shreds when I press down on the chicken with my wooden spatula).
7. Once the chicken is shredded and while the sweet potatoes are baking, mix the arrowroot starch and 1 tablespoon water together to create a slurry.* Add it to the liquid in the Instant Pot, and mix around to combine. Put the Instant Pot on "Saute" mode and continue to mix the chicken around every so often until sauce thickens and reduces.
8. Split open the sweet potatoes, then top with the Buffalo chicken, and green onions. Enjoy!

Notes:
*You don't absolutely need the arrowroot starch - it just helps thicken the sauce some. If you do not use it, you can still put the cooked chicken on "Saute" mode in your Instant Pot to thicken the sauce. It usually takes me around 10 minutes when I don't use the arrowroot starch.

Original recipe found here

Oh my goodness this meal was seriously incredible! 100% worth purchasing the dried galangal, fish sauce, and coconut aminos if you don't have those more specialty ingredients. I linked them all to Amazon, but you can probably get them cheaper in stores, well at least the coconut aminos that is. I didn't chance trying to find the dried galangal in the store though and just got some off Amazon. The good thing is that this meal was THAT amazing that I will be making this again like next week, so I'll put these ingredients to use. I increased the chicken to closer to 6 lbs, so I doubled the ingredients below. Instead of putting 8 slices of bacon in the Instant Pot though, I fried 4 of them in frying pan, then wilted the baby kale in the leftover bacon fat. Super easy vegetable pairing, plus this gave me some extra crispy bacon to top the meal with. I also heated up a few bags of plain frozen cauliflower rice, which is hidden under all that chicken. If you couldn't tell already, frozen cauliflower rice is my go-to vegetable for meal prep. Remember not all frozen cauliflower rice is created equal though. Check the ingredients on the back of the package and make sure you pick one that just has vegetables listed. Also, for all those Instant Pot users who think we need to add at least 1 cup of liquid to the pot in order to cook (no, just me?), apparently we were wrong. Since the chicken and pineapple release plenty of fluid, no need to worry about adding more liquid. If you are a sweet and salty person, then this is the meal for you! If you like quick and easy one pot Instant Pot meals, then this is the meal for you! If you like really incredible tasting meals for meal prep, then this is the meal for you! But really, this was so delicious.

Instant Pot Pineapple Chicken
Ingredients:

• 3 pounds chicken breast
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 4 slices bacon
• 1 1/2 cups diced fresh pineapple
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 2 tablespoons coconut aminos
• 3 1/2 teaspoons Red Boat fish sauce, divided
• 1 piece dried galangal or 2-inch piece peeled ginger root
• 4 garlic cloves, minced

Directions:

1. Place chicken in Instant Pot insert. Sprinkle with sea salt and layer bacon on top. Add in pineapple, onion, aminos, fish sauce and galangal or ginger.
2. Seal the lid and set "Manual" pressure cooking timer to 25 minutes. Once timer elapses, release pressure valve and open the lid.
3. Carefully transfer contents of pot with a slotted spoon, leaving the liquid in the pot, to a large glass bowl.
4. Turn the Instant Pot “Saute” function on. Add the garlic and remaining 1 ½ teaspoons fish sauce to the cooking liquid. Allow the sauce to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, reduce slightly, and turn a golden yellow.
5. Meanwhile, shred the chicken with the pineapple, onions and bacon with two forks until finely shredded.
6. Pour the reduced sauce from the pot over the shredded chicken and stir well to immerse the meat. Serve warm with cauliflower rice, steamed kale, and fried plantains.

​
Original recipe found here

Oh my gosh!!! This was the BOMB. So much flavor, so many fun and tasty ingredients, and so not that hard to make! To make prep a little easier I bought matchstick carrots and frozen plain riced cauliflower. I also used dried unsweetened cranberries instead of cherries because I could not find dried cherries anywhere (well at least ones without sugar added). My recommendation is to go out and get your grocery shopping done the day or night before, prep this recipe first thing the next morning, and throw it in the slow cooker for the rest of the day to cook. My favorite meal prep days are the ones where I get something knocked out right away instead of waiting all day to get started on everything. Always a good move to find a way to break the cooking up instead of slaying it in the kitchen for 3 hours. Anyways though, this meal was seriously amazing. Don't be intimidated by all the ingredients and give it a try! I promise you will be  extremely pleased to eat this for lunch all week long!

