Meal Planning 101: 1 Hour to Achieve Your Fitness Goals | Discount Coupon for Udemy Course

TRANSCRIPT

Welcome to the Meal Planning 101 Course, where I'll teach you how to create a perfect meal plan that fits your schedule and budget. In this section, we'll talk about the foundation of every meal plan, and your goals.

Setting and identifying fitness goals can be a great way to stay motivated and reach your desired level of health and wellness. In this section, we'll talk about how to determine your goals and how to achieve them.

First, let's take a look at what we'll cover. In lecture one, we'll determine what you want to accomplish. This helps you pinpoint your exact strategy and provides a baseline to work with. Lectures two, three, and four will be about the different stages you can decide to go through - bulking, cutting, and maintaining. Let's go to lecture one now.

You may be asking yourself why are determining my goals important. Simply put, it's crucial to create an optimal meal plan. Every meal plan is different based on the needs and wants of the user. These factors also affect the recipes you make and eat. Your goals also define your strategies.

Now that we got that out of the way, we have to create a plan of action, this is what most people skip when creating a meal plan. Think of it as an outline for you to visualize what to eat.

In nutrition, there are three major goals. These include bulking, cutting, and maintaining. Bulking is a calorie surplus, while cutting is a calorie deficit. In the maintenance stage, your goal is to maintain a caloric balance.

Let's start creating your goal. The best way to do so is by creating a smart goal. They are easy to set up and make meal planning a lot easier.

When you think of a smart goal, think of what each letter stands for. A great goal incorporates all 5 components. The s stands for specific. For example, if my goal was to lose weight, I would strive for a specific number, so my goal would be 'I want to lose 5 pounds by next month.'

The M stands for measurable. You want to create a quantifiable objective so you can easily track your progress.

The A stands for attainable, the R stands for relevant, and the T stands for Timely. These are pretty straightforward but are crucial in creating an optimal goal.

On a separate piece of paper, I want you to write down your own smart goal. Once you have that written down you'll be able to determine what you want to accomplish and how to get there.

Here are some benefits of creating a smart goal. Hopefully, you've been able to determine your fitness goals, so we can move on to the next section!

TRANSCRIPT

Now that we have an idea of each stage, let’s look at them more in-depth. We’ll cover bulking first. “Bulking” has become a buzzword in the fitness journey. When you hear bulking, you would want to think of it as a calorie surplus with a purpose. In most cases, the goal is to build muscle while limiting fat storage.

Before we continue, let’s take a look at what a calorie surplus is. A calorie surplus simply means you’re consuming more calories than you’re burning daily. When you do this strategically and combine it with a high-resistance strength training program, your body will store the extra calories as muscle. You can also expect an increase in body fat percentage, which isn’t bad in most cases.

Next, we’ll take a look at the benefits of bulking. The main focus of the bulking phase is to build muscle mass, but bulking can also make both men and women stronger AND leaner.

Building muscle has benefits such as improved athletic performance, increased strength, and changes in body composition, leading to a leaner appearance that you might be striving for. Muscles also need energy to keep them strong, work, and recover, so they support a faster, healthier metabolism. It means that you can eat an increased amount of food during the phase to allow the muscles to receive the needed nutrients.

It's important to note that the bulking phase is accompanied by an increase in fat in the body, but this isn’t a bad thing. So how do you determine if you should bulk? People who may benefit from a calorie surplus include:

Weightlifters who want or need to move up the weight class before their next competition

People who have been cutting for a long time can benefit from a higher calorie intake

Any athlete in a strength program whose primary goal is to get stronger (if you train intentionally, you are an athlete!)

People who are very thin and want to improve their strength and performance.

There are a few things to consider when choosing to bulk. From the quality of your food to your current body composition, there are a few things to consider when deciding if weight gain is right for you.

Your main concern is entering a dirty bulk. This is when all kinds of foods are used to create that calorie surplus. For example, pizza, soda, and pretty much any food that has tons of empty calories. The problem with this approach is that eating too much of these foods can have the following adverse effects:

Poor gym performance and poor recovery

Digestive system issues such as bloating

Increased tiredness

Decreased mood

Gaining more fat than muscle

Many people struggle to eat enough to meet their higher-calorie needs during this stage. Focus on natural foods.

