This post may contain affiliate links. If you purchase something I recommend, it changes nothing for you, but it supports my family and makes me do a happy dance! Thanks.
Are you ready to start your new Weight Watcher journey? Is it daunting to think about incorporating counting points into your active or busy lifestyle? Healthy meal prep can simplify your life by having your meal ready for you instead of resorting to fast food or something you can grab quickly on the go. I can't wait to share with you all the reasons why you should meal prep, how to get started and give you a delicious recipe for lemon chicken for your first meal prep!
Healthy Meal Prep is A Step Towards Success
Remember when starting any change in your life that failing to prepare is preparing to fail. So what is the best way to stick to new diet habits? Here are some trouble-free meal prep ideas which are here to help you steer clear of dieting difficulties. We’ll touch on the best ideas for meal prepping for success. Let’s get started!
Meal Prepping & Planning Ahead
Spending a little extra time planning and prepping your high-protein, low-carb meals for the week (or longer) makes it easier to accomplish your health goals. Setting aside the extra time to plan ahead really makes all the difference. Get your favorite low-carb recipes together and go from there. Make sure to include ingredients high in protein, healthy fats and lots of veggies. They are designed to help you feel full longer.
Here Are Some Easy Steps to Get You Started
1. Choices, Choices . . .
Choose a selection of quick and easy Weight Watchers recipes that excite you in order to help you build a recipe base that motivates you to stay on track. You can use resources like Pinterest, search Facebook groups, or visit mainstream recipe websites like Delish or AllRecipes. When considering your meal choices, try to find ones to incorporate fresh, organic vegetables, meats, seafood, and eggs. Remember you can always substitute foods in recipes. Be creative.
2. Stay Organized and Make a List
Make a shopping list of the ingredients and quantities you need to prepare your food for the length of time you choose. Your list should include items such as broccoli, spinach, asparagus, cauliflower, and healthy, nutrient-dense foods like avocados. Other great items are eggs, fish such as salmon, and most meats, even including jerky. If you don’t own some already, include quality containers with compartments on your list for your meals. You’ll need enough for the number of meals you are planning to prepare.
Sign Up For Our Email List and Get This Starter Guide for Emotionally Healthy Eating!
3. Choosing Weight Watcher Friendly Meal Prep Containers
Good
Better
Best
4. How and Where to Shop
When shopping, make sure not to go to the supermarket on an empty stomach. You are more likely to buy items that don’t fit into your plan if you are hungry! Shop the perimeter of the grocery store first, where you find all of the fresh items. This will keep you away from a lot of processed high-carb foods. Farmers' markets are a great place to find the freshest ingredients for healthy and flavorful food.
5. Let’s Get Prepping
Now that you have everything you need, go ahead and get started. Look at your ingredients and work through each meal, prepping them like an assembly line. If you are making two different recipes for which both call for the same ingredient, prep them both at once. This will be more efficient and make your life easier in the long run.
Take it Step By Step
Follow your favorite Weight Watchers Pinterest-worthy recipe step by step. Make sure to check your ingredient measurements and increase the amounts accordingly for the week. When ready, assemble each container with the correct portion size of each finished dish and store in your fridge for the week. This makes everything super easy.
Check out my Pinterest For Recipes, Resources and More!
6. Channel Your Inner Chef
Always remember to keep it fresh and change up your recipes each week so you won’t get bored. Even if you make a similar meal, use different herbs and spices to make it new and fun. Variety is a big key to success in any diet or lifestyle plan. Low-carb doesn’t have to taste bad or be plain. Be your own chef! There are many unique and innovative ways to prepare foods, and eating on weight watchers is no exception.
What recipes are good for meal prep?
There are a number of different dishes that are great to make ahead and use in meal prep. I would suggest checking out these posts:
- Lunch in a Bowl
- Chicken Fajita Lettuce Wraps
- Egg Roll in a Bowl
- Mediterranean Quinoa Salad
- Carrot Tarator
Use a Meal Subscription Box
There are a number of different services out there that offer meal kits, but my favorite by far is Home Chef. (Read Why You Should Be Using Home Chef, Green Chef and Meal Subscription Kits.) Home Chef helps you learn more creative recipes, portion control, and it's delivered to your front door. It doesn't get much easier than that!
