Mastering Meal Prep: Turn One Pack of Chicken into a Week's Worth of Delicious Dinners Under $30

Hey y'all! It's dinner time. Are you tired of the same old dinner routine? Do you find yourself staring into the fridge, wondering what on earth you're going to cook tonight? Well, fret no more because I've got a game-changing meal prep plan that will have you sorted for the entire week – and all it takes is one big pack of chicken and a little creativity in the kitchen!

So, let's dive right in. Picture this: it's Monday, the start of a new week, and you're armed with a family pack of chicken from the grocery store (less than $10 at Walmart). Now I used a family pack of chicken tenderloins and they usually have 12-14 tenderloins per pack.

Bonus tip: Now this meal prep is for 2 people and that is how it last a week as leftovers. If you have a bigger family, you may want to double it. You can also use the recipes as is and then include quick sides like salad, breadsticks, broccoli or green beans to stretch the meals further. 

We're going to turn that poultry powerhouse into not one, but two mouthwatering meals that will keep you fed and satisfied throughout the week, all for under $30. Let's get cooking!

**Meal 1: No Peek Chicken and Rice**

Ingredients:
- 6-7 Chicken tenderloins 
- 2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can of water
- 2 cups of minute rice, white or brown (or 1 3/4 cup of long grain rice)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 packet of onion soup mix
Instructions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350°F (220°C).
2. Rinse the chicken inside and out, then pat it dry with paper towels.
3. In a small bowl, mix together rice, 2 cans of soup, can of water( use one of the soup cans).

4. Grease a 9 x 13 baking dish (cooking spray or butter)
5. Pour mixture into baking dish and arrange the chicken tenderloins on top. Then sprinkle onion soup mix on top of chicken.
7. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour. Make sure you cook for at least 1 hour with foil on to allow for rice to fully cook before you remove foil. That's right no peeking until that hour.

Enjoy a delicious dinner! When you are craving some comfort food or want an easy meal you can prep and forget for an hour, this is a perfect no-stress meal to start the week.

**Baked Chicken Ziti**

Ingredients:
- 6-7 chicken tenderloins, cooked (shredded or chopped)
- 1 box of ziti
- 1 jar of marinara sauce
- 1 tbsp. minced garlic
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning or oregano
- 1 8 oz. of cream cheese                                                                                            -2 cups of mozzarella cheese

Instructions:
1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat and saute minced garlic and italian seasoning or oregano.
2. Cook pasta as directed and drain. Cut block of cream cheese  in pieces and add to hot pasta( cream cheese will melt easier) and stir 
3. Add 6-7 chicken tenderloins and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side.
4. Remove the cooked chicken and chop or shred in a bowl.

5. Add chicken and marinara to pasta mixture and stir all together. Pour into 9 x 13 baking dish and top with cheeses.
6. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 min until cheese is melted on top.

Voila! You've just whipped up a quick and yummy chicken pasta that will taste even better as leftovers throughout the week.

And there you have it, – two delicious meals made from one big pack of chicken, all for under $30 and can last till Friday night (traditional pizza night in our family). With a little bit of planning and creativity, you can conquer meal prep like a pro and say goodbye to the evening question," What's for dinner?". A bonus is you only have to cook once unless you want to add veggies as sides to spruce up the leftovers.