Meal Prep #1: Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble - Roasted Veggies - Honey Garlic Chicken - Garlic Rice (recipes included!)

Since my dancing and teaching schedule can be so hectic during the week, I've started meal prepping on the weekends to make the weekdays run more smoothly. Not only is it convenient, but it makes me feel like I have my sh!t together. Super organized, quick grab'n'go each morning... what more could you ask for?

So on the menu this week...

• Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble (with a hint of lemon!)
• Roasted Vegetables (a light lunch, good for pre-rehearsal tummies)
• Honey Garlic Chicken (with veggies and rice on the side)

Breakfast

First off, I start with breakfast. I found this Strawberry Oatmeal Crumble when I was first looking into meal-prepping from Meal Prep Rockstar (recipe here). This sweet (dare I mention, vegan!) treat is a favorite of mine and it feels like you're having dessert for breakfast. I always tend to opt for a sweet breakfast over a savory one, so this recipe is perfect. The little bit of lemon zest adds a nice little kick of sweetness!

Lunch

Next come the veggies. I used this vegetable hash recipe in the past but ended up overcrowding my poor sauté pan. SO this time I decided to try roasting them instead. Using this guide from the kitchn I roasted up the hash's original veggies in this way:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Chop however many sweet potatoes (I used 3) and however many red potatoes (I used 2) you want. Slice up an onion (I used a sweet onion). Toss in olive oil, season with salt and pepper (and crushed red pepper, if you want), and throw those babies in a baking dish (or two if it seems too crowded). Throw 'em in your preheated oven for 15mins. Meanwhile...
3. Chop up your bell pepper (I used one but am wanting more) and kale (about 4 cups when chopped). Toss them with olive oil in a bowl. Season. Once the taters and onions have been in the oven for 15 minutes, mix the bell pepper and kale in and place in the oven for another 15, or until they look like they're crispy to your liking.
4. If you plan to eat some roasted veggie "hash" when you're cooking it, throw a can of drained/rinsed black beans in there for the last 5 minutes to heat 'em up. If you're just prepping for the week, toss them in after the veggies are completely done.

In short:

425 degrees

Sweet pot / Red pot = chop, toss with olive oil, season, in (the oven)!

15 mins later add...

Bell pepp / kale (chopped, oiled, seasoned)

Add beans (drained, rinsed)

Done

(Becca shorthand. Modeled after Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cooking Course)

Dinner

And last, Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Chicken, which my fiance found on reddit. Apparently the recipe is from Tasty.

Watch the gif here: https://i.imgur.com/UOcAncI.mp4

Here it is word for word!

INGREDIENTS

• 8 chicken thighs
• 1 pound baby red potatoes
• 1 pound baby carrots
• 1 pound green beans

For the sauce

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup reduced sodium soy sauce
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In a large bowl, mix honey, soy sauce, garlic, basil, oregano, red pepper flakes and pepper.
2. Place 4 chicken thighs in the bottom of a 6-qt slow cooker. Pour half of the soy mixture over the chicken. Throw in the baby red potatoes, carrots, then the other 4 chicken thighs. Season the top layer of chicken to taste, then pour the rest of the soy mixture over the chicken.
3. Cover and cook on low heat for 7-8 hours or high for 3-4 hours. Feel free to baste midway. Add green beans during the last 30 minutes of cooking time.
4. Optional: Broil the cooked chicken thighs, skin side up to brown and crisp the skins, about 3-4 minutes.
5. Serve immediately and enjoy!

In short:

Chop carrots and red potatoes. Mince garlic. Trim green beans. Rinse chicken.

Mix up sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.

Into the slow cooker: half the chicken, half the sauce, all veggies, remaining chicken, remaining sauce.

Low 7-8 hours -OR- High 3-4 hours

Turn off, add green beans and cover for about 30 mins.

(this way the green beans stay crunchier, which I like)

I usually end up using 8-10 chicken thighs for each batch. Skin-on, bone-in gives it nice flavor.

Then I quickly whip up some garlic rice in the following way...

-Mince 2-4 garlic cloves.

-Head a glug of olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat.

-Saute garlic until fragrant and season with salt.

-Add 1 cup rice, 2 cups of water (or homemade veggie broth, recipe to follow in future posts) and cook according to package directions (bring to boil over high heat, simmer over low heat until liquid is absorbed)

And just like that, you have food for the whole week. Pretty convenient and delicious. Happy cooking!