Introduction
Why is it that everyone is able to stick to training, but without fail will find a way to fall off their diet? It’s because people have a preconceived notion on what is “healthy” and they let that dictate what foods they can and cannot eat. Because some outdated after-school special video from the 1960s said the only way to be in shape was to shove broccoli down your throat, that became the basis of our day to day acceptable food regime. Well I’m here to help break the stigma and help you understand that food that is good for you doesn’t have to taste like dirt (leave that for the 2035 bug eaters). Let me help you understand what equipment you need, what foods to pick, and how to make your food good enough that it stops you from eating that prepackaged garbage the corporations want to shove down your throat.
Equipment Essentials
Chef’s knife - the most versatile item you need in your kitchen. This is what you’ll need to do your chopping, trimming, dicing, and slicing. Essentially everything that hits that stovetop will find its way under your knife. Having one that is properly balanced and a quality metal will make your life easier on a daily basis. And always make sure your knife is sharp. Dull knives = bloody injuries.
Cast Iron Pan - this is your all around cooking vessel that you’ll want to cook your food in. The properties of the cast iron ensures a consistent, even heat throughout that will give you that perfect sear every time. A quality one can last generations.
Non-Stick Pan - any sensitive items, like eggs, benefit from the properties of a non-stick pan. They are cheap and lightweight. Go for ceramic to avoid the flaking that can come on the coated pans.
Non-Stick Pot - you need this for basically anything liquid based in the kitchen. Again, go ceramic.
Air-Fryer - some might not see this as an essential, however those people are just wrong. The combination of texture, speed, and efficiency you get from cooking in one of these bad boys is unmatched. Perfect alternative for a kitchen without a stove or a house without a grill. Will also save you in energy costs.
Grill - this one is based solely on the living situation. If you have the ability and space, a grill is the best way to cook large amounts of food at once, and give it the classic bbq undertones. Plus no one wants to smoke up their kitchen.
Glass Storage Containers - you're going to need somewhere to store your food. Plastic is the easiest and cheapest pick. But do yourself a favor and reach for the glass. They are just as convenient and you don’t need to worry about toxic plastics melting off into your food when heating on the go.
Instant Read Thermometer - every food has a temperature where it is both safe to eat and tastes the best. The best way to ensure your food hits the mark is to use a thermometer to get the proper internal temperature. Be sure to use it on the thickest part of the item cooking since that will be the slowest cooked area. Eventually, you will be able to cook without needing this as you understand your equipment and cook times. However, even the most experienced cooks lean on this tool.
Flavor Essentials
For some reason, people think only bland food can be good for them. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Yes, drowning everything in heavy sauces and oils is gonna up the calorie count. But there are plenty of ways to add great flavor for little to no calorie impact.
Here are just a couple items you should always have in your kitchen to make anything taste good:
Salt and Pepper - the classic combo that is the easiest way to make your proteins edible. Ratio is key here, since you want these things to elevate the flavors of your food, not make it taste more salty or more peppery. It’s a subtle difference, but doesn’t click until you cook a lot of things.
Garlic Powder - who doesn’t love the smell of sautéed garlic on a Sunday morning before Mom puts the sauce on the table? Well garlic powder is the most barebones way of getting that into your dishes. Real garlic is great, but garlic powder is simpler, easier to store for longer, and you can put it right on anything with no prep work.
Paprika - this will give your food a different layer of smokiness with some spice to it. Great with chicken especially. I go for the smoked version for the additional flavor.
Lemon/Lime - everyone seems to forget about the acid when they are cooking. Adding a little lemon or lime to a dish will make all the other flavors pop.
Soy Sauce - I know what everyone is going to say. “All that sodium is bad for you!!!” Chill ok. Get the low sodium version and add a little bit to your meals and don’t drown it. Marinades with soy sauce add the distinct umami to the dish that can’t be replicated. Since you won’t be eating packaged garbage, your sodium intake shouldn’t be bad anyway. And your gym pumps will thank you.
Hot Sauce/Sriracha - simple, no calories, and gives every food flavor. Don’t go crazy every meal as this can affect your stomach in large quantities.
Cooking Methods
You don’t need to be a chef to understand the basic ways to cook your food. Not everything gets thrown on a tray and shoved into the oven. There is a purpose behind how you cook your food and ultimately how much you enjoy it is going to come from its preparation and cooking method. Here are the three basic methods that you will need to know to cook 90 percent of your food.
