Fat Burning Recipes (Beta)

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Copyright © 2011, 2012 Fitness Renaissance, LLCAll rights reserved.

No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for the inclusion of brief quotations in a review, without permission in writing from the author or publisher.

Published by Tom Venuto and Fitness Renaissance, LLCin the United States of America.

Editor: Lee Allen Howard ([email protected])

Note: All third party trademarks-® and ™-are the property of their respective owners.

A WORD OF CAUTION: DISCLAIMER

This book is for reference and informational purposes only and is no way intended as medical counseling or medical advice. The information contained herein should not be used to treat, diagnose, or prevent a disease or medical condition without the advice of a competent medical professional. This book deals with in-depth information on health, fitness, and nutrition. Most of the information applies to everyone in general; however, not everyone has the same body type. We each have different responses to exercise depending on our choice of intensity and diet. Before making any changes in your lifestyle, you should consult with a physician to discover the best solution for your individual body type. The author, writer, editors, and graphic designer shall have neither liability nor responsibility to any person or entity with respect to any damage or injury alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by the information contained in this book.

Tom Venuto’s Private Collection of

Muscle‐Feeding,Fat‐Burning

Recipes

BURNTHE FAT

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www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com

FEEDTHE MUSCLE

Copyright©2011,2012FitnessRenaissance,LLC.Allrightsreserved.

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Tom Venuto Muslce‐Feeding, Fat‐Burning Recipes

Contents
Welcome! .................................................................. 3
BreakfastRecipes

PumpkinSpiceOatmeal.................................................... 5

HighProteinPumpkinPancakes(“Pumpcakes”)............................ 8

3‐MinuteHighProteinAppleCinnamonOatmeal .......................... 12

Yamcakes:ABurnTheFat‐Approved“PortableMealToGo!”............... 16

RichandCreamyVanillaOatmealPancakes................................ 21

Lunch&DinnerRecipes

Muscle‐MakingTeriyakiChickenStir‐Fry .................................. 25

HealthyFriedRice ........................................................ 29

TurkeyandEggWhiteWrap(“Wramble”)................................. 32

LowCalorieRedandGreenVegetableScramble ........................... 36

NuttyWildRiceandMushrooms .......................................... 39

MexicanPepperandPotatoScramble ..................................... 44

HotBlack‐eyedPeasandRicewithLeanTenderloin....................... 47

3‐MinuteBlackBeansWithSpicySalsa.................................... 51

ItalianStyleChickenandRicewithTomatoesandHerbs ................... 55

ShrimpFraDiavoloalaVenuto............................................ 58

Muscle‐ManCheesyGrits.................................................. 62

SuperSimpleSalmonSaladSandwich ..................................... 69

WarmCrunchyTunaRiceWithSpinach ................................... 74

MediterraneanShrimpandRice ........................................... 78

BeefySpanishRice ........................................................ 81

AuthenticGreekSaladWithChicken....................................... 85

AsianSesameCucumberSalad ............................................ 89

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SuperLeanWhiteBeanChili .............................................. 93

Hot‘N’SpicyRedJambalaya ............................................... 97

GarbanzoBeanTunaSalad............................................... 102

HealthyCajun“Fried”CodCakes ......................................... 106

Mega‐ProteinT.N.T.Burgers(TastyNutritiousTurkey) ................... 111

Hot‘N’SpicyGroundTurkeyScramble(orOmelet)....................... 116

Crunchy,CheesyPotatoPancakes(Croquettes) ........................... 121

QuickandEasySalmonBurgers.......................................... 127

Protein‐PackedAuthenticHealthyGreekBurgers!........................ 132

IsraeliTunaSalad:ADeliciousLeanProteinandFibrousCarbCombo!.... 138

HealthyGreekOmelets:AHigh‐Protein,Nutrient‐Dense,Flavor‐PackedPowerMeal! ............................................................. 143

SpicyTunaBurgers!ANewBurnTheFatRecipeWithAKick!............. 148

LazyPerson’sChinese“Stir‐Fry”.......................................... 154

SuperSimpleTunaBurgers!.............................................. 158








Welcome!

WelcometomyofficialMuscle‐Feeding,Fat‐BurningRecipesbook!Thisprivatecollectionisnotyourusualrecipecollection—it’smuch,muchmore!Everyrecipehasbeencarefullyanalyzedandmodifiedfromtraditionalrecipesinordertofitintohealthyfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutritionguidelines.

Therecipesaredesignedtobequicksotheyfitintobusy,time‐strappedlifestylesandsuper‐simplesothatnopreviouscookingexperienceisrequired.Notonlythat,everyrecipehasbeenpersonallymadeandtaste‐testedbyTomVenuto,theauthorofBurntheFat,FeedtheMuscle,andfounderoftheBurntheFatInnerCircle.

Youalsogetmorethanjustingredientlistsandinstructions,yougetTom’s“BurnTheFat”cookingandnutritiontipsaswell!

Tomisaself‐confessedformer“kitchendummy”whousedtohatecookingandlikeseverythingplainandsimple.IfarecipehastheKitchenDummySealofApproval,itmeansthatTomhasactuallymadethishimself.Andifa“kitchendummy”likeTomcanmakeit,thenanyonecan!

Now,fortherecipes...!




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BreakfastRecipes






PumpkinSpiceOatmeal

You’vehearditamilliontimesbefore:eatmorevegetables!You’vehearditsomanytimes,you’resickofus“dietpolice”naggingyouaboutit!Andyet,youknowit’strue.Youneedtoeatmorevegetables(nag,nag).Thetroubleis,itseemssoeasytoeatprocessedcarbslikebread,cereal,pastaandevensugaryfoods,butitseemssohardtoaddmoreveggies—atleastinawaythattastesgood.Andthereinliesoneofthesecretstogettingmoreveggies—findcleverwaysto“sneak”themintoyourmealsthatactuallymakeyourfoodtasteevenbetter.Enterpumpkinspiceoatmeal...delish!

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients1/2can(212g)pumpkin

2/3cup(54g)oatmeal,dry

1‐1/3cupswater

1scoop(26g)vanillaproteinpowder

1teaspoonvanillaextract(optional)

2teaspoonscinnamon

1teaspoonnutmeg

Sweetener(optional)

Directions1. Scoopout2/3ofacupofnatural(unsweetened)oatmealandplaceitina

microwave‐safebowl.

2. Addwaterasperoatmealcookinginstructions,addthecannedpumpkintotheoatmealandstir.

3. Microwaveonhighfor2minutes,oruntilcooked.

4. Forthehighproteinversion,stirinvanillaproteinpowder.






5. Addnutmeg,cinnamon,vanillaextract(optional).

6. Sweetenerisoptional.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:393

Protein:42.8g

Carbs:35.3g

Fat:11.8g

CookingandNutritionTipsJustaquickreviewonwhypumpkinisgoodforwhatailsyou.First,thebrightorangecolormeanspumpkinisloadedwithbetacarotene.Pumpkinisalsoloadedwithpotassium.There’s564mgofpotassiuminacupofmashedpumpkinandthatcupcomeswithonly100calories!(100caloriesofbanana,bycomparison,contains1/3lesspotassium.)Thatsinglecupofpumpkinalsogivesyou8gramsoffiber.(Thisentirerecipecontainsawhopping12.5gramsoffiber,almosthalfyourdailytarget!)

Bytheway,pumpkinhasaveryhighwatercontent,andresearchonenergydensityhasfoundthatfoodswithhighwatercontent(suchasfruitsandvegetables)aremuchmorefilling,sotheyhelpkeephungeratbay.

Thisrecipecallsforhalfacupofcannedpumpkin,whichwillgiveyoujust50calories,10gramsofcarbs,1gramofproteinand4gramsoffiber.Ifyouhavethecaloriestospare,byallmeansfeelfreetoincreaseyourservingsize,andyoumightlikeitwiththeextrapumpkinflavor.

Notallsupermarketshavecannedpumpkin.Ifyoucan’tlocatethisproductatyourregulargrocerystore,thenyourlocalhealthfoodstoreshouldhaveit.MylocalstorecarriedFarmer’sMarketbrandorganicpumpkin.IalsoknowthatTraderJoe’shascannedpumpkin,andthereareseveralotherwellknownbrandswell.Thesizeofmycanwas15ounces(425grams)andIusedhalfacanforthisrecipe.






Asforoatmeal—itissimplythekingofbreakfastcarbsforfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingprograms.It’saGREATstarchy/complexcarbohydratesource.It’shighlysatiatingandprovideslastingenergywithoutthecrashyougetfromsugaryrefinedcereals.Personally,Inevergetboredwithoatmeal—it’showI’vestartedeverydayforovertwodecades.Imusthavedozensofoatmealrecipes,andthisisadeliciousone.It’seasy.Justaddcannedpumpkintoyouroatmealandcookitinthemicrowave(takestwominutesorso).

Cinnamonisagreatspiceforuseinyouroatmealanditjustsohappensthatcinnamonisgreatwithpumpkintoo.Addadashofnutmegtoenhancetheflavorevenmore,orjustusepumpkinspice.Manytraditionalpumpkinrecipesusebrownsugar,butthataddscalories,soisnotincludedinouringredientsabove.Non‐caloricsweetenersuchasSplendaisoptional.ThosewhoprefertoavoidartificialsweetnersmightcheckoutSteviaorTruviawhichissteviaanderythritol,asugaralcohol.

Pumpkinspiceoatmealcanbemadewithouttheproteinpowder,butthevanillaflavorproteinactuallyenhancestheoverallflavoralot.Thisrecipecallsforonescoop,andifyouwantedtobumptheproteincontentevenhigher,youcouldaddmoretomeetyourproteinrequirement.Ifyoupreferthepumpkinoatmealwithouttheproteinpowder,theninsteadyoucouldcookupsomeeggwhites(withonewholeegg)andeatthemalongsideyouroatsforaBurnTheFatapprovedmeal(orjustenjoythepumpkinandspiceoatmealbyitselfasavegetarianmeal).

Pumpkinisn’tjustforThanksgivinganymore—trythisandletmeknowwhatyouthink!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:A

PortableFood:No

CookingDifficultyLevel:Easy

Timerequired:1minuteprep,2–3minutescooking

BurntheFat,FeedtheMuscleProgram‐Approved:Check!

KitchenDummySealofApproval:Check!






HighProteinPumpkinPancakes(“Pumpcakes”)

Ifthere’sonebonafidesuperfoodthatisknownabout,talkedaboutandeatentheleast—it’spumpkin!Usually,youonlythinkofpumpkinaroundHalloweenwhenJack‐O‐lanternsarebeingcarvedandThanksgivingwhenpumpkinpieisserved.Butpumpkincanbemadeintohealthierrecipesthanpie,andpumpkincertainlydeservestobelistedamongthesuperfoods.Unlikepancakes,whichareflour‐heavyandmostlycarbohydrate,mypumpcakesweredesignedtobeveryhighinprotein,makingthemastandalonemeal.FifteenminutesfromnowyoucanbeenjoyingthesetastyBurnTheFat‐approvedtreats.

Yield:makes2large(5‐inchwide)pancakes

Ingredients7.5oz(212g)ofcannedpumpkin

1/3cup(27g)oatmeal,dry

1/3cup(40g)multigrainorwholewheatpancakemix

1scoop(26g)vanilla(orplain)proteinpowder

4eggwhites

1teaspoonvanillaextract

1teaspoonnutmeg

1teaspoongroundginger

2teaspoonscinnamon

Directions1. Combinealltheingredientsinamixingbowlandwhiskthoroughlywithafork.

Forafinelymixedbatter,puttheingredientsinablenderorfoodprocessorandblenduntilsmooth.

2. Preheatanon‐stickskilletonmediumheat,orusealargegriddle.Pourthepancakemixtureontothepanorgriddletoform2largepancakes.






3. Flipeachpancakeassoonasitisfirmenoughtoflipandthebottomsideislightlybrown.Cookonmediumheatandkeepacloseeyeonthemsincetheycookquicklyandtheoutsideburnseasily.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:507

Protein:44.1g

Carbs:69.7g

Fat:5g

CookingandNutritionTipsIfthere’sonebonafidesuperfoodthatisknownabout,talkedaboutandeatentheleast—it’spumpkin!Usually,youonlythinkofpumpkinaroundHalloweenwhenJack‐O‐lanternsarebeingcarvedandThanksgivingwhenpumpkinpieisserved.Butpumpkincanbemadeintohealthierrecipesthanpie,andpumpkincertainlydeservestobelistedamongthesuperfoods.

Rightfromthefirstglance,youshouldrealizethebrightorangecolormeanspumpkinisloadedwithbetacarotene.Pumpkinisalsopackedwithpotassium.There’s564mgofpotassiuminacupofmashedpumpkin,andthatcuponlycomeswith100calories!(Bycomparison,bananasonlycontain2/3theamountofpotassiumaspumpkin.)Thatsinglecupofpumpkinalsogivesyou8gramsoffiber(thisentirerecipecontainsawhopping14.2gramsoffiber,approximatelyhalfyourdailytarget).

Thereareavarietyofneatrecipesyoucanmakewithpumpkin.Ifyou’vebeenfollowingmyrecipecolumnforsometime,thenyouprobablyalreadyknowthatIlovemakingvarioustypesofpancakesbecausetheyaredeliciousaswellasportable.Thispumpkinpancakerecipeisverysimilartoourpreviousyampancakerecipe,alsoknownasyamcakes(see“Yamcakes:ABurnTheFat‐Approved“PortableMealToGo!””onpage 16).Appropriately,I’venamedmypumpkinpancakes,“pumpcakes.”






Pumpcakesarenotmadeliketraditionalpancakes—withanear‐liquidbatterthatmakessmall,flatpancakes.Instead,Iaddingredientsthatmakeaverythickbatterthatyoualmosthavetospoonontothegriddleorfrypan.Thethickerbatterallowsyoutomakelarge,thick,fluffypancakesabout5to5.5inchesindiameterand1/2to3/4ofaninchthick.

Unlikepancakes,whichareflour‐heavyandmostlycarbohydrate,mypumpcakesweredesignedtobeveryhighinprotein,makingthemastandalonemeal.Theproteincomesprimarilyfromthefoureggwhitesalongwithascoopofproteinpowder.Thereisalsosomeproteininthepancakemixandoatmeal.

Ifyouwantedtobumptheproteincontentevenhigher,youcouldaddnon‐fatcottagecheesetothisrecipe,whichcontains12gramsofproteinpercup.Ifyouwantedlessprotein,youcouldskipthevanillaproteinpowderandinsteadeatahalfadozenscrambledeggwhitesalongsideyourpancakes.

Iencourageyoutoexperimentwithyourownpumpcakevariations.Itestedfivebatcheswithdifferentrecipesbeforechoosingonefavorite.Inmyfirstbatch,Itriedbuckwheatflour,butthendecidedtostickwithmultigrain(primarilymadefromwholewheat),sincebuckwheathasastronganddistinctiveflavorwhichdominatedtherecipe,inmyopinion.ThebrandofflourIuseisamultigrainplusflaxpancakemix.Wholewheatpancakemixoroatbranarealsooptions.

Inmyfirstcoupleofbatches,Iusedalargeramountofmultigrainpancakemix,butthebatterconsistencywasthickandsticky,makingfordifficultypouringandflipping(batterstucktothespatula).Ibelievethisispartofthereasonwhytraditionalpancakerecipescallforvegetableoil,butIwantedtoskiptheoiltosaveoncaloriesandavoidtherefinedvegetableoilsthatareusuallyusedinpancakes.

Youcouldprobablyfixabatterthat’stoothickorstickybyaddingsomeskimmilkorchangingyourratioofflour/oatstoeggwhites,butIprefertheconsistencyofthe

Pumpkin certainly deserves to be listed among the superfoods.






battercreatedbyusingbothoatmealandwholewheatflourratherthanjusttheflour.Youalsosavesomecaloriesthiswaybecausetheflouris40%morecaloriedenseperunitofvolumethanoatmeal.

Choosingspiceswaseasy.Isimplylookedupatraditionalpumpkinpierecipeandnoticedthatcinnamon,nutmegandgroundgingerwerelisted,soIusedthoseandaddedateaspoonofvanillaextract.Youmightalsowanttotrypumpkinpiespice.Afterall,ifwecouldgetthesehealthypumpcakestastingevenalittlelikepumpkinpie,thatwouldnice,eh?

Lookingatsomepumpkinpierecipes,youmightbetemptedtoaddbrownsugartothemix,butthere’sasurprisingsweetnesstothesepumpcakeswithoutthesugarandthere’slotsofflavorfromthespices.SomepeoplemaywanttouselowcaloriesweetenerslikeSplenda,butthat’soptional.Ifyouwantedto,andyouhadcaloriestospare,youcouldtopthesewithanall‐fruitjellyorlowcaloriemaplesyrup.

EnjoythesepumpkinpancakesespeciallyaroundHalloweenandThanksgivingasatreatforyouandyourfamily,buteatingmorepumpkinanytimeoftheyearwilldoyourbodyawholelotofgood!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:B+

PortableFood:Yes


Timerequired:7minutesprep,8minutescooking








3‐MinuteHighProteinAppleCinnamonOatmeal

Withtwominutesofcookingtimeandaboutoneminuteofpreptime,thishighproteinapplecinnamonoatmealisaboutasfastandeasyasitgets.Withoutquestion,oldfashionedoatmeal(thekindthathasnoaddedsugar)isoneofthebestsourcesofnaturalstarchycarbsyoucaneat.Evenifyouchoosealower‐carbnutritionapproach,ifyouwantedtoleaveasmallamountofstarchycarbsinyourdailymealplan,oatmealwouldbeagreatchoice.Packing33.6gramsofprotein,there’sareasonthismealisonethatTomVenutohasbeeneatingforyears.Enjoy!

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients2/3cupoldfashionedoats,dry

1‐1/3cupswater

1/3cupnatural(unsweetened)applesauce

1‐1/2scoopsvanillaproteinpowder

2teaspoonsgroundcinnamon

Directions1. Scoopoutyouroatmealwithameasuringcupandplaceinamicrowave‐safebowl.

2. Add2partswaterforeach1partoatmeal(forexample,1‐1/3cupwaterfor2/3cupoats).

3. Microwaveonhighfor2minutesoruntilwaterhasbeenabsorbedandoatmealhasexpandedtothickporridgeconsistency.

4. Aftercooking,addapplesauce,proteinpowderandcinnamontotaste.Stirandservehot.






NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:397

Protein:33.6g

Carbs:53.5g

Fat:7g

CookingandNutritionTipsWithtwominutesofcookingtimeandaboutoneminuteofpreptime,thishighproteinapplecinnamonoatmealisaboutasfastandeasyasitgets.Withoutquestion,oldfashionedoatmeal(thekindthathasnoaddedsugar)isoneofthebestsourcesofnaturalstarchycarbsyoucaneat.Evenifyouchoosealower‐carbnutritionapproach,ifyouwantedtoleaveasmallamountofstarchycarbsinyourdailymealplan,oatmealwouldbeagreatchoice.

Oldfashionedoatmealis100%natural,highinnutrients,highinfiberandit’saslow‐digestingtypeofcarb.It’salsoextremelyfillingandhunger‐satisfying.Anentirecupofoldfashionedoatscontainsonly300caloriesandmanypeople,especiallywomen,tellmethattheycan’teveneatthatmuch.That’sagreatbangforyourbuckwhenyou’reonafatlossprogram.Atypicalservingofoatmealforafatlossprogramisabout2/3ofacupto3/4ofacup.Thisrecipecallsfor2/3ofacup,butyoucanadjustyourservingsizeaccordingtoyourcalorieneeds.

Onecomplaintmanypeoplehavesharedwithmeisthattheydon’tlikethetasteofoatmeal,ortheydon’tliketheconsistency.Somepeoplesaythatcookedhotoatmealistoothickand“pasty.”Well,Ihavejustthesolutionforyou.Tryaddingunsweetenedapplesauceintoyouroatmeal.Itnotonlychangestheconsistency,italsoaddsgreatflavorandnaturalsweetness,makingadditionalsweetenersunnecessary.Then

Old fashioned oatmeal is 100% natural, high in nutrients, high in fiber and it’s a slow‐digesting type of carb.






sprinkleonsomecinnamon—theapplesandcinnamoncomplementeachotherbeautifully.

Bytheway,didyouknowthateveryteaspoonofcinnamonhas1.3gramsoffiberandthatcinnamonhasbeenproveninclinicalresearchtohelpstabilizebloodsugarandevenlowerbloodlipids?Yup.Notonlythat,cinnamonalsocontainsbiologicallyactivecompoundssuchaspolyphenols,antioxidantsandanthocyanins.Cinnamonisgoodfordigestion(it’sreputedasagasreliever),andmayhelpwithpainandstiffnessinjoints.Thisisabonafidesuperfood,gang,andaddingsometoyourmorningoatmealeverydaywouldgoalongwaytowardimprovingyourhealth—especiallyifyouhaveissueswithbloodsugarregulation.Noexcuses.It’seasytodo…justsprinkle.

IntheBurnTheFat,FeedTheMusclesystem,acompletemealcontainsasourceofleanprotein.Eggsoreggwhitesareatypicalbreakfaststaple,butofcoursethattakesextrapreptime,soaquickandeasycompletemealsuggestionwhenyou’reinahurryistoturnyourregularoatmealinto“highproteinoatmeal”byaddingproteinpowder.Someofourmembershaveexpressedconcernsoverdenaturingthewheyproteinwhilecookingitinthemicrowave.Whileit’snotlikelythatcookingitfortwominuteswithyouroatmealwouldcauseanymajordamagetotheaminoacidsorthevaluableproteinsub‐fractionsinwhey,it’sjustaseasytoaddthepowderaftertheoatmealiscooked.Juststiritinandserve.

Irecommendavanillaproteinpowder.Specifically,Iusea“vanillapraline”flavorasI’vefounditaddsitsowndashofadditionalflavor.Ifyouprefer,youcanpurchaseunflavoredproteinpowder,andyouwon’ttasteanythingbuttheapplecinnamonoatmeal.Asanalternative,youcanskiptheproteinpowderandcookupsomeeggsforyourproteinandjusthavetheoatmealasyourcarbsource.

AlotofBurnTheFatmembers,subscribersandcustomershavebeenverycuriousaboutwhatIeateverydayforburningfatandbuildingmuscle.IcantellyouthatthisrecipeisoneofthemealsIhaveeatenalmosteveryday,weekafterweek,formanyyears.Ittastesgreat,it’shighinnutritionalvalue,butmostofall,youjustcan’tbeatitforconvenience.


PortableFood:No





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Timerequired:1minuteprep,2minutescooking








Yamcakes:ABurnTheFat‐Approved“PortableMealToGo!”

AnotefromKyleBattis,InnerCircleManager:WhenTomfirsttoldmeaboutyancakes,Imustadmit,Iraisedaneyebrowandwasabitskeptical.However,Tomhasnotledmeastraywithhisfoodadviceinthepast,soIgavetherecipeatry.Y‐U‐M‐M‐Y!!!About20minuteslaterIbitintoawarmyamcakeandIwashooked,justasI’msureyouwillbewhenyoutrythisBurnTheFatrecipe.Enjoy!

Yield:makes2yamcakes

Ingredients4eggwhites

1/2cupoatmeal

1/4cupskimmilk

6ozyam,skinned,mashed

3tablespoons(approx40grams)wholewheatorflaxpancakemix

1scoopplainorvanillaflavoredproteinpowder

1teaspoonnutmeg

2teaspoonscinnamon

2teaspoonsmapleextract

Directions1. Microwaveorbakeyouryamandthenremovetheskin.

2. Placetheyamandalltheotheringredientsinablenderorfoodprocessorandblenduntilsmooth.Ifyoudon’thaveafoodprocessororblender,simplymixandwhiskwithaforkuntilthemixtureisassmoothaspossible.Yourmixtureshouldnotbetooliquid,butratherthick.






3. Preheatanon‐stickskilletonmediumheatorbetteryet,usealargegriddle.Pouryourmixtureontothepanorgriddletoform2smallpancakes.Flipthepancakesassoonasthebottomsideislightlybrownandfirmenoughtoflip.Cookonmediumheatandkeepacloseeyeonthemastheycookquicklyandtheoutsideburnseasily.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:359

Protein:26g

Carbs:52g

Fat:3.3g

CookingandNutritionTips

WhenIfirstsharedthisrecipewithafitness‐mindedfriend,shescrunchedhereyebrowsandsaid,“Yamcake?!”Isuspectshewasthinkingalongthelinesofcarrotcake!Loandbehold,sugar‐ladenregularcakeisnottobefoundintheBurnTheFatprogram,soIsaid,“No,no,notcake,pan‐cake…yampancake.Yamcakeistheshorthandforyampancake!”Shegotitthen,butdidn’tseemtooexcitedabout“healthypancakes.”Isaid,“Justwaittillyoutrythem—theymightaswellbecake,theyarethatdeliciousandprettydarnnutritious,evenforstrictdiets.

It’snotjustthefactthatthesearesodeliciousitseemslikeyoucouldbe“cheating,”butwhatIalsolikeaboutyamcakesisthattheyareaportablefood.OverandoveragainIhearfrommyclientsandmembersthateating5or6timesadayisthehardestthingtodowhenyou’rebusyandespeciallyifyoutravel.Overandovermyansweris

The nutmeg and cinnamon complement the yamflavor perfectly.






tocookportablefoodsinadvanceandtakethemwithyou.Yamcakesareyetanotherportablefoodrecipeyoucanaddtoyourarsenal.Cookthemupandtakethemwithyouwhereveryougo.Thenyoucaneatthemlikeasnack,buttheyarereallyasubstantialmealinandofthemselves.

Theyamcontainsthemajorityofthestarchycarbsinthisrecipe,andyamshappentobeoneofthetopfivebeststarchycarbchoicesontheBurnTheFatprogram.Iwouldprobablyevenratethemasbeinginthetoptwo(withoatmealbeingtheothertopstarchycarbchoice).

Yamsareflavorful,all‐natural,lowincalories,andpackedwithnutrientsandantioxidantslikebeta‐carotene,soit’snowonderyamsareafavoritecarbohydrateamongbodybuilders,fitnesscompetitorsandhealth‐seekersalike.AccordingtoBrianRowley,scienceeditorforFLEXmagazine,“Bodybuildersuseyamswhencuttingbodyfatbecausetheyarelowontheglycemicindex.Waxywhitepotatoes(boilers)arehighontheglycemicindex,sotheymakeanexcellentpost‐workoutmeal,butnothingcompareswithayamtherestofthetime.”

AlthoughtheglycemicindexisonlyasecondaryfactorwhenmakingcarbchoicesontheBurnTheFatprogram,ifyou’recarbsensitiveorifyou’reonaverystrictdiet(likeacontestdiet),thentheglycemicindexcouldbegivenmoreweightinyourchoices.

Bytheway,sweetpotatoesarenotexactlythesamethingasyams(sweetpotatoesareslightlyhigherontheglycemicindex),butthey’reotherwisesimilar,whichalsomakesthemgoodchoicesforfatburningdiets.Youcanidentifyayambyitsdarkerorangecolor,pointierendsandunusualsizesandshapes.Atypicalplainbodybuilding‐styleyammealwouldbeayamwithagreenveggie,andchickenbreastorfish.Yamcakesareauniqueand,Idaresay,morefunwaytocookyams.

You can identify a yam by its darker orange color, pointier ends and unusual sizes and shapes.






Oneofthereasonstheseyamcakestastesogoodisbecauseofthespices.Thenutmegandcinnamoncomplementtheyamflavorperfectly.Addcinnamonliberallyandalittlebitlessnutmegbecausenutmegisaverystrongspiceandalittlebitgoesalongway.Mapleextractisoptional,butitenhancesthecinnamon,nutmeg,yammixtureevenmore.YoucanaddsweetenersuchasSplendaifyoulike,butremember,yamsareacomplexcarbandassucharenaturallysweet.

Youmaywanttoexperimentwithsomevariationsonthisrecipe.Forexample,ifyouincreasethequantityofyamyouuseto8–10ounces,youwillgetaslightlydifferenttextureandofcourse,alittlemoreyamflavor(don’tforgettoaccountfortheadditionalcalories).Thepancakemixisoptional,butitaddsqualitytothebattertexture.WhenImakethese,Iusea100%wholewheatpancakemixorbetteryetamultigrain‐plus‐flaxseedpancakemix.(Itneverhurtstogetsomeextraomega‐3s!)Ifyouexperimentwithyourbattermixandfinditistoothick,youcanaddalittlemoreskimmilk.Ifitistooliquidy,addmoreyamoroats.

Theproteinpowderisoptional,althoughincludingtheproteinpowderbooststheproteincontenthighenoughthattheseyampancakesbecomeacompletemeal(proteinpluscomplexcarb).Somerecipesareexclusivelyproteinmealsorcarbmealsrespectively.Forexample,someomeletsareentirelyproteinmeals,meanttobeservedastheproteinportionofameal,andacomplexcarbsuchasoatmealorwholegraintoastonthesideneedstobeaddedtomakeitacompletemeal.Conversely,somepancakerecipesaremostlycarbswithoutmuchprotein,soproteinneedstobeaddedtomakeitacompletemeal.

Yamcakesareextremelylowinfat,andthisisagoodthingbecausetheyarehighincarbsandgenerallyyoudonotwanttoeatalotoffatandcarbsinthesamemeal.Ifyouwish,however,youcanaddcaloriesandhealthyfatsbyusingonewholeomega‐3eggand2–3whitesratherthan4eggwhites.

Try a 100% whole wheat pancake mix or better yet a multigrain plus flaxseed mix.






Yamcakesaredelicioushotrightoffthepanorgriddle.Theyalsomakefantasticportablefoodsandareprettydarngoodcoldafterbeingrefrigerated.Justwrapthemupinfoilandtakethemwithyouwhereveryougo.Althoughtheylooksmall,youwillfindthemsurprisinglyfilling.

IgiveyamcakesaveryrespectableB+nutritiongrade.Ifyoueliminatethewholewheatpancakemixandthemapleextract,IwouldgivetheseanAgrade,andtheywouldevenbesuitableforbodybuildingorfitness“competitiondiets”…onyourhighcarbdays,ofcourse!


PortableFood:Yes










RichandCreamyVanillaOatmealPancakes

Ijustmadethesetastyvanillapancakesformysecondbreakfastand,WOW,weretheygood!NotonlyaretheytastybuttheyarereallysimpletomakeandthatmakesmeahappybecauseIamaculinarydummy.Myrecommendationistogatheryouringredientsandputtheseonthemenufortomorrowmorning!

