Hey Reader!
In the 151st issue of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:
- Recipes for my One Pot Protein Mac & Cheese and Frosted Strawberry Protein Pop Tart Oatmeal!
- 4 low calorie lunches for fat loss... all here!
- Unique ways to use your air fryer for more flavor...
- The sauce that NO ONE can pronounce correctly...
- Save time and money when you buy your garlic like this...
Preheat your ovens…
Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️
One Pot Protein Mac & Cheese
I’ll preface this recipe by saying that I don’t think Mac & Cheese is a great source of protein.
But man is it good every once in awhile to feel like a kid again lol.
Click here for the recipe and PDF:
One Pot Protein Mac & Cheese
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Frosted Strawberry Protein Pop Tart Oatmeal
A great way to spice up boring breakfast oatmeal with tons of flavor.
Less than 400 calories for the WHOLE thing (it's so filling!).
Click here for the recipe and PDF:
Frosted Strawberry Protein Pop Tart Oatmeal
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Recipe Recreation Of The Week 🤌
🌮 Breakfast Quesadilla
Macros for the WHOLE Quesadilla:
475 Cals, 43g Carbs, 18g Fat, 61g Protein
Here's the recipe and video:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/DdWwTsDRKGj/
Check it out in the app as well!
If you're on your phone, here's the link for the recipe.
If you're on your computer, here's the link the recipe.
This Week's Flavor 🎥
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4 Low Calorie Lunches For Fat Loss (High Protein)
Looking for healthy lunches that actually work for fat loss and don’t taste like diet food? In this video I’m showing you 4 of my favorite ways to turn your boring lunch into delicious high protein, low calorie meals you’ll actually want to eat while losing body fat.
Here are the recipes and video.
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Zach's Beats 🎧
One FAQ ❓
Question of the Week:
“My air fryer is the only thing I use anymore and I feel like I’m barely scratching the surface of what it can do. What are the things you use yours for that most people don’t think of?”
Answer: I love this question!
Only because most days, my air fryer gets used more than my oven, stove, and microwave combined lol.
Here are six of my favorite uses that most people never think to try:
1.) Roasting peppers in minutes.
Jalapeños, bell peppers, poblanos.
Spray with olive oil or avocado oil spray, air fry at 400°F for 10 minutes, and they come out blistered and roasted.
In my Meal Prep Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad recipe, after roasting them I remove the stem and seeds, then add straight to the blender.
2.) Mini protein cheesecakes.
This one surprises people the most.
At a low temp (around 250°F), the air fryer bakes them gently and evenly, and they come out creamy every time.
Here's what I do:
- Air fry on 250 degrees F for 15-17 minutes.
- Let cool at room temp for about 30 minutes. Then add to fridge for at least a few hours to really thicken up. Ideally the longer the better. I like overnight. Just make sure you add them to a tupperware container.
There are some air fryers that don't go down to 250, so these won't work for those.
3.) “Hard-boiled” eggs with no water.
I've only done this like twice, but it's pretty cool.
If you put the eggs straight in at around 250-270°F for about 15 minutes, then drop them in an ice bath, they come out hard boiled!
You can even adjust the cook times to get them soft boiled (perfect for ramen!).
Every air fryer runs a little different, so test one or two your first time.
4.) Roasted garlic.
Cut the top off a whole head of garlic, give it a spray, wrap it in foil, and air fry until it’s soft and golden (usually 20-25 minutes).
It turns sweet and spreadable!
I would say those are the unique ones.
I feel like I talk about my air fryer a lot so I didn't want to repeat the ones I always mention lol.
But once you start thinking of your air fryer as a tiny, powerful oven instead of just a “frying” machine, the possibilities really open up.
Let me know if you use yours for anything unique!
Weird Food Fact 🤓
Let’s just get this out of the way...
Nobody knows how to say it.
Wor-chest-er-shire? Wor-sess-ter-shy-er? Whatever-that-sauce-is?
Personally, I give up and call it "wash-your-sister-sauce" LOL.
For the record, it’s “WUSS-ter-sher.”
Half the letters are just there for decoration 😆
Believe it or not, the name is the least weird thing about this sauce.
It’s the 1830s in Worcester, England.
You’re a chemist named John Lea, and you and your partner William Perrins run a little pharmacy shop.
One day (as the story goes) a local nobleman walks in.
He’s just back from India, and he’s obsessed with a sauce he tried over there.
He hands you the recipe and asks you to recreate it.
So you get to work.
- Anchovies
- Vinegar
- Molasses
- Tamarind
- Garlic
- Onions
- And a pile of spices
You taste it.
It’s HORRIBLE.
Like, eyes-watering, why-did-we-do-this horrible.
So you do what any reasonable person would do.
You shove the barrels into the cellar and forget they exist.
About a year and a half later, you’re cleaning out the cellar and stumble back across them.
Out of curiosity (or bravery lol), you give it another taste.
And it’s… amazing?
All that time sitting in the dark, the anchovies had fermented and the flavors had mellowed and blended into something rich, savory, and tangy.
They started selling it in 1837, and Lea & Perrins Worcestershire sauce has been around ever since.
And fun fact, that story about the nobleman seems to be fake in a way to improve their marketing lol.
But the sauce itself is a great splash of flavor in recipes!
A splash goes into basically anything that needs a little extra “what IS that?” depth.
Not bad for a sauce that was supposed to be trash!
Serving Surprise 😮
This is going to sound basic...
But a lot of ingredients have a simpler version sitting right next to them at the store.
And when you add all those little shortcuts up, cooking gets SO much easier.
Here’s the one I’ll defend to the grave.
Jarred minced garlic.
I’m sorry to all the chefs reading this 😅
But raw garlic is annoying.
Peeling the papery skin that sticks to your fingers.
Smashing. Mincing.
Your hands smelling like garlic for two days no matter how many times you wash them.
All for one clove.
And most of my recipes call for three or four!
Is jarred exactly the same as fresh? No. It’s like 90% as good.
But that last 10% is not worth five extra minutes on a Tuesday night.
And it saves you money, too!
Fresh garlic sprouts or dries out before you use the whole head.
A jar lasts months in the fridge, so nothing goes to waste.
A few quick tips:
- About ½ teaspoon of jarred garlic = 1 fresh clove
- It’s a little milder, so don’t be shy about adding extra
- Keep it in the fridge once it’s open
And once you start looking, these shortcuts are everywhere:
- Jarred minced ginger
- Bagged coleslaw mix
- Frozen veggies (often just as nutritious as fresh)
- Diced onions and peppers
- Pre-shredded cheese (just give it a quick rinse for better melt)
None of these make your food worse.
They just make it easier to actually cook.
Which can often be the friction that prevents you from cooking on a night when you're tired.
Save the fresh stuff for when you’re cooking to impress.
Use the shortcut for everyday life.
Something to think about...
The easier you make cooking, the more often you’ll actually do it.
And the more often you cook, the easier hitting your goals gets.
Keep it simple!
Much love and happy cooking,
Zach