Sauté - this is where you grab your pan and some olive oil and go to town on the cook top. You do NOT need gallons of oil to sauté something. One to two tablespoons is plenty and most of that is going to cook off. Olive oil has a low smoke point, which means it doesn’t take a lot of heat for it to burn off in the pan. You want to keep your pan medium to high heat depending on your stove. It’s too hot if you pour the oil in and it immediately bubbles up. The oil should look shiny but only sizzle when you put your food on the pan. This is a great way to cook meats and veggies, as it gives a nice, crisp texture to your food. Key is to season and taste as you are cooking to make sure you are adjusting before it hits the plate.
Baking - probably the least active way of cooking, which is great for those who want to be very hands off. Essentially you’re putting your food in the oven until the food is either the correct internal temperature or the food has reached desired texture, it just depends on what you are cooking. Just preheat your oven to the desired temperature, throw your food in on top of a greased tray or foil, and pull out after the intended cook time. This won’t give you the same texture as sautéing, however, a bit easier to keep food from drying out
Grilling - best of both worlds between sautéing and baking. You get the high heat and texture the direct flame gives you from the grill while also being able to use the top to create an oven after getting your grill marks. Careful with this method as it is very easy to dry out your food your first couple times. Helps if you have a quick read thermometer handy. Don’t forget to grease your grates with some avocado oil to avoid sticking.
Allergies
Food allergies are a real thing, and unfortunately, most people have a tendency to unknowingly ignore them. It is easy to spot someone breaking out in hives when they have a peanut. However, when we get a little gassy after eating out, it’s common practice to just wait it out and not think twice about why that is actually happening.
Every human is unique and will react to things in a different way from someone else. The best thing you can do is understand your own body to help yourself avoid things that are going to cause discomfort. The first time you dropped something on your foot, you learned your body doesn’t like that, so you avoid that from that point forward. We don’t do that with what we ingest, and if we did, a lot of issues we have in our lives would reduce dramatically. Bloating, gassiness, acne, hives, rashes, constipation, itchiness, cramping, etc. are all common signs of a food allergy.
The easiest way to find what causes your body issues is to simply look at what you eat prior to experiencing these symptoms. Then start to eliminate those foods until you feel normal. Once your body is reset, begin reintroducing those foods one by one, and once you experience symptoms, bam you have your sensitivity. Once you know what causes you issues, don’t implement those foods into your cooking. There are always substitutes.
Common food sensitivities are:
-Eggs
-Milk
-Cheese
-Oats
-Broccoli
-Brussel Sprouts
-Nuts
Marinades
Flavor is what makes you want to eat something again and again. Marinades are basically your flavor cocktail that we are trying to inject right into our food’s veins. A simple marinade can keep any meat from drying out and tasting like a bland piece of trash.
Prepping a marinade is as easy as throwing a bunch of ingredients into a plastic bag. Even easier, getting the flavor into the food consists of throwing it in the same bag and leaving it in the fridge for a couple hours or even overnight. Truly a set and forget item that you can take care of whenever you have a few minutes. Just make sure you store some extra marinade in a container to use during cooking as a glaze to coat your food.
People are afraid to use some marinades thinking the oils are adding excessive calories. In reality, the meat is just absorbing the flavor, and the majority of oil stays in the bag after you're done and more even cooks off during the cooking process. So don’t let that stop you from cooking a juicy, tasty piece of meat.
Here’s some simple marinades to get you started:
-Lemon Garlic: olive oil, lemon, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, soy sauce
-Buffalo: Buffalo sauce (yes that simple)
-Asian: Soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar, sesame oil
-Honey Mustard: Dijon honey, mustard, olive oil
-Mexican: salt, pepper, garlic, cumin, paprika, olive oil, cilantro
Cooking Your Food
Now we have talked about flavors, cooking methods, and some essentials, let’s get into how to use this to make your food taste great. Each piece of your meal requires its own bit of attention, so let me break it down into each of the sections on your plate.
Proteins
Everyone’s favorite part and what I love to cook the most, the proteins. Each piece of meat needs to be treated in its own way to get the most out of your meal.
Beef - while most people think beef is generally bad for you, that couldn’t be further from the truth. Depending on the piece you pick and what you do to it, red meat can be a staple in your diet. Ribeyes and NY strips are great flavor wise, but unless you're on a bulk, you may want to go with another option with a higher protein to fat ratio. Flank steak, filet, and top sirloin are my go to cuts for daily consumption. For ground beef, stay 85/15 or higher and alter that spectrum based on your goals. Grass-fed cows are your friends here.
