Gluten-Free Mexican Scotch Eggs

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves: Makes 8 big scotch eggs

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs (2 are for the coating)
• 12 high meat percentage gluten-free sausages
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped into small chunks
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into small chunks
• ½ cup ground almonds
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cayenne chili powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add 8 of the eggs, bring to the boil again and cook for 4 minutes. As soon as the 4 minutes are up, remove saucepan from the heat, pour the hot water away, and replace with cold water to prevent the eggs from cooking further.
3. Mix the sausage meat, peppers, herbs, spices, salt, and pepper together thoroughly using your hands.
4. Peel your eggs, spread the ground almonds out on a plate, and then beat the remaining 2 eggs.
5. Carefully wrap the meat mixture around each egg until each egg is completely covered. Have a bowl of water handy and wet your hands a little to prevent the mixture sticking to you.
6. Once each egg is covered, roll each one in the beaten egg and then in the ground almonds. Then place onto a baking tray and into the oven for 25-30 minutes on the top rack.

Note: Some may split but don’t worry, they still taste awesome.

Read More:

• Stuffed and Sexy: 3 Sweet Potato Recipes for Post-Workout Meals
• How to Eat for All-Day Energy and Athletic Performance
• 5 Steps to Easy Weekly Meal Preparation
• New On Breaking Muscle Today

The post Protein Powerhouse: Gluten-Free Mexican Scotch Eggs appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

The situation mirrors the state of affairs within the fitness and nutrition industry. Rants abound surrounding the precise details of an optimal diet and the most effective training methods. Absolutes and extremes are presented with little research to support them. Fans of the ketogenic diet are slapping bacon and butter in the face of the vegans whilst the raw foodies smash up microwaves and declare the frying pan the worst enemy to mankind. Poor quality scientific studies frequently enter the mix to justify personal biases. And if someone brings gluten into the conversation, everyone totally loses their shit.

Health used to be as simple as an apple a day. Not so much anymore.

A good number of coaches have a genuine passion to help people transform their lives, but the bigger personalities and companies with a lot to say and more to sell are dominating and confusing the fitness and nutrition scene.

10 Universal Truths in Fitness and Nutrition

With this in mind, one of the most helpful and proactive things fitness professionals can offer right now is an agreement on some key principles for better health. The health industry overcomplicates nutritional solutions because that creates a reliance on the professional or company supplying them. This is misguided. The fitness professional’s skillset will always be required to guide and motivate, but communications about getting healthier should be simple, realistic, and easy to implement.

At Fitter Food, we believe in ten universal truths to improve your health, boost your performance, and achieve your body composition goals. These simple truths may be all you ever need to improve your fitness and nutrition.

1. Eat predominantly whole, minimally processed foods and limit flour-based products.
2. Limit refined and natural added sugars.
3. Eat primarily at mealtimes, with 3-5 hour gaps in-between meals, and avoid grazing.
4. Limit alcohol intake to 1-2 sensible servings and have plenty of alcohol-free days in your week.
5. Get 7-9 hours sleep every night.
6. Find a stress management activity you can implement daily to help you switch off.
7. Move more and frequently as part of your daily routine. Walk to work, stretch, clean the house, or do some gardening.
8. Find the form of exercise you most enjoy and do it 2-4 times a week. Try lifting, running, swimming, playing a sport, or dancing.
9. Cook the majority of your meals and source the ingredients yourself.
10. Make mealtimes an occasion where you sit down, relax, eat slowly, and chew your food sufficiently to aid healthy digestion and avoid overeating.

It’s Time to Work Together

We’re sure many people spoiled their ballot paper at the EU referendum due to the absence of leaders or parties they truly believed in. Similarly, many people who once approached fitness professionals to reclaim their health may now turn their back on an industry that seems to have completely lost its way.

We need to stop this from happening. It’s time for the fitness industry to work collectively with a shared vision of changing lives. It’s time to help people fuel themselves with better nutritional choices and lifestyle habits, and empower them with a true understanding of health. These principles are a great place to start.

