By MACROS | Published on January 23, 2017
To prep your dinner before you leave for work, all you need do is follow these four simple steps, then set and forget. You’ll be welcomed home with a high protein soup that’s the perfect post-workout fix.
474 calories |Â 50g protein | 52g carbs | 8g fat |Â 9g fibre |Â 10g sugar
You’ll Need
- 2lb raw chicken breasts
- 1 cup uncooked quinoa or brown basmati rice
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 vine tomatoes, chopped
- 1/2 cup diced red onion
- 1 can (15oz) black beans,
- Drained 15oz frozen corn
- 1/3 cup diced Hatch Chile (optional)
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Seasonings
- 1 tsp garlic
- 1Â tbsp chilli powder
- 1Â tbsp cumin
- 1 1/2 tbsp whole wheat flour
- Sea salt & pepper
Garnish
- Chopped avocado
- Fresh coriander
-
Fresh lime juice to taste
Method
Step 1: Add all of the ingredients – except for the garnish – into a slow cooker and give the mixture a hearty stir.
Step 2: Set the slow cooker to high and cook for three to four hours, or set it to low and cook for six to eight hours. Cooking with high heat in less time will yield more of a soup-like consistency, whereas cooking with low heat for a longer time will create a thicker, stew-like broth.
Step 3: Once the soup hits about 80% of the desired cook time, remove the chicken breasts with tongs and set them on a plate. Pull the chicken apart using forks, and then place it back in the slow cooker to finish for the remaining time.
Step 4: Serve immediately and enjoy with freshly chopped avocado, coriander and lime juice.
– RELATED: Soup for the Soul: Global Chicken Recipes –
Your superfoods
Recover faster thanks to cumin
While slightly bitter in taste, this spice is sweet in benefits. It’s used in traditional medicine to treat a host of diseases but it’s also proven to have a high level of antioxidants, found research in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. These will scavenge the free radicals created by exercise and map out a faster route to recuperation.
Chicken broth fights off lung infections
This watery addition will add a very solid advantage to your soup. A study by the American College of Chest Physicians found chicken soup has powerful anti-inflammatory mechanisms that could ease the symptoms of upper respiratory tract infections. Think of this as the upgrade of grandma’s recipe, one that’s ideal for recovery.
Re-energise with red onion
Mistakenly viewed as nothing more than a garnish, onions are in fact a huge health elixir. They’re full of phytochemicals, which are linked to reducing the incidences of major diseases, rich in vitamin C and reportedly able to keep your blood-sugar levels more level so you don’t have dips in energy and hunger. Your body will be crying if you don’t eat them.