I’m a little embarrassed to post this. It is SO EASY! But, it’s SO awesome and a staple in my kitchen, so…. here it is:
6-8 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 tsp. Himalayan pink salt
1 tablespoon Red Rocks seasoning (Savory Spice Shop) or sub smoked paprika
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ancho chili powder
Optional: 1-2 cloves minced garlic
1 medium onion, chopped
If using the optional aromatic veggies, place them into your slow cooker first. Then, layer the chicken breasts on top and season.
chicken breasts and spices
Then, turn it on and leave it alone! Really! Cook on high for 4-6 hours or low for 8-12 hours. My preference is to put it on in the evening and let it go overnight. Then, in the morning, shred and store. Use 2 forks and pull in opposing directions to shred. This will evenly distribute the spices, too.
Tender, shredded chicken.
This chicken is just perfect for chicken salad, enchiladas, chicken soup, nachos, burrito stuffings or a deconstructed “bowl” with black beans, guac’, rice and salsa. We use it for all kinds of things. Of course, you can use any seasoning you prefer but this one is a winner e’ry time!
Kombucha is a fermented drink made from sugar-sweetened black tea. If you buy it commercially, it’s pricey! Fortunately, it’s super easy to make so let’s talk about homemade kombucha. How do you start? First, you need a SCOBY. SCOBY stands for Symbiotic Colony of Bacteria & Yeasts. It’s this weird-rubbery-pancake-floating thing that consumes the sugar in the tea mixture and creates the fermented end-product of kombucha. The bigger your SCOBY, the more “fuel” (sugar) you need for the same fermentation time. Temperature also affects fermentation time. It happens faster in warmer temps and slower in cooler temps. I started with a tiny little SCOBY that formed in a batch of kombucha a friend gave me. It was just a small disc about the size of a half dollar. He had given me some and we really enjoyed the it, so I was saving the rest. I asked my friend how to make more and he said “just feed it sweet tea!”. I needed amounts and details so, off I went to the internet and here we are a couple of years later, still drinking it from the original batch!
You need a vessel in which to brew your kombucha. I have a 1.5 gallon glass container with a dispenser at the bottom and a lid. It came from our Adequate Wal-Mart. You can use almost any glass/clay/crock but nothing plastic or stainless. It provides us with about 1 gallon of kombucha every 4-5 days. I leave it on my kitchen counter or you can put it in a dark pantry. Just make sure it’s not in bright light or direct sunlight. On “harvesting” day, I take my SCOBY out of the vessel and slide it onto a large plate.
This SCOBY is robust!
Then, I pour off the kombucha into a gallon bowl with a pour spout. There’s usually somewhere between 1-2 cups of left-over kombucha at the bottom that will be somewhat cloudy and has sediment that I pour into another glass jar and I save that as my “starter” for the next batch. I pour the kombucha into quart jars and lid tightly and these go into the fridge until we are ready to drink. You can drink it room temp but we prefer it cold. Then, I wash my vessel (the container NOT the SCOBY!) with soap and warm water and let it dry. To feed my kombucha, I use a strong black tea made of a 1 gallon tea bag and 1 cup of white sugar. I use warm-to-hot water, about 2 cups, and stir to dissolve the sugar. Then, I add cold water up to about 3.5 cups total to cool it somewhat before adding my big gallon tea bag. (Adding the tea bag when the water is hot can make your tea cloudy.) I will make this early in the day so it has plenty of time to steep and provide a richer tea flavor for my kombucha. So, into the clean, empty vessel goes the cooled, strong black tea, my starter liquid from the previous batch, and then about 12 more cups of filtered water. I take the SCOBY off the plate and slide it in on top and lid it.
Kombucha ready to ferment 4-5 days.
Then, it goes back into its happy little spot until the next harvest. This is not an exact science. If I want more flavorful kombucha, I may use a bit less water – or if it looks pale, I’ll steep more tea for darker color. There is a varying level of fermentation (bubbles!) that occurs, especially in warmer temps. If you want lots of bubbles, you can do a second fermentation in tight-sealing bottles. That’s a whole different post!
I haven’t done a food post in forever! Maybe I oughta! My food game is a bit different now-a-days, but it’s working for us. Here’s my process for the big Sunday evening meal prep. This takes just about 2 hours and saves me on busy days. I pull out the components, mix & match on a plate and heat in the oven. We are eating BETTER and FASTER than any restaurant or drive thru. Guaranteed!
My usual prep is 2 protein choices, 1 low glycemic index carb source and a TON of veggies. Most of my veggies are roasted in the oven until slightly carmelized, but, some are raw (tomatoes, jicama (!!) green onions, cucumbers, baby peppers, avocado, etc.)