Yield:makes4pancakes(servingsize:2pancakes)

Ingredients1‐1/2cupsquickoats

5eggwhites

1cupnon‐fatcottagecheese

1scoopvanillaproteinpowder

1teaspooncinnamon

1teaspoonnutmeg

1teaspoonvanillaextract

Directions1. Putalltheingredientstogetherinamixingbowl.Stirthemixtureverythoroughly

untilithasapancake‐batter‐likeconsistency,oryoucansimplyuseablenderandblendthemixtureuntilit’ssmooth.

2. Spraysomenon‐sticksprayonafryingpanorgriddle(orbrushlightlywitholiveoil).Splitthemixturetomakefourpancakes(approximatelyahalfcupeach).

3. Cookonmediumheat.Whenonesideislightlybrownedandsolidenoughtoflip,turnthepancakesoverwithaspatulaandcooktheothersideuntillightlybrownedandfirm.

Eatyourpancakeshotoffthegriddle,wrapthemupinfoilandtakethemwithyouonthego,ormakebigbatchesandputthemintherefrigeratororfreezerforfutureuse!

Rich and Creamy Vanilla OatmealPancakes ready for the road!






NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:392cal

Protein:37.2g

Carbs:50.2g

Fat:5.2g

CookingandNutritionTipsThisisgreatwaytomakehighproteinoatmealpancakesthatcomeoutwitharichandcreamyconsistency,byusingnonfatcottagecheeseinyourbatter.Usingthequantityofingredientslistedabove,thisrecipemakesfoursmallpancakes(aboutahalfacupofbatterperpancake),andtwopancakesmakesacompletemealforafatlossprogram(approximately400calories).

Ifyouneedfewercaloriestoaccommodateyourpersonalnutritionplan,simplyincreaseordecreasetheamountsofallingredientsproportionatelytogetthedesiredcaloriecontentyouwant.(Note:Mostwomenrequire300–360caloriespermealforfatlossprogramsandmostmenrequire400–480caloriespermealforfatlossprograms,basedon5–6mealsperday.Maintenanceandmusclegrowthprogramscanrequiresubstantiallymorecalories.)

Thesepancakesaredeliciouswithouttheproteinpowder,butusingavanillaproteinpowderincreasestheproteincontentfrom28gramsperservingto37gramsperserving,whileaddingagreatvanillaflavor.Usingasweeteneriscompletelyoptional.Thesepancakestastegreateitherway.

Ifyourpancakebatterconsistencyisnotright,youcanusemoreeggwhitesoraddsomewatertomakeitthinner,oryoucanusemoreoatmealorfewereggwhitestomakeitthicker.Besuretomakeanoteofitforyournextbatch.






Ifyouarelactoseintolerant,thenyoumaynotbeabletoenjoythisparticularversionoftheoatmealpancakebecausethisrecipecallsforadairyproductintheformofcottagecheese.However,thisisonlyoneofmanywaystomakeoatmealpancakes.Ifyoucan’teatdairyproducts,tryapplecinnamonoatmealpancakesinstead(see“3‐MinuteHighProteinAppleCinnamonOatmeal”onpage 12).

Thesepancakesarealsogreatforcookinginbulk,soitpaystouseagriddleformakinglargebatches.Remember,oneofthekeystostickingwithafat‐burningmuscle‐feedinglifestylethatrequires5or6smallmealsaday,isplanningyourmealsinadvance.Thisisanothergreatwaytohaveportablemealsreadywhenyouneedthem.

Thisisagreattravelmealbecausethesepancakesaresmallandcompletelyportable.Notonlythat,theyarealso“fingerfood,”andyoucaneatthemconvenientlyevenwhileyou’rebehindthewheeldriving,flyingonaplane,sittinginclassorataseminar,hikingupinthemountains,orjustaboutanywhereelse!(Becarefulwheneatingtheseonplanes!Yourseat‐matemaygetjealousandtrytostealthemfromyou!)

Thesecreamyhighproteinoatmealpancakesgetan“A‐grade,”theyareBurnTheFatprogram‐approvedandthey’reeasytomake,sotheygetthe“KitchenDummySealofApproval.”Thebestpartis,theytastesogooditalmostfeelslikeyou’re“cheating!”


PortableFood:Yes

CookingDifficultyLevel:Easy!









Lunch&DinnerRecipes






Muscle‐MakingTeriyakiChickenStir‐Fry

Teriyakichickenstir‐fryiseasytomakebecauseit’ssimplyamixtureofrice,chicken,mixedvegetablesandteriyakisauce.Yourchoicesforvegetablesareendless,andothertraditionalstirfryveggiesyoumighttryincludesnowpeas,broccoli,cauliflower,greenbeans,waterchestnuts,bokchoyorcelery.However,thereissomethingaboutthisparticularcombination—carrots,greenpepper,mushroomsandonions—thatisabsolutelydeliciouswithteriyakisauce,chickenandrice.

Yield:makes2servings

Ingredients1‐1/2cupsbrownrice

10ozskinlesschickenbreast

4ozcarrots,(about1cup,sliced)

5ozgreenpepper,chopped(1whole,large)

1cupmushrooms(Portobelloorregular),piecesorsliced

1/2onion,chopped

Teriyakisauce,sugarfree(oryourfavoritebrandorrecipe)

Directions1. Begincookingthericeinapotoraricecookerfirst,allowingfor30–40minutes

ricecookingtime.

2. Afterthericehasstartedcooking,preparealarge,deepsautépanorwokbylightlycoatingthesurfacewithnon‐stickcookingspray.

3. Chopchickenbreastintosmallsquaresandaddtopan.Heatonmediumuntilnolongerpink.

4. Chopandaddcarrots,greenpepper,onionandmushrooms.Simmeronmediumheatandstirregularly.






5. Whenthevegetablesandchickenarecooked,scoopout1.5cupsofriceandaddtothepanorwok.

6. Addteriyakisauceandstirintothemixture.Serveandenjoy.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:368

Protein:40.5g

Carbs:50g

Fat:2.1g

CookingandNutritionTipsThegoalwithmanyofourBurntheFatrecipesistoachievethehighestnutritionalvaluepercalorie(highnutrientdensity)andthelowestpossiblecaloriespervolume(lowcaloriedensity).

Japanesechicken,riceandvegetablestirfriesareinherentlyveryhealthymeals,buttherearesomeneatlittletricksyoucanusetomakethemevenhealthierandleaner.

Ifyoulookintraditionalcookbooksfororientalstirfryrecipes,you’lloftenseesesameoilorpeanutoil(sometimesevenoliveoil).Byditchingtheoil,yousaveatonofcalories,andwithagoodteriyakisauce,there’sstillplentyofflavor.

Asmallamountofoilforflavorortextureisyourprerogative,butbesuretoaccountfortheextracaloriesifyouaddit.Remember,alloilsarecaloricallydense,withabout130caloriespertablespoon.Allyouneedisahighqualitynon‐sticksurfacefryingpancoatedlightlywithcookingsprayandyouringredientswillstirjustfinewithoutsticking.

Here’scaloriedensityreducingtricknumbertwo:The“fibrouscarbs”(suchasgreenvegetablesandmoststirfryveggies)areverylowincaloriedensityperunitofvolume.The“starchycarbs,”althoughsomecanbehealthy(brownrice),arehighincaloricdensity.Toreducethecaloricdensityofarecipebatch,allyouneedtodoisalterthetraditionalingredientamountsbyreducingthestarchycarbservingwhileincreasingthefibrouscarbservings.Thetastestaysalmostexactlythesame.






Forexample,mostrecipesthatwouldmakeabatchfortwowouldcallfor2cupsofriceandmightcallforhalfacupofmushroomsandhalfagreenpepperandsoon.Tomakealowercalorieversion,youcouldcuttherice(starchycarbportion)to1.5cupsoreven1cup,andincreasethevegetableportionstoacup(orevenmore!).

Regularchickenteriyakialsousuallycallsforsomekindofcookingwine,whetherthetraditionalJapanesevarietyorsomeother.Youcandispensewiththewineaswell,andthatwillsaveyouevenmorecalories.Don’tworry,areallygoodteriyakisauceisallyouneedtoputontopofyourrice,chickenandveggies—thesaucewillbeyour“splurge.”

Teriyakisauceisbasicallyjustsoysaucewhichhassweetenerandspicesaddedtoit(andsometimesthecookingwine).It’softenusedasamarinade,butit’sterrificinstirfry,asyouwillseewhenyoucookthis.Theonlydownfallisthehighsodiumcontent,whichisthecasewithallsoysauces.Ifyou’rerestrictingsodium,keepinmindthatthere’sabout300mgofsodiumpertablespoonofregularsauce.

Youcouldmakeyourownteriyakisauce,butIwaslazyandusedthestore‐boughtvariety.Ifyoushopinaregulargrocerystore,youmayfindthatthesweetenerusedissugarorcornsyrup.Notsogreat,butat25‐30caloriespertablespoononaverage,it’snotallthatmuchinthebiggerschemeofthings.

Ifyoushopinahealthfoodsstore,you’llfind“natural”teriyakisauces.Insteadofrefinedsugarsyouwillfind“natural”sweetenerslikecanejuice,honeyorevenpineapplejuice.Youcouldsaythat’sanimprovement,butdokeepinmind,calorically,acarbisacarbat4caloriespergram.

OnethingIdidfindofinteresttosomepeopleisasugar‐freeteriyakisauce.BecauseitwassweetenedwithSplenda,thatreducedtheenergycontenttoaminiscule5caloriespertablespoon.So,ifyou’renotbotheredbySplenda(somepeopleprefertoavoidartificialsweeteners),thenthat’syetanothercaloriesavings.

Theingredientsabovemakeanicebigbatchthatyoucansplitinhalfandservefortwo(orsaveaservingforlater).Withtheamountofvegetablesinabatch,plusthegenerousservingofchicken,youwillbeamazedhowfillingthisisfortheamountofcalories—lessthan370perserving!

Ifyou’rehighlyactiveorpursuingmusclegaingoals,youcouldeasilyincreasetheportionsorchangetherecipetoincludemorerice.






Thisisoneofmyall‐timefavoritestirfrycombinationsforflavor.Ifwedon’tdockthisdishforthesodiumorthetinyamountofsweetener,thisisanA‐graderecipealltheway,soenjoyitwithoutguilt!


PortableFood:No


Timerequired:5minutesprep,30‐40minutescooking








HealthyFriedRice

DoyouloveChinesefood,butareafraidofeatingitbecauseyoudon’ttrusttherestaurants?Afterall,youjustdon’tknowhowmanyextrahiddencaloriesmightbeinthere(sauces,not‐so‐leanmeats,etc.).Youalsomightrealizethatyoudon’thaveanycontroloverthesodiumcontenteither(soysauceislikeliquidsalt).Ifso,thenwhynotmakeyourownhealthyChinese,likethishealthy“fried”rice,whereyoucontroltheingredients?

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients1cupbrownrice

1wholeegg

4oztoproundsteak,cubedsmall(optionalforhighproteinversion)

3eggwhites

1cupmushrooms,piecesorsliced

1/2cupchoppedscallions(greenonions)

Garlicpowdertotaste

1tablespoonreduced‐sodiumsoysauce


ricecookingtime,orasperinstructions.

2. Afterthericehasstartedcooking,preparealarge,deepsautépanorawokbylightlycoatingthesurfacewithnon‐stickcookingspray.

3. Heatpanonmediumandaddthechoppedgreenonionsandmushrooms.

4. Forthehighproteinversion,addbeefcubestothepanorwok.






5. Addtheeggsandstir.Watchcloselytoavoidburningandturnheattomedium‐lowonceeggsarecooked.

6. Whenthericeisfinished,scoopoutacupandstirthericeintothemixture.

7. Addgarlicpowderandlightsoysaucetotaste.Serveandenjoy.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:386

Protein:25.7g

Carbs:35.3

Fat:11.8g

Withleanbeef:

Calories:532

Protein:51.8g

Carbs:35.3

Fat:15.6g

CookingandNutritionTipsThishealthyChinese“fried”riceissupereasytomake.Iespeciallylikethisrecipebecauseitcanbemadewithorwithoutmeat,dependingonyourtastesandwhetheryouwantmediumproteinorhighprotein.

Usethericeofyourchoice,althoughIdorecommendbrownlong‐grainrices.Basmatiisoneofmyfavorites.Forinformationaboutbrownriceversuswhiterice,read“TheGreatRiceDebate”intheBurntheFatQ&Adepartment:www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/members/608.cfm.

Thisdishpacksabout25gramsofproteininthebasicversionandmorethan50gramsinthehighproteinbeefversion.

Irecommendonewholeeggandafeweggwhites,althoughyoucanuseallwhitesifyouwanttosavealittleoncalories.(Don’tforgetthatthereissomenutritiousstuffinthoseyolks,includingthecarotenoidsluteinandzeaxanthin,whichhelpprotectyou






againstcataractsandmaculardegeneration.)Feelfreetousemoreeggsoreggwhitesifyouhavecaloriestospareandyouwantmoreprotein.

TosavecaloriesandmakethisaBurntheFat‐friendlymeal,usemylowcaloriedensitytrick:keeptheservingsizeofstarchycarbsfairlysmall(therice)andmaketheservingsizeofthefibrouscarbsandveggieslarge(uselotsofmushrooms).

Ifyouwanttokeepyoursodiumintakeincheck,youcanuseareducedsodiumsoysauce.Kikkomanbrand,forexample,containsalmost40%lesssodium—540mgpertablespoonversus920mginregularsoysauce.Itstilltastesgreat,andthismealjustwouldn’tbethesamewithoutthatextraflavor.

InfutureBurntheFatrecipes,we’llbemakingsomegreatveggie‐loadedstirfries,sokeepthatwokhandy.Butinthemeantime,enjoythisone—I’msureitwillbecomeafavoriteofyoursbecauseit’ssosimplyandeasytomake.You’llbeAMAZEDathowfillingthisisatunder400calories!

Ifyoudon’tdockthisdishforthesodium,thisisanAgraderecipealltheway,sosavoritwithoutguilt!


PortableFood:No


Timerequired:5minutesprep,30‐40minutescooking








TurkeyandEggWhiteWrap(“Wramble”)

What’sa“wramble,”youask?Simple…ascrambleinsideawrap!Thiswrambleuseseggwhites(ofcourse),leangroundturkey,tomatoes,cilantroandspices.It’sdeliciousandveryversatiletoo:Youcaneatthescramblealoneforanalmostno‐carbmeal,orwrapitupina100%wholegraintortilla—thenyou’vegotaportablemealtogo!It’sveryhighinprotein,superfastandeasytomake,anddidImention,it’sdelicious!

Yield:makes2servings(2wrapsorscrambles)

Ingredients2100%wholewheatwraps

1wholeegg

5eggwhites

8ozgroundturkey,99%fatfree

1small(approx4oz)tomato

1/2cupchoppedfreshcilantro

1teaspoongroundcumin

Blackpeppertotaste

Pinchofseasalt(optional)

Directions1. Sprayyourpanwithnon‐stickcookingsprayandthenpreheatthepanon

medium.Alternately,use1/2to1tablespoonofoliveoil(accountingforcaloriesadded).

2. Addtheturkeyandcumin.Crumbleandstirtheturkeyasitcooksuntilit’slightbrownandthenaddtheeggwhites.Stirtheeggwhite/groundturkeymixtureastheeggwhitescook.






3. Seasontotastewithblackpepperandsalt(optional).

4. Chopyourtomatoesintosmallpiecesanddiceyourcilantro.Addtomatoandcilantrolast,stiragainandcookforanotherminuteortwoandremovefromheat.

5. Heatyourwrap/tortillaslightlyuntilsoftandwarm(onseparateskilletorinthemicrowave).Divideturkey/eggwhitemixtureintothewraps/tortillas,rollthewrapsandserve!

Tip:Completelydrainthefluidfromthepanbeforeyouscooptheturkey‐eggmixontothetortillaorwrap.Infact,youmayevenwanttopatitdrywithapapertowel—again,soitdoesn’tmakeadrippymess.

NutritionInfo

Perserving(1wrap):

Calories:377

Protein:46.4g

Carbs:33.5g

Fat:6g

Scrambleonly:

Calories:217

Protein:40.4g

Carbs:4.5g

Fat:2.4g

CookingandNutritionTipsIcallthisversatilerecipea“wramble.”That’sascrambleinsideawrap!

Ifyou’reonastrictfatlossprogramandyou’rerestrictingcarbs,youcouldditchthewrapandyou’dhaveanalmostno‐carbscramble(picturedhere).Evenwithawrap(wholegraincarbs),thisisafairlylowcarbrecipeandit’sveryhighinprotein.






Ifyou’reanathleteorbodybuilderinhardtrainingandyouneedmorecarbcalories,youcouldspreadtheturkey/eggwhitemixtureoutintomorewrapsoreatthescrambleandhavethecarbsofyourchoiceonthesideinjusttheamountsyouneed.LikeIsaid,thisrecipeisversatile!

It’salsodelicious!Thisturkey/eggwhitewrambleissuchatastehome‐run,it’soneofthosemealsIcouldeasilyeateveryday.Imakethisonequiteoften.

ForthisrecipeIuseawrapmadefromwholewheatthatcontains160caloriesper56gram(2oz)serving.Youcanalsouseatortilla,whichisessentiallythesamethingasawrap.Somewrapsmadespecificallyforsandwichesarethinner.Thetortilla‐stylewrapsareusuallythicker,whichisbetterforholdingthestuffinsidewhenit’schunky,aswiththisscramble.

Eitherway,lookforwholegrains.Ifyoushopinahealthfoodstore,youwillprobablyfindawidervarietyofhealthyoptionsthataretrue100%whole‐grainproducts.ThesemayincludeEzekielbreadwrapsortortillasandevennon‐wheatwrapssuchaswholespelt.Youmayalsofindreducedcalorieandreducedcarbversions.I’veseentortillasandwrapsinthe100‐120calorierange.Keepthatinmindincaseyouwanttosavesomecaloriesandcarbs.

Ifyoureadmyrecipecolumnregularly,youknowI’mafanofportablefoods,whichcanbepackedwithyou,takenontheroadandliterallyeatenwithyourbarehands.That’sbecausetheBurntheFatlifestylecallsforthebodybuilder‐athleteeatingmethodof5–6smallermealsaday.Ifyouchoosethisapproach,thenit’shelpfultohavealotofportablefoodsinyourrepertoire.

WhenIfirstgottheideaforthiswrap,Ifigureditwouldbeanothergreatportablemeal.Itcertainlycanbe,butyoudohavetowrapituptightortheturkey/eggmixwillmakeamess.Picturedatthetopofthissectioniswhaticalla“roll‐up,”whichyoucaneatwithafork,orsloppilyeatoveraplatewithyourhands.Foraproperportablemeal,youreallyneedtofoldupyourwrapniceandtight.

Note:Whenyouuselessfillinginsidethewrap,youcanmoreeasilyfoldituptightandtakeitwithyou.Youcouldusethesameamountofeggwhite/turkeymixtureaslistedaboveanddivideitupintothreeorevenfourwraps.Justbesuretocountthoseextrawrapcalories,orchoosethelowercalorievarieties.

Tip:Completelydrainthefluidfromthepanbeforeyouscooptheturkey‐eggmixontothetortillaorwrap.Infact,youmayevenwanttopatitdrywithapapertowel—again,soitdoesn’tmakeadrippymess.






Onemoreidea:Ifyoumakeafold‐overwrap,youcouldevenputyourfinishedwrapintoaGeorgeForemanGrillratherthanheatthetortilla/wrapbeforehand.

IntheBurntheFatsystem,weconsiderwholegrainproductstotallyfairgame,healthyfoods,butwedogivethemaBgraderatherthananAgrade.That’sbecausewholegrainbreads,wrapsandtortillasaremostlyallnatural,butbreadproductsdon’tgrowofftrees—theyareslightlyprocessed.Overall,though,wegivetheentirerecipeaB+rating,andthisisveryquickandeasytoprepare.Enjoy!

PS:Ifyouhappentobeamasterwrap‐makerandyou’dliketoshowoffyourtalents,shootavideoandshareyourwraptechniquewiththerestofusintherecipeforums!


PortableFood:Yes(ifyoudrainitandwrapituptight!)


Timerequired:5minutesprep,7‐8minutescooking.

SuperSimpleSealofApproval:Check!








LowCalorieRedandGreenVegetableScramble

Thisbreakfastrecipeissimple,tastyandlowincalories.Itsjam‐packedwithanutritiousassortmentofveggiesandleanproteinsoit’snottootaxingonyourcaloricbudget.WithitsA+ratinganditsfastcookingtime,it’saperfectbreakfastmealthatwillkeepyoufullforhours.Thisveggiescramblemakesfittingmoreservingsofveggiesintoyourdailydietasnap.

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients1wholeegg

5eggwhites

1smalltomato(approx4oz)

1cupspinach,chopped

1/2redbellpepper(approx1/2cup),chopped

1ozscallions(greenonions)(approx1/2cup),finelychopped

Blackpeppertotaste

Dashofseasalt(optional)

Directions1. Onacuttingboard,chopallyourvegetablesintosmallpieces.Sprayyourpanwith

non‐stickcookingspray(suchasPAMoliveoilspray)andthenpreheatthepanonmedium.

2. Addvegetablesandcookforapproximatelythreeminutes,stirringoccasionally.

3. Addtheeggsandstiragainuntilthescrambleiscompletelycooked.Addpeppertotaste.Adashofsaltisoptional.






NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:258

Protein:28.4g

Carbs:24.6g

Fat:5.4g

CookingandNutritionTipsIntermsofbangforyourcaloricbuck,itdoesn’tgetmuchbetterthanthisgreenandredvegetablescramble.Yougetfourdifferenttypesofvegetables:tworedandtwogreen,plusleanproteinfromeggsinamealthatisdelicious,nutritiousandextremelyfilling.Thebestpartis,thisrecipeisverylowincaloriessoitwillfitintoeventhestrictesttypesoffatlossprograms,andit’seasilyscalableformorecaloriesandcarbswhenyouhaveroomfortheminyourcaloricbudget.

Whenyouhearhealthrecommendationssuchas“Eatatleast5or6servingsofvegetablesperday,”itcanseemkindofintimidating.Youoftenwonderhowyou’regoingtoeatallthoseveggiesand—ifyoudosomehowmanageit—whetheryou’regoingtogagintheprocess.

Fearnot,becausethisveggiescramblesolvestheseproblems.Therearefewbetterwaystohelpachieveyourvegetableconsumptiongoalthanveggieomeletsorscrambles.Thecombinationsofveggiesyoucanusearelimitless.Redpepper,tomatoes,scallionsandspinachmakeaparticularlydeliciouscombination.

Youcanspicethisscrambleasyouplease,buttheveggiesgivesomuchflavorthatjustadashofpepperwilldo.Apinchofsaltisoptionalforfolkswhoaren’trestrictingsodium.

Oneofthebestfeaturesofthisrecipeisthatit’sextremelylowincalories,soitmakesanidealmealforanyfatlossprogramforanypersonofanysizeandactivitylevel.Dependingontheservingsizesyouuse,thisscrambleclocksinatjustunder260calories.






Ifyouwantorneedadditionalcaloriesorprotein,youcanusemorethanoneeggyolkoradditionaleggwhites.

Ifyouwantorneedadditionalcaloriesorprotein,youcanusemorethanoneeggyolkoradditionaleggwhites.Andofcourse,youcanalsoservethiswithyourfavoritestarchycarbssuchas

oatmeal,wholegraintoast,wholegraintortillasorfruit.Eattheveggiescramblebyitselfifyou’reonareducedcarbprogram.

Asmallbowlofoatmealalongwiththisscramblecanleaveyourstomachfeelingtotallysatisfied,possiblyevenstuffedwhiletakinginaremarkablysmallamountofcalories.

Withallnaturalingredientsandfourdifferenttypesofvegetables,thishealthyfatloss‐friendlybreakfastgetsanA+ratingalltheway,anditonlytakesminutestoprepare.Enjoy!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:A+

PortableFood:No


Timerequired:5minutesprep,10minutescooking.









NuttyWildRiceandMushrooms

ThisisnotalowcaloriemealcomparedtomostofourotherBurnTheFatrecipes,butifyou’vegotsomecaloriestospare(thinkhighcarbday,post‐workoutmealormusclegainprograms),thisnuttywildriceandmushroomsdishisamazing!Wildricehasanuttyflavortobeginwith,butwhenyouaddnutsandsomespices,it’saflavorexplosion!Priortomakingthis,Iwentshoppingatmylocalhealthfoodstoreandfoundaspecialbrownandwildriceblend.Itcontainslong‐grainbrownrice,wildrice,sweetbrownrice,Wehaniriceandblackjaponicarice(thebrandIuseisLundbergOrganicWildBlend).


Ingredients2cupswildandbrownriceblend,cooked

2cupsmushrooms,piecesorslices

1/2cuppinenuts

1cupscallions(greenonions),chopped

1cupchickenbroth(optional)

1–2teaspoonsbasil

1–2teaspoonsthyme

Pinchofseasalt(optional)


ricecookingtime.

2. Afterthericehasstartedcooking,preparetwosautépans,onesmallandonelarge.Inthelargepan,lightlycoatthesurfacewithnon‐stickcookingspray.Addthegreenonionsandmushrooms.Optionally,sautéinthebroth.Addthegarlic,pepperandsaltandstir.

3. Inthesmallpan,addthepinenutsandtoastovermediumheatuntillightlybrowned.






4. Whenthericeisfinished,scoopoutacup,stirthericeintothemixtureandserve.

Foracompletemeal,servewithleanproteinsuchasturkeybreastontheside,orcutturkeybreastintostripsorsmallsquares,andstirintoyourricemixture.

NutritionInfo

Perserving,riceonly:

Calories:444

Protein:14.6g

Carbs:69.7g

Fat:11.8g

Ricewith4ozturkeybreast:

Calories:622

Protein:33.9g

Carbs:69.7g

Fat:11.8g

CookingandNutritionTipsThisisnotalowcaloriemealcomparedtomostofourotherBurnTheFatrecipes,butifyou’vegotsomecaloriestospare(thinkhighcarbday,post‐workoutmealormusclegainprograms),thisnuttywildriceandmushroomsdishisamazing!Wildricehasanuttyflavortobeginwith,butwhenyouaddnutsandsomespices,it’saflavorexplosion!

Priortomakingthis,Iwentshoppingatmylocalhealthfoodstoreandfoundaspecialbrownandwildriceblend.Itcontainslong‐grainbrownrice,wildrice,sweetbrownrice,Wehaniriceandblackjaponicarice(thebrandIuseisLundbergOrganicWildBlend).






Ifyoucan’tfindawildandbrownriceblendatyourlocalfoodmarket,donotfear.Simplygetsomewildriceandmaketherecipewithhalflonggrainbrownriceandhalfwildrice.

IdidquiteabitofresearchingthroughtraditionalcookbooksandrecipewebsitesbeforemakingtheBurnTheFatversionofwildriceandmushrooms.Mostofthetraditionalwildriceandmushroomrecipesusebutter.Istronglyrecommendleavingoutthebutterbecauseitaddssomanycaloriestoanalreadycalorie‐densedish,andthishassomuchflavorthatthebuttersimplyisnotneeded.

Manyofthetraditionalwildriceandmushroomrecipesalsousealmonds.Almondsaregreat,butIrecommendtryingpinenuts—theycomplementthewildriceblendperfectly,andjustwaittilyoutrythemtoasted!

Youcouldeasilyusewhiteoryellowonions,butIoptedforscallions(greenonions).Formushrooms,takeyourpick—freshorcanned.Ifyouusecannedmushrooms,youmightwanttodrainandrinsethemtoavoidaddingathousandormoregramsofsodium.

Mushrooms,bytheway,areabonafidehealthfood.InAsia,mushroomshavebeenreveredforcenturiesbecauseoftheirmedicinalproperties.Theshiitakevarietyofmushroomcontainsfiber,vegetableprotein,vitamins,mineralsandnumerousotherphytonutrients.Theseincludeeritradene,whichhasbeenshowntolowercholesterol,accordingtoJapaneseresearch.Mushroomsalsocontainimmuneboostingcompoundssuchaslentinan(akabeta‐1,3glucan)

Wild rice has a nutty flavor to begin with, but when you add nuts and some spices, this is like a flavor explosion!






Therearemanypossibilitiesforspiceshere,butIdecidedtogowiththymeandbasil.Nottoomuch—tryjustoneteaspoonatfirst,thentastebeforeaddingmore.

Mosttraditionalwildricerecipessuggestusingchicken(orvegetable)brothtoaddflavor.Whiletherearenocalories,theonlyconcernistheextremelyhighsodiumcount.Suggestion:useasmallamountandsautéyourvegetablesinit.Ifyoupassonthebroth,youcouldtryapinchofseasaltifthatmakesyourtastebudshappy.

Thisisessentiallyavegetariandish,yetacompleteprotein,Imightadd(nutsandricearecomplementary).However,forthe“meatheads”outthere(likeme),youcanservethiswithturkeybreastorchickenbreast.ThatmakesitacompleteBurnTheFat“bodybuilding‐style”mealaswell,becauseBurnTheFatmealsallcontainaleanproteinsource.

Withjust4ouncesofturkeybreast,servedinadditiontotherice,thisrecipeaddsuptoagrandtotalof622caloriesand34gramsoftotalprotein.AsImentionedearlier,it’snotalowcaloriemeal(unlessyouwanttoreallyreducetheservingsize).

Ifyouwanttosavesomecaloriestobetterfitthisintoevenastrict(lowercalorie)fatlossmenu,justdropthepinenuts(orreducetojustasprinkleofthem).Thatwillsaveyouupto160calories.Withoutthepinenuts,thisrecipecontainsafat‐lossfriendlytotalof462calories.

Alternately,youcouldreducetheamountofrice(try2/3to3/4cup)orincreasethevegetables(mushrooms,onions,etc.).Alsoconsideraddingadditionalvegetablessuchasgreenpeppers.Addinglowcaloriefibrousvegetablesinplaceofsomeofthe(highercalorie)ricecanincreasethevolumeofameal,therebykeepingyourstomachhappy,whileactuallydecreasingtheenergydensityofthemeal.

Withcaloriesandportioncontrolinmind,thisisanAgraderecipealltheway,soenjoy!


