Diet is the biggest determining factor in any fitness goal. As a general rule, diet determines body weight while your workout determines body composition.
As with exercise, the only way to see progress with dietary habits is to be consistent. No matter the goal – weight loss, muscle building, or athletic performance, diet must be taken into consideration. Meal prep and planning is the best way to be consistent, and in doing so eliminates several potentially negative factors – the most important of all being choice.
Choices are great, but where there is choice, will power also comes into play. Will power is a limited resource and must be spared. Decisions made throughout the day will affect motivation and energy later on. Having food prepared in advance eliminates the stress added in trying to find healthy foods to eat, allows you to have a plan for salt and sugar cravings, and helps with adherence.
At first, food prep may seem daunting, but with some practice it can be quite simple and enjoyable.
In this series, we’ll cover the basics of meal prep. If you missed it, check out food prep for breakfast, before you read about dinner prep.
Easy Dinner: Pesto Chicken with Zucchini and Squash Noodles
For this recipe, you need to buy a spiralizer or buy zucchini or squash already spiralized. If in the market for a spiralizer, try the Veggetti or the Veggetti Pro. There are also several different types available if you decide to shop around.
Ingredients
- 2-4 Chicken Breasts
- Pepper to Taste
- Salt to Taste
- Pesto Sauce
- Chopped Garlic in Olive Oil
- 1-2 Zucchini
- 1-2 Yellow Squash
- Coconut Oil Spray
Chicken
- Trim the fat off the chicken and place into a bowl.
- Place 2 T Garlic, 3 T Pesto, Pepper and Salt to taste, in the bowl with the chicken.
- Toss the chicken in the seasoning, adding more if needed.
- Cook using preferred method. Grilling is our favorite!
- Chop into even size pieces.
Zucchini and Squash Noodles
- Spiralize the Zucchini and Squash.
- Add a pinch of salt and 1 T of pesto.
- Toss mixture.
- Place on the side (or into a pot and warm up for 10-15 minutes).
After all is prepped, toss it all together and enjoy.
Notes
For this recipe, the only items included are those that are necessary, but there are a lot of modifications you can make to fit your tastes. For example, you can use chicken breasts or thighs and you can bake or grill them. Also, the seasonings can be changed according to personal preference. To make it simple, you can just season the noodles and eat them raw with chicken, or you can warm them up for 10-15 minutes in a pot on the stove.
When in doubt about your next dinner prepping event, pull out the Warrior 20 super food list. Simply find recipes online incorporating those foods, and use containers to store appropriate portions. Regardless of your fitness goals, we believe the Warrior 20 contains some of the most potent foods known to man. Next time you do some food prep, let us know what you end up making and how it went!
