7 Ingredients 3 Meals

7 Ingredients, 3 Meals!

Three nourishing meals made with just seven ingredients. I will show you how it is possible right here. Not only is it a massive time saver for a busy week, but it also gives you a wonderful variety of healthy meals to enjoy all week long.

Prep time should  only take about one hour (this doesn’t include the cooking). The best part is that absolutely nothing is going to waste here.

Here’s how to make 3 different recipes with 7 ingredients and only one hour prep time. This will serve 2 people.

The 3 Meals:

1. Easy Roasted Chicken & Vegetables
2. Colorful Kale Salad with Shredded Carrots & Chicken
3. Healing Chicken & Vegetable Soup

• Prep Time: 1 hour
• Cook Time: 6-10 hours
• Total Time: 8-10 hours
• Serves: 2 people, 3 meals

The 7 Key Ingredients:

• Roasting chicken – I usually use a 4 lb roasting chicken or a spatchcocked chicken.
• Carrots – I find organic carrots taste the best but regular carrots will work.
• Celery – I also like organic celery but regular will also work.
• Onions – White onions work well but vidalia or yellow are also fine.
• Sweet potato – Choose sweet potatoes without any blemishes.
• Brussels sprouts – Try to pick brussels sprouts that are all about the same size (or use small potatoes in place of brussels sprouts with the roast chicken).
• Kale – I use green kale for these recipes.

Extra Ingredients You Will Have In Your Pantry:

• poultry seasoning (or other dried herbs)
• paprika
• 1 clove of garlic or more
• olive oil
• apple cider vinegar
• Dijon mustard
• 1 lemon
• sea salt 
• pepper
• konjac noodles

Cooking & Prep Instructions:

For the Easy Roasted Chicken & Vegetables:

1. Preheat the oven to 350F
2. Prepare the chicken by removing the giblets and patting the chicken dry with paper towels.
3. With the breast side down, use a sharp knife and cut straight through just to the side of the breast bone. The chicken will then lay almost flat- you have now spatchcocked a chicken! (see Chef Mike of Curry Love teach me to spatchcock a chicken)
4. Set the chicken  in a roasting pan on a bed of sliced onion (1-2 onions).
5. Rub 1 tsp each of paprika and poultry seasoning and 1 tablespoon olive oil into the chicken along with a generous amount of sea salt and pepper.
6. Add carrots that are sliced into coins, and the Brussels sprouts (ends removed) or small potatoes to the roasting pan around the chicken.
7. Sprinkle salt, pepper and another tablespoon of olive oil on the vegetables.
8. Roast the chicken for 43-48 minutes, or until the internal temperature reads 160F using a meat thermometer. Cover the chicken and allow it to rest until the internal temperature rises to 165F. This method will give you a moist, delicious chicken every time.

For the Colorful Kale Salad with Shredded Carrots & Chicken: (or make this Kale Salad)

1. Once you get the chicken in the oven, wash and remove the stems of the kale. (Note: depending how large the head of kale is, you can save some of it for the soup if you want.)
2. Chop the kale into tiny pieces and place in a bowl.
3. Using a food processor, mince garlic by throwing a peeled clove of garlic into the food processor while it’s on (through the top). Then, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tsp apple cider vinegar, 1/2 tsp salt, juice of 1 lemon and 1 tsp Dijon mustard. (If you don’t have a food processor, mince the garlic by hand and just whisk all ingredients in a bowl.
4. Using your hands, massage the dressing into the kale. 
5. Shred 2 carrots, either using your food processor or a cheese grater and add to the salad.
6. Mince 3 stalks of celery and add to the salad.
7. Feel free to top with additional ingredients – pumpkin seeds, goat cheese or whatever you like.

For the Healing Chicken and Vegetable Soup:

1. Now, move on to the soup. Peel and dice the sweet potato, chop 4 more carrots, dice an onion, and chop 3 more stalks of celery. If you have leftover kale, add it to these vegetables. This will be going into the crockpot or slow cooker, but not immediately. For now, set the cut veggies aside.
2. Once the chicken is cooked, remove the meat from the carcass.
3. Add the carcass to the slow cooker and about 3 cups of water (enough to mostly cover the chicken) plus a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar.
4. Season with salt and pepper and cook on low for 4 hours.
5. Then, using a strainer, strain the stock and remove all of the chicken bones. 
6. Add the liquid back into the slow cooker and add all of the veggies that you chopped. Cook another 4 hours on low.
7. Season with sea salt and pepper as needed.
8. To make this into a chicken noodle soup, add a package or two of konjac noodles.

Your Meals:

1. Serve your first meal which is the roasted chicken with the roasted vegetables.
2. Add some leftover chicken to the kale salad and place in a container for the following day’s lunch.
3. Enjoy the soup the following night, reheating it on the stovetop.