Hey Reader!

In the 61st issue of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:

• Recipes for my Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad Wraps and Crispy Apple Pie Turnovers!
• Laws put in place forced this yellow food to be... pink?!
• The role caffeine plays in my 'diet' (and how I use it as a tool vs a crutch)...
• A go-to breakfast I have (and my goals for breakfast every day)...

Preheat your ovens…

---

Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️

Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad Wraps Today we're making a massive salad wrap that’s less than 400 calories! Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​​​Chipotle Ranch Chicken Salad Wraps.pdf​

Crispy Apple Pie Turnovers If you're looking for a nostalgic low-calorie snack/dessert, these apple pie turnovers are it! Only 86 calories per turnover! ​​Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​​​Crispy Apple Pie Turnovers.pdf​

---

Recipe Recreations Of The Week 🤌

Pizza Pop Tart!

Macros per Pizza Pop Tart:​
164 Cals, 13.5g Carbs, 6g Fat, 14g Protein

Here's the recipe and video:​
👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/C_QtWhcOyhp/​

---

Zach's Beats 🎧

​Cherry on Top - Olmos​

---

Weird Food Fact 🤓

You’re at the store in the early 1900s, picking up groceries, and right next to the butter… is a tub of bright pink margarine.

Not some fancy-flavored version.

Just regular margarine. But dyed like bubblegum.

Why? Because dairy farmers were furious about margarine cutting into their butter sales.

So instead of letting people decide which spread they liked better, they pushed for laws to make margarine look as unappealing as possible.

And it worked.

For years, margarine was forced to be dyed pink, red, or even black in some places (just so people wouldn’t mistake it for butter).

Eventually, the laws were overturned. But the impact stuck around.

That’s why (even today) butter is still seen as the “real” option while margarine fights for respect.

And honestly?

If you had to choose between creamy golden butter and something that looks like melted Pepto-Bismol, you'd probably pick butter too 🤣

---

One FAQ ❓

Answer: Great question! I get asked this all the time.

The answer? It depends.

Because the average American consumes 300-500mg per day (that’s 2-3 cups of coffee or 5-8 sodas).

And that’s WAY too much for a lot of people.

So let me explain how caffeine works and then share my thoughts…

Think of your brain like a concert.

Adenosine is the security guard (its job is to slow things down and eventually shut the party down (aka make you tired)).

But caffeine? It sneaks in and blocks adenosine from doing its job.

Security is locked out and the concert keeps raging.

But here’s the kicker… adenosine doesn’t disappear. It stacks up behind the scenes.

So when caffeine wears off? Boom. Caffeine crash. The exhaustion floods in all at once.

That’s why timing matters.

Use caffeine wisely and it’s a cheat code for energy.

Overdo it? You’re stuck in a cycle where you need more and more just to function.

And speaking of overdoing it…

It’s possible to build up tolerance, dependence, and worse energy levels long-term.

So what’s the solution?

Build a strong team around it.

• Sleep – The best way to clear adenosine is to actually sleep. Get your 7-8 hours and you won’t need caffeine just to function.
• Water – Even 1-2% dehydration tanks your energy levels. Stay hydrated and you won’t be reaching for caffeine as much.
• Food – Macros = energy. Eat balanced meals and your body won’t be screaming for an artificial boost.

And beyond that, here are a few things I suggest doing:

1. Set a daily goal of 200-300mg max – Not because caffeine is bad, but because you want to use it effectively.
2. Track your intake – Write down everything you drink and its caffeine content. You might be surprised.
3. Check your timing – Are you drinking caffeine just out of habit? Afternoon coffee might be the reason you can’t sleep, which means you wake up tired, which means… more caffeine (vicious cycle).
4. Hydrate before you caffeinate – Drink 20-30oz of water first thing in the morning.
5. First cup = intentional – Morning coffee? Great. But after that, ask: Do I actually need more or just want the taste? Try decaf for the flavor without the dependency.
6. Afternoon caffeine = a last resort – Caffeine has a half-life of 3-7 hours. That 3 PM pick-me-up could be the reason your sleep sucks, which means you’re groggy the next day, which means… (you guessed it) more caffeine.

So with all that being said…

Caffeine is a tool, not a crutch.

Use it wisely, and it works for you.

That’s why I love my morning coffee and the occasional pre-workout.

Not because I need it, but because I enjoy it.

And that’s the real goal.

Getting to a place where caffeine enhances your day instead of controlling it.

---

Serving Surprise 😮

Going along with coffee, I wanted to talk about my breakfast goals.

And by goals, I mean the calorie and macro breakdown that sets me up for a successful day.

I like having breakfast because it helps me stay ahead of hunger before it becomes a problem.

Intermittent fasting works for some, but personally, once my hunger hits a certain point, it takes a ridiculous amount of food to tame it.

Basically, wayyy more than just breakfast and lunch combined.

For reference, I usually eat three meals a day plus a pre-workout snack of around 150-200 calories (usually fruit).

I don’t track macros anymore. But after 10 years of tracking, I’m pretty good at keeping my intake in check without it.

Here’s what my breakfast looks like:

And this is what the macros work out to be:

It might seem like a lot, but since I need about 2900 calories a day to maintain my weight, this is right on point.

For context, that’s only about 23% of my daily intake.

It’s filling enough to keep me satisfied but light enough that it doesn’t slow me down or leave me feeling overly full.

My lunch is a bit bigger, and dinner is my biggest meal of the day.

---

Since Valentine's Day just passed, I figured I'd share a quick food-themed poem that feels pretty spot on:

Stay hungry,​
Zach

​

​