EAT FIT | 41

Your plate-by- plate eating plan

SHOULD YOU SHAKE IT?

With a buffet of real food should you still neck a protein shake? Yes.l When you lift weights your muscles break down and then remodel and repair – this is what makes them grow. Research by the American Society for Nutrition (ASN) found that this repairing process is accelerated by as much as 33 per cent when people drink a whey protein shake directly after exercise. “It makes good sense that consuming a food containing high-quality protein (like milk proteins) during and/or immediately following exercise would help muscles get stronger,” says Dr Shelly McGuire, spokesperson for the ASN. So by taking a protein shake before and after training you’ll put yourself in the best possible position to stack on size quickly.

l Day 1

Breakfast 1½ cup of oats cooked with raisins, 225ml goat’s milk, 1 cup green tea,1 grapefruit

Snack Cheddar cheese served with sliced apple,1 cup green tea

Lunch 400g sushi with rice and a serve of spinach and vegies

Snack 50g of macadamia nuts and cottage cheese

DinnerBeef fajitas (recipe over page – makes 2 serves, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

l Day 2

Breakfast 3 whole eggs, poached, 4 slices of ham, sliced tomato , 2 slices of rye bread Snack 200g mixed seeds and nuts,200ml of plain yoghurt, 1 apple sliced, handful of blueberries Lunch Leftover beef fajitas from last night

Snack 1 tin of tuna mixed with mayo and dipped with carrots, 1 banana DinnerMeatloaf (recipe over page – makes 2-4 serves, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

l Day 3

Breakfast 2 pancakes, made with almond meal (instead of flour) and 2 eggs topped with 2 tablespoons mixed berries and 1 teaspoon Manuka honey,1 cup green tea

Snack 2 large carrots dipped in hummus,1 cup green tea

Lunch Leftover meatloaf

Snack Pot of Greek yoghurt mixed with 1 small bag of muesli or crunchy oat cereal, 1 banana, blueberries Dinner Marinaded tuna steaks (recipe over page – makes 2 serves, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

l Day 5

Breakfast 100g oats cooked with banana, cinnamon and apple

Snack Tinned salmon mixed with cream cheese, dip with 4-6 sticks of celery

Lunch Left over spinach pie

Snack Fruit salad mixed with plain yoghurt, 40g mixed nuts

DinnerSeafood paella (recipe over page – serves 2-3, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

l Day 7

Breakfast 2 cups muesli, 2 cups of low fat milk, 200ml plain yoghurt, 2 boiled eggs Snack 125ml cottage cheese on oatcakes, 50g almonds, 1 apple, 1 orange

Lunch Leftover quiche

Snack Dip 3 large carrots into 200g hummus, 1 orange, punnet of raspberries Dinner Lamb soup (recipe over page – serves 3-4, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

l Day 4

Breakfast 3 egg omelette with diced capsicum, chillies, cheese and sliced ham Snack 40g almonds, wrap each nut in a dried apricot and eat like sandwich,1 cup green tea

Lunch Left over tuna steak

Snack Mashed avocado with tuna on 2 slices of rye bread toast,1 apple

DinnerSpinach pie (recipe over page – makes 2 serves, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

man food

l Day 6

Breakfast Smoothie: blend 50g oats, 1 mango, 1 banana, 2 tablespoons of almond meal, 50ml yoghurt, 100ml mango juice Snack 200g of almonds and a protein bar

Lunch Left over paella

Snack 4 slices of pastrami or salami on 2 slices of rye bread with mustard and mixed salad, 1 banana DinnerHam and spinach quiche (recipe over page – serves 2-3, so save one for tomorrow’s lunch)

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42 | EAT FIT42 | | JULY

man food

l Day 1

DinnerBeef fajitasYou’ll need: • 4 x 180g

rump steak• 1 onion,

chopped • 3 tsp olive

oil • 1 capsicum, diced • 1 cup sweet corn • 1 large chilli, diced• 2 garlic cloves,

crushed• Spices to taste • 3-6 tortillas

What to do: Brown the onion and garlic in the coconut oil then add the capsicum, corn and spices. Set aside. Fry steaks to desired doneness, wrap in foil to rest, then slice thinly. Add meat to the spicy mix, add meat mix to tortillas.

