When my wife and I have to prepare for a physique competition, the eating can become very bland and monotonous. When I was a bachelor and cooked all of my own clean “bodybuilding” foods, I ate incredibly boring– I ate for function– and nothing ever tasted good. Now, my beautiful wife helps me to actually enjoy eating my clean foods! Per numerous client requests, the below is a sample of how she dresses up normally-bland foods that are perfectly healthy, and makes them sizzle.

Chicken:

12 thawed chicken breasts

2 packets of Grill Mates Seasoning by McCormick

1/2c apple, red or white vinegar

Place the seasoning mix and vinegar in a large bowl. Cut fat off chicken and place in marinade. Place bowl, covered in plastic wrap, in the refrigerator at least 2 hours, preferably overnight.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Grease baking dish with Pam. Place chicken breasts in a 13×9 baking dish, try not to overlap. Pour remaining marinade into baking dish.

Bake for about 15 minutes, flip over chicken breasts and cook for another 8-10 minutes depending on desired doneness.

Egg White Muffins:

This is a very basic recipe that can be tweaked to your individual preferences.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 3-6 sections of a 12-muffin tin with Pam.

Pour/crack 1 meal’s worth of egg whites into a medium size bowl. Wisk for 2-3 minutes.

For sweet muffins: add 2-3 packets of artificial sweetener, 1/2tsp vanilla extract, 1/2tsp cinnamon and wisk. Fill each muffin 2/3 full. The amount of muffins will depend on how many egg whites you use. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes. Muffins will be done when the center no longer jiggles. If this is a fat meal, add a serving of nuts before cooking. If this is a carb meal, add a serving of oats or fruit before cooking.

For savory muffins: add 1/2tsp salt, 1/4tsp pepper. Fill each muffin ½ full with the wisked egg whites. Finely chop 1 cup desired vegetables and add evenly to each muffin. Place in the oven for 18-25 minutes. Muffins will be done when the center no longer jiggles. If this is a fat meal, add egg yolks before cooking. If this is a carb meal, add a serving of rice, potato, or quinoa. You can also add meat to this meal by using half the egg whites and adding a half serving of chicken or ground turkey.

Tilapia:

12 thawed tilapia filets

¼ c lemon juice

¼ c apple cider vinegar

½ c fresh cilantro or basil

Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients in a gallon bag and marinade for 2-3 hours

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Place on a greased baking dish. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip filets and bake for another 8-10 minutes depending on desired doneness.

Sugar-Free Cinnamon Roasted Nuts

3-4 cups desired nuts (almonds, walnuts, pecans, etc.)

1 egg white

1/3 c Splenda

1-2 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven 350 degrees. Grease baking dish.

Wisk egg white, Splenda and cinnamon in a medium bowl. Add nuts to coat. Place nuts layered evenly on the baking dish. Bake for 30-40 minutes depending on desired crunchiness. Every 10 minutes shake the pan to break-up large clusters and to make sure the nuts are cooked evenly on all sides.

You can also make a savory version of this recipe by replacing the Splenda and cinnamon with 2-4 tsp chili-lime or Cajun seasonings.

*Anne’s House of Nuts has great seasonings that you can split among friends if purchased in bulk quantities. The chili-lime and Cajun seasonings are great on sautéed or baked veggies as well as any meat. Depending on your diet, they also have BBQ and Chai seasonings which have carbs in them.