Six Recipes Every Lifter Needs To Try
Posted by Mike Wines on
6 Recipes Every Lifter Needs to Try
Build muscle. Burn fat. Improve performance. Reduce inflammation. Develop resiliency. Let’s call that fitness in 5 – if we had to sum up the entire fitness industry in 5 core pillars, that would be it. However, we should keep in mind that training is only one small piece of the puzzle. Those 5 factors cannot be accomplished until someone addresses the other constituent components of health: nutrition, recovery, mindset and supplementation. Now, each of those constituents is another article for another time. But for now, we’re going to hone in primarily on nutrition. If you spend any amount of time on social media lately, you’ve probably seen countless meal prep spreads from overeager IIFYM ideologists or clean eating gurus with a vendetta against processed carbohydrates (hint: everything is processed, including fruits and vegetables. You didn’t go pick them out of your garden, did you?). Sure, it would be great to have all your food prepped by a professional who could take the guess work out of it. However, we live in the real world and you’re probably not going to employ a private chef to prep all your food. So, we need a few simple, healthy and quick options that will allow you to synergistically combine your nutrition with your training to produce the results you desire (aka one of the 5 pillars defined above). Hope you’ve eaten a meal before reading this, it’s probably going to make you hungry… Breakfast [caption id="attachment_12886" align="alignnone" width="977"]
No Bake Chocolate Protein Bars
These are for the simple man. For the guy who can barely roll out of bed five minutes before his class or 20 minutes before work. This breakfast is designed especially for you. Make a large batch over the weekend, let them sit in the fridge, and they will be your saving grace on Monday morning. Ingredients 1 Cup of old-fashioned oats 2 Scoops of chocolate Beast Protein 2 Tablespoons of chia seeds ½ Cup of chocolate almond milk 1 Cup of peanut butter 3 Tablespoons of honey Instructions Combine the almond milk, peanut butter, and honey in a large bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds. Stir and microwave for an additional 15 seconds. Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl. Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Freeze for at least 15 minutes. Cut into bars of desired size and shape. Store in an air-tight container in your freezer or fridge for up to one week. Lunch
Avocado Bison Burgers
Every American male recognizes the importance and impact of a great burger. However, most incorrectly assume that beef is the primary meat of choice. Maybe, if you live in a McDonalds and Wendy’s infused bubble. Time to get outside your comfort zone and expand your protein palate. Bison is the meat of the future, prepare your taste buds. Ingredients 1 lb Bison 1 Avocado 1 Small head Butter lettuce 2 oz Mushrooms 1/2 Onion 1 Tomato 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard Salt and pepper (as desired) 1 Tbsp Olive oil 4 Pretzel buns Instructions Finely chop your mushrooms. Then, soak the mushrooms in half your olive oil for about 10 minutes. Add your bison, soaked mushrooms and a pinch of salt and pepper to a large mixing bowl. Mix together until it is all well incorporated. Then, form four even and thin burger patties, making sure to put a small dimple in the middle of every patty. Heat a grill pan over medium heat with the rest of your oil. Add your four patties to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Then, flip the patties and cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until they are medium rare or medium. Let the burgers rest while you prep your fixings and toast your bun. Assemble your burger and enjoy!
