Happy Monday Loves!
I hope you all had a FANTASTIC weekend!
Β While I may have been a teensy bit jealous of all the HLBs who were partying it up in the Twin Cities for the last three days, I DID have a pretty rocking weekendβ¦and actually got to mark something off the good ol’ bucket list too! But you’re just gonna have to wait for those deets, because today, I’ve got other plans!
You ever have one of those moments where you do something that you are so freakin’ proud of yourself MARVELOUS for that you literally want to pat yourself on the back? π Well, I had one of those moments yesterday when this happened…
Except for that ONE time, I NEVER meal prep.Β I mean, I see other people do it all the time…the Instagrammers with their perfectly arranged tupperware holding all their little pre-cooked meals. I’m always impressed by those posts, but then I sit back and think, “Eh, that’s too much work…who wants to give up half their weekend to do all that?!”
Without even intending on doing any of this, I got home from visiting the man-friend yesterday and decided that I was finally going to roast up the eggplant that’s been withering away in my crisper drawer for over a week. Next thing I know, I’ve got every burner on the stove going and I’m chopping veggies left and right…
While the eggplant was doing its roasting thang in the oven, I popped two FROZEN chicken breasts into the greatest invention known to man…
“My Precious” aka the deep-covered baker by Pampered Chef.
Now I’m no affiliate nor do I have any ties with PC, but I will say right now, this is one of the BEST investments I’ve ever made when it comes to cookware. Put this mamba jamba in the microwave with an ENTIRE five-pound chicken and it’ll be done in less than 30 minutes!
So anywho, the chicken titties π went for about a ten minute twirl in the wave de micro. At the same time, I brought some water to a boil, threw in (or gently placed) five eggs, turned off the heat, put a ring on it popped a lid on it, and let them hot-tub it up for the same amount of time. So when the chicken was done, the eggs were too! Now doesn’t that complicate the ongoing question of which came first?
After that, the eggplant tagged in the wheat berries and those babies got all nice and toasty before taking a dip in a bigger hot tub…for about thirty minutes. While that was going on, I was grilling up some salmon, snapping pictures, contemplating the repercussions of inhaling carcinogens from pyrogenic pot holders, oh and getting in touch with my inner Edward Scissorhands…
Slice, dice, and SALSIFY!
I was going for peach salsa in the beginning, but you know what they say about plans…who needs ’em!
And look who FINALLY bought some cilantro! π
Rainbow Salsa
By:Β
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 2-3 hours chill time
Keywords: raw appetizer snack vegetarian vegan Mexican summer
Ingredients (5 cups)
- 3 large tomatoes, diced
- 1 large peach, diced
- 1 medium green bell pepper, diced
- 1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely diced
- 1 small-medium red onion, diced
- 1/2 cup blueberries
- 1/2 cup corn
- juice of half a lemon
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.
2. Cover and refrigerate for 2-3 hours to allow flavors to fully develop.
4. Serve over chicken, fish, or tofu as an entree or with your favorite tortilla chips for a fun appetizer!
Shhh, don’t tell, but that tray is actually the organizer from the top of the dresser in my bedroom!
And come on, you had to know the sparkles were coming! π
Come back tomorrow (because I’m running high on words and low on sleep at the moment) and I’ll tell you ALL about the two jars in the top left of the pic which just happen to be HOMEMADE pasta sauce and bread & butter pickles! And I’ll give you a few Β kitchen tips I learned along the way…including how NOT to burn your house down while boiling water!
Do you meal prep on the weekends?
What’s your favorite thing to make a big batch of to have during the week?
Haha… your chicken titties comment made me chuckle. Unexpected and goofy gets me every time. π I’m glad you had a marvelous weekend. Things are pretty marvelous over here as well!
I love you already, but I love you more with sparkles!! I always do mealprep. Spending my day in the office and at the gym requires to bring my food, otherwise I would be an unhealthy and ruined person in 2 weeks π BUT, my meal prep never looks as pretty as yours obviously!!
The best and quickest (most quick? quickliest? wtf) mealprep for me is to throw chickenstrips, pieces of catfish, sweet potato fries, pumpkin (in THIS season) and a few veggies on a baking tray and put in the oven. Gives about 4 meals. While this is baking, I update my busy mind with trash tv on the laptop in my kitchen while doing the dishes and scrambling my eggy oats for my breakfasts. I love mealprep π
Quickliest! Haha, love it! And love YOU! Get down with your mad meal-prepping self! I guess if I HAD to do it, I’d be a little better at it…of course it WOULD save me a ton of time during the work week. Hmmm, fingers crossed I can keep up the motivation and do it next week too! And I think some sweet potatoes may just have to happen! π
I meal prepped this week too- which I NEVER do!!
