Verde Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (I used chicken breast)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• Juice from 1 large lime (or 1-2 Tbsp)
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 Tbsp jarred minced garlic)
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro (measured prior to chopping), chopped finely
• 12 oz. green tomatillo salsa

Instructions:

• Place chicken thighs/breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Add all other ingredients on top.
• Cook on high for 4 hours (or medium for 6, low for 8).
• Break apart chicken and serve however you'd like (in tortillas, over rice, with tortilla chips).

Zesty Orange Chicken

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above. This recipe is pretty delicious. So much so... that I forgot to take any pictures. So you're just going to have to trust me.

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed into 1" pieces
• 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 Tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 tsp ground ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed (or 1 heaping tsp jarred garlic)

Day of Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp corn starch
• 1/4 cup water 
• Sesame seeds
• White rice

Crock Pot Instructions:

• Chop chicken into 1" cubed pieces.
• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker except the water and cornstarch.
• Cook on high for 4 hours.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and heat on medium, whisking often.
• Once it bubbles and thickens, add it back to the slow cooker and mix.
• Let it cook for another 15 minutes and serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Instant Pot Instructions:

• Place all ingredients in the Instant Pot except the water and cornstarch.
• Pressure cook for 20 minutes.
• Let the Instant Pot naturally depressurize for at least 5 minutes.
• In a small sauce pan, mix water and cornstarch together until well blended.
• Add the mixture to the slow cooker and mix.
• Set the Instant Pot to saute and cook for a couple minutes until it thickens.
• Serve over rice and top with sesame seeds.

Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:
1 lb boneless and also the skinless chicken breast
5 diced tomatoes
4 tablespoons of chili powder
2 tablespoons of salt
1 tablespoon of cumin
2 cups of brown rice
1 can of black beans (drain and rinse)
1 cup of frozen corn
2 cups of chicken stock or chicken broth (add day of)

Instructions:

First, combine the chicken breast with the tomatoes, salt, cumin, and the chili powder into a gallon ziplock bag and freeze (make sure that the chicken is covered by the spices).

When ready to cook, remove from the freezer and add the frozen ingredients to crock pot with 1/2 cup of chicken stock (add additional stock if you want to). Cover with a lid and cook for three hours.

Remove the lid and add the brown rice, black beans, frozen corn, and the remainder of the chicken broth. Continue cooking for an hour. Check the rice periodically, stir it once or twice to make sure all of the rice cooked. Cook until the rice is tender and most of the liquid is gone.

Shred the chicken (or cut into chunks if you'd rather), and stir everything together. Add salt and the black pepper as needed, and serve with your favorite burrito toppings!

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Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos

These fish tacos are a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 6 fish fillets, frozen (Cod and Salmon are my favorite, originally I used Tilapia)
• 1 lg. can Rotel, drained
• 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
• 1 1/2 Tbsp dried cilantro or 1/4 c fresh chopped cilantro
• 2 Tbsp lime juice
• salt to taste
• Soft taco shells

Instructions:

• Place frozen fillets in the bottom of the Crock Pot.
• Cook on low for 4 hours. 
• Flake the fish with a fork and mix well with the other ingredients. 
• Spoon into soft taco shells.

Meal Prepping: Episode #2

If you haven't seen my first adventure in Meal Prepping, you can find it here. The After my first, mostly successful try, I've decided to put together my own list for the second try. The recipes in this batch includes 7 recipes that sound delicious to me (hopefully they sound tasty to you as well!). I will post the recipes as-is today, and update with pictures and notes as I make them! Enjoy!

Recipes

• Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos
• Smoky Corn Chowder with Shrimp
• Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
• Zesty Orange Chicken
• Verde Chicken
• Pork Carnitas
• Shredded Chicken Tacos

Shopping List
Protein
6 fish fillets, frozen (I used Tilapia)

6 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast

2 slices bacon

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

3-4 lb pork roast (shoulder, butt or loin)

Canned/Boxed

rotel (1 lg. can )
chicken stock (32 oz)

half and half OR cream (1/2 c)

brown rice (2 cups)

black beans (1 can)
green tomatillo salsa (12oz)

Fresh

fresh cilantro (1/2 c fresh chopped or 3 Tbsp dried cilantro)
lime (juice of 3)
medium yellow onion (1 1/2)

tomatoes (5)

garlic (13 cloves or 7t)

Frozen

corn (3 1/4 c)

orange juice concentrate (1 can)

Pantry Items

smoked paprika

crushed red pepper

chili powder

cumin

oregano

ground ginger

sesame seeds

salt

pepper

sugar

soy sauce

rice wine vinegar

sesame oil

corn starch

chicken bouillon cubes (2)

Day of

Soft taco shells
basil (optional)

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Pork Carnitas

This recipe is a part of a meal prepping post (original recipe from this website). If you're interested in meal prepping, you can find the grocery list and the full set of recipes using the link above.