One Skillet Cashew Chicken Stir-fry
What’s worse than meal prep itself? Doing dishes. I think the only thing worse is folding your laundry. Lucky for you, this recipe only uses one dish (depending upon how much you eat in one sitting). I can’t guarantee it will clean itself, though. I hope you have a dishwasher handy. Ingredients 1 lb Chicken breasts, boneless skinless 2 Cups Broccoli florets 1/2 Cup Carrots 3 Cloves Garlic 1 Tbsp Ginger 4 Green onions 1 Red bell pepper 1 Cup Sugar snap peas 1/3 Cup Cashews, unsalted 2 Tbsp Honey 3 Tbsp Peanut butter, all-natural 4 Tbsp Tamari 1 Salt and pepper 1 Tbsp Olive oil 1 Tsp Sesame oil 2 Tbsp Water Instructions To make the sauce, whisk together tamari (or soy sauce), peanut butter, honey, sesame oil, and grated ginger in a small bowl. Whisk in 2 or 3 tablespoons of water (depending on the consistency you prefer) and set aside. In a large skillet over medium heat, drizzle olive oil and add chicken. Season with salt and pepper and sauté until lightly browned, about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for about 30 seconds, mixing it with the chicken. Add broccoli, bell pepper, snap peas and carrots to the skillet, incorporating everything together. Cook an additional 5 minutes, until veggies are tender and chicken is cooked through, then add cashews and green onions and drizzle the peanut sauce over top. Mix everything together with the sauce, coating well, and cook for one more minute. Serve and enjoy! Dinner
Slow Cooker Chicken Burrito Bowls
Maybe making your Chipotle order is too confusing or too much work. Maybe you’re just in the mood for a burrito but you’re out of tortillas (rookie mistake, always keep backups in the pantry in case of emergencies, such as this). Either way, this is the solution to all your burrito inspired problems. Ingredients 1 lbs Chicken breasts, boneless skinless 1 (15-ounce) Can black beans 1 Cup corn, frozen kernels 1 (14.5-ounce) Can tomatoes 1 Cup chicken broth, low-sodium 1 Cup Brown rice 2 Tsp Chili powder 2 Tsp Salt 1 Tsp Cumin, ground Instructions Combine the chicken breasts, diced tomatoes, 1/2 cup of chicken broth, chili powder, salt, and cumin in the slow cooker. Make sure the chicken is covered, add additional broth if needed. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 3 to 4 hours. Uncover and add the rice, beans, corn, and remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth. Cover and continue cooking on low for another 3 to 4 hours. Check the rice periodically in the last hour of cooking, stirring once or twice to make sure the rice cooks evenly and adding more chicken broth if the mixture seems dry. Cooking is done when the rice is tender — if the rice is done while there is still liquid left in the slow cooker, remove the lid and cook on high to let the liquid evaporate. Use 2 forks to shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. You can do this either in the slow cooker itself and then mix it into the rice, or you can transfer the chicken to a cutting board if you prefer to keep it separate. Taste the burrito mix and stir in more salt or other seasonings to taste. Serve burrito bowls with a selection of toppings (shredded cheese, chopped cilantro, sour cream, diced avocado, salsa, hot sauce, diced green onions, shredded lettuce).
Crock Pot Steak Fajitas
Every time I go to a Mexican restaurant I always get fajitas. Why? Because they’re the best thing on the menu. Now obviously, you’re entitled to your own opinion and you can debate me if you wish. But you’d be wrong (only kidding…sort of). Either way, this recipe is only 5 ingredients and makes some extremely tasty fajitas while saving you from standing over a skillet. Wash. Cut. Prep. Dump. Cook. Eat. Done. Ingredients 2 lbs beef (whatever cut you prefer), sliced 2 bell peppers, sliced 1 onion, sliced 20oz salsa 1 Packet fajita seasoning mix Flour or corn tortillas (if desired) Instructions Add salsa to bottom of the slow cooker. Add beef, onion, bell pepper and fajita seasoning. Stir to mix well. Cook LOW 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4. Dessert [caption id="attachment_12884" align="aligncenter" width="977"]
Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Ice Cream
Everybody wants to have their cake ice cream and eat it too. Well now you can – high protein, dairy free, and lifter friendly. No need to skip dessert, just make your own, using Beast Protein of course, and get the best of both worlds. Ingredients 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder 1 Tbsp. almond butter 1 Scoop chocolate Beast Protein powder 2 Tsp. stevia 3/4 Cup unsweetened almond milk 1 Frozen banana Instructions Blend all the ingredients in a food processor or blender and serve immediately for a soft serve consistency. Alternatively, freeze for 2-3 hours, remove from freezer, allow to soften slightly, scoop and serve. “If you’re having dessert problems I feel bad for you son, I got 99 problems but ice cream ain’t one…” [caption id="attachment_9862" align="alignleft" width="300"]