Chicken Harvest Bowl

Chicken Harvest Bowl with juicy marinated chicken thighs, roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato, massaged kale, goat cheese, pecans, apple and a creamy balsamic dressing. 

This harvest bowl is packed with delicious fall flavor influences that is perfect for a healthy lunch meal prep option or dinner. Gluten-free, grain-free, macro balanced and dairy-free friendly. 

If you know anything about me, you know that nourish bowls are my favorite! From the Nourished Cookbook to the Nourishment Program - I absolutely love the art of batch cooking. 

If you can allocate one or two days out of your week to prepare batch cook items, you will have the freedom to create different meals so that you won’t have to eat the same meal twice if you don’t want to! How fun and easy is that?!

With that said, here is a fall inspired nourish bowl that you can create for lunch meal prep or for dinner! 

Chicken harvest bowl components based on the Six Senses Nourish Meal Template from The Nourishment Program: 

1. Starchy + sugary carbs: sweet potatoes, honey, apple

2. Non starchy carbs: massaged kale, brussels sprouts

3. Protein: Chicken thighs + pecans + goat cheese

4. Fat: oil, chicken thighs, goat cheese, nut butter

5. Flavor: seasonings galore! Coconut aminos (or teriyaki sauce)

6. Probiotics: balsamic vinegar

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Chicken Harvest Bowl with juicy marinated chicken thighs, roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potato, massaged kale, goat cheese, pecans, apple and a creamy balsamic dressing. 

SERVINGS: 4 | PREP TIME: 15 MIN | COOK TIME: 45 MIN

Ingredients

Chicken marinade

• 1 lb chicken thighs

• 1/3 cup coconut aminos or teriyaki sauce

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• S&P

Sweet potatoes

• 2-4 sweet potatoes, cubed

• 1 tsp each smoked paprika & garlic powder

• dash of cinnamon

• 1 Tbsp oil

Brussels sprouts

• 1 lb brussels sprouts

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• 1 Tbsp oil

Balsamic dressing

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

• 2 Tbsp nut butter

• 1-2 Tbsp water

• 1 Tbsp honey

• S&P

Bowl components

• 1/2 cup pecans

• 1/2 cup goat cheese

• 1 large apple

• massaged kale or regular leafy greens

Directions

1. Marinate your chicken first by seasoning chicken thighs generously with S&P. Mix marinade ingredients in a Ziploc bag and transfer chicken to the bag. Seal bag, massage chicken in juices while sealed and place in the fridge to marinate for 30 min or up to 8 hrs.

2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

3. Add diced sweet potatoes in seasoning mixture and halved Brussels sprouts in seasoning mixture on baking sheet. Toss in oil and roast in the oven for 35-45 min until tender.

4. You can either roast chicken thighs in the oven at the same time and on a different baking sheet or grill / cook in a skillet.

5. To make dressing: add the balsamic vinegar, nut butter, salt, honey and 1 Tbsp water to a small mason jar. Shake vigorously and add more water if you want a thinner consistency.

6. Prep the remaining ingredients: dice the apple, crumble goat cheese, roughly chop pecans and follow massaged kale recipe if not using leafy greens.

7. Assembly! Evenly divide the greens, chicken, roasted veggies, apples, goat cheese and nuts. Serve with creamy balsamic dressing and enjoy! 

Balanced Rice Cake Snack Combos

As someone who follows more foodie accounts than a normal person should, I usually try to spot major food trends so that I can “beautify” or rather “healthify” for my clients. Hence, healthy crispy chicken salad, crunchwrap supreme, catfish nuggets, and Reese's peanut butter cup to name a few.  

But a recipe trend I want to highlight today is an actual health trend that started in the low fat craze of the 1990’s - the rice cake! 

If you have ever tasted a plain rice cake on its own - there is literally no flavor. Made with puffed rice pressed together into a cake with maybe a hint of salt. That’s it. And since this started in the 90’s, everyone wanted to swap out bread and crackers for this low calorie substitute. 

So are these flavorless, crunchy snacks good for your health? Since plain rice cakes are essentially rice and air, they don’t really have an impressive nutrient profile. They are low in essential vitamins and minerals, basically fat-free and contain very little protein or fiber. Some benefit is that most rice cakes are typically gluten-free and made with whole grains. 

But eaten on its own, eating multiple servings in one sitting or choosing a sweet-flavored variety that contains added sugar may raise your blood sugar. As said before, rice cakes are mostly carbs, so combining them with protein, healthy fat and fiber can balance their potential effect on your blood sugar. 

Try pairing rice cakes with: 

• A nut butter, cottage cheese or yogurt with fruit slices

• Caprese style (tomato slices, basil, and mozzarella)

• White bean spread with veggie slices

• Tuna or chicken salad 

• Avocado toast style (mashed avocado, fried egg, EBTB)

• Bagel and lox style (cream cheese or goat cheese, smoked salmon, sliced veggies, fresh dill and lemon)

• Turkey sandwich style (pickles, sliced turkey meat, avocado, sprouts)

More rice cake combo inspo on our TikTok! 

If you want more balanced meals and snack inspo, check out the Nourished Roots Meal Prep Program!

Medjool Date Snacks

Medjool Date Snacks - 10+ easy and healthy ways to create the perfect mates for dates! 

Snacks don’t have to be complex and include every ingredient in your pantry. If anything, snacks need to be simple. They need to be a quick grab-and-go and something to whip up fast as you need something ready before or after your workout, to help stabilize blood sugar, or to tie you over before a late dinner reservation. 

So that is why I’m showing you my favorite carb source - medjool dates and the many medjool date snack ideas you can do to make sure your date is macro balanced, less than 5 ingredients, and is a quick grab and go snack! 

The OG lately, medjool date + goat cheddar cheese + prosciutto. The perfect blend of sweet, smokey and salty! I also like it because it’s very reminiscent of having a charcuterie board in one bite! (*bonus if you elevate it with honey or balsamic glaze drizzle and crushed nuts like pistachio.)

Other great medjool date snack combinations are: 

salted chocolate peanut butter date

Ex: stuff the date with peanut butter and top with an almond and some crunchy sea salt and dip the bottom in dark chocolate

Cheese + nut combo date

Ex: Stuff the date with cheese like a slice of brie and a nut like pecan.

Italian inspired date

Ex: Stuff the date with goat cheese and some sun-dried tomato pieces, and top with basil chiffonade.

Wrapped in bacon date

Ex: Stuff the date with cheese of choice like goat cheese, wrapped in bacon and cook in the oven for 350 degrees - 10 min on both sides or until bacon is crispy! Sprinkle with pistachio and honey if desired.