Woo hoo! High five and booty BUMP! π
I am impressed! And of course, the sparkles are a necessity. I’m terrible with meal prep – the closest I come is taking meat out of the freezer when I know I want it for dinner that night. Eventually, I’ll get better at it :-p
Haha, well, that’s better than me! I ALWAYS forget to do that…or I’ll forget to soak beans/grains before cooking! I’m just not a meal in more than 30 minutes kind of girl…and I have the memory of a goldfish! Lol And hey, I think you do pretty good by just planning to have certain things for dinner each week! At least that way you have an idea of what you need at the store so you don’t have to make a special trip out just for cilantro! π
I love the magic pot! I use that thing FOR EVERYTHINGGG. do you have the recipe book? I usually don’t meal prep either. I might make lunch for the next day (last night I made fish + asparagus) but usually I just make enough dinner to have leftover the next day. that’s about as ‘meal prepped’ as I get π
Hey that’s better than most! I can get pretty sick of leftovers after day two, so I usually do the same thing….or just throw random things at some greens, douse it with one of the MANY condiments from the fridge, and call it a salad! π
Ohhhh, you just reminded me…I think I DO have the recipe book! I’ll have to look for it!
Yum… the rainbow salsa looks fantastic and is so pretty! Way to go on the meal prep!
You know I hate the phrase chicken “boobs” (and bloobs… sorry)… but “chicken titties” made my spew my coffee right now. Seriously. LOL! I love you.
Food prep is the one saving grace in my insane schedule. With my new job I’m not home from work/gym until 830p. You know I’m not cooking after that! MY favorite bulk items are proteins – chicken ta-tas, sea bass, turkey burgers, etc. I also roast my sweet potato and/or squash. Kabocha is my jam. And I may put it in a rainbow salad.
This needs to conclude with jazz hands. Which I am doing in my office. Thank god no one is around. *superstar*
Haha! YES!!! Jazz hands will definitely help make up for the coffee spewage…hope you didn’t get any on your computer…I am not to be held responsible for your tirade against laptops! π
But seriously, I bow down to your meal-planning greatness! Actually, you do it the way I do (and would do more if I can keep it up)…by making a lot of things require just a small amount of assembly before eating. I swear I could never plan and cook full blown meals for the week. I never really know what I’ll feel like eating during the week and to be honestly, after a day or two of the same thing, I tend to bore with leftovers…which is why salads RULE! Never the same thing twice…even if I try! Lol
so i’ve made my own salsa before and am pretty good at it, so whenever i see salsa recipes i typically don’t pay much attention, but seriously the fact that you put blueberries in it, i immediately was like OH MY GOSH GENIUS. funny how one little ingredient can do that. haha.
and sparkles are a must. duh.
oh and i just can’t jump on the meal prep train. my excuse is something will sound good to me one night, or even that morning, but when it comes to meal time, my mind almost ALWAYS changes. and i hate eating food that i’m “not in the mood for” you know? maybe one day, but for now meal prep just isn’t for me.
Oh girl, I’m the SAME way! I don’t know how some people do it! Heck, I’d probably decide NOT to eat something JUST because it was “on the list” (diet rebel much?). I never know if I’m going to want sweet, savory, spicy, or what so that’s why I try to keep it pretty plain whenever I do meal prep. I usually only season my meats/fish with a little salt and pepper and if I cook a grain, I don’t add any spices to it so I can make it up as I go along. And if I don’t finish it all, I just pop it in the freezer! π
Love the chicken titties comment, haha! That deep-covered baker sounds awesome! I can’t believe a whole chicken can be cooked (in it) in the microwave in less than 30 minutes! That is incredible!
I love doing meal prep on the weekends, because it makes the week worth of meals much more easier! I just did a ton of prep yesterday, washing lettuce, spinach and chopping veggies so we are ready to go for the week. I always feel like I’m more prepared for the week when I meal prep.
Ahh your posts always seem to tickle my taste buds JUST by looking at your pictures! Special thanks to you for opening up my world a bit and inspiring me to become more adventurous eater!
Awww, Tiffany!! You just made my day! Seriously, thank YOU! xoxo
Wow lady! I’m super impressed! Once every few months or so, I’ll start pulling out food and realize I’ve cooked every chicken breast, boiled eggs, sliced up veggies for dipping, and made salsa with the rest…then I’m all: “oh I’m so going to food prep every week because this will be the easiest week ever for dinners!” Then…months go by and I can’t do it again…until suddenly…
You know how that goes π
Oh how I do…you basically just described the exact same moment that I had a few months ago! Hopefully I’ll keep up the motivation to do this at least every couple of weeks…I’ve GOT to do something to help myself focus on using up my foodie “collections” before my kitchen explodes! Lol
This is the prettiest salsa that I have ever seen…I am pretty sure that it probably tastes amazing, too! π
bahaha… I about peed my pants when I read chicken titties! I love all my pampered chef stuff too. So good, but a bit pricey!
