Grass-Fed Beef Recipes for a Healthy, Hard Body by Josef Brandenburg

I don’t know about you, but I’m not terribly interested in eating a half pound of horse flesh with cucumbers on the side every morning. This is what Christian Thibaudeau tells us he eats for breakfast, and more power to him, but seriously, sautéed slices of Seabuscuit every single day would get pretty tiresome after about the second week. Of course, that goes for just about anything.

So what do you do when you’ve run out of healthy food options and you’re beginning to loathe your diet? Watch out, that’s what. You’re setting yourself up to fall way off the hard-body wagon, and once you do, it’s too easy to catch the fast train going the other direction. You know the one I mean. That’s right, the Man Tit Express, with non-stop service to Lardassville. So stay on the wagon, get your ass in the kitchen, and try some of these excellent beef recipes today. You really can love your food and look good naked.

Oh, and because we want to both look good naked and be healthy, the beef we’re after in all these recipes is grass-fed beef. TC’s written several articles about the overwhelming superiority of grass-fed beef, but let’s review.

From Health Food To Poison

Real beef, that is to say grass-fed beef, is a bona fide health food. It’s packed with high quality protein, omega-3s, and even conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). It’s also low in the things that you need less of: saturated fat and omega-6s. And it’s delicious.

The corn-fed crap they sell in the grocery store is not real beef. It’s poison that looks and tastes sort of like beef. The problem is corn. And as you might suspect, the government is behind it.

Cattle are superbly adapted to thrive on high-cellulose foods like grass. That’s why they’re called herbivores (“grass eaters”). When you feed cattle a diet based on corn, soybeans, and other grains, they gets fat and sickly, just like people. The meat becomes loaded with pro-inflammatory omega-6s and saturated fat; the anti-inflammatory omega-3s are practically nonexistent.

In an actual free market economy, only an idiot would grow corn, because it costs about a dollar more to produce a bushel of corn than the corn is worth. And you can’t eat debt. However, in our country, the government pays farmers to raise corn that the market doesn’t want. These subsidies have created a vast surplus of corn, which is sold to feedlots and force-fed to obese couch-potato cows.

It takes about 16 pounds of corn and soy to make just onepound of grain-fed beef. Multiply that by the thousands of tons of grain fed beef produced annually in this country. Under normal supply and demand, corn-fed beef wouldn’t exist: it’s only possible (by which we mean “profitable”) because of about 5 billion dollars a year in government subsidies.

Simply stated, the government uses your tax dollars to pay off farmers and cattle growers who produce inferior food that in fact poisons you. Think about that on April 15.

A Grass-Roots Revolution

Government regulation is largely responsible for the problem of corn-fed, junk-food beef, but we the people are the solution to bring back the healthy meat our ancestors ate and thrived on. We need to start a grass-roots revolution by demanding grass fed beef, and paying the extra few bucks for it.

It’s still a bit of a chore to find good grass-fed beef at the local supermarket but you can usually find it at your local Whole Foods and even Trader Joe’s sometimes. The best way to get it locally and reliably is at a farmer’s market. Here are two great sites to find one near you:Eat Wild, and the USDA’s Farmers Market Search. You can also order beef by mail atTropical Traditions.

Bring it On!

Most of these recipes are not super-quick, but they are super-efficient. You only have to cook once to produce three to five delicious, healthy meals. All can be scaled up to make even more meals, or larger portions for larger guys. Always use organic ingredients whenever possible, as they’re better for taste, nutrition, and the environment.

Tillie’s Low-Carb Grass-Fed Chili

My wife Tillie came up with a great turkey chili recipe, which is even better with grass-fed beef in terms of nutrition and taste. This is an easy, relatively fast recipe that will yield multiple servings of chili that are packed with omega-3s, CLA, protein, fiber, green veggies, and taste.

Ingredients

1 pound grass-fed ground beef 1080 kcal

1 packet chili spice mix (I like Wick Fowler’s brand chili spice mix. All of the components are in different packets. Toss the “Masa” flour in the trash.) 120 kcal

1 can whole stewed tomatoes 140 kcal

3/4 to 1 package frozen French cut green beans 120-140 kcal

1 jalapeño pepper, thinly sliced

1/4 cup grass-fed cheese per serving 115 kcal

2 tablespoons sour cream per serving 52 kcal

Directions

1. Turn heat to medium-high under a heavy bottomed pot. Add meat and brown.

2. Add tomatoes, and follow spice mix directions (leave out the Masa flour!). Add remaining ingredients, except cheese and sour cream.