Grilling your steak or throwing it in the cast iron pan is going to be the road for the most tasty experience. Salt, pepper, and garlic powder are all you need to have a delicious tasting steak. Since you need to put the steak on high heat, use a high smoke point lubricant like avocado oil to grease your pan or grill grates. Throw it on when it is screaming hot and flip after about 3-5 min, depending on the thickness. You want that good crust to develop without overcooking. 135 degrees Fahrenheit internal temperature is your sweet spot to get that nice medium-rare. Take the steak out of the pan at or right before that temperature and wait to cut into it for 7-10 min. Cutting too early will lose all the juices.
Ground beef is way simpler. Break it up, throw it in a pan on high heat to brown each side, then break up as it cools through. Season with salt, pepper, garlic, and paprika. You can put it into the form of a patty as well to make burgers.
Chicken - Chicken is where the marinades really shine. Chicken can very easily be over cooked and taste bland. Marinating overnight will help infuse flavor and keep it juicy as it cooks. I personally enjoy Buffalo and lemon garlic as my favorites. Grilling is the best way to cook it, followed by sautéing and baking. You want to get an internal temperature of 165 degrees ideally. I found pulling it at 155-160 is best to ensure you don’t overcook it.
The cook time depends completely on the size of the chicken. Thick pieces of chicken will take longer than thin cutlets. Use a wine bottle or rolling pin on larger pieces to get them all relatively the same height and size to make it easier to have them finish at the same time. An average 6-8 oz piece of chicken takes about 30-35 min in the oven at 350 degrees. On the grill, pump the heat up to high level and cook on each side for about 5 min to get your grill marks. After that, shut the lid and put the heat on low. Should be about another 10-15 min after that. Flip as needed.
Your main choices for chicken are going to be breast and thigh. Thigh is better for bulking as the fat content is higher and honestly is the more tasty of the two. However, breast is essentially pure protein and a staple for anyone looking to eat healthy and/or gain some muscle. Free-range is more expensive, but cleaner food is better food.
Salmon - salmon and chicken have a similar order in terms of methods of cooking. The biggest thing is making sure you make the skin nice and crispy, as this gives you the texture you're looking for in your bite. Salt, pepper, garlic powder and lemon are key here. And you can also look to marinate these pieces.
Sockeye salmon should be your choice over Atlantic. Sockeye is going to be naturally caught where the Atlantic is going to be farmed, never seeing the wild.
On the grill, place your seasoned fish skin-side down for about 6 minutes. Then flip for one minute onto the flesh side. Flip back onto the skin side and close the lid for about another 2-3 min. You want the internal temperature to be about 125 when you pull it so it doesn’t dry out. Oven should be about 10 min at 425 degrees.
Eggs - obviously if you find you have a food allergy, don’t go with this option. Eggs are easy to make a lot of different ways, but the easiest are going to be scrambled or sunny-side up. For scrambled, mix the eggs in a bowl and pour into a lightly greased pan (1 tbsp of olive oil is plenty and spread in the pan with a paper towel). Heat should be low-medium and constantly move with a spatula until cooked. Add salt, pepper, and chives to boost that flavor. Sriracha after the fact is great as well. Sunny-side up literally crack an egg into that pan and cook until the whites are no longer clear. Season after removal. Egg whites instead of eggs are great if you just want the protein, but the yolk has all the nutrients you want.
Carbs
Carbs are your sources of energy throughout the day, so it is important to get them in. There is stigma around carbs as a whole that they make you fat, mainly due to clever diet marketing in the 90’s. However, fat gain is a direct result of calories, so don’t be afraid of carbs. Let’s explore which ones to eat and how to cook them.
Potatoes - fun fact here, potatoes actually have more potassium than a banana. So not only will you get the energy from this carb source, but the increased potassium will help you with potential cramping and recovery as well. The type of potato you use is solely up to you and what you like best. Personally I’m a fan of the red and sweet potato varieties. Organic is always the way to go if you have the funds, but that is always a personal choice.
My favorite way of cooking potatoes is dicing them up into hash brown sized cubes and coating them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and chili powder. Preheat your air fryer to 360 degrees and set the timer for 25 min. At halfway done, take out the basket and shake it to get the potatoes cooked evenly. At 10 min bump to 390 degrees to get them nice and crispy. You can do a similar thing in the over on a baking sheet at 400 degrees for 50ish minutes. Hit the broil button at the end to crisp them up for a minute or two.
For whole potatoes, I like to bake them or air fry them at 400 degrees for an hour. Coat with olive oil, salt, and pepper and remove once a fork goes into it without resistance. If you're using a sweet potato, throw some cinnamon on it when you cut it open as well.