First, we need PRODUCE! In my hometown we have an Adequate Walmart (it’s technically a Super Walmart, but…) and a local chain, United. United has great produce so I’m there once or twice a week. Pick things in season and to your preference. Don’t be afraid to try something new. My faves are:
Broccoli (always!)
Cauliflower
Brussels sprouts
Butternut squash
Purple potatoes (or sweet ‘taters, fingerlings or plain ole white)
Zucchini or yellow squash
Okra
Garlic (at least 1 full head) – slightly different prep!
I wash my produce in a 10:1 ratio of filtered water to apple cider vinegar. I do a double batch (=20 cups H2O + 2 cups ACV) in the small side of my sink and let everything soak for about 15 minutes to clear any debris, pesticide, etc. Then, let it air dry. This works best to wash the day before so everything is nice & dry before cooking.
Meanwhile, I have thawed 3lbs of ground meat (typically 2lbs venison + 1lb of beef or pork). Season, combine and shape into patties. I do 3.5oz for myself and 6.5oz for my hubs.
All locally raised meat (venison and pork)
While he’s running the grill (masterfully!), I’m loving on the veggies. I use 2 large baking sheets (Nordic Ware half sheet pans) and cover with parchment paper. On my big cutting board, I cut the clean/dry veggies into fairly even sizes and place on the parchment covered pans. Oven temp is 425 and pre-heated. When placing the veggies, make sure they are not crowded or overlapping. I spray liberally with a coconut oil cooking spray and sprinkle with pink salt. I re-use the lined pans and just trade out my cooked veggies with new ones, keeping 2 pans going at once. It’s fast bulk cooking!!
Broccoli cooks until slightly charred (30-40 minutes)
To roast a head a garlic, remove any dirt and the outermost papery shells. Leave the innermost ones intact. Slice a sliver off the top of the head to just barely to open up *most* of the cloves, not big enough to sacrifice much of the garlic. I know most people use a drizzle of olive oil on the garlic for roasting, that’s certainly an option, but I just wet with water and wrap in alumimum foil to make a packet. This packet will stay in your oven at least 2 rounds of the longer cooking veggies. It will turn soft and lose any “harshness” and it’s just delicious. I put it in my soup. More to come on that…
Butternut squash, peeled and cut into chunks. Cook until slightly browned on the bottom. Foil packet holds a head of garlic. Do this!!Cauliflower! Delish! Let it go until slightly browned and mostly tender (30-40 minutes)Asparagus only needs about 10 minutes but is just as good raw. Try it both ways!Roasted zucchini – to this I added pink salt and nutritional yeast for extra oomph. So. Dang. GOOD! Cooks about 30 minutes.
While this magic is happening in the oven, you have some blocks of time to cut and store baby peppers, jicama, green onions, cucumbers, carrots, or whatever your preference is on raw snacking vegetables. This is also when I make farro or wild rice. Begin by chopping your aromatics (garlic, onion, shallot, celery, carrot, bell pepper or mushrooms) into a small dice and place in a medium pan with “some” fat of your choice. I’ll use Kerrygold butter, bacon fat or coconut oil and just a teaspoon or so. Let the aromatics give off some water and soften a bit before adding your grains. Then, add chicken stock (not water!) and some Himalayan pink salt, bring to boil, reduce to simmer and lid. For this batch I used 1 cup wild rice, 3 cups homemade chicken stock and 1 tsp. pink salt. My starter veggies were baby bella mushrooms and 1/3 diced onion. Go crazy! Use what you have and what you like. Cabbage, greens and really any vegetable can hide easily in rice or grains to amp up flavors and fiber content. The trick is to chop them small and cook well.
Wild rice with mushrooms and onionSliced Brussels sprouts sprayed with coconut oil and pink salt ready for the oven. Cooking time 10-15 minutes. Until this happens: We love the darker bits, but be careful not to let it burn. Salty is better! Just use good salt.
Another make ahead staple in our house is butternut squash soup. I use the squash, cauliflower and roasted garlic and blend with about a quart of chicken stock until smooth, more or less stock to achieve desired consistency. The immersion blender works great but you can use a traditional jar blender, too. Taste for seasonings and add salt to personal preference.
Butternut squash soup! Full of betacarotenes, plant nutrients and fiber. LOVE!
By now, there’s been enough time that my grill master has cooked the patties and chicken thighs. The veggies are cooled and stored in large containers.
All that is left is to make crockpot chicken overnight. Stay tuned for that post! ♥
