Hey [FIRST NAME GOES HERE]!
In the 43rd issue of The MF Kitchen, you'll slice into the details of:
- Recipes for my Egg Roll in a Bowl Ramen and 75 Cal Whole Pint Vanilla Ice Cream!
- The strange history of marshmallows (and how they were always in my lunch)...
- The method behind my madness of unusual ingredients...
- More volume, fewer calories, more flavor, with NO extra prep time...
Preheat your ovens…
Weekly Recipe Roundup 🍽️
Egg Roll in a Bowl Ramen
This Egg Roll in a Bowl Ramen is an easy and delicious spin on a delicious classic.
And it's an incredible meal prep option for the week making 4 big servings!
Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself:
Egg Roll in a Bowl Ramen.pdf
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75 Cal Whole Pint Vanilla Ice Cream
Yes, ONLY 75 Cals for the WHOLE Pint!
Click below to download the recipe and make it easy yourself:
WHOLE Pint Vanilla Ice Cream.pdf
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Recipe Recreations Of The Week 🤌
Uncrustable Protein Pop-Tarts are always a dieting cheat code!
Here’s the Frosted OREO Pop Tart Flavor Recipe:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/p/ChvCB-EMpGp/
Here’s the Frosted Strawberry Pop Tart Flavor Recipe:
👉 https://www.instagram.com/theflexibledietinglifestyle/reel/C8cdhLPMAnY/
And if you’ve made any recipes lately, hit reply and let me know what you thought!
Zach's Beats 🎧
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I listen to songs like this and think of my life as a movie. The reminiscing parts of the movie where it would be a collection of great memories.
Past Lives - Sapientdream
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Weird Food Fact 🤓
If you were to ask me, “What's a sandwich that you think is underrated that most people have not tried?”
I'd have one answer…
The Fluffernutter Sandwich.
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I am the only kid in my whole family who grew up outside of New England but instead of PB&Js growing up, my Mom made me these lol.
AND sheesh were they good 🤌🏻
Except when she'd prep 30 of them and then freeze them to throw into my school lunches.
And it'd still be frozen at lunchtime 😭
Anyways, I was telling a friend of mine about a new creami flavor I was going to be working on and it was the infamous fluffernutter.
And she said she'd never had one before!
So if you've had one, let me know!
But then I started thinking about why and how marshmallows were ever created…
And now we are here where I explain it all haha.
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But first a few marshmallow memes 🤣
Let’s hop in our food time machine, all the way back over 4000 years ago to ancient Egypt.
Around 2000 BC, that’s when the marshmallow got its start.
BUT not in the sweet, gooey when heated up form we know and love today.
Instead, it started as a medicine…
Back then, Egyptians used the sap from the Althaea officinalis plant (better known as the marshmallow plant) as a natural remedy for sore throats and coughs.
They’d mix the sap with honey and nuts to make a special treat.
Doesn't sound too bad!
The crazy thing is: only the Pharaohs and Gods could have these treats.
Marshmallows were basically ancient royalty’s cough drops.
Fast forward to the 1800s in France, and that’s where marshmallows really started to take shape (literally).
French candy makers began whipping the sap with egg whites and sugar to create a fluffy confection that was way more dessert than medicine.
Problem was, getting sap from the marshmallow plant was a serious pain.
So, the candy world made a little swap. Out with the plant sap, in with gelatin.
That’s food capitalism at its finest haha.
“Let’s just take out the thing that makes it ‘the thing’ but it’s close enough so we’ll still call it ‘the thing.’” 😅
So this new version was way easier to make, and just like that, marshmallows went from being an exclusive luxury to a campfire classic!
One FAQ ❓
Question of the Week:
“You have a lot of weird ingredients in your recipes (pumpkin, nutritional yeast, cottage cheese, etc.). Can you explain why you use each of those things? I’m always hesitant to use them."
Answer: If there is one single promise I can make you about my recipes…
It's that if I use a specific ingredient, it's for a reason.
What we are trying to do is find the best of both worlds.
Delicious AND Macro Friendly.
That's a rare outcome.
