In fact, one potential issue people face when transitioning to a healthier diet is exactly that: what to make when inviting people over for dinner. On the one hand, you want to keep making healthy meals but on the other hand, you don’t want to offer your guests something they might perceive as bland ‘diet food’.

Thankfully, it is possible to make healthy food taste great and today’s recipe satisfies the bill. The recipe du jour is a chicken curry recipe, one that just tastes fantastic!

Although the original version calls for sour cream, I swapped that out for 2% mf Greek Yogourt. This bumps up the protein content, drops the caloric impact significantly and does nothing to detract from the original taste.

Don’t allow the large number of spices this recipe calls for to dissuade you, it’s well worth the effort. Plus if you make a large enough batch, toss your extras into some freezer-safe glass containers and you’ll have grab-and-go ready meals for your week.

Low Fat Chicken Curry
(makes 6 servings)
Low Fat Chicken Curry download

 Ingredients

• 2 cup chopped onions
• 1 tbsp coconut oil
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 5 cloves garlic
• 2 cups canned tomato
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 2 tbsp ginger
• 1 tbsp coriander
• 1 tbsp garam masala
• 4 cups mushroom
• 6-7 chicken thighs (bone-in works best)
• 1 cup Greek yogourt (2% mf)
• 1 cup water
• 1 tsp cayenne (optional)

Directions

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan. Dice onions and toss into pan. Once onions are translucent, add in garlic and cinnamon and continue to cook for 1-2 minutes.

2.  On medium heat, add tomato, salt, pepper, ginger, cumin, coriander, garam masala and mushrooms to the pan. Heat for several minutes.

3. Clean chicken thighs with water and lemon juice, then add into pan. Cooked until chicken is browned on the outside.

4. Reduce heat and add water and yogourt. Simmer mixture for 30-45 minutes.

5. Remove chicken from mixture. Scrape the meat from the bone. Add the meat back to the mixture, discard the skin and bones. Continue cooking for 10-15 minutes.

Nutrition info (per serving):  300 kcal, 10 g fat, 17 g carbohydrates, 38 g protein.

As you can see this is the type of meal that packs a flavourful punch, without have to blow your day’s calorie load to do it. To make it even more physique friendly, go right ahead and serve this curry on a bed of steamed cauliflower or spaghetti squash… adding more vegetables to your daily routine is never a bad thing as far as your waist line and health are concerned.

So there you go, yet another way to make good food, taste great.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. Healthy Ideas for the Lazy: Vegetables in a Bag
2. Coconut Classics
3. Protein Pancakes: The World’s Best Breakfast

While there are numerous low carb energy bars on the market, virtually all of them make liberal use of tons of artificial sweeteners, which we can all agree aren’t exactly “healthy”. Sweeteners may be less damaging than pure white sugar, but neither of the two are something people are lacking from their current diets…

So the low carb bar will require a few minutes in the  kitchen. Now one of the challenges of creating a low carb protein bar is finding a way to get it to hold together and have enough body.

One thing you’ll realize about most homemade energy bar recipes is that they rely heavily on things like: oats, dried fruit, honey, etc to actually create a product with enough bulk. Needless to say, those are all off limits for the purpose of this little endeavor.

However, a few years ago I did experiment with a very easy to make bar that fits this request to a T. So I figured, why not share it with all of you?

Introducing the “Aztec Energy Bar”, the ultimate in low carb energy bars. I coined that name myself, mostly because I used Chia seeds in this thing. Incidentally, my good friend “Mr. Google” tells me that the Aztecs actually had their own recipe for peanut butter, so this recipe is seriously “authentic”

Aztec Energy Bar

1 cup natural peanut or almond butter
5 scoops (~125 g) chocolate whey protein
1/4 cup almond milk
2 TBSP chia seeds

Directions

Mix together peanut butter, protein powder and chia seeds. Then very slowly add almond milk to the mixture (if you add too much too quickly, the bar will become runny) just so that the entire mixture gets moist.

Press into a pan lined with wax paper, then place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Makes ~ 8 servings.

Nutrition (per serving): 280 kcal, 18 g fat, 11 g carbohydrate (5 g fibre), 23 g protein.

That’s all there is to it. In keeping with my overall approach to food preparation, this takes maybe 5 minutes to throw together and will do your body a hell of a lot more good than mowing down on a store bought protein bar.

Give them a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. Save Money, Get Jacked: Homemade Protein Bars
2. Big ideas in sandwich making: low carb wraps
3. Protein Pudding: Looks Awful, Tastes Great!

