Hey Reader!

In the 120th issue of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:

• Recipes for my Crispy Filet O Fish Sandwich and Apple Pie Protein Ice Cream!
• How I navigate the holidays from a macro-friendly perspective (while not going insane)…
• Have you tried this infamous fruit yet?
• The surprising macros of your favorite Easter candy (remember Peeps?)!

Preheat your ovens…

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Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️

Crispy Filet O Fish Sandwich I put my own THICC twist on the classic Filet O Fish. 49g of protein and just over 400 calories 😎 Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​​​Crispy Filet O Fish Sandwich.pdf​

Apple Pie Protein Ice Cream Today we have the Apple Pie Protein Ice Cream which is DECADENT for only 285 Calories and 36g Protein for the WHOLE Pint! ​​Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself:​ ​​​Apple Pie Protein Ice Cream.pdf​

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Recipe Recreations Of The Week 🤌

🍪 No Bake Protein Chocolate Chip Cookies

​​Macros for each WHOLE Cookie:
​82 Cals, 7g Carbs, 2.5g Fat, 8g Protein

Here's the video and recipe:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/reel/Cylny-4uB_Y/​

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This Week’s Flavor 🎥

665 Cal One Pan Cheesy Taco Rice If you're looking for a perfect meal prep that’s high protein and delicious, this is IT! ​Here's the video and recipe.​

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Zach's Beats 🎧

Some Mac vibes on this beautiful Sunday. ​Blue World - Mac Miller​

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One FAQ ❓

Answer: It’s funny how holidays become a burden when you start to take your nutrition seriously.

They were this fun family gathering and then became this awkward, “sorry I can’t eat that” get-together.

Here’s what I have learned over the past 12 years as someone who's navigated many holidays.

I'll put it all into as concise of an answer as possible (I can cover this in more detail for a future holiday, just let me know).
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1) Memories Over Macros

All we are left with in this life is a collection of memories.

It's our greatest currency.

Yes, this sounds cliche but it's true.

Think of your past. You forget most of it.

It's just a few little moments here and there that we actually remember.

So if the food is a big part of your family gathering and you not partaking is a big deal (for you and your family) then that leads to my next point...
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2) Minimum Effective Dose

Be proactive in participating.

Don't wait for a family member to comment about you not getting something and then you go get it.

Just get a little bit of the most important parts of the meal.

Of course, make up a good bit of your plate with the best protein sources and veggies.

But get the other 'unhealthy' foods in the minimum effective dose to not have anyone comment about it.

It's usually not much needed to avoid anyone noticing.

It's really cool for your family to see that you can have goals but also eat the foods at the family gatherings.

You could have a really big impact on them eating healthier because they see the balance you have.
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3) Don't be an As*hole to Yourself

Let's say it doesn't go perfectly and you overeat...

Oh well. You probably did better than if you were not mindful at all aka that “oh fuck it” mentality.

This is a journey, not a sprint.

Gaining this nutritional wisdom takes time.

But with each day and each holiday, you will get better.

So say you did overeat, this next point is your friend.
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4) AMAZING Workouts

Because of the extra calories, you'll have an amazing week of well-fueled workouts!

The pumps will be glorious!
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5) You Really Didn't Gain Much Fat (if any)

About 60%-70% of the calories we burn each day just happen.

It's the calories we burn just being alive.

And then since we are alive and we move (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) aka just our spontaneous movement throughout the day, we are closer to like 75%-80% of our calories for the day.

So let's say you burn like 1800 calories per day not doing shit.

And then you did some shit and burned an extra 200 calories.

Now, we have 2000 calories.

And for you to gain a pound of fat, you'd have to AT LEAST eat 3500 calories on top of that 2000 calories (aka 5500 calories to gain just 1 pound).

And you probably didn't consume that much.

But if you did, hell yeah! Welcome to being a human!

I've done the same shit lol. It's all good!

You'll be right back on track in a few days.

The scale might be up from your body holding some extra water but that's about it.

Don't beat yourself up.

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Weird Food Fact 🤓

Last weekend, I was asked a question I had never really thought about BUT I knew the answer.

How did I know the answer but never really thought about it?

Lol let me explain.

We were out on a boat and my addition to the food cooler was a BUNCH of fruit.

One of those fruits that I brought stole the show.

Turns out (for a few of my friends) this was the first time they had this infamous fruit.

They each took a few pieces and were in shock.

They tasted just as advertised which led to some wild looks my way.

One of my friends of a friend said, “Why do they have to add sugar and flavoring to everything.”

I responded with, “There is nothing added to these. They have this unique flavor from how they were bred.”

I then talked about how unique flavors of apples (think honey crisp, gala, fuji, red delicious) are created through this process and so on.

My friends believed but this one other friend of a friend was still skeptical haha.

But anyways, I'll stop the suspense.

They were Cotton Candy Grapes.

And this whole conversation led me to want to further understand how cotton candy grapes were created!

So let's go back to the early 2000s, when a dude named David Cain (lead researcher at the International Fruit Genetics) was on a mission to create the next big thing in fruit.

This process called “crossbreeding” isn't a new thing. It has been around for centuries dating back to the Roman Empire.

And it isn't a quick or easy thing to do either.

It isn't as simple as showing up to a random run club to find a date.

It's more like going to every single run club for 10 years all over the world to find the perfect date 😅

Here's how crossbreeding works using cotton candy grapes as an example.

Two different types of grapes, each with their own unique qualities, are cross-pollinated.

This means they transfer pollen from the flower of one grapevine to the flower of another.

This process creates grape hybrids, which are essentially baby grapevines with characteristics from both parent vines.

But here’s the thing, he didn't randomly get lucky.

Cain had to grow and test thousands of these grape hybrids over the years to find one that had just the right taste and texture.

It’s like baking a thousand batches of cookies just to get that one perfect cookie.

And when I say years, I mean it.

This process started around 2003, and it took over 8 years to perfect the cotton candy grape.

That’s a lot of patience and a lot of grapes!

Pretty damn motivating for me when I am struggling with recipes that's “only” taken me months to perfect 😭

By 2011, these cotton candy grapes made their way to the market and the rest is food history!

So the next time you pop one of those cotton candy grapes into your mouth, you’re tasting the result of science, a lot of patience, and a little bit of grape magic. Pretty dope!

P.S. Here's what 300 calories of Cotton Candy Grapes looks like:

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Serving Surprise 😮

Alright so I went to the store just to get Peeps. Just Peeps...

And I blacked out and left with much more than just peeps 😭

So here’s my Easter Basket in honor of my childhood.

I had intentions of sharing the macros of all the candies inside but that’s too many haha.

Here are the two I decided to do:

Reese’s Bunny

Macros for the Whole Reese’s Bunny:​
700 Cals, 85g Carbs, 40g Fat, 15g Protein

Pretty wild for how little this thing is.

Peeps

Macros per 4 Peeps:​
110 Cals, 28g Carbs, 0g Fat, 0g Protein

I don’t understand these but they are synonymous with Easter lol.

They are like a mushy version of a marshmallow.

If you love these, I worry about you 😉

But thank God they are Gluten Free and Fat Free!

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Hoping you get to spend some time with friends and family this weekend.

Or at least relax and take some time off!

Much love and happy cooking,​
Zach