I’m so impressed at your meal planning girl! I’ve been doing a bit of it myself and it saves so much time! I need to make it a habit.
Yeah, a lot of the items can get pretty expensive, but I have to say the “good” stuff aka the pots and pans and stoneware that will last FOREVER is worth the money. And did you know that their is a lifetime warranty on most of their stuff? My bestie used to work for them and she told me that if ANYTHING happens to an item you bought from them, you just send it in and they’ll mail you a new one! Pretty sweet, right?
And I could definitely benefit from making this meal prep thing happen more often…just hoping I can keep up the motivation and do it next week too!
That salad looks too pretty to eat! ahh I love all the colors! Love it!!
Love how colorful the salsa is and the sparkles are definitely a plus! I really need to get better with meal prep! It’s always on my to-do list.
Damn girl; you got busy. I actually did something similar this weekend…had you made it just one more post….no matter. I totally appreciate the broccoli bomb, and I’m thrilled the one time you meal prepped, I was the inspiration. See, my planning ways are insidious and they can rub off on the most non-planner of planners. You underestimate my sneakiness.
You were a total superstar in the kitchen this weekend, and I can’t wait to hear about the homemade tomato sauce. I’m impressed. Pretty soon you’ll be whipping up meatballs to go with it. And then some garlic bread and maybe a hearty salad. Mmm pasta sounds good. So does tomato sauce and meatballs.
Chicken titties….and I thought I was the bad one. Ha. Love it.
Mmmm, garlic bread!! Honestly, I’m not a huge pasta person (why making homemade pasta is on my kitchen bucket list, I will never know), but I could put away that entire pot of marinara if I had a good crusty bread for dipping! π
And what can I say…you have somewhat of an influence over me! Lord only knows what I’ll come home and do after my trip to Cleveland! Lol
Maybe we should add homemade pasta to your bucket list.
I tried once and failed miserable. I have a pasta machine now though and am getting ready to give it a spin. I need to wait until fall is officially here though.
We might have to put you through a detox program after leaving Cleveland, and I don’t mean a food kind. You won’t need one of those because we’ll be all about balance. Ginormous grilled cheese sandwiches for lunch, and a lovely crispy crunchy salad for dinner. Maybe with a drop biscuit because we’re gonna be dropping it like it’s hot.
Oh man, that was rough. π
Thank you for introducing me to the term “chicken tithes”βI needed a good giggle tonight!
haha I love that my computer changed “titties” to “tithes.” I don’t even know that IS!
WOW, I am super impressed with your meal-prep. It’s all so pretty and organized!
Speaking of pretty, that salsa is GORGEOUS. Pinned it for my “must cook” list!
Thank you Caroline! I have to say I was pretty proud of myself for the meal prepping! And well, pretty food is always a win, right? π
Rainbow Salsa looks amazing! I love fruit in my salsa and guacamole! Oranges, strawberries, peaches, etc. Yum!
most creative salsa I have ever seen! Clearly a party in the bowl. Thanks to the common use of chicken breasts referred to as chicken tits or chicken boobs, I subconsciously asked for half a kilo at my local deli a few weeks back….the teenage girl must think I’m a huge perve!
I usually meal prep 2 or so proteins and a big batch of kabocha and potatoes roasted. Always must have those on hand π
Aww, thank you Arman! And I’m sorry, but I can’t help but giggle…don’t try to deny your love for succulent poultry bosoms! π
Kabocha is definitely a MUST! Though I just realized today that I haven’t had ANY in like three months…what’s wrong with me?!
Pingback: Tips & Tricks for Making the Kitch Your… |
Nice job on the food prep! I’ve only done serious food prep a few times, but it’s something I’m trying to do more often now that I’ve started my internship and my weekdays are super busy. I like to make big batches of bean burgers, chili, bean and grain salads, and sweet potatoes when I food prep!
Also, LOL at “chicken titties”!
I love the colors! That salsa is one good lookin’ one. I need to get in the groove of meal prep. I know I need to. *motivated*
*kinda*
*almost*
Ah!
Pingback: Rockin’, Flowin’, and Zippin’ Through the Week! |
Pingback: Falling for Summer |
I can’t get on board with cilantro because my crazy brain waves tells me that it tastes like ass-soap (it’s a thing, okay?), but I CAN get on board with colorful salsa. Also, I think you should come do some food prep for me this week. Please? Please? Pretty please?
Ok…but only because you asked nicely…and kept me awake for the last few minutes of my shift at work! If you’re lucky, I’ll even make you a SANDWICH while I’m there! π