3. Let simmer for 10-15 minutes. Top with cheese and sour cream and enjoy.

Nutrition

1,460 kcal for batch, 167 kcal for toppings per batch: divide it up according to your goals and needs. For example, 3 servings = 650 kcal per serving.

Green Cakes & Steak

Potato pancakes are delicious, but like all fried starch, they’re almost certainly a one-way ticket on the Man Tit Express. I missed them terribly, though, so my mother (bless her heart) came up with a low-carb version made out of zucchini. They’re green, but they don’t taste green. They just taste good, and they’re even better with a dollop of sour cream and applesauce on top. My favorite way to eat them is on the side of a nice spice-rubbed, grass-fed steak. Mazel tov! Not that sour cream and steak on the same plate is exactly Kosher, but we’ll give you a pass.

The Beef: Ingredients

4 6-oz grass-fed steaks 405 kcal

A handful of my spice rub (see my previous article for the recipe)

The Beef: Directions

1. Rub meat thoroughly.

2. Cook meat however you like it: grilled, broiled, medium, well, rare.

The Cakes: Ingredients

4 medium or 7 small zucchini 132 kcal

1 small onion 29 kcal

2 eggs (farm eggs if you’ve got ‘em) 140 kcal

2 tablespoons olive oil 240 kcal

Salt and pepper to taste

4 tablespoons sour cream (grass fed if you can find it) 104 kcal

1 cup applesauce 100 kcal

The Cakes: Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F.

2. In a food processor use grater attachment to grate all veggies, and transfer to a large bowl.

3. Beat egg, salt and pepper in a separate cup and add to bowl of veggies. Mix well. (Some zucchini are more watery than others; if you notice liquid accumulating in the bowl, pour it off.)

4. Place large spoonfuls of the mix onto olive oiled baking sheets, and flatten with spoon. Bake for 8-10 minutes per side. Cakes should stick together well. If not, add an extra egg because zucchini doesn’t come in standard sizes.

Beef Sate

With just a little forethought you could have an absolutely amazing lunch, dinner, or snack. You could marinate the beef before you leave for work: the marinade takes 5 minutes to make. You could marinate the beef before you go to bed, and then cook it when you get home the next day, etc.

The Beef: Ingredients

1/3 cup soy sauce 66 kcal

1/2 — 1 teaspoon Splenda (depending on how sweet you like it)

3 tablespoons lime juice 20 kcal

3 tablespoons vodka or brandy (nearly all the calories cook off) 195 kcal

1 tablespoon peanut oil 120 kcal

1 heaping tablespoon Thai Kitchen Green Curry Paste 15 kcal

1 1/2 pounds 1/2″ thick grass-fed steak, cut into 1″ squares 1620 kcal

Skewers, metal or bamboo (optional, you can just cook the pieces with no skewers at all)

The Beef: Directions

1. Mix everything but the beef in a large bowl.

2. Put beef into marinade, and let it marinate for at least 2 hours in the fridge.

3. If using bamboo skewers, soak in water for 30 minutes if you’re going to grill over flame.

4. Grill or broil 5 — 8 minutes depending on how well-done you like it.

5. Serve with peanut sauce and veggies.

The Peanut Sauce: Ingredients

1/2 cup boiling water

1/4 cup natural peanut butter 420 kcal

Juice of 1 lemon or lime 10 kcal

1 teaspoon of Splenda or Xylitol (granulated)

1/2 tablespoon Thai Kitchen Roasted Red Chili Paste 25 kcal

The Peanut Sauce: Directions

1. Add all ingredients to boiling water. Stir, lower heat, and simmer until it thickens some: about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

2. Pour over meat and/or veggies.

Nutrition

2,491 kcal per batch: divide it up according to your goals and needs. For example, 4 servings = 649 kcal per serving including 1 cup peas (26 kcal per servings), and 3 tablespoons peanut sauce. There is generally always left over peanut sauce and the alcohol cooks away, so the real calorie count is actually lower.