PortableFood:No


Timerequired:10minutesprep,30–40minutescooking














MexicanPepperandPotatoScramble

Muchodelicious!TheMexicanpotatoandpepperscrambleisoneofmyall‐timefavoritebreakfasts.Notonlyisitdelicious,it’ssofilling,youwillwalkawayfromthetablefeelingsatisfiedonaremarkablysmallamountofcalories.Thetrickisinchangingthe“caloricdensityratio”oftheingredients...oneofmyBurnTheFatRecipesecrets!Enjoyithotandspicyormildwithoneeasyingredientswitch.

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients6ozpotato,skinned

1wholeegg

5eggwhites

1/2mediumonion,finelychopped

1/2greenbellpepper,finelychopped

1/2redbellpepper,finelychopped

Blackpeppertotaste

Tabascosaucetotaste

1/2cupsalsa(optional)

Directions1. Peelthepotatoandmicrowaveitforapproximately4minutesoruntilcooked.

2. Finelychopthegreenpepper,redpepperandonions.

3. Sprayafryingpanwithnon‐stickcookingspray(PAMoliveoilspray,forexample)andthenaddthevegetables.

4. Whenthegarlicandvegetableshavebeguntocook,addthewholeeggandeggwhites.

5. Stirtheeggandvegetablemixastheeggsbegintocook.






6. Cutthepre‐cookedpotatointothinslicesandstirintothescramble.

7. AddblackpepperandTabascototaste.Trymildormediumsalsainsteadofpeppersauceifyouprefer.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:373

Protein:29.9g

Carbs:55.3g

Fat:5.4g

CookingandNutritionTipsIcouldeataMexicanpepperscrambleforbreakfasteveryday.It’soneofmyall‐timefavorites.Thebestpartaboutthisrecipeisthatyouwillnotbelievehowfullyouwillfeelononly373calories.Evenwithastarchycarb(thepotato),thecaloricdensityofthisrecipeisextremelylow.

Thesecrettothehighbulkandlowcaloriesistoaltertheratioofingredientscomparedtothewayyoufindmostomeletsorscramblesintraditionalrecipebooks.

Allyouhavetodoisincreasetheportionsizesforthelow‐calorie‐densityfibrouscarbs(redpepper,greenpepperandonion)anddecreasetheservingsizesofthehigh‐calorie‐densitystarchycarbs(whitepotatoes)andthefats(eggyolkslimitedtooneyolkandtheremainingwhites).

Infact,thecaloriesaresolowonthisrecipethatthisservingsizeissuitablefortheaveragefemaleonafatlossprogram,andmostwomenwillfindthisextremelyfilling.Men,athletes,bodybuildersoranyhighlyactiveindividualsmayactuallyneedtoincreasetheservingsizeonthepotato(ifyouwantmorecarbs)orontheeggs(ifyouwantmoreprotein),orboth.

Alternately,youcanhaveasmallbowlofoatmealontheside,ortry100%wholegraintoast.Awholewheattortillaworksaswell.Afterall,thisis“Mexican”scramble,youknow!

Forlowcarbdiets,increasethevegetableservingsandreduceorremovethepotato.






RegularreadersofmyrecipecolumnmaynoticethatIamfondofspicyfoodsandhotsauces,butIrealizepersonaltastesmayvary.ThisrecipeisdeliciouswithasplashofTabascosauceoranyredhotpeppersauce(forexample,Trappey’sRedDevil).However,ifyoudon’tlikeyourfoodtoohot,tryamildsalsaonthis.Itactuallychangesthetextureabitandisquitedelicious(oruseboth—salsaandTabasco).Rememberthecaloriesinthesalsa.Salsaisalowcaloriefood,butnotcalorie‐free—about40caloriesinahalfacup).

Thisreciperequiresonlyafewminutesofpreptimetochopupyourveggiesandatotaloflessthan10minutesofcookingtime(youcanstartcookingyourveggiesandeggswhileyourpotatoismicrowaving).Notquiteasfastasourlightingfast3‐minutehighproteinoatmeal,butstillaquickieandanall‐timefavoriteformethatI’vebeenenjoyingforyears.


PortableFood:No










HotBlack‐eyedPeasandRicewithLeanTenderloin

Black‐eyedpeasareafabuloussourceofstarchycarbohydrates,compatiblewithanyfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutritionprogram.Fornutritionalvalue,theyarehardtobeat.One15ozcan(1‐3/4cups),theamountusedinthisfullbatch,givesyou315calories,21gramsofvegetableprotein,56gramsofslow‐releasinglow‐GIcarbsandahefty14gramsoffiber.Addrice,spices,redhotsauceandmysecretvegetablecombo,andyouwillbehookedonthisone,Ipromiseyou!Easytoadaptforvegetarianstoo.


IngredientsOne15‐oz(130g)canblack‐eyedpeas(1‐3/4cups)

1cuplong‐grainbrownrice,cooked

10ozporktenderloin(uncookedweight)

1mediumonion(8oz,approx1heapingcup),chopped

1greenbellpepper(5oz,approx1cup),chopped

3celerystalks(approx6oz,1heapingcup),chopped

2tablespoonshotsauce(orashotasyoulikeit)

Blackpeppertotaste

Dashofsalt(optional)


ricecookingtime.

2. Afterthericehasstartedcooking,preparealarge,deepsautépan,andcoatthesurfacewithnon‐stickcookingspray(oruseoliveoil).

3. Choptheonions,celeryandgreenpeppers,andsautétheminthepanuntiltheybegintosoften.






4. Choptheporktenderloinintostripsorpreferablyintosmallsquares,addtopanandstiruntilevenlybrowned(orcookseparately).

5. Addthegarlic,pepperandsalt.Addintheblack‐eyedpeasandstir.

6. Whenthericeisfinished,scoopoutacup,stirthericeintothemixtureandserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:470

Protein:42.8g

Carbs:35.3g

Fat:5.9g

CookingandNutritionTipsIfyoulookthroughpopularcookbooksforblack‐eyedpearecipes,youwillfindmany,rangingfromsoupstosaladstomaincourses.Manyofthetraditionalrecipes,however,arehighinfat,starchycarbsandtotalcalories.Oneofthesecretstoadaptingconventionalrecipestofat‐burningnutritionprogramsistoreducethecaloricdensity.

Afteranalyzingtheingredientsofsomepopularblack‐eyedpeasandricedishes,Ifirsttookoutcaloriedenseandhighfatingredientssuchasfullfatpork,sausageorextraoil.ThenIincreasedtheportionsofthelowcaloriefibrouscarbs(celery,onionsandgreenpepper)anddecreasedtheportionsofthestarchycarbs—notablytherice.WithmyBurnTheFatmodifications,yougetaverylargevolumeoffoodwithfewercaloriesperunitofvolume(becausethefatisreducedandthestarchy‐to‐fibrouscarbratioisaltered).

Fordiabeticsandotherpeoplewithbloodsugarregulationconcerns,it’salsogoodtoknowthatblack‐eyedpeasarelowontheglycemicindex,whichmeansthecarbsaredigestedandreleasedintothebloodstreamslowly.AstudyfromtheUniversityof






Coloradofoundthatincarb‐sensitiveadults,eatingblack‐eyedpeashelpedtoreducetheglycemicresponsetoanotherwisehighglycemicmeal.

Forarecipethatcontainstwostarchycarbs,thisisfairlylowincaloriedensity.Youwillbeamazedhowfillingthisisatunder500caloriesaserving.Itwasasimplematterofincreasingthequantitiesoffibrousveggiesmixedinwithyourstarchycarbs(riceandblack‐eyedpeas).Thisisagoodtricktorememberformanyofyourrecipes:Addmorefibrousvegetables,lessstarchorsugar,andlessfat,andyougetfewercaloriesperunitofvolume—plusyougettoeatmore,feelfullerandstillgetleaner!

Althoughblack‐eyedpeasandriceareoftenservedasadeliciousvegetariandish,mostBurnTheFatrecipescontaintheever‐presentleanproteinsource.Inthiscase,Ichoseporktenderloininsteadofchicken.Manypeopleavoidallporkbecausetheybelieveit’shighinfat.However,justlikeredmeat,thefatcontentdependsonthecut.Infact,onecutofpork—porktenderloin—isasleanaschickenandleanerthanalmostanycutofredmeat.(Rememberthatslogan,“Theotherwhitemeat”?Advertising,yes,butindeedtenderloincanbeincludedontheleanproteinlist.)

Fiveounces(141grams)ofporktenderloincontainsonly154calorieswith30gramsofprotein,3.2gramsoffatandnocarbs.Ifyoudon’tlikepork,youcansimplyusechickenorturkeybreastinthisrecipeforyourleanprotein.Thetenderloin,however,goesverynicelywiththeseingredients,andit’sanicechange‐upifyouareusedtoeatingchickenbreasteveryday.

Forspices,adashofpepperandapinchofsaltdothetrick.Ifyoulikeithot,tryahotpeppersaucelikeTrappey’sRedDevil.


PortableFood:No










3‐MinuteBlackBeansWithSpicySalsa

Beansareprobablyoneofthemostunder‐usedofallthehealthystarchycarbs.Highonthestarchycarblistsforbodybuildersandfitnessfanaticsareusuallyoatmeal,brownrice,yamsorsweetpotatoesandwhitepotatoes,butpoorbeansoftengetignoredandneglected.That’sashamebecausebeansareloadedwithfiberandslow‐releasingcarbs;they’regreatforyourhealthandinexpensivetoo.Notonlythat,ifyouusecannedbeans,theydon’trequirecooking,soyoucanliterallyhaveyourselfaninstantmeal.Thisdeliciousdishtakesallof3minutestomake.


Ingredients1can(15oz/425g)blackbeans

1tablespoonoliveoil

1cup(16tablespoons/264g)hotsalsa

10ozchickenbreast(uncookedweight)

2clovesgarlic(or1tablespoonchoppedgarlic)

Peppertotaste


Directions1. CutthechickenintosmallcubesorsquaresandcookonagrillpanorGeorge

ForemanGrill.

2. Openthecanofbeansanddraintheexcessliquid(beanjuice),and/orrisewithwater,thenaddthebeanstothebowl.

3. Addoliveoil,hotsalsa,garlic,pepperanddashofsalt(optional).

4. Addchickenandmixallingredients.

5. Serveasablackbean“salad”ormicrowaveandservehot.






NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:391

Protein:43g

Carbs:41g

Fat:10.9g

CookingandNutritionTipsWhenitcomestostarchycarbs,thetopoftheA‐listforbodybuildersandfitnessfanaticsusuallyincludesoatmeal,brownrice,yams,sweetpotatoesandwhitepotatoes.Meanwhile,poorbeansoftengetignoredandneglected.

That’sashamebecausebeansareloadedwithfiberandslow‐releasingcarbohydrates(greatforsustainedenergy).Thehealthvalueofbeansistopnotch.Studiesgoingbackdecadeshaveshownthatbeanscanlowercholesterolandaresuperbforglycemiccontrol(bloodsugarregulation).

Onapracticallevel,beansinthecanarealsoagreatconveniencefoodbecausecannedbeansrequirenocooking.Infact,thisrecipe,servedvegetarianstyle(withoutthechicken)takesallofthreeminutestoprepare.Don’tforgetthatblackbeansareinexpensiveandhavealongshelflife,sotheywon’tbegoingbadanytimesoonafteryoupurchasethem.

Beansareavailabledried,ofcourse,andthereislittledifferenceinthenutritionalvaluebetweencannedanddriedbeans.Thedifferenceisintheprepandcookingtime.Cannedbeansmaybeabitmoreexpensive,butthesavingsintimeandconvenienceisworthalittlebitextrainprice.

Somevarietiesofcannedbeansarehighinsodium,butifyouarefollowingalowsodiumdiet,youcanshoparoundfornosodiumvarietiesofcannedbeansoryoucanjustrinsethebeansthoroughlyundercoldwaterbeforeserving.Rinsingisrecommendedanyway,becausemostfolksfindbeanjuice(andthebean“sludge”atthebottomofthecan),somewhatunappetizing.

At15gramspercup,veryfewfoodspackthefiberpunchofblackbeans.Twenty‐fivegramsoffiberperdayisthecurrentrecommendationintheUSdietaryguidelines.Anidealdailyfiberintakemaybeapproximately30gramsforwomenandabout35






gramsformen.Oneservingofblackbeanstakesyoualongwaytowardyourdailyfibergoals.

Beansarealsohighinprotein,with15gramspercup.Althoughtheproteininbeansisnotacompleteprotein,thisisasignificantproteinsourceforvegetarians,andit’seasytocombinecomplementaryvegetablesourcesofproteininmealsandthroughoutthedaytoobtainalltheessentialaminoacids.

Whatabouttheinfamoussideeffectofbeans?It’struethatbeanscanbegas‐formingbecausewecannotdigesttheoligosaccharides.Therefore,thesesugarspassthroughtheGItractintactwherebacteriainthesmallintestinebreakthemdownand,voila,gas.However,noteveryoneisaffected,andtherearesomesolutionsintheeventthatyou’reoneofthepeoplebotheredbyintestinalsymptoms.

Rinseyourbeansthoroughly,sincesomeofthegasformingcompoundscanbereducedbydrainingoffthejuiceinthecanorbyreplacingthewaterthatdriedbeansaresoakedinwithfreshwater.AccordingtohealthfoodexpertandauthorGeorgeMateljan,thereisanecdotalevidencethatcookingbeanswithkombu(seaweed)improvesthedigestibilityofthebeans.Incidentally,somebrandsofbeanssuchasEdenOrganicarecannedinkombu.Ofcourse,there’salwaysBeano.

Theingredientslistedforthisrecipeamounttojustunder800calories,sothat’stwoservings.Mostwomenrequire300–360caloriespermealforfatlossprogramsandmostmenrequire400–480caloriespermealforfatlossprograms,assumingyouarefollowingtheBurnTheFatstyleofeatingwith5–6mealsperday(mealsizewilldependonyourbodysize,activitylevelandyourmealfrequency).

Formanyofourrecipes,Iadjustthebatchsizessothattherearetwoservings.Thisfacilitatesthe“mealsplitting”method,whereyoupreparetwiceasmuchasyouneed.Youeathalf,

thenyouhavetheotherhalfforyournextmeal,whichmakesitveryeasytofollowtheBurnTheFateatingschedule.Ofcourse,youcanalsosplityourbatchwithamealcompanion,ordoubleuponthebatchestoserveyourfamily.

Don’tbeafraidtotryvariationsandexpandonthisrecipe.Ifyouhavethecaloriestospare,tryaddingasecondtablespoonofoliveoilforadditionalflavorandtexture.Ifyou’revegetarian,youmightwanttoaddriceinsteadofchicken.Ifyou’reanathleteorbodybuilderwithhighcalorieneeds,youcantrythebeanswithriceandchicken.Thiswillworkwithturkeyorleanbeefaswell.Ifyoureallywanttosplurge,tryyour






beansandspicysalsawrappedinatortilla,andcaloriespermitting,addsomelowfatcheese.


PortableFood:No


Timerequired:3minutesbeans,10minuteswithchicken








ItalianStyleChickenandRicewithTomatoesandHerbs

ManyyearsagoIworkedatahealthclubinNewYorkandtherewasahealthfoodrestaurantrightnextdoor.Itwaslike“bodybuildersheaven”becausethemenunotonlyhadacoupledozenhealthyandmuscle‐friendlymealstochoosefrom,theyalsohadmix‐and‐matchoptionslike“pickastarchycarb:yam,rice,potato”and“pickaleanprotein:chicken,steak,bison,fish”and“pickafibrouscarb:broccoli,asparagus,mixedveggies,greenbeans,etc.”Oneofmyfavoritemealsatthismuscle‐mealhavenwaschickenandricewithtomatosauce.Itwasareallysimpledish,buttheyhaditnicelyspicedupwithsomechoppedonionsandgreenpeppers.It’snotafancy“gourmet”recipe,butItalianstylechickenandriceisamuscle‐buildingandfat‐burningprogramclassic.


Ingredients1cuplong‐grainbrownrice,cooked

12ozchickenbreast(uncookedweight)

1/2greenbellpepper(approx2/3cup),chopped

1/26ozonion(approx1/2cup),chopped

14.5ozcanofdicedtomatoes

1tablespoonextravirginoliveoil

1teaspoonbasil

1teaspoonoregano

Blackpeppertotaste

Garlicpowdertotaste








forcookingtime(dependingonyourcookingmethod).

2. Afteryou’vestartedtherice,preparealarge,deepsautépan,andcoatthesurfacewithatablespoonofoliveoil(orsavecaloriesbyusingnon‐stickcookingspray).

3. Choptheonionsandgreenpeppers,andsautétheminthepanuntiltheybegintosoften.

4. Chopthechickenintostripsorpreferablyintosmallsquares,stirringuntilevenlybrowned.

5. Addthedicedtomatoes.Addspices(basil,oregano,blackpepperandgarlicpowder)toyourliking.

6. Whenthericeisfinished,scoopoutacup,stiritintothechicken‐vegetablemixtureandserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:393

Protein:42.8g

Carbs:35.3g

Fat:11.8g

CookingandNutritionTipsManyyearsagoIworkedatahealthclubinNewYorkandtherewasahealthfoodrestaurantrightnextdoor.Itwaslike“bodybuildersheaven”becausethemenunotonlyhadacoupledozenhealthyandmuscle‐friendlymealstochoosefrom,theyalsohadmix‐and‐matchoptionslike“pickastarchycarb:yam,rice,potato”and“pickaleanprotein:chicken,steak,bison,fish”and“pickafibrouscarb:broccoli,asparagus,mixedveggies,greenbeans,etc.”Iswearitwasliketheytookthe“playbook”rightoutofBurnTheFat,FeedTheMuscle.Butthat’sbodybuilding‐stylenutritionforyou—it’ssimpleandtheprinciplesarefairlyuniversal.







Oneofmyfavoritemealsatthismuscle‐mealhavenwaschickenandricewithtomatosauce.Itwasareallysimpledish,buttheyhaditnicelyspicedupwithsomechoppedonionsandgreenpeppers.Idon’tknowwhatmademethinkofthisoutofthebluesomanyyearslater,butIdecidedtoexperimentinthekitchenabittoseeifIcouldduplicateit.Well,itwaseasy.It’snotafancy“gourmet”recipe,butItalianstylechickenandriceisamuscle‐buildingandfat‐burningprogramclassic.

ThismealissimilartoSpanishrice,exceptforthechicken,spicesandveggies.RememberingthatIprefermySpanishricewithmoretomatoflavor,Iusedafull14.5‐ozcanofdicedtomatoesformyItalianrice.Ifyouwantitevenmoretomato‐ey,youcouldaddatablespoonortwooftomatopaste.Youcouldprobablyuseanytypeofcannedtomatoesortomatosauceyoulike;however,readlabelsanddoyourbesttoavoidtheoneswithcornsyrup.Sodium‐freeversionsofcannedtomatoesarewidelyavailableifyouwanttokeepyoursodiumintakedown.

Forspices,youhavequiteafewpossibilitieshereandIurgeyoutobecreative.IsimplyusedafewItalianspices:Basil,oregano,blackpepperandgarlicpowder.Youcouldminceupagarliccloveortossinsomedicedgarlicfromajarifyouprefer.Thiscombinationofspicesturnedoutgreat,butfeelfreetospicetosuityourownpersonaltastes.

WhatIreallylikeaboutthismealisthatit’sveryfillingforthenumberofcaloriesyouget.Theingredientslistedabovemaketwoservingsatjustunder400calorieseach.Anathleteorbodybuilderonmuscle‐growthphasemightgofor50%more(600calories),andthatwillleaveyouveryfull!Adjusttheingredients(amountofrice,etc.)toincreaseordecreasethecaloriesforyourneeds.

Bytheway,Iusearicecookerandalargesaucepanonthestovetop,butyoucanmakebigbatchesofthisinacrockpotifyou’reacrockpotkindofperson.ThisisanA‐listrecipealltheway,soenjoy!


PortableFood:No










ShrimpFraDiavoloalaVenuto

FraDiavoloisaspicyItaliandish,madewithshrimporotherseafoodforleanprotein,inatomatosaucewithhealthy,nutrient‐richsuperfoodvegetables.ThissurprisinglyhealthydishistotallyBurnTheFat‐friendlyandperfectforfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutritionprograms.Withafewtweaks,youcaneventurnthistraditionalpastamealintoalowcarbrecipe.How’sthatforversatility?Makethisfordinnerguests,familyoryoursignificantother,andyouaresuretoimpress!

Yield:makes4servings(approx1‐1/4cups)ofsauceandshrimpperserving

Ingredients2tablespoonsextravirginoliveoil

1cupchoppedcarrots(approx4.5oz)

1cupchoppedcelery(approx2largestalks)

1cupfinelychoppedonion(approx1/2largeonion)

1tablespooncrushedgarlic(ortotaste)

1poundshrimp

3tablespoonsfinelychoppedfreshparsley

3tablespoonsfinelychoppedfreshbasil

2teaspoonsoregano

1–2teaspoonscrushedredpepperflakes(ortotaste)

Shrimp Fra Diavolo with Pasta






Dashofseasalt

1can(14.5oz)dicedtomatoes

Directions1. Cookpastaaccordingtopackagedirections.

2. Meanwhile,heatthe2tablespoonsofoliveoilinalarge,deepsaucepanorlargeskilletovermedium‐highheat.Addthegarlic,carrots,celeryandonions.

3. Whenthevegetablesaresizzlingandhavestartedtosoften,addthetomatoes,bringtoboil,thenturndownheatandletsimmer.

4. Meanwhile,inaseparateskilletovermedium‐highheat,addtheshrimp(shelled),andcookforabout2minutespersideoruntiljustcookedevenly.(Alternately,usepre‐cookedshrimp.)Addcookedshrimptotomatosauce.

5. Addtheherbsandspices:parsley,basil,oregano,crushedredpeppersandseasalt.Simmer,stirringoccasionally.

6. Tasteandadjustseasoning.Ifindoubt,golightonredpepper,garlicandseasoningsandaddmoretotaste,ifdesired.

7. Serveoverdrained,hotpasta.Mixwellandserve.

NutritionInfo

Oneservingshrimpandsauce:

Calories:259

Protein:23.3g

Carbs:14g

Fat:9.1g

Oneservingofsaucewithonecupcookedpasta(2ozdry):

Calories:469

Protein:32.3g

Carbs:56g

Fat:10.1g






CookingandNutritionTipsFraDi‐what?That’swhatIsaidwhenIfirstreadaboutthisspicyItalianrecipe,but,I’mcertainlygladIkeptreadingandstartedcooking.

FraDiavoloisatomato‐basedseafoodandpastadish,usuallymadewithshrimp.Italianfor“brotherdevil,”FraDiavoloisnamedafteraSicilianguerillaleader,MichelePezza,whorefusedtogiveintotheFrenchoccupationofNaples.

FraDiavoloissurprisinglyhealthyandcompatiblewithfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingprograms.You’vegotyourvegetables(carrots,celery,onionsandtomatoes),yourcomplexcarbs(wholewheatpasta),andyourleanprotein(shrimpistraditional,butthisgoesgreatwithscallops,lobsterandotherseafoodaswell).

Someofthetraditionalversionsofthisrecipeuse3–4tablespoonsofoliveoilorevenmore,butyoucangetbywithjusttwo,whichwillsaveyoualotofcalories.Don’tworryaboutthecaloriesorfatinthose2tablespoonsbecauseextravirginoliveoilisoneofthehealthyfats.

IlookedatmanyvariationsonFraDiavoloandmostofthemdidnotincludetheceleryorcarrots.However,myvotegoestotheceleryandcarrotversionbyalandslide.

Imadethisrecipewithonlyonecanofdicedtomatoes(14.5ounces)andpreferreditthisway,butyoucouldaddtomatopasteforamoretomatoeyflavor,oryoucouldusemoredicedtomatoesforasaucierdish.

Onemodificationofthisrecipeisthewine.Thetraditionalrecipeincludesonecupofdrywhitewine.Toavoidthealcoholandsavesomecalories,youcanleaveoutthewhitewineandyouwillnotlosemuchflavor.Somepeoplemightwishtoreplacethewinewithsomethinglikechickenbrothorwhitegrapejuice,butthatisnotanecessity.Ifyouarethetraditionaltype,tryjustahalfacupofwhitewine,whichkeepsthevinointhemix,butsavesyouafewcalories.Generally,you’llwanttoavoidalcoholduringfatlossprograms,butitcancertainlybeenjoyedoccasionallyinmoderation.

Typically,FraDiavoloisservedwithlinguini,butitgoeswithjustaboutanytypeofpasta.Iusedpenne,andIchoseawholegrainpenne,whichisaslightimprovementinnutritionalvalueoverwhitepasta.Rememberthatalltypesofpastaarecaloriedense,soyouhavetowatchthecalories.

FraDiavoloissupposedtobeapastadish,butIfoundthatyoucouldturnthisintoalowcarbrecipebyleavingoutthepastaandincreasingtheseafood(tryshrimpand






scallops)andincreasingthevegetables.FraDiavoloisalsonicewithagreensaladontheside,epseciallyFraDiavololowcarb.

Thisdishisalotspicierthanyoumightthinkjustbylookingattheingredientslist,soIrecommendgoinglightonthespicesatfirst,especiallytheredpepper,thenaddingmoretotaste.Iover‐pepperedonmyfirstbatch,andalthoughIenjoyveryspicyfood,IimaginethatifIservedthatfirstbatchtoguests,Iwouldhaveseensmokecomingoutoftheirears!

Actuallyitdoesn’ttakethatlongtocook(andyoucanusepre‐cookedshrimptoo).Butifyouletthesaucesimmerabitlonger,itwillbringouttheflavorsmore.Thisrecipetakesabitofpreptimeandcookingtime,butit’sdefinitelyworththeeffort.Servethismealtoyourdinnerguests,familyorsignificantother,andyouaresuretoimpress!

Buonappetito!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:B+withpasta,Awithoutpasta

PortableFood:No





Low carb Fra Diavolo with shrimp and scallops






Muscle‐ManCheesyGrits

Ifyou’refromtheSouth,thengritsneednointroduction.GritsaretoSouthernerswhatpastaistoItalians.Butaregritsamuscle‐andfitness‐friendlyfood?FindouthowTomVenutoturnstraditionalsoutherngritsintobodybuilding,muscle‐building,mouth‐watering,high‐proteincheesygrits!

Yield:makesone“muscle‐man”‐sizedserving

Ingredients1/2cupquick‐cookinggrits

1‐1/2cupsskimmilk(orwater)

1/2cuplowfatcheddarcheese

1wholeomega‐3egg

1tablespoonlightbutterspread(suchasSmartBalance)

1/2cupchoppedscallions(greenonions)

Dashofpepper

Dashofpaprika

Dashofseasalt(optional)

Directions1. Measuredrygritsandpourthemintoabowl.

2. Addskimmilk,orusewaterifyouwanttoreducethecaloriesforafatlossprogram.

3. Addahalfacupofshreddedlowfatcheddarcheese,orgratedblockcheese.

4. Stirinonewholeegg.

5. Addadashofpepperandpaprika.






6. Cookapproximately3–4minutesinmicrowave,oronstovetop(stovetoptakeslonger).Stirduringcookingtopreventclumping.

7. Letyourgritsstandtocoolforafewminutes,addadashofseasalttotaste(optional)andenjoy.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:640

Protein:41g

Carbs:77g

Fat:13.5g

CookingandNutritionTipsIfyou’refromtheSouthernUnitedStates,thengritsneednointroduction.GritsaretoSouthernerswhatpastaistoItalians.Ifyou’refromtheNorthorWest,youmaynoteatgrits.Infactyoumightnotevenknowwhatgritsare.Inthelattercase,letmeintroduceyou.Andevenifyou’reagrits‐a‐holic,letmeshowyouhowtomakegritsasmuscle‐andfitness‐friendlyastheycanbe!

Whataregrits?Gritsaresimplycoarselymilledcorn.Iftheyweremilledfurther,theywouldbecomecornmealorcornflour.Thereisaslightproblemwiththis.Byprocessingthecorn,evenlightly,wedropthenutritiongradefromAtoB.Duringthemillingprocessthecornlosesthegermandthebransotechnicallyonceitmakesitintothegritshotcerealform,it’snolongerawholegrain.Wholegraingritsdoexist,buttheyaremuchlesscommon—youprobablywon’tfindtheminyourlocalgrocerystore.Usuallytheygounder“stonegroundgrits”andyoucanfindtheminhealthfoodstoresandbymailorder.Wholegraingritsretainsomeofthegerm.Theymaytakelongertocookandmayrequirerefrigeration.

Incidentally,manypeoplearguethatcornisnotanA‐gradefoodtobeginwithanddoesn’tbelonginafat‐burningorahealth‐promotingnutritionprogram.Themajorityofthebacklashagainstcorn,however,comesfromthelowcarbmovement.Lowcarbdietauthorswarnustoavoidcornliketheplague.Theyremindusthatcornisnotevenavegetable,it’sagrain,andgrainsareVERBOTENonstrictlowcarbdiets.Ilike






lowcarbdietsattimes,butmyphilosophydiffersfrominflexibleanddogmaticlowcarbersinthatIbelieveinbalanceddietsthatallownatural,unprocessedgrainsandoccasionallyevenlightlyprocessedgrains.Thatincludesgrits.

TheAfoodBfoodlecture,revisitedTwonutritionalfactsaboutcorn,however,provewhycorngritsarenotasgoodachoiceasvegetables,especiallyonfatlossprograms.Oneisthatcornisacalorie‐densegrain.Acupofcornhas140calories.Bycomparison,acupofstrawberrieshas46calories.Acupofbroccolihas44calories.

Second,corndoesnothavethesuperfoodantioxidantandphytonutrientdensitythatmanyfruitsandvegetableshave,althoughacupofwholecornwillgiveyou6gramsoffiber.Thecaloricdensityofgritsisevenhigher—260caloriesinahalfacup,measureduncooked.Comparethattoahalfacupofoatmeal,uncooked,clockinginat150calories.

Athirdconsiderationisforthepersonwhohaslegitimatebloodsugarregulationandcarbohydratemetabolismproblems.Thecalorie‐densegrains,starchesandsugarsarenotgoodchoicesforthesecarbohydrate‐intolerantindividuals.

Thebottomlineis,cornandcornproductslikegritshaveprosandcons.Iwouldrecommendoatmealorothercompletelyunprocessedcarbsasfirstchoices,alongwithlotsofvegetablesandfruitsasA‐listcarbs.WithapologiestotheSoutherners,Idon’tconsidergritsadailystaplefood;Iseeitasanoccasionalchoiceforvariety.However,thekeywordhereischoice.

