Dyan Damrom showed how to prepare chicken and roasted as meal prep ideas for when you want healthy grab-n-go meals for the week. For more information about healthy eating and exercise for individuals and families, visit Dyan's website, www.coachdconsulting.com.
Roasted Chicken & Veggies Meal Prep
Main Ingredients:
Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts or Salmon Filets (1/4 lb per person per meal)
Broccoli Florets or Brussels Sprouts
Red Onion or Red Pepper
Carrots, Sweet Potato, or Butternut Squash
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Sea Salt & Black Pepper
Optional: Zaatar, lemon zest, or smoked paprika
Cooking Spray
Tacos:
Whole grain tortillas
Salsa
Greek yogurt
Jalapeno, cilantro, lime
Pizza:
Whole wheat Naan
Pizza sauce
Shredded Italian Cheese
Fresh Basil
Pasta:
Whole grain pasta
Pizza sauce or Pesto
Shredded Italian Cheese
Fresh Basil
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Chop vegetables into bite-size pieces. Place all vegetables in a large resealable bag and add 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil plus ½ tsp each of salt and pepper per 4 cups of vegetables plus 1 tsp each of salt and pepper. Add additional seasonings if you like. Gently shake bag and massage vegetables to ensure even coating. Pour vegetables onto a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure they are on one layer – otherwise they will steam and get soggy.
Using a paper towel, blot chicken or salmon to ensure it is as dry as possible. Add the meat to the same resealable bag (do veggies first so you do not cross-contaminate) and add 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil plus ½ tsp each of salt and pepper per pound of meat. Add additional seasonings if you like. Gently shake bag and massage meat to ensure even coating. Add meat onto a separate baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Make sure meat does not overlap.
Bake vegetables and meat together – meat will take 10-30 minutes depending on thickness (use meat thermometer: 165 degrees for chicken and 135 degrees for salmon), and vegetables will take 20-40 minutes. Meat and vegetables should be browned on the edges. Pull meat out once it is done and let it rest while vegetable finish cooking.
Serve this immediately for dinner and use all the leftovers for meals throughout the week:
Tacos:
Mix Greek yogurt with a little lime zest and lime juice. Slice chicken (or flake salmon) into taco size. Add warmed meat and vegetables to a whole grain tortilla and top with yogurt
mix, salsa, and fresh cilantro. Tip: if you do not have salsa on-hand, add some of the veggies to a food processor and pulse with a few slices of a jalapeno for a homemade salsa.
Pizza:
Spread a whole wheat Naan bread with pizza sauce. Add meat and vegetables. Sprinkle with shredded Italian cheese. Place pizza on a baking sheet and bake at 425-degrees until cheese is melted. Top with torn fresh basil.
Pasta:
Cook whole grain pasta according to package instructions – save about a ½ cup of the pasta water. Add hot pasta to a large bowl and mix with pizza sauce or pesto, adding a little pasta water to get a saucy consistency. Add meat and vegetables, mix to combine. Tip: if you don’t have pizza sauce or pesto, add some of the veggies to a food processor and puree with a little pasta water or chicken stock for a homemade pasta sauce. Serve pasta with shredded cheese and freshly torn basil.