Choose foods that have health benefits and high nutritional value, but unlike the cutting phase, filling up with super-lean protein sources and non-starchy vegetables like broccoli won't help. It would be crazy to think you can achieve a calorie surplus by just eating vegetables!

Instead, aim for high-fat protein options such as ground beef, pork, steak, and salmon. Preferably, this meat would be grass-fed. Just as the name suggests, this means the animal was fed grass during its life, instead of grains, soy, and corn. This is an unnatural diet for the animal, as well as something as humans we want to avoid.

Grass-fed meat also boasts more nutrients, such as more Omega 3’s than Omega 6’s, vitamins, and conjugated linoleic acid, or CLAs, which are shown to improve immunity and inflammation. One last thing, do not be afraid of saturated fat if the food you’re eating is good. These include red meat, coconut and olive oil, grass-fed butter, and ghee.

This is because you want to avoid trans fats, which are found in food that’s processed, such as McDonald’s burgers. According to research done at the University of Hull, triglyceride levels were reduced when patients ate coconut oil and included exercise in their daily routine. The type of cholesterol you’re taking in matters more than what you’re taking it in in the first place. This is because it’s not so black and white, as LDL cholesterol, mistakenly labeled as bad has different subtypes that are beneficial!

The theory that saturated fat was linked to heart disease started in 1955 when Ansel Keys introduced his lipid hypothesis. It has never been proven but has remained one of the most common myths in the food industry.

Add high-quality carbohydrates like sweet potatoes, rice, pumpkin, some vegetables, and tropical fruits. Ultimately, you want to reduce, if not eliminate all processed foods no matter what stage you take on, and a huge ingredient you need to be wary of is seed oils.

In my next course, I’ll talk about food ingredients much more in-depth, so be on the lookout for that.

Now that you have a better idea about the bulking stage, continue to the cutting stage, which is the opposite of the bulking stage.

TRANSCRIPT

You can simply think of cutting as the opposite of bulking.

A "cut" is a period of reduced caloric intake combined with resistance training to reduce weight and body fat while maintaining as much muscle mass as possible. This stage is more than just dieting.

When people go on a diet, their main goal is to lose weight, and they often don't consider the actual weight they are losing. In other words, individuals only care about the number on the scale and that means losing fat, muscle, and water.

Protein and carbohydrate intake is very important during weight loss to support continued performance in the weight room or gym. Eating enough protein can help you lose most of your fat with minimal impact on strength, performance, and muscle mass. It is important to continue training as normal to keep yours.

While you can do your best to maintain strength and muscle while cutting, it's important to remember that it's not a guarantee. In general, the deeper the cut, the more negative impact on strength and performance you will notice. As such, smaller, more uniform cuts tend to win races.

The mood is also affected by the foods you choose when you are in a calorie deficit.

Some of the best foods to eat while cutting include:

chicken breast

extra lean turkey

protein

low-fat greek yogurt

complex carbs

cucumbers

peppers

berries

Cutting essentially means you're consuming fewer calories than your body burns, so timing your nutrition before and after your workout is important.

In general, consuming protein as soon as possible after exercise (use the list above!) will help start the recovery process. Aside from that, keep it evenly spaced throughout the day for optimal blood sugar stabilization and recovery.

When it comes to carbs, eating high carbs before and after your workout will give you the energy to train harder and recover harder. Eating carbs helps you feel fuller with fewer calories.

Losing weight can get you closer to your goals. Here are some examples:

weightlifter or anyone in a weight-specialized sport who needs to reach a certain weight to compete

figure or body competitors

someone with a specific physical goal

Athletes who want to maintain as much strength and fitness as possible while achieving weight loss or fat loss goals.

But here's the deal:

You can't live forever in a cut. Your body needs enough fuel to maintain healthy hormones, metabolism, and daily functions. Cuts have a time and place, but they are not forever.

After reaching your body composition goals, the next question is probably "What's next?"

You can go straight to "mass", but it's usually helpful to get back into the maintenance phase through reverse dieting first. This will be explained in the maintenance lecture.

TRANSCRIPT

That leaves us with maintaining, which is usually used if you want to improve your body composition or remain where you currently are. This phase is just as it sounds: maintaining body weight, muscle mass, and physique. The (somewhat counterintuitive) thing to keep in mind here is that even maintenance can be fluid through different seasons of life. If your activity levels change, your maintenance macros likely will too!

