I made my meals for this entire week, 7 meals a day, for less than $15. It took me 30 minutes, including prep and cleanup time. How? Keep reading.
By now, if you have diligently read the last two articles, then you already know how to train, and how to incorporate a healthy lifestyle. So begins the challenge that people have with their programs. Food. Food is the critical building block of any ultimate goal. You can't paint your masterpiece body without any paint. During a bulking cycle, your diet could be 60% of your overall progress. During cut cycle, it becomes even more critically important, 80% of your progress will be reflected in what you eat.
So remember all those food containers you bought during taper in? Don't know what I'm talking about? Shame on you for skipping forward. It's your lack of progress, not mine!
The night before, usually a Saturday night when my former friends are all out partying, being their usual obese selves, and coming home late, I'm at home. I took several of these containers and put one cup of frozen vegetables in each. It doesn't matter so much what you pick. The reason I use frozen vegetables is because out of season, frozen vegetables are not only much cheaper than fresh vegetables, but they're also much more fresh because they're frozen at the source. And also because like most bodybuilders, I'm truly lazy in a lot of things in life. These sit in the fridge overnight and thaw out naturally. I do the same with chicken breast.
I buy chicken breast in bulk from a wholesaler who's name starts with Costc, they are packed with protein, are very easy to prepare in 1000 different ways, last forever in the freezer, and these even come in already sealed freezer packs. I thaw a pack of these, usually good for 4 portions of 6oz cuts.
Sunday, usually the one day I take off from exercise completely. Today I went out and chopped logs for a few hours. The chicken is already thawed and ready to fillet. I use an 8" chef's knife, kept almost razor sharp. It takes about 5 seconds to cut both chicken breasts into perfect 1/2" thick cuts. Here is where you get to have fun with it. I use different spices for each cut, to keep things mixed up. Then pack them randomly so everyday I have a new flavor to try.
Garlic, smoked paprika, rosemary, Montreal rub, Blackened Cajun, even Lawry's. The choices are endless. Season, and pat it in lightly. Onto a hot grill. If the chicken does not sizzle immediately when it touches the grill, take it off and let it heat up more. Six minutes, done. Plate it, and let it rest.
While the chicken is grilling, I clear out all the dishes, so everything is cleaned while I'm waiting. This week, I decided to do some more sausage flavors. I picked up a tube of lean low fat Italian style fresh sausage. I use Italian sausage because it has a decent about of fat and protein, which is what you want during cut. It also has a nice crisp almost Pepperoni flavor. Remember, eating fat doesn't make you fat unless you exceed the calorie quota. Break it up before it hits the hot pan to prevent clumping. I did about 1/2lb total. Pan sear until well done, pork should be about 170 degrees to be cooked. Pork is known to be one of the most dangerous undercooked meats, so if you're like me and you're not sure, use a thermometer.
While the sausage is cooking, bring a pot of water to a rolling boil, add some light olive oil. The rolling boil keeps the pasta from sticking together, and the olive oil adds some nice flavor and keeps the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot. I wanted some light carbs this week, add two cups of whole wheat grain. Spaghetti, penne, wheels, whatever you want. Cook 9 minutes until softened and drain. Mix half the sausage with sauce and reduce slightly to create a more hearty sauce. Season to taste and split with the noodles into a few portions.
Other half of the sausage, set aside for now. Wipe out the pan, don't wash it. Scramble six eggs, whole with yolk, add a splash of milk to keep the eggs light, salt LATER if you want. Into the pan. Push the eggs into the middle of the pan continuously until they're almost all done, sausage in. Heat off.
That's it! I leave all the containers open for a little while so they don't steam in the lids. In less than 30 minutes I've cooked the following meals for a week.
Breakfast: 3 Eggs, Scrambled with Italian Sausage
420 Calories, 32g Protein
Lunch: Grilled Blackened Cajun Chicken with Whole Corn
400 Calories, 55g Protein
Dinner: Pan Seared Mediterranean Chicken with Mixed Beans
450 Calories, 50g Protein
Dinner (Carbs): Wheat Wheel Pasta with fresh Italian Sausage and Five Cheese Marinara, topped with melted 12-month aged fresh grated Parmesan
500 Calories, 20g Protein
If I packed all the meals in advance and ran the numbers, I'm never over or under what I should be eating in a day. I make almost 250grams of protein and less than 2700 calories. That's three delicious meals, very inexpensive to make, and takes less time than your fast food lunch break. Be confident in the kitchen, and have fun with it. The more fun you have, the more you'll like to cook.
"A tiger doesn't lose sleep over the opinion of sheep."
