5-Minute Chicken and Broccoli

One thing that I find to be a HUGE HELP when it comes to sticking to a healthy game plan during a busy week, is a little pre-preppin’.  Although I sometimes opt to spend the extra hours at the beach or lounging with some friends, I’m usually pretty good about “setting up my week“.

I take an hour or so on Sunday to prep a handful of nutritious ingredients that I can use on the fly when I don’t have a ton of time to make a meal during the week.

This not only saves me time during the week, but it keeps me from making a “last minute, too tired, too busy, and too hungry to care” decision about what I’m gonna eat. (I know you all know what that’s like;)).

My “set up” varies a little week to week, but more or less the staples look something like this:

• Fresh chopped veggies – carrots, celery, broccoli, cauliflower, radishes, green beans, peppers, etc.
• A grain of some sort – quinoa, brown rice, barley, couscous, wild rice, etc. I usually just pick one for the week and make a big bowl that I can use all week long.
• Chicken – depending on my mood I’ll either roast a couple of chicken breasts, then shred them and pop them in the fridge OR I’ll buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that for the week.
• Oatmeal – I always make oatmeal on Sunday. I buy steel cut oats, which does take a little longer to cook, but if you make it on Sunday, pop them in containers and stick them in the fridge, all you need is a couple of minutes to warm it up in the morning…yum!

So that’s it. Nothing too fancy.

These are just the basics. Then when I don’t have the time OR am not in the mood to get creative, I have my “go-to” items that I can turn to, to whip up a nutritious meal. (Not to mention, when I am in the mood, I have a lot of “head-start” ingredients).

My 5-Minute Chicken and Broccoli is a direct result of a “last minute, too tired, too busy, and too hungry to care” moment. Thanks to my Sunday “set-up”, I was still able to whip up a meal that I could feel good about eating:)

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5-Minute Chicken and Broccoli

Yield: Serves 1

Ingredients:

• 3-4 oz. of pre-cooked shredded chicken
• A cup or so of broccoli florets
• A cup of pre-cooked quinoa (or whatever grain you have on hand)
• 2 cloves of garlic (if you're feeling REALLY lazy, use garlic powder)
• A few tbsp. of low sodium soy sauce
• A tsp. of toasted sesame oil
• A sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

Heat sesame oil in a small saute pan over medium high heat.  Add garlic and cook for a minute or so or until fragrant.

Add broccoli, soy sauce, and a splash of water.  Throw a lid on and cook for three to four minutes. Add chicken and cook until heated through.  In the meantime, heat up your quinoa!

Top quinoa with chicken and broccoli and sprinkle with sesame seeds... enjoy!

Nutritional Analysis

Calories: 443; Total Fat: 10.3g; Saturated Fat: .8g; Cholesterol: 60mg; Sodium: 1269mg; Carbohydrate: 54.5g; Dietary Fiber: 4; Sugars: 4g; Protein: 36.1g