I’vefoundthatbybeingalittlemorerelaxedandbylearninghowandwhenyoucansensiblyuselightlyprocessedcarbohydratesandgrains,youcanbroadenyourrecipechoicesandenjoylifeawholelotmorethanifyoutakeanallornoneattitudetowardscertainfoods.WhatI’msayingisthatjustbecausegritsdon’tmakeitontheA‐listdoesn’tmeanthey’recompletelyforbidden!Infact,therearesituationswhenit’smuchmoreappropriatetouserecipeslikethisone.Takeathletesandbodybuilders,forexample,whorequiremuchlargeramountsofenergythanadieterwhoistrainingforfatlossandwhoneedtofuelupbeforeworkoutsandre‐fuelafterwards…

Ifit’sgoodenoughforMr.Olympia,isitgoodforyoutoo?ThereasonIthoughtoffeaturingagritsrecipeisbecausesomeonesentmeanemailaskingaboutgritsafterthey’dwatchedaDVDofMr.OlympiaRonnieColeman.Thevideographerfollowedthefamousbodybuildereverydayfromhisbreakfastathome,tothegymandbackhomeagain.ATexanandthebiggestandmostmuscularbodybuilderofalltime,Ronnieategritseverymorning.Thequestionwas,ifgritsare






goodforthegreatestbodybuilderofalltime,whataboutme?Theansweris,whilenotagreatrecipeforeveryoneineverysituation,itmakesaprettygoodmealforabodybuilderorhighlyactiveathleteintraining.

MymissionwastolookatsometraditionalgritsrecipesandseehowIcouldmakeitleaner,healthier,higherinproteinandmoresuitableforaBurntheFat,FeedtheMuscle‐stylebodybuildingplan.Itwasachallenge,butIcamethroughforyou!Becarefulthough,thisissodelicious,youmightgethooked,andremembernottoletfoodslikegritspushoutthemorenutrient‐dense,lowercaloriefoodsthatyouwilleatthemajorityofthetime.

Traditionally,gritsarenotthoughtofasahealthfood,atleastthewaytheyareusuallyserved.Gritscanbestovetopcookedormicrowavedandthenservedashotcereal,likeoatmeal.Gritscanalsobemadeintootherrecipesandbakedintheoven.Mostpeopledon’teatplaingrits.Theydon’thaveatremendousflavorontheirown,andsomepeoplesaytheytaste,well,“gritty.”Or,asJeanAndersonandBarbaraDeskinswroteinTheNutritionBible,“AlthoughmostSouthernersareweanedongruelsofgrits,othersfindgritsasappealingaslibrarypaste.”That’swhytraditionalrecipesmakegritsricherbyincludingfullfatcheese,butter,heavycreamorevencreamcheese.Thentheyareoftenservedwithoralongsidebaconandwholeeggs.That’salotofcaloriesandfat.

SohowdowemodifytraditionalSoutherngritsandturnthemintomuscle‐mangrits?Firstofall,weditchthefullfatcheeseandweuselowfatorevennon‐fatcheese.Cheddaristhefavoriteforgrits.Thelowfatcheddarsaredelicious,andthenon‐fatvarietiesaren’tallthatbadeither.(Somecheeses,likefeta,tastelikecardboardwhentheytakeallthefatout.)Asabonus,youget18gramsofcompleteproteinin2ouncesoflowfatornon‐fatcheddar.

Next,Iwantedtoaddevenmoreproteinwhileatthesametimeaddingsomeextraconsistencyandthicknesstothe“porridge.”Forthis,Iaddedonewholeeggintotherecipe.Ilikeomega‐3eggsandorfreerangeeggswhenIusewholeeggs.Itriedacoupleexperimentswithonlyeggwhites,whichreducedthecaloriesandfatgrams,butIthinktheyolkreallyaddssomethingtothis,sothat’swhyit’sincludedinthefinaltakeofmyrecipe.Use2eggwhitesifyouwanttocutfatandsavecalories.Theeggsaddanother6gramsofprotein.Youcoulduseevenmoreeggsifyouwantedtocreateagritsandeggsrecipe(seeRonnieColemanvideo),althoughI’vefoundthatmicrowavedeggsaren’tthatgreatintasteortexture.Scrambleupsomeeggsonthesideandmixtheminyourcookedgritsifyouchoose.






Mygoalwastomakethisrecipeacompletestandalonemealthatwashighinprotein,soadditionalproteindidnothavetobeeatenontheside.Itwaseasy.IusedcheeseandImadethegritswithskimmilkinsteadofwater.Oneandahalfcupsofskimmilkaddsanother12gramsofprotein,bringingtheproteintallyupto36grams,andwiththeproteiningrits,thisrecipetotals42gramsofprotein.(Itoldyouthesewere“muscleman”grits!)Ifyouwanttosave135caloriesandyoudon’tmindhaving“only”30gramsofprotein,usewaterinsteadofskimmilk.There’salmostnodifferenceintaste.

Thespicesincludepepper,paprikaandseasalt.Goeasyonthepaprika,usejustenoughsoyoucantasteit.Sameforthepepper—adashwilldoya.Ihardlyeversuggestaddingsaltintoanything,astherearesomehealthconcerns,andyoucanveryeasilyacquireatasteforhighsaltfoodsthatishardtobreak.ButIhavetotellyou,adashofsaltmakesgritssing.Wow,whatadifference.Justuseseasaltratherthanregularsaltsoyougettheleastprocessedvariety.Keepinmindthatsomepeoplearesodiumsensitiveandsodiumcanincreasebloodpressure,soskipthesaltifthat’syou.

Butter:Artery‐cloggerorhealthfood?Lastbutnotleast,IknowtheSouthernersreadingthisarethinking,“Tom,it’sjustnotgritswithoutbutter!”Tobehonest,Ihavetoagree.Itestedthiswithbutter(lightbutterproduct)andwithoutit.Itworkswithoutbutter,becausethecheeseaddsalotofflavor,butwithbutteritmakesaworldofdifferenceintaste.Here’sthedeal.Firsttherewasthesaturatedfatscaresoeveryoneditchedtheirbutterandstartedusingmargarine.Thenwehadthetransfatscaresoeveryoneeitherstoppedusingbutterandmargarinealtogetherortheywentbacktobutter.Thetransfatscarewaslegit,bytheway.Transfatsarenastystuff.

Interestingenough,someofthetopauthoritiesinthenaturalhealthmovementtoday(suchasJohnnyBowdenandPaulChek)arenowurgingpeopletogoaheadandusebutter.Theysaythatifthebuttercomesfromgrass‐fed,organicallyraisedcows,itisperfectlyhealthytoeat.Thedebateisstillragingoversaturatedfat.Atthepresenttime,theprudentadviceistokeepsaturatedfatlowandwellbalancedwithpolyunsaturatedandmonounsaturatedfats,butnottocompletelydemonizesaturatedfats.Saturatesplaysomeimportantrolesinthebodyforhealthandhormoneproductionandthelinktoheartdiseaseisverycontroversial.Also,asChek,Bowdenandtheircolleaguespointout,thequalityofthefatdependsalotontheanimalitcamefrom.

Still,youdon’twantsaturatedfattodominateyourtotalfatintake,andfoodslikebutterarehighcaloriefoods.Whatshouldyoudo?It’syourchoice,butyoucoulduse






butterinsmallquantitiesifyoucanfititintoyourcaloriebudget.Forsomeoneonarestrictedcaloriefatlossprogram,I’mnotconvinced,evenbythenaturalhealthguruswhomIrespect,thatbutterisagoodwaytospendyourcalorieswhenyourcaloriesarelimited.You’llhavetodecidewhethertobudgetfortheextracalories,skipthebutteraltogetherorusealightbutteroranomega‐fortifiedbutterspreadlikeSmartBalance.

Don’tgettooexcitedoverthehealthclaimsforomega‐fortifiedreducedcaloriebutterflavorspreadsthough.SmartBalancehasSmartMarketing.There’sreallyverylittlelongchainessentialfattyacids(EPAandDHA)inSmartBalance—only32mg.TherestisALAfromflax.Ifyoutakefishoiloreatfattyfish,theamountoflongchainEFAsinSmartBalanceistriflingincomparison.Furthermore,eventhoughtheyuseolive,flax,canolaandpalmoilsinsteadofthehydrogenatedtransfattyacidsthatareusedinmargarines,theseoilsstillmayberefined.

Flaxinparticularraisesaneyebrowinprocessedfoodsbecauseflaxseedoilissuchadelicateoil.Still,thesebutterspreads,ifyoulikethetaste,containonly50caloriespertablespoon,halfthecaloriesofbutter.Evenifthegoodstuffclaimedonthelabelsisexaggerated,it’sprobablynotabadchoiceandthecaloriesavingsisaclearbenefit.Incidentally,lightbutterisalsoavailableat50caloriespertablespoon,whichismadewithrealbutterandmorewater,withstabilizersandemulsifiersaddedtokeepitsolid.

Lastbutnotleast,therearebutterflavorsprinklessuchasButterBudsandMollyMcButter.Themainingredientismaltodextrin,whichisaquick‐absorbingcomplexcarbohydratederivedfromcorn.Notexactlyhealthfood,buttheplussideofbuttersprinklesisyougetthatbutterflavorwithonly15caloriespertablespoon.

CookinghintsandcalorietipsYoucancookyourgritsonthestovetop,ordowhatIdid—microwaveit.Ittakesabitlongerthanoatmeal,usuallyabout4minutes,dependingonyourpowersetting.Youmaywanttostiritafter2–3minutessoitdoesn’tclumpup.Itwillbepipinghotwhenyoutakeitout,sostiritagainthoroughlyandletitstandforafewminutesuntilit’scoolenoughtoeat.

Theservingsizelistedabovewaschosenforamalebodybuilderorathleteandissurprisinglyfilling.Femalesusuallyrequireabout500–600fewercaloriesperdaythanmales,soafemale‐sizedservingwouldbeabout75%ofwhat’slistedabove.It’sveryeasytoreducethecaloriesinthisrecipeifyouchoose,tomakeitfallintoafatloss‐friendlyprogram.Simplyusewaterinsteadofskimmilk,whichreducescalories






by135,droppingthecaloriecountto505(youcouldalsousehalfwaterandhalfmilk),useeggwhitesordroptheeggs,andordropthebutterorusebutterflavorsprinkles.Or,ofcourse,youcansimplyreducetheservingsizeofeverything.

Thishasbeenalongerrecipecolumnthanusual,butIhopemydetailedexplanationofhowtousecertaintypesofcarbsappropriatelywashelpfultoyou.Ialsohopebynow,you’vestartedpickinguponmymethodsformakingtraditionalhighcalorie,highfatrecipeslowerincaloriesandhigherinprotein.Evenifarecipedoesn’tgetatopgrade,rememberthatyoucanmakeoveranyrecipetoreducethecalories,increasethenutritionandimprovethenutritiongrade.

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:B‐

PortableFood:No










SuperSimpleSalmonSaladSandwich

Ifyoucraveadelicious,mouth‐wateringsandwich,butyou’renotsurewhatkindofsandwichishealthy,orifyou’rejustboredwithtunafish,thenhere’sadynamitenewrecipeforyoutotry—thesupersimplesalmonsaladsandwich.Notonlyissalmonabonafidesuperfoodbecauseofitshighomega‐3fatcontent,thisrecipetakesjustminutestoprepareandisaconvenient,portablemealyoucantakewithyouanywhereyougo.

Yield:makes2pitapocketsandwiches

Ingredients16‐ozcansalmon

1tablespoonlightomega‐3mayo

1/2cuponion,finelychopped

1/4cupfinelychoppedcelery

2teaspoonsdillweed,dried

2tablespoonslemonjuice

1teaspoongroundblackpepper

2100%wholewheatpitapockets

Directions1. Putallingredientsintoabowlandmixthoroughly.

2. Spoonintoawholegrainpitapocket(orspreadontoasandwich)andenjoy!

Thatwaseasy,wasn’tit?






NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:539

Protein:41g

Carbs:37.3g

Fat:20.2g

CookingandNutritionTipsEveryonceinawhiledon’tyoujustcraveasandwich?Ido.Idon’tneedoneveryoften,Ijustliketohavetheoption.That’sexactlywhyIdon’tlikeallornonethinkingortheextremesoflowcarbdiets.Someguywroteabookcalled,LifeWithoutBread.Yechhhhh!Whatahorridthought.Sure,banishasmuchofthewhiteflour,whitebread,andwhitesugarasyoucan,andkeepthestarchycarbsinmoderationwhileonstrictfatlossprograms(havethemforbreakfastorafterworkouts,atleast).Butwhynotallowyourselfsomewholegrainbreadsometimes,evenifit’snotyourdailystaplefood?

Soifyouwantasandwich,whatkindishealthyandfitsinwithafat‐burningprogram?Irememberasceneinthemovie,AnalyzeThiswithRobertDenirowhereGangsterOnesays,“Heywhatkindofsandwichain’ttoofattening?”GangsterTwosays,“Halfasandwich.”Acomedy,yes,buttruerwordshaveneverbeenspoken.

Onepopularfavoriteisthetunasandwich.Butthemostbasictunasandwich—tunaandmayo—isboring.Eventuna,lettuceandtomato,whileanimprovement,isstillboring.SoIwasthinking,howcouldImakeamoreinterestingtunasandwich?Thenitdawnedonme…withtheconcernsaboutmercuryintuna,andwithmostpeoplenotgettingenoughomega‐3fats,whynotuseanevenhigheromega‐3andheavymetal‐freesourceoffish—cannedsalmon.Bingo!ThatwasthenextrecipeIwasgoingtomake.

Onceagain,Islavedinthekitchenforhoursforyou.IresearchedeverytunasaladandsalmonsaladrecipeIcouldfind,thenItaste‐tested5differentrecipes.TherecipeIsettledonisoneofthesimplest,withthefewestingredients.Notonlythat,it’savastimprovementovertraditionalsalmonsalad,asIditchedtheoily,highcaloriedressings,sourcream,regularmayo,fullfatcheese,baconandotherhighcalorieingredientsthatappearinmanyofthetraditionalsalmonsaladrecipes.






Firstlet’stalkaboutdillweed.(NoBeavisandButtheadjokes,please.)Dillweedisaveryversatileherb,butit’sfabulouswithsalmon.(Notetoself:Nexttimeyou’remakingbroiledsalmonsteaks,trydillweed,brushalittleoliveoilon,thenaddadashofpepperandgarlicoronionpowder.Yum!)Dillisalsoasuperfoodinitsownrightbecauseitcontainscalciummonoterpenesandflavonoids.

Next,let’stalkaboutmayonnaise.Mayoisnotatopgradefoodchoice.Mayonnaiseismadefromeggsandsoybeanoil,plusabitofsugarandspicesorflavorings.Withtheoilcontent,rightoffthebatyouknowit’scaloricallydense.Furthermore,soybeanisnota

greatoil.Manypeoplerealizethatwhitesugarandwhiteflourarerefinedandthereforelesshealthyfoods.Butitseldomdawnsonthemthatoilscanbeprocessedtoo.Oilscanberefinedwithchemicalsandsolventstoprolongtheirshelflife.Callthem“whiteoils”ifyoulike,andlumpthemtogetherwithwhitesugarandwhiteflour.

Inaddition,highamountsofomega‐6fatswhicharefoundintheseoilsareunhealthfulifthey’renotbalancedwithomega‐3fats.Omega‐6fatsareessential,butmostpeoplegetfartoomuchomega‐6andnotenoughomega‐3.Thismeansyoushouldlookforwaystoachievethereverse:getmoreomega‐3andnotsomuchomega‐6.What’sthesolution?Onechoiceistogowithacanolaoilmayo.That’sanimprovementinomega‐6toomega‐3ratiodepartmentandcanoladoeshavesomeomega‐3fattyacids.However,evencanolaoilhasitsdetractors.

Alsoconsiderthatregularcanolaoilmayoisstillfull‐fatandhighincalories—about100caloriespertablespoon.Analternativeislightmayonnaise,whichusuallyhas35–50caloriespertablespoon,andthat’swhatIusedinthisrecipe.Lightmayosmaybemadewithsoybeanorcanolaoil.YoucanalsochooseproductssuchastheSmartBalancebrandofomega‐fortifiedmayonnaisewhichismadewithcanola,soy,flaxseedandoliveoils.That’sanimprovementandat50calories,it’shalfthecaloriesofregularmayo.

Lastbutnotleast,there’sfat‐freemayo.Yes,suchananimalexists.SmartBeatisonebrandthatmakesfat‐freemayo.Howdotheydoit?Theyusethickenerssuchascornstarchandstabilizerssuchascellulose.Italsocontainsmaltodextrinandsugar,butat10caloriespertablespoon,it’saninsignificantamountofsugar.You’llhavetodecide






whichonetousebasedonhowmuchofatrade‐offyou’rewillingtoacceptbetweencaloriesavingsandtaste.Asyoucanimagine,a10‐calorie‐per‐tablespoonmayodoesn’ttastequiteliketherealthing.Inanycase,mayonnaiseisnotadailystaplefood,butallowingitoccasionallyexpandsyourrangeofrecipepossibilities.

Thereisoneotherworkaroundifyouwanttoraisethenutritiongradeabitandskipthemayoaltogether.Tryyogurtinthisrecipeinsteadofmayonnaise.Ilikethisparticularrecipethebest,butyoucanalsoexperimentwithotheringredientssuchascucumbersandtomatoes.

Onceyou’vemadeyoursalmonsaladspread,youcanslatheriton100%wholegrainbreadandmakeasandwichoryoucantrymyfavorite:spoonitintoawholegrainmini‐pitapocket(oneounce/28gramsize).Thebatchingredientslistedabovemaketwominipitapockets.Withtheingredientslisted,twosalmonsaladpitasandwichestotal539calories.Ifyou’reonatightcaloriebudget,haveonlyonesandwich,oryoucancut100caloriesbyusing4ouncesofsalmoninsteadof6,orcut40caloriesbyusingthenon‐fatmayo.Lightwholewheatbreadsarealsoavailableat60–70caloriesperslicecomparedto100–110caloriespersliceforregularwholewheatbread.

Bytheway,ifyougothepitapocketroute,guesswhat?Younowhaveyetanothertake‐it‐with‐youportablemeal!Ilovemealsthatyoucaneasilypack,carrywithyouandeatwithoutfuss.Ifyou’refollowinga5–6smallmealsperdayplanasoutlinedinBurntheFat,FeedtheMuscle,recipeslikethismakeitacinch,andtheyalsomakeforgreattravelanddaytripmeals.

ThismealgetsaBgradebecauseituseslightlyprocessed(B‐grade)carbs(wholegrainbread),andmayonnaise.Forbestresults,useasmanyA‐listfoodsandrecipesaspossible(totallyunprocessedfoods).Butdon’tbeafraidofoccasionalB‐foodrecipesbecauseitmakesyournutritionprogramlessrestrictiveandmoreenjoyableforthelongterm.

Sorry,butIdon’tbuyintothedogmaof“nevereatbread.”Remember,aslongasyou’reinacaloriedeficit,youwillgetleaner.Anddon’tforget,salmonisabonafidesuperfoodduetoitshighomega‐3content.Enjoy!







BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:B

PortableFood:Yes


Timerequired:5minutesprep








WarmCrunchyTunaRiceWithSpinach

WhoelsewantstoknowhowtomakeoneofTomVenuto’sfavoriterecipes?Aftertestingoutthefirstbatch,Ifoundmyselfmakingthistastydishalmostdailyforanentireweekstraight—anddoingitfrommemory!It’sthateasytomake,andit’ssodelicious!ThisBurnTheFat“cleaneating”dishgetsanA+becauseitadherestotheBurnTheFateatingguidelinesandbecauseit’sgotsuperfoodingredientsincludingtuna,whichishighinomega‐3fattyacidsandspinach,whichisanutritionalgreenfoodpowerhouse.Discoverhowtopreparethisappetizingdishbelow...

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients16‐ozcanwater‐packedalbacoretuna

2cupsspinach,chopped

1/2cupchoppedscallions(greenonions),chopped

1/2cupcelery,chopped

1/4cupfreshparsley,finelychopped

1cuplong‐grainbrownrice(measuredaftercooking)

2teaspoonslemonpeppersaltseasoning

Directions1. Startcookingyourriceusingyourfavoritemethod:ricecooker,stovetop,sauce

pan,orsimplyreheatleftoverrice.

2. Chopup2cupsofspinachandputitinamedium‐sizedmixingbowl.Choponelargestalkofcelery(about1/2cup),chopupyourscallions(1/2cup),andfinelychoptheparsley(1/4cup)andaddtothebowl.

3. Addbrownrice,addtuna,seasonwith2teaspoonsoflemonpepperseasoning,andmix.

4. Heatinsautépanfor2–3minutesoruntilwarm.






5. Serveandenjoy.

NutritionInfoPerserving:

Calories:408

Protein:39.6g

Carbs:54.6g

Fat:3.8g

CookingandNutritionTipsIt’sofficial!Thisisnowoneofmynewfavoriterecipes.Aftertestingoutthefirstbatch,Ifoundmyselfmakingthisalmosteverydayforanentireweekstraight,anddoingitfrommemory,withoutneedingtherecipeinfrontofme.It’ssoeasytomake,andsodelicious!

ThisisoneofthoserecipesIlikealotbecauseyoucanveryeasilycontrolthecaloriesandcarbohydrateintakebyalteringtheamountofriceusedandtheflavorofthedishdoesn’tchangemuchatall.Thestarchycarbssuchasricearethecaloriedensepartofmostrecipes(withtheexceptionofoilsandotherconcentratedfats),soit’seasytotweakthisrecipetofitanynutritionprogram.

Forexample,ifyou’reamalebodybuilderworkingongainingmusclemass,youmightuse1‐1/2to2cupsofbrownriceandcallthatoneserving.Ifyou’reafemaleonafatlossprogramyoumightuseonecupofriceaslistedintheinstructionsabove.Ifyou’recontrollingyourcarbintake,youcouldgowithaslittleas1/2cupto3/4cupofriceperserving.

It’sthelemonpeppersaltseasoningthatreallyaddssomesuperzingtothisdish.However,ifyou’recontrollingsodiumintake,thenalowsodiumalternativeislemonjuiceandpepper.Afewcompaniesalsomakeno‐sodiumlemonpepperseasonings,sobesuretowatchforthedifferencewhenyoushop.

This “superfood recipe” gets its lean protein from tuna, which is also high in omega‐3 fatty acids.






Celeryaddsgreatcrunch,andit’saboutaslowincaloriesasanyfoodcanget.Youcouldn’tovereatceleryifyoutried,butitaddsbulktoarecipe,whichhelpsmakeyoufeelfullerandmoresatisfied.(Oneofthesecretsofgettingleanistofilloutyourrecipeswithhigh‐satiety,high‐fiber,low‐caloriefoods.)CeleryalsocontainsasubstantialamountofvitaminCaswellashealth‐promotingcompoundssuchasphalides(whichmayhelplowercholesterolandbloodpressure)andcoumarins(whichmayhelppreventcancer).

Inthesummerof2007,TheCenterforScienceinthePublicInterest(CSPI)publishedanarticlecalled“OrganicFood:Isitworththeprice?”whichgainedmassmediaattentionbecauseitlistedthe12foodsthataremostlikelytobecontaminatedwithlargeamountsofpesticides.ThelistwascompiledbytheEnvironmentalWorkingGroup,aWashingtonDCnon‐profitgroup,basedon43,000analysesforpesticides,conductedbytheUSDepartmentofAgriculturebetween2002and2004.Thatlistofthe“DirtyDozen”includedspinachandcelery,bothofwhichareinthisrecipe.

There’sbeenmuchdebateaboutwhetherorganicfoodsareworththeextracost.That’sapersonaldecisionyouneedtomakeforyourselfaftergettinginformedaboutthefacts.Ifyouwanttoavoidpesticides,butyou’reunsureaboutspendingthemoneytoeat100%organic,thenagoodplacetostartistogoorganicwithfoodslistedonthe“dirtydozen.”Inorderofmosttoleastcontaminated,thatincludes:

• Peaches• Apples• SweetBellPeppers• Celery• Nectarines• Strawberries• Cherries• Pears• Grapes

“Be like Popeye and eat more spinach, will ya!”






• Spinach• Lettuce• Potatoes

Insummary,warm,crunchytunaricewithspinachgetsanA+becauseit’snotonlyBurnTheFat“cleaneating”atitsbest,it’sgotsuperfoodingredientsincludingtuna,whichishighinomega‐3fattyacidsandspinach,whichisanutritionalgreenfoodpowerhouse.(BelikePopeyeand“Eatmorespinach,willya!”)

Thisrecipescalesoutwell,soifyou’reservingyoursignificantother,familyoragroup,it’sjustaseasytodouble,tripleorquadrupletheingredients—justbesurehaveaBIGbowlhandy.


PortableFood:No


Timerequired:8–10minutesprep,30minutescooking(rice)








MediterraneanShrimpandRice

Ifyou’retiredofblandmeals,you’regoingtolovethisquickandeasyvariationonMediterraneanshrimpandricebecauseit’sburstingwithflavorwhilepackedwithnutrition.Iguaranteeitwon’tseemlikeyou’reonadietwhenyouhavethisforlunch!Theleanproteinsourceisshrimpwhichisanicedeparturefromtheusualchickenandtunacommonlyusedinmuscle‐buildingandfat‐burningrecipes.ThisrecipegetsanAgradefornutritionalvalue,andit’ssupereasytomakeinjustminutes.

Yield:makes1serving

Ingredients1cuplong‐grainbrownrice,cooked

6oz(170g)shrimp,sliced

1/2cupredbellpepper,chopped

1/3cupscallions(greenonion),chopped

6GreekKalamataolives,small,pittedandsliced

1/2oz(14g)lowfatGreekfetacheese,crumbled

2tablespoonsbalsamicvinegarortotaste

Dashofblackpepper


Directions1. Beginbystartingtocookyourrice(ricecookerrecommended).

2. Chopredpepperintosmallcubesandchopscallionandolivesintothinslicesandthencombineinabowl.

3. Chopshrimpintoslicesorleavewhole,whicheveryouprefer,thenaddthemtothebowl.

4. Addcrumbledlowfatfetacheese.






5. Addbrownriceandmix.

6. Seasonwith2tablespoonsofbalsamicvinegarandadashofpepperandsalttotaste.

7. Warminmicrowaveoronsautépanuntilhot.Serveandenjoy.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:496

Protein:44g

Carbs:55g

Fat:10.7g

CookingandNutritionTipsShrimpisagreatsourceofproteinthatishighlyunderusedonthemenusofmostfitnessenthusiasts.Shrimpisacompleteprotein,containingalltheessentialaminoacids.Shrimpisalsohighinminerals.Asix‐ounceservingasindicatedinthisrecipegivesyoualmost100%ofyourdailyrequirementforselenium.YoualsogetaniceshotofvitaminD.

Shrimpalsocontainsastaxanthin,apowerfulcarotenoidwhichisthesamepigmentresponsibleforgivingsalmonitspinkcolor.Onestudyshowedthatastaxanthinis100timesmorepowerfulthanvitaminEasanantioxidant.You’llevengetasmalldoseofthehealthyomega‐3fattyacidsinyourshrimpaswell.Ibetyouneverthoughtofshrimpasoneofthesuperfoods,butyoushould!

Shrimpdoescontaincholesterol(330mginsixounces),butthat’sprobablynotaconcernformosthealthypeople.Inoneclinicaltrial,researchersexaminedtheeffectofshrimporeggsonthebloodcholesterollevelsofsubjectswhocurrentlyhadnormalbloodlipids.ThestudyshowedthatwhilethebadLDLcholesterolincreased7%inthesubjectseatingtheshrimpdiet,thegoodHDLcholesterollevelsincreasedby12%.Theshrimpeatersalsoloweredtheirtriglyceridelevelsby13%.Inhealthysubjects,there’snotalwaysadirectcorrelationbetweenthedietarycholesterolyoueatandthecholesterolinyourblood.Ifyoucurrentlyhavehighcholesterolortriglycerides,consultyourdoctorforadviceondietarycholesterolintake.






Thereareseveralwaysyoucanpurchaseyourshrimp.Youcangetthemfreshandwhole,whichsavesyoumoney,butwillrequireshellingandde‐veining,addingtoyourpreptime.Atthesupermarketyoucangrabplattersofpre‐cookedshrimprings,whicharereadytoeat.Youcanalsopurchasebaggedfrozenshrimpuncookedorpre‐cookedandreadytoeat.Usuallyallyouneedtodoispulloffthetails.There’salsocannedshrimpformaximumconvenience.

TheolivesandfetacheesemakethisatraditionalMediterraneandishwithaGreekflair.Irecommendgoingeasyonthefeta—justasprinkleofcrumbledfetaisenoughtoaddthe“Greekflavor.”Ifyouhavecaloriestospareandyoulovecheese,thenincreasetheservingtoafullounce.Justkeepinmindthatcheeseisacalorie‐densefood,especiallythefull‐fatvarieties.You’llsaveoncaloriesbykeepingthecheesequantitysmallandusingthelowfatvariety.

ThisMediterraneanmealcouldactuallybeservedasalowcaloriesaladbyholdingtherice,butthericeaddssubstanceandmakesitmuchmorefillingasafullmeal.Youcanraiseorloweryourcaloriesandcarbsbychangingtheamountofriceyouuse.Forwomenandforthoseinfatlossprogramsontightcalorierestrictions,youmightpullbackthericeto2/3to3/4cup.Thatwouldsaveyou50–75caloriesorso.Formenandthoseinmusclegrowthprograms,thericeportioncouldbeincreasedto1‐1/4to1‐1/2cupsormore.

Althoughthistastesgreatatroomtemperatureorcool(asasalad),Ithinkit’sbestservedwarm,soI’drecommendheatingitthemicrowaveforaminutebeforeserving.Enjoy!


PortableFood:No


Timerequired:8–10minutesprep,30minutescooking(rice)








BeefySpanishRice

IntroducingTomVenuto’s“BeefySpanishRice.”Thetastycombinationofgroundbeef(orturkey),tomatosauce(orstewedtomatoesofsomesort),brownrice,somekeyspices,andoneofTom’s“secretingredients”makesthisSpanishriceasupersimple,high‐proteinmealpackedwithcancer‐fightinglycopeneandothernutrients!ThisBurnTheFat‐approvedrecipeworksgreatasasidedishorazestymaindish.Enjoy!


Ingredients2cupslong‐grainbrownrice,cooked

12ozleangroundbeef

1greenbellpepper

1largeonion(approx2cups),chopped

114.5‐ozcandicedtomatoes

2tablespoonstomatopaste

2teaspoonsthyme

Dashofblackpepper

Dashofgarlicpowder

Tabascosaucetotaste(optional)

Worcestershiresaucetotaste(optional)

Directions1. Beginbystartingtocookyourrice(ricecookerrecommended).

