Caponata con Carne

Caponata is a classic Italian dish from the South.

It is sort of the Italian version of the French Ratatouille. Though Italians would definitely think that the Ratatouille is the French version of the Caponata.

The original recipe is truly amazing but it has two caveats for us, looking to get lean and strong: it has a disproportionate amount of calories and basically no protein whatsoever.

“Such a pity!” — I said to myself.

So I did something that is sort of illegal in Italy: I changed the traditional recipe.

I know, many grandmas are most likely turning in their graves as I cooked this.

But, if you can forgive me the biggest Italian sin, then this recipe should really be in your high-protein staples.

Mind you, it still has a lot of calories, but waaaaay less than the original. Which makes this a great recipe for a clean and healthy bulk.

Let’s talk about the mind-blowing taste. Bittersweet, flavorful, rich, and truly mouth watering. Each bite will call for the next.

You say that you can’t gain weight because you seem not to eat enough? Try this recipe and try to tell me that again! 😉

Given the relatively high amount of fiber, this dish is pretty satiating too!

This recipe is also low carb high fat (LCHF) so, if you happen to be on this diet, you’re good to go!

GIF Recipe

Pork Belly & Brussels Sprouts (Vitamin K & C Booster!)

I used to HATE Brussels sprouts.

Like any cheap plot you can think of, I am now in love with them, of course.

It all started when I wanted to pair some veggies with my beloved sardines.

I was experimenting with different things and I decided to give Brussels sprouts a try. And boy I was hooked!

I don’t know what happened but I actually really like them now. Go figure!

Brussels sprouts are a nutrient powerhouse!

100g of Brussels sprouts provide:

• 142% of your Vitamin C RDA
• 221% of your Vitamin K RDA
• 15% of your Folate RDA
• 3.4g of protein per 100g (not bad for a vegetable!)
• fullness and satiety

This recipe is a great way to pack some vitamins together with some great flavor (and a lot of protein!).

In the recipe I used beer. Feel free to substitute it with wine or vinegar (apple cider goes great here!).

If you don’t want to use sweetener, you can use applesauce for a more natural and whole ingredient (I didn’t have it at hand). Apple goes very well with pork, you should really try.

This is a full meal great for clean bulking. I would recommend this as dinner or post-workout. You get protein, fat, and healthy carbs all in one meal!

You don’t need to eat junk food to gain muscle mass. You can have perfectly healthy bodybuilding meals to gain mass and this recipe is an example.

This is a one-pot recipe which means that you won’t have to spend much time for cleaning up since you do everything in one pan.

This is a very easy and quick bodybuilding recipe which is also good for people on the paleo, primal, lchf, iifym diet.

GIF Recipe

Gordon Ramsay’s Muscle Building Pork Chops

Once, I found out Gordon Ramsay’s YouTube channel and I ended up spending the entire Sunday morning watching is cooking videos.

I was drooling over my keyboard.

The guy is a whizz and he’s incredibly passionate about cooking. You can see his heart is in there when he seasons the meat, chops up the onions, or sears a steak.

Given that pork chops is relatively high in protein and I’m bulking, I decided to give Gordon Ramsay’s pork chops recipe a try.

The recipe itself is rather simple though I never basted meat before so that was sort of tricky for me though I managed at the end. It’s a nice technique to bring more flavors and speed up the cooking so that the meat doesn’t dry up and you can give it a try with this recipe.

I wouldn’t recommend this recipe to someone who never cooked before. There are easier recipes that can provide you great taste as well.

The taste was great: rich, full of aromas from the herbs and butter, sweet and sour from the vinegar and the peppers. Some sour cream or crème fraîche would make a great topping for this one or even just some quality extra-virgin olive oil.

Despite being high in fat, it doesn’t have a high amount of calories: only 590kcal/serving. Since I am bulking, I ate 2 😄

How Can All That Fat Help Your Muscle Gains?

Olive oil and pork meat are rich in monounsaturated fatty acids which can increase anabolic hormone levels.

Pork and butter are also a source of saturated fatty acids which, as well, can increase levels of anabolic hormones such as testosterone and growth hormones.

This will contribute to gaining muscle mass faster by increasing your testosterone levels in the long term.

Be sure to include polyunsaturated fatty acids in your diet as well such as omega-3s which you get from eating fatty fishes or by taking fish oil supplements for a proper balance.

Each serving will also provide 35g of protein which is a good high amount for people who want to build muscle and strength (you still need to train though 😜 ).

Reference

http://jap.physiology.org/content/82/1/49

GIF Recipe

High-Protein Sweet Mango Chicken

I had never tried a sweet&sour recipe before and if they all taste as good as this one I’m completely sold on the idea.

Quite frankly I wasn’t expecting the taste to turn out SO good.

You have the sweetness of the mango that is counterbalanced by the savoriness and umami of the soy sauce and chicken, ending with the crunchiness and aroma of the almonds.

This recipe is a true melting pot of flavors at each bite.

It was so good that I made it again a couple of days later.

As a sweetener I used erythritol but you can use whatever you want. Its purpose is to help to develop a glaze and add extra sweetness. It’s not mandatory but a very nice addition.

Feel free to omit the almonds if you are cutting. You can also replace almonds with sesame seeds.

This is a high-protein recipe. With 62g of protein per serving, this chicken recipe it’s great for bodybuilding,(especially during a bulking phase) or for those looking to put on muscle mass in general.

You can serve it with a salad on the side or with some mashed potatoes or oven baked fries.

This recipe is recommended for the following diets: primal, paleo, iifym.

Gif Recipe

Smoothie Recipe for Strength: Creamy Avocado Pre-Workout

I always wondered: why do people love avocados?

They taste like nothing to me (and this could very well be that the ones we get here in the Netherlands are probably the worst).

Sure, the usual olive oil, salt, and pepper thing. I heard about that already. But, but…where’s mah protein?!?

So, one day, I thought: “what if I put an avocado in my pre-workout smoothie?

Honestly, I was doing just for the calories, I wasn’t expecting much of it.

WARNING: the following recipe will make you want more and more and more and more of it.

As I opened the blender to scoop the whole thing out, I was bewildered to see the consistency, thickness, and texture of this smoothie.

Never would I have predicted what I was going to experience as tasting a spoonful of this recipe.

My mouth watered, my brain starting shouting “holy moly what’s happening here? are we having sex?!”.

Yes my friend, what I was having was not your average foodgasm. This was a real thing.

After that, none of my smoothies lacked this fundamental ingredient, the avocado.

I would strongly suggest you try it as well, next time you make yourself a smoothie and be ready to experience pleasure.

Here you have it, a smoothie recipe for strength!

Gif Recipe

Easy and Quick Ricotta Bulking Dessert (No Cooking)

In my opinion, a heavily underrated food is ricotta cheese.
This Italian cheese is different from other cheeses as it is made from whey.

Yes, the same whey used to make whey protein powder.
And let me tell you, this is a much better alternative to whey protein powder (if you are bulking, that is).