Summer is in full swing, and that means most of us meatheads are dieting hard! Hopefully you spent the fall and winter eating up and gaining quality mass, but even the cleanest bulk results in a little unwanted weight. Now it's time to cut the fat. Unless you have god-like genetics, you're going to have to cut calories.
Don't run away yet. Cutting diets don't have to be dry, bland, or boring. You may not be able to enjoy the tasty treats you allow yourself during a bulk, but there are more than enough ways to spice up your lower-carb and lower-fat meals.
Here are three of my favorite recipes for getting lean and mean!
1. Mexican Frittata
If you've never had frittata, your life is about to get a lot better. It's kind of like a cross between an omelet and a quiche. It comes out in the shape of a pie, and you can slice it like a pie, but there's no crust—just eggs, egg whites, veggies, and maybe a little cheese if your macros allow. It's one of the perfect cutting foods for a low-carb diet!
While the name frittata is Italian, this version has a Mexican twist. Most dieters avoid Mexican food altogether since so many restaurant dishes contain chips, tortillas, tons of oil, and lots and lots of cheese. But, with this recipe, you can enjoy your favorite Mexican flavors without screwing up your diet.
2. Ginger Basil Chicken and Rice
This easy recipe is perfect for a post-workout meal. Chicken and rice is one of the most common bodybuilding diet meals, but most guys make it boring and bland as hell. Fortunately, just a few additions can make it into a meal that tastes almost like a delicious restaurant stir-fry, just without all the oil, cornstarch, and sugar.
3. Pumpkin Protein "Ice Cream"
This last recipe is a low-cal, filling treat for those of you with a sweet tooth. It's not really ice cream, but the taste and texture are certainly close enough! Plus, the addition of pumpkin adds lots of volume without too many extra calories—a perfect trick for the dieting, hungry bodybuilder.
One difference between this "ice cream" and regular homemade ice cream is that you do not want to let it firm up in the freezer. Since it hardly has any sugar or fat —just a lot of water content—it will end up more like an ice block than ice cream. Eat it right out of the ice cream maker like soft serve.