2. Next,preparealarge,deepsautépanbycoatingthesurfacewithnon‐stickcookingspray.






3. Choptheonionsandgreenpeppers,andsautéthemuntiltheybegintosoften.Addthegroundbeef,stirringuntilevenlybrowned.

4. Addthedicedtomatoesandtomatopaste.Addspices(thyme,blackpepperandgarlicpowder)toyourliking.AddWorcestershiresauceforadditionalflavorandorTabascosaucetomakeithotandspicy.

5. Stirinthericeandserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:417

Protein:32.9g

Carbs:42.7g

Fat:13.2g

CookingandNutritionTipsThesimplestversionofSpanishriceisthreebaseingredients:groundbeef(orturkey),tomatosauce(orstewedtomatoesofsomesort),andbrownrice.Spanishricecanbesupersimpleandisoftenservedasasidedish,butwhenyougiveit“thetreatment”andalsoaddprotein,itbecomesahearty,zestymaincourse.

Leangroundturkeycanveryeasilybesubstitutedforthebeef,butinmyopinion,thebeefversionofthisSpanishricekicksgroundturkey’sbutt.Usegroundturkeyifyoudon’tlikebeeforifyou’rereallysavingoncalories.(Groundbeefcontainsmuchmorefatandthereforemorecaloriesthangroundturkey.)Anotheralternativeisleangroundbison(buffalo).

Traditionalrecipesoftencallforbaconorsausage.Irecommendpassingonbothbecausetheyareprocessedmeatsandtheyareusuallyfattierthanleangroundbeefandmuchfattierthangroundturkey.Wewanttokeepourcaloriesincheck,sousingjustthebeeforjustthegroundturkeyworksgreatforkeepingthisdishaslightaspossible.






MyfirstbatchofthisSpanishricewasexcellent,butIfeltitwouldhavebeenbetterifithadmoretomatoflavor.Soonmysecondbatch,Iaddedtwotablespoonsoftomatopaste.Therewasabigdifference—justwhatthedoctorordered—andwhenyouconsiderthelowcaloriesandhighhealthvalueoftomatoes,whichcontaincancer‐fightinglycopeneandothernutrients,Imeanthatliterally.

Ifyoupreferyourbeefyricetobelessthickandalittlesaucier,youcouldaddanothercanofdicedtomatoes(thatwouldaddonlyanother23caloriesperserving).Imaytrythatmyselfonthenextbatch.

Youcouldusealmostanytypeofcannedtomatoesforthisrecipe:tomatosauce,dicedtomatoesorstewedtomatoes(evensalsa).Onewordofwarning:Readthelabelsbecausesomecannedtomatoesincludecornsyrup,whichaddstotallyunnecessarycalories.Inaddition,sodium‐freeversionsofcannedtomatoesarewidelyavailableifyouwanttokeepyoursodiumintakedown.Therearealso“natural”varietiessuchasHunt’sbrandthatisorganicandmadewithseasalt.

Forspices,youhavequiteafewpossibilitieshere:oregano,basilorthymeallwork.Ichosethymeanditwasperfect.Ialsoaddedsomeblackpepperandgarlicpowder.Youcouldminceupagarliccloveortossinsomedicedgarlicfromajarifyouprefer.Garlicisapersonaltaste,butpersonally,Ilikethegarlicflavorinthisdish.

Ifyoulikeyourfoodhot,trysomeTabascosauce.Inmyopinion,theTabascoreally“made”thisdish.Nottoomuch…justenoughsothereisaslighthottaste.Ifyouwanttogivethisevenmorezing,tryalittleWorcestershiresauce.Itwon’taddtoomanycalories(15pertablespoon),butitwilladdanevenmorespicyflavoranditcomplementsthebeefnicely.

The cancer‐fighting lycopene in tomatoes is just what the doctor ordered.







PortableFood:No










AuthenticGreekSaladWithChicken

EversinceaGreekrestaurantopenedacrossthestreetfrommyhouse,I’vebeenhookedonGreeksaladswithgrilledchicken.Withthepossibleexceptionofthefullfatfetacheese,it’sprettymucha100%BurnTheFat‐friendlytypeofmeal(andeventhecheeseisokayifyouwatchthecalories).WithsomeinsightsfrommyGreektrainingpartner,Kostas,thisrecipeisnow“AuthenticGreekCuisine”andBurnTheFat‐approved.


Ingredients1poundchickenbreast(2large),grilled

3medium(5oz)tomatoes,dicedorwedged

2greenbellpeppers,dicedorslicedintostrips

1mediumredonion,slicedintorings

1largecucumber,slicedlengthwiseandcutintohalf‐moons

16pittedKalamatablackolives

4ozlowfatGreekfetacheese,cubedsmall

3tablespoonsextravirginoliveoil

1tablespoonoregano

Dashofseasalt

Directions1. Afterwashing,prepareyourvegetablesasfollows:cutyourtomatoesintosmall

piecesorwedges;cutgreenpeppersintosmallsquaresorstrips;slicecucumberlengthwise,thencutintohalfmoons;slicetheredonionsintothinrings.

2. Placeallthevegetablesintoalargesaladbowl.AddtheKalamataolives.Cutthefetacheeseintosmallcubesandplaceontop.






3. Grilltwolargechickenbreasts(8ozeach),thencutintolong,thinstrips.Letthechickencoolandplacechickenstripsontopofsalad.

4. Inaseparatecup,combinetheoliveoil,seasaltandoreganoandwhisklightlytomix.

5. Pourthedressingoverthesalad,thentossandserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving,withchicken:

Calories:428

Protein:42.2

Carbs:11.4g

Fat:22.1g

Perserving,withoutchicken:

Calories:232

Protein:7.6g

Carbs:11.4g

Fat:17g

CookingandNutritionTipsEversinceaGreekrestaurantopenedacrossthestreetfrommyhouse,I’vebeenhookedonGreeksaladswithgrilledchicken.Withthepossibleexceptionofthefullfatfetacheese,it’sprettymucha100%BurnTheFat‐friendlytypeofmeal(andeventhecheeseisokayifyouwatchthecalories).

WhenItoldmyGreektrainingpartner,Kostas,thatIhadbeeneatingalotofGreeksalads(inNewJersey),hesaid,“LetmeshowyouhowwereallydoitinGreece.”So,whiletherearenumerousvariationsonGreeksalad(HoriatikiSalata),myGreekco‐authorassuresmethatthisisthe“authentic”way.

Imadeonlyonealteration,andthatisusinglowfatfetacheese.Kostasdidn’tsayIwas“allowed”todothat…butafterall,thisisaBurnTheFatrecipe.Thelowfatfetasimplysavesyousomecaloriesandittastesnearlyasgoodasregularfullfatfeta.






Ontheotherhand,Iwouldwarnyoutoavoidnon‐fatfeta.Oneofourgoalswiththisrecipecolumnistoshowyouwaystodecreasecaloriedensity,whichhelpsyougetleaner,whilemakingourrecipeshealthieratthesametime.Sometimes,however,whatyougaininreducedcalories,youloseinreducedtaste.Becausenon‐fatfetatasteslikecardboard,I’dtakeapassifIwereyou.

It’sokaytoeatfullfatorlowfatdairyproductsoccasionally(insteadofnon‐fatproducts);yousimplyhavetorememberthatthecaloriedensityishigher.Adjustyourservingsizesaccordingly,andyou’llbefine.

Speakingofdietaryfat,thisisthetypeofrecipewhichisperfectlyacceptableforafatlossprogramandyetsomepeoplewhoarefat‐phobic(acarryoverfromthe80sandearly90slowfatcraze),oftentakeonelookatthefatgramsandavoidthefoodormealforthatreasonalone.Whenitcomestohealthyfatslikeextravirginoliveoil,thereisnoneedforconcern.Infact,it’simportanttoconsumeadequateamountsofhealthyfats.

Theonlytrouble,asImentionedabove,isthatdietaryfatcontainsalotofcalories.Aslongasyoukeepyourcaloriesatornearyourdailytarget,thenthere’snoreasontoavoidasaladlikethisonejustbecauseitcontains22gramsoffatperserving.

Ifyouwerehunguponfatgramsandnotfocusedon(1)goodfatsversusbadfatsand(2)caloriesinversuscaloriesout,youwouldmissoutonsomedeliciousmealsandsomeofthebestsuperfoods.Repeatafterme:“Extravirginoliveoilisgood…Ijustneedtowatchmycalories!”

ThedressingfortheauthentictraditionalGreeksaladissimple:“Oliveoilistheonlythingthatgoesonit,”saysKostas.“Vinegarisoptional.Butnolemonjuice!Itdoesn’tgowiththefeta.”(Iusedredwinevinegarandpreferreditthatwaymyself.)

Kostascontinuedwithexplicitinstructionsabouttheveggies:“Greenbellpeppersaretheonlypeppersinthesalad.Noredoryellowpeppers.”Ooops!Well,don’tworry,I

It’s okay to eat full fat or low fat dairy products occasionally, instead of non‐fat products; you simply have to remember that the calorie density is higher.






won’ttellRachelRaythathersaladisn’t“authenticGreek”…andremember,yougottherealscooprighthere!

TherewasmorefromchefMarangopoulos:

“Fetacheesecanbecubed,butnotcrumbled.I’veneverseenitcrumbledinarestaurantinGreece.Usuallytheyputthefetaasalarge,flatchunk(somethinglike3inchesby3inchessquare),ontopofthevegetables.”

“Tomatoes,cucumbers,greenpeppers,redonions(theyarethebomb),blackKalamataolivesandfetacheese.Onceyouputallthisinthebowl,drizzletheoliveoilalloveritandthen,sprinkleoreganoalloverthefetaandthevegetables.ThatisthetraditionalwayinGreece.”

ThechickenisusuallynotfoundintraditionalsaladsinGreece,butthatpartisourBurnTheFattouch.Byaddingthechicken,yougetyourleanproteinsourceandthenthesaladgoesfromsidedishtoafullmeal—perfectforlowcarbdiet.Ifyourequiremorecaloriesforamuscle‐buildingdiet,thenyoucanaddcarbs.(Tryawholewheatpitaorbakedpotatoontheside).Ofcourse,ifyou’revegetarian,enjoyitwithoutthechicken—it’sdeliciouseitherway.

Lastbutnotleast,don’taskaGreekifyoushoulduselettuceinaGreeksalad.Youwilllookverysilly.

KaliOrexi!


PortableFood:No










AsianSesameCucumberSalad

ThemainingredientinAsiansesamecucumbersaladiscucumbers,anextremelylowcaloriefoodthatcontainsonlyabout15caloriespercup(sliced),orabout35caloriesforamedium(8‐inch)cuke.Cucumbersarealsosatietychampsbecausetheymakeyoufeelfullwithoutallthecalories.Foodswithahighwatercontentareverysatiating.It’salsowellknownthatfiberaddstothesatietyvalueoffoods.Well,itjustsohappensthatcucumbershaveaveryhighwatercontentandtheyhave2.4gramsoffiber,ifyouleavetheskinon.Enjoythistastingandfillingrecipe!


Ingredients3cupscucumber,halved,seeded,andthensliced

2cupsslicedcarrots

1/2cupscallions(greenonions),chopped

1/2cupredbellpepper,chopped

1tablespoonfreshginger,slicedandfinelychopped(optional)

1tablespoonwhitesesameseeds,toasted

1/3cupvinegar

1tablespoontoastedsesameoil


Directions1. Sliceyourcucumbersinhalflengthwise,scoopouttheseedsandcenterportionso

youareleftwithaconcavehalfmoonshape,andthenchopitintothinslices.

2. Chopredpeppersintoverysmallsquares.

3. Chopcarrotsintoslices(smallcarrotsorbabycarrots).






4. Combinecucumbersandallotheringredientsinasaladbowl,tossandserve,orrefrigerateandservechilled.

5. Sesameseedsmaybetoastedfirstinaskilletuntiltheyarebrowned,thensprinkledontopasthefinishinggarnish.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:178

Protein:4.1g

Carbs:21.5g

Fat:9.5g

CookingandNutritionTipsCucumbersareanextremelylowcaloriefoodwithonlyabout15caloriespercup(sliced),orabout35caloriesforamedium(8‐inch)cuke.Cucumbersarealsosatietychamps.Satietyreferstohowmuchafoodfillsyouup.Foodswithahighwatercontentareverysatiating.It’salsowellknownthatfiberaddstothesatietyvalueoffoods.Well,itjustsohappensthatcucumbershaveaveryhighwatercontentandtheyhave2.4gramsoffiber,ifyouleavetheskinon.

Oneofthegreatbenefitsofsaladswhichincludealotofcucumbersandotherhighsatietyvegetables,isthattheytendtomakeyoufeelfulleronfewercalories.

Atrickwhichhasbeenprovenincontrolledresearchistofilluponhighlysatiating,lowcaloriefoodspriortoamaincourseasappetizers.Notonlyisatastysaladahealthier,lowercalorieappetizerthantheusualfried,greasyfingerfoodsthatmostpeoplestartwith,butalso,theendresultisyoutendtoeatlessofthemaincourseandfewercaloriesoverall.Withasatiatingsaladfirst,thetotalcaloriecountfortheentiremealisalmostalwayslowerthanifthemaincoursewereservedfirstinanadlibitumfashion(helpingyourselfwithoutcountingcalories).

Someofthetraditionalversionsofthisrecipecallforredpepperflakes,butIpreferachoppedredbellpepper.Itaddsmorebulktothesalad,whichagain,helpsyoufeelfulleronfewercalories.Youalsogettheadditionalnutrientsthatarefoundinredvegetables.Redpepperscontainbeta‐cryptoxanthin,acarotenoidwhichmayhelptolowertheriskoflungcancer.Redpeppersalsocontainlycopene,thewellknown






carotenoidthathasmadetomatoesfamousasahealthfood,aswellasvitaminCandbetacarotene.Thesplashofredinthesaladalsoaddssomecolor,sowhenyoumakethissaladforguests,itwilllookallthemoreimpressive!

Speakingofcolors,mostofthetraditionalAsiancucumbersaladrecipesdonotincludecarrots,butpersonallyIthinkthecarrotsaddalotmorepunchandcrunch.Carrots,whichhavegottenanundeservedbadrapduetoahighglycemicindex,areapowerfoodthatmakeagreatadditiontoanyfatlossprogram.Irecommendkeepingabagofbabycarrotsinyourfridgeatalltimesforsnacksandthenusetheminrecipeslikethisoneoften.Thecarrot’sclaimtofameisbetacarotene,butthat’snotallitoffersyou.Carrotsarealsoagoodsourceofluteinandzeaxanthin,carotenoidswhichplayaroleineyehealthandpreventingmaculardegeneration.Inthetwocupsofslicedcarrotsthatthisrecipecallsfor,youalsogetabout4moregramsoffiber.

ThetraditionalAsianrecipecallsfor2teaspoonsofsugar.Aslightlysweettastedoesaddsomethingtothissalad,butyoucaneasilydowithoutthesugar.Thishealthierandlowercalorieversionofcucumbersaladhasomittedthesugar.

ThiscucumbersaladgetsitsAsianflavorfromthesesameoil,sesameseedsandginger.Thegingerisoptional—tryitwithorwithoutandseewhichyouprefer.Thesesameoilandsesameseedsarewheremostofthecaloriescomefrom.Sesameseedshave52caloriespertablespoon,soifyouwanttosavecaloriesyoucaneasilydropthemfromtherecipe,butI’dsuggestkeepingthemsincethisissuchaverylowcaloriesidedishasis.Sesameseedsalsohappentobehighlynutritious;they’reloadedwithmineralsandcontainphytosterolsthatmayhelplowercholesterol.

Withallthecolorfulveggies,thefiber,thevitamins,andtheminerals,thismakesanA+multi‐superfoodsalad.Itdoestakealittlebitofpreptimewithallthechoppingnecessary,butifyougetyourselfareallygoodsetofchef’sknives,itwillmakethetaskfasterandeasier.

IjustgotasetoffancyJapaneseShunknivesformybirthday...thesethingsarelike“mini‐swords”—straightfromKillBill—Ikidyounot!Careful,watchthosefingers!

Cucumbers—very low calorie density, very high satiety value






SesamecucumbersaladgoesgreatwithAsianfood,butyoucanincludeitasasidedishwithjustaboutanythingorenjoyitcompletelyonitsown.

Itadakimasu!


PortableFood:No

CookingDifficultyLevel:Moderate

Timerequired:25minutesPrep,0minutesCooking








SuperLeanWhiteBeanChili

Somethetraditionalchilirecipescallfordriedbeansandverylongcookingtimes.Notthischili.Idon’thavethatmuchpatience,andnorecipesmakeitintothiscookingcolumnunlesstheyarefastandsimpleenoughfora“kitchendummy.”Inabout20–30minutesyoucancookupthishighprotein,nutrient‐rich,fat‐burning,muscle‐buildingrecipe.You’llloveit!


Ingredients2cupsyellowonion,chopped

2tablespoonsgarlic,minced

1pound99%leangroundturkey

2cups(one14.5‐ozcan)reduced‐sodiumchickenbroth

2cans(15.5oz)greatnorthernbeans

2cans(4.5oz)choppedgreenchilies

1tablespoondriedoregano

1tablespoonhotchilipowder

2teaspoonsgroundcumin

1teaspooncoriander

1/2teaspoongroundcloves(optional)

Dashofblackpepper


Directions1. Inalarge,deepsaucepan,coatthesurfacewithanon‐stickcookingsprayora

tablespoonofoliveoil(add40caloriesand4gramsoffatperservingforeachtablespoonofoilyouuse).Alternately,useacrockpot.






2. Addonionsandgarlicandsautéthemuntiltheybegintosoften(about3–4minutes).

3. Addthegroundturkey,stirringoccasionallyuntilcooked(about4–5minutes).

4. Addthechickenbroth,thenstirinthegreenchilies,cumin,coriander,oregano,blackpepperandchilipowder.

5. Addwhitebeansafterdrainingalltheliquidfromthecan.Heattoaboil,thenreduceheat,coverandletsimmerforatleast15–20minutes.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:420

Protein:52.5g

Carbs:53.2g

Fat:1.7g

CookingandNutritionTipsThisisthequickversionofwhitebeanchili.Youcanprepare,cookandservethisinaslittleas25–30minutes!Timepermitting,ofcourse,youmaywanttoletitsimmermuchlonger,orevenleaveitinacrockpotonlowallafternoontoreallybringouttheflavors.Butifyou’reinahurry,thisworksbeautifullyinapinch.

Someofthetraditionalchilirecipescallfordriedbeans,whichrequiresoakingandverylongcookingtimes.Idon’thavethatmuchpatience,andnorecipesmakeitintothiscookingcolumnunlesstheyarefastandsimpleenoughfora“kitchendummy.”That’swhyIoptedforthecannedbeans.Youcanfeelfreetousedriedbeansandgothroughthesoakingandslowercookingprocessifthat’syourpreference.

Thisrecipeworksgreatwithturkeybreast,chickenbreastorgroundturkey.Myfavoritebyfaristhegroundturkey.Youcangetitverylean—99%fatfree,whichhelpskeepourcaloriecountdown.Infact,the99%leangroundturkeyhelpsmakethisoneoftheleanestchilirecipesyoucouldevermake.Youcanuseleanground






beef,buteventheleanestgroundbeefismuchhigherinfatandcaloriesthanthewhitemeats.

Chiliusuallycallsfortomatosauceortomatoes,butIleftthemoutbecauseIwantedsomethingalittlebitdistinctiveanddifferentfromregularchili.Insteadwesimplyusetwocupsofchickenbrothtogiveusastew‐likeconsistency,butnotasoupyconsistency.

Youcanseasonyourchiliaccordingtoyourtastes,whetheryoulikeitmildor“atomichot.”Irecommendahotchilipowder—atleast1tablespoon—andyoucanaddmorefromthereifyoulike.Youcanevenaddother“hotstuff”includingvarioushotsaucesorhotpeppers.Adashofblackpepperandtheoreganoworkverywellinthisdishandthecuminisamust‐usespice.

Somepeoplelikegroundclovesintheirchili.IpreferitwithouttheclovesasIcan’thelpthinkofhamwhenItasteandsmellcloves,butitdoesaddadistinctiveflavor.Justgoeasyifyoudecidetotrythegroundcloves—1/2teaspoonatmost—otherwiseitwilloverpowerthewholething.

Bytheway,ifyou’reonamusclemass‐buildingprogramandyouneedtoincreasethecaloriecount,thischiliisverygoodwithcorn,oryoucansimplybumpupyourservingsizeofthisrecipe.Theingredientslistedmakeonebigbatchofabout1260calories,sothatfeedsthreepeople(ortwobodybuilders,ha‐ha).

Ofcourse,ifyoulookatmostconventionalcookbooksorcookingshows(thatarenotfitness‐oriented),youmaybetemptedtoservethistoppedwithMontereyjackorcheddarcheese,adollopofsourcreamontopandmaybeevensometortillachips.SomeguysIknowmightbetemptedtowashitdownwithaCoronatoo(orpoursome

You can season your chili according to your tastes, whether you like it mild or “atomic hot.”






rightintothechili).Thenagain,itwouldnolongerbea“BurnTheFat”recipeifyoudidallofthat—itwouldmorelikeacalorieandfatfiesta!

Buthey,that’swhatI’mherefor,right?TotellyouwhatNOTtodoandtotaketraditionalrecipesandgivethema“leanandmean,highprotein”makeover!

Givethisleaner,lighterwhitebeanchiliatry.Ithinkyou’llbepleasantlysurprisedathowgreatittastes,evenwithoutalltheextrafatandcalories.Eatenaslistedabove,thisisaboutashealthyasitgets.Madewithall‐naturalingredients(norefinedfoods),wegiveourwhitebeanchilianAgrade.Thisisnot,however,alowsodiumdish,sokeepthatinmindifyouarerestrictingsodiumforanyreason.


PortableFood:No










Hot‘N’SpicyRedJambalaya

Somejambalayasare“red,”usingtomatoesortomatosauce,whileotherrecipessuchas“brown”Cajunjambalayacallforchickenstock.Someevenuseboth.OurtastycreationisaCreole“red”jambalaya,sowe’regoingtousetomatoesanddashoftomatopasteinahigh‐protein,nutrient‐richcombination.


Ingredients1tablespoonoliveoil

3/4cupfreshonion,chopped

2clovesgarlic,minced

2stalkscelery,cutintothinslices

1redorgreenpepper,diced

1yellowpepper,diced

1poundbonelesschickenbreast,cutintosmallpieces

2cansdicedtomatoes

1tablespoontomatopaste

1/2cupscallions(greenonions),chopped

1poundshrimp(shelled,precooked)

2–4tablespoonsLouisianahotsauce(oranyhotpeppersauce)

Dashofcayennepepperpowder

Dashblackpepper

2teaspoonsthyme

2teaspoonsparsleyflakes

1bayleaf






2cupslong‐grainbrownrice,cooked(measuredaftercooking)

Directions1. Pre‐cookyourriceinadvance,about30–40minutesbeforehand,soit’sreadyto

addtothejambalayalast,afterallotheringredientshavebeencooked.

2. Inalargepot(approx3‐quart)orajumbofryer(12incheswideby4inchesdeep),coatthesurfacewitholiveoilandbegincookingtheonionsandgarliconmediumheat.

3. Nextaddinthegreenpepper,yellowpepperandceleryandsautéabout4minutes.Addthechicken(cutinto3/4‐inchcubes)andstiruntilthechickenislightlycooked(white)onallsides(about6minutes).

4. Addthetomatoes,tomatopaste,hotsauce,allthespicesandthebayleaf.Pourintheshrimp,stirandbringtoaboil.Stirintheprecookedrice,reduceheat,coverandletsimmeruntiltheshrimp,chickenandallingredientsarefullycookedthroughandmostoftheliquidhasbeenabsorbed(about15–20minutes).

5. Whenthejambalayahasreachedtherightconsistency(thickeneduplikeastew),you’redone!Removethebayleaf.Servehot.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:433

Protein:50g

Carbs:34g

Fat:9.3g







ThereareawidevarietyofwaystomakeJambalaya.SomeJambalayasare“red”andusetomatoesortomatosauce,whileotherrecipescallforchickenstock(“brown”CajunJambalaya).Someevenuseboth.OursisaCreole“red”Jambalaya,sousetomatoesanddashoftomatopaste.

Thevegetablesincludeonion,garlic,greenorredpepper,yellowpepperandcelery.Ifyouwantedtoincreasethebulkofthisrecipewhilekeepingthecaloriedensitylow,youcouldeasilyincreasetheamountofvegetablesyouuse,relativetothemeatandseafood.Youmaywanttoconsiderchoppingallyourveggiesinadvancewhileyourriceiscookingsothey’rereadytoaddtothepotrightwhenyouneedthem.

Bytheway,ifyoudon’thavearicecookeryet,Irecommendgettingone.Thecookingtimeforlong‐grain“slowcooked”riceisquiteabitfasterinagoodricecooker,andmanyricecookersalsodoubleassteamers.Onanotherpracticalnote,althoughIhaven’ttrieditmyself,I’vebeentoldthatyoucanevenmakeyourjambalayarightinaricecooker!

Forprotein,shrimpisthetraditionalseafoodingredient(althoughcrawfishmakesforsometrueauthenticLouisiana‐stylejambalayaaswell).Traditionaljambalayaalsousuallycallsforsausageorham.Wewanttomakeahealthier,lightertypeofjambalaya,sowe’regoingtousechickeninstead.Thissavesyoualotofcaloriesandkeepsthesaturatedfatleveldown.Don’tworry,though,becausewewon’tbesacrificingmuchifanyflavorwiththatsubstitution.Ifyoureallywanttosaveoncalories,youcanmakethisstrictlyashrimpjambalayaandleaveoutthechicken(shrimpisanexcellentsourceofleanprotein).

This Hot N’ Spicy Jambalaya is about as healthy as it gets. Made with all natural ingredients (no refined foods), we give it a “grade A.”






Brownriceisthetraditionalstarchycarbpartoftherecipe.I’veseenjambalayamadewithpasta,pintobeansorevenbarley,ifyouwantsomethingdifferent,butyoucan’tgowrongwithbrownrice.Thericeshouldbeprecookedseparatelyfirstsoitisreadytoaddtothejambalayalast,afterthevegetablesandsaucehavealreadybeensimmering.

Ifyoulikehotandspicyfood,tryadashofcayennepowder(orCreoleseasoning)andupto4tablespoonsofregularhotsauce(cayennepeppersauce).Warning:4tablespoonsisenoughtomakeyoucrackasweat,soifyoudon’tlikeithot,uselessandaddaccordingtoyourtaste.Ifyoulikeitreallyhot,thenpushuptheScovilleunitsmeteranduseyourfavoritemegahotsauce.Inthischef’sopinion,thisrecipeisbestservedhotandspicy…buthaveityourway—it’sdeliciousevenalittlemilder.

Thisisafairlycaloriedenserecipe,mainlybecauseituseschickenandshrimp(whichiswhyit’salsomegahighinprotein).Ifyou’reonatightlycalorie‐restrictedfatlossprogram,youmaywanttotrythisdishwithonlyshrimptosaveonthecalories,otherwiseyou’llhavetogowithaprettysmallservingsize.

Shrimp is an excellent source of lean protein.

In this chef’s opinion, this recipe is best served hot and spicy… but have it your way—it’s delicious even a little milder.






Thisbatchofingredientsmakesfivesmallservingsat433caloriesperserving.Adjusttheservingsizeofthisrecipeaccordingtoyourcalorierequirements,ordon’thesitatetoadjusttherecipeingredientstomeetyourneeds.Thisjambalayaisprettyfilling,butkeepinmindthatwhensomethingtastesthisgood,it’seasytoforgetaboutcaloriedensity.

Lastbutnotleast…thisisaboutashealthyasitgets.Madewithallnaturalingredients(norefinedfoods),wegiveita“gradeA.”


PortableFood:No










GarbanzoBeanTunaSalad

Ifyou’venevertriedagarbanzobeansalad,thenyoudon’tknowwhatyou’remissing.Alsoknownas“chickpeas,”garbanzobeansareheart‐healthylegumesthatpackawhopping12.5gramsoffiberpercup.Therestofthesaladisloadedwithnutrient‐richsuperfoodsidealformuscle‐buildingandfat‐burningdiets.Whenyoufactorinthequickpreptime,thenutritionalvalueandtheincredibleflavor,wegivethisBurnTheFatrecipeourhighestnutritiongradepossible:A+.


Ingredients115‐ozcangarbanzobeans

4cupsfreshspinach,chopped

26‐ozcanswater‐packedlighttuna,drained

2tablespoonsfreshparsley

1medium(approx6oz)tomato,chopped

1tablespoonfreshmintleaves(optional)

1cuponion,chopped

2garliccloves,chopped

Dashblackpepper

Dashsalt

2tablespoonsoliveoil

4tablespoonsbalsamicvinegar

4tablespoonsredwinevinegar

Directions1. Openyourcanofgarbanzobeans,drainandrise,thenaddtoalargemixingbowl

oralargesaladbowl.






2. Openanddrainyourtunaandaddtothebowl.Addchoppedspinach.

3. Chopyourtomatoandonionintosmallcubesandaddtothemix.Crushandchop2garlicclovesandaddtobowl(alternately,youcoulduse1tablespoonofjarredmincedgarlic).

4. Add2tablespoonsoffreshparsley,finelychoppedand1tablespoonfinelychoppedfreshmint(mintisoptional).Thesaladdressingconsistsof2tablespoonsofextravirginoliveoil,4tablespoonsofbalsamicvinegarand4tablespoonsofredwinevinegar(youcanaddmoreofthevinegarstoyourtaste).

5. Finishbyaddingadashofblackpepperandsalttotaste.Mixthesaladverythoroughlyandserve,orplaceintherefrigeratoruntilchilledandthenserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:396

Protein:35.7g

Carbs:38.6g

Fat:13.2g


Garbanzobeans,alsoknownas“chickpeas,”belongtoaclassofstarchycarbohydratesknownaslegumes.Otherwell‐knownlegumesincludebeans,peasandlentils,althoughgarbanzobeansarethemostwidelyconsumedlegumeintheworld.Not

Not only do garbanzo beans make for some great salads, they are also heart‐healthy and they pack a whopping 12.5 grams of fiber per cup.






onlydogarbanzobeansmakeforsomegreatsalads,theyarealsoheart‐healthyandtheypackawhopping12.5gramsoffiberpercup.

