Time To Cook!

Time to Cook!

Finding new recipes can be tough sometimes, especially when it comes to meal prepping. Often times we get stuck in the same loop, eating that boring meal of dry chicken breast, rice, and broccoli (yuck). It gets repetitive and you most likely get to the point where your food is no longer appealing, you get a craving, and then we fall off track and find ourselves going out or finding something quick and easy. Meal prepping has so many benefits, so here are some recipes to help you stay creative with your meals, not get bored of your food, and keep you on the healthy track.

1). Crispy Chicken Thighs:

- you will need 4 boneless/skinless chicken thighs, 2 tbsp olive oil, 2 tsp salt, 2 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp onion powder, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp black pepper, 1 tsp paprika.

Start by preheating the oven to 400 degrees. While the oven is preheating, lightly coat the thighs in the olive oil on both sides. In a mixing bowl, mix the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, Italian seasoning, pepper, and paprika. This will act almost as a breading for the chicken. Completely cover both sides of the thighs with the mixed seasoning. I typically will place the thighs in the bowl and flip them over to ensure a nice even coating. Once the oven is ready to go, place the thighs in the oven for 35 minutes. This will keep the juices in and not dry out the chicken. Anything longer than 40 minutes tends to dry the chicken out. These go well with rice, or sweet potatoes, and add a vegetable of your choice!

2). Pulled Chicken Tacos/Burritos:

- you will need a slow cooker, 2 full-sized chicken breast, 1 tbsp minced garlic, and a jar of salsa.

This one is really easy, but also allows you to get creative with what you want to do with it. Start by throwing the chicken, garlic, and salsa in the slow cooker (choose your favorite salsa!). Make sure the chicken in completely covered in the salsa. Sometimes I like to use a little extra salsa to guarantee the chicken does not dry out in the process. Leave the chicken in the slow cooker on HIGH for 4 hours. When the chicken is done, pull it! Quick tip, I’ve actually used a kitchen mixer to help pull it apart, it is a lot quicker and less work on your end. The chicken is now ready to serve! You can have it tacos, burritos, or even make your own burrito bowl!

3). Sesame Garlic Shrimp:

- you will need 1 bag frozen shrimp (large), 1 tbsp butter, 1 clove of garlic (minced), 1.5 tbsp sesame oil, 2 table spoons soy sauce.

This is one of my favorite recipes because again you can do so much with the shrimp once its done! First we have to make the sesame garlic sauce. Start by mincing up the garlic clove. Once the garlic is ready to go, you’ll need to stir fry it in the sesame oil for about 1 minute. Then slowly whisk in the soy sauce. Once the sauce is done, set it aside, stirring occasionally while cooking the shrimp. Make sure you’ve completely thawed the shrimp, and have removed the tails. In a large pan, melt the butter and throw in

the shrimp! Cook the shrimp all the way through, right before they curl up into little C’s. Turn down the heat and add the sesame garlic sauce to the pan. Mix the shrimp around the make sure they all get completely covered. And voila! It is ready to serve. I typically will make a little extra sesame garlic sauce, and put the shrimp on top of rice and a vegetable of choice, covering it all with the extra sauce.

I hope you guys get to try out these recipes and let me know how they go for you! Enjoy!

AF