Meal prep is all the rage. Making time for meal prep might seem a little intimidating, but with these Test Kitchen tips, it’s easy to turn meal prep from a headache into a habit. Whether you have your #MealPrepSunday routine down or are simply sick of grabbing canned soup or going out to eat on your lunch break, Mediterranean chicken quinoa bowls are a delicious meal you can easily prep for the week ahead.

The Test Kitchen originally developed mediterranean chicken quinoa bowls as a recipe option for using leftover chicken. We included the bowls in a group of meal planning recipes to make using our slow cooker basic shredded chicken. Instead of portioning the chicken out for three separate dinners during the week, use it to help prep your lunches.

To make meal prep a breeze, do your cooking over the weekend so your meals are ready and waiting when the busy work week starts.

Slow cookers and rice cookers are great meal prep tools. We used both to help prepare the chicken quinoa bowls. Over the weekend, make basic shredded chicken in your Hamilton Beach® slow cooker and quinoa (brown rice would also be delicious in these bowls) in your Hamilton Beach® rice cooker.

Once the chicken and quinoa are cooked, you’re ready to assemble the bowls for the week. We filled five to-go containers (any containers that seal will work), with shredded chicken, quinoa, and a variety of Mediterranean ingredients. Chickpeas, ripe tomatoes, feta cheese, artichokes, cucumbers, and olives add tons of flavor and color to your weekday lunches.

We topped the bowls with a creamy greek dressing. You can easily whip up a homemade dressing in your Hamilton Beach® single-serve blender (another helpful meal prep tool) or use your favorite store-bought variety. Pour your dressing of choice into mini to-go containers (you can buy them online or at the grocery store). They fit perfectly on top of the other ingredients so you can seal the salad and the dressing in the same container.

Say goodbye to sad desk lunch and hello to bright, fresh Mediterranean chicken quinoa bowls. For the full recipe, click here.

TAGS: bowl, chicken, meal prep, quinoa, rice cooker, slow cooker
CATEGORIES: Everyday Recipes, Healthy Eating, main courses, salads

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If you’re not already on the meal prep train, it’s team to hop on and buckle up. Whether you’re a busy mom, a single millennial, or just want save a little money and not go out to eat as much (we all know the feeling), give meal prepping a try.

If you have some time on the weekend (#MealPrepSunday) – or even at the start of the week (#MealPrepMonday) – do a little cooking and prep your meals for the week. Whether you need lunch or dinner, having meals already cooked and ready to go before your week starts takes a lot of stress out the day. All you have to do is grab them out of the fridge and go. Trust us, it’s worth the time and effort over the weekend.

For meal prep this week make slow cooker healthy chicken and broccoli. Use your Hamilton Beach® slow cooker and rice cooker – they’re both great meal prep tools. The slow cooker can cook food in bulk – which is great when you’re portioning meals out over a week. Rice cookers can also cook multiple cups of rice (in this case, farro) – enough to easily portion out over 7 days.

Add chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and black pepper to the slow cooker crock. Then add chicken and stir until it’s fully coated. Cover the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.

Uncover the crock then add and stir bell peppers. Then top with broccoli (do not stir) and cook for another 20 to 30 minutes until the broccoli is tender.

When your chicken is almost finished, cook farro in the rice cooker. You could also serve this with brown or white rice, even quinoa.

When everything is finished, prepare your to-go containers. We portioned the farro on one side and the chicken and vegetables on another. We packed walnuts to top the dish in a dressing container – but a resealable bag would work too if you have those on hand.

Throw the containers into the fridge and they’ll be there for the taking during the week. Whether you need a not-so-sad desk lunch to take to the office, or a quick dinner before heading to the gym or one of the kid’s games – the effort ahead of time pays off throughout the week.

Slow-Cooker-Walnut-Chicken-with-Peppers-and-Broccoli-19

Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken & Broccoli

Servings

Healthy Slow Cooker Chicken & Broccoli

Servings

Ingredients

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/3 cup rice vinegar
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3/4 teaspoon coarse black pepper
2 pounds chicken tenders
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 cups broccoli flowerets
1 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
Cooked farro

Servings:

Units:

Instructions

In a slow cooker crock, combine chicken broth, soy sauce, rice vinegar, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, sesame oil and black pepper. Add chicken and stir until chicken is coated with mixture.
Cover slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 2 hours or LOW for 4 hours.
Add bell peppers and stir until blended. Top with broccoli (do not stir) and cover, cooking another 20 to 30 minutes or until broccoli is crisp tender.
Stir before serving. Serve with cooked farro and sprinkle with walnuts.

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TAGS: Asian, broccoli, chicken, meal plan, meal planning, meal prep, meal prepping
CATEGORIES: Uncategorized

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Tag Archives: meal prep

Meal Prep: Mediterranean Chicken Quinoa Bowls

Meal Prep for the Week: Healthy Chicken & Broccoli