• those that believe humans must exclusively eat plain meat and raw vegetables
• those who believe that 100 calorie Snacks and Splenda/Stevia are diet staples

Needless to say, I think we can all agree that any diet coach falling into the latter category (i.e. one who doesn’t understand “nutrient quality”) is someone lacking any true nutrition understanding and someone whose programming will always fail in the long run. Unfortunately, coaches whose nutrition advice consists primarily of the former also are missing the boat.

While I won’t dispute that there’s a strong physiological argument in favour of getting humans to center their culinary habits around a higher protein and vegetable diet, the reality is that most people aren’t ready to take that kind of drastic action with their diet.

Not now, not ever.

So continuing to preach to (or berate) people into believing that good health requires strict avoidance of any food a typical North American might deem “enjoyable” is largely an exercise in time wasting. Since my livelihood not only depends on helping people look amazing, but also helping them lead healthier lives, I’ve adopted the following philosophy for diet creation: make healthy food taste good.

Frankly, unless I (or any diet coach) can give clients options for meals that  taste as good as (or better) than the typical junky North American alternatives, there’s little hope the client will stick with healthy eating for the long haul.

You’d think this would be an obvious strategy for anyone who works in nutrition… but I seem to be among the minority with this approach.

So on that note, I must relay one of my latest “amazing recipe” finds (in full disclosure, my business partner Dylan Olver sent this to me… who got it from his girlfriend Jessica Mackle… who got it from her mother… who got it from an Atkins diet book…). But let’s not worry too much about where this recipe originally came from, the important thing is this recipe should become a staple for all of you.

As an added bonus, the meal prep and cooking times are ridiculously quick, making it one on the healthiest pieces of “fast food” you’ll ever come across.

60 Second Flax Muffins

• 1/4 cup ground flax seed
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp splenda/stevia
• 1 egg (beaten)
• 1 tsp butter or coconut oil

Directions

1. Mix together all the dry ingredients.
2. Add butter and egg, continue mixing until batter is moist.
3. Put batter in a good-sized mug, microwave on high for 60 seconds.
4. Remove, allow to cool and enjoy.

Nutrition facts: 290 kcal,  22 g fat (almost 4.5 g Omega 3!), 15 g carbohydrate (11 g fibre!), 12 g protein

With an impressive blend of omega 3 fats, fibre and protein – these muffins pack some serious physique transforming power. But not only are these muffins exceptionally healthy, they taste great and best of all can be whipped up at the drop of a hat.

Imagine that, a muffin you can enjoy totally guilt-free!

Obviously, this is just a base recipe and you could easily add some other ingredients to switch up the flavour/nutrient content. Unsweetened applesauce, mashed banana or canned pumpkin would make these uber moist, whereas raisins, blueberries or chopped nuts would make great additions.

You are really only limited by your imagination. But once you get creative with your meal planning, it’s amazing how easy “healthy eating” becomes to make part of your daily routine.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. Awesome body transformation tools for only $40
2. Guinness, Does a Body Good?
3. Insulin, Body Fat and You

One of the teaching points I’ve been increasingly stressing to my clients is the need to simplify our diet selection – a lot. Humans are creatures of habit, so as long as your habits consist of repeating 4 or 5 healthy meals each day, then you can expect to get tremendous gains.

Obviously, the challenge then becomes “how do I identify my fav 5 meals?” Well it takes a little experimentation for sure, but it’s far easier to try and discover 4-5 healthy meals that someone likes to eat, instead of beginning a diet with the destined-to-fail expectation of creating a lavish meal plan consisting of 28-35 different healthy meals each week.

Nutrition is simple… sort of.

But what constitutes a healthy meal? Obviously, optimal health varies from person to person, due to genetic needs and different goals. However, in general, all of the recipes I’ve posted on this site can be considered healthy and make excellent choices as the foundation for a healthy, weight-loss oriented meal plan.

To illustrate how this work in reality, I’ve selected four recipes that I’ve posted on the blog over the past couple of years:

• Breakfast: protein pancakes
• Lunch: chili
• Snack: homemade protein bar + 15 carrots
• Dinner: chicken curry served atop 2 cups mashed cauliflower

Successful dieting really is as simple as starting with recipes such as these and repeating them, often. Now I know that anyone unfamiliar with the recipes I spotlight might be thinking “but diet food sucks” and I would have to agree. Thankfully, my recipes aren’t diet food, but rather awesome meals that happen to fit as part of a healthy diet.

It’s a subtle and important distinction…

Now before we jump on the “just eat the same foods everyday” bandwagon, it’s important to see if those foods actually provide us enough of the vital nutrients our bodies require. Although you may be able to eat a steady diet of fruit loops and bagels and peanut butter… those really aren’t foods of champions.

