It’s also high protein, low carb, and relatively low in healthy fats as well.

It’s one of my regulars, usually cooked in a pan (although I often use skewers on the grill in the summer too) and on my favorites list! My 93 year old father loves it too (and yes, he lifts).

Ingredients:

• One pound shrimp– deveined with shells off. I like extra large shrimp but any size works well. I buy them frozen at the market and they are already deveined. The shells are easy to take off when they thaw and I sometimes leave the very bottom of the shell on the tail to serve as a “handle.”
• Lemon wedges

Marinade:

• 1 tablespoon fresh chopped oregano or 1/2 tablespoon dried. I prefer fresh but both work very well!
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (extra virgin, the good stuff, preferred)
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest. Lemon zest is the outside of the lemon peel. You can use a zester which is fast or a normal grater which is a little slower. Even if you skip the lemon zest this recipe rocks.
• 1 teaspoon chopped garlic – either fresh chopped or in the chopped jar you can buy at the market. This is not a garlic heavy recipe.
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or any other salt you may happen to have)

Dressing:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 teaspoon fresh oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried. Yup, both the marinade and dressing have oregano.

Mix the marinade with the shrimp and place in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes to 2 hours.

When done marinating, you can either skewer the shrimp and place them on the grill or cook them in a pan like in the picture. Cook on medium high heat for about 2 to 4 minutes, flipping them over and cooking for about another2 to 4 minutes (depending on the size of the shrimp and the heat). It is obvious when the shrimp are done because they will be pink and translucent.

Toss with the dressing, then either squirt them with lemon juice from the lemon wedges or serve them with lemon wedges as is.

Enjoy!

Nutritional info:

• Servings: 4 (4 ounces),
• Calories: 210
• Protein: 23 grams
• Carbs: 1 grams
• Fat: 10.5 grams

Note that the fat is all extremely healthy and good fat from the olive oil. You can reduce the fat by cutting down on the olive oil also, but I do not!

As an appetizer this is great, but as a main course I’ll usually have several servings, sometimes served on a salad.

Of course beside good nutrition, you need to workout smart, and get adequate rest to build a great body!

This one comes from my own Anabolic Cookbook, my personal list of recipes many of which I’m sharing here, and adding more over time.

This is equally good in a frying pan or on a grill. Although I like using skewers for the shrimp, you can do it without skewers, which is especially easy in a frying pan.

Ingredients:

• One pound shrimp – deveined with shells off. The ones commonly bought in the market are already deveined and the shell comes off easily. I often leave the shell on the very bottom at the tail which serves as a handle and make them easy to eat. I like extra large shrimp but you can use any size.
• Bamboo skewers – available in almost any market. Soak these in water for 20-30 minutes or longer if grilling so that they are less likely to burn.
• 1 tablespoon avocado oil – You can also use olive oil if you have some handy although I slightly prefer avocado oil (which like olive oil is very healthy) for this recipe.
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt – I prefer Kosher or sea salt
• ¾ tablespoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• ½ teaspoon coriander
• ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 lime cut into wedges

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl except for the shrimp (and of course the skewers if using them!). When well mixed, add the shrimp and mix gently until the shrimp are all covered.

Place in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, and then skewer the shrimp (if using skewers).

Cooking is simple, whether on the grill or in a pan.

Cook over medium heat for about 2-3 minutes per side, until the shrimp are pink and translucent. Either squeeze lime on now or as eating. Enjoy!

This is great on a tapas tray, makes a great appetizer, as well as main course.

Nutrition:

Servings: 4 (4 ounces each),
Calories: 130 only!
Protein: 23 grams
Carbs: 2 grams
Fat: 5.5 grams

Obviously you would want several of these servings if it was the main course. I’ll often have an entire pound which is about 520 calories along with veggies.

Originally adapted from a recipe from Cooking Light.

These make great appetizers and well as a wonderful main course.

Besides the food ingredients, you’ll need bamboo skewers, which are available in most any supermarket.

And once again, great and healthy eating combined with a great workout plan makes a great body!

Start by submerging the skewers in water for at least 20 minutes so that they do not burn on the grill. I place them in shallow pan full of water and put a knife on them to keep them submerged.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless chicken breasts
• 1/3 cup of soy sauce (you can use low sodium if preferred)
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, preferably squeezed fresh right before using!
• ½ teaspoon of garlic powder
• Either 1 teaspoon of ground ginger or 2 tablespoons of fresh chopped ginger root.
• ¾ of a cup of canned unsweetened coconut milk (the cans I get have enough to make this recipe twice. Cover the can and store the remainder in the refrigerator)
• 1 tablespoon of creamy peanut butter (if all you have is chunky, use 1 ½ tablespoons)
• Optional: ¾ teaspoon red pepper flakes. I like these, but some people do not like spicy (it’s not very spicy though)

Cut the chicken into 3/8” thick slices.