Withthismuchgoingforthem,garbanzobeanscouldeasilyqualifyasasuperfood,soifyou’renotincludingtheminyournutritionprogram,you’redefinitelymissingout(especiallyonceyoulearnhowtomakethissalad).

Therearemorevariationsongarbanzobeansaladsthanyoucancount,butoutofallthetraditionalrecipesIlookedatandtested,thisoneismyfavorite.Onereason,ofcourse,isbecauseittastessogood,anotherisbecauseit’seasytomakeanddoesn’trequirecooking,yetanotherisbecausethisrecipeisloadedwithnumeroussuperfoods.

Althoughthissaladcouldeasilybemadewithanytypeoflettuceorsaladgreens,Iwassurprisedtoseethathardlyanycookbookssuggestedgarbanzobeansaladwithspinach.Spinachisanutritionalpowerhouse—anothertruesuperfood—lowincaloriesandloadedwithvitaminsandphytochemicalssuchaslutein.

Butwhystopthere?Addtomatoes(yetanothersuperfood)andthecancer‐fightingmembersofthealliumfamily—garlicandonions—andyouhaveamultiple‐superfoodbonanza!

Youcouldeasilyleaveoutthetunaandenjoythisrecipeasasidesalad(withaleanproteininyourmaincourse),butbyaddingthetunaintothissaladasaleanproteinsource,youcreateafull‐fledgedmuscle‐building,fat‐burningmealuntoitself.

Albacoretunahas,unfortunately,beenflaggedasafishtoeatinlimitedquantitiesduetopotentialmercurycontamination,whichisarealshame.However,recentadvisorieshavesuggestedthatthechunklightvarietycontains1/3theamountofmercuryasalbacore,andit’sstillokaytoeattunaprovidedyoustayinformedofFDAandEPAguidelinesforconsumption(especiallyforpregnantandnursingwomenandinfantsoryoungchildren).

Adding spinach makes this a“multi‐superfood salad!”






Alternately,thissaladwouldprobablyworkjustaswellwithcannedsalmon—oryoucouldeventryitwithchickenorturkeybreast.Tunaissimplythemostnaturalfitwiththeseingredients.

Keepinmindthatwhilethisisoneofthemostnutritionallyrichsaladsyoucouldevereat,itisnotalowcaloriemealcomparedtosaladsthatcontainonlyfibrouscarbs,sokeepyourportionsizesincheck.Garbanzobeansareastarchycarbohydrate,sothecaloricdensityisrelativelyhigh(420caloriesinone15‐ouncecan,thestandardsize).Alsokeepinmindthatwhileoliveoilisahealthymonounsaturatedoil,richinhealthyphenolantioxidants,alloiliscaloriedense,with120caloriespertablespoon.(Bytheway,besuretogowiththe“extravirginoliveoil”becausethat’sthetypethathasnotbeenprocessedwithheatandchemicalsolvents.)

Theamountofingredientslistedabovemakesthreeservingswithjustunder400caloriesperserving.Sharewithfamilyorfriends,orputtheleftoversintherefrigeratorandservelater—it’sdeliciouschilled.Thebestpartisthisreciperequiresnocookingandisaboutaseasyasitgetstoprepare.Ifyouusecannedgarbanzobeans,ittakesabout15minutestomake.Youcouldcertainlyusedried,uncookedgarbanzos,butthenyourpreptimewillbemuchlonger(forsoakingandcookingthebeans).

Althoughtherearequiteafewingredients,westillgivethisoneourSuperSimpleSealofApproval,andwithoutadoubtitgetsourhighestnutritiongradepossible:A+.


PortableFood:No










HealthyCajun“Fried”CodCakes

Theseeasy‐to‐makeanddeliciousfishcakesareinspiredfromthefamousPortugueseBalcalhau,asaltycodandpotatoseafoodcasserole.Byaddingsomehotcayennepepperseasoningandbreadingthecodcakeswithwholewheatcrumbsbeforepan‐cooking,yougetagreat“Cajun‐fried”tasteandtexturethatisremarkablylightandlean.

Yield:makes4fishcakes(servingsize:2fishcakes)

Ingredients12oz(340grams)boneless,skinlesscodfish

12oz(340grams)potatoes,peeled

2wholeeggs

1/2cupscallions(greenonions),finelychopped

2tablespoonsfreshflat‐leafparsley,finelychopped,orparsleyflakes

1tablespooncayennepepperpowder

3tablespoonshotpeppersauce(orTabasco)

1tablespoonbutterbuds(optional)

4tablespoonswholewheatbreadcrumbs

Directions1. Pre‐cookcodbyboilingfor10minutesoruntilitflakeseasily(orlightlypancook).

2. Cookpotatoes(boil,bakeormicrowave),peel,thenmashasifmakingmashedpotatoes.

3. Combinefishwithpotatoesandaddeggs,parsley,scallions,cayennepowder,hotpeppersauce,andbutterbuds.Mixalltheingredientswithaforkasthoroughlyaspossible.(Themixtureshouldbethickenoughtoformpatties.)

4. Rollmixturetightlyintoballs,flattenintocakesandcoatwithbreadcrumbs.






5. Pan‐cookonmediumheatfor5–7minutesoruntilfirstsideisgoldenbrown.Flipandcooktheothersideuntilcrispyandgoldenbrown,thenservehot.

NutritionInfo

Perserving(2fishcakes):

Calories:432

Protein:41.8g

Carbs:49.4g

Fat:6.5g

CookingandNutritionTipsWhenIsayI“slavedoverahotstoveallday”tocomeupwiththisrecipeforyou,I’mnotkidding!Imade8differentvariationsoffishcakesandcodcakes(withsomeearlyattemptsfallingintopieceswhileflipping,Ishamefullyadmit),beforegivingthisonetheblueribbon.Soyoucanrestassured,thishasbeentaste‐testedtothemax…andit’sdelicious!

Ofcourse,youmaybewonderinghowyoucaneat“fried”fishaspartofafat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutritionprogram,aren’tyou?Well,it’snotreally“fried”asindeepfriedinoil,butIcallthem“Cajunfried”codcakesanywaybecausethesefishcakestastesogood,theycouldalmostpassfordeepfried.

ThesecodcakesareprobablymostinspiredfromthefamousPortugueseBalcalhau,asaltycodseafoodcasserole.However,byaddingsomeredhotpepperseasoning,yougetagreatspicyCajuntaste,andbybreadingthepattieswithwholewheatcrumbsandthenpancookinguntillightlybrowned,yougeta“deepfried”textureandcrispiness,yetyoustillhaveahealthyandremarkablylightandleanrecipe.

Codcakerecipesarebasedontwoprimaryingredients:fishandwhitepotatoes.Youcanuseanywhitepotatoesforthis(Russetorbakingpotatoes,forexample).Irecommendequalamountsofpotatoesandcodfish(12ozcod,uncookedweight,to12ozpotatoes,uncookedweight).Ifindoubt,gowithalittlemorepotatothanfishbecauseyourmixturewillbethickerandeasiertoformintocakesthatway.






Youcanpre‐cookyourcodbyboilingorlightlypancookingitfirstbeforeaddingittothemixtureandmakingitintopatties.Ialsotookashortcut:Codrecipesusuallytellyoutosoakyourfishovernight,changingthewaterrepeatedly(presumablytoremovethesaltiness).ButsinceI’mlazy,Iskippedthatstep.

There’sabitmorecookingandpreptimeforthesethanmostoftherecipesImakebecauseyouhavetobakeyourpotatoesandalsopre‐cookthecodbeforeyou

makethefishpatties.However,codisaveryleanwhitefish,soverylittlecookingtimeisrequiredingeneral.Preptimecanvary.Ifyoubakeyourpotatoes,thatusuallytakesabout40minutesat400degrees,oryoucanmicrowavea12‐ouncerinabout8–10minutesonhighpowersototaltimecouldbeaslittleas30minutesstarttofinishifyoutaketheshortcuts.

Thetrickiestpartofmakingyourcodcakesiskeepingtheminonepiecewhenyouflipthem,sobesuretogetyourspatulacompletelyunderneaththepattyandthenflipitverycarefully.Therealkey,however,isingettingtherightconsistencytoyourmixturetostartwith.Theidealmixtureshouldbefairlythick.Ifit’stoowatery,thenitwillbehardtoformintopattiesandtheywilltendtofallapartwhenyouflipthem.Don’tforget,youcanalwaysmakesmallerpatties(forexample,6insteadof4aslistedabove),andthosearemucheasiertoflip.

Youcanmakethemixturethickerbyincreasingtheamountofpotatorelativetofish,oryoucoulduseoneegginsteadoftwo(whichwillalsoreducethecalories).Alternately,youcanusebreadcrumbsrightinthemix(insteadofjustforexteriorbreading),whichdoesthetrickverynicely,butthataddsextracaloriesyou’llhavetofactorintothetotal.Ifyouhaveextracaloriestospare(anyonehighlyactive,ormentryingtogainleanmusclemass,forexample),thenIrecommendincludingthebreadcrumbs.Itmakesyourfishcakestasteevenbetterandthey’reeasiertocook.

Realwholewheatbreadcrumbsarealittlehardtofind.I’drecommendlookinginahealthfoodstore.Youmaynotbeabletofindtrue100%wholegraincrumbs,butthereareatleastacouplebrandsofplainwholewheatororganicwholewheatbreadcrumbs(Jaclyn’sbrand,forexample).Theplainvarietiesgiveyouabout100–110caloriesper1/3‐cupserving.






Youcanexperimentwiththespicesandseasonings,(partiallybasedonhowhotyoulikeyourfood),butIthinkyou’llfindthiscombinationofingredientsespeciallydelicious.Tabasco,hotcayennepepperorhabaneropeppersauceallworkgreat,andIsuggestatablespoonofcayennepowderaddedforgoodmeasure.

Manytraditionalfishcakerecipescallforbutter,butyoucangetaverylargecaloriesavingsbytakingapassonthebutter.Ifyoulikebutterflavor,tryButterBudsorMollyMcButter,whicharelowcaloriebutterflavoredsprinkles.Theseproductsaremadeprimarilyfrommaltodextrin,whichiscertainlynotagrade‐Anutritionalpowerhouse,butit’sagoodsubstitutionifyouwanttosaveoncalories(15caloriespertablespoonversus110caloriesin1tablespoonofrealbutter).

Anotherbigcaloriesavingscomesfromusingathincoatingofnon‐stickcookingsprayratherthanfryingthecodcakesinoil.Whenlightlycoveredwithbreadcrumbs,youmaybesurprisedhowthislighterandhealthierrenditionofthetraditionalrecipealmostpassesforbeingdeepfried,evenwithouttheoil.

Ifyouweretousebutter,oilandflourasthetraditionalrecipecallsfor,youwouldhavehundredsofadditionalcalories.Thisrecipeisagreatexampleofhowatypicalrecipecanbemadeleanerandlighterwithoutsacrificingtaste.IcantakealmostANYtraditionalrecipeand—withafewsimplesubstitutionsandalittlecreativethinking—turnitintosomethingthatislight,deliciousandhealthy...andyoucantoo.

Lastbutnotleast,sincecodisaverylightfish,youmayfindthatthesearenotasfillingassomeotherBurnTheFatrecipes.At216caloriespercake,though,youmaywanttolimityourselftotwocakespermealifyou’reonacalorie‐reducedfatlossprogram.Tryservingthesewithasaladorafibrousvegetableonthesidetofillyouupwithahighnutrientdensity,lowcaloriedensity,completeBurnTheFatmeal.

BonAppetit!


PortableFood:No















Mega‐ProteinT.N.T.Burgers(TastyNutritiousTurkey)

AfterImademyfirstbatchofthesemega‐proteinturkeyburgers,Iimmediatelytookonetomytrainingpartnerandanothertoafriendfor“tastetesting.”Theywerefreakingout!Mytrainingpartnersaid,“NOWAY!There’snowaytheseareonyourdiet—theytastetoogood…tasteslikesomethingfromMcDonalds!”Myotherfriendhadasimilarreaction:“Mmmmm,toogood…feelslikeI’mcheating...”

Yield:makes4burgers(servingsize:2burgers)

Ingredients1pound(454g)99%fatfreegroundturkey

4eggwhites

1cup(40g)crumbledShreddedWheatcereal,crumbled

1/2cupcelery,finelydiced

1/2cuponion,finelydiced

2tablespoonshorseradishmustard

1tablespoonsoysauce

1tablespoongarlicpowder

1tablespoonparsleyflakes

Dashofpepper

Dashofsalt

Directions1. Placeonepoundofgroundturkeyinalargemixingbowl.Addfoureggwhites.Add

onecupofcrumbledShreddedWheattothemixture.






2. Veryfinelydiceyourceleryandonionoruseablenderorfoodprocessortochopthem(butdonotliquefy).Add1/2cupofeachtoyourmixture.

3. Addspicesandseasonings:1tablespoonofsoysauce(tryTamarisauceforstrongerflavororBraggLiquidAminosasanaturalsoysaucealternative),2tablespoonsofhorseradishmustard,1tablespoongarlicpowder,1tablespoonofparsleyflakes,adashofpepperandadashofsalt.

4. Mixtheingredientsthoroughlywithafork,thenformintofourpattieswithyourhands.Cookonagrill,grillpan,orforfastestcooking,useaGeorgeForemanGrill(takesabout4–5minutestocook).

NutritionInfo

Perserving(2burgers):

Calories:379

Protein:65g

Carbs:23g

Fat:2.6g

CookingandNutritionTipsAfterImademyfirstbatchofthesemega‐proteinturkeyburgers,Iimmediatelytookonetomytrainingpartnerandanothertoafriendfor“tastetesting.”Theywerefreakingout!Mytrainingpartnersaid,“NOWAY!There’snowaytheseareonyourdiet...theytastetoogood...tasteslikesomethingfromMcDonalds!”Myotherfriendhadasimilarreaction:“Mmmmm,toogood…feelslikeI’mcheating.”

Wellguesswhat…thesearenotcheatfoods—theseareBurnTheFatProgram‐approved!Theideathathealthyfat‐burning,muscle‐buildingfoodshavetotastebad

“Mmmmm, too good… feels like I’m cheating.”






orblandistotallyfalse,soputthatoutofyourmind.Ifyoureallywanttohavesomefunwithyourfriendsandfamily,whenyouservethemsomeofthese“TNTburgers,”tellthemthatthe“secretingredient”isJackDaniels!(I’llexplainaboutthe“secretingredient”injustaminute.)

Firstyoustartwithapound(454grams)ofgroundturkey.Leangroundturkeyisaveryoverlooked,underutilizedproteinsource.Ifyouselectthe99%leanvariety,it’sextremelyhighinproteinandalmostfatfree.Alltoooften,dietersandbodybuilderscomplainabouteatingnothingbuttuna,chickenandeggwhitesforprotein,whiletherearesomanydeliciousgroundturkeyrecipes!IcangivethisrecipeahighlyrespectableB+BurnTheFatgrade,butIgivethesemegaproteinturkeyburgersanA+forflavor.I’mnotkidding—they’redelicious!

Manyburgerrecipes,whethertuna,salmon,beeforgroundturkey,callforbreadcrumbstomakeatastier,moresolidburger.Aftershoppinginnumeroussupermarketsandhealthfoodstores,Icouldn’tfindanybreadcrumbsthatwere100%wholegrain.Mostcommercialbreadcrumbsaremadefromwhiteflour,orenriched(notwhole)wheat,ortheycontainothercalorie‐containingingredientsorflavorings(likeoilorItalianseasonings,etc.).OnebrandIfoundsaiditwas“allnatural”wheat.However,afterreadingtheingredientslistcarefully,itdidn’tsay100%wholegrain,itsaidwholewheatflour.Thisisnotwholegrain.Wholegrainfoodscontainallpartsofthegrainkernelincludingthebran,thegermandtheendosperm.

Theonlywayyoucanbe100%certainyou’regettingawholegrainisifthelabelsays,100%wholegrain!It’snottheendoftheworldshouldyouevereatwheatproductsandthey’renot100%wholegrain,butwholegrainisthebetterchoice.Sowhatareyousupposedtodoforbreadcrumbs?Simple,dowhatTomdoes:toastsome100%wholegrainbreadandcrumbleit!Or,inthiscase,ifyouneedfinerparticles,usecrumbledShreddedWheat—itworksgreat—andit’s100%wholewheat.Acup(40g)

Each one of these burgers packs a whopping 32.5 grams of protein.






ofShreddedWheatcontains140calories,31gramsofnaturalcarbs,5gramsoffiberandonly1gramoffat.There’syourperfectalternativetopackagedbreadcrumbs.

Bytheway,burgerscanalsobemadewithoatmealinsteadofbreadcrumbs,buttheytendtocomeoutalittlerdrier,andoneofthethingsthat’ssoniceabouttheseTNTburgersisthewaytheycomeoutsomoist,tenderandjuicy.

Theceleryaddsareallynicecrunch—definitelyamust‐useingredient.Youcanpureeyourceleryandonionwithafoodprocessor(butjustuntilit’sfinelychopped—don’tliquefyit),oryoucandicethemveryfinelywithasharpknife.Forspices,addgarlicpowder,parsleyflakes,pepperandalittlepinchofsalt.

Saltisacontroversialsubjectinhealthandnutrition.AccordingtohealthlecturerPaulChek,saltcomesintwoforms—refinedandnatural—andhesays,“Thereisabigdifferencebetweentypicalrefinedwhitetablesaltsoldatthegrocerystoreandunrefinedseasalt.”Refinedsalts,accordingtoChek,undergoprocessingandmaycontainaluminum‐basedanti‐cakingagents,soherecommendsnaturalseasalt(likeCelticorNewZealand),ifyouusesalt.Whetheryouinvestmoremoneyinnaturalseasalt,you’llhavetodecideforyourself,basedonhowmuchyou’repersonallyconcernedaboutfoodprocessing.

Alsokeepinmind,10%ofthepopulationissodiumsensitive,andthiscanleadtoanincreaseinbloodpressurewithhighsodiumconsumption.Ifyou’vebeendiagnosedwithhighbloodpressureandtoldbyyourdoctortolimitsalt,thentakeapassontheshaker,andalsopassonthesoysaucetoo,whichisextremelyhighinsodium.Onthatnote,anaturalalternativetoregularsoysauceisBraggLiquidAminos.Soundslikeaproteinsupplement,butit’snot—it’sanall‐purposeseasoningalmostthesameassoysauce,notlowinsodiumbyanymeans,butthedifferenceis,thisproductdoesnotcontainartificialingredientsanddoesnotusegeneticallymodified(GM)soybeans.

“There is a big difference between typical refined white table salt sold at the grocery store and unrefined sea salt.”—Paul Chek






Lastbutnotleast,thesecretingredient…JackDaniels!JackDanielsbrandHorseradishmustard,thatis.Twotablespoonsandyou’regolden.Anyspicymustardwouldprobablyworkhereifyoucan’tfindJ.D.,buttrustme,youdon’twanttoleaveout“thesecretingredient.”

IliketocookmyburgersonaGeorgeForemanGrill(amust‐ownapplianceforeveryfat‐burningandmusclebuildingkitchen).Just4–5minutesandthey’rereadytoeat!

Eachoneoftheseburgerspacksawhopping32.5gramsofproteinandonly11.5gramsofcarbs.Withjust189caloriesperpatty,youcouldeasilyhavetwooftheseforamega‐highprotein(65g),lowcarbmeal.

Or,ifyouneedmorecarbs,serveoneburgeronawholegrainbunorbetween2slicesofwholegrainbreadandtopitwithlettuceandtomato.Bodybuilders:twoburgerswithwholewheatbunswillhaveyou“gainingmass”innotime.

Enjoy!


PortableFood:Yes!





The secret ingredient...!






Hot‘N’SpicyGroundTurkeyScramble(orOmelet)

Thishot‘n’spicygroundturkeyscrambleisgoingtoblowyouaway!Thismealisabsolutelydeliciousandincrediblynutritious.Notonlythat,it’soneofthemostversatiledishesyouwillevermake.Ifyou’reonahighcarborhighercaloriemuscle‐gainingprogram,usethekidneybeans.Ifyou’reonalowcarborlowercaloriefatlossprogram,ditchthekidneybeans.It’sdeliciouseitherway.Andwait,speakingofversatility,youcanmakethistheeasywayasascramble,orifyoulikeomelets,thespicyturkey,pepper,mushroomandonionmixmakesagreatomeletfilling.

Yield:3omeletsorscrambles

Ingredients8oz99%fatfreegroundturkey

2wholeeggs

12eggwhites

1cup(1whole)redpepper,chopped

1cup(1whole)greenpepper,chopped

1cuponion,chopped

1cuprawmushrooms,chopped

2tablespoonsgarlic,chopped

2tablespoonsWorcestershiresauce

3tablespoonshotpeppersauce

Dashofpepper

2teaspoonsgroundturmeric

1tablespoonoliveoil

1‐1/2cups(1canor130g)kidneybeans(forhighercarbversion)






Directions1. Coatamediumtolargenon‐stickskilletwith1tablespoonofoliveoil(orusenon‐

stickcookingspray).Cookthegroundturkey,peppers,mushrooms,andonionsonmediumheat.

2. Addthespices,stirandletsimmeruntilfullycooked.Inasecondpancoatedwithnon‐stickspray,cookyoureggs,eitherscrambled,orprepareone‐thirdoftheeggsasanomelet.

• Ifmakingascramble,simplyaddthescrambledeggsintothelargeskilletwhenallingredientsarecookedandmix.

• Ifmakinganomelet,scooponethirdofthemixtureontotheeggsandthenfoldovertoformyouromelet.Repeatfortwomoreomelets.Makesthreeservingsofscrambleorthreeomelets.

NutritionInfo

Perserving(1omeletorscramble):

Calories:371

Protein:44.4g

Carbs:26.5g

Fat:8.8g

Lowcarbversionwithoutbeans(1omelet):

Calories:270

Protein:36.4g

Carbs:8.5g

Fat:8.8g

CookingandNutritionTipsThishot‘n’spicygroundturkeyscrambleisgoingtoblowyouaway!Thismealisabsolutelydeliciousandincrediblynutritious.Notonlythat,it’soneofthemostversatiledishesyouwillevermake.Ifyou’reonahighcarborhighercaloriemuscle‐gainingprogram,usethekidneybeans.Ifyou’reonalowcarborlowercaloriefatlossprogram,ditchthekidneybeans.It’sdeliciouseitherway.Andwait,speakingof






versatility,youcanmakethistheeasywayasascramble,orifyoulikeomelets,thespicyturkey,pepper,mushroomandonionmixmakesagreatomeletfilling.

Mushrooms,onionsandredorgreenpeppersaretraditionalingredientsforallkindsofeggscrambleoromeletrecipes.However,youcanreallyspiceupyouromeletswithoutalotofextrapreparationorwork.Allittakesisalittlehotpeppersauce(suchasChefEmeril’s,ortheRedHotstuffifyoudare),abitofWorcestershiresauce,somegarlic,adashofpepper,adashofturmeric,andshazam!Youhaveyourselfahotandspicyflavorexplosion!Anddoesiteversmellgoodtoo!Myneighborsweredyingtoknowwhatwascooking.

Thisisasuperhighproteinmealbecauseitusestwoleanproteinsources—eggwhitesandleangroundturkey.Leangroundturkeyisaveryunderusedleanproteinsource.Manypeoplecomplainaboutbeingboredwithchickenallthetime,soifthat’syou,justgrabsomegroundturkeynexttimeyou’regroceryshopping.

Checkoutthesestats:4ouncesof99%fatfreeleangroundturkeycontains28gramsofprotein,0gramsofcarbsandonly1gramoffat.We’retalkingpureproteinhere.Theturkeyreallyaddssubstancetoaneggscrambleoromeletsandissurprisinglyfillingforhowfewcaloriesareinthisdishperserving.

This hot ‘n’ spicy ground turkey scramble willblow you away with a “flavor explosion!”

Mushrooms, onions and red or green peppers are traditional ingredients for all kinds of egg scramble or omelet recipes.






Justaquickwordofwarning.Don’tbefooledbylabelclaimswhenyou’rebuying“lean”meatsuchasgroundturkey.Whentheysay92%leanor92%fatfree,that’sreallynotveryleanwhenyou’retalkingaboutfatcontentbyweightandnotbycalories.Asaresult,thehigherfatversionsofgroundturkeycontainsubstantiallymorecalories.Justbecauseit’sgroundturkeydoesn’tmeanitsleanerthanchicken.Readlabelscarefullyandgettheleaneststuffyoucan—99%ifit’savailable.

Ifyou’reonalowcarbdiet(orjustalowcarbdayonacyclicallowcarbdiet),thisrecipemakesadeliciousmealwithoutanystarchycarbs.Ifyou’reonahighercarborhighercaloriediet,thismealisevenbetterwithkidneybeans.Forallthemusclemassgainersoutthere,besuretoincludethekidneybeansforyournaturalcomplexcarbsanddoubleupontheserving…a740‐caloriedoubleservingisenoughofamealtopacksomemuscularbulkoneventhebiggestbodybuilder!

Kidneybeansareprobablyoneofthemostunderusednaturalstarchycarbsthateveryoneonafatloss(ormusclegrowth)programcanandshouldeatmoreoften.Withtheexceptionofoccasionalchili,mostpeopleseldomeatkidneybeansorotherlegumes.Andthat’sashame.

Nutritionistsoftencallkidneybeansa“fiberallstar”—with10gramsoffiberpercup,it’seasytoseewhy.Butwait,itgetsevenbetter.Onthesubjectofhealthbenefits,thehighfibercontentofkidneybeanspreventsyourbloodsugarfromspikingtoorapidly,sokidneybeansareanespeciallygoodchoiceforpeoplewhohaveinsulinresistance,

If you like omelets, the spicy turkey, pepper, mushroom and onion mix makes a great omelet filling.

Kidney beans are an “A Grade” food and a“Fiber All‐Star”






hypoglycemiaordiabetes.Bytheway,didyouknowthatresearchhasshownthatpeoplewhoeathighfiberdietshavemuchlowerriskofcardiovasculardisease?

Kidneybeansarealsopackedwithnutrientsincludingthemineralsmolybdenum,folate,ironandmagnesium,aswellasvitaminB1(thiamin).

Wantevenmoregoodnews?Unlikemanycannedfoods,suchasvegetables,whichlosenutritionalvaluefromthecanningprocess,kidneybeansretaintheirnutrientswhetheryougetthemcannedandreadytoeat,oryoupurchasethemdryandcookthemyourself.Soifyou’rebusylikemostpeoplearethesedays,it’sgreattoknowthatyoucanjustopenthecananddumpitinthepan!

Thismealtakesaweebitofpreptimetochopupallyourvegetables,butbelieveme,it’swortheveryminute,andthisrecipeissupersimpletomake.Nottomention,theingredientsabovemakeabigbatchofthreeservings,soyoucaneithershareorsaveyourleftoversforlater.

Enjoy!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:A‐

PortableFood:No










Crunchy,CheesyPotatoPancakes(Croquettes)

Potatoesmayhavegottenabadrapinthefat‐burningdietandnutritionworld,butforthemostpart,thisnegativereputationisundeserved.Therearethreereasonsthatsomanypeopleshunpotatoesorbelievetheyareunhealthyorfattening.You’reabouttolearnthetruthaboutthese“potatomyths”anddiscoverthe“secretrecipe”thattastessogoodyoumightjustfeellikeyou’recheating...Getyourtastebudsreadyforcrunchy,crispy,cheesy,“pancakes.”

Yield:makes4pancakes(servingsize:2pancakes)

Ingredients12ozpotatoes,skinned

1wholeegg

2eggwhites

3/4cupnon‐fatmozzarellacheese

1/4cupscallions(greenonions),finelychopped

1/4cupchives,finelychopped

1tablespoongarlic,choppedorminced

1cupShreddedWheat(cereal),crumbled

Directions1. Skinyourpotatowithapeelerandthenbakeormicrowaveuntilcooked.

2. Whileyourpotatoiscooking,finelychopyourscallionsandchivesintosmallpieces.

3. Inamixingbowl,addtheeggs,cheese,scallionsandgarlic.Addyourpotatoandmashthepotatothoroughlywithawhiskormixtheingredientswithaforkormixer.AddyourcrumbledShreddedWheat.Themixtureshouldbefirmenoughtoformintopatties.Makefoursmallpancakes.






4. Sprayapanwithnon‐stickcookingsprayandcookonmediumheatforabout5minutesoruntilthefirstsideislightlybrownedandcrispy.Flipandcooktheothersideuntildone.Servehotbythemselvesor,forahigherproteinmeal,servewithasideofscrambledorover‐easyeggs.

NutritionInfoPerserving(2pancakes):

Calories:356

Protein:25.6g

Carbs:55.8g

Fat:3.3g

CookingandNutritionTipsPotatoesmayhavegottenabadrapinthefat‐burningdietandnutritionworld,butforthemostpart,thisnegativereputationisundeserved.Therearethreeprimaryreasonsthatsomanypeopleshunpotatoesorbelievetheyareunhealthyorfattening:

Firstisbecauseofthewaymostpeopleeatthem—asFrenchfries(friedinoil),orsmotheredinbutter,sourcreamandbaconbits.Frenchfriesservedinrestaurantsandfastfoodchainstheconventionalwayareusuallycookedinoilthataddscaloriesanddisease‐promotingtransfattyacids.Bakedpotatoesthataresmotheredinhighcalorietoppingsdon’thelpmuchinthefatlossdepartmenteither.

Potatoes have received a bad rap.






Secondisbecausethelowcarbcrazebrainwashedpeopleintothinkingthatallcarbswerebad.Althoughthelowcarbtrendhaspeakedandsubsided,unfortunately,toalargedegreeanunwarrantedfearofcarbsstillremains.Thosewhoareinformedhowever,realizethattherearegoodcarbs(thenatural,unprocessed,nutrient‐densekind)andtherearebadcarbs(theman‐made,processed,calorie‐dense)kind.Theyalsoknowthatcarbsareimportanttofuelhighactivitylevels,theyareimportantatcertaintimessuchasduringthepost‐workoutwindow,evenonrestrictedcarbdiets,andthatevenlowcarbdietscanberenderedmoreeffectivebycyclingcarbsratherthanremovingthemaltogether.

