46 Foods To Stock Your Kitchen With

We all know what it’s like. If you have some chocolate in the cupboard it will be calling your name, again and again, until it is eaten. If it’s not chocolate then it will be whatever vice you have. Chips, cookies, crackers whatever it is – the list goes on. If it is in your cupboard then chances are you will, at some stage, eat it. It takes a whole lot of self will, power and mind control to say no. It is a whole lot easier to not have it in there at all, and this list will give you a pretty good idea of what you should be replacing these foods with.

• Almonds
• Cashews
• Walnuts
• Pistachios
• Pecans
• Macadamias
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Cauliflower
• Spinach
• Tomatos
• Beans
• Asparagus
• Snow Peas
• Peas
• Real Peanut Butter
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Strawberries
• Protein Powder
• Chicken
• Lean Red Meat
• Tuna
• Salmon
• Spices
• Herbs
• Salt
• Pepper
• Teas
• Eggs
• Cabbage
• Onions
• Mushrooms
• Peanut Oil
• Avocado Oil
• Sesame Oil
• Olive Oils
• Coconut Oil
• Butter
• Cacao Nibs
• Garlic
• Soy Sauce
• Oyster Sauce
• Worcestershire Sauce
• Apples
• Balsamic Vinegar
  

That’s what i’m packin’!

Keep these foods handy, and you’ll keep the belly fat at bay. There are so many options using only these foods. Change one ingredient and you can change a meal.

What have I left off the list? What is a staple that’s in your kitchen that I’m missing? Leave a comment below to let me know.

How To Make Almond Meal

I am always looking to find ways to add good fats, fibre and nutrients into my diet and nuts are a great way to do all three.

The thing with nuts though, is that it can be easy to over consume them and bump your daily calories up too high.

Enter almond meal, or any other nut meal really. (The best to work I have found are almonds, cashews, walnuts and hazelnuts)

It is very versatile and can be added to salads, used to make a paste (just add some seasoning and olive oil) for flavouring meat, thicken up your beef chili or even to add to your shakes.

You don’t need much as it works really well with other flavours.

Check out the video for a quick how to in the kitchen.

Time and Time Again!

If there’s one thing that has been obvious in the first few weeks of getting two new additions to the family, it’s that time is of the essence.

Every day activities seem to take a bit longer and before you know it you are running late and behind the eight ball.

Typically this translates into rushed eating and missed training sessions. Not a great combination when you want to be at your peak both physically and mentally.
So what can you do to combat this common problem? Well prevention is always better than a cure so use some protection! But assuming the kids are planned then you will also need some sort of a plan to make sure you stay on track with your eating and training.

1. Pre-make meals and freeze them so you have well prepared, healthy options at the ready. The best way to do this is to make a double or triple batch of your recipie and store the leftovers.
2. Have a plan ‘B’ for in between meals and so you don’t miss a meal. All you need for this is a few zip lock bags. In one put a serve of mixed nuts (almonds, cashews and walnuts work for me), and in the other have a serve of your favorite protein powder. Throw those in a large shaker and you have all your nutritional bases covered in on neat package.
3. Don’t train for more than 45 minutes per session and see how much you can cram into a 30 minute session. If you need some ideas make sure you have a look at these workouts. Keep your rest periods short and avoid isolation exercises.
4. If you only have 20 minutes a few times per week then your best option is to do some tabatas. If the word tabatas is foriegn to you then have a look at this Tabata Workout.

Keep an eye out for some more short, sharp and hard workouts which will be posted as soon as I have given them a test run and the thumbs up!

Update: Posted the first one yesterday! Check it out here –>> Time Saving Super Workout

Eating made Simple – Fats

Fats are like the ugly step sister of the food family. You know you should respect them and not overlook them but you do. They are misunderstood and not given credit for all they can do for you.

Fats are your friend though. Some fats are any way. As with the article I wrote on carbs, you want to stay away from processed foods. This is the same for fats. With this in mind you want to be avoiding anything that contains Trans Fats. Read your food labels, in fact, if the food you are buying has a label think twice about eating it. Chances are it is already too processed.

Read the list below, each food has a serving amount beside it. It might be handy to have a copy with you when you  are preparing your meals, so go ahead and print a copy.  With fats you want to be getting between 10 and 15 serves per day. That’s 2-3 serves per meal spread throughout the day.

WHAT? ‘Why so much’ I hear you ask, ‘won’t that make me fat? I’m trying to lose fat here’.

Here’s the thing. If you don’t give your body sufficient dietary fat, then your body will hold onto the fat it already has. If you are giving your body enough fat through the foods you eat, and you are eating the right carbs, your body will start to use fat as fuel. Pretty cool huh?

Whole Foods

• Almonds ~6 nuts
• Butter 1 Tsp
• Cashews ~7 nuts
• Cheddar Cheese 15 grams
• Coconut Milk 2 Tbsp
• Feta Cheese 2 Tbsp
• Flax Meal 2 Tbsp
• Macadamias ~3 nuts
• Parmesan Cheese 3 Tbsp
• Peanuts 1 Tbsp
• Peanut Butter 1 Tsp
• Pecans ~5 nuts
• Pistachios ~15 nuts
• Walnuts ~2 nuts
• Whole Egg

Oils – All are 1 Tsp per serve

• Avocado Oil
• Canola Oil
• Extra Virgin Coconut Oil
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Flaxseed/Linseed Oil
• Macadamia Oil
• Peanut Oil
• Sesame Seed Oil

If you look through the list above you will see lot of potential for wonderful, exciting flavours. In fact you can’t have any real flavour without some fat.

Main meals will be the easiest meals  to incorporate these good fats into. For instance you can have a salad with your favourite veggies, and then top it with a dash of salt, and some extra virgin olive oil. In the summer time you might want to add some lime juice, in the winter you might want to warm it lightly.

Snacks are a breeze. Simply grab some of your favourite nuts, an egg or two or try my (now famous) chocolate pudding.