l Day 2

DinnerMeatloafYou’ll need: • 2 cups almond

flour• 500g lean

minced beef• ⅓ cup coconut milk• 2 cloves of garlic,

minced• 2 carrots, minced• ½ onion, minced• 1 zucchini, minced• 1 egg• 3-4 tbsp Italian

seasoning• Salt and pepper to

taste

What to do: Preheat the oven to 175ºC. While that’s heating up put the almond flour and coconut milk into a bowl. Mix vigorously. Saute the onions, carrots, zucchini and garlic then splash them in bowl with the almond flour and coconut milk. Add the rest of the ingredients and pop them into a greased bread shaped pan. Bake for 50 minutes.

l Day 3

Dinner Marinaded tuna steaks

You’ll need:

• 2 x 300g tuna steaks

Marinade ingredients:• 2 tsp olive oil • 2 clove garlic, finely

chopped • 2 tsp ginger, finely

chopped• ½ tsp crushed red

pepper • 2 tsp white-wine

vinegar • 2 tbsp honey • 1 ripe papaya,

peeled, seeded and diced

• 2 tsp lime juice• Salt and freshly

ground pepper• Handful of fresh

coriander• 2 cups mixed

frozen vegies, cooked

• 2 cups brown rice, cooked

What to do: Combine marinade ingredients and put the tuna in it for 40 minutes. Grill for 7-8 minutes and serve over the brown rice and vegies.

l Day 4

DinnerHam and spinach quiche

You’ll need:

• 1 tsp olive oil • 2 leeks, white part

only, sliced • 300g of baby

spinach • 5 eggs • ¾ cup of low-fat

milk • 300g sliced ham

off the bone • 1 cup parsley,

chopped• ¼ cup parmesan

cheese, grated• ½ cup cheddar

cheese, grated• Green salad • ¾ cup brown rice

What to do:Preheat the oven to 180°C. To make the crust, put the rice and 2 cups of water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and cook for 20 minutes then let it cool. Combine the egg and rice then press into a pie dish with a spoon. Bake for 10 minutes until the crust is firm. For the filling, cook the leek for 5 minutes in a fry pan and the spinach for 2 minutes. Whisk the eggs, add ham, parsley, leeks, spinach and cheeses. Pour the mix into the pie dish with the rice pastry and bake for 55 minutes. Let is set for 10 minutes before you serve it with the green salad.

l Day 5

DinnerSeafood paella

You’ll need: • 200g white

fish, cubed • 12 tiger prawns,

peeled and raw • 1 cup peas • 4 medium

tomatoes, diced • 1 onion, diced • 4 cups chicken

stock • 2 garlic cloves,

crushed • 1 tsp olive oil • 1-2 cups brown

rice, cooked • 2 tsp paprika• 1 chilli, diced

What to do: Cook the garlic, chilli and oil briefly in a big pan. Flash fry the fish and prawns in the same pan then add everything else and water if it’s too thick. Cook for 3-6 minutes. Serve over the rice.

l Day 6

DinnerSpinach pie You’ll need: • 1 bag of spinach• 4 tbsp pine nuts • 100g low fat

cottage cheese • 100g mushrooms • 2 cups of brown

rice (or pre-made pastry)

• 1 tsp olive oil • 30g cheddar,

grated

What to do:Boil the spinach and drain it, then fry the mushrooms until they’re half cooked. Cook the rice until it’s soft then mash it into a paste with olive oil. Line the inside of pie dish with the rice pastry. Combine the spinach, cheese, mushrooms and pine nuts then place it on top of the pastry. Cover with the cheddar cheese then bake in the oven for 20 minutes.

l Day 7

Dinner Lamb soup

You’ll need:

• 1 onion, diced • 500g of lamb

shoulder, diced • 2 cups of beef

stock • 1 small potato,

diced • 1 cup beer • 2 carrots, diced • 1 cup green

cabbage, shredded • 2 tsp olive oil • 1 tbsp brown gravy mix

What to do:Whack the oil in a pan on a medium heat then add the onion and meat. Brown them both then add beer, stock and gravy. Cook for 5 minutes then add everything else. Let it simmer for 20-30 minutes and serve.

Your week’s recipes

Slice your beef after you cook it – this will stop it from getting dried up and chewy.

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