Hey Reader!

In the 20th edition of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:

• Recipes for the PizzaDilla and a White Chocolate Raspberry Protein Breakfast Cookie!
• My favorite food ever (and why it’s the “holiest” food ever 😇)…
• 10 easy date-worthy recipes that will make you look like a gourmet chef!
• 11 of the best low/zero calorie foods, sauces, and more!

Preheat your ovens…

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Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️

The PizzaDilla This is becoming one of my most recreated recipes of all time! The tortilla hack you'll learn is crazy customizable and adds a TON of protein. Each Whole Pizza Quesadilla (4 slices) is only 509 calories with 51g of protein. Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​The PizzaDilla.pdf​

White Chocolate Raspberry Protein Breakfast Cookie If you already have oats for breakfast, turn it into an XL protein breakfast cookie! Only 360 calories with 25g protein for a massive cookie! Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself: ​White Chocolate Raspberry XL Protein Breakfast Cookie.pdf​

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Recipe Recreations Of The Week 🤌

The Thicc McChicken!

Macros for each McChicken:​
316 Cals, 30g Carbs, 4g Fat, 40g Protein

Here's the link for the recipe:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/reel/Co5KKOQLVUz/?igsh=dzVtcnlxdzBlamFu​

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Zach's Beats 🎧

Vibes are immaculate yet again. ​Lost in the Simulation - Bazzi​

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Weird Food Fact 🤓

This is my favorite food of all time.

It’s been a macro-friendly nightmare trying to recreate it in an easy way.

I’ll figure it out eventually and you’ll be the first to know!

Until then, let’s learn about this food which is potentially the “holiest” food of all time.

In the Bible, Leviticus chapter 7, verse 12 mentions this food as an acceptable offering to God.

Any guesses!?

Today we learn about the weird food history of the DELICIOUS doughnut!

See what I did back there with the “holiest” reference 😉. The origin of the doughnut is hard to trace back to who actually created it. The most consistent story I found was one of the Dutch back in the late 1700s creating, “balls of sweetened dough, fried in hog’s fat, and called Oliebollen.” Olibollen translated to English means, “Oil Balls” lol.

So we can see how the “dough” part of the doughnut came to life.

But where did the “nut” come from?

Some etymologists (a person who studies the origin and history of words) think it’s because of its original shape in the early days. Aka a small ball of dough looking like a nut.

Others say it was the use of nuts to fill the middle of the doughnuts (before they were rings) to help deal with the issue of undercooked dough in the middle.

And the “doughnut” vs “donut” was dominated by “doughnuts” until the early 1950s when Dunkin Donuts opened.

But now that Dunkin has dropped the Donuts from their name, I will only be using the “doughnuts” spelling from now on. My dad’s been a huge Dunkin fan since the day I was born, so I have been ingrained in the Dunkin folklore aka I always spelled it “donut.” Anyways, how did doughnuts become popular in the US?

If you’ve been reading the MF Kitchen for a while, you are going to pick up on this trend...

In World War I, the US sent some bakers to provide food and snacks to the soldiers.

Ovens were hard to access the closer they got to the battlefield. But they did have pans at their disposal so heating lard over a fire switched their focus to doughnuts. Thus that love of doughnuts was born and all the soldiers post-war came home with their newfound love of this fried doughy heavenly goodness!

And the rest is history!

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One FAQ ❓

Question from Ben (Oak Island, NC) - “Hey Zach! I am going to be honest. I suck at cooking. BUT I recently joined the newsletter to learn more. It's been two weeks and really have enjoyed the content thus far! Made the FDL Pizza and it was a HIT!

My question is, I want to make my wife something awesome for Mother's Day but I am nervous I will mess it up haha. What recipes would you suggest would make me look really good but you are confident I won't mess them up? Thanks man!”

Answer: Hey Ben! I am going to get you husband of the year!

These 3 recipes will make you look (and feel) like a gourmet chef.

1.) Gourmet Ramen

This might seem daunting but trust me, it's incredibly easy and will make you look like the KING that you are!

Here are a few options to choose from:

​Egg Roll in a Bowl Ramen​

​Orange Chicken Ramen​

​Sticky Honey Sriracha Stir Fry Ramen​

2.) SMASH Burgers

These are insane. Pair these with my fries recipe and you are golden.

And if you want to make it even easier, just make some store-brand sweet potato fries in the air fryer as the side.

​Gochujang Chicken Smash Burger w/Kimchi Bacon​

​Bang Bang Shrimp Smash Burger​

​Salmon Smash Burger​

3.) Delicious Salads

A delicious big ASS salad never is a bad idea!

I will list a few pasta salad variations and regular ones as well.

​Spicy Street Corn Pasta Salad​

​McChicken Salad​

​Chicken Caesar Salad​

​Chicken BLT Salad (double the recipe)
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Serving Surprise 😮

“Nearly” Zero Calorie Ingredients/Foods

Let me know if I missed any.

1.) Yellow Mustard

Swiss army knife of a condiment. Always a go-to when cutting and want to save some calories. Mayo is 120 calories per 1 tbsp (15g) and on a sandwich, you are getting at least 2 tbsp (30) aka 240 extra calories. I like to pair yellow mustard with what’s next on this list...

2.) Franks Red Hot Buffalo Sauce

One of my most used sauces. Super potent flavor profile aka a little bit goes a long way. And this is the same with pretty much any zero-cal hot sauce that is vinegar-based.

3.) Pickles

Virtually zero cal and add a nice crunch to any sandwich! I am always the guy who asks for extra pickles for my meals lol.

4.) Chicken Broth

Love adding this to recipes to help add some moisture back to them aka recipes with really lean meats to keep them moist. Same with reheating food in the pan or melting cheese on top. I'll just add a splash and add the cover on top of the pan.

5.) Diet Soda

Goes without being said. No need to waste your calories on full-sugar sodas. 1-2 sodas per day is totally fine. I personally consume 2. One at lunch and one at dinner. Do I think it's smart to consume above that amount every single day? The science says it doesn't matter. But from a psychological standpoint, there is some coping mechanism going on.

6.) Cake Batter Extract

Any extract is a game changer to add a flavor profile to any sweet recipe.

7.) Rice Vinegar

Just like in the hot sauce example above, rice vinegar is an amazing zero-calorie option to add a little ZANG to a recipe. Just be careful not to add too much!

8.) Unsweetened Almond Milk

This is not zero calorie, but if you are just using it as a splash in your coffee, it's pretty damn low.

9.) Lettuce

Insanely low-calorie and a great way to bulk up the food volume of any meal. Just take your normal meal and add it to a bed of lettuce.

10.) Celery

Underrated if you ask me. You get a nice crunch. Just pair it with a lower cal/high protein dipping station and you have a nice snack.

11.) Shirataki Noodles

Honestly have never cooked with these but I know a lot of people who have and swear by them. Let me know if you have and your thoughts on it!

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And that's the #20 edition of the MF Kitchen in the bags!

Hope you are having a great weekend.

My Celtics got an easy first-round dub in the NBA Playoffs.

My Bruins damn near blew it but got a first-round dub in the NHL playoffs last night.

I know it might be confusing how I am a Jags fan but also a New England sports fan (besides the Patriots) but also a Notre Damn fan.

I'll leave that for another time lol.

Talk soon and happy cooking,
​Zach
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