Hey Reader!
In the 49th issue of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:
- Recipes for Thanksgiving Turkey Mac & Cheese Sliders and Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream!
- Which of these two came first?
- All you need to know about high-protein baking (to perfect recipes every time)...
- Say one magic word and unlock a secret menu...
Preheat your ovens…
Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️
Thanksgiving Turkey Mac & Cheese Sliders
These sliders are meant more for inspiration to take the Turkey, Mac & Cheese, and Rolls at your family gathering and make your own sliders!
I’ve been doing this since I was a little kid lol. The BEST!
Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself:
Thanksgiving Turkey Mac & Cheese Sliders.pdf
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Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream
If you want a full pint of heavenly blueberry cheesecake protein ice cream for only 342 cals with 38g protein, this is it!
Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself:
Blueberry Cheesecake Protein Ice Cream.pdf
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Recipe Recreations Of The Week 🤌
OREO Overnight Oats Protein Cookie Dough!
Macros for the WHOLE Bowl:
404 Cals, 45g Carbs, 8g Fat, 36g Protein
Here's the recipe and video:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/theflexibledietinglifestyle/reel/C-Imzzuulq8/
Zach's Beats 🎧
Weird Food Fact 🤓
There is this question...
A question that I can’t remember where the heck I heard it first.
I know I was super young. Maybe 5-6 years old.
My hunch is I heard it on TV watching cartoons.
I loved The Magic School Bus and Bill Nye the Science Guy so maybe there?
Anyways, I say how long ago I heard the question first because it’s wild that I never really sought out to find the answer.
I am almost positive you have had the same or a similar journey with this question.
“What came first, the chicken OR the egg?”
It seems like a simple/fun question.
But it’s actually pretty intense and controversial haha.
Let’s crack this debate open (punny I know 🤣) and get into the science behind both sides.
My goal is to give you the case for both sides so you pick which one you think actually came first.
The Case for the Chicken
The argument for the chicken goes like this:
How can an egg exist without a chicken to lay it?
Evolution is a slow process, and at some point, a creature that wasn’t quite a chicken (call it a proto-chicken (prototype chicken)) had to evolve into the modern chicken we know today.
The logic here is that the fully-formed chicken had to exist before it could lay the first proper chicken egg.
So, Team Chicken’s main point is simple: no egg without a chicken.
But let’s flip that around…
The Case for the Egg
Here’s where things get scientific.
Long before chickens (as we know them) existed, there were egg-laying creatures.
Dinosaurs, reptiles, and fish were laying eggs millions of years before chickens came onto the scene.
So technically, eggs existed long before chickens did.
But we’re talking about chicken eggs, right?
Here’s the key point: genetic mutations happen during reproduction.
Somewhere along the evolutionary line, a proto-chicken laid an egg.
Inside that egg, thanks to a mutation in the DNA, the very first true chicken was formed.
This means the egg containing the first chicken came before the chicken itself.
The Science Says… Egg Wins
Experts in evolutionary biology, like Dr. John Brookfield, have pointed out that species are defined by their DNA.
The DNA inside the first chicken egg was different from that of its proto-chicken parents, officially marking the start of the chicken species.
So, if we’re looking at this from a purely biological standpoint, the egg came first.
Why This Debate Is So Interesting
Here’s why I love this question: it’s not just about chickens and eggs.
It’s about questions like this that we might’ve never dove into to find the real answer.
Or conclusions that we have been fed to be true so we just assume they are true without challenging them or trying to figure out why.
There are so many of these beliefs we have that should be challenged.
Not saying to question everything lol.
Here’s a rule for myself.
I don’t talk about things I haven't throughly researched.
If I am relying on someone else’s opinion to create mine, I don’t talk about it.
If I can’t explain why or teach about it, I don’t talk about it.
The more I dive into a topic, the more embarrassed I would’ve been if I had talked about it before I did the research to truly understand it.
And God forbid, someone would’ve asked me “why” or ask “how does that work” and I didn’t have a full understanding, I would’ve been stuttering and embarrassed 😅
Anyways, sorry about the rant haha. I just wish people would do a bit more research into a topic before they adopt the answer as fact/truth.
One FAQ ❓
Question of the Week:
“Hey man, how can I avoid making my high-protein recipes too dry when I bake them?"
Answer: Literally the WORST lol.
It’s at the core of why I do what I do.
To help hit my macros while not putting my taste buds through a journey through the Sahara dessert (see what I did there 🙃)
When I first started all the way back in 2012, it was the wild wild west.
High-protein desserts were made up of one recipe.
Not a good one lol.
Think super dry protein pancakes that were the equivalent of this:
But don’t worry, over the past 12 years, there has been a TON of macro-friendly dessert innovation!
High-protein baking is an art AND a science.
And when done right? Total game-changer.
So let’s get into the key moves to dodge the dryness and create baked goods that are actually soft, moist (your favorite word), and delicious.
No more heartbreak of dry, chalky high-protein treats. It’s a great time to be alive!
Let’s get into the pro tips 👇🏻
1.) The Recipe
Unfortunately, not all protein dessert recipes are made equal.
Not even close.
And the macro-friendly cooking space is made up of mostly savory recipes because the sweet recipes are much more difficult.
They require a much higher attention to detail.
Just replacing some with higher protein ones doesn’t mean it’s going to work out well for ya lol.
2.) Protein Powder That Thrives (Not Just Survives)
“I bought this protein powder and it should be able to make all these delicious desserts!”
But in reality, 95% of protein powders on the market just don’t have the “it” factor.
They are the opposite of versatile.
