Crockpot Chronicles: Chicken Taco Bowls By Hire Dynamics CATEGORY: Blog POSTED: July 13, 2021 Chances are, if you spent a lot of time at home during the pandemic, you and your family had time to cook great meals at home. But if you’ve returned to work, home-cooked meals on a regular basis may be a thing of the past. They shouldn’t be. Crockpots to the meal-prep rescue! If you’ve never heard of a crockpot, they are similar to slow cookers but with some updated functionality. In fact, “Crockpot” once was a brand name of a slow cooker, but like terms such as Q-tips, BAND-AID™ adhesive bandages and other well-known and well-used products, the name soon became the generic term for the tool. (Note that a crockpot is a slow cooker but a slow cooker is not a crockpot.) Made of porcelain or ceramic, crockpots heat their inside bowl from the sides and bottom (a slow cooker heats only from the bottom) resulting in a more even cooking. You don’t have to stir the dish often: you can pretty much leave the pot alone to cook overnight or during the day. No more “it’s too time-consuming to make healthy meals” excuses. Put your meal’s ingredients in the crockpot, set the heat and cook time, come home after work, ladle, serve and eat! Crockpot Chicken Taco Bowls This recipe – perfect for Taco Tuesdays – comes from FitFoodieFinds.com. This dish also is gluten- and preservative-free. And the best part about this recipe is, you can feed six people for under $20! You will need: For the chicken: Six large chicken breasts Two tablespoons of minced garlic Three tablespoon chili powder Two teaspoons of ground cumin One tablespoon of garlic powder One-half teaspoon of paprika One-half teaspoon of onion powder Two tablespoons of tomato paste plus one-quarter cup of water The juice from half a lime Salt and pepper to taste (Be generous.) For the sweet potatoes: Three large sweet potatoes (or 4-5 medium-size) Two or three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil Two teaspoons of chili powder Two teaspoons of garlic powder Salt and pepper to taste For the rice: Two cups of short-grain brown rice Four cups of water One 15-ounce can of rinsed black beans The juice from one and a half limes Half a teaspoon of sea salt Note: You also may want to have on-hand toppings such as tortilla chips (gluten-free, if preferred), avocado slices, sprouts, cilantro and fresh lime juice. To prepare the chicken: Place six large chicken breasts with two tablespoons of minced garlic in the crockpot and set it to high, cooking between three or four hours, or until the chicken is no longer pink on the inside. Once cooked, remove the chicken breasts and shred them with two forks. Place the shredded chick back in the crockpot (Be sure to leave it in the liquid from cooking). Season with garlic and onion powder, paprika, salt and pepper. Mix tomato paste with water and place it on top of the chicken. Then mix all ingredients. To prepare the sweet potatoes: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Dice sweet potatoes into bite-sized chunks. Take a baking sheet lined with aluminum foil and pour about two or three tablespoons of the extra virgin olive oil onto it. Place the sweet potato pieces on the baking sheet. Season and toss with your hands. Roast at 400 degrees F for 25-30 minutes or until you reach the desired texture. To prepare the rice: Place two cups of brown rice and four cups of water in a medium-sized pot. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to low and cover. Let simmer until all the water has absorbed. After the rice has cooked, add in the black beans, lime juice and sea salt. Serving size and nutrition: One-sixth of the recipe is 443 calories, 5 grams sugar, 583 grams sodium, 11 grams fat, 54 grams carbs, 8 grams fiber and 33 grams protein. Prepare this meal for you and your family before heading out on an assignment with Hire Dynamics. No assignment? Fix that by taking a look at our current opportunities and apply to any and all that appeal to you. We also recommend that you register with us. This way, when positions open that match your interests and skills, we can reach out to you directly. Happy crockpotting! Looking for jobs hiring near me? Local businesses need you! Search our job listings now!
