RED HOT CHICKEN QUINOA AND VEGGIES

What an amazing five days we had visiting Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod! I love the occasional escape from the craziness of everyday life and the opportunity to relax, explore, and eat great seafood, especially when it is in a quaint, east coast town (I think I ate more lobster rolls than any human ever should). Now that I am back home, I decided to do a little lunch prep to get back on track and ready for the work week. Red Hot Chicken Quinoa and Veggies is one of my go-to meals because of the high protein content, easy incorporation of vegetables, ability to eat either hot or cold, and delicious, spicy kick! This recipe made 10 servings (lunch for 2 people every work day for 1 week), costs $20 ($2 per serving), and includes all fresh ingredients. I typically bring a side of in-season, whole fruit that I can enjoy with my lunch. This week, my fruit of choice was gala apples, $.79 each.

Ingredients:
-2 lbs of Trader Joe's All Natural Thin Cut Chicken Breast (boneless, skinless, no antibiotics, no hormones): about $13
-1 container of Trader Joe's Healthy Chopped Veggie Mix (broccoli, carrots, green cabbage, red cabbage, jicama, green pepper, radish, celery): $3
-1 cup of Trader Joe's Tri-colored Organic Quinoa: $6 (only 1/3 of bag needed for recipe, so $2)
-8oz of Frank's Red Hot Original: $2.76
-2 1/2 cups of water

Directions:
1. Place 2lbs of boneless, skinless, chicken breast in crock pot with 1/2 a cup of water and 3oz of Frank's Red Hot. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours.
2. Cook 1 cup of quinoa (click here for directions on how to cook quinoa)
3. Once quinoa is done cooking, fluff with a fork and cool in refrigerator for 20 minutes.
4. Once chicken breast is done cooking, shred with fork.
5. Combine cooked quinoa, shredded chicken, raw veggies, and 5oz of Frank's Red Hot in bowl (adjust amount of sauce based on your preference)
6. Keep in refrigerator and eat cold!

*If you want to enjoy this recipe hot, lightly sauté the veggies before combining and serve warm.

Enjoy!

LD