In the “Introduction” I discussed partaking in a challenge. To be precise, I am partaking in the 1Up “New Years 2020” Nurtrition Challenge.

It’s a 2 month challenge that comes with your very own generic meal plan and workout schedule dependent on your goals, body mass, etc. It’s actually free to join (if any of you reading this want to jump on in) but in order to be part of the prize drawings, you do need to use at least some of their products.

I, personally, bought a decent amount of stuff – not for the potential of getting money but because I am so new to this I want to go all in. I want this time to work and I hope these supplements can help me. So that explains my featured image for this post – and a cameo by my cat, Alister, because he’s a handsome man.

From 1Up I got some general workout support products – IsoProtein and Tri-Carb for my post-workout recovery and a pre-workout that’s DragonFruit Mojito flavored (and can’t wait to try it!) – as well as some supplemental help I have never tried before.

I got three metabolic boosters, Make Her Lean Max, CLAA, and Beauty Dream, which will essentially assist with boosting metabolic rates 24 hours a day on top of the natural boosts from exercising. I also decided to try their L-Carnitine (pineapple flavored) supplement, which assists with the transportation of fats/fatty acids into the mitochondria (powerhouse of the cells for those who forgot 9th grade biology class).

I want to give some props to 1Up Nutrition – although I have not used their products yet (tomorrow!), I was very pleasantly surprised with all of the free samples I was given in my order. On top of that, while 1Up Nutrition does run at generic pricing for most fitness essentials, they run amazing deals to get percentages off your orders. Overall, worth the money so far just based on their offers and customer service.

But now that my supplement pitch is over (so you all know this journey is fueled by a lot of caffeine, not just the will of my own mind), I’ll get on to what I made this week for food.

All my meals, I’m finding, are going to be the generic “chicken, veggie, rice” kind of meals. Not very exciting, but being able to switch up what you cook the chicken in can be some assistance in breaking up the repetitive flavors. So, with that, I present to you this weeks chicken flavors courtesy of my coworker, who is an absolute gem for not only giving me these recipes but for helping me meal prep for the first time.

Chimichurri Chicken – yields roughly 5 servings of 75g of chicken.

2.5 boneless, skinless chicken breast (on the larger side, I use Kirkland’s individually wrapped frozen breasts)

1/2 cup of non-fat, plain greek yogurt

1 bunch parsley

2 bunch cilantro

1/3 cup red wine vinegar

As much garlic as your heart desires (we used about…4-6 cloves, I think)

Preheat oven to 425. Cube chicken breast, lightly salt and pepper. Set aside. Combine all other ingredients in a food processor, blender, or hand blend until smooth in consistency but thick (add vinegar or greek yogurt if too thick – choose which flavor profile you prefer more). Place cubbed chicken in large bowl, then mix in sauce until chicken is well coated. Allow to marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes but maximum of 2 hours. Dump chicken into a single layer on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and check largest chunk for internal temperature (or cut in half to check for pink). If not done, place back in oven and check every 5-10 minutes.

Greek Lemon & Turmeric Chicken – Yields roughly 5 servings of 75g chicken

2.5 boneless, skinless chicken breast (on the larger side, I use Kirkland’s individually wrapped frozen breasts)

1/2 cup non-fat, plain greek yogurt

1/2 tablespoon cinnamon

1 tablespoon cumin

1 tablespoon garam masala

1 tablespoon coriander

1 tablespoon turmeric

3-5 cloves of garlic (measure with your heart, you know you want to…)

1 full lemon

1 inch of ginger root, fresh

Preheat oven to 425. Cube chicken breast, lightly salt and pepper. Set aside. In blender/food processor/hand blend, mix together all spices, greek yogurt, and lemon juice of entire lemon (unless you prefer less lemon taste). Zest 1/4 of lemon – combine with yogurt mixture and add ginger root. Blend until thin. Combine chicken and sauce in bowl for 30 minutes to 2 hours. Rinse and repeat cooking instructions for previous recipe.

For veggies I just stayed with steamed broccoli because of how decent reheated frozen broccoli is. When cooking for yourself, it can be difficult to get through produce before going bad so I try to get as much frozen as I can. For my carb, I decided to do oven roasted baby potatoes with salt, lemon pepper, fresh garlic, and parsley. Remember, a little olive oil can go a long way! I used about 1 tablespoon per 1.5 pounds of potatoes.

But, yes! That’s basically my week of food, not including my post-workout shake and the every now and again “substitute” premier protein shake when I am running low on food.

When buying any type of protein bar, if you are looking to add that as a snack into your diet, find a bar that has a higher protein count than carbs, or at the vary least equal parts protein and carb. This can be a good snack between meals or a way to ensure you meet your macro/calorie count.

I apologize for the long intro – at least it wasn’t a life story, right? Hopefully you found these marinades helpful. As I love cooking, please leave a comment with your favorite health recipe! I hope I get to mix it up over the next two months.

Thanks for reading and have a wonderful week!