Thethirdreasonthepotatohasgottenabadrapisbecauseoftheinterestintheglycemicindex(GI).TheGImeasureshowquicklycarbohydratefoodsarebrokendownintobloodglucose.AccordingtotheGIscale,lowGIcarbsarethegoodcarbsbecausetheyareslowlyabsorbed,andhighGIcarbsarethebadcarbsbecausetheyarequicklyabsorbed.PotatoesareahighGIfood.However,itturnsoutthatwhiletheGIhasvalueincertainsituations,theGIbyitselfisnotthebestwayforhealthypeopletomakecarbchoicesforfatlossbecausemanyhighGIfoodsarecompletelynaturalandnutritious,andtheGIbecomeslesssignificantwhencarbsareeateninmixedmealsthatalsocontainprotein,fatandfiber.

Thetruthisthatfatlossisforemostamatterofcalories,notcarbsorGI,andpotatoesactuallyhavealotgoingforthem.Potatoesarean“A‐grade”foodbecausetheyarenotprocessedorrefined.Apotatoisafoodyoueatinitsnaturalform—thesamewayitcameoutoftheground(exceptforthecooking).

PotatoesarehighinvitaminB6andvitaminCandcontainthemineralscopper,potassiumandmanganese.Theyalsocontaincarotenoids,flavonoidsandcaffeicacid,andscientistsintheUKrecentlydiscoveredbloodpressure‐loweringcompoundsinpotatoescalledkukoamines.

Asinglebakedpotatowillalsogiveyou12%ofyourdailyvalueforfiber.Almostallthefiberisintheskin,sousuallyit’sagoodideatoeatthewholepotato,skinandall.(Ourpotatopancakerecipesimplytendstocomeoutwithbetterflavorandtexturewiththepotatoesskinned…sobecertainyou’regettingplentyoffiberelsewhereinyourdiet).

Bottomline:Potatoesarehealthful,andpotatorecipescancertainlybeincludedinafat‐burningnutritionprogram,providedyoukeepyourcaloriesincheckandavoidtraditionalhighcalorietoppings.






Youcouldusejustaboutanyvarietyofpotatoyoulikeforthisrecipe,althoughmanycookswouldsuggestthatRussetorYukonGoldpotatoesareidealformakingpotatopancakes.

AccordingtoBurnTheFatProgramprinciples,a“completemeal”isonethatcontainsaleanproteinandanaturalcomplexcarb,whichqualifiesthesepotatoespancakesasafullmeal.Thecomplexcarbscomefromthepotatoandwheat,andtheleanproteincomesprimarilyfromtheeggsandthenon‐fatcheese.

Regularwholemilkcheeseisusuallyquitehighinfatandonlymoderateinprotein.Cheesesthataremadefromskimmilkaremuchhigherinprotein.Manypeopledon’trealizethatnon‐fatdairyproductsareasignificantsourceoflean,highqualityprotein.Infact,3/4ofacupofnon‐fatmozzarellaorcheddarcontains27gramsofcompleteprotein.Coincidentally,ifyoulookattwoofthemostpopulartypesofproteinpowdersupplementsonthemarket,theyarewheyandcasein.Andguesswhat?Thosearethetwotypesofdairyproteins.

Thecheesehasalottodowithwhythesepancakestastesogood,butlactose‐intolerantindividualscouldeasilydropthecheesefromthisrecipeandenjoythemjustthesame.However,byskippingthecheese,youdropoutalotoftheprotein.Whenrecipesareprimarilycarbohydrates,aproteinneedstobeaddedonthesidetobalanceoutthemeal.(Aservingofnaturalcarbsplusaservingofleanproteinmakesacompletemeal.)Useanytypeofcheeseyoudesire,justgoforthenon‐fatvarietyasafirstchoiceand1%or2%lowfatassecondchoice.Cheeseenthusiastscouldincreasethecheesequantitytoacuporso,andthatwillboosttheproteinandenhancetheflavorevenmore(butdon’tforgettoaccountfortheextracalories!).

Speakingofflavor,thegarlicisamust.Iusuallyusefreshchoppedgarlicorthejarredvarietythatisfinelychopped.Atablespoonshoulddothetrick.Scallions,forthosewhoaren’tfamiliarwiththem,arethelongtubulargreenonions.Chopthemupasfinelyaspossible.Chivesareverysimilarinflavortoscallionsandareanaturalmixwithpotatoes.Useoneortheotheroruseboth.






TheShreddedWheatisanicealternativetobreadcrumbs.Intraditionalpotatocroquetterecipes,themixtureisformedintoaballandthenrolledinthecrumbsasanexterior“breading.”Inthisrecipe,Isuggeststirringyourcrumbsrightintoyourmixtureinsteadofbreadingtheexterior.TheShreddedWheat(orbread)crumbsmakesyourmixturemoresolidsoyoucanmoreeasilyturnyourmixtureintopatties;otherwise,yourmixturewillbetheconsistencyofmashedpotatoesandwon’tformpancakesaseasily.Tip:Ifyouaddyourcrumbslast,thatkeepsthepancakescrunchier.

Bytheway,asyoumaynoticewhileyoublendorwhiskyourpotatomixture,thisisaprettydarngoodrecipeformashedpotatoes.YoucansimplyleaveouttheShreddedWheat/breadcrumbs,andifyouneedtomakeitcreamier,usealittlebitofskimorlowfatmilk.(Youdon’tneedbutterorfullfatsourcreamtomakedeliciousmashedpotatoes.)

Keepinmind,thisisasomewhathighcarbandhighcalorierecipe,becausepotatoesareastarchycarbandtheshreddedwheatisagrain,andthesetypesofcarbsaremorecaloriedensethanfibrouscarbs,saladvegetablesandgreenvegetables.Ifyou’reonaverystrictfatlossdietlikeafigureorbodybuildingcompetitiondiet,youmayneedtoeatfewerrecipeslikethisoneandmorefibrouscarbandleanprotein‐basedrecipes.

However,aslongasyou’rewithinyourcalorielimitsforeachmealandfortheday,thisrecipefitsintomostfatlossprogramsperfectly.Thesepancakesmakeespeciallygreatbreakfastsandpost‐workoutmeals,andtheyaresuperbformusclebuildingprograms.

Imustwarnyou…thesecrunchy,crispy,cheesypancakestastesogoodthatyoumightjustfeellikeyou’recheating.Butloandbehold,thesesinfullydeliciouspotato

There are good carbs (the natural, unprocessed, nutrient‐dense kind) and bad carbs (the man‐made, processed, calorie‐dense) kind.






pancakesareapproved,healthyBurnTheFatmeals!They’realsosoeasytomake,theyevengetmy“KitchenDummy”sealofapproval!

Enjoy!


PortableFood:Yes



8IngredientsOrLessSuperSimpleSealofApproval:Check!








QuickandEasySalmonBurgers

Salmonisoneofthebestsourcesforhealthyomega‐3fattyacidsinMotherNature’skitchen,andthese“QuickandEasySalmonBurgers”areaphenomenalcombinationofflavorandhealthyeating.WithanimpressivenutritionalprofileandmultiplesuperfoodsinthisBurnTheFatrecipe,you’llbepreparingthesetastyburgersoften!

Yield:makes2burgers(servingsize:1burger)

Ingredients17.5‐ozcancalmon

1/2cupoats

2eggwhites

2tablespoonsdriedonionorfinelychoppedonion

1tablespoongarlicpowder,orfinelydicedgarlic

Groundblackpeppertotaste

Directions1. Openyourcanofsalmon,draintheliquidfromthecan,removeanybones,andadd

thesalmontoamixingbowl.Addtheoatmeal,eggwhitesandspices.Mashandmixtheingredientstogetherthoroughly,makingsurethesalmonisbrokenupintoverysmallchunks.Ifyourmixtureistoorunny,youcanaddmoreoats;ifit’stoodry,youcanaddanothereggwhiteorsomewater.

2. Formtwoburgerpattieswithyourhandsandcompressthemtightly.Withtheamountofingredientslistedabove,thismakestwomedium‐sizedburgerpatties,about4to4‐1/2incheswideand1/2inchthick.

3. Placeyoursalmonburgersinaskilletcoatedwithnon‐stickcookingspray.Cookonmediumheatuntilthepattiesarelightlybrownedandsolidenoughforeasyflipping.Flipyourburgersandthencooktheotherside.Flipagainifnecessaryandthenservebythemselves,withasideofsaladorvegetables,oronwholegrainbreadorawholegrainbun.






NutritionInfo

Perserving(1burger):

Calories:249

Protein:28g

Carbs:12.3g

Fat:10g

CookingandNutritionTipsInanotherBurnTheFatrecipe,wemakesimple“SpicyTunaBurgers!ANewBurnTheFatRecipeWithAKick!”onpage 148.Thesequickandeasysalmonburgersareverysimilar,butarepossiblyevenhealthier,andtheygetanevenhighergrade,becausethisrecipeusesoatmealinthemixtureandbecausesalmonisoneofthebestsourcesforhealthyomega‐3fattyacids.

Theseburgerscontain10gramsoffatperburger,soanyonewhoisstill“fatphobic”mightshyawayatfirst.Butremember,thefatinsalmonisthegoodkind.Ifyoucomparebrandsofcannedsalmon,youwillseethatmanycontain15–20gramsoffatpercan,whileotherscontainonly2–3gramsoffatpercan.Althoughthecalorieswillbealittlehigher,youdefinitelywanttogoforthehigherfatvariety.Here’swhy…

Canned salmon comes in many different varieties and sizes.






Plantscontainaformofomega‐3fattyacidscalledalphalinolenicacid(ALA).FlaxseedsandflaxseedoilaregreatsourcesofALA.However,theALAneedstoconvertinthebodytoEPAandDHA,thekindofomega‐3fatfoundinfish.There’sbeensomedebateabouthowwellthisconversiontakesplace.Eventheworld’stopnutritionexpertscan’tseemtoagree,sothetake‐homelessonisthatyoucanandshouldconsumevegetableorplantsourcesofomega‐3suchasflax—butdon’tskipthefish,andsalmonhappenstobeoneofthebestsourcesofEPAandDHAomega‐3fattyacids.

Thelistofbenefitsfortheseomega‐3fatscouldgoonforpages,butfornow,sufficeittosaythatit’sgood,healthystuff!Salmonhasalsobeenrecommendedasoneofthesafestfishtoeatbecausetestshaverevealedthatsalmonisoneofthespeciesoffishunlikelytobecontaminatedwithmercury.

Whiledoingresearchforthisrecipe,Ilookedatmorethanhalfadozendifferenttraditionalwaystomakesalmonburgers.Isawthatmanyofthemusedbreadcrumbsorcrackers,whichwesuggestedinapreviousrecipefortunaburgers(see“SpicyTunaBurgers!ANewBurnTheFatRecipeWithAKick!”onpage 148).However,Inowrealize(andIhopeyoudotoo),thatyoucantakealmostanytraditionalrecipeandgiveitahighergradeandbetternutritionalvaluebymakingsomesimplesubstitutions.Ithought,“Whynotsubstitutethecrackersorbreadcrumbswithoatmeal,becauseoatmealisanA‐gradefood?”Well,sureenough,usingoatmeal,theburgersturnedoutdelicious!

Thisrecipeisoneofthesimplestwaystomakesalmonburgers.Youcanexperimentwithmorecomplexrecipesusingadditionalordifferentingredientsifyoulike.Other

While doing research for this recipe, I looked at more than half a dozen different traditional ways to make salmon burgers.






salmonburgerrecipescallforfinelychoppedordicedceleryorredpepper.Dillweed,parsley,mustard,lemonjuice,hotsauceorTabascosaucearealsooftenlistedasvariationstoenhanceflavororprovideadifferenttaste.(I’vealsoseenhollandaisesauce,vegetableoilormayonnaiselisted,althoughI’dsuggesttheformerforahealthierandlesscaloriedenseburger).

Cannedsalmoncomesinavarietyofdifferentsizes.I’veseen3.75‐oz,5.5‐oz,6‐oz,7.5‐ozandbig15‐ozcans.Thisrecipewasbasedonthe7.5‐ozcanofBumbleBeeCannedPinkSalmon,becausethisprovidedaperfectquantityfortwoburgers,andthisbrandiswidelyavailableinregulargrocerystores(315cal,42gprotein,0gcarb,17.5gfat).Caloriesandnutrientcontentcanvaryslightlyfromonebrandtothenext.Youcanfindnumerousotherbrandsonlineaswellasinyourlocalgrocerystoreorhealthfoodstore.

Tastemayalsovarydependingonthefatcontentandtypeofsalmon:pink,red,Chinook(King),Coho,orsockeye.Itriednumerousbrandsofcannedsalmonandsomewereveryrichwhileotherstastedalmostliketuna.Somebrandscontainlotsofskinandboneswhileothersdonot.It’soptionalwhetheryouremovebonesincannedsalmon,becauseiftheyareverysoft,theymaybecompletelyedibleandmayactuallyprovideagreatsourceofcalcium.Inaburgerrecipelikethis,afterit’sallmashedtogether,youtendnottoevennotice.(Thereareexceptions,asIfoundonebrandthathadfarmorebonesthantheothers.)Alsonotethatyoucanfindsalmoncannedwithorwithoutsalt.Besuretoreadthelabels!

Since2004,labelinglawrequirescannedsalmontoindicatewhetheritiswildorfarmed.Generally,wildAlaskansalmonisatopchoice.Mostpeopledon’trealizethis,but“Atlantic”salmonisusuallyfarmed,notwild.Thename“Atlantic”referstothefishspecies,nottoitsorigin.

Servedalone,eachofthesesalmonburgershasonly249calories.Thismakesalargesnackorsmallmeal.Foracompletemeal,tryasidevegetableorsalad,oronhighercalorie/highercarbmenus,usea100%wholegrainbunor100%wholewheatbreadforasalmonburgersandwich.(Thesearedeliciousontoastedwholegrainbread,andalsoportable,fortake‐it‐withyoumeals!)

For a higher‐carb version of this recipe, add a whole wheat bun.






Bytheway,salmonisn’ttheonlysuperfoodinthisrecipe.Onionsandgarlicbothhavehealthfulproperties.Numerousstudieshaveshownthattheregularconsumptionofonionsorgarlichasbeenlinkedtoareducedriskforseveraltypesofcancers.Scientistssaythatthepotentialcancerprotectionmaybedue,atleastinpart,tothebioactivesulfurcompoundsthatgivegarlicandonionstheirstrongtaste.

Guesswhatelse?SimplesalmonburgersgetaBurnTheFatgradeofA+!Idon’tgiveverymanyA+grades,butsalmonisanA+superfood,andoatmealisoneofthemosthealthfultypesofstarchycarbsyoucanincludeonanyfat‐burningormuscle‐buildingprogram.

Enjoy!


PortableFood:Yes(asasandwich)










Protein‐PackedAuthenticHealthyGreekBurgers!

Whodoesn’tloveagoodhamburger?Well,vegetariansofcourse,butevenvegetarianseatveggieburgers!Thiscolumn,however,isallabouttherealbeef,donetheleanandhealthyway.Burgersmaybean“AllAmericanmeal,”buttodayyou’reabouttolearnhowtomaketheauthenticGreekburger.(MyGreekco‐authorandco‐chefhasassuredmeofthis!)Enjoythismuscle‐buildingmealthatrequiresminimalpreparationandcooking!


Ingredients1pound95%fatfreegroundbeef

Largetomatoslice(1sliceperburger)

2ozlowfatfetacheese,cutin4thinslices(1sliceperburger)

1wholeomega‐3egg

1tablespoonextravirginoliveoil

1tablespoonoregano

1tablespoononion,finelychopped(optional)

Pinchofgroundpepper

3tablespoonswholewheatbreadcrumbs

4wholewheathamburgerbuns(optional)

Directions1. Placethegroundbeef,egg,oliveoil,oregano,onions,breadcrumbsandpepperinto

alargemixingbowl.

2. Mixalltheingredientstogetherbeforeformingitintofourmedium‐sizedburgerpatties.It’simportanttouseyourhandsinordertomixalltheingredientsthoroughlyenough.






3. Placeyourpattiesonyourfavoritegrill(theGeorgeForemanGrillishighlyrecommended).Cookonmediumforapproximately8minutesoraslongasneeded,basedonhowwelldoneyoulikeyourburgers.

4. Openupthebunandplaceyourfetacheesesliceandtomatosliceonyourburger.Addketchupifyoulike.Onlowercarbdiets,serveyourburgerswithoutthebun.

NutritionInfo

Perserving,1burgerwithbun:

Calories:387

Protein:33.1g

Carbs:32.9g

Fat:11.2g

Perserving,1burgerwithoutbun:

Calories:237

Protein:27.1g

Carbs:4.9g

Fat:9.2g

CookingandNutritionTipsWhodoesn’tloveagoodhamburger?Well,vegetariansofcourse,butevenvegetarianseatveggieburgers!Thisrecipe,however,isallabouttherealbeef,donetheleanandhealthyway.Burgersmaybean“AllAmericanmeal,”buttodayyou’reabouttolearnhowtomaketheauthenticGreekburger.(MyGreekco‐authorandco‐chefhasassuredmeofthis!)

Themainingredientofcourse,isthebeef!Choosingyourbeefisyourfirsttask.Firstofall,it’sperfectlyokaytoeatredmeatonafatlossprogram,andmostcertainlyonamusclegrowthprogramaswell.Oneofthebiggestconcernsmostpeoplehaveaboutbeefisthefatcontent,particularlythesaturatedfat.Accordingtoconventionalnutritionalwisdom,saturatedfatisaculpritbehindtheriseincholesterolthatinturncontributestoheartdisease.

Recentresearchhowever,hassuggestedthatthelinkbetweensaturatedfat,cholesterolandheartdiseaseisnotassimpleasitwasoncebelieved.Theimpactof






saturatedfatoncoronaryhealthdependsonnumerousfactors,includingtheamountofhealthyomega‐3fatsintherestofthediet,theratioofomega‐3toomega‐6,theamountofexerciseyou’regetting,geneticsandmanyothers.

Sowhileitstillisn’tagoodideatoeatahighfatorhighsaturatedfatdiet,mostpeopleneedn’tfearincludingasmallamountofsaturatedfat.Thekeyistokeepsaturatedfatstoasmallamount.Mostexpertssuggestkeepingyoursaturatedfatintaketo1/3ofyourtotalfatintakeandyourtotalfatintaketo20–30%oftotalcalories.

Tokeepthefatandcaloriesincheck,usetheleanestgroundbeefyoucanfind.Leanproteinisoneofthekeysforfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutrition,andalthoughsomefat,evensaturatedfat,isnecessaryforvariousbodilyfunctions,youshouldchooseproteinsourcesthataremostlyproteinandnotmostlyfat.

Regular,fullfat—80%“lean”—groundbeefcontainsDOUBLEthecaloriesandTRIPLEthefatas95%leanbeef.80%leanbeefhasabout23gramsoffatandnearly300caloriesper4‐ozservingandonly19.5gramsofprotein.Ithasmorefatcaloriesthanproteincalories.Even85%“lean”groundbeefisnotasleanasitmaysoundwhenyoumeasurefatbypercentageofcaloriesandnotweight.Whenyougowiththehigherfatbeef,youaregettingalotmorecaloriesperunitofvolume.

Shoparoundfortheleanestgroundbeefyoucanfind.The95%–96%leanvarietyofbeefissometimesdifficulttofindinyourlocalgrocerystore,butifyoucan’tfinditlocallytherearenumerousretailersonlinethatwillsendyoutheleanstufffrozenbythepoundorbythepatty.Youmayalsowanttoconsidergrass‐fedbeef,whichgivesyouahealthierandmorefavorablenutrientcontentandomega‐6toomega‐3fatratio.

Beef,especiallytheveryleanvariety,ishighinprotein,butitalsocontainslotsofotherstuffthat’saboontomusclegrowth,includingBvitamins,iron,creatine,CLA,zincandselenium,justtonameafew.Nowonderit’ssopopularwithbodybuilders.

Irecommendusinganomega‐3egg.Itneverhurtstoboostthegoodfatintakeinyourdiet,sowheneveraBurnTheFatrecipecallsforawholeegg,gofortheEFA‐richvariety.Speakingofhealthyfats,besuretorememberyourtablespoonofoliveoil.Itaddsflavorandtexturetoyourburgers,nottomention,it’snotan“Authentic”Greekburgerwithoutit.

Forspices,begenerouswiththeoregano—itcanreallyaddaniceflavortoyourburgers.Addapinchofgroundpepper,andexperimentwithchoppedoniontoo,ifyoulike.






Usingwholewheatbreadcrumbsaddsalittlemoretexturetotheburgerandalsoaddssomeadditionalcaloriesandcarbs.Analternativetoready‐madebreadcrumbsistosimplytoastasliceofwholewheatbreadandcrumbleityourself.

Youcoulduseanytypeofnon‐fatorlowfatcheeseforthisburger,butmyco‐authorKostassays,“ItisNOTagenuine‘Greekburger’withoutthefeta!”Likethegroundbeef,whenitcomestocheese,gowiththelowfatvariety.Athenosbrandmakesalowfatfeta,andAlpineLacemakesonethatisevenleaner.Non‐fatandlowfatcheeses,areasubstantialsourceofcompleteprotein,andtheygoalongwayinaddingflavortoyourmealsandrecipesliketheseburgers.

Don’tforgetyourtomato.Getthebiggest,ripesttomatoyoucanandcutanicethickslice.TomatoesareanA+powerfood!Theyareverylowincalorieswhilehighinlycopene,lutein,vitaminC,vitaminA,Bvitamins,chromiumandpotassium.Thecarotenoidlycopeneinparticularhasbeenahotitembecauseofitsamazinghealthbenefits.Thisphytonutrienthasbeenresearchedforitsantioxidant,heartprotectionandcancer‐preventingproperties.

Youcancookyourburgersonthegrillorinagrillpanandsimplyflipthemoverafterthefirstsideiscooked,butoneofthebestwaystocooktheseisonaGeorgeForemanGrill(akathe“Lean,Mean,GrillingMachine”).

Ifyouusehamburgerbuns,shoparoundandreadlabels!Wholewheathamburgerbunsaresometimesnotavailableinregulargrocerystores—youmayhavetoshopinahealthfoodstoretofindthem.Whitebreadproductsarenotagoodchoice—goforthewholegrain.Readthelabelscarefully.Aftercomparingbrands,Isawsomeverysneakylabeltricks.Onebrandof“100%wholewheat”burgerrollssaid“0gramstransfats”rightonthelabel.Butafterlookingattheingredientslist,guesswhatwasinthere?Partiallyhydrogenatedsoybeanoil.”

Kostas says, “It is NOT a genuine ‘Greek burger’ without the feta!”






Becausetransfatsposesuchahealththreat,theFDAnowrequiresthattransfatbelistedonnutritionlabels,butthere’saloophole.Ifthereislessthan.5gramsoftransfatperserving,foodmanufacturerscanlist0gontheirlabel.TheFDAsaysthatthisisalowenoughamounttoposelittlehealththreat,butmanyexpertssaythatthereisNOsafeleveloftransfats!

Whenyouselectwholewheatproducts,alwaysreadtheingredientslistonthelabel.Thefirstingredientshouldbe100%wholewheat.Hamburgerbunsthataretruly100%wholegrainareactuallysomewhathardtofind.AccordingtotheFDA,100%wholegrainmeansthatthefood“containstheintact,ground,crackedorflakedgrain,whoseprincipalanatomicalcomponents—thestarchyendosperm,germandbranareallpresentinthesamerelativeproportionsastheyexistintheintactgrain.”

“Wholewheat”or“enrichedwheat”isnotthesame.Thedeadgiveawayisthetexture.True100%wholewheathasamuchmorechunkytextureandyoucanseeseedsandlargergrainparticles.Wholewheatbreadthatisnotmadefrom100%wholewheathasamuchfinerandsoftertexture.Thisisbecausethegrainhasbeenmilled,whichremovesthebranandthegerm,andgivesitthatfine,softtextureandincreasesshelflife(butitremovesvitamins,mineralsandfiber!).

So,ifit’s100%wholewheat,it’sagoodchoice(wegiveita“B”grade).Ifit’swheat,butnot100%wholewheatitdropstoa“C”grade.Shopandchoosecarefully!(Note:mostofthebrandswelookedathadbetween130–200calories.Theoneusedinthisrecipeisbasedon150calories).

Lastbutnotleast,ifyou’reonareducedcarbprogram,youcansimplyeatyourburgerswithoutthebun...trustus,they’restilldarngood!

Enjoy!


PortableFood:No










IsraeliTunaSalad:ADeliciousLeanProteinandFibrousCarbCombo!

ThisisatraditionalIsraelisalad(alettuce‐freesalad),withthesimpleadditionoftunafish,whichturnsitintoacompletemuscle‐buildingandfat‐burningmeal.It’sthetuna(leanprotein)thatmakesthisacompletemeal.

Manysaladrecipescomewithoutprotein.Tomakeagreens‐orvegetable‐basedsaladintoacompleteBurnTheFatmeal,itisimportanttoaddleanprotein.

Tuna,chicken,turkey,shrimporevennon‐fatorlowfatcheesearegreatwaystoaddleanproteintosalads.Inthiscase,thetunaisanaturalfit!


Ingredients26‐ozcansoftuna

3mediumcucumbers

25‐oz(medium)tomatoes,diced

1greenpepper,diced

1/2cupfreshparsley,chopped

1tablespoonoliveoil

8tablespoons(1/4cup)whitewinevinegar

4tablespoonslemonjuice

2scallions(greenonions)(optional)

Dashofsalttotaste

Sprinkleofpeppertaste

Forconvenience,increasetheingredientsproportionatelytopreparelargebatchesinadvanceandstoreintherefrigeratoruntilreadyforuse.






Directions1. Chopupyourvegetablesintosmall1/4‐inchto1/2‐inchcubes.

2. Placeallyourveggiesinalargebowlorcontainerandthenaddthewhitewinevinegar,lemonjuiceandoliveoil.

3. Addparsley,adashofsaltandalightsprinkleofpeppertosuityourtaste.Keepyoursaladseparateuntilyouarereadytoeat,thenaddyourtuna.Servechilledoratroomtemperature.Makestwoservings.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:355

Protein:42.7g

Carbs:26.4g

Fat:10.7g

CookingandNutritionTipsThisisatraditionalIsraelisalad(alettuce‐freesalad),withthesimpleadditionoftunafish,whichturnsitintoacompletemuscle‐buildingandfat‐burningmeal.It’sthetuna(leanprotein)thatmakesthisacompletemeal.Manysaladrecipescomewithoutprotein.Tomakeagreensorvegetable‐basedsaladintoacompleteBurnTheFatmeal,itisimportanttoaddleanprotein.Tuna,chicken,turkey,shrimporevennon‐fatorlowfatcheesearegreatwaystoaddleanproteintosalads.Inthiscase,thetunaisanaturalfit!

Thissaladdoesnotcontainanystarchycarbs,soifyouareonahighercalorieprogramoramusclegainingprogram,youwillneedtoaddyourstarchycarbsseparately(forexample,bakedpotato,etc.),orelsethecaloriesinthisdishwillbetoolow.

Fresh cucumbers add crunch to your salad!






Alternately,youcanservethissaladasasidedishwithoutthetuna,alongwithyourmaincourse(forexample,chicken,vegetableandriceasamaincoursewithIsraelisalad—sanstuna—assidedishorappetizer).

ConnoisseurssaythatthesecrettoareallygoodIsraelisaladisveryfresh,crispandfinelychoppedvegetables.Thisrecipeisextremelyeasytoprepare,especiallybecauseitisarawsaladthatrequiresnocooking,butdotakeyourtimechoppingyourvegetablesintoverysmall,finecubes,about1/4inchto1/2inchinsize.

Usethefreshest,crispestvegetablespossible.Allofthesaladvegetablesusedinthisrecipeareextremelylowincalories.Anaveragemediumcucumberisusuallyaround8ounces,about8orsoinchesinlength,andcontainsonlyabout8gramsofcarbsandonly35–40calories.Anaveragetomatoisabout5ouncesandcontainsonly35caloriesandabout7gramsofcarbs.Greenpeppersalsomeasureinwithonlyabout7gramsofcarbsandabout30calorieseach.Scallions(smallgreenonions)areoptional,butmakeaniceadditiontothevegetablemix.Usefreshparsleyforbestresults.

Fresh tomatoes add some nice flavor to the salad as well!

White wine vinegar adds a fantastic flavor to the salad!






WhitewinevinegarisusuallynotincludedinthetraditionalIsraelsaladrecipesyou’dfindinmostcookbooks,butitwasrecommendedtomebyafemalebodybuilderfriendwhooftenusedwhitewinevinegarandbalsamicvinegarto,inherwords,“makehercontestdiettolerable.”Youwillfindthatitaddsafantasticflavor,astheveggiessoakinthevinegar,oliveoilandlemonjuicemix.Oliveoilcouldberemovedifyoureallywantedtocutthecaloriecountdown,buttheoliveoiladdsflavorandisthehealthytypeoffat,sothere’snoneedtoremoveitunlessyoureallywanttobudgetcalories.

Aninterestingfactyoushouldknowaboutisthatsomelemonjuiceproductslistthecaloriesonthelabelas0.Thisrevealsoneofthemanyloopholesinthegovernmentlabelinglawsthatallowfoodmanufacturerstosayafoodiscalorie‐freeiftherearefewerthan5caloriesperserving.Well,thereare4caloriesperteaspoonoflemonjuice.Insignificant,yes,butzero,no!Allthefoodcompanieshavetodoisreducetheirservingsizes.Forexample,iftheymaketheservingsizeoflemonjuice1teaspoontheycansayzerocalories,ratherthanmaketheservingsize1tablespoonandsay12calories.Sneaky,sneaky,sneaky!(Moral:readlabelscarefullyandcheckservingsizes!)

Thegoodnewsis,Israelitunasaladissolowincaloriedensity,thatyoucaneatasmallmountainofthisstuffwithoutgoingoveryourdailyorper‐meallimits.Youwillbesurprisedhowfillingitis.That’sthegreatthingaboutfibrouscarbsandsaladvegetables.Remember,fibrouscarbsplusleanproteinmealsarethemosteffectivecombinationformaximumfatburning!

Betweenthefactthatthissaladissolowincaloriesandit’salsolowincarbs(withnostarchycarbsorgrainswhatsoever),Israelisaladmakesaperfectmealforstrict(evenlowcarb)fatlossprograms,aswellasforeveningmealsorsnacksonprogramsthatusecarbtapering,(whennoconcentratedstarches,grainsorcarbsareeatenlateintheday).Hint:ifyougetnighttimemunchies,keepabigbowlofthissaladinyourfridge!

ThisrecipegetsanAgrade.Ifyougetboredwithregularlettuce‐basedsaladsorflavorlessfoods,thenyouhavetogivethisoneatry.It’scrunchy,healthy,tastyandwillprobablyendupbeingaregularadditiontoyourweeklymenus!


