If you're looking for a fast lunch or dinner idea that holds well in the fridge but it's not
just boring old chicken and broccoli then follow along while I cook for you today. (Rachel to Mitch: What have you got?)
(Mitch: chicken and broccoli) Firstly I'd like to say thank you to today's video sponsor,
Squarespace and let's dive right in. Now if I'm in a fat loss phase and I'm planning out meals
to eat during a calorie deficit it needs to really hit these three points for me. Firstly
have great flavours so I don't actually get bored of what I'm eating. Secondly be high in protein to
help keep me satiated but to also help support my weightlifting training and maintain muscle
mass that I have built while I was in a higher calorie period and three, be simple to prepare.
I just- I hate doing the washing up, really. For the first recipe we're making a lemon and garlic basa (fish).
I love this dish, it's flaky, it gets crispy with the seasonings that we put on it and it's just
so satisfying. Fish has to be one of my favourite sources of protein. It's light, there's so much
flavour and it's really quick to prepare which is perfect when I've spent a whole day working with
clients or sat at my computer editing a video and the last thing that I want to do is think
about what it is that I'm putting together for dinner. Now the fish isn't going to last as long
as some other kinds of protein so with this meal I would only keep it in the fridge for a
maximum of three days. Preheat your oven - we're going to be cooking this fish at 175 degrees
celsius which is around 350 Fahrenheit. Pat the fish dry and season with Italian herbs and salt.
Prepare your baking dish by first placing some olive oil along the bottom,
slice up your lemons and lay them across the bottom of the baking dish.
Place your fish fillets on top of the lemons and then add some garlic. Basa or any other white fish
such as whiting, cod or tilapia are a really great source of lean protein. Eating a high protein diet
can aid in weight loss even without the need for calorie counting or carb restriction because
it helps you be more mindful about your body's natural hunger cues. Bake the fish for around 10
minutes - it's cooked when it looks fully opaque and it flakes apart when you insert a knife or a fork.
It's so delicious and it's so light. I like to serve the basa with a fresh salad mix.
If you're short on time just pick up a pre-made mix from the grocery store
and I like to use some lemon juice and salt as the dressing to keep that flavour light and fresh.
All right, next we are putting together a sweet potato black bean chilli. This is perfect for those
cold rainy evenings in where you want a dish that feels like a hug. Not only is this recipe
nourishing but it is also delicious. When you combine brown rice with black beans it contains
all the amino acids you need to create a complete protein. This means that together they contain the
nine essential amino acids which are required to build and repair protein tissue within the body.
We're going to begin by dicing our onion, chopping and mincing the garlic, slicing up the capsicum,
peeling and dicing the sweet potato. In a pot over a medium heat cook the onion for five
or so minutes. I'm using two tablespoons of water so that I don't need to add oil into this recipe.
Next I'm adding in the sweet potato cubes, capsicum, chilli, cumin, paprika, garlic and then I'm cooking it
for two to three minutes. Now we're going to add in the vegetable broth and the diced tomatoes,
then rinse your beans, drain them and add them into the pot. Increase the heat and let the chilli
boil before reducing the heat back down and add a lid and allow it to simmer for 20 to 25 minutes.
Serve yours with cooked brown rice, some salt, fresh coriander and a wedge of lime for
squeezing.
This next one is half protein, half vegetable and full delicious! On top of that it is incredibly
easy as well. It's my chicken zucchini fritters! You can cook up a whole stack, keep them in a
meal prep container and then, when you're ready to have them, serve them with some fresh veggies and
some carbs or a salad mix. Start by grating the zucchini onto some paper towel or a clean cloth
because zucchini does contain a lot of moisture so we're going to use the paper towel or the cloth to
squeeze the excess moisture out of the zucchini. A lot will come out but it's really important
not to skip this step otherwise your fritters are probably going to fall apart. Transfer the zucchini
into a bowl and add in the chicken, salt, egg, garlic, green onion, pepper, parsley, ricotta and lemon juice.
Heat a large non-stick pan to medium and add in a tablespoon of oil for cooking. Use an ice cream
scoop or a large spoon to place the fritters onto the hot pan and you can use your hand or you can
use the back of the spoon to smooth out the top until they're about, you know, 1 to 1.5
centimetres thick. Leave them uncovered while they cook and then flip and cook for another four
to five minutes until they're cooked through. If you wanted to try these with a different protein
I also have some tuna zucchini fritters over on my blog. I like to prep these on their own so that
I can change what I serve them with, depending on what time of day that I want to have them
but regardless of what side dish I put them with I really really like having them with some plain
greek yogurt instead of sour cream and some sweet chili sauce. It's such a good combination.
(Rachel to Mitch: do you want to try a piece of this for me? Just like break off a bit.) (Mitch: yes I do!)
You can find all these recipes and more over on my blog, Eat Run Lift which
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the description box or the one on the screen for 10% off your first purchase. I do have a previous
meal prep video which also features some high protein / lower calorie recipe ideas to help you
on your calorie deficit / fat loss journey and still keep everything that you've worked really hard for.
So if you want some more meal ideas before you go ahead and write up your shopping list -
click the video which I will leave here on the screen for you. I hope you're well,
I hope you're looking after yourself and I'll see you next time.