Just like cutting, bulking, and reversing, the maintenance phase is purposeful.

Calorie intake is indeed higher at maintenance than in the cut phase, AND it is also true that choosing from whole food sources is going to bring the highest benefit.

You will have more flexibility around your targets which can feel free, but a little leeway can sometimes be taken farther than we planned. The goal is to eat the number of calories that allow you to maintain your weight, body composition, and performance.

Maintenance may be right for you in many different situations. Consider this phase if you:

• Have completed a cut and reverse diet and are not ready for any other changes (like bulking)

• Have completed a bulk and wish to remain where you are

• Need a diet break from your bulk or cut

• Want to grow your understanding of food, macros, and other nutrients without gaining or losing weight

• Wish to improve your relationship with food without feeling the pressure to change your body

• Want to step away from strict tracking and begin eating more intentionally

• If you have a vacation or holiday coming up

This is often a tricky phase because of the increased flexibility with your targets and the need to slowly build trust with your body and hunger signals. However, with proper planning, you can easily find yourself thriving during the maintenance phase.

Now that you know what you're striving for, next up is identifying the most common meal-planning myths. After completing this section, you'll be able to identify and debunk some of the most popular myths so you don't fall victim to them. Let's take a look at what we'll cover in the section.

The first myth we'll go over is that it's impossible to lose weight, then we'll talk about the timing of meals, followed by eating before bed. Lastly, we'll talk about vegetarian and vegan diets compared to an animal-based diet. Lecture 5 will be about claims that are actually true.

The goal of this section is to identify myths. This is important because you'll understand what to incorporate and what not to include in your meal plan. Let's start with the first myth.

The first myth we'll talk about is the claim that it's impossible for some people to lose weight. This claim is false because evidence shows that failed weight loss attempts almost always come down to poor psychology. How do they know this?

Well, this is what the science says. Research shows that most weight loss failures are caused by people fighting their own bodies. When trying to lose weight, cutting is the way to go. However, cutting is a restrictive stage your body isn't used to, so when most people initially attempt to cut, their body is not used to the lack of food, thereby negatively impacting their attempt to lose weight.

To successfully enter and maintain a cut, you'll have to know how to solve those issues. The main thing you want to focus on is your gut microbiome. The gut microbiome is currently being studied, but early research shows that it has a direct effect on your mood, immune system, weight status, metabolism, and overall health. To improve your gut microbiome, the key is to eat whole, unprocessed food, which as you probably have noticed, is a growing theme in this course. Eating good foods also helps you stay full longer, so you're able to eat less.

Here's a quick summary of what we just learned about the weight loss myth. Now that we know how to solve the problems that come with weight loss, let's go to the next lecture.

The next myth we'll discuss is that smaller, more frequent meals are best. However, studies show that people who eat larger, fewer meals have lower blood glucose levels, on average. There are also more benefits we'll talk about too. As a note, I have listed every source I have and will use in this course which you can find in the resources section, which is the last section of this course.

First, we have to find out why people believe this claim. Many people believe that smaller, more frequent meals are better because it increases your metabolic rate. However, this has been proven to be a myth. The reason this claim is false is that it is the total amount of food that determines the amount of energy expended during digestion.

Let's take a look at what the science says. Multiple studies have compared the two meal strategies and concluded that there is no significant effect on either metabolic rate or the total amount of fat lost. Less frequent eating has also been shown to improve satiety and reduce hunger compared to more frequent meals. This is because when you're eating a lower amount of meals, your body wants to increase the volume you're consuming. Studies also show that your daily blood sugar level will lower if you eat a heavier meal at the beginning of your day.

Taking everything we just learned, we can conclude that smaller, frequent meals are arguably worse than bigger, less frequent meals.

Here's a summary for you to look over regarding the second myth. Once you're done, continue to lecture three.

Next, we'll discuss the myth that eating before bed causes you to gain weight. The real reason you might gain weight from eating before bed, although rather simple, is actually just the amount of food you're eating!

The actual reason you might gain weight is because of the extra calories you're consuming. As long as you plan for the extra food, eating before bed can actually be beneficial. When people eat before bed, some, if not most of them are not paying close attention to the amount they're consuming. Usually, they're watching shows and are subconsciously eating, which in turn negatively impacts the progress they made throughout the day. Eating before bed, when carefully considered and planned out may actually solve nighttime eating and aid in weight loss!

