If you’ve been around our KLN blogs or social media for any amount of time, you know that two things I love deeply are: batch prep and Mexican food.

Today’s blog post combines these two loves (and gives you some options for a Cinco de Mayo dinner that aren’t the typical hard-shelled tacos). These recipes come from a macro-friendly cookbook that I created, alongside a dear friend and former client, back in 2018. That was six whole years ago, yet the recipes remain favorites in our home.

CHICKEN TINGA

We eat chicken tinga (tinga de pollo) every single week in our home. I used to think that the fact you had to boil the chicken first made it a “hard” recipe, but I’ve since opened up to how simple it truly is, and that every step makes it the delicious batch-prep protein it can be.

PREP TIME: 10 minutes || COOK TIME: 4-8 hours

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lb Boneless, skinless chicken breast

• 2 lb Fresh tomatoes, whole

• 250g Onion, thinly sliced

• 1 Quarter onion, whole

• 2 Chipotle peppers, canned

• 1 Clove garlic

• ½ TB Cooking oil

• Salt

• Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Step 1: Prepare Chicken

1. Add the chicken to your crockpot along with 1 ½ cups of water or chicken stock, a quarter of an onion (whole), and some salt. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 8 hours. OR boil the chicken until cooked for a faster option.

2. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it by hand or with a mixer and replace it in the crockpot as you prepare the tinga sauce.

Step 2: Prepare Tinga 

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add tomatoes. Cook tomatoes for about 15 mins or until a crack appears in the side of each one. If you boiled your chicken, use the same pot of water for this step.

1. While the tomatoes boil, add cooking oil and saute sliced onions. Add the shredded chicken to the cooked onions.

2. Once tomatoes are cooked, drain water and add tomatoes to a blender with two chipotle peppers and a clove of garlic. Blend until pureed. 

3. Add the Tinga tomato sauce to the sauteed onions. Season with salt and pepper to taste and let simmer for 10 minutes. 

4. Add shredded chicken to tinga sauce and enjoy!

MACROS PER SERVING: 41P/11F/68C

You can find the recipe in the MyFitnessPal database by searching “KLN Sol Food Chicken Tinga ”

CROCKPOT CARNITAS

Let’s be real, this isn’t the same type of carnitas you’d get at a street taco stand. This carnitas recipe uses pork loin to keep the fat low, protein high, and make it a leaner -- yet still flavorful -- option for tacos, salads, or just enjoying on its own.

PREP TIME: 15 minutes || COOK TIME: 6-8 hours in crockpot 

INGREDIENTS:

• Pork:

   4lbs Boneless pork loin

  Cooking spray

  Salt

  Pepper

  Garlic powder

• Wet rub:

    50g Brown sugar

    25g Lime juice

• Crockpot:

  200g Onion, chopped

  200g Bell pepper, chopped

  300g Celery, chopped

  50g Serrano pepper, sliced

DIRECTIONS:

1. Heat a pan on the stove as you season pork loin liberally with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Once the pan is hot, sear pork loin on each side until all sides are brown and crispy. If using an Instant Pot, this step can be done with the saute function on the pot.

2. Add chopped onion, bell pepper, celery, and serrano peppers to the bottom of the crockpot and lay the pork on top. Mix together lime juice and brown sugar then coat the pork loin on all sides. Add an additional ½ cup of water to the crockpot and place lid on top.

3. Cook in crockpot for 6 hours on high or 8 hours on low. Once cooked, remove and shred the pork then replace it in the crockpot and mix well with the remaining juices.

1. For more authentic carnitas: Heat oven to 350. Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray and spread pork out evenly. Cook for 10-12 minutes and then broil for an additional 5-10 minutes so pork becomes crispy.

Tip: Shred the pork in a standing or handheld mixer to speed up the process and ensure evenly shredded meat.

MACROS PER 100g: 30P/3F/8C

You can find the recipe in the MyFitnessPal database by searching “KLN Sol Food Carnitas” 

breakfast skillet

I absolutely love this breakfast skillet because it has it all: the ability to prep ahead of time and enjoy later, super high protein, tons of flavor, and a full serving of veggies. This is a high-volume, nutrient-dense breakfast that can be enjoyed with some tortillas or toast, topped with salsa for more spice, or can be made into a vegetarian version with soy crumbles (soy chorizo would be great!) instead of the turkey.

PREP TIME:  10 minutes || COOK TIME:  20 minutes || Makes 4 servings

INGREDIENTS:

• 12oz Lean ground turkey

• 300g Sweet potato, cubed

• 100g Onion, chopped

• 200g Bell pepper, chopped

• 200g Zucchini, chopped

• 4 Large eggs

• Cooking spray

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a cast iron skillet with cooking spray and add sweet potatoes.Place in the oven.

2. As the sweet potatoes cook, brown the turkey in a skillet on the stove. Chop onions, bell peppers, and zucchini and add them to the browned turkey. 

3. Stir spices into turkey and vegetables and continue to cook until vegetables are soft. 

4. Remove sweet potatoes from the oven, stir, and add turkey and veggies to the skillet. Using a spoon or spatula, create four small wells in the vegetable mix, one in each quarter of the pan. 

5. Crack an egg into each well and replace the skillet in the oven. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes or until egg whites are no longer clear and the egg meets your desired doneness.

MACROS PER SERVING: 27P/12F/25C

You can find the recipe in the MyFitnessPal database by searching “KLN Sol Food Breakfast Skillet”

Get the full Sol Food Cookbook HERE!