Quick, Healthy, & Happy

Chicken, Sweet Potato, & Kale Stew

 

Morgan Davis, RD, LDN, CSSD
Registered Dietitian

If only there were more hours in the day…

Time and time and time again, my clients tell me that the biggest challenge to eating well is busy schedules and lack of extra time.  Meal planning, grocery shopping and food prep often fall by the wayside in lieu of getting ahead at work, soccer practice, homework and squeezing in some “me time.”

And time and time and time again, I encourage my clients to plan a few meals using easy ingredients at the beginning of the week.  Prep your ingredients on Sunday if needed.  You may even double a recipe to make in bulk, and freeze half for another busy night down the road.

This is one such recipe.  There are many time saving adjustments you can take to make this easier than it already is.  Now, there is no excuse for enjoying a healthy meal on any night of the week!

For this slow cooker recipe, I recommend prepping some of the ingredients ahead of time- cube your sweet potatoes, trim your kale, chop your onions and mince your garlic the night before.

Time saving tip- you may substitute the following to get this delicious dish on the table even faster!

* pre-washed and trimmed kale
* pre-cubed sweet potatoes
* frozen chopped onions
* jarred minced garlic

With all your ingredients prepped the night before, all you will need to do is wake up in the morning and throw your ingredients into the crockpot!  Start by placing the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Pour your sweet potatoes on top of the chicken, then layer on your kale, onions, garlic and diced tomatoes.  Whisk your tomato paste with 1 cup water and the sage, parsley,  cayenne and black pepper.  Pour mixture over your vegetables along with remaining water and chicken broth.

Place your lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low for about 8 hours.  Pull the chicken breast out of the crockpot and shred with a fork.  Stir chicken back into stew.  And there you have it- easy, full of disease preventing nutrients, chock full of protein, and super comforting for a chilly day!  This recipe freezes well and makes for good leftovers to bring to work for a healthy lunch.  Enjoy 🙂

Chicken, Sweet Potato & Kale Stew

4 chicken breasts
4 medium sweet potatoes, cubed
1 bunch fresh kale, washed and torn into bite-sized pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves minced garlic
1 can low sodium diced tomatoes
2 Tb tomato paste
2 cups water
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
2 tsp dried sage
2 tsp dried parsley
1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker
2. Pour your sweet potatoes on top of the chicken, then layer on your kale, onions, garlic and diced tomatoes. 
3. Whisk your tomato paste with 1 cup water and the sage, parsley,  cayenne and black pepper.  Pour mixture over your vegetables along with remaining water and chicken broth.
4. Place your lid on the slow cooker, and cook on low for about 8 hours.
5. Pull the chicken breast out of the crockpot and shred with a fork.  Stir chicken back into stew.  Serve hot!

327 calories
5gm fat, 1gm saturated fat
101mg cholesterol
330mg sodium
31gm carbohydrate
6gm fiber
8gm sugar
39gm protein