You can also experience some other benefits when eating before bed. These include aiding in weight loss since studies show that night-time eaters are more satisfied with what they consume. It can also prevent overeating, as planning out what you're going to eat, helps you eat less throughout the day to balance out the food you'll eat later. And lastly, it can also help stabilize blood sugar. Research proves that eating before bed may prevent changes in blood sugar, which can be especially beneficial to certain people.

Here are some quick points to consider about eating before bed. Once you're ready, let's go to the last myth.

The last myth we'll go over is that a vegetarian or vegan diet is better than an animal-based diet. This is the trickiest, and maybe most popular myth we'll discuss. Keep in mind that your overall dietary pattern and habits matter more than any one food.

There are many benefits you can experience by eating an animal-based diet, such as an improved immune system, boosted energy levels, higher metabolism, and better brain health. This is because animal protein provides the natural nutrients that all humans need to survive and thrive.

The reason that this claim is tricky is that most people use misleading evidence to support a fully-plant based diet. Most plant-eaters are more health conscious than animal eaters (which includes frequent fast food consumers) because they think eating only plants is healthier. This skews the data in favor of eating plants, but analyzing the data shows that eating whole foods is what makes the difference. Like everything with nutrition, these claims and evidence aren't so black and white.

When determining which diet is right for you, carefully consider your needs and goals. No matter which diet you end up choosing, eating whole, unprocessed foods is the most important aspect.

Here's the summary of the last myth we'll discuss. In the next lecture, we'll talk about claims that you can believe and follow.

Now that we've covered the myths, let's talk about claims that are actually true. Some claims to believe are that Our guts are closely linked to our brains and moods, Healthier lifestyles can lead to more happiness, Sugar is worse for you than fat, A good diet increases immunity, and Excess processed food consumption leads to obesity and disease. I'll explain more about each claim.

First, let's talk about how our guts are closely linked to our health. Like we discussed earlier, the gut microbiome has been proven to be linked to our immune system, risk of disease, and our overall health in general. Next, a healthier lifestyle is proven to improve your mood. This is because being physically active causes chemical changes in the brain which can help improve your mood. It can also increase self-confidence.

Another big claim is that sugar is worse for you than fat. This is because majority of sugar intake comes from processed, terrible food, such as soda, chips, and other sweet items. Believe it or not, during the 1960s, the sugar industry paid off scientists to blame fat for people's physique problems. Don't believe that though, as high quality fats are extremely beneficial to humans. i have linked the articles in the sources used section of this course. The next claim is that a good diet increases immunity. This goes back to the gut microbiome again. When you feed your body whole, unprocessed food, your microbiome will improve, thereby increasing immunity and health. You can probably start to see how much impact your gut microbiome has on your overall well-being.

The last claim we'll discuss is that processed foods cause obesity. The reason for this is because of the ingredients, which are more important than any other aspect of nutrition we mentioned before. Processed foods contain additives and preservatives that are barely consumable for humans. Some ingredients you want to avoid:

• Processed sugars (corn syrups, coconut sugar, brown sugar, etc.)

• Seed oils (Soybean, palm, sunflower, safflower, rapeseed, etc.)

• Red 40, sodium nitrite & nitrate, etc.

These ingredients are harmful to human consumption and extremely processed. Seed oils promote inflammation and the accumulation of toxins in body fat, as well as other chronic health conditions, so stay away from them as much as you can. this is because they are heated up to extreme temperatures to oxidize them. To save you time, and get straight to the meal planning section, I won't go more in-depth on the processes of each ingredient, but I will be creating a few more courses that will cover ingredients, nutrition labels, and more I've touched on in this course.

Here's some quick points to keep in mind about the claims we discussed.

We reached the end of this section, now let's continue to section 4, where we'll talk about how to start creating your meal plan!

Welcome to section four of the meal planning 101 courses, we're halfway there! In this section, I'll teach you how to make delicious plans that benefit your body, and are customized to your budget and lifestyle.

Here's what we'll cover in this section. First, we'll talk about how to incorporate the food knowledge we learned in the previous two sections to create the best meal plan possible. Then, we'll discuss the best and worst ingredients, followed by the benefits and limitations of a meal plan. Next, we'll talk about how to create your meal plan, and lastly how to maintain one. Let's head over to lecture one now.

