Baked Sumac, Sesame and Pomegranate Molasses Chicken with Broccoli Rice

I don't usually set 'resolutions' or anything like that for my new year, I kinda just change things as I need to and figure the new year is a pretty arbitrary date. Like, I mean, why not make your resolution or set your intention for the the 27th of August? It's as good a day as any if you think about it! 

So having said that, on New Year's Day, I got really sick. I mean going-to-hospital sick. We were at the beach and I was reading my book in our sun shelter (because I'm petrified of getting sun burnt thanks to taking my Nonno to all of his dermatology appointments a few times a year to remove skin cancers) and I flipped over from my stomach to my back and felt like I'd gotten a head rush. My vision became speckled and I suddenly had a headache. It didn't really go away so we decided to head home. Fast forward a couple of hours and I was in the ER with blurred vision which progressed into lost vision, numb and tingly arms, aphasia (lost my ability to formulate coherent sentences), non-stop vomiting, dehydration and generally just off the planet. In my moments of clarity, I felt like I was having a stroke. The symptoms kind of lined up and I just thought the worst since my speech and vision had deteriorated.

Finally, I was told it was migraine. I hadn't had one before and because I hadn't taken any medication at onset, it was going to run it's course. The doctors suspected it was going to stick around for around 3 days. I'd barely gotten through the last 6 hours with all these strange symptoms and the feeling of an axe chopping through my head (not exaggerating!) and couldn't imagine another 3 days of it. Thankfully I stayed in hospital and was given some medication and fluid intravenously to dilate my blood vessels to ease the migraine and to knock me out. Sleeping through a lot of it helped. I finally came to in the early hours of the morning and could finally string a sentence together which was a relief to say the least. It took me a solid 6 days laying on the couch with all the blinds drawn to feel like I was pain-free. Just horrible. 

I decided this wasn't going to happen again so went to see my GP and talk about preventative measures. Medication is one, which I have in my cupboard in case another migraine springs up, but another one is lifestyle. 

I generally eat healthily and I workout a few times a week and I walk every night. But towards Christmas last year, I was consistently working 60+ hours per week, skipping lunch, organising all the renovations we have going, and forgetting to drink water to say the least. I was burning myself down to the ground. I really believe excess stress on my body was what triggered my first ever migraine, my body was at breaking point.

So this year, I have a routine for almost the first time ever. I'm not working through lunch and I'm 'clocking off' at 5pm. And I'm meal-prepping. I guess you could say this is my new year's resolution. And I'm sticking with it long-term.

Having portioned, healthy lunches or dinners in the freezer is amazing. A total lifesaver. So I thought I'd start sharing my meal prep recipes with you all, in the hopes you guys are smarter than me last year, and not skipping your lunches!

This chicken is seriously the biz. Salty, sweet, umami and utterly mouth watering. Plus you just marinade it, chuck it all into a baking pan and in under an hour, it's done!

Ingredients

8 free-range chicken thighs

2 tbs + 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

2 tbs pomegranate molasses (get it from delis or in the continental section of your supermarket)

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

2 pinches of salt

1 tbs sesame seeds

1 heaped tbs sumac

1 large broccoli head, riced in food processor

1 large cauliflower head, riced in food processor

1 tbs cumin

1 tbs ground coriander

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius

Place 2 tbs olive oil, pomegranate molasses, cayenne pepper, 1 pinch of salt, sesame and sumac into a cup and mix.

Place chicken thighs into a bowl, pour over marinade and combine. You can let this marinade in the fridge for as long as you like, but it's still super tasty if you cook it straight away.

Place chicken into a smallish baking dish, so the chicken is all snug. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until cooked through. Time may depend on your oven and how big your chicken thighs are, so just check after 45 minutes and return to oven if need be.

While this is baking, place broccoli and cauliflower rice into a large fry pan with remaining 2 tbs olive oil. Saute for 10 minutes until beginning to become tender. Add cumin and coriander, saute for a further 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.

Once cool, portion 4-8 equal amounts of 'rice' into containers. The portions will depend on how much you like to eat at lunch and if you'd like 1 or 2 chicken thighs in each container. Portion four containers if you like 2 chicken thighs, and 8 if you like 1 chicken thigh.

When chicken is cooked, sliced each thigh into strips and add to container. Pour over any remaining juice from baking pan. Place the lids on the containers and freeze until you're ready to enjoy!