Ingredients:

• 3-4 lb pork roast (shoulder, butt or loin)
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp chili powder
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp oregano
• 5 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• 1 onion, diced
• juice from one lime
• 1/2 cup orange juice (or 2 Tbsp orange juice concentrate + 3/8 cup water)

Instructions: 

• Place all ingredients in the slow cooker.
• Cook on low for 8-10 hours.
• Pull pork apart, removing any excess fat.
• Serve either as a rice bowl or in tortillas, and top with cilantro and sour cream.

More coming... 

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Chicken Fajitas

This recipe is from my meal prepping a few weeks ago (originally from this website). In a pinch, this would be a recipe I would do again. It was tasty. However, I just don't like peppers when they've been frozen or overcooked (which can easily happen in a crockpot. While the peppers were fine, I'd rather make fajitas the traditional way.

Yields: Four servings

Ingredients
1 pounds of boneless skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 red pepper, sliced
1 yellow pepper, sliced
1 small yellow onion, peeled and sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move the frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your crockpot and cook on “low” setting for 6 hours or until chicken is tender.
3. Shred chicken and serve with cooked onions and peppers.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, sour cream, and guacamole.

Crockpot Chicken Philly Cheesesteak

This recipe is from my meal prepping several weeks ago (originally from this website). I made it, and have eaten some of it. It was not my favorite, but I don't know exactly how it was meant to be served. On bread? By itself? That was not specified, so I had a hard time figuring out the best way to eat it. The flavor is not bad, but the peppers were not my favorite (I'm not a huge fan of frozen peppers - we'll see how this goes with the chicken fajitas next week!).

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
3 tablespoons corn starch
1 cup chicken broth
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 small onion, peeled and sliced
3 medium-sized bell peppers, cut into strips (I used two green and one red pepper)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 clove of garlic, minced
6 slices of provolone cheese *not needed until day of cooking

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except cheese.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
3. Add sliced cheese and cook additional 10 minutes or until melted.

Serve on rolls.

Southwestern Chicken Chili

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago (originally from New Leaf Wellness). It has good flavor, but I made a few small alterations because I like my chili to be spicy! I may also include some spicy rotel or something next time. Drop in the crock pot and enjoy!

Yields: 6 servings

Ingredients
1 pound chicken breasts
1 onion, peeled and chopped (one cup)
2 stalks of celery, chopped (about one cup)
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 red pepper, chopped
14oz can of tomato sauce
15oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 cup frozen corn
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 cup chicken broth
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons (the original recipe had 2 teaspoons) chili powder
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2-3 dashes of tabasco sauce (not included in the original recipe)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
4. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
5. Add all ingredients.
6. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
3. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
4. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker.
5. Cook on “Low” setting for 6-8 hours or until chicken is cooked through and veggies are soft.
6. Shred chicken.

Serve: Top with cheddar cheese and crushed tortilla chips.

Lemon Pepper Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. Thanks to New Leaf Wellness for the recipes!! This one is definitely up there on my list of favorites from this set of crockpot meals. When prepping the broccoli, I used water, lemon juice, and pepper to steam/sauté it. I also stopped the chicken a little bit early (it was cooked, but not shreddable) so that I could dice it. I am not a fan of shredded chicken on rice. If you are, I'm sure it would be good that way as well.

Yields: 3 servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
The juice from one lemon (about 3 tablespoons)
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials (if prepping as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with rice and broccoli.