We also tried another subscription box called Green Chef, which you can also use in a similar manner to Home Chef. Both of the posts about these boxes offer discounts for your first box, so I highly recommend trying them both!
With Home Chef, You Could Be Eating Meals Like This
Recipe for Lemon Chicken and Broccoli
If you have been following my other recipes, you know that I am all about simple. Recipes that only require one-skillet make me do a happy dance. I originally made this with boneless, skinless chicken thighs but you can easily swap it out for boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
How Many Points Are In This Recipe?
With the new Weight Watchers Plan, points can vary for diabetics. Points can also vary with different brands. Please use your recipe maker to determine your exact points.
Are You on WW Connect?
Find me on WW Connect @Sassycooking_Alyssa to see my full recipe list!
Lemon Chicken and Broccoli
This simple yet flavorful recipe is perfect for busy weeknights. It's packed with nutritious ingredients like juicy chicken, fresh broccoli and zesty lemon. Plus, it's ready in under 30 minutes so you can enjoy a healthy and tasty dinner without spending hours in the kitchen.
Ingredients
- 6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 2 medium shallots, sliced thin
- 1 cup no salt added, chicken stock,
- 1½ tbsp fresh rosemary leaves, finely chopped
- 1 16-oz. bag frozen broccoli
- 1 medium lemon, sliced and cut into small, thin wedges
- Cooking Spray
- Sea salt and black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat large skillet over medium-high heat and coat with butter cooking spray.
- Butterfly the chicken breasts and season each side with salt and black pepper.
- Add seasoned chicken to hot skillet and cook for 4-5 minutes per side, or until chicken is golden brown and releases easily from the bottom of the skillet. Remove from heat and transfer chicken to a plate. Cover and keep warm.
- Reduce heat to medium and spray pan again. Add sliced shallots to skillet.
- Sauté shallots, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden brown, approximately 4-5 minutes.
- Add chicken stock to skillet and increase heat to medium-high. Bring liquid to a boil while using a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add chopped rosemary leaves and continue cooking until liquid has cooked down to about half of what it was, (it should take approximately 4-5 minutes) stirring occasionally.
- Add chicken and any escaped juices to the skillet, along with the frozen broccoli and thin lemon wedges. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until broccoli is tender enough to your liking and chicken is cooked through. (Internal temperature should read 165°F on an instant-read thermometer).
- Remove from heat and serve immediately with a spoonful of pan sauce drizzled over each chicken breast. Garnish with additional lemon wedges, if desired. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 240Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 3gCholesterol 104mgSodium 160mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 3gSugar 3gProtein 41g
*This is an automatic calculation by a third party app*
Have you joined a support group for your plan yet? Join us on Facebook!
What are the Best Tools to Conquer Emotional Eating?
Are you looking to Conquer Emotional Eating For Good? Start with my FREE printable workbook! With pages to help you learn your triggers and work through them, with tips and advice to move past emotional eating, the workbook is the perfect place to get started!
Would You Rather Take My Course? Get On The List To Be Notified When It Launches!
- Can You Drink Coffee with Weight Watchers?
- Less Processed, More Progress: Simple Swaps for Whole, Nutritious Foods
- Fall In Love With These Autumn Roasted Vegetables
- Weight Watchers Friendly Vichyssoise Soup
- Healthy Salmon Sushi Bake
- Weight Watchers Breakfast Recipes: Start Your Day Right!
This post was guest written in part by Stefanie Resciniti. Stefanie is a graphic designer and marketing professional with a passion for learning, traveling and trying new things. She is excited about any opportunity to inspire creative content.
I like your simple love Amy of ingredients. It looks yummy.
Thanks! I’m glad you liked it 🙂