Creating an optimal meal plan that is customizable can be a great way to ensure that you are getting the nutrition you need. To begin, it's important to consider your individual nutritional needs. Are you looking to lose weight, maintain weight, or gain weight? This will determine the number of calories you should aim to consume each day. Once you have an idea of your calorie intake, you can start to develop your meal plan. The ingredients are the most important, you want your meal plan to consist of whole foods, with no, if not very few processed ingredients. You'll also want to consider the macros you consume. The big three are fats, proteins, and carbs. Carbs are broken down into sugars, although complex carbs are beneficial. Those are foods such as sweet potatoes and white rice. In all stages, you want to incorporate protein and fats. When bulking you obviously want to increase protein intake to grow your muscles and body composition further. Now that you know how to incorporate your food knowledge, head over to lecture two, where I'll show you the best and worst ingredients to include in your meal plan.

In this lecture, we'll discuss the best and worst ingredients for your meal plan.

First, we'll discuss the top ingredients to avoid. These include processed sugars, seed oils, preservatives, and soy, wheat, and corn. Let's discuss each more in-depth.

Processed sugars are addictive, they damage your immune system, they're deficient in nutrients and minerals, detrimental to organs, and can lead to depression or decreased mood. Processed sugars include cane sugar, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, and even coconut sugar. Next is seed oils. The main reasons you want to avoid these are because of the high levels of PUFAs or polyunsaturated fatty acids, which have been linked to heart disease since it increase the amount of OMEGA-6s in our bodies. They were invented in 1911 by proctor and gamble to reduce the costs of food production, which in turn led to a negative impact on the health of consumers.

Let's talk about preservatives. The main reason we want to avoid them is that they are artificial. They are also linked to potentially life-threatening effects. To make sure you're not consuming any, closely examine the ingredient labels, and look for nitrites, nitrates, etc. Lastly, we want to avoid soy, wheat, and corn. We touched on it earlier when we talked about grass-fed meat, but the reason we want to stay away from them is that they're deficient in nutrients, and almost always found in processed foods. Also, they commonly include pesticides and GMOs since they are produced very cheaply like seed oils.

next, let's talk about the best ingredients to eat. These include organic fruits, healthy fats, complex carbs, and grass-fed meat. Let's talk about organic fruits first.

• Organic fruits are a great source of fiber, Reduce health risks, and are rich in necessary nutrients such as vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. Healthy fats increase satiety, which means you'll stay fuller longer. They also boost HDL cholesterol levels, which is the good kind, and protect you from obesity and diseases. Some foods that contain healthy fats include grass-fed butter, ghee, beef tallow, olive oil, and avocados.

Complex carbs boast more nutrients than simple carbs. Some Examples include fruit, sweet potato, and white rice. they are also Higher in fiber & digest slower. Grass-fed meat, as we discussed earlier features a balanced omega 3 to 6 ratio. It does not increase LDL cholesterol levels and improves immunity and inflammation.

Here are some quick points about the best and worst ingredients. Next, let's learn about the benefits and limitations of a meal plan.

In this lecture, we'll talk about the pros and cons of a meal plan. Let's get started!

The reason we want to identify these is so that you can analyze the problems you might face on your meal-planning journey.

• Let's talk about the meal planning benefits first. You are more likely to accomplish goals, Feel more prepared weekly, and know what you're eating. It also Saves you time and money since you'll be more efficient.

• Some limitations you can experience are a Possibility of a surplus of food, you might not have the motivation to cook, Bad recipes/bad cooking, and it takes a lot of planning & discipline. Don't worry though, there are ways to solve these potential problems.

The biggest key to solving limitations is by knowing what they are and having a backup plan for when they occur. Some days you might have no motivation to cook, but pushing through shows you the endless benefits of meal planning. By planning out your day of cooking or shopping, you'll already have an outline so you know what you need to accomplish that day. As for bad recipes, I'll discuss some of my favorites later on in this course.

You can look over this summary of the benefits and limitations to identify what you might experience. In the next lecture, we'll discuss how to create your meal plan.

