We’re kicking off Week 2 of our Cook Once, Eat All Week meal prep series with this week’s base recipes! We’re making use of shredded chicken, butternut squash, and Brussels sprouts. Get your components prepped so that you can quickly whip up the recipes coming later this week!
Cook Once, Eat All Week Meal Prep Series
If you’re new here, THIS POST is a great introduction to our Cook Once, Eat All Week series! This is an entirely FREE, Paleo-friendly meal-prep series. Each Monday, I’m sharing 3 basic meal components that involve very minimal meal prep (bake the squash in bulk, cook/shred the chicken, roast the veggies). Then, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, I’ll be sharing a different recipe that makes good use of these already prepped components. Each week will result in a grand total of 10 to 15 servings, to give you a rough idea of how much food to expect if you follow our plan to the letter.
Here this week’s schedule:
- Monday: Shredded Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Brussels Sprouts Recipes
- Tuesday: Sonoma Chicken Stuffed Butternut Squash Recipe
- Wednesday: Curried Butternut Squash & Chicken Soup Recipe
- Thursday: Hoisin Chicken Bowls Recipe
- Friday: next week’s “Cook Once, Eat All Week” eBook is sent out in advance to my newsletter subscribers!
Note: If you want to get your hands on the complete eBook for this week (which includes shopping lists, a timed meal prep guide, and bonus recipe ideas) click HERE.
This week’s base recipes are wonderfully simple. First, we’re just going to meal prep about 5 pounds of chicken (three methods listed below). Once the chicken is cooked, shred it via your favorite method! While two trusty forks will always work, the easiest way to shred chicken is with the paddle attachment on a food processor. It’ll shred that chicken in NO TIME.
We’re also going to bake the butternut squash until soft.
If you can fit them in your oven at the same time, now’s also a great time to roast the Brussels.
Once your meal prep is done, store the components away for the recipes coming later this week!
Note: if you’ve enjoyed the Cook Once, Eat All Week series, we’ve created an entire book with 26 week’s worth of healthy meal prep recipes. You can click here to purchase your copy today!
Week 2 Basics: Shredded Chicken, Butternut Squash, and Brussels Sprouts
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 5 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For the Squash:
- 2 medium-sized butternut squash
For the Brussels Sprouts:
- 2 pounds brussels sprouts
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
For the Shredded Chicken:
Stovetop method:
- Dust the chicken thighs with 1 teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Add chicken to a large pan with a lid over medium-high heat and cover with 5 cups of water or chicken broth. Place the lid on the pan and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Cook for 6-8 hours on low, then shred with two forks or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
Slow Cooker method:
- Dust the chicken with 1 teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Place chicken in the slow cooker and cover with 5 cups water or chicken broth. Cook for 6-8 hours on low, then shred with two forks or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
Instant Pot method:
- Dust the chicken with 1 teaspoon sea salt and ½ teaspoon black pepper.
- Place chicken in the Instant Pot along with ½ cup water or chicken broth. Close the lid of the Instant Pot, ensure the pressure valve is sealed, and set the cooker to “poultry” mode for 20 minutes.
- Once the timer goes off, quickly release the pressure valve, open the pot once all steam has been released, and shred the chicken with two forks or the paddle attachment of a stand mixer.
For the Butternut Squash:
- Heat the oven to 375 F. Cut both butternut squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side-down on 2 baking sheets. Add ½ cup of water to the pan. Bake 60 minutes, until tender.
For the Brussels Sprouts:
- Preheat the oven to 375 F. Remove the stems from the Brussels sprouts and cut in half. Toss with one tablespoon olive oil and ¼ teaspoon sea salt. Spread out on a sheet pan and bake 45 minutes. You can do this at the same time as the butternut squash if there’s enough room in your oven.
- Store all meal components in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
Hi Cassy – question on the butternut squash. You mention putting the squash in two baking sheets but then to add 1/2 c of water to the pan. Should I use a pan with water or baking sheets? Thanks!
Rimmed baking sheet 🙂