After a long day at the office, running the kids around, or working on your latest hobby or side hustle, spending another precious minute trying to decide what to do for dinner can be draining.
Having a few easy recipes in your back pocket is the key to keeping you and your family healthy, happy, and well-fed even after a busy day! This ginger chicken recipe is one of the best out there and is simple to make after a long day.
Not only does it give your family a whole lot of flavour, it’s the perfect dinner to use for meal preps for your own lunches and can be easily expanded to feed a crowd or cut down to just create a plate for one.
Meal Prep Tips
Everyone talks about meal prepping but what does that look like? Is it just leftovers with extra steps?
Meal prepping in advance can mean just writing out what each day’s meals will look like, or it might be planning out, cooking, and freezing your meals for the next month! All of it requires some insight, tips, and dedication to make it happen for you and your family.
1. Invest in Good Storage
No one wants to set up their meals for the week only to find that the dollar store Tupperware they’ve been using since college has broken and now the food is spoiled. Investing instead in some quality storage containers is the best way to ensure meals are ready when you need them! Choose glass over plastic where possible to cut down on any toxins that may leak into your food when heated.
2. Write it Down
Don’t rely on your memory to keep track of everything you want to cook for the week! Write down your plan for the entire week down to the groceries and where you plan to get them. You’ll be able to refer back to this list throughout the week or during your prep time and stay on task. It will serve as a reminder that you won’t be just ordering a pizza this week when you get tired of cooking!
3. Mass Prep Ingredients
Some ingredients you’ll use over and over again in different recipes. Instead of spending half your time chopping garlic or cutting onions, prep a large amount of them ahead of time! Separate them into individual serving sizes in the fridge, freezer, or pantry, and pull them out when you need them for the meal.
Ginger Chicken
This simple and delicious recipe can easily be expanded to create food for the whole week or downsized to cook for one! You likely have most of the ingredients in your pantry and you’ll only need one or two things from the grocery store!
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon coconut oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
sea salt and black pepper, to taste
1 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon honey
2 inches fresh ginger, peeled and minced
4 scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Start by adding your oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add your chicken breasts to the pan seasoning with salt and pepper as you go. Sear them on each side for about 5 minutes or until they’re golden brown.
Add the broth to the hot pan and use a whisk to scrape any caramelized parts off the bottom of the pan. Stir in the honey, scallions, and garlic powder to the broth then spoon it over the tops of the chicken.
Cover the entire skillet and reduce the heat to low. Cook it at this temperature for 10 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through.
Slice or shred the chicken to put on wraps, salads, or serve over rice.
Storage:
Keep the cooked chicken in the fridge for up to a week. You can make this in a large batch and freeze the shredded or sliced chicken to make it easy to pull out for lunches or meals throughout the week. It can be kept frozen in the freezer for up to a few months.
Takeaway:
There’s nothing worse than coming home from a busy day and realizing you have no plans for dinner and you’re not sure what you can even throw together that everyone will like. On top of that, the easiest box and processed foods are out since you’re trying to be better about investing in your health!
This simple recipe can be added to all different types of meals including wraps, salads, and alongside other side dishes to form a full balanced meal. Chicken is a great protein choice and the easy to make sauce is a sweet touch that will have even the pickiest kids begging for more.
If you would like more healthy recipe options check out my free Healthy Recipe Guide here