This is the lecture you've been waiting for: creating your meal plan! A great way to create a meal plan that is customizable is to plan out your meals in advance. Think about what you'd like to eat each day, and make a list of foods that fit into your calorie goals. If you're looking to add variety to your meals, consider creating a list of meals that you can rotate throughout the week. This will make it easier to keep track of what you're eating and help you stay on track with your meal plan.

Here's an easy step-by-step guide on how to create your perfect plan! First, start out with your goals and limits, then review your schedule to set out a couple of hours each week to shop and cook. Next, you'll find recipes to make, create an outline, and finally go shopping!

As we discussed in previous lessons, setting and identifying goals is crucial to creating a meal plan that fits your needs and circumstances. However, you also need to set limits for yourself, such as budget, the food you won't eat, and how many times you'll go to the grocery store per week.

Before planning which recipes to cook, you need to figure out when you will cook. This will determine what type of recipe you'll utilize. Setting a certain block of time aside every week or day to cook can be beneficial for you and your meal plan as a whole.

Next is finding your recipes. There are many great resources for this including an online search, Gutful, which is a recipe book we created that highlight what I eat in a day that's perfect for anyone in any stage, word of mouth, or by using the next section of this course. You want to list out your favorite meals you plan on creating.

Creating and outline is the step most people visualize when thinking of a meal plan. By writing down what and when you're going to eat, you can dramatically reduce your stress levels. We'll include a link for a free meal plan template to use that we've created. Once you have a list of meals, start to organize them into the weekly meal plan template. Consider adding snacks that you can enjoy throughout the day for an extra boost of energy. Meal planning does not have to be complicated, and you can make it as simple or complex as you'd like.

Lastly, make a shopping list! This step is the most simple. All you have to do is analyze your recipes for the week and determine what ingredients you have, and what you need. Then, just write down what you need, and that becomes your shopping list. Be careful, don't be tempted by other products at the store!

No matter what type of meal plan you decide to create, make sure that it is something you can stick to. Keeping track of what you're eating and making sure you are getting the nutrition you need is essential to achieving your health and wellness goals. The last lecture of this section includes tips for you to stick with your meal plan.

Now that we have most of the meal-planning aspects down, we have to consider how we're going to stick to our plan. There are many tricks and tips you can use that I personally have found to be beneficial. These include working your way up, batch cooking, eating similar or the same meals, and using meal plan templates. Utilizing a cheat day is popular, and if you don't abuse it, it can help as well. Sticking with a meal plan can be difficult, especially if you don't enjoy the foods that you're eating. Here are some tips to help you stay on track:

• Choose foods that you actually enjoy. If you don't like the food on your meal plan, you're not going to be motivated to stick to it. Make sure to pick meals that you look forward to eating.

• Make meal prep easy. Set aside a few hours each week to batch-cook your meals, so that you don't have to worry about cooking each day of the week. You can simply store the recipes you make in a reusable container to store. This way, you'll have healthy, delicious meals ready to go when you're in a hurry.

• Plan ahead. If you know you have a busy day, make sure to plan your meals in advance. This way, you won't be tempted to grab fast food or unhealthy snacks.

• Treat yourself. If you've been sticking to your meal plan all week, reward yourself with a cheat meal. Just make sure to keep it in moderation.

Creating and maintaining a meal plan is hard. If it was easy, everyone would do it. However, proper planning is crucial to better your chances of succeeding. One last tip is to reward yourself after every certain number of days so you stay motivated. Following a meal plan can be difficult, but it's worth it in the end. With some planning and dedication, you can stick to your meal plan and reach your health goals.

Here's a quick summary of what we learned.

As discussed in this section, we have a 31-recipe cookbook to make creating and finding recipes for your meal plan easier. We have included a link to it in the bonus resources section at the end of this course.

Now that we know how to create a meal plan, we'll discuss some of my favorite recipes that you might want to try in your plan.

Now that we know everything that makes a great meal plan and how to stick with one, we have to determine what we want to cook! After this section, you'll be able to make delicious recipes to include in your meal plan. Let's take a look at what we'll cover.

In lectures 1, 2, 3, and 4 I'll share my top 3 breakfast, lunch, dinner, and dessert, everyone's favorite. In the last lecture, I'll share my tips on creating your own recipe the easy way! Let's head over to lecture one.

Starting your day with a nutritious, heart-healthy meal is always a good idea. Let's dive into my top 3 recipes I personally make and eat.

