Simple Lunch Meal Prep: Pineapple Asian Chicken and Broccoli

If you missed the first post in this series, click here to check out my previous simple meal prep post.

The goal for this series is to provide simple lunch meals that will set you up for the week. In my opinion, lunch is one of the most important meals of the day to eat WELL.

Eating Well means:

1. Eating plenty of food to fill full.
2. Eating healthy food to manage blood sugar.
3. Eating a budget-friendly meal.

When you eat well this will help you be more productive at work. It will help you save money from running to purchase a last-minute snack. You won’t be as crabby driving home and coming home to more work. Eating enough gives you the energy you need to feel good and happy! So prepping for the week is a great strategy to set yourself up for success with just ONE prepped meal per day.

My strategy is to cook in bulk 10 lunches each week. Yes, I eat the same thing for lunch every day, but the next week I cook a completely different recipe. This method might not work for you and maybe you need to cook 2 recipes per week. Find what works for you, this is what works for me and I like it because it takes the least brainpower.

Food Rotation:

I might eat the same food for 5 days in a row, but I am VERY intentional about rotating my foods so I eat as much variety as possible.

For example, if I cook chicken for lunches, I choose beef, pork, fish recipes for dinners. If my lunches include broccoli, I choose different vegetables. I also rotate my starches from potatoes, rice, quinoa, plantains, sweet potatoes, etc.

Why Food Rotate??

1. Different Vitamins and Minerals
The goal is to eat a wide variety of foods to obtain as many vitamins and minerals as possible.

2. Avoid Food Sensitivities
Eating the same food, day after day, will likely lead to food sensitivities. So eating a variety is the best way to avoid this.

Finding good simple recipes is the tricky part. That is why I decided to start this series. Not only to add to my growing list of yummy and simple recipes but to share with you how to make eating healthy effortless.

Pineapple Asian Chicken and Broccoli

*This recipe makes 10 meals

Ingredients:

3lbs of chicken breast
1.5 tbsp of primal palate jerk seasoning
1/2 cup of tamari
1/2 cup of pineapple juice
3 tbsp fresh ginger
2 tbsp sesame oil
5 cups of broccoli
3 cups of uncooked rice
1-2 fresh pineapple

Directions:

Make the marinade. Combine tamari, pineapple juice, 1 tbsp ginger, 1 tbsp sesame oil. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and let marinate for 30 minutes.

Chop broccoli.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Start cooking 3 cups of rice in a rice cooker. (Or on the stove, but rice cooker is so easy). Place the broccoli in the rice cooker steamer. Or roast the broccoli in the oven with the chicken. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil and 2 tbsp of ginger.

Grab a baking sheet and line with parchment paper. (limit aluminum use) Lay the chicken and cut it into individual portion sizes. I try for slightly bigger than the palm of my hand. Bake chicken for 25 minutes.

Pour the remaining sauce into a small pan and let simmer for 3 minutes until it thickens.

Cut and prep the pineapple. Watch this video if you don’t know how to cut a pineapple.

Pack your meals. Add chicken, broccoli, rice, and pineapple to each glass container. Divide and pour extra sauce.

Yum! Yum! It is as simple as that! Let me know if you try out this recipe in the comments below and be sure to share on instagram and add the hashtag #cjwsimplemeals!

xox
Chelsea