Prepare the marinade by mixing the soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic powder, ginger, coconut milk, peanut butter, and (optional) red pepper flakes.

Save 3 tablespoons of the marinade.

Skewer the chicken breast pieces, and place them in a pan with the rest of the marinade, making sure there is marinade all over the chicken. Place in the refrigerator for the marinade flavors to soak in for at least 30 minutes. I usually give them between 2 to 3 hours.

Next we take the skewers out of the marinade and grill them over medium high heat until they are no longer pink inside (yes, you can make a small cut and peek). This normally takes 3-4 minutes per side, for a total of 6 to 8 minutes although grills do vary. The Muscle Chef’s original recipe says 30 minutes to 2 hours, but a little extra time doesn’t hurt at all

Take the marinade you saved (not the marinade the chicken was in) and brush over the cooked skewers. Enjoy!

This recipe makes 4 servings.

Nutritional Info per Serving:

Calories: 273
Protein: 37 grams
Carbs: 2 grams
Fat: 13 grams

This is as tasty and so much healthier than the Beef and Broccoli at most Chinese restaurants!

Note: I use a Wok but a big frying pan works fine as well!

Remember to build a great body you need consistent and great training (Kyle Leon’s plan rocks and there are plenty of other great training plans too) as well as great nutrition.

Veggies, Ready to go

Ingredients:

• Approximately 6 ounces of beef, preferably lean, trimmed of fat and cut against the grain into slices about 1/4-3/8 inch thick, or any size remotely close. Don’t stress over this. I usually use sirloin, round, or top round.
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 2 thinly sliced carrots
• One onion cut into wedges or slices
• 3 tablespoons of beef broth (chicken or veggie is fine too if that’s what you have)
• 1 tablespoon of soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon of whole wheat flour or cornmeal or arrowroot – this is for thickening the sauce. I slightly prefer arrowroot but it really doesn’t matter what you use
• ½ teaspoon honey (Dave’s original recipe calls for ½ teaspoon of Splenda but I prefer honey)

First we parboil the broccoli and carrots – this makes the stir frying easier and quicker.

Cook in a Wok or Frying Pan

Put a large pot of water on the stove. Once boiling, gently add the broccoli florets and carrots for two minutes. After two minutes, remove the broccoli and carrots and put in a bowl of ice water to stop them from cooking any more.

Next mix the sauce. Combine the broth, soy sauce, thickening agent, and honey together and mix well.

Heat the olive oil in a pan of wok. Add the onions, and cook for about 2-3 minutes, stirring until the onions are slightly browned.

Add the parboiled broccoli and carrots and cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes or until they are crisp and hot.

Add the beef and stir while cooking until it is cooked to your liking. I like my beef on the rare side, and it will continue to cook for a little while longer also.

Add the sauce and stir until it thickens, usually only a minute or two.

You can enjoy as is or serve on rice or noodles. I usually skip the carbs and this is delicious as is!

Lots more recipes like this in Anabolic Cooking!

Nutritional Info:
Calories: 565
Protein: 58g
Carbohydrates: 41g
Fat: 19g

Served with Kale

Texas rubbed steak is a dry rubbed steak that can be cooked on the grill preferably but is also very good cooked in a pan

on the stove like in the picture. You can use any kind of steak you like, but I tend to use a lower fat and healthier cut like Sirloin which I show in the picture.

This is a nearly braindead recipe that anyone can make! Great for the non (or new) cook!

Check out Anabolic Cooking for many more recipes like this!

The ingredients are simple.

6 to 12 ounces of steak (again, I like sirloin for this)

Dry Rub:
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon raw sugar
1 teaspoon of kosher or sea salt (yes, you can use regular salt if that’s all you have)
1 tsp chili powder
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
½ teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon garlic powder

I often don’t have raw sugar in my kitchen, so I grab a couple packs when I get coffee at my favorite coffee shop and save them for this recipe!

Mix the powdered ingredients together. Don’t stress if you are missing an ingredient or two – it’ll work out fine!

Next take the steak. Trim any fat off the edges.

If you are using a high fat cut like Rib Eye (super tasty, but not as healthy) you won’t be able to cut all the fat off as it has a lot of fat internally. Don’t worry about it.