First, this is my go-to smoothie. I have it almost every day. It's a simple eight-ingredient recipe that tastes so good. The only required equipment you'll need is a blender and a cup. Let's go to the next recipe.

A simple protein waffle is another one of my go-to's. Topped with maple syrup and grass-fed butter this dish tastes just as amazing as it looks. The only needed equipment item is a waffle iron, however, if you want to make pancakes just use a griddle.

The last breakfast recipe I'll feature is the Mexican breakfast skillet. What I love about this one is that you can customize it completely by subbing in or removing certain ingredients. All you need is a skillet or frying pan, and just like the other, has a decent amount of protein and healthy fats. I'll be providing these recipes in downloadable form at the end of the section, so you can easily use them later. Let's head over to the lunch recipes.

A mid-day pick-me-up is sometimes what we all need. In this lecture, I'll discuss some of the favorite lunch recipes I personally eat. Let's get started!

First up is a simple steak panini. Think of it as my version of a protein-grilled cheese. It's only five ingredients and you only need a griddle to cook it on. You can also utilize olive or avocado oil to allow the steak to marinate with the bread.

Next up is another beef recipe, this time a simple grass-fed burger. You can choose which buns and toppings to use, but remember to read the ingredients before buying! All you need to cook this recipe is a cast iron pan.

Last up in the lunch recipes are these delicious lemon pepper chicken wings. You will need an air fryer and pan to cook the sauce. Pro-tip, use some baking soda if you want your wings extra crispy. Now that you've seen some of my favorite breakfast and lunch recipes, continue to the dinner and dessert ones!

Now we're getting to the good stuff! I usually eat a decent size dinner followed by a small snack before bed, and here are some of my favorites.

First is a simple nacho recipe. All you need is a skillet or pan to cook the meat on and trust me, it's delicious.

Next is a grass-fed steak. The key to this dish is how you prepare it. You must pat dry the steak and season it with salt for 20 minutes to tenderize it. After doing so flip a couple of times, and then add butter to soak into the steak. It tastes like you're at a steakhouse!

Lastly, are some garlic butter meat bites. These only require a cast iron pan and just melt in your mouth. I highly recommend it. Next lecture I'll share my favorite dessert recipes, that won't make you fat!

This is the lecture you probably have been waiting for. Desserts are a great way to reward yourself after a productive, fulfilling day. they don't have to decrease your health, though, as we'll discuss.

My first dessert is peanut butter brownie dough. It tastes just like cookie dough, but with a hint of amazing peanut butter. The best part is you don't need any extra equipment!

The second dessert is my favorite, a simple protein cookie dough. Just like the last recipe you don't need any extra equipment.

Last up is strawberry frozen yogurt. This is the simplest recipe I have and it's still as delicious as the rest. Now that you've seen some of my favorite recipes, we'll discuss how to create your own in the next lecture.

In this lecture, I'll share my tips on creating your own recipes. Creating your own recipes can be a lot of fun and a great way to express your creativity in the kitchen.

They can also be a great way to tap into your food knowledge and just experiment with certain ingredients.

It all starts with an acronym I made up. It's the EMT acronym, or examine, modify, and test. These are the three steps I utilize when creating a new recipe. Let's talk about the steps in order.

First is examining other recipes. You want to use other people's recipes as an outline so you can figure out what you want to cook. Some ways to research recipes include searching online, buying cookbooks, and watching food shows.

• After you have figured out which recipe you want to follow, simply modify the recipe to make it your own. To modify a recipe you can Add and remove an ingredient, Change the cooking method, or Change the cooking time.

• The last step is to test. This is the step that involves cooking, but it also requires the most patience. Some recipes won't turn out great, but that's ok. It's a game of trial and error. Once you have your recipe, your job is to critique it. If it's great, you found your next recipe. If not, consider swapping some ingredients around or changing the cooking time/method to improve the meal. You also want to think about plating and presentation.

• Here is this section's summary for you to look over. As discussed, I have included a downloadable file of each recipe for you so you can start creating and trying out some of my favorite recipes.

• You've completed all of the video content in this course. The last step for you is to look over the offboarding article I have written about your next steps, extra resources, and more! I'd love to stay in touch, so I have also linked my website in that article as well. Thank you for joining me on this course and I wish you happy meal planning in the future!