Okay, I’ll admit it. I can be a little … shall we say bossy?
On a recent visit to my son, Brad, in Northern California, we spent a day cooking together. His kitchen, his recipes, his ingredients. His comment to me as we enjoyed the fruits of our labor was, “You sure don’t like being the sous chef, do you?” (I’m working on it.)
Brad’s been following Adam Hoad, a British cooking and fitness coach, whose easy, nutritious and flavorful recipe videos proliferate on social media. That day we made Hoad’s tortilla quiche and chocolate chip snack cake, and I asked Brad what he likes about Hoad’s recipes.
“They’re easy, nutritious, high protein, one-pan recipes that are very tasty,” he said. “He’s a fitness trainer and focuses on high-protein, lower-carb, easy-to-make meals.”
I called Brad tonight in preparation for this column, and coincidentally, he had made Hoad’s chicken cheese bake for dinner.
“The recipe called for orzo, but I used rice,” he said, “which you mix with Boursin cheese, spinach, grape tomatoes, shredded rotisserie chicken and chicken stock. I cooked it for 35 minutes at 350. Then you take it out and mix it all up, and the cheese mixed with the stock thickens the sauce and makes it very creamy. Then you sprinkle it with Parmesan cheese and cook it for another 10 minutes until it’s brown. It makes four servings at 540 calories per serving with 43 grams of protein.”
Watching a few of Hoad’s recipe videos proves they certainly are easy. The hardest thing about them for me was converting grams to cups, but that’s why they invented Google, right?
Hoad even mixes the ingredients of many of the recipes right in the baking pan, so there is less cleanup, too.
You’ll find 45 recipes in his ebook “One-Dish Meal Prep,” which he says is “for anyone who doesn’t want to spend a second longer in the kitchen than needed. Every recipe is under 15 minutes – ideal for anyone juggling work, family or training.”
As Hoad candidly reveals on Instagram: “Everyone’s journey looks different – this was mine. I didn’t grow up fit. I wasn’t naturally athletic. I started out as the chubby kid who just wanted to feel better in his own skin. What began with small changes turned into a lifestyle built on habits, not hacks. And along the way, it taught me resilience, patience, and discipline – skills that go way beyond the gym.”
His message inspires others to reach for their goals as well.
“No matter where you’re starting from, your journey is your own,” he said. “It doesn’t have to be perfect – it just has to be yours, and trust me, the lessons you pick up along the way will serve you for life.”
Fullerton’s Judy Bart Kancigor is the author of “Cooking Jewish” and “The Perfect Passover Cookbook.” Her website is cookingjewish.com.
SUPER SIMPLE HIGH PROTEIN TORTILLA QUICHE
Recipes are adapted from Adam Hoad, find him on Instagram @adamhoad_coaching
Yield: 4 servings
• 2 medium tortillas
• 4 large eggs
• 1/2 cup low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup feta cheese
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes (or more)
• 1/2 bag spinach (or more)
• 1/4 cup light cheddar cheese
• 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9-inch baking pan with vegetable spray.
2. Place tortillas in baking pan overlapping if necessary to cover bottom and sides.
3. Combine eggs, cottage cheese, feta cheese, tomatoes and spinach and pour over tortillas. Add salt and pepper to taste. Top with cheddar and Parmesan. Bake in preheated oven for 20 to 30 minutes or until cooked through and top is golden.
One serving contains calories: 201, protein: 15 g, carbs: 10 g, fat: 11 g.
SUPER SIMPLE HIGH PROTEIN SNACK
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients:
• 1 cup instant oats
• Scant 3/4 cup dates
• 1/2 cup grated carrot
• 3/4 cup nonfat milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup vanilla whey protein
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips
Method:
1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with vegetable spray.
2. Mix all ingredients except chocolate chips in a blender. Pour mixture into prepared pan. Top with chocolate chips. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean. Rest 10 minutes before removing from pan.
One serving contains calories: 162, Protein: 12 g, carbs: 21 gr, fat: 3 gr.