Fitness is for the Birds: 3 Cool Recipes

If you follow my blogs, videos, tweets or read my book, you’ll know that I don’t like “Diets”. By diets, I mean any “nutritional plan” that has a name. I do not like anything extreme. I prefer wise moderation to anything over-the-top.

There is a trick to moderation, however, and that’s why I wrote the blog post, “Diets Suck”. Here I explain how to transition wisely into healthier eating. I also explain the importance of incorporating “cheats” into your week. This will help create a structure to your moderation. I needed that structure for myself. I created these methods and they worked for me. I decided to share. I hope they work for you as well.

One of the things I noticed is, I don’t really like much in the way of healthy food. I’m a quirky eater. (I don’t eat seafood. Yes. I know that’s weird.) So, I need to get creative. I came up with a few dishes that I really enjoy. They are reasonably low in fat and high in protein. I need to warn you, I am NOT the type to get out a scale and carefully monitor my micro-nutrients. And, yes, I eat carbs! That’s where energy comes from. I write a lot about that subject. For now, I want to share 3 simple meals that I hope you will enjoy.

These meals are easy, and I happen to like them. I am a bachelor. Some of you are grown-ups and may prefer other choices. I understand. If you are vegetarian or vegan, you will want to skip this post.

For those of you who are fitness fanatics and watch every calorie and/or nutrient, you may be disappointed as well. These dishes were my standards when I was in my 40’s and at 5% body fat, so I stand by these options.

Baked Chicken

Ok, this is the simplest meal ever. This is the base of my nutritional plan. Chicken is high in protein, low in fat and simple to make. I use skinless chicken. Baked, boneless, skinless chicken is rather bland, but it gets the job done (for me anyway).

For flavor, I prefer to use spices rather than cheeses, sauces or frying the chicken in oil. What I usually do, is shake some creole seasoning onto the chicken before I bake it. I will not tell you on what temperature, or for how long, to bake the chicken. The reason for that is simple. I am paranoid with poultry. I always overcook my chicken. I usually end up with chicken cookies.

I usually steam frozen green beans and corn. (Yeah, I know…corn. I don’t care. I like it!) Instead of butter, I got into the habit of topping my vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil.

Not so Sloppy, Wades

This is a new spin on an old classic. I never ate Sloppy Joes as a kid, but even then, I could see the obvious flaw. I mean really, it’s right there in the name. You know it’s going to be a mess! Too messy for me! I created a better version of this dish. I call the upgraded version, Neat Wades. (After me of course.)

For this one, we will use the standard Sloppy Joe mix in a can. We will replace the ground beef, with 1 lb. of 99% fat-free turkey.

Simply put the turkey in a large sauce-pan with some water. This is important because the turkey is so lean. It is very dry and will stick to the pan otherwise. Over medium heat, continue mixing the turkey until it turns white. Drain the water and add the Sloppy Joe sauce. Mix in thoroughly over medium heat. For extra flavor (You’ll need it. It really loses something without the beef.) I add sriracha sauce. Cook this in as well, mixing for about 5 minutes.

Now, here’s where my genius comes into play. Rather than spooning this messy mix onto a round roll (I mean REALLY???) I use a hot dog roll. This will cradle the loose meat better, and create less mess. Depending on how strict your diet is, you may want to take 1 slice of pepper-jack cheese, tear it in half and use it to cover the seam in the hot dog bun. This will prevent the meat from sopping through, and it adds a little zip.

I usually serve these with some small pretzels, which I also use to push any stray meat back onto the roll. See? Brilliant! I drink water with all of my meals. I need to stay hydrated, it has no calories and it helps fill me up.

Spaghurkey

OK. I have saved the best for last. This one made me an instant hero at a pot-luck at my old job. Ready for a testimonial? Try this:

“I’m not too proud to say, I was eating this with my hands at a stoplight on the way home from the pot-luck.”

(Co-worker which I won’t name.)

This one too, is incredibly easy. It’s just equal parts, ground turkey, pasta sauce, and angel hair pasta.

Simply cook the ground turkey (just as with the Neat Wades) and boil the pasta. (You can decide how much pasta. I add or subtract depending on my energy needs. If I am really training hard, I add more. If I’m cutting weight, I use less.)

Now, this is the important part. You can decide how much of what seasoning you want, but I’ll tell you what I do. I put a little olive oil in a sauce-pan with some minced garlic. (Go easy, I chased my roommates out of the house with this in my younger days.) I heat this up for a few minutes before stirring in one jar of spaghetti sauce. (I’m sorry to all of you I offend with the jar of sauce.)

Next, because I’m lazy, I shake in some dehydrated onion chips. Then I add oregano. Lastly, I add (probably too much, but so worth it) black pepper and crushed red pepper. These really bring it home. People love this and always ask for the recipe. I know I did it right if I sweat when I eat this dish.

Next, I mix the sauce and turkey together in a large pot. I heat and stir this on low heat for a few minutes. Then I stir in the pasta. I cook this for about 10 minutes. I serve some up and put the rest in the fridge. Now, I have an awesome meal I can throw in the microwave whenever I want. You will love this one, I swear!!!

Oh, one last thing. I never make this if I don’t have ant-acids available. (Man am I getting old!)

Enjoy!!