PortableFood:No















HealthyGreekOmelets:AHigh‐Protein,Nutrient‐Dense,Flavor‐PackedPowerMeal!

Theysaythat“breakfastdoesabodygood,”andinthisBurnTheFatrecipe,youwilllearnexactlyhowtocreateahealthyGreekomeletfromscratch—evenifyou’reacomplete“kitchendummy.”Giveyourself10minutesinthemorningandstartyourdayoffrightwiththistastymeal.

Yield:makes1omelet

Ingredients4eggwhites

1wholeegg(preferablyomega‐3)

1cupspinach,chopped

8olives,pittedandslivered

1/4cuplowfatfetacheese

Directions1. Prepareyouromeletfillingfirstbyplacingtheslicedolives,fetacheeseand

spinachinabowloronaplatenexttoyourcookingarea.Usingafork,blendyoureggsinamixingbowl.

2. Sprayyourpanwithnon‐stickcookingspray(suchasPAM)andthenpreheatyourpanonmediumheat.Pouryoureggsintothepan(theyshouldsizzleabitwhentheyhitthehotpan).Cooktheeggsonmediumheatuntiltheeggsarealmostset,butstilljustslightlyliquidinthemiddle.

3. Addyourcheeseandtherestofyourfillingsontoonesideoftheomelet.Foldtheomeletovertopofyourfillingsandpressdownlightlywithyourspatula.Allowtocookforoneortwomoreminutes,flipandcookothersideagainanotherminuteortwo,ifnecessary,andthenserve.






NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:285

Protein:29g

Carbs:13.2g

Fat:14.5g


Traditionalomeletsareoftenmadewithwholeeggs,hamandregularcheese.However,everyoneofthoseingredientsishighinfatandthereforehighincalories.Therearesomesimplewaystomakeallyouromeletsmuchhealthierandlowerincalories,withoutsacrificingflavor.

TheGreekomeletisanabsolutelydeliciousdishthatalsohappenstobeagreattypeofrecipeforfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutrition.Why?BecauseGreekomeletsarehealthy,loadedwithpowernutrients,andsupereasytomake,(onlyfourorfiveingredients!).

Oneofthekeystogreatomeletsistostartwithareallygoodnon‐stickpan.Ideallyitwillbeapanwitha6–8inchbottomdiameterandcurved2‐inchsides.Then,tobesureyouromeletdoesnotstickatall,youshouldalsouseanon‐stickcookingspraysuchasPAM.Thereisnoreasonnottocoatyourpanwitholiveoil;however,thatwilladdevenmorecalories.Ifyouchecktheingredientslists,you’llseethatnon‐stickcookingspraysarealsopureoil(theyareNOTcalorie‐free!),butbeingabletosprayitoninamistmakesformajorcaloriesavings.Althoughsomepeopleusebutter,butteraddsunnecessarycaloriesandisneutralatbestintermsofnutrition,whileoliveoilhassubstantialnutritionalvalue.

Thesizeofyouromeletisalsoanimportantfactor.Usetoomanyeggsandtheybecomehardertomanageandfoldovernicely.Thetraditionalomeletcallsforno

Some black olives will add taste to your omelet!






morethan3wholeeggs(sometimesevenjust2).Whenyouarecookinghealthylowcalorieomelets,youcangetsomemajorcaloriesavingsbyusingonlyonewholeeggandtheresteggwhites.

Whenyoudiscardsomeoftheyolks,thatmeansyoucanusemorewhitestomakeupforit,sothisrecipecallsfor4eggwhitesand1wholeegg.Ifyouarecookingformorethanoneperson,itiseasiertocooktwoomeletsseparately(oneaftertheother)ratherthandoubleuponingredients.

Ratherthanthrowoutalltheeggyolks,considerusingoneeggyolkandmakeitanomega‐3egg.Mostpeopletodayaredeficientinthehealthyomega‐3fatsandareconsumingtoomanyomega‐6fatsrelativetoomega‐3.Onelargeomega‐3eggcontains70caloriesand4.5gramsoffat,including150mgofomega‐3.

Usingtoomanywholeeggsaddsalotofcaloriesintoyourdiet.Discardingmostoftheyolksandusingmostlyeggwhitesremovesalotofcaloriesfromyourdiet.Whenyouareona“caloriebudget”asyouareonanyfatburningprogram,itpaystosaveoncalories,andthisisoneeasywaytodoit.

Fortunately,sincealmostallthefatisintheyolk,buttheproteinissplitevenlybetweenthewhiteandtheyolk,eggwhitesareasuperbhighproteinfoodandaperfectchoiceforyourbreakfasts.Ifyoudonotliketocrackopeneggsandseparateyolksfromwhites,thenyoucansimplyuseproductssuchasEggBeaters,oreggwhitesbythecarton.

Cheeseiswhatgivesflavorandcharactertonearlyeveryomelet.Infact,eggsandcheesebythemselvesisasimpleandtastywaytomakeanomelet.Feta,ofcourse,istheclassicGreekwhitecheeseandithasaverynicesaltyandtangyflavor.

Keepinmindthatcheeseisnotalowcaloriefood.Regularcheesesarehighinfatanddietaryfatisverycaloriedense,with9caloriespergram.Whenyouarebudgetingyourcaloriesforfat‐burningprograms,Isuggesttakingthecaloriesavingsandusingreducedfatandreducedcaloriecheeses.Reducedfatfetacheeseisavailableatmostsupermarkets,andwillsaveyouabout1/3incalories.

One omega‐3 egg and some egg whites makes a great omelet!






Forexample,Athenosbrandreducedfatfetacheesecontains60caloriesperouncewith4gramsoffat.AlpineLacemakesanevenlowercalorieandlowerfatfetacheesewithonly50caloriesand3gramsoffatperounce.Regularfetacheesecontains80–90caloriesperouncewith6–7gramsoffat.(Note:Thereducedfatcrumbledfetausedinthisrecipecontains70caloriesand4.5gramsoffatin1/2cup.)

Inaperfectworld,youwouldhaveavegetableordarkleafygreenateverysinglemealoftheday.Typically,though,mostpeopledon’tthinkofeatingveggiesatbreakfast,atleastnotasoftenasfruitandwholegrainsorcereals.However,anytimeyoumakeeggs,youcanalwaysaddveggiestothemtoboostnutritionalvalue.

Spinachisquitesimply,anutritionalpowerhouse.Itcontainsawidevarietyofnutrientsandphytonutrientsanditisverylowincalories.Itcontainslutein,zeaxanthin,beta‐carotene,co‐enzymeQ‐10,plant‐derivedomega‐3fattyacids,plusnumerousvitaminsandminerals.

Spinachalsohasmoreresearch‐backedhealthbenefitsthanalmostanyotherfood.Anumberofstudiesdemonstrateaninverserelationshipbetweenspinachandcardiovasculardisease,cancer,age‐relatedmaculardegenerationandcataracts.It’sonethingtopickfoodsthatcanhelpyougetlean,butifyoucaneatfoodsthatgetyouleanandhealthyatthesametime—andspinachisoneofthem—thenthat’swhatyoushoulddo.Sothrowsomespinachinyouromelets!

Anomeletofthissizewiththeseingredientsclocksinwithlessthan300caloriesandisverylowincarbs(13grams).Thereare14gramsoffatinthisdish,whichmayseemhighatfirst,exceptwhenyourealizethattheomegaeggandolivesmakethemmostlyveryhealthyfats.Unlessyou’reonaverycarb‐restrictedorhighercalorieprogram,tryservingthiswithfruitorwholegraintoastorabowlofoatmealontheside.

Spinach is a “power food” packed with allkinds of vital micronutrients and

phytochemicals.






Lastbutnotleast,ifyouarethetypeofpersonwholacksthe“omelet‐flippinggene”andyoursjustfallaparteverytime,don’tdespair.Youcanalwaysfallbackon“Greekscrambledeggs!”Justthrowalltheseingredientstogetherinyourpanandmix!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:A‐

PortableFood:Yes










SpicyTunaBurgers!ANewBurnTheFatRecipeWithAKick!

AnotefromKyleBattis,InnerCircleManager:IjustgotthisrecipefromTom,anditwasperfecttimingbecauseIwasreadyformysecondlunch.(I’mlikeaHobbitwhenitcomestomeals.)Ifollowedthedirectionsintherecipeand10minuteslaterIhadatastystackofSpicyTunaBurgersreadytobedevoured.WOW!Thesethingsweretasty,andfromthenutritionalprofilebelow,theylookreallyhealthytoo.Ifyouarelookingforatastymeal,setaside10minutesandcookupabatchoftheseSpicyTunaBurgers.Enjoy!


Ingredients2canswater‐packedtuna

1cupoatmeal(oldfashionedoats)

2tablespoonsofnon‐fatorlightmayo(suchassmartbalance)

4tablespoonsWorcestershiresauce

Blackpepper(totaste)

Directions1. Openyourtwocansoftunaandthoroughlydraintheliquidfromthecans.Putthe

tunaintoamixingbowl.Addtheoatmeal,nonfatmayonnaise,Worcestershiresauceandblackpepper.

2. Mashandmixtheingredientstogetherthoroughly,makingsurethetunaisbrokenupintoverysmallchunks.Formburgerpattieswithyourhandsandcompressthemtightly.Withthisamountofingredients,youcanmake2,3or4patties,butlargerpattiescookmoreslowlyandmayfallapartwhileflipping,so4smallerpattiesisideal.

3. Placeyourtunaburgerpattiesintoaskilletcoatedwithnon‐stickcookingspray.Cookonmediumheatuntilyourburgersarelightlybrownedandsolidenoughfor






easyflipping.Flipyourburgersandthencooktheotherside.Flipagainifnecessaryandthenserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:305

Protein:42g

Carbs:35g

Fat:10.5g

CookingandNutritionTipsHereisyetanotherverysimpletunaburgerrecipe—onethathassomecharacterandanicespicyflavor.Tunaburgersareafavoriteonfat‐burningandmuscle‐buildingnutritionprogramsandnotjustbecausetheyarehighinprotein.Anotherbenefitofburgersliketheseisthattheyareportablefoodsandtheyareveryquickandeasytomake.Sure,they’reabitmessy,buttheyrequireliterallynocookingskilltoprepare!

Thesearehighinproteinandonlymoderateincarbs—perfectforfatlossprograms,butforhighercarbandhighercalorienutritionprograms,youcaneatyourspicytunaburgersasasandwich—justslapyourburgerinsidetwoslicesofwholewheatbreadorawholewheatpita.Incidentally,thismixturecanalsoworkinsandwichesasacoldspread(uncooked).

Whenmakingyourpatties,mixtheingredientsverythoroughlyandbesurethetunaisbrokenupintosmallflakes.Iftherearelargechunksoftunainyourmixture,yourburgerstendtofallapartmoreeasilywhenyouflipthem.Compressingthepattyverytightlyalsohelps,asdoespressingdownthepattywithaspatulaonceitisinthefryingpan.

Thesespicytunaburgersgetarespectablegrade(“B‐”)becausetheprimaryingredientsareoatmealandtunafish.ThereasonfornotgettingtheperfectBurnTheFatgrade“A”isbecausethisrecipeusesmayonnaiseandWorcestershiresauce.Bothcontaincornsyrup.






Mayonnaise,usedinsmallquantitieswithinyourcalorielimits,isperfectlyokayonbaselinenutritionprograms;however,youwouldbebetteroffwithacanolamayoorareducedcalorievarietyofmayo.Regularmayoiscaloriedense(asarealloil‐andfat‐basedproducts)andismadewithsoybeanoil.Soybeanoildoescontainsomeomega‐3fattyacids,butithasanomega‐6toomega‐3ratioof12to1,which,accordingtodietaryfatexpertssuchasArtemisSimopoulos,isunacceptablyhigh.Canolamayohasabetteromega‐6toomega‐3ratio.

If you’re going to use mayo, use this better “bad” choice.

Food manufacturers are starting to makehealthier food choices!






Therehasbeenatrendlatelywithmainstreamfoodproducts(whichcanevenbefoundatconventionalgrocerystores),toaddhealthyfatsintotheingredients.Manyofthesenewproductsmakeforbetterchoices,althoughsometimesonlysmall“token”amountsofgoodfatsareadded(suchasflaxseedoilorflaxseeds).Thisismainlyformarketingtothehealth‐consciouscrowdorfornutritional“politicalcorrectness.”

Mayonnaiseisonesuchexample.TheSmartBalancebrandmakesan“OmegaPlus”mayonnaise,whichismadewithcanola,olive,soybeanandevensomeflaxseedoil.Italsocontainsfewercaloriesthanconventionalmayo,althoughitdoescontainsomesugar.Lightvarietiesofmayocanbeverylowincalories,dependingonthebrand,butallofthemcontaincornsyruporsugar.

Facedwiththeprospectoffull‐fat,veryhighcaloriemayo,youarebesttotakethecaloriesavingsandgowiththeverylightmayo,orusesmallamountsofthecanolamayo.Lightcanolamayo(includingbrandssuchasSmartBalance)isprobablyoneofthebetterchoicesbecauseyougetthecaloriesavingsandabetterratioofomega‐3toomega‐6fattyacids.

Worcestershiresauceismadefromvinegar,molasses,highfructosecornsyrup,tamarindconcentrateandvariousspices.Foodsandcondimentsthatcontainhighfructosecornsyrupinthefirstfewingredientsarenot“A”gradefoods.It’sdifficulttocompletelyeliminatecornsyrupbecauseit’shiddeninsomanyfoods,fromketchuptosaladdressings.Consumedinverysmallamounts,itisunlikelytoslowyourprogressmuch(althoughIwouldnotrecommendconsuminganythingwithanycornsyrupifyou’reonastrictfatlossdiet,ifyou’regoingintophysiquecompetition,orifyourfatlosshasbeenslow).

Ifounditveryinterestingthatinmorethanonepopulardietbook,Worcestershiresauce,aswellasseveralother“lowcalorie”condimentsandsauces,werelistedas“free”or“unlimited”foods(meaning,youcanusethesefoodsinunlimitedquantitiesand“notworryaboutthecalories”).IwaslaughingmybuttoffwhenIsawthatbecausethisisonereasonthatmanypeoplefailtoreducetheirbodyweight—theyrefusetocountcaloriesandorfailtoaccountforcaloriesthatmayappeartobeinconsequential.Trustme,theyalladdupintheend,anditisaresearch‐provenfactthatmostpeopleforgettocountthingsandunderestimatetheircalorieintake.






Icanseehowadietbookauthormightmakethemistakeofauthorizingunlimitedamountsoflowcaloriefoods,butoncloserinspection,youcanseethatfoodmanufacturersplayallkindsofsneakytricks,someofwhichinvolvelabelinglawloopholesandothersthatsimplyinvolvereducingtheservingsizessothatthereareoftenmorecaloriesthanyourealize.

InthecaseofWorcestershiresauce,whenyoulookatthelabel,yousee5caloriesperservingandyourfirstimpressiontendstobe,“That’shardlyanything—Icanhavethisandmybodywon’tevennoticeit.”Ifyoulookattheservingsize,however,youwillseethatitisonlyoneteaspoon.(Doyouknowhowsmallateaspoonis?)Ourtunaburgerrecipecallsfor4tablespoons,sothat’s12teaspoonsor60calories.Thatisstillnotalotofcalories,butit’snotinsignificanteither.Ifyoudecidedthatthiswasa“free”foodandyoudidthesamethingwithseveralothercondimentslikeketchup,steaksauce,salsaandsoon,alongwithforgettingtoaddupthemilkinyourcoffeeandsnacksthatarenotcounted,canyouseehowyoucouldendupwithseveralhundredcaloriesnotaccountedfor,whichcouldexplainan“unexplainable”progressplateau?

So,yes,youmustcountthecaloriesinthesaucesandcondimentsyouuse,andpayattentiontotheservingsizes.AlthoughyouareforegoingaBurnTheFat“A”grade,usingthingslikelightmayoandWorcestershireinsmallamountsisperfectlyacceptableonabaselinenutritionprogramanditallowsyoutoenjoyamuchwidervarietyofrecipes,whichinturnmakesfollowingyournutritionprogramalotmoreenjoyable.

Add a little spicy kick to your tuna burgers with this ingredient!






Oncompetitiondiets,suchasthoseforbodybuilding,fitnessorfigure,thefoodselectionsshouldbemademuchstricter,andallfoodscontainingcornsyrup(Worcestershiresauce,ketchup,steaksauce,lightmayonnaise,etc.),arebesteliminatedcompletelyformaximumresults.Remember,ambitiousgoalsrequirestricterdiets.Forgeneralfitnessandfatreductiongoals,simplykeeptrackofyourcalories,maintainyourcaloriedeficit,watchyourservingsizesandenjoyrecipeslikethisone!

BurntheFatRecipeScorecardBurnTheFatGrade:B‐

PortableFood:Yes










LazyPerson’sChinese“Stir‐Fry”

Chinesefoodcanbeveryhealthyifyouchoosewisely(thinkveggies,riceandchickenbreast!).Itcanalsobeacompletefat‐storingdisasterifyouchoosepoorly(thinkrestaurant‐styleKungpaochickenandotherChinesefriedstuff).MakingyourownChineseathomeisagreatalternative,andmanypeoplereallyenjoywokcooking.However,thattakestimeandwork.Thewords“Chinese”and“take‐out”aresosynonymoustheyarealmostoneinthesame.Why?Becausealmosteveryoneisbusy,andmostpeoplearelazy,atleastwhenitcomestocooking(andespeciallywhenitcomesto5–6‐meal‐per‐dayfatlossormuscle‐buildingprograms).Sowhat’sabusylazypersontodo?Herecomesthe“LazyPerson’sChineseStir‐Fry”totherescue.

Yield:Makesabatchoffourservingsforfatlossprograms.

Ingredients1‐1/2cupsbrownbasmatiriceorlong‐grainbrownrice(measureddry)

12ozchickenbreast

16‐ozbagofChinesevegetableblend(frozen)

4teaspoonsBraggLiquidAminos(soysaucealternativeseasoning)

Directions1. Beginbypreparingyourrice.Youcandoitthetraditional

waybyboilingwaterinapotonthestove,addingyourrice,stirring,thenreducingtheheattosimmerandcookingforapproximately40–50minutes,oraspertheinstructionsonpackage.Evenbetter,aricecookerisagreatconvenienceandtimesaver.

2. Foryourveggies,youcanusefreshorsteamed,butforthelazyperson’sstirfry,throwingfrozenChineseveggiesinthemicrowaveworksjustfine.

3. Cookyourchickenbreastsonanopen‐facedgrillpan(suchasaCirculonpan),coatedwithnon‐stickcookingspray,oryoucanuseaGeorgeForemanGrill(anothermust‐have“BurnTheFat”kitchenappliance).






4. Ifyouuseagrillpan,youcanchopupyourchickenintosmallpiecesforfastercooking.Whentherice,chickenandveggiesarecooked,simplyaddsomeBraggLiquidAminos(availableonlineoratmosthealthfoodstores),mixandserve.

NutritionInfo

Perserving:

Calories:441cal

Protein:33.4g

Carbs:63g

Fat:6.8g

CookingandNutritionTipsIt’sagoodthingthatcarbo‐phobiahasfinallystarteddyingdownbecauserice—ifyoupicktherightkind—isagreatadditiontoafatburningnutritionprogramandisoneofyourbeststarchycarbsources.Yourchoiceofricedefinitelymakesadifference.First,choosebrownriceoverwhiterice.Whitericehasbeenstrippedofmanyofitsvitamins,mineralsandsomeofitsprotein.ThestickywhitericeisafavoriteinChinese

restaurants,butisnutritionallylackingcomparedtobrownriceanditisabsorbedmorequickly,causingagreaterbloodsugarandinsulinspike.

MinuteRiceand“instantrice”maybefasterandmoreconvenient,buttheyarethelowestofallinnutrientcontent.Yourbestbetistochooselong‐grain,slow‐cookedbrownriceandsimplyusearicecookertopreparelargebatchesforlateruse.Bytheway,riceabsorbsthewaterandfluffsupwhenit’scooked,soifyoumeasure1‐1/2cupsdryricepriortocooking,itwillbeatleast2cupscooked.Besuretorememberthiswhenyouaddupthosecalories!

Ifyouhaven’ttriedbrownbasmatirice,youwillloveit.OriginatingfromIndia’sbasmatiseed(yeah,Iknow,it’snot“Chinese,”butnevermind,it’sgreatstuff),thisisanutritiouslong‐grainbrownrice.AsyoucookBasmatirice,yourkitchenwillfillwithawonderfulpopcornaroma,andthisisoneofthemostflavorfulof






allrices.Thismakesitidealforsimpledisheswithoutrequiringalotofspicesoringredientsbecausetheplainricealonetastessogood.

Bytheway,nothingbeatsaricecooker!Onceyougetspoiledbyusingthisfantastickitchenappliance,youwillwonderhowyoueverlivedwithoutone.Notonlydoesaricecookercooklong‐grainriceinalmosthalfthetime,youcanalsocookverylargebatches;allyouhavetodoisputinthemeasuredrice,addwaterandpushabutton.Cookingyourfoodinquantityisoneofthekeystostayingonyournutritionprogramconsistently.

Justaboutanytypesofveggiesgogreatwithrice.TheChineseblendsusuallycontaingreenbeans,broccoli,carrots,redpeppers,onions,mushrooms,snowpeapods,waterchestnutsandbambooshootsorsimilarcombinations.Atypicalorientalvegetableblendwillhaveabout35caloriespercup(approx3oz).Caloriecontentsmayvarybasedonbrandand

blend(IliketheoneswiththelittleThaibabycornsmyself;alwaysremindsmeofthatmovieBIG,withTomHanks…butIdigress….)

Checkthelabelsifyouwishtobeprecisewithyourcalorieintake,butwhenitcomestoveggies,it’shardtogooverboard.Mostpeopledon’teatenoughveggies,soIsay,loadup!It’sthestarchycarbintakeyouwanttokeepincheckbecausericeisfairlycaloriedenseandit’seasyto“over‐dose.”Vegetableblendsarefantasticbecauseeachdifferenttypeofvegetablecontainsavarietyofnutrientsandphytochemicals.Whenitcomestofatlossandnutritionalvalue,yousimplycannotbeatveggies.

Forseasoning,tryBraggLiquidAminosasanalternativetosoysauce.ThenameLiquidAminosiskindofdeceivingasthisisnotaproteinsupplement,(althoughitmakesusweight‐trainingfolksfeelbetteraboutusingit!).Thisisactuallyanaturalsoysaucealternativeandall‐purposeseasoningthatcontainsnoartificialingredients(nochemicals,nopreservatives,etc.).

Keepinmindthatevenlowsodiumsoysaucesandmostseasoningsareveryhighinsodium,andtheyaresimply“reduced”sodiumcomparedtoregularsoysauce.Manypeopleaskaboutsodiumonfatlossprograms.Sincetherearenocaloriesinsodium,itwillnotaffectyourbodycomposition,althoughhighsodiumintakemaycausewaterretentionandapuffyappearance.Sodiumisanimportantandnecessaryelementinthehumanbody,butkeepinmindthatasmallpercentageofpeoplearehighly“saltsensitive,”andforsomehypertensives,highsodiumcanbeahealthrisk.Theaverage






Americanconsumes4500mgofsodiumperday,andtherecommendeddailylevelforadultsisonly2400mgperday.

Sothereyouhaveit!Brownrice,veggiesandchickenisagreatBurnTheFatmealthatyoucanenjoyoften,andthisdishisaboutassupersimpleand“lazy‐personfriendly”asitcanget!(forthosewhoare“non‐lazy,”we’lltrysomemoreadvancedwokrecipesinfutureBurnTheFatrecipes!)


PortableFood:No

CookingDifficultyLevel:Easy!









SuperSimpleTunaBurgers!

Tunafishhasbeenastapleinthedietsofbodybuildersandpeopleinterestedinachievingaleanandhealthyphysique.Ifyouhavearrivedatthepointwhereeatingtunastraightoutofthecanisbecomingalittleboring,yetyouarenotagourmetchef,thenthisrecipeistheoneyouhavebeenlookingfor!LetChefVenutoshowyouhissupersimplerecipeforturningacanoftunaintoatastymeal!

Yield:makes2burgers

Ingredients1cansolidwhitealbacoretuna

2eggwhites,large

8lowfatwholewheatcrackers

Mrs.Dashseasoning(totaste)

Directions1. Openyourcanoftunaandthoroughlydraintheliquidfromthecan.Putthetunain

amixingbowlandchopthetunaintothesmallestpiecespossible.

2. Crumblethecrackersintosmallcrumbsandaddthemtothetuna.Addtwoeggwhites.AddMrs.Dashseasoningtosuityourtaste.

3. Stirthefouringredientsuntiltheyaremixedandsemi‐solidsoyoucanformthemintoapatty.

4. Ifyourmixtureistooliquid,youcanaddmorecrackers.Formburgerpattieswithyourhandsandcompressthemtightly.Placetunapattiesinafrypancoatedwithnon‐stickcookingspraysuchasPAM.

5. Cookonmediumheatuntiltheburgerislightlybrownedandsolidenoughforeasyflipping.Flipyourburgersandthencooktheotherside.Makestwoburgers.






NutritionInfo

Perserving(2burgers):

Calories:329

Protein:46.5g

Carbs:22.6g

Fat:4.5g


Therearemanydifferentrecipesfortunaburgersyoucanfindinavarietyofcookbooks.Someofthemareprettycomplicatedandrequire8,10,oreven12ingredients,spicesandsoon.Wewillsurelyexploremoreadvancedtunaburgerrecipesinthefuture,becausethehighleanproteincontentfitsnicelywithfatburningnutritionandtherearewaystomakethemwithalittlemore“class”andfinessethanthisrecipe(nottomentionscorean“A”grade),buttherecipeyouarelearningtodayissosimple,evenakitchendummycouldmakeit—blindfolded!Sometimes“fast,messyandsimple”trumps“complicatedandgourmet!”

Anykindoftunaworksforthisrecipe.Albacoreisafavoriteformany.Anytypeofwholewheatcrackerswillalsowork.Besuretochooselowfat100%wholewheator100%wholegrainvarietiesofcrackers.Whiteflourandenriched,refinedgrainproductsarenotagoodchoice.Suggestions:HealthyValley,orBarbara’sBakerybrands,availableatmosthealthfoodstores.Youmayalsowanttotryusingwholewheatbread(crumbled)inplaceofcrackers.

EggBeatersorliquideggwhites(inacarton)maybesubstitutedforregulareggwhites.Incaseyou’renotfamiliarwithMrs.Dash,thisisagreatsalt‐freemulti‐purposeseasoningyoucanfindatanygrocerystoreinthespicessection.ThereareseveralvarietiesofMrs.Dash.Forthistunaburgerrecipe,Isuggesttheoriginal“TableBlend”version.

Tuna fish is high‐protein food that can help you achieve a leaner physique.






Whenmakingyourpatties,thetrickhereistocrumblethecrackersverythoroughly,drainthetunacompletelyandchopitthoroughly,andstirthemixturethoroughly.Thishelpsthepattystaytogetherwhenyouflipit.Iftherearelargechunksoftunaorcrackerinyourpatty,theburgerwillmoreeasilyfallapartwhenyoutrytoflipit.Compressingthepattyverytightlyalsohelps,asdoespressingdownthepattywithaspatulaonceitisinthefryingpan.Ifyourmixtureistooliquid,youcanaddmorecrackers,andnotetheamountforyournextbatch.

Becausetwooftheingredientsaretunafishandeggwhites,thisisahighproteinmeal,withabouttwiceasmuchproteinascarbs.Youcaneattheburgersasis,orservewithsaladorasidedish.Ifyouwantahighercarbcount,youcanmaketheseintosandwiches.Justthrowyourtunaburgerbetweentwoslicesofwholewheatbread,andthereyouhaveyetanother“portablefood,”readytotakewithyou!

Thesesupersimpletunaburgersgetarespectable“B”grade.Thereasonfornotgettingtheperfect“A”isbecausethisrecipecallsforwholewheatcrackers.IntheBurnTheFatsystem,“A”gradefoodsaretotallyunprocessed,unrefinedfoods.Foodsthataremadefromwholegrains,butlightlyprocessed(oftencominginaboxorpackage,andnotstraightfromthe“package”itcamefrominnature),usuallygetarounda“B”.Asageneralrule,ifyoueatmostlyAandBfoods,90%ofthetimeormore,youwillgetgreatresultsinyourfat‐burning(ormuscle‐building)quest.

Enjoy!


PortableFood:Yes!










AboutTomVenutoTomVenutoisanaturalbodybuilder,nutritionresearcherandfreelancewriter.TomholdsabachelorofsciencedegreeinAdulthealth/fitness(exercisescience)andisalongtimememberoftheAmericanCollegeofSportsMedicineandtheNationalStrengthandConditioningAssociation.

Tomhasbeentrainingsince1983andhascompeted28timessince1989asalifetimenatural(steroid‐free)bodybuilder.HistitlesincludetheMr.NaturalNewJersey,NaturalPennsylvania,NaturalNewYork

State,NaturalMidAtlanticStatesandNaturalEasternClassicChampionships.HewasalsorunnerupinboththeNaturalUSAandNaturalNorthAmericaChampionships.

Venutoistheauthorofnumerousbooksincludingthe#1sellinge‐bookBurnTheFat,FeedTheMuscle(e‐book),theNationaland#1Amazonbestseller,TheBodyFatSolution(Avery/Penguin,hardcover).

TomisaregularguestonpodcastsandradioshowsincludingMarthaStewarthealthyliving(SiriusXMsatelliteradio),ESPN‐1250,WCBS‐AMandBlogtalkradio.

Tom’sarticleshavebeenfeaturedonhundredsofwebsitesworldwideandhehasbeenfeaturedinIRONMAN,AustralianIRONMAN,NaturalBodybuilding,MuscularDevelopment,Men’sFitness,Men’sExercise,FirstForWomen,OprahMagazine,TheHuffingtonPost,TheWallStreetJournalandTheNewYorkTimes.

TomisalsothefounderandCEOofthepremierfatlosssupportcommunity,BurnTheFatInnerCircle.HelivesinHoboken,NewJersey,nearNewYorkCity.

YoucanvisitTomonlineat:

BurntheFat,FeedtheMusclehttp://www.BurnTheFat.com

BurntheFatInnerCirclehttp://www.BurnTheFatInnerCircle.com






http://www.burnthefatinnercircle.com/





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