Rice - don’t be afraid of white rice! Studies have shown it is the most easily digested of the carb sources, and even some people with diagnosed GI issues are able to digest white rice. Digestion is key, so always look to see how this reacts to your rice choice. Personally I like jasmine rice, but sushi rice, basmati, and traditional long grain work as well. If you prefer brown rice, go for it, but it tends to make people gassy and has marginal if any benefit compared to white rice.
A rice cooker will be clutch if you cook rice often, however, it is just as easy to cook it on your stove top. Grab a cup or two of rice and put it into a bowl and rinse with water until the residue is clear. It’s an extra step, but it removes the excess starch, and will prevent bubbling while cooking and improve texture. Throw the rice in your pot and add water in a 2:1 ratio (two cups of water for every cup of rice). Throw it on high heat until boiling. Add in some salt before covering and lowering the heat down to a simmer. Wait until the water has absorbed, about 10-20 min depending on your pot. You can tell when the bubbles stop and you see no excess water on the sides when tilted. Turn off the heat, fluff the rice with a fork and recover for another 5-10 min to absorb excess water.
You can add extra flavor to your rice very easily. Chop up some cilantro and mix it into the rice with half a lime’s juice when finished to get some chipotle style rice. You can also add some butter and chopped garlic as well to add a few more calories and a whole lot of flavor. For that halal style rice, throw a little turmeric in with the salt at the beginning, with some garlic powder, and finish with a bit of olive oil. Nobody wants boring rice, and elevating it takes all of 2 min.
Beans - often overlooked, but easy and cheap, are beans. You can get bulk cans of beans at the store for next to nothing on a per gram basis. You can always go for the non-prepared stuff, but personally the time to benefit ratio of that is not worth it for me.
Canned beans are as easy as throwing into a pot and bringing to a boil, then simmering for 5-10 min. Add in your salt, pepper, and garlic powder as it boils to add extra flavor. Add some lime and cilantro for a Mexican flare. Black beans are my go-to, but most other varieties are just as good. Go for the unsalted versions. Control your own salt/sodium levels through your spices.
Bread - yes, you can eat bread. Somewhere along the line bread was branded with a scarlet letter and banned from daily consumption. As long as it’s not crappy, processed white bread, breads are no different from any other carb source. Whole wheat varieties are always safe to go with, as well as naturally baked breads, specifically sourdough, which has about as basic ingredients as you can get.
This one you probably all can handle on your own, but a simple toast or pan sear makes every bread more tasty. I always throw one of my protein sources on it to make some sort of sandwich. Add some butter on if you are bulking and need some calories (grass fed of course).
Oats/Cream of rice - I group these two together since they are essentially substitutes of each other in how you cook them and macros; it just comes down to preference and digestion. Oats have a tendency to cause bloating in a lot of people.
The amount of water you add to each depends on what consistency you like. Less water equals thicker food. I personally fill my water just even to the carb and throw in the microwave for about 1 min and 15 seconds. This gives me a thicker product each time. You can also boil water first and pour directly into the bowl. If you do this, mix and let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the water properly.
Making these taste good is all about what to add. For some sweetness, berries are your superior option. Frozen ones work great for the temperature contrast. To make it into a meal, add in some whey and/or some Greek yogurt as well to get the protein in.
Fruit and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables have their place in everyone’s diets. However, just because nutrition media has deemed these healthy, doesn’t mean they are calorie free or should be a part of your diet. Myself for example, apples make my gums and throat itch and upset my gut, so even though to most this would be a healthy alternative, it would not do me any good eating them. So just be careful in terms of what you eat from this group, since nutritional value is only one piece of the equation.
Fruits - most fruits are good as a snack or as a side to a main dish since they don’t require any cooking. Simply wash them off and they are ready. Dicing them up and mixing them up together or into smoothies (no sugar added) is fanciest you typically need to go. Berries typically hold a large nutritional value compared to their portion size and calories, so blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries are great staples to have. A nice way to eat these is to microwave for about 10 seconds and mash onto some toast for a jam substitute. Oranges are great for vitamin c and actually go well with pork if you ever do a little more advanced cooking. Pineapple is great for digestion, so adding this to your rice or just as a side when you are eating larger portions is a nice way to help your GI. Try to stick with organic on these.