They cannot pass the recipe stress tests.
Here’s what to look for:
- Whey Protein Isolate: (0/10 for recipes) - This is what most protein powders you buy are. Great for a light protein shake. But the worst for recipes due to its ultra-filtered nature (stripped of pretty much all fat and carbs) making it prone to drying out, leading to dense, rubbery, or overly dry baked goods. Also, not very absorbent so leads to a runny consistency.
- Whey Protein Concentrate: (3/10 for recipes) - This is better for baking than isolate because its higher fat and carb content helps retain moisture and improve texture, but it can still lead to slightly dense or chewy results if overused.
- Casein Protein: (7/10 for recipes) - Casein protein is really good for recipes because its thickening ability helps create a moist, dense texture and adds structure to recipes. But because it’s so dense, it can lead to not as much rising in a recipe.
- Vegan Protein: (It depends) - Vegan proteins can be tricky for baking because of how DENSE they can be. And also most taste like the earth lol. But I do love to use them for my no-bake recipes like cookie doughs, oatmeals, etc. because of how absorbent and smooth they are. It’s just hard to find ones that actually taste really good.
- Whey/Casein Blend Protein: (The Best 10/10) - Whey/casein blend proteins are IDEAL for baking because they balance whey’s smoothness with casein’s thickening properties, creating moist, well-structured baked goods without becoming too dry or dense.
Which protein powder I use the most will be shared at the end of this post.
3.) Flour to Protein Ratio
For no-bake, this doesn’t matter.
But for baking, this matters BIG time.
I like to use a 2:1 of flour to protein ratio to achieve a “wouldn’t even notice it’s high protein” end product.
The more you stray from this ratio, the higher the risk of not achieving a “can’t believe this is high protein” end product.
4.) Subbing Ingredients
High protein baking is insanely technical.
It’s a food science equation with each ingredient picked in specific amounts to achieve a dream outcome.
By subbing ingredients, you are throwing off the equation.
Just keep that in mind. It’s a huge culprit of why recipes turn out bad.
5.) Don’t Overmix
Overmixing = enemy of fluffiness.
Mix until just combined.
Trust me, you’re not trying to win a whisking competition lol.
The less you handle the batter, the more tender your final product will be.
6.) Stick to the Exact Temperature and Baking Time!
This is super important.
Just like subbing ingredients, if you change the temps and times, you will be throwing off the food science equation.
Yes, oven and kitchen appliance temps may vary, but try your best to stick with the plan.
7.) Picking the right Wet Ingredients
You’ll see in a lot of my recipes wet ingredients like:
- Plain Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
- Cottage Cheese
- Unsweetened Apple Sauce
- Canned Pumpkin
- Egg Whites/Whole Eggs
- Sugar-Free Pancake Syrup
These are just a few I use most often but I am sure I am missing a few.
But what these wet ingredients do is enhance recipes by adding moisture, texture, and structure, while also substantially lowering the calories.
The options like Greek yogurt and cottage cheese boost protein, applesauce, and pumpkin provide moisture and fat replacement, eggs offer binding and richness, and sugar-free syrup adds structure and sweetness without extra calories.
8.) Da Sauce
If your high-protein dessert did come out a tad bit dry, add a low-calorie or high-protein sauce to help balance it out.
I like to make my own with protein powder, cookie butter powder, a little bit of sweetener, and a pinch of salt. Add water until icing!
OR I love to use fat-free whipped cream.
There are a bunch of sugar-free syrup options too.
I am more than happy to do a stand-alone guide on this topic if you guys want it. Just reply to this email and let me know!
And as promised, if you want a protein powder that can do it all, that is 1000% FLEX Brands.
Our perfectly balanced blend of whey and casein protein powders create a perfect environment for recipe versatility.
And if you cannot handle dairy, our vegan proteins are the best tasting by far and are amazing for recipes.
Got our biggest sale of the year (30% sitewide (and we never do that)) coming for Black Friday!
If you want to get notified when the sale goes live (and before something sells out) you can sign up to get a notification here.
Serving Surprise 😮
I have been eating out A LOT lately.
A bit more than I’d like to be honest 😅
But due to traveling to finish a project AND filming a dope video with the man, the myth Josh Weissman, we are making it work!
We went to the top 15 Fast Food restaurants and ordered the most macro-friendly options we could possible.
This video won’t be out till January but it’ll be a valuable one!
And I am about to share one cheat code that I shared during that video.
On pretty much every single menu, there are no great options tbh.
But we found one magic word that unlocks a secret menu...
“Grilled.”
And while in Tampa last weekend, I utilized this secret word to save me a bunch of calories on my chicken sandwich!
I was eating lunch at a place called The Pearl in downtown, Tampa.
On the menu, there was no grilled option. But by asking for it, they had that option for me.
This will save you 250 calories AT LEAST.
And I used those extra calories to eat ALL those delicious fries.
Been a minute since I ate out and the fries were on point. These were incredible!
Highly recommend checking out The Pearl. Was really damn good.
But moral of the story, ask for grilled even if it’s not on the menu!
Eating out can be super tricky to not blow through your macros and stay on track.
Especially if you don’t want to eat boring ass salads every time you eat out.
Going to talk more on this topic in the future. Let me know any pro tips you follow when eating out!
Happy early Thanksgiving!
I just want to remind you that one day will not wreck your progress.
Enjoy it with your family! Make memories!
Practice SOME moderation but there is zero need to restrict so much that it takes away from the time with your family.
Just get right back on the wagon the next day and use those extra calories to crush your workouts!
Your friend,
Zach