Spring Chicken Soup

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. This recipe is quite tasty. The only things I would consider changing would be using some sort of small pasta rather than the orzo (it was hard to get to, as it sunk to the bottom, and just didn't fill the soup out very much). I also needed to cut my carrots smaller (you can't quite tell in this picture, but they were still pretty long, and not super thin...). I did have to pull about half of the soup into a pot on the stove as I was finishing it up. It was a bit much for my crock pot (which I think is pretty standard-sized). This recipe is quite large (and could be larger if you wanted to add more chicken broth to stretch it a bit) - it will obviously depend on who you're feeding, but I believe that this will give me at least 10 servings.

Yields: 8+ servings

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast (1+lb)
1 bunch of green onions, chopped (whites and greens)
1 medium-sized zucchini, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
5 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 celery stalks, sliced
The juice from one lemon
1.5 teaspoons dill
1.5 teaspoons dried parsley
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/2 cup orzo *not needed until day of cooking
48oz chicken broth (6 cups) *not needed until day of cooking
16oz water (2 cups) *not needed until day of cooking

Materials  (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients except orzo, chicken broth, and water.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and add chicken broth and water.
3. Cook for 6 hours on “low” or until chicken is cooked through and tender.
4. Shred chicken and add orzo.
5. Cook for additional 30 minutes.

Serve with fresh, crusty bread.

Hawaiian Chicken

This recipe is from my meal prepping a couple of weeks ago. It was fine as-is, but not my favorite. I added some garlic, red pepper flakes, and a little more soy sauce when I heated up leftovers, and I liked it so much better! Next time I make it, I will add those from the start. You can make that choice for yourself!

(The finished product didn't photograph well, so you can see the prepped part)

Each serving shown in the picture was definitely more than a serving. The recipe originally stated 3 servings - I have made 4-5 servings out of it.

Ingredients
1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 fresh pineapple, stalk, skin, and core removed and fruit cut into bitesized pieces
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
(add ginger, garlic, and chili flakes if you desire)

Materials (if made as freezer meal)
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag with the name of the recipe, cooking instructions, and “use-by” date.
2. Add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer for up to three months.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve with brown rice and broccoli, and enjoy!

Red Pepper Chicken

This recipe is delicious! It is the first of the 7 Summer Chicken Meals that I prepped recently. It has just a little bit of kick - especially when it's not in a tortilla (the tortilla cuts the kick). I am excited to also try it on a salad as well!

Yields: One gallon-sized bag of red pepper chicken with three servings

Ingredients
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, fat trimmed
1 medium-sized red bell pepper, sliced (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 4 large garlic cloves, minced
1 small onion, diced (about one cup)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt

Materials 
1 gallon-sized plastic freezer bag

Prep
1. Label your freezer bag.
2. To your freezer bag, add all ingredients.
3. Remove as much air from the freezer bag as possible, seal, and lay flat in your freezer.

Cook
1. The night before cooking, move frozen bag to your refrigerator to thaw.
2. The morning of cooking, pour contents of freezer bag into your slow cooker and cook on “low” setting for 3-6 hours, or until chicken is cooked through and tender.

Serve on tortillas with lettuce, cheese, and tomatoes.

Lighter General Tso's Chicken

If you haven't noticed by now, I have a thing for Asian flavors. So, when I saw this new recipe (from MarthaStewart.com), I knew I'd have to try it. I actually love General Tso's Chicken, but I haven't been able to eat it in years because my body is not a fan of fried foods. So, this lighter, unfried version has me excited.

In line with what normally happens in my life, I bought the ingredients for this recipe, and then didn't have a chance to make it for a few days. So, I prepped and froze it. It still turned out pretty well! I prepped the chicken portion separately from the veggies and sauce, since they're meant to be prepped separately. Then, I let them defrost in the refrigerator for a day, and cooked the next day!

Ingredients:
1 1/4 c   long-grain brown rice
1/4 c   cornstarch
1 lb   snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
4   garlic cloves, sliced
2 t   fresh ginger, grated and peeled
3 T   light-brown sugar
2 T   soy sauce
1/2 t   red-pepper flakes
2   large egg whites
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 lb   boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 T   vegetable oil (I use EVOO)

Directions:
Cook rice according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, stir together 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1/2 cup cold water until smooth. Add snow peas, garlic, ginger, sugar, soy sauce, and red-pepper flakes; toss to combine, and set aside. (I prepped this ahead of time and froze in a ziplock bag)

In another bowl, whisk together egg whites, remaining 3 tablespoons cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add chicken, and toss to coat. (I prepped this ahead of time and froze in a ziplock bag)

In a large nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Lift half the chicken from egg-white mixture (shaking off excess), and add to skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate; repeat with remaining oil and chicken, and set aside (reserve skillet).