More on taking the simple road to better nutrition:

3 Nutritional Strategies Every Athlete Needs

The post 10 Universal Truths in Fitness and Nutrition appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

When I entered the health and fitness industry I considered strength predominantly in the physical sense. Strength was related to how much iron I could rip off the ground and press over my head, and how long I could grit my teeth and push my mind beyond blisters and fatigue to beat the competition. This instilled a level of self-confidence about my physical capabilities. I considered myself strong, and so would anyone else who saw me in the gym.

Over the past few years, my perception of strength has drastically changed. I’ve come to realise that testing my physical limits is actually easy, thanks to my competitive nature and love of endorphins. However, life has presented me with a set of challenges that require a type of strength that goes beyond deadlifts and dumbbells.

This strength has kept me upbeat and positive when my mum was diagnosed with cancer. It led me to invest my life savings into writing a book, knowing that I might not sell a single copy. It made me open my laptop and restart after making almighty business blunders. There have been many occasions when, against all odds, I’ve managed to dig deep to discover an inner strength that I never knew existed, and I’m pretty sure I’m yet to see my personal best.

Whether it’s a performance, health, or life goal, strength builds the strongest version of you. (Photo courtesy of Cara Kobernik)

3 Crucial Elements to Embrace Strength

Strength is personal and subjective. To find real strength, you have to break down barriers, overcome limiting beliefs, and exceed your own expectations. It requires stamina and endurance of a different kind as you’re tested relentlessly from many different angles. Here’s an insight into what strength means to me.

1. Get Uncomfortable and Deal With It

With good intentions, expert coaching, and a burst of willpower, you can venture outside of your comfort zone. Sign up for a new class, enter a race, download a diet plan, hand in your notice at work, or launch a business to fulfill your ambitions. Venturing into the unknown is the easy part. The hard part comes when you realize how much hard graft, consistency, and focus are required for success. This place can be exhausting, boring, and frightening at times. Your comfort zone will coax you back with the promise of safety and familiarity every chance it gets.

Strength enables you to tough it out and get up again after knockbacks and mistakes. Strength gives you the drive to start fresh after a downright awful day. For me, running a business has easily been the toughest strength programme I’ve ever endured. Leaving my office job was easy because I was fueled by a passion to change the world. But it turns out, I’m a terrible entrepreneur. Public speaking petrifies me, I loathe discussing financial transactions, marketing lingo makes me shudder, and when tax season rolls around, I shove my head in the sand. But I’m still here, because I know every challenge makes me stronger.

Takehome: True strength involves acknowledging the commitment it takes to apply the knowledge, skills, tools, and confidence you need to navigate unfamiliar situations and challenges. Whether it’s a performance, health, or life goal, strength builds the strongest version of you. The first time you attempt to perform a squat, meditate, swing a kettlebell, write a blog, or poach an egg, it will likely feel unnatural, uncomfortable, and may even go wrong – especially the egg, if you’re as impatient as me. The second and third attempts might be the same, and it’s easy to feel like “this isn’t for me,” but please don’t give up. If you persist and remain dedicated through the bad times as well as the good, you will discover the true depth of your strength and achieve things you never thought possible.

More On the Science Behind Pushing Yourself:

The Hybrid Power Conditioning Program

2. Learn What to Do When Things Shift

When I was nineteen years old, my dad told me that a strong attitude and robust mindset will help you stay positive through uncertainty and change. His words resonate with me now more than ever. Years ago, when I told my dad I wanted to leave university because I was feeling totally overwhelmed, he took me on a long walk and explained that change in life is inevitable, and there would be many occasions when I would feel challenged or threatened by change. He told me confidently that the strongest people in life take attack change head on and make the situation work for them.

Takehome: In whatever process you’re going through – training, nutrition, weight loss, or career – look for positives. Many people focus on what they’re missing and remain blinkered to the new opportunities that lie ahead. If you’re improving nutrition, rather than lamenting the absence of your favorite foods, invest time in the kitchen to get savvy with your cooking skills so you can whip up tasty meals. If you’ve joined a new training venue, join in on social events and get to know the team so you feel comfortable in your new environment. If you struggle with the process, find a coach who will discuss your fears. At Fitter Food, the core of our work with clients is developing an awareness that adversity is tough, but ultimately it’s what makes you stronger.

