In case you didn’t know – if you don’t eat proper foods, then you’re robbing yourself of the rewards of all your hard work: proper muscle growth.
Many people who work hard in the gym end up cheating themselves by not having a proper diet mainly because it’s “too hard” or “time consuming”. I’m here to let you know that cooking is not challenging at all and can be completed much quicker than: getting in your car, driving to a fast food chain, waiting in line at the restaurant, ordering your food and driving back home.
When I cook for myself, it generally only takes AT MOST 30 minutes, to go from in the stove to in my belly.
Here are 3 words and tools you need to familiarize yourself with: Microwave, Broiler and Cast Iron Skillet.
Microwave: When it comes to cooking your carb sources, the Microwave is an essential tool. I generally only use the microwave for cooking my carbs, and defrosting my meats. I rarely ever cook meat in the microwave – the meat cooks in the microwave, but it’s generally not the most appetizing - so avoid it. Here’s some sample times for my Carbs:
- OATS: 5mins
- SWEET POTATO: 5 -10 minutes depending on size
Broiler: For some strange reason, most people avoid using the broiler – don’t be like most people! The broiler is an option on your oven that allows you to just blast your food with intense heat. When you turn the broiler on, an element on the top of the inside of your oven turns cherry red and stays that way until you turn it off. Cooking times vary for meats because of size and thickness: so experiment and you’ll figure out what works best! Also, don’t be afraid to cook in bulk! Don’t just cook 1 chicken breast - cook enough to last you the week! Here are some sample times for meats that I broil:
- CHICKEN BREAST, CHICKEN THIGHS & DRUMSTICKS and STEAK: 15 -30 mins
- TILAPIA: 10-20 mins.
- SALMON: 8-15 mins
- SHRIMP: Blink and they’re done. But probably more like 5-10mins.
YOU NEED A SPECIFIC PAN FOR THE BROILER: A CAST IRON SKILLET
Cast Iron Skillet: This is the most essential tool. Why is it so essential? Because it is so easy to cook your food on and (possibly the most important aspect) EASY TO CLEAN! So, how do you use a Cast Iron Skillet? Put it in your stove, turn the broiler on, allow it to get really really really hot while you prep your meat. Once your meat is ready to go in the oven, take the super hot iron skillet of the oven (with an oven mit), put it on the stove top, and put all your meat on it and then back into the oven, under the broiler it goes! To make sure it’s hot enough, splash a tiny bit of water in it and if you hear a sizzle, you’re good to go! The super hot skillet will sear the bottom of the meat, sealing in the precious juices! Cook for the proper time and you will be good to go. To see if the meat is cooked, cut it in the thickest part of the meat and if it is cooked, you’re good to go. However, checking doneness by cutting will release much of the juice; drying out the meat. Overtime you’ll be able to tell if it’s cooked without having to cut into it!
To clean the skillet (because sometimes juice will leak out of the meat and burn under the intense heat) pour some water on it, put it on the stove-top and allow the water to boil. Once the water is boiling, you can easily scrape off whatever gunk is stuck with a metal spatula and just pour it all down the drain.
Now that you know how easy it is to cook, you have no excuse! Just make sure you never leave the broiler unsupervised - bad things could happen.
Happy Cooking! We are advocates of your goals!
-Chris
