The quarantine life is real! Here in the Washington DC area, we’ve been responsibly following guidelines around social distancing and practicing good care. Of course, there are always those who throw caution to the wind but I will spare you my rant on that selfish behavior for now 😉 As for things that are good, remaining indoors has boosted my productivity and self-care routines exponentially, which includes chicken and quinoa meals!
Meal planning is life. While I’m not extremely creative, I love to cook. For me, cooking is fun and therapeutic.
Now, it is true that during quarantine I have more time to cook. However, my cooking criteria includes simplicity and accessibility. I am on a quest to make all of my primary meals at home, so meals requiring a long list of ingredients are not it. Have you seen grocery stores lately? I’ve only been twice in the month of March and both times raised my stress life. I am playing no games about the coronavirus and am determined to heed all warnings and reputable guidance.
Sheet Pan Meals
So, enter sheet pan meals using ingredients you likely already have. Sheet pans meal are exactly how they sound. Meals that you can prepare on a simple baking sheet or pan. QUICK NOTE: While I do center my meals around plants 90% of the time, I am not full vegan or vegetarian, so you will see a mix of recipes on this blog. Okay, back to the meal. In 30 minutes, you can prepare a meal that’s lean, clean, and full of protein!
Now, I am a cook that follows recipes when it’s a recipe but when it’s my own creation, I kinda just cook based on what seems to work. It’s not scientific, it’s just Nia’s flow 🙂 So if you are interested in recreating this dish, here’s what you will need:
Ingredients for Chicken and Quinoa:
- Protein (Chicken, Salmon, Tofu, Shrimp, or Chickpeas)
- Chicken- 1 1/2 lbs (usually this is a small pack of 2 chicken breasts)
- Salmon (1-2 filets depending on how many servings you’d like to create)
- Chickpeas (1 15 oz can)
- Tofu (Cubed or extra firm, whole pack can be used)
- Spices (Turmeric, black pepper, smoked paprika)
- 1 Tsp of turmeric
- Pinch of black pepper
- 1 Tsp of smoked paprika
- Veggies (I used frozen roasting sweet potatoes, brussels sprouts, and broccoli)
- Olive oil (2 tbsp divided)
- Quinoa (3/4 cup quinoa, double the amount of water; I used plain quinoa but the tricolor or a blend of white and red quinoa would work well)
- Rinse quinoa
- Bring quinoa to a boil and then simmer for about 15-20 mins, checking frequently
To make:
- Prepare quinoa (see note above/follow cooking directions)
- Cook the vegetables- Toss the roasting veggies in olive oil and your choice of spices.
- Make your protein- If using meat or tofu, toss in the same oil and spice mixture. If you’re using chickpeas, you can do this with the roasting veggies.
- Prepare the pan- I would add a little oil to prevent sticking and would add the veggies and protein in a nice neat layer.
- Bake 30 minutes (decrease time slightly if not using meat). If the meat doesn’t seem done, remove veggies and allow meat to continue cooking (hence the reason for arranging everything in neat layers!)
- VOILA- You did it! Meal served
If you make this chicken and quinoa recipe, please tag me on social media (@whatniaknows), I’d love to see it! If you make your own version, leave me a comment to let me know how it goes. I made a similar shrimp version if you’re curious!
Stay home, stay safe and remember tough times don’t last forever! We will get through this.
Nia