Your strength will evolve as you take more risks, face more fears, experience more discomfort, and acknowledge and learn from your mistakes.

3. Embrace Yourself

In a world where technology has revolutionized how we live and interact, the Internet allows you to selectively edit how your lifestyle is perceived by others. The daily bombardment of aspirational images adds to the highly competitive social environment, making it tempting to enter the race, buy the supplements, or eat the superfoods. On top of that, the health and fitness industry is waiting with solutions to take advantage of these pressures you feel.

It takes a great deal of strength to stay true to your beliefs and values and not get swept along with the hype. I hope #justbeyourself becomes popular, as it’s vital to your happiness, health, and success in life.

Takehome: Many clients we coach come to realise that a reason they’re struggling to reach their goals is because they have imposed unrealistic expectations upon themselves. They lack the satisfaction of success because they are striving to become something they are not, perhaps driving themselves in to destructive habits. This can take the form of trying to achieve an unhealthy body composition or training through injuries, actions that are rooted in a materialistic perspective.

This pressure to be something you’re not is creating an epidemic of adrenal fatigue, orthorexia, overtraining injuries, and low self-esteem. To be yourself in a world where you’re encouraged to be anything but is a sure sign of your true strength. There is no such thing as perfection. Become best mates with your body. Have the courage to be open and honest about your vulnerabilities. Share mistakes, and admit when you fucked up. In essence, just be real, and if you’re ever in doubt on this journey, follow your gut instinct, because it’s often right.

Make real health your focus. Eat right, sleep enough, train hard, and fulfill your potential in life. There are no short cuts. The success you achieve is the direct result from consistently standing by your beliefs and taking pride in your efforts.

Take Care of Yourself:

3 Nutritional Strategies Every Athlete Needs

Strength Is All About You

The expression of strength goes beyond how much you lift, how fast you sprint, or how you perform in competition. You may not consider yourself to be strong, but I’m 100 percent confident you’re a force to be reckoned with.

At some point, life will force you to rise up when you want to hide. You’ll give everything you’ve got when you feel like you have nothing left, and you will believe in yourself when others don’t. Your strength will evolve as you take more risks, face more fears, experience more discomfort, and acknowledge and learn from your mistakes. You will emerge stronger and undefeated.

There is nothing that compares to your strength, because strength is all about you.

The post What Is Strength? appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

If you follow Fitter Food, you’ll know our approach to nutrition is a simple one. This hasn’t always been the case. I’ve been as guilty as the next guy of overcomplicating my quest to find the perfect diet to build muscle and maximise performance.

My finest moments have included measuring and tracking every macronutrient of food I consumed, intermittent fasting, carb backloading, carb cycling, and a questionable attempt at the ketogenic diet. When you start peeing on sticks in the name of nutrition, you know you’ve gone too far. The approach I take now is a lot less complicated.

3 Nutritional Strategies Every Athlete Needs

I find the simpler my nutritional approach, the more successful I am in achieving results that are sustainable. With this in mind, these are my top three nutritional strategies for athletes. They’ve helped a lot of our clients make considerable progress towards their health, fat loss, and performance goals.

For sustainable results in the gym, keep your nutrition plan simple and consistent.

1. Hit Your Protein Goal (But Don’t Lose Sleep Over It)

I used to think that nutrition for lean muscle building should be all about the protein. I made the assumption that twice the recommended amount of protein would bring twice the results. I’d blow my protein goal out of the water every single day and keep a couple of chicken drumsticks tucked behind my ears for emergencies. I was wrong. It’s just not necessary to consume that amount of protein. It can be a huge stress on your digestive system, and pretty expensive to boot.

Take the simpler approach. Trusted research recommends between 1.5 – 2g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight in trained individuals.¹ Use these guidelines as a starting point to estimate your own requirements. For example, I weigh around 100kg, so somewhere between 150-200g of protein is ideal for me.

Once you have your intake range, familiarise yourself with the protein content of the foods you frequently eat. I’ve given some examples below to get you started.