So I have to utilize ingredients in specific amounts to help achieve that outcome.
I know they might seem weird lol.
But you gotta trust me that they are 100% worth it!
Here are 7 of my most weird ingredients that are magic to use in my recipes:
1.) Pumpkin
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YES, I am a basic B who loves pumpkin lol.
But no, I’m not trying to turn you into a basic little pumpkin-loving B like me 🤣
Pumpkin is actually a calorie-saving hero that you WON’T TASTE if used right.
It’s one of my favorite butter substitutes.
Let me give some more context.
Butter/oil are HUGE contributors to the overall calories of our favorite sweet treats.
On average, they contribute 40% to 60% of the total calories. Wild.
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So based on rational thinking, if we can substitute the butter/oil for a lower calorie ingredient WITHOUT sacrificing the taste and texture of the end product, that’ll be the best of both worlds.
We will now have a sweet treat for a fraction of the calories.
So why is pumpkin such a great butter substitute? And how should you use it?
- It is dense
- High water content
- Fiber helps with it being a binding agent
- Texture similarity (richness/mouthfeel) to butter when used in the right proportions
- Mild flavor that doesn’t overpower chocolate
So how do I recommend using it?
My ratio for substituting butter/oil for pumpkin is about a 1:1 ratio.
This is not a perfect ratio but it’s very close.
Here are a few of my favorite recipes I use pumpkin in!
Spoiler, the chocolate ones, you won’t taste the pumpkin at all 🫡
2.) Nutritional Yeast
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This ingredient is a game-changer but it needs a name change lol.
So many people will get dry active yeast and use it in a recipe thinking it's the same thing lol.
Most common mixup happens with my FDL Pizza dough which is one of my most popular recipes of all time.
I totally get it though. It seems like it would be the same thing if you've never seen “nutritional yeast” before.
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But nutritional yeast is a seasoning and not the dry active yeast used to add “rise” to your doughs.
It adds a nice cheesy flavor with very little extra calories. And it's high in protein.
It's also dairy-free and is a great way to add that cheesy flavor without dairy.
Here are a few other recipes I use nutritional yeast in:
3.) Cottage Cheese
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Okay, hear me out...
It took me A LONG TIME to hop on the cottage cheese train.
My really good buddy Tom (Stealth Health Life) has been preaching to me the cottage cheese gospel for years lol.
I finally gave in and wish I had done it earlier.
It’s a game-changer for high-protein recipes.
When blended, it loses that lumpy texture and turns into a creamy base for things like mac & cheese or even desserts.
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You won’t taste it either. Trust me, that was my biggest worry.
It’s a mild flavor (compared to another ingredient I use a lot aka plain non-fat Greek yogurt) so it’s easy to mask.
Plus it has insane macros.
Once you see how versatile it is, you’ll start finding excuses to sneak it into all kinds of recipes.
Here are a few of my favorite cottage cheese recipes you can play around with:
I have a much longer list of ingredients like this that you FOR SURE need to have in your kitchen!
Reply to this email and let me know if you want me to create that full guide.
Serving Surprise 😮
Here’s how you can add a TON more volume to your meals with zero extra prep time.
Ohhh and a TON more flavor as well!
Ohhhhh and with very few extra calories!
This lineup right here:
They all range between 5-20 calories per serving.
Highly recommend giving these a go and seeing how you can incorporate them into your meals.
I love making my random plate of deliciousness which is a monster plate of food for only 650 calories and 61g protein.
Moral of the story, pickled veggies are slept on as a macro-friendly and delicious way to bulk up a meal!
I was having a conversation with my buddy Matt Choi the other day.
He’s a great follow in general but especially if you are a runner!
We talked about the principle that you only have 24 hours in the day and that means you only have a few things in your life you can be great at.
For me, I am a simple man lol.
I love to cook. I love to eat. I love to watch and play sports. I love hanging out with my friends and family.
That’s it! I don’t do much else haha.
Anyways, thought I’d share that little convo we had.
Love you all and really appreciate your support!
Your friend,
Zach
P.S. Here's a short highlight reel just so you know I'm on my Steph Curry arc 😎
