Morning Eggs Ideas

Are you looking for some different ways to change up those boring morning eggs?  Eggs are a great way to start your day as they give you the protein you need to get you going along with some healthy fats in the yoke.  Here are two ways to change up your scrambled eggs or egg whites in the am.

1)  As soon you take your eggs out of the pan add some cottage cheese along with your shredded cheese.  Not only does this give you tons of flavor but it spikes up your protein content along with giving that Casein Protein that cottage cheese contains.  (Casein is a long digesting protein that gives your muscles fuel for hours)   

2)  Make a breakfast burrito with a wheat tortilla.  Instead of adding sour cream with your hot sauce try plain greek yogurt.  I honestly cant tell the difference between light sour cream and greek yogurt.  Not only does this give you the flavor and cooling contrast with the hot sauce but it adds lots of protein that will get you going for the day!  

Sausage Minestrone Soup

Heres a great recipe for a slow cooker soup.  Healthy, Hearty, and Delicious.

Ingredients

3 Large Potatoes chopped

5 Carrots chopped

1 pd lean sausage

1 can Garbanzo Beans

1/2 cup macaroni

1 onion

4 cups water

4 chicken bullion cubes

Basil

Oregano 

First step is to put your carrots, onions  and sausage in a pan and brown the sausage while you satay the veggies.  While you do that start your slow cooker on low and add your water and chicken bouillon cubes.  Stir those up along with your basil and oregano.  You can add the potatoes and beans as well.  After the sausage and veggies are ready to go add those too.  Now cook on low for four hours.  When you have a half hour left add your macaroni.  Make sure not to cook it for longer then a half hour or else it will suck up all the broth.  ENJOY

CC

Smoked Prime Rib

Smoking a prime rib is not as hard as you might think.  First of all Prime Rib is so good and flavorful by itself that you dont need to do anything to it beforehand.  All I did is set it out til it reached room temperature and seasoned it with salt and pepper.  Now comes the smoking.  You want to smoke it low and slow at around 225 degrees. 

Make sure to continue to check the internal temperature.  I like mine medium rare so I went for an internal temp of 135 degrees.  NOW make sure you take it out when it hits 125-130 since the temp will rise 5-10 degrees after you take it out of the smoker.  Here is a good chart to go by.

NOTE: If you ignore every other bit of advice I've given, please pay attention to this - For a perfectly cooked rib roast, invest in a good meat thermometer. Internal temperature, not time, is the best test for doneness and you don't want to blow this meal!

After you take it out remember to let it sit for 5-10 minutes before you slice it or else you will let out all the juices.  ENJOY

Notice the great dark pink smoke line on the outside!

Smoked Pork and Beef Ribs

3-2-1 METHOD

First you need to start off with a nice coat of rub on your ribs.  You can buy a pre made mix or make your own.  Both work very well.  After I remove as much fat trimmings as I can from my ribs I give them a nice thick layer of rub.  I myself make my own mix of paprika, brown sugar, chili powder, cumin, salt, pepper, granulated garlic, and cayenne pepper.  After you have let the rub soak in for 30 minutes atleast it is time to put them on the smoker (you can just use a regular charcoal grill if you want) for 3 Hours.
(step one of the 3-2-1)

Make sure to get a really nice smoke on them at about 250 degrees.  After 3 hours take them out and they should be starting to break away from the bone.  Now its time to bake them for 2 hours at 250 degrees in the oven in tin foil.  (step 2 of 3-2-1)  I like to use agave, sugar, and margarine layered on the tin foil to keep the meat moist.  

Fold up your tin foil and throw those bad boys in the oven.

After 2 hours remove them from the foil.

Now it is time to grill them for 1 hour to get that grill flavor and also baste your sauce from the tin foil on top of them every 15 minutes.  (step 3 of 3-2-1)   6 hours all together you will have amazing tasting ribs!

I think I may need to purchase this rib rack below before I make another batch!

How much protein do you need?

While exact daily protein requirements vary by individual and goal, you need enough to maintain and build lean muscle mass. Aim to consume about one gram of protein per pound of body weight per day, divided among 4-6 meals. A diet this rich in protein will help you feel fuller for longer while refueling your muscles post-workout.

This goes for the person that is looking to lose fat and not lose any muscle that you have already built up.  Now if you are someone who want to make BIG gains in muscle you should try to hit 1.5-2 grams of protein per pound of body weight. If you are doing this make sure you split up your meals to at least 6 per day and 2-3 hours in between.  Here is an example with my current measurements.

Currently I weigh 270 pounds (6'6 & 12% body fat).  If I would like to maintain my muscle mass and lose fat I would look to eat 270 grams of protein per day.  So I would shoot for 45 grams of lean protein 6 times a day.  If you weigh 200 pounds you would want to eat 200 grams of protein a day.  33 grams 6 times a day.  

Now if you want to make BIG gains in muscle and you are happy with your body fat you would shoot for double that.  So me myself would attempt 540 grams per day with 90 grams per sitting 6 times a day.  A 200 pound person would go for 400 per day with 66 per sitting.

Don't forget your whey protein shakes as meal replacements a couple times per day to help achieve your protein goals!  

Here are some great examples of lean proteins to use.....

Chicken

Turkey

Lean Beef

Egg whites

Beans

Dairy

Protein Powder (Below is a link to a very good priced protein that I use everyday)

CC

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

If you are looking for a great snack or side thats healthy and tastes good look no further then Baked Sweet Potato Fries.  The Center for Science in the Public Interest rates sweet potatoes as the number one most nutritious vegetable because they such are so nutritionally rich.  I try to replace regular potatoes with sweet potatoes as much as possible.

Ingredients

Sweet Potatoes

Sea Salt

Olive Oil

Cinnamon

Start by preheating the oven to 450 degrees.  Now peel all the skin off your taters and cut them into french fry size.  Lay them on a baking sheet and be sure not to let them touch at all so they can get crispy.  Next drizzle them with olive oil and shake some sea salt and cinnamon over the top of them.  Bake for 10 minutes, flip them over, then bake for another 10 minutes.  And Enjoy!

CC 

Shepard's Pie

Ingredients

1 can of corn

1 can of carrots

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 onion chopped

1 pound hamburger

Salt and Pepper to taste

2 tbsp granulated garlic

4 cups cooked instant mashed potatoes

Fresh Parmesan cheese 

Brown 1 pound of hamburger with chopped onion.  Then add carrots, corn, and soup.  Cook on low for ten minutes.  Now place in a baking dish atleast 9x9.   Preheat oven to 350.  Place cooked potatoes over the top of your mixture and sprinkle with fresh parm.  Cook in the oven for 20-30 min.   You can add green beans or other veggies to your mixture but I cannot due to family members likings...... HA....

Enjoy

CC