• 1 breast of chicken = 25-30g protein
• 1 fillet of salmon = 20-25g protein
• 1 homemade beef burger = 20-25g protein
• 1 sirloin steak = 25-30g protein
• 1 egg = 6g protein
• 1 portion of beef jerky = 15-20g protein
• 1 whey protein shake = 25-30g protein
• 1 avocado = 4g
• 3 Tbsp of hummus = 4g
• 1 handful nuts = 7g

Next, plan your meals around your protein goal to ensure you fall within its range on a consistent basis to support your training. For my protein goal, a typical day looks like this:

• Breakfast: 4 scrambled eggs, half an avocado, wilted spinach, 3 rashers of bacon (35g protein)
• Post Workout: Whey protein shake (30g protein)
• Lunch: Salmon fillet, salad, feta cheese, green vegetables (40g protein)
• Snack: A homemade burger (25g protein)
• Dinner: Piri-Piri chicken, sweet potatoes, green vegetables, salad (30g protein)

Daily total = 160g protein

Keep things simple and uncomplicated. If you fall short on your protein intake one day, don’t lose sleep over it. Training, lifestyle, rest, and stress all play fundamental roles in your performance and it’s not the end of the world.

2. Eat Mindfully and Intuitively

A big focus with our clients is to educate athletes and empower them to make better decisions with food, based on an intuitive understanding of their own needs. You don’t have to track your macros minutely to get results. Believe it or not, MyFitnessPal didn’t exist a few years ago and people still succeeded in their health and fat loss goals.

The key is to eat more mindfully. Implement simple nutrition strategies such as increasing carbohydrates and lowering fat intake on training days, but also learn to listen to your body’s feedback as well. It’s not conducive to anyone’s digestion or satiation to wolf food down quickly and mindlessly in front of the TV. Your body needs time to digest food sufficiently to experience the hormonal responses that indicate fullness.

“Understanding your individual needs and the daily feedback provided by your body will ultimately be your best tactic for long term success.”

To incorporate a more mindful eating routine, eat in a relaxed, calm environment and take the time to chew your food sufficiently. Avoid eating on the go and try not to multitask on on your smartphone or laptop whilst you’re eating. Mastering a more intuitive eating process means you’ll eat when you’re actually hungry rather than relying on calorie counting. You’ll learn to recognise the difference between boredom, real hunger, and just plain greed. As humans, we’re incredibly intelligent but we’ve lost our ability to understand our natural dietary instincts. Reclaim this ability with intuitive eating.

3. Invest In Food Quality First

Athletes can be unbelievably focused on macronutrients and the latest supplements, but they can pay precious little attention to the quality of their food. This is especially true of protein. Back in my protein-obsessed days not only was I consuming too much protein, most of it was of poor quality to keep my costs down. The more I understood about welfare standards and the benefits of sourcing produce locally, the more important food quality became to me.

It matters where your food comes from.

Although free range, grass fed, and organic meats and produce may seem more expensive, if you step back and assess where you make your health investments, you’ll find you’ll happily shell out hundreds of pounds for workout gear only to moan about the expense of higher quality ingredients.

Invest in superior food sources and opt for organic and locally reared food as often as your budget and schedule allows. Cut out the middle man and head to a farmer’s market or farm shop to get good quality produce at cheaper prices – they frequently reward loyal customers with discounts. If all else fails, stock up on cheaper, high quality options like tinned fish or eggs.

Practice Simplicity For Success

Simplifying your approach to nutrition is the key to making positive and sustainable changes to your health and performance. It takes practice, and you may need the help of a few apps and trackers initially, but understanding your individual needs and the daily feedback provided by your body is your best tactic for long term success.

More Like This:

• Eat to Perform: 6 Simple Strategies for the Busy Athlete
• Save Time and Money: Streamline Your Meal Prep
• Let’s Talk About Protein: When, Where, and How Much Do You Need?
• New on Breaking Muscle UK

Photos courtesy of Fitter Food.

References:

1. Phillips, S. & Van Loon L. (2011) Dietary protein for athletes: from requirements to optimum adaptation. Journal of Sports Science.

The post 3 Nutritional Strategies Every Athlete Needs appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

It’s easy to knock together in just 30 minutes and tastes quite simply awesome.