Taking a look at the 4 meals above, when I run a nutrient analysis on them here is what came back:

Joan Doe hypothetical meal plan

Excellent macronutrient profile and with the exception of calcium and vitamin D (which many people need to supplement with regardless of the quality of their diet), this is an exceptionally robust meal plan.  Looks like our efforts to simplify Jane’s life have resulted in a huge win for her health… as well as her meal prep time.

Obviously I’m not suggesting that my recipes are the only way to succeed. In reality, the best route to success is for each of you becoming your own food scientist and experimenting with the flavours and combinations that yield the types of meals you can enjoy routinely. But by approaching diet and meal planning with the goal of K.I.S.S. (start by finding 1 breakfast, 1 lunch, 1 dinner and a couple of snack options), your chances for success increase significantly.

Give it a try, you’ll be amazed at how quickly your body responds!

To help you start with this new approach to simple eating, here’s an amazing broccoli soup recipe I created. It’s been featured quite prominently as part of my weight loss program, The Final Diet, but it’s so good that I really need to share it on my blog as well.

The beauty of this recipe is that the broccoli does not overwhelm anything, making it quite suitable for broccoli lovers and not-so-lovers alike. Enjoy!

Cream of Broccoli Soup

Ingredients

• 6 cups broccoli
• 1 can coconut milk
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 cups soup stock
• 1 dash Salt and pepper

Directions

• Steam broccoli, then add to blender.
• Bring chicken broth to a boil, then add to blender
• Add coconut milk, garlic & pepper to blender
• Close lid and blend for 30 seconds.

Makes 6 servings.
To turn into more of a complete meal, add 4-6 oz. grilled salmon or grilled chicken.
Nutrition Info (per serving): 150 kcal, 13 g fat, 5 g carbs (2 g fibre), 4 g protein.

This soup is quick, easy and nutritious. Try this recipe and see if it can become one of your fav 5.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. 400 Calorie Fixed
2. Low Fat Chicken Curry: Ridiculously Good Eating
3. Protein Pudding: Looks Awful, Tastes Great!

Dude, where’s my car?

Now you’d think that a city located in one of Canada’s snow belts would be prepared to deal with such a snowfall. But alas, London city hall seem to be blissfully unaware that yearly snow fall routinely tops 200 cm in this city and seems to have no plan for how to get rid of the snow. In fact, the mayor has even contemplated calling a state of emergency.

State of emergency?!? Seriously?

London, you should be embarassed.

While no one will refute that 100 cm is a lot of snow, there are countless Canadian cities where this amount of snowfall would barely register a blip on the old “inconvenience factor”.

A few years ago I took the liberty of contrasting the snow removal efforts of London to my hometown of Montreal, here is what I discoverd:

• Yearly snowfall: Montreal 218 cm, London 202 cm.

• Total area: Montreal 4260 sq. km, London 2665 sq. km.

• Snow fall removal budget: Montreal $130 million, London $10 million.
• Pieces of snow removal equipment: Montreal ~1000, London 63.

Now I realize that Montreal is larger than London, which accounts for some of the budget difference. However, given that the total snow fall is pretty similar, you’d assume that London city hall would show a little more foresight and spend more than 1/10th the amount of money or have more than 1/17th the number of snow clearing vehicles than Montreal does.

Sadly, common sense and city hall are apparently mutually exclusive terms.

Anyway, during periods like this when it’s almost impossible to go anywhere, sometimes the best approach is to just stay indoors and enjoy some comfort food.

Which brings me to the crux of today’s post: a killer mushroom soup recipe my girlfriend found a little while ago. This soup is creamy… without actually containing much fat or cream. So it’s totally physique friendly and makes a wonderful compliment to pretty much anything.

Ingredients

• 2 cups button mushrooms
• 1 cup cremini mushrooms
• 1 cup portabella mushrooms
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 clove garlic
• 1 1/2 cup parsnip
• 1 small onion
• 3 cup soup stock
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tbsp thyme
• 1 tbsp basil

Directions

In a large pot, heat oil and sauteé onions until translucent. Add garlic, thyme and basil, continue to sautée. Add mushrooms and parsnips, continue to sautée. Add stock and simmer 30 minutes, partially covered. Transfer to blender, add almond milk and purée. Adjust seasoning as desired.

Makes 6 servings.

Nutrition Info (per serving: 140 kcal, 7 g FAT, 15 g CHO (3 g fibre), 6 g PRO.

It really is one of the easier recipes you can make. Not only that but everyone who has tasted this soup has absolutely raved about it!

So if you find yourself couped up indoors over the Christmas holidays, give this recipe a try – your taste buds and your waist line will thank you.

Till next time, train hard and eat clean!

Related posts:

1. Really Simple Dieting: Eat, Repeat, Lose.
2. Novel Vegetable Recipes: Cauliflower Shepherd’s Pie
3. 400 Calorie Fixed