Add snow-pea mixture to skillet. Cover; cook until snow peas are tender and sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes. Return chicken to skillet (with any juices); toss to coat. Serve with rice.

Meal Prepping: 7 Summer Chicken Meals

Today, I have branched out and done something that I've never done before. I meal prepped like a boss. I found several versions of major meal prepping, chose one, and did some grocery shopping. Today's choice was a group of 7 chicken meals.

I'll be very clear about a few things... I would say that I spent approximately $100 on all of ingredients that I had to buy. When I think about it, though, $100 for 7 meals that will have several servings each is a great deal! Also, she says "under and hour" - it took me 2-3, but I've never done this before, and I chopped all of my own vegetables (she chose some that were pre-cut). However, I think it was so worth it to spend a few hours all at once, knowing that they're available to stick into the crockpot for the next several weeks!

So, without further ado, here are the meals in this set:

-Red Pepper Chicken
-Lemon Pepper Chicken
-Chicken Philly Cheesesteak
-Spring Chicken Soup
-Chicken Fajitas
-Hawaiian Chicken
-Southwestern Chicken Chili

I will create new post and link to this one once I make some of these and try them! Stay tuned!

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

This is one of my favorites. Roasted brussel sprouts are definitely the way to go - steaming them will create a completely different experience.

1. Cut brussel sprouts in half
2. Preheat 400 degrees
3. Mix with olive oil and spices (garlic salt or powder, pepper, thyme/rosemary, basil & oregano)
4. Roast at 400 degrees for 25-35 minutes
5. Add cheese at the end (end of baking or after baking) - shredded parmesan or whatever type you like. Note that these are very tasty without cheese as well, the cheese can just add to the *yum.* 

Roasted Asparagus

I roast asparagus on a foil-covered pan in the oven most of the time. It's a tasty, quick, and simple addition to pretty much any meal. Let's get to it!

Asparagus should be washed and can be cut depending on what you prefer. I always cut or snap off the bottom (about an inch) - it should snap easily if you do it with your hands.

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Sprinkle asparagus with olive oil and sea salt (you can also add pepper or garlic powder).
3. Roast in preheated oven until fork easily punctures thickest part of stem, about 12-15 minutes.

Blackened Tilapia

I found this gem on Naive Cook Cooks. I made a few modifications, but I've already decided that it's a new favorite - mostly because of how delicious and simple it is! This is a great recipe that can make 1 serving to probably 6-8 (the recipe says 4, but there is a lot of the seasoning mix there, so I think it will stretch).

In order to make 1 serving, I used a frozen tilapia fillet and about a teaspoon of the seasoning sprinkled on the fillet (about 1/2 teas. on each side was plenty). I think that fish is always better freshly made and not as good left over, so I like to make only as many as I'll eat, and throw a new one in when I'm ready for more fish - this recipe makes that so easy!

Also, in case you're planning to use some of the mix now, and would like to use some later - I mixed the seasonings in a small plastic bag. It was easy to mix, and will be sealed until I need it again.

Blackened Spice Mix:
3 tsp paprika
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp thyme
2 - 3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp oregano

Other ingredients:
4 Tilapia fillet, washed and cleaned
2 tbsp butter, melted OR olive oil / cooking spray
Salt & pepper to taste*

Instructions:

1. Pre heat oven to 400F.
2. Add all the spices in a bowl and mix. Taste and adjust anything if needed as per taste and keep aside.
3. On a parchment paper or foil lined baking sheet / sheet pan, lay all 4 pieces of tilapia (or as many as you plan to use), Brush them with butter or olive oil on both sides OR spray them with cooking spray. 
4. Rub or sprinkle the seasoning on both the sides of the fish.
5. Bake in oven for 7 mins.
6. Flip tilapia after 7 minutes and bake for another 7 minutes. (additional time as needed)

*The spice mix has plenty of flavor, so it is likely that you'll need to add any salt and pepper - but I won't judge if you do! 

**I paired this with asparagus - it cooks for about the same amount of time as the fish, depending on the size of the stalks.