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- Hey, munchies, welcome to the channel.
If you're new or if you're not, I'm Alyssia,
and I'm so glad you're here!
Since it is back-to-school time for many of you,
I thought it would be a good time
to address meal prep once again.
So today I am sharing some tips and recipes
for a chicken meal prep specifically.
The way I have meal prepped has changed a lot
over the years.
I have been all over the spectrum of meal prep,
at times prepping every meal for the day week after week,
and at other times prepping the bare minimum ingredients
to just make it through the week without turning to takeout,
and then sometimes still turning to takeout.
Oops, what can I say? I'm human.
These days I meal prep very little.
I prefer having just enough to get by,
and then I try to focus on the parts
that I know I'll overlook, like vegetables and protein.
And there's more than one way to do all of it.
If I've learned anything on this journey,
it's that there's no single or right way to meal prep.
When it comes to protein,
I approach it in a few different ways.
One is actually just having the raw meat ready to cook.
Of course, if it's ground meat,
then it's already ready to go.
But if it's thighs or breasts,
then sometimes I'll precut the chicken,
and it will last a couple of days in the fridge.
The benefit here for me is that,
A, I get a fresh-cooked meal during the week,
but I spend less time preparing,
and B, I don't have to cook as much
on a single meal prep Sunday.
I am not huge on leftovers either,
so I like a fresh-cooked meal when I can get it.
But it's also helpful
to just have the cooked protein ready to go.
So I can cook those cubes of chicken now if preferred
and then store them for the week.
For ground meat, like beef, turkey, or chicken,
I'll cook it on the stove,
and I prefer to cook in larger chunks first,
I think the browning and the sear add so much flavor,
before breaking it up.
I'll do very little seasoning now on all of these cuts
so that later when I use them during the week,
I can add the seasoning, sauce, or flavor
and keep it versatile for meal prep options.
So that can be stored plain.
I also love having different textures and cuts.
So ground meat is one way, chopped chicken is another,
but I also love shredded chicken,
and it's really easy to meal prep.
I find poaching to be simplest.
So I add the chicken breasts to a pot and cover with water.
Bring to a boil, and then turn down the heat
and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes,
depending on the size and the cut.
Make sure that it hits 165 degrees Fahrenheit minimum.
Once it's cooked,
let it rest until it's cool enough to handle,
and then you can shred it up.
So feel free to use the two-fork method,
but I also have found cutting the breasts
into smaller chunks and then, (chuckles) get this,
using a hand mixer works.
Say what?
I think I've shown this before, but it is so cool.
You'll have to try it for yourself.
But then I end up with shredded chicken
that I can use in various ways throughout the week.
So those are a few different ways to prep chicken,
and now what can we do with it?
In my meal prep course, I teach a mix and match method
for basic bowls to keep meals balanced.
It's just a carb base,
along with a protein, vegetable, and a sauce.
Feel free to sue a vessel too.
And this yields endless permutations
to keep meals interesting.
I will show you three different ones
with these meal prep chicken options now.
First up, a chicken burrito bowl.
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So the formula is carb, protein, veggie, sauce.
We have got cooked and meal prepped quinoa.
Feel free to use rice if preferred.
That cooked ground chicken as a protein,
onion and bell pepper as vegetables,
which are raw but prepped and ready to cook,
and for sauce or seasoning,
I have salsa, taco seasoning, and lime.
So you can assemble this in a number of ways.
I told you I am not nuts about leftovers,
so I like to make this like a fresh-cooked meal
on a weeknight in a skillet.
So first, I saute the onion and bell pepper in a little oil.
Then the chicken gets added, which is already cooked,
but I can now heat it through.
And then I add taco seasoning and salsa.
That all goes onto a bed of quinoa
and served with a squeeze of lime,
maybe some avocado or herbs, jalapenos.
Have fun with it.
So having all of those components separately ready to go
makes it easy to assemble this meal in 5 to 10 minutes.
It does not taste like a meal prepped meal, though.
I love that.
It's got all of the flavors of a burrito put
into a healthy and nutritionally balanced bowl.
I also love that it doesn't require a specific recipe,
so there's no need to measure ingredients
or get hung up on the details.
Just add what you like to your preference.
No worries, though, I did include recipes to guide you
in the description if it helps you.
Next up, how about a barbecue bowl?
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Remember that your carb doesn't need to be rice or quinoa.
Have fun and switch it up.
I used sweet potato and corn for this bowl,
which can be prepped and ready to cook.
The protein is that meal prepped shredded chicken.
Veggies are the onion and squash with zucchini.
And the sauce or flavoring comes from barbecue sauce,
coconut aminos, and lemon juice.
To assemble, first I cook up the onion
and sweet potato in oil.
I like that sweet potato to get brown for flavor,
so let it go for a few minutes,
and make sure it's cooked through.
Then add in the zucchini and squash,
which take less time to cook through.
Then I add the chicken and corn.
Now, these are already cooked,
but just need to be heated through.
I season it all with barbecue sauce and coconut aminos,
adding salt and pepper to taste if needed.
And serve it as a bowl with a squeeze of lemon
and some fresh herbs on top for flavor and color.
Another one-pot meal ready to go in 10 to 15 minutes
with no prep day of
because the components were ready in advance.
I love barbecue sauce
with shredded chicken and sweet potatoes,
but remember you could totally use rice or another grain
or even beans instead.
The mix and match combinations are endless.
Okay, the final meal of the day is a teriyaki chicken bowl.
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The carb is cooked and meal prepped rice,
or feel free to cook it the night of if you prefer,
but rice is easy to meal prep,
chopped chicken, this could be cooked or raw,
onion, broccoli, and mini bell peppers for the veggies,
and teriyaki sauce, coconut aminos,
and orange juice for the flavoring.
So this time I'm gonna start with the onion and oil.
Then in goes the broccoli, which takes a few minutes,
but if you want the broccoli softer,
you could add it at the same time as the chicken or onions.
And then I'll add the peppers
because I only want those to saute for a few minutes.
I like them to have some firmness.
Then goes in the cooked chicken,
which really just needs to be reheated and browned a bit.
And this gets seasoned with the teriyaki,
coconut aminos, and orange juice.
The entire mixture is served over rice.
You could also mix the rice right into the stove top
to heat through if preferred.
I love this mix and match method
because it gives so many options
for combination and flavors.
I don't have to be bored with what I'm eating,
I don't have to eat leftovers,
and I don't have to spend too much time.
I'm gonna offer this mix and match PDF to you
for free linked in the description box below
if you wanna check it out.
For me, approaching meal prep
through the lens of mindfulness has been life-changing.
It's helped me appreciate myself, my body,
and even the cooking and meal prep process so much more.
If you struggle with meal prep
and you wanna learn some systems to help,
my Mind Over Meal Prep course
and my Kitchen Confidence course
are both open for enrollment.
I will link those pages below if you want more information.
Both courses include tons of templates, worksheets,
quick video lessons, recipes, and guidance
to make meal prep and cooking in general easier.
And of course feel free to email me if you have questions.
Let me know how you approach meal prep
in the comments below.
I hope you have a great start back to school
if you're headed back.
I will see you soon with a brand-new episode.
And remember, it's all a matter of mind over munch.
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