Slow Cooker Moroccan Chicken with Chopped Almonds, Apricots and Cauliflower “Couscous”
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, skins removed (I used boneless)
• Salt and pepper (to initially season the chicken)
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 1/2 cup unsalted chicken stock
• 1/4 cup unsalted natural almond butter
• 6 ounces unsweetened dried apricots
• 1 pound baby carrots

For the Cauliflower Couscous

• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup yellow onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened dried cherries (I used dried unsweetened cranberries)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Zest of one lemon

For the Garnish

• 1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I omitted these)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper then add half of the chicken to the pot. Cook for 5 minutes, browning on all sides. Transfer the chicken to a slow cooker and repeat with remaining chicken.
2. Return the pot to the stove and add onion and garlic and sauté for three minutes or until tender. Add the ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, salt and pepper and sauté for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
3. Stir in chicken stock and almond butter, scraping pot to loosen any browned bits. Pour contents of pot over chicken into the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for five hours.
4. Add the apricots and baby carrots to the slow cooker, cover and cook an additional hour.
5. Meanwhile, prepare the cauliflower “couscous.” Grate cauliflower by running the florets through a food processor with a grating attachment or use a box grater to create rice-like pieces. Pick out any large fragments that didn’t get shredded and save for another use. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic for 2 minutes, then add the cauliflower, salt and pepper. Sauté for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cauliflower is tender. Stir in the cherries, basil, cilantro and lemon zest.
6. Garnish the chicken with toasted, sliced almonds and fresh cilantro. Serve over cauliflower couscous.

Note: To toast almonds, spread them in an even layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 350°F for 5 minutes.

Original recipe found here

It's Thanksgiving week, which means yes, I still meal prep, and yes, I like to make Thanksgiving types of food for the whole week. ​This year is especially busy though, so I pulled some recipes I've already posted to make this meal. I actually haven't made the Crockpot Chicken with Butternut Squash, Pears, and Cranberries​ since January of 2016 (one of my first blog posts), and this time I actually made the Rosemary Mashed Root Vegetables as the recipe calls for. When I made that mash last time I used butternut squash, tri-colored carrots, and more sweet potatoes, so using less sweet potato and adding white potatoes and regular carrots instead turned out for a completely different taste, but still tasty! I did have higher expectations for this meal, if I am being honest, but I still enjoyed having something different this week. I recommend cutting the chicken breasts in half and rubbing the seasoning on them before placing in the crockpot, just to make sure the chicken is more flavored. Also, for the Rosemary Mashed Root Vegetables I recommend using a canned coconut milk since it packs way more flavor then the boxed coconut milks, which I accidentally used. I also think adding a tablespoon or two of ghee would really hit the spot as well, but that's just my opinion! I know, I know, I am probably not selling anyone on these recipes, but they were still tasty and easy to whip together! Let me know if you give either a try.
​
Crockpot Chicken with Butternut Squash, Pears, and Cranberries
Ingredients:

• 1 butternut squash (1.5 lbs.), cubed
• 2 sweet onion, sliced
• 2 bosc pear, sliced
• 2 cup raw cranberries
• 3 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into halves or quarters)
• 1 cup veggie or chicken broth
• 3 bay leaves
• 2 tsp Sea salt
• 2 tsp pepper
• 1 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 Tbsp cinnamon

Instructions:

1. Layer squash cubes at the bottom of the crockpot.
2. Put half of the onions, pears, and cranberries on top.
3. Add 1 bay leaf and some spices.
4. Arrange a layer of chicken on top of the spices.
5. Add another layer of spices and the second bay leaf on top of the chicken.
6. Add the remaining onion, pear, and cranberries.
7. Pour the broth over the mixture.
8. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.

Original recipe found here

Rosemary Mashed Root Vegetables
Ingredients:

• 2 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• 4 white potatoes, unpeeled and chopped
• 16 baby carrots or 2 medium carrot, peeled and chopped
• 2/3 cup unsweetened dairy-free milk beverage (Coconut milk or Almond milk)
• 2 teaspoon fresh rosemary, chopped finely
• 2 teaspoon dried chives
• 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
• ½ teaspoon black pepper

Directions:

1. Place the sweet potatoes, white potatoes, and carrots in a pot, and cover with water.
2. Place the pot over medium-high heat, and bring the water to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low, and let bubble until the vegetables are fork tender. This usually takes 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Remove the pot from the heat and drain the vegetables.
4. Place the vegetables into a medium bowl, and add the milk beverage, rosemary, chives, salt (to taste), and pepper. Mash the ingredients together with a potato masher or lightly blend with a hand mixer to combine. (I used a food processor to make mash smooth.)

Original recipe found here