My honeymoon in Spain inspired some fun weekend food prep back home
It’s been a week since I’ve returned from my honeymoon in Spain and it was delicious!
Besides touring around to see the sights, we of course ate our way through Madrid, Sevilla, Nerja, and Barcelona. Everything was perfect!
Now you can imagine how behind I felt after a few weeks of last-minute wedding planning followed by two weeks out of the country! While it was nice to have a break, I was happy to get back to a routine so upon our return, I quickly got to work cleaning and organizing the house and of course cooking to prepare for the week ahead. For me, weekend meal prep is key. It’s those few hours I have to myself to play around in the kitchen while feeling productive because I’m saving time, money, and sanity in the week to come.
A trip to the farmers market where I found fragrant fresh herbs and beautiful tomatoes in season inspired some simple modifications to one of my favorite make-ahead recipes from The Plan Cookbook: Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker (see below for original recipe). I used fresh sage, rosemary, and flat-leaf parsley instead of dried herbs, and in the last 30 minutes of cooking, added 2 chopped tomatoes and 1/2 cup rinsed and chopped manzanilla olives just because I was already missing the flavors of Spain!
Whole Chicken in a Slow Cooker recipe from The Plan Cookbook
Ingredients
2 tsp dried sage
1 tsp dried rosemary
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 whole chicken, 3-4 lbs, neck and giblets removed from cavity
1 lemon, sliced
6 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 1/2½ cups chopped fennel
2 large Spanish onions cut into large chunks
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Combine herbs and spices in a small bowl. Rub mixture all over chicken. Place lemon slices, garlic, and 1/2 cup fennel inside chicken cavity. Place onions and remaining fennel on the bottom of the slow cooker and drizzle with olive oil. Place seasoned chicken on top of onions, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 hours on high.
Chicken rotates best 3 times a week every other day so I like to serve this chicken recipe with different vegetable combinations over the course of the week. This time, we had it over sautéed zucchini and pattypan squash – also great finds from the farmers market!
With summer coming to an end, school back in session, and workloads picking up, falling back into a balanced routine is essential. If you took some time off this Summer or in the last few weeks while your focus was needed elsewhere, now is the time to realign with your health goals. Getting organized in the kitchen is the first step I take to regain control, but what is it for you?
Now is the time to think about what you can do to set your mind and body up for success!