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Spice up your meal plan with 1 recipe you can eat all week long

Spice up your meals with one simple dish you can use throughout the week to make things in the kitchen more exciting.
/ Source: TODAY

It’s time for your weekly trip to the grocery store, and once again you find yourself reaching for the same old items, to make the same old meals. They may be good go-to ingredients and certainly work to put a meal on the table, but your belly is bored with a capital B!

I get it, you don’t have extra time to rethink your weekly grub. But what if I said there was a way to spice up your meals with just one dish (prepped in advance) that you can use five different ways? I know, you’d say: Bring it on! Read on. Oh, and you are welcome.

When you get home from the grocery store, make this broccoli rabe pesto. Sure, you can buy prepared sauces, hummus and tapenades, but meals will be so much more delicious (and exciting) with this homemade version to carry you through the entire week. Use it these ways:

1. Over zucchini noodles with grilled chicken or fish

Spiralizing is about as easy as 1, 2, 3. Almost instantly, your zucchini becomes a pile of veggie noodles that can be tossed over low heat with a dollop of pesto. Top with grilled chicken or chickpeas and boom: Dinner is done.

2. Spread on veggies before roasting

Sure, olive oil and salt are good staples, but tossing your raw veggies with pesto before they go into the oven for roasting will take them up a notch in flavor and nutrition.

3. Use as a salad dressing

Mix with a little lemon juice and olive oil, and you’ve got the ideal green, super flavorful dressing for even the most boring of salads.

4. Use as a spread on your avocado toast

Sure, adding an egg to your classic avocado toast can up the toast game, but a quick swipe of pesto? You're big time now. Use this as your next brunch party trick or swap out your normal toast and jam routine for something a little more savory. You can feel good knowing you’re adding a nutritious addition to your breakfast.

Avocado Toast with Poached Eggs

5. Dollop on soup

Adding a quick spoonful of pesto is the perfect garnish for almost any soup. Get creative and go wild! Chicken noodle is reliable, but don’t stop there. This pesto can up the taste profile of your favorite blended butternut squash soup, or even something a little more spicy.

For more tips from Keri, follow her on Instagram @nutritiouslifeofficial. For more healthy diet advice, sign up for Start TODAY newsletter.