Coat one side of the steak with the dry rub and let it sit for three plus minutes so it sticks well and doesn’t fall off too much when you gently flip the steak. Now flip the steak and coat the other side with the remaining rub.

It’s best to wait at least 20 minutes before cooking but not necessary if you are ravenous!

I usually wait for about an hour after applying the rub, while letting the steak warm to room temperature.

Yup, steaks cook better at room temperature.

Next, we cook. Either a grill or a frying pan work well.

How long you cook depends on the thickness of the steak and how well you like it done. I’m a rare to medium rare guy myself.

Ideally you’ll have a (cheap) instant read thermometer to check the internal temperature of the steak to see when it’s done. If not, for an average thickness steak, cook for about 4 minutes per side and feel free to cut the steak with a knife and see if it is done to your liking yet.

A simple temperature guide (in Fahrenheit) is:

Rare: 120 to 125 degrees
Medium Rare: 130 to 135 degrees
Medium: 140 to 145 degrees
Medium Well: 150 to 155 degrees
Well Done: More, but do you really want to cook the hell out of a good piece of meat?

Once cooked, let rest for 5-10 minutes. It will continue to cook slightly as it rests.

Sirloin is a tougher cut than some others yet delicious. Since it is tougher, right before serving, I often cut AGAINST the grain into slices about ½ inch thick before serving. Enjoy!

By the way, this goes great with the Grilled Brussels Sprouts! You can cook them together on the same grill like I did last night.

Remember, great workouts matter, but you can’t out train a bad diet!

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 470
Protein : 75 g
Carbs : 3 g
Fat : 16 g

Grilled Brussels Sprouts – I served them with a Buffalo Burger

Brussels Sprouts just may be the healthiest food around. There are numerous health benefits including related to cancer, DNA protection, and cholesterol. They are high in vitamins, minerals, fiber, low in calories, carbs, and zero fat (although we use some healthy olive oil in this recipe).

Because they are high in fiber, they are quite filling, and I think they are delicious. You will too!

If you never liked these as a kid, you may still love this easy recipe!

These have became part of my regular recipe rotation, which means I’ve been making them a lot!

Ingredients:

• Brussels Sprouts, 1 pound
• 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use extra virgin, the “good stuff”)
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic (chop your own preferably, for example with a garlic press, or buy prechopped at the market)
• 1 teaspoon dry mustard power
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon kosher or sea salt (regular salt works fine too)
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground ideally (I do not usually measure this, I just use “a bit”)
• Skewers – you can buy cheap disposable wooden skewers at the market or better metal ones. If using the wooden ones like I usually do, soak them in water for a couple hours if possible so they are less likely to burn on the grill.

Directions:

1. Start with one pound of Brussels Sprouts. Wash and then trim the base of each sprout slightly and remove any yellow leaves.
2. Boil the Brussels Sprouts for 3 minutes in water on the stove and then drain.
3. Mix the other ingredients together: garlic, dry mustard, paprika, salt, and pepper. I usually mix them in a large bowl, large enough to easy hold all the Brussels Sprouts.
4. Add the Brussels Sprouts and mix until coated. I use a large spoon and it takes maybe a minute or two.
5. 

   Ready for Grilling!

   Stick the Sprouts on the skewers. Last time I used 8 skewers for a pound of sprouts. Leave a little space between each skewered sprout so they cook evenly.

6. With the grill heated up to medium, cook the sprouts for 10 minutes, flipping over to the other side after 5 minutes.I often burn these a bit as you can see from the picture, sometimes because the grill is higher than medium, if for example I’m grilling something else too as I often do. Don’t worry. Mine look pretty burnt but still rocked. If objectionable, the burnt outer leaves come off easily.
7. Optional: take the Brussels Sprouts off the skewers and toss with any marinade left behind!

Remember that besides effective workouts, nutrition is critical. Too many of us think if we work out hard enough, it doesn’t matter much what we eat. Obviously that just isn’t true!

This recipe has fast become a summer time regular. Even my kids love these, and any leftover sprouts (which I rarely have) are even tasty cold. I’ve even chopped them and added them to my eggs the next morning. Many of the recipes here are from or based on recipes from Dave Ruel, but this one is based on a recipe originally from Alton Brown.

These make a great snack, accompaniment to a meal, or meal itself. This is really a way to “assemble” food, as there are an infinite numbers ways to make these.