But enough damn recipes! Get out there and eat some beef!

Josef Brandenburg is an award-winning fat-loss expert based in DC, specializing in helping normal, busy people create the bodies they want, in the time that they actually have to create them. Visit his website and find out about The Body You Want’s 7 Day Free Trial.

Monday Munchies for Frozen Yogurt!

Welcome to the first edition to…… THE MONDAY MUNCHIES!!

For all of you out there that love ice cream in the summertime this posting is for you.  If you live in DC or any other city dancing with the frozen yogurt craze, you can see those cute cups everywhere!

One of these cute places has moved into my neighborhood in a very convenient place to my home.  Instead of giving in like the hundreds of people I see walking around with their little cups full of goodness I decided to kick my habit and create my own fruity version that will keep my ass looking oh so cute in my new jeans.  While I havent yet created over a dozen flavors and toppings  I promise this is just as good and even a bit rewarding.

Greek Yogurt Smoothie #1

1 cup Greek yogurt  (lots of protein and good fat)

2 tablespoons heavy cream (makes it rich)

1/4 cup orange seltzer water (liquid so your blender doesn’t get mad)

1 cup frozen berries of your choice (use less if you are really watching your carbs, they can add up)

2 packets of Splenda, Just like Sugar, or Fiberfit

-Throw it all together. Blend. Eat.

This is my favorite at the moment when you want something a bit more sinful…yum!

Greek Yogurt Smoothie #2

1 cup Greek yogurt  (lots of protein and good fat)

2 tablespoons heavy cream (makes it rich)

3 tablespoons of cup cherry seltzer water (liquid so your blender doesn’t get mad)

1 cup frozen cherries

2 heavy sprinkles of cinnamon (more or less to your taste)

2 packets of Splenda, Just like Sugar, or Fiberfit

-Throw it all together. Blend. Eat

You can also check out Josef’s low carb ice cream recipes here!!

Look Good & Taste Good – Cut Back On The Carbs, But Not On The Taste

For the record, the title is about your food tasting good.  I don’t know where your mind happens to be right now.

A big problem for most people is that when trying to clean up their diets, they aren’t really sure how to do that and still like what they eat.  Especially when going low carb.  Most people’s diet’s are based on refined carbs (that’s the problem in the first place), and changing this seems daunting.  “What am I going to eat?  I eat everything on a bun, or a crust…?”

(Side note:  Yep.  Low carb out performs low fat.  I’ve done a bunch of posts on that like this one and this one.  Also, on the idea that all calories are created equal – they are not.  And, on “research” to the contrary.  And, finally, on the “negative” health problems that people think associated with eating steak, or simply with increasing animal fat consumption – here and here.)

Kim (thank you!) brought in this article by South beach author Arthur Agatston from The Wash Post’s Express.

A bunch of other clients saw the piece that Kim brought me and asked me to Xerox it for them.  I thought the article had a lot of good ideas for “Cut The Carbs, Not The Flavor,” but I also thought a few of them could use some improvement, so here’s my spin:

#1.  Mashed Potatoes

Mashed potatoes are good, however, they aren’t necessarily all that helpful for most people’s waist line, health, or energy levels.  But, it’s very easy to make a cauliflower alternative in just a few minutes.

Mashed potatoes go from pure starch to starch-free.

#2.  Lasagna

With pretty much any lasagna recipe you can swap the noodles for thinly slices strips of zucchini.  Use a mandolin to slice it length-wise.  You can do it with a knife too, but it requires attention to how thick the slices are.  (It also requires more dexterity than I seem to possess.)  About ¼” seems to work best.

The article has you pre-cook them on a stove top.

I hate doing anything that adds extra time to a recipe, so, if I can cut a step, I cut it.  I don’t pre-cook, ‘cause stove top cooking the slices from 5 zucchini would take forever  (20+min in my world).

I stick the zuchini into the lasagna raw and into oven  raw.  It may need to bake a little longer, but, whatever, I don’t need to be there for the oven to bake it (about 45min at 425).  I can go read a book, write a program or watch an episode of House on DVD  (only 42min without the commercials).

