Nikki Yelton is a Functional Medicine Registered Dietitian Nutritionist serving clients worldwide. She offers a personalized functional medicine approach using advanced labs and her unique 5-phase method. Nikki helps purpose-driven women who have tried everything finally restore their energy and reclaim their health--without another DIY protocol--so they can show up fully in their work and at home!
Don’t forget about the dark meat chicken…here’s why! Plus, a quick and easy one pan dinner to have on rotation. Can’t wait for you to try it!
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Tell me I’m not alone… It’s five o’clock on a weeknight. You’ve had a long day and dinnertime creeps up on you out of nowhere.
You’re exhausted and you’re tempted to just eat some snacks you have in the pantry or refrigerator and call it a day. The thought of making a meal is gonna send you over the edge.
Your family is getting hungry, or some might say “hangry.” Stomachs are rumbling but you don’t want to pick up take out or make something like a frozen pizza and jeopardize your and your family’s health.
So, you’re struggling with the age-old question… What’s for dinner?
I know this feeling all too well and it’s why one of my favorite things to do is find healthy, balanced meals that are SIMPLE to make during busy weeknights (like this recipe I’m sharing today 😉).
Simplicity is key when it comes to feeding families with busy lives.
After working to help clients, creating content, and planning the next steps of my functional medicine practice… PLUS chasing toddlers around — you can bet I’m TIRED at this point of the day (very grateful nonetheless, but still tired 😂).
And yet despite that, I always try to prioritize making an effort to feed my family quality meals no matter what because I know how important that is. Food is our fuel and some of the best medicine we have… never forget it!
My go-to when it comes to nights like these are one-pan meals that require very few steps, you just pop in the oven, and call it a day!
A new favorite is this Sheet Pan Chicken with Fennel, Sweet Potato & Olives.
It’s a really nutrient-dense, healing meal that tastes absolutely delicious. The dark meat chicken, sweetness from the potato, bitterness from the fennel, and brineyness from the olives cook down together in the oven and it really brings out the most exquisite balance of flavors.
And from a health standpoint, this meal gets an A+ — It’s got your fats, proteins, carbs, micronutrients… all the things.
One thing I’m loving about this recipe is that it calls for DARK meat chicken.
So often I hear people only sticking to chicken breasts because they are taught it is the healthiest meat for us. The dark meat chicken often gets neglected.
I’ve been sharing with my clients lately that dark meat chicken is a must and has plenty of vitamin K1 (which is ESSENTIAL). In fact, it seems as though I find a common pattern on nutrient testing where clients are low in this crucial vitamin.
When I encourage them to eat more dark meat chicken, they are typically so happy to hear me recommend opting for more dark meat chicken over chicken breasts! Because also, let’s be real… the dark meat also has the most flavor…
Quick nerdy science lesson…
You need vitamin K1 AND K2…
K1 actually converts into K2! When you have more vitamin K1 from food, it helps with absorption of important fat soluble vitamins in the body (such as vitamin D) and also converts into K2.
We need K2 in order to pull calcium into bones and out of other places that might elevate our cholesterol).
So dark meat chicken = A NUTRITIONAL POWERHOUSE!
And if you’re stumped on what to make for dinner… This is a PERFECT option to not only include this but also is easy enough to whip together in a flash.
It takes less than an hour to make!
To speed things up further, just prep the chicken and sweet potatoes ahead of time.
Check out the (free) recipe below and start cookin’ up those nutrients!
This is a really nutrient-dense, healing meal that tastes absolutely delicious. The dark meat chicken, sweetness from the potato, bitterness from the fennel, and brineyness from the olives cook down together in the oven and it really brings out the most exquisite balance of flavors.
Ingredients
Scale
2 lbs Chicken Leg, Bone-In (skin-on)
2 tbsps Ghee (divided)
1 tsp Sea Salt (divided)
2 Garlic (clove, minced)
1 tbsp Rosemary (finely chopped)
2 Sweet Potato (medium, cubed)
2 bulbs Fennel (sliced thin, fronds reserved for garnish)
2/3 cup Green Olives (pitted)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 425ºF (220ºC).
Rub the chicken with half of the ghee, 3/4 of the salt, garlic, and rosemary. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Cook for 15 minutes and remove the sheet from the oven.
In a bowl, toss the sweet potato and fennel with the remaining ghee and salt. Scatter the vegetables around the chicken. Add the baking sheet back to the oven for 30 to 35 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through and the sweet potato is tender.
Divide evenly between plates along with the olives and fennel fronds. Season with additional salt if needed. Enjoy!
So if you’re looking to improve your gut and reverse autoimmunity, give this simple one a try. It’s packed with a lot of healthy fats, essential fatty acids, protein, and good complex carbs that are paleo & autoimmune-friendly.
Let’s take the stress out of thinking about, “what’s for dinner” one day this week!
"When it comes to balancing our body, healing the gut, reversing autoimmunity, and achieving optimal health—we are a lot like a car that won’t run right. In order to fix the problem once and for all instead of relying on jumper cables, we must get underneath the hood, run the diagnostics, and replace the battery so that it runs good as new."
-Nikki Yelton, RD
a note from nikki:
If you are ready to stop wasting precious time, get off the never-ending hamster wheel, and finally surrender trying to figure things out on your own—this is your moment.
You don’t have to settle for just getting by and hoping tomorrow is a better day. We both know you are a woman who deserves better and are made for so. much. more.
are you ready?
Ready to restore your energy, reclaim your health, and live your extraordinary life?
