Whether you're supporting a new mother during her postpartum recovery journey as a doula or caregiver, or caring for yourself, these three meals are nutritious, cost effective and can be prepared ahead for multi-day meals. All three meals include weekly staples and can easily be substituted with other preferred vegetables or what's on hand. Be creative with your cooking and flavor the meals, adjust the ingredients to your tastes and preferences.
Here's a plan to create three delicious meals from one whole chicken and staple sides:
Meal 1: Roast Chicken, Mashed Potatoes and Garden Salad
Ingredients: Whole large chicken, ghee, salt, pepper, herbs (such as thyme or rosemary), garlic.
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 425°F (220°C). Rub the chicken with ghee, salt, pepper, and herbs. Place garlic cloves inside the cavity. Roast in the oven for about 1.5 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C). Serve with mashed potatoes and garden salad.
*save any liquid left in the pan and store in the refrigerator until you're ready to make the soup.
Meal 2: Chicken, Spinach and Wild Rice Soup
Ingredients: Chicken bones and carcass, and reserved liquid, water, carrots, celery, onion, garlic, herbs (such as thyme or bay leaf), turmeric, salt, pepper, spinach, ghee and wild rice.
Instructions for broth: Remove the remaining chicken meat from the bones (~ 2 cups). Place the chicken bones, liquid and carcass in a large pot. Add enough water to cover, then add chopped carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Add herbs, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about 1-2 hours. Strain the broth and bones, reserve the broth for the soup, set aside two cups for the Shepard's Pie.
Instructions for soup: Dice the veggies and chicken, approximately 1/2 - 1 cup each, 1-2 garlic cloves. Sauté the onion and garlic in 2 teaspoons of ghee, once they are transparent add the carrots and celery, salt, pepper and turmeric, sauté until soft, add the spinach and sauté until it begins to wilt, add in the chicken and mix well with the veggies and seasonings, slowly pour the broth into the pot, add four cups of water and bring to a boil. Once boiling add 1 cup wild rice, return to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 45 mins stirring often.
Meal 3: Chicken Shepard's Pie
Ingredients: 1 cup diced roast chicken, 1/2 cup onion, garlic, carrots, celery, 1 cup green beans, spinach, 1/4 cup flour, 2 tbls ghee, 1 tsp Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper, 16 oz chicken broth, 1 tbls miso, ~ 1 cup leftover masked potatoes, * 1 cup shredded cheese of choice * 1/2 cup milk optional to make mashed potatoes or chicken filling creamy
Instructions: Sauté the onion and garlic in the ghee until translucent, add the carrots, celery and green beans until softened, add the flour, herbs and seasonings, stir until the flour is cooked and absorbed, add the miso and spinach - sauté, add the chicken broth and stir until mixed (slowly add milk if using), add in the cheese if using. Remove from heat. Pour the chicken filling into a sprayed pie pan and top with warmed mashed potatoes (thin with milk if using ). Cover and store in the refrigerator up to three days until ready to cook.
Uncover and bake in 375 °F oven for 30 minutes, turn the oven to broil and brown the top (watch closely so not to burn) for 3-5 minutes.
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