Hey Reader!

In the 89th issue of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:

• Recipes for my Cottage Cheese Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks and OREO Uncrustable Protein Pop Tarts!
• Ever have a 467 calorie brownie that has 47g of protein? Well, here's the recipe...​
• Best pre and post-workout meals (plus exactly what I do)...
• New macro-friendly food exceeds my expectations!

Preheat your ovens…

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Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️

Cottage Cheese Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks Awhile back, there was a “cottage cheese flatbread” recipe that was going viral. Spoiler alert, it wasn't very good lol. But it did give me a great idea on how to make a delicious high protein garlic cheesy bread with cottage cheese and it’s a game changer! Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​​​Cottage Cheese Cheesy Garlic Breadsticks.pdf​

OREO Uncrustable Protein Pop Tarts These are amazing for a healthy snack meal prep! Just make sure to keep the frosting on the side and then just air fry again for a minute or two to heat back up! ​​Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​​​OREO Uncrustable Protein Pop Tarts.pdf​

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Recipe Recreations Of The Week 🤌

🍕 Large Cheese Pizza

Macros for the WHOLE 12” Cheese Pizza:​
647 Cals, 73g Carbs, 15g Fat, 55g Protein

Here's the video & recipe:​
👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/DKfG-5pso84/​

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Zach's Beats 🎧

​End Of The World - Excision​​ ​​

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This Week’s Flavor 🎥

Ever had a fudge brownie skillet? Well now you can make one at home with INSANE macros. Check this out, for the whole skillet:​ 467 Cals, 45g Carbs, 11g Fat, 47g Protein ​Click here to get the recipe.​

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One FAQ ❓

Answer: I'll be upfront and honest with you.

The importance of eating around your workouts is incredibly OVERRATED.

But...

It is also extremely underrated when done right.

Let me explain.

What you eat around your workouts isn't going to patch a shitty diet the rest of the hours of the day.

But when your diet is dialed in, this is when it can and will help.

Let's first get the part that doesn't matter out of the way.

Post-workout nutrition is a fraud.

It's not important at all.

Just because you had a great workout, doesn't mean you “earned” to eat a ton of food lol.

You don't immediately need a protein shake within 30 minutes or all your gains will be lost.

Just eat your normal next meal after your workout. You will be just fine!

I haven't had a protein shake in damn near 10 years lol.

I like to eat my calories, please, and thank you!

I will share exactly how I structure my eating around working out at the end of this section, so it'll all make more sense.

Now let's go to a pre-workout meal.

SUPER underrated.

And I think of it more as a pre-workout snack, rather than a meal.

A meal is a meal. A snack is a bridge or tool.

So for example, let's go into how I normally eat.

I mostly eat meals. I don't like to snack unless it's needed to perform.

I eat breakfast. I eat lunch. I eat dinner.

All balanced macronutrient profiles.

For me, I like 40% carbs, 35% protein, and 25% fats.

I feel my best on that split.

The fats I won't go under 25%.

This is a topic for another day so let me know if you want me to break down my macros in more detail.

So I usually work out around 4:30pm.

And that means I've had two meals already that day.

I am pretty well-fueled.

My “pre-workout meal” was my lunch around 1pm.

So I then just have a medium-sized apple as my pre-workout snack to ensure I have a little extra boost of energy/fuel to hit my workout in the gym or play sports as hard as I can.

I eat to perform my best.

This mindset shift will transform your body composition.

Because if you are timing your food best around your workouts, then you will hit them much harder and thus your body will make more progress.

Your body doesn't see 3 sets of 10 reps. It only knows the quality of those reps.

Same goes for me when playing sports as well.

If I feel fueled, I will have more energy to play harder and thus will have more output.

The return on investment of your medium apple or any little boost of carbs is 100% worth it if it leads to you performing better.

And I also play some high-level pickup basketball at 7am on Thursday mornings.

Do I eat prior? Nope.

Because if I did, I'd feel sluggish.

That wouldn't be “eating to perform” because I know my body.

I ate my dinner at 7:30pm the night before so I'm still not very hungry.

And because I've tested this theory with eating before and not eating before these pickup basketball seshes, I know that I perform best without eating.

This is all one big experiment you can conduct on yourself!

And not to forget this big point…

If your goal is fat loss, you don't have an abundance of calories to play with.

So if my goal was fat loss, not eating before my 7am basketball does save me more calories for the rest of the day.

To recap, eating to perform can be a game changer to your body composition.

It's allowed me to have my favorite body composition to date while also having my most versatile athleticism as well.

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Serving Surprise 😮

I am always looking for ways to take away any friction from making any of my recipes.

Not just for you but also selfishly haha.

So if you love my FDL pizza, I am about to put you onto a meal prep hack.

Macro Friendly Pizza Mix Packs.

Taking all the dry ingredients in the FDL Pizzas and prepping them in little serving size bags.

So then all you gotta do is add the wet ingredients and you are good to go!

I was going to a college football pool party at my girlfriend's family's house and so we just brought the pizza mix bags and whipped up a bunch of pizzas!

Super duper convenient!

LEGIT pizza for in made in minutes for only 580 calories and 50g protein!

This was 2 pizzas made into one huge one btw.

Here’s the full recipe if you are living under a rock and haven’t made it yet 😉🤣

​​​​✅ Macros for the WHOLE 12” Cheese Pizza:​
647 Cals, 73g Carbs, 15g Fat, 55g Protein
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​✳️ Ingredients for Protein Crust:

• 70g Self Rising Flour (can sub with AP Flour but just sub in a big pinch of salt and 4g baking powder)
• 12g Coconut Flour
• 5g Nutritional Yeast
• 75g Plain Non Fat Greek Yogurt
• 75g 2% Cottage Cheese (I use Good Culture)
• 75g Egg Whites

✳️ Toppings:

• 90g Pizza Sauce
• 56g Part Skim Mozzarella
• Non Stick Olive Oil Cooking Spray
• Garlic Powder

❇️ Directions:

1. Add your dry crust ingredients into bowl and mix to avoid clumping. Then add your wet ingredients and mix till a thick paste.
2. Add dough to the middle of a big piece of parchment paper. You want to spread this crust to about 12-13in. The spread of the crust is a skill you will get better at over time but the premise is spreading from the inside out in a circular motion to ensure you keep the edges thick for the crust.
3. When preheating the oven, keep your pizza pan in there to heat up (helps crust cook evenly).
4. Now add the parchment with the crust on it to a pan and bake on 450 degrees F for 8-10 minutes or until crust is golden.
5. Take the crust off the parchment and add back to the pan. Add your toppings (see video of me rinsing the mozzarella to ensure cheese pulls). Spray crust with non stick olive oil spray and sprinkle with garlic powder to make a garlic crust. Add back to the oven till the toppings are golden.
6. Then slice up and enjoy!

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Tonight I get to knock off something that’s been on bucket list since I was a kiddo.

I get to see the Catholics vs the Convicts.

If you find that offensive, you don’t know ball lol.

Notre Dame vs Miami.

First week of the season.

Top 10 matchup.

And I spent WAYYY too much on these seats but oh well 🤣

Memories are all we are left with so why not make some more that my younger self would’ve only dreamed of!

Tune in tonight and send some good vibes ☘️

Much love, happy cooking and go Irish!​
Zach

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