This week I made a legitimate effort to meal plan for lunch. Today is Wednesday, and I have succeeded (so far)! Buying lunch in downtown Chicago everyday is SO expensive, and it’s an easy area in which we working millenials can save a little cash. (Now, don’t ask me about my lunch intentions for the rest of the week… but hey, at least I’ve made SOME progress).

Here’s one lunch I made: Turkey Taco Salad

I want to let you in on the truth about mason jar salads. Everybody loves to Instagram an adorable mason jar salad, but in reality – a mason jar is WAY to small for  a salad, and everything you think you know about this is a lie!! Well, I placed everything I could NOT fit in the mason jar into that sandwich bag pictured above – corn chips (a sort of Tex-Mex crouton substitute), romaine lettuce, and cheddar cheese. I was able to fit (from top to bottom) spicy salsa, ground turkey that I had cooked with taco seasonings, tomatoes, onions, black beans, and corn. Once I got to work and dumped all of this onto a plate, it was actually really great! (despite the corn chips softening a bit – package those separately) Would I eat this salad again? Yes. Will I bother with putting it into a mason jar? Probably not! (I got my photo for Insta, so what’s the point of repeating?? lol)

Anyway, my favorite thing that I packed this week was these delicious buffalo chicken-stuffed sweet potatoes. I know that sounds like a really strange combination, but trust me – it’s awesome! Usually people don’t pair sweet potatoes with savory ingredients like meat or buffalo sauce, but here it works. AND sweet potatoes are healthier than white potatoes. When compared to a white potato, the sweet potato comes with less calories, carbs, and sugar – WINNING.

All you have to do is bake some sweet potatoes (oven, microwave, however you prefer). Then you get the chicken going – bake some chicken breasts, and shred them like so.

Time to make your buffalo sauce – it’s basically just hot sauce and butter!

Drink the sauce. Excuse me… just kidding (but seriously, it’s SO GOOD). Throw the chicken in.

Give it a toss!

Stuff the potatoes!

Wrap them up in foil, and lunch is ready! Top with green onions just before eating. Not pictured – the dollop of plain Greek yogurt I also topped mine with later as a healthier substitute for sour cream.

Buffalo Chicken-Stuffed Sweet Potatoes

Serves two.

Ingredients:

2 medium sweet potatoes

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup hot sauce (use your favorite, I like Franks red hot sauce)

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tbs olive oil

kosher salt

ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Rub cleaned sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Using a fork, poke holes through the skin of the potatoes all the way around. Place on foil or a baking sheet, and bake for one hour. Let rest.
2. Reduce oven to 375 degrees. Rub a bit of olive oil on the chicken breast, and season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 45 minutes, or until cooked through but not dry. Let cool slightly.
3. Shred the chicken with a fork. Set aside.
4. Heat a medium pan on medium-high heat, and add the butter and hot sauce. Mix to combine. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the cayenne pepper, and stir. Add the shredded chicken, and toss to coat.
5. Make a vertical slice into each potato to expose the inside, and liberally stuff half of the shredded chicken into the center of each. When ready to serve, sprinkle the green onion over the chicken on each potato, and top with a spoonful of plain Greek yogurt if desired.