Vegetables - let’s be honest, nobody likes vegetables. But, we can still make them taste good to down some extra nutritional value. Sautéing with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and garlic is the best way for basically any vegetable. Add some paprika if you want a little more spice and flavor. You can also roast them in the oven at about 400 degrees for 10-15 minutes for a different texture. Broccoli and Brussel sprouts are known to cause bloating, so you may want to stick away from those. Spinach is nutritionally dense and you can get a ton of it in one serving since it shrinks to nothing when you cook it in a pan, and goes great with your eggs. Zucchini and yellow squash sliced up and seasoned as mentioned above are nice sides to any meal to lighten the dish up. Don’t go crazy on your oil as vegetables tend to soak up everything they are cooked with.
Simple Meal Ideas
Now that you have all the information above, let me wrap things up with a couple simple meal ideas you can use to spice up your weekly routine. Remember, the goal is healthy food that tastes good. We want to avoid garbage as much as we can, since our food will taste better and we will feel better afterwards.
Bodybuilding Staples - before adding meals, for all you prospective bodybuilders out there, I wanted to give a couple of the classic combos that we all enjoy on barebones days.
-Beef/Steak/chicken and rice
-Steak and potatoes
-Oats and whey
-Oats, berries, and egg whites
-Spinach, egg whites, and toast
Now for anyone looking for some more elevated, but still simple meals, here are 5 go-to meals you can use any day of the week and have some great macros:
*Remember you may need to adjust based on how much you want to make and any sensitivities or preferences you have. Think of cooking as an art as opposed to a science
Egg White Frittata - Get two cups of egg whites, 2 eggs, 2 slices of chopped and cooked Turkey bacon, cup of spinach, 10 diced baby tomatoes, and 8 oz leftover cooked potato. Pour all those ingredients into a cast iron skillet that has been sprayed or greased, add some salt and pepper, and throw into an oven at 375 for about 20 min. Broil at the end to crisp the top. Add some sriracha when serving for some spice.
Beef and Potato Tacos - cook your ground beef as we discussed previously, add some cumin and chili pepper to get a more Mexican style flavor profile. Cook some air fryer potatoes as mentioned above and combine on a couple whole wheat tortillas. Mix together salsa and Greek yogurt for a nice sauce, or throw some lettuce with diced up tomato and pineapple for a light pineapple salsa. You can also replace tortillas for rice to make a bowl instead.
Buffalo Chicken Bites - Probably my favorite snack. Mix plain panko bread crumbs with salt, pepper, garlic, oregano, and onion powder. Beat an egg and place in a bowl, with another bowl of whole wheat flour. Cut raw chicken breast into small pieces and coat in this order: flour, egg, bread crumb. Have your air fryer heated to 360 degrees and place chicken in the fryer for about 5 minutes each side. Used an instant read thermometer for most accurate read. Otherwise, just cut one open to see if it is raw. Throw finished chicken in a bowl with some Buffalo sauce and toss to coat. Combine with some air fryer French fries or add to a wrap with some lettuce and Greek yogurt combined with a little bleu cheese.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Quesadilla -cook up some Turkey bacon (uncured and organic) and chop into small pieces. Sauté some chicken that has been cut up into small pieces prior to cooking. As it finishes, throw some ranch seasoning on the chicken. Place a tortilla on your pan and place chicken and Turkey bacon on the tortilla (if not sensitive, you can add a little cheese as well) and fold over. Once the side is crisp, flip over and then remove once both sides are crispy. Add Greek yogurt salsa on the side as a dipping sauce.
Seared Ahi Tuna - place reduced sodium soy sauce, sesame oil, hoisin sauce, ginger, honey, and black pepper in a bag with your tuna for about 3 hours in the fridge and then remove to get to room temperature before cooking. Save some of that sauce on the side for later. Get a pan screaming hot and throw the tuna on an avocado oil coated pan. This is gonna cook super quick, you just want it done a minute on both sides. Bonus points to add sesame seeds on to both sides prior to searing. Slice your tuna into thin strips and place on top of salad or rice with some marinade drizzled on top as sauce.
These are just a few of my go-to recipes, so feel free to DM if you want some other ideas or additional options that are macro friendly like the ones above.
Wrap Up
I know I have only scratched the surface with y’all on cooking, but my goal was to give everyone the basic tools to make good food at home and have it still be good for you. Hopefully this guide will prove helpful for some of you, and if it has, I would love to continue making more guides and working directly with you all. So please provide any feedback or requests any of you have to provide you with as much value as I possibly can. And remember, don’t be afraid to experiment and figure out your favorite things to make.
I always intend on keeping these guides free of charge as the goal is to help the community any way I can by contributing knowledge that I have. If you do feel like I have provided you with value, I will accept donations, however, there is no obligation. Thank you all for reading!
-BowTiedBully
Nah I'm natty homie I'm just on the chicken broccoli and rice