Note:  if you do cook it raw, you’ll end up with a little extra water in the finished batch.  Use some pot holders to pour it off into your sink.  That takes about 60sec of active time.

This is my favorite new thing.  I can make a huge batch of this on Sunday and eat it ‘till Friday.  All I have to do is heat and eat.

#4.  Spaghetti

Spaghetti squash makes a pretty decent sub for regular pasta.  It’s really easy to make in the microwave.

You can put all the normal stuff on it – sauce, cheese, meatballs, chicken, etc.

The article says it has the same consistency as regular pasta.  I don’t think so.  It’s good and it handles the cravings but, it’s not the same.

#5.  Pancakes

The article tells you to make them with oatmeal and cottage cheese… I don’t know, for most people who have body fat to lose, that is probably going to be too much starch.  Personally, I would not eat that as a “healthy” meal, and I damn sure wouldn’t waste a cheat meal on oatmeal; so I don’t really see anywhere in my life I’d use that idea.

However, you don’t need the oatmeal after all.  You can make these crepes for a similar themed breakfast treat.  And, if you want something thicker, and more pancake-y you can try this version made with almond flour.  (By the way almond flour is much, much cheaper at Trader Joe’s vs. Whole Foods – like 50% less the last time I checked.)

Low Carb Pancakes

2 eggs

¼ cup water

1 tbsp vanilla

½ cup almond flour

¼ cup flax meal

¼ cup sugar alternative**

½ tsp baking powder

1/8 tsp salt

½ tsp baking soda

Cinnamon to taste

**You can use Splenda.  If you don’t like the idea of Splenda here are a few ideas:

#1.  Leave the sweetener out altogether, and remove the cinnamon, and make a savory pancake and roll it up around mushrooms and cheese.  Maybe you would like that would be better with the crepes.

#2.  Check out Just Like Sugar (nothing artificial and NO fructose whatsoever) – a very decent substitute.

#3.  Try liquid sucralose – the biggest problem that I have with Splenda (sucralose) is that the powder form has to be carried in maltodextrin – a refined carb, so, the powder form, in quantities big enough for cooking kinda defeats the purpose (kinda, but not completely).

Sucralose is so sweet that the quantity that you need for a cup of coffee would leave you nothing to put in the packet.  So, they use maltodextrin as a bulking agent.  In liquid form, you don’t need the maltodextrin.  It’s carried in water and fiber.

Directions

1.  Mix it all up

2.  Heat up a skillet with some sort of fat to keep it from cooking.  I think you’re better off with butter, as vegetable oil (unsaturated fatty acids) are not particularly heat stable, but saturated fat is.

3.  Pour batter into pan, and cook for 3-4min on side 1, and then 1min on the other side.  Makes 10-ish cakes.  (I never know how many it actually makes ‘cause I eat them as soon as I make them, so I am always guessing the total number.)

4.  Top with berries and maybe Greek yogurt, or something else creamy.

#6.  Pizza Crust

Their suggestion is to sub out the crust for a Portobello mushroom cap with the gills removed.

I tried this once a year or two ago, and it was OK.  I think there’s a reason I haven’t done it since – it’s a lot of work, for a relatively mediocre dish.  It turns out very watery no matter how long you cook it.

The Last 2

There were two more ideas in the article that I’ve never tried – using squash instead of potatoes fro hash browns.  Sounds interesting, but I have no idea how this works out.

The other was using tempeh (a fermented soy product) instead of potatoes for making scalloped potatoes.  Never tried this one either.  Their recipe is in the article.  I don’t think I’ll ever try this one.  I avoid soy as much as I can.  I spent far too many years eating 100+g of soy protein a day, and I will be paying for that mistake for the rest of my life.

If you try something, post your experience here.

Josef Brandenburg is 2010, Washington, DC  Personal Trainer of the Year Nominee for both Personal Fitness Professional Magazine and The Washington, DC Fitness Association, The DC Fitness Advisor and the Fitness Expert for the PCOS Challenge TV Show. He shows normal people with hectic lives and average genetics how to create the bodies they want in the time they actually have. To find out more about the 7-Day Free Trial click here. You can also pick up a FREE copy of his brand new CD – “Why Eat Less and Exercise More is The Worst Advice Ever” here.

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