These are part of my personal Anabolic Cookbook – quick healthy high protein recipes I often make, and ultra low carb as well.

These sometimes make a post workout snack for me.

(Very Flexible)Ingredients:

Sliced Meat: I usually use roast beef or turkey from the supermarket deli counter, but you really can use anything you like.

One friend prefers pastrami, another olive loaf, and so forth. Turkey and roast beef from my favorite deli are quite low fat and nearly zero carb, as well as tasty, so I usually use them.

Cheese (optional): I will sometimes add a slice or less of cheese. American, Cheddar, and Provolone are no brainers, but I’ve used all kinds of cheeses at times, anything I’ve had handy, including plenty of goat cheeses, bries, and even blue cheeses. Use whatever you like or have handy.

Vegetables: I add some veggies inside. In this example, I’ve chopped up a scallion (also known as a green onion), which works very well. I’ve also used regular onions, tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, avocado, pickles, peppers, mushrooms, spinach, and much much more.

Condiments: I often add approximately one teaspoon (which means a little bit) or a condiment such as mayonnaise, mustard, relish, etc. In the pictures I’ve used regular mayonnaise (personally, I hate the low fat variety).

Directions:

• Lay cold cuts flat.
• Add any condiments and other ingredients.
• Roll up as shown in picture down below.
• Slice into small pieces, If you want them to look fancy, use toothpicks in each piece. I’ve actually done this and served them at parties before!
• Eat

Remember that proper nutrition is necessary for a body builder – workouts alone are not enough.

Variations:

Variations are endless. The cold cuts, vegetables, condiments, and cheeses (no cheese in the pictures) can and should all be varied. You can add bacon, baked beans, sour cream, hot sauce, really anything you’d like. Try smoked salmon instead of cold cuts sometime.

For a very low fat variety, try roast beef or turkey with either a dab of mustard and lettuce or scallion.

There are probably thousands of simple and practical variants.

And of course you can also use pita bread or tortillas etc. if you do not care about “low carb.”

A great addition to the body builder’s arsenal as these are so fast and easy to make!

Rolled up and ready to slice

This is from the Anabolic Cookbook, with a few tweaks by me.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound of beef – You can use any type of beef for this you like, but you do need to remove any fat and gristle and slice it thin. I usually use sirloin or top round:

o   Tenderloin works well but is expensive and high in fat

o   Ribeye is delicious, but high in fat and requires a lot of trimming and cutting

o   Sirloin is tasty and relatively low in fat – a winner

o   Round (I prefer top round) is cheap and low in fat. It is tougher, but if you cut it thin and against the grain it works well

• 2 tablespoons Soy Sauce (low sodium if you prefer)
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon garlic, ideally minced fresh but pre-minced in jars from the market is OK too
• 1 teaspoon Dijon Mustard, for example grey poupon
• 1 teaspoon fresh chopped ginger – you can substitute 1/2 teaspoon of powdered ginger instead, although it will taste different
• 

  Veggies, ready to go

  2 red peppers, sliced thinly

• 3 cups broccoli florets (that just means cut up broccoli, discarding the stems. You can buy it already cut up if you’d like)
• 4 scallions, chopped into short pieces maybe 1/8 to ¼ inch long. Length is not critical at all
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped coarsely
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil (any kind) or cooking spray

Simple Cooking Steps

1. First cut the beef into thin slices if not already done. You want to cut against the grain so that it is tender.
2. Mix the soy sauce, water, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and mustard in a large container, and then add the sliced beef and mix until it’s all coated. You can do this ahead of time if you’d like, even the night before.
3. Heat a large prying pan or wok on the stove on high, with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil (or a cooking spray like Pam).
4. When hot, add the thin sliced red pepper and broccoli florets and cook, stirring regularly, until they are slightly tender yet still crisp. Remember they will be cooked more in the next step. This will take about 5-10 minutes depending on how small they are cut and how crisp you like them. Don’t sweat the time – they’ll taste great!
5. Add the thinly sliced beef and cook while mixing for another 5-10 minutes, depending on how you like the beef done. I definitely like it on the rare side!
6. Mix in the scallion and parsley and stir until mixed. This will take maybe a minute or less.

It’s done! Thanks to The Muscle Cook for this recipe!

I serve it as is, but you can also serve it on your favorite rice (my kids like it on white rice, I eat it without).

Nutrition:

If you divide this into 3 servings and use a low fat beef like top round or sirloin, each serving will have approximately 310 calories, 50 grams of protein, 10 grams of carbs, and 10 grams of fat.