Lemon and Cumin Mackerel With Moroccan Mash

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 4

Ingredients:

• 4 mackerel fillets
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
• 2 teaspoons of olive oil
• 1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon of Ras el Hanout spice blend
• Freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4.
2. Place the mackerel fillets in an oven dish and top each one with a squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of cumin and black pepper.
3. Place the mackerel in the oven and bake for around 20 minutes.
4. Whilst the mackerel is cooking, steam or boil the cauliflower until soft.
5. Mash with the olive oil, garlic, and Ras el Hanout.
6. Place the mash in the oven until the mackerel is cooked and serve.

More Like This:

• Kilner Jar Noodles: Convenient Carbs for Athletes
• Healthy, Easy, and Delicious: Meat and Two Veg Burgers
• Mash for GAINZ: 4 Recipes to Get a Head Start on Meal Prep
• New on Breaking Muscle UK

Photo courtesy of Fitter Food.

The post Mackerel and Moroccan Mash: A Tasty Post-Workout Protein Hit appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

This recipe packs a huge protein hit and has the added bonus of extra micronutrients from the vegetables. They’re quick and easy to put together and make a tasty portable snack or meal. We batch-cook a tray and keep leftovers for lunches and snacks, or freeze them for a quick ready meal later.

Meat and Two Veg Burgers

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 25-30 minutes

Yield: 8 burgers

Ingredients:

• 500g beef or lamb mince
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 100g cherry tomatoes, quartered
• Large handful of spinach, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, grated
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2-3 tsp mustard powder
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• Himalayan pink salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180c.
2. Combine all the ingredients together thoroughly using your hands in a large mixing bowl.
3. Shape into 8 burger patties, lay on a grill tray and place in the oven to cook for 25-30 minutes.
4. Serve in a lettuce wrap, topped with bacon if desired.
5. Add a side of chunky sweet potato chips and sliced avocado.

Our latest book has a heap of creative burger combinations – at Fitter Food we firmly believe that daily eating should should be healthy, quick and easy to cook, and taste delicious.

More Like This:

• Supercharged Snacking: Gluten-Free Mexican Scotch Eggs
• Salads For Athletes: 4 Recipes to Boost Your Nutrient Intake
• Lean and Tasty Homemade Burgers (Without the Fillers)
• New on Breaking Muscle UK

Photo courtesy of Fitter Food.

The post Healthy, Easy, and Delicious: Meat and Two Veg Burgers appeared first on Breaking Muscle.

We love a scotch egg. A great protein and fat hit, packed with flavour, and full of nutrients – especially the way we make them. These are great at any meal time, or as a grab-and-go snack. We recommend bulk cooking so there are plenty for other days, as you will be scoffing these straight out of the oven!

How to Make Gluten-FreeMexicanScotch Eggs

Prep time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30-35 minutes
Serves: Makes 8 big scotch eggs

Ingredients:

• 10 eggs (2 are for the coating)
• 12 high meat percentage gluten-free sausages
• 1 green pepper, deseeded and chopped into small chunks
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and chopped into small chunks
• 100g ground almonds
• 3 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cayenne chilli powder
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius
2. Bring a saucepan of water to the boil, add 8 of the eggs, bring to the boil again and cook for 4 minutes. As soon as the 4 minutes is up, remove saucepan from the heat, pour the hot water away, and replace with cold water to prevent the eggs from cooking further.
3. Mix the sausage meat, peppers, herbs, spices, salt, and pepper together thoroughly using your hands.
4. Peel your eggs, spread the ground almonds out on a plate, and then beat the remaining 2 eggs.
5. Carefully wrap the meat mixture around each egg until each egg is completely covered. Have a bowl of water handy and wet your hands a little to prevent the mixture sticking to you.
6. Once each egg is covered, roll each one in the beaten egg and then in the ground almonds. Then place onto a baking tray and into the oven for 25-30 minutes on the top shelf.

Note: Some may split but don’t worry, they still taste awesome. BOSH!

Read More:

• Lean and Tasty Homemade Burgers (Without the Fillers)
• 3 Easy Paleo Recipes for Busy People
• Mash for GAINZ – 4 Recipes to Get a Head Start on Meal Prep
• New On Breaking Muscle UK Today

The post Supercharged Snacking: Gluten-Free Mexican Scotch Eggs appeared first on Breaking Muscle.