Remember that regardless of how great your workout program may be, proper nutrition is absolutely critical!

Ingredients are simple. Mix the following in a bowl:

• 1 pound ground buffalo (widely available in many US markets, even in the near sticks where I live)
• 2 tablespoons of cornstarch or arrowroot – a thickening agent. Cornstarch is easy to find in any supermarket.
• 5 tablespoons soy sauce. Use low salt soy sauce if you prefer.
• 2 Tablespoons chili sauce, whatever kind you like. I buy mine from the Chinese grocery, but any kind is fine. Hot bean paste in another option here.
• 2 tablespoons chopped garlic – you can buy it yourself, or buy it prechopped in jars at the market. It’s better chopped fresh but the prechopped is good too.
• ½ teaspoon salt (optional).

Hint: I usually find it easiest to mix by hand, Wash your hands and roll up your sleeves!

You can adjust the amount of chili sauce based on your tastes, but do know that buffalo meat absorbs chili sauce well, making it less hot than you might expect.

Other ingredients are:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil – any kind is fine, and I usually use soybean.
• 4 cups broccoli florets – you can either buy whole heads of broccoli and cut them up (cheaper) or buy precut florets (the flower part of the broccoli as opposed to the stalk).
• 6 tablespoons, plus or minus, of scallions chopped into short lengths. Scallions are also known as green onions.

First we want to wash and then boil the broccoli. Boil for only one minute, then remove from heat and let stay in the hot water for 2 minutes before pouring the hot water out. A strainer if you have one works well.

Stirring It All Together

Next, in a wok or large pan, heat 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and once hot, add the buffalo meat mixture. Stir as it cooks for about 4-5 minutes until pretty much cooked. You can tell as its consistency changes and an extra minute+ either way is absolutely fine here.

Add the broccoli, and mix while cooking until all mixed together.

Take off of the heat and add scallions. Stir and serve immediately!

This goes very well with rice (unless you are restricting carbohydrates of course).

Of course you can also use other types of meats for this recipe. I’ve used ground turkey, beef, and others. Ground lamb was tasty, but lamb ha a bit too much fat and made this dish fairly fatty.

Ground buffalo, turkey, or beef are your best bets but feel free to experiment.

This is tough to eat entirely with chopsticks without rice, as the bottom will have a slightly watery consistence.

Although spices are great for bodybuilders and others as they add flavor with essentially zero calories, this recipe uses fewer ingredients.

Tilapia is a sustainably farmed fish that is high in protein, low in carbs and fat, and widely available. It is a mild flavored fish so it is great for flavored recipes like this Baked Citrus Tilapia, based on a recipe in Dave Ruel’s Anabolic Cooking.

It’s simple, fast, and easy, using fewer ingredients than Jerk Tilapia.

First the ingredients (I often double the recipe):

• 1 pound Tilapia fillets
• ¼ cup lime or lemon juice
• ¼ cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt (I like seasalt)
• A few shakes of black pepper
• 2-3 teaspoons of lemon or lime zest (see below)

• Optional: hot sauce of your choice or a hot chili or jalapeno, seeds removed and sliced into thin pieces.

Tilapia, Ready to Cook, looking very red due to blood red orange juice (it’s what I had handy!)

First make the marinade. It’s pretty simple.

Combine the lemon or lime juice, orange juice, olive oil, salt and pepper, and the lemon or lime zest.

Zest is simply the grated outside of a citrus fruit: lemon or lime in this case. About one lemon or lime worth is perfect – use a grater and just grate off the very exterior  (a microplane grater, if you have one, makes this super fast but any grater will work).

If this is too complicated (or you do not have a lemon or lime), it’ll taste a little different but fine without zest.

Freshly squeezed juices are best, but bottled are absolutely fine. I use whatever I have on hand. In the pictures, I actually used a blood red orange because I happened to have one.

Optionally, if you want it hot, add hot sauce or hot peppers as described above in the ingredients.

Add the tilapia to the marinade and make sure it gets all over the fillets. Put the tilapia and the marinade in a baking pan. If you want to cut down on things to wash, you can even mix the marinade in the baking pan.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Once it is preheated, place the tilapia inside.

It’ll take about 12 minutes to cook. It is obvious when it is done as the fish will flake easily with a fork and be opaque.

Nutritionally, an entire pound of tilapia cooked this way has only 800 calories, 130 grams of protein, 4 grams of carbs, and 28 grams of fat. That is for an entire pound!

I’ve slightly modified the recipe, but thanks to Dave for the inspiration!