Summer Cutting Meal Plan: The Prep

It’s not too late to get cut for summer! I’m a firm believer that muscles are made in the kitchen, so if you’re looking to get those abs popping you may want to spend more time in the kitchen and less in the gym. There are a few different variations of my summer cutting meal plan but this one is relatively inexpensive and still packs about 2,500 calories a day. Being a hard-gainer I don’t typically ever eat less than 2,500 calories in any of my meal plans because I would lose weight too quickly. The objective of cutting is to shred any unwanted excess fat you gained over the bulking season, or just over the years, while retaining muscle volume and strength. This meal plan has worked for me and I’m confident it will work for you if you stick to it.

Grocery List

  • 4 Packages Strawberries – $10.00
  • 2 Packages Blueberries – $4.00
  • 5 Bell Peppers – $5.00
  • 3 Lemons – $2.97
  • 2.8 lbs. Asparagus – $5.57
  • 5 Lite Greek Yogurts – $4.00
  • Unsweetened Vanilla Almond/Coconut Milk – $2.99
  • Low Fat Cottage Cheese – $2.49
  • 3 Packages Hard-Boiled Eggs – $8.37
  • Chocolate Quaker Rice Cakes Popped – $1.50
  • Apple Cinnamon Quaker Rice Cakes Popped – $1.50
  • Lightly Salted Quaker Rice Cakes – $2.49
  • Natural Peanut Butter – $2.99
  • Lean Ground Turkey 93/7 – $4.19
  • 99% Extra Lean Ground Turkey – $4.49
  • 10 lbs. Chicken Breasts – $18.51

Grand Total: $81.06

Cooking Utensils

  • Cooking Pans
  • Cooking Pots
  • Rice Cooker
  • Food Scale
  • Strainer
  • Tinfoil
  • Cutting Board
  • Knife Set
  • Measuring Cup Set
  • Tupperware

Cooking Directions

Baked Lemon Pepper Chicken

  1. In a strainer, rinse the chicken
  2. Move the chicken to a cutting board and cut off any excess fat
  3. Cover cooking pan with tinfoil
  4. Place chicken on cooking pan with small separation between each piece
  5. Cut 2 – 3 lemons into 1/4 pieces
  6. Squeeze lemons over all the chicken
  7. Add desired amount of pepper
  8. Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  9. Place chicken in oven for 25 minutes

Stuffed Bell Peppers

  1. In a large cooking pan add a few splashes of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  2. Turn stove on to a medium-high heat
  3. After 5 minutes combine both packages of ground turkey
  4. Add desired seasoning
  5. Cook meat for 10 – 12 minutes or until meat is browned
  6. Remove ground turkey and let sit for 5 minutes
  7. In a strainer, rinse bell peppers
  8. On a cutting board, cut tops and stems off
  9. Remove core from the center
  10. Rinse bell pepper out to remove excess seeds
  11. Cover cooking pan in tinfoil
  12. Place bell pepper in cooking pan
  13. On a food scale, weigh 6 oz. of ground turkey
  14. Stuff turkey in bell pepper
  15. Place peppers in oven for 18 – 20 minutes

Rice

  1. Put 1 ½ cups of rice in rice cooker
  2. Add 3 cups of water
  3. The rice cooker will do the rest

Asparagus

  1. In a strainer, rinse asparagus
  2. On cutting board grab a handful of asparagus and cut off ends
  3. Then cut asparagus in half
  4. Place asparagus in glass baking dish
  5. Add a generous serving of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  6. Add desired amount of pepper
  7. Oven should already be preheated to 425 (because of the chicken)
  8. Place in oven for 25 minutes

Eggs

  1. On cutting board, cut egg in half
  2. Remove yolk from the center
  3. Place egg in plastic zip-lock bag

Broccoli

  1. Place 1 package of broccoli in medium cooking pot
  2. Fill with water until fully submerged
  3. Cook on medium high heat for 20 minutes

Ready To Package!

Now that you have all the food cooked lets package it up!

Meal One (5 Containers)

  • 8 oz. Chicken
  • 1/2 Cup Asparagus
  • 1/2 Cup Rice

Meal Two (5 Containers)

  • 8 oz. Chicken
  • 1/4 Cup Asparagus
  • 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Time To Eat

Remember there are many more meals to eat than just the two above so don’t forget to go check out the “Summer Cutting Meal Plan: Time To Eat” article and video now. That will give you a full breakdown of calories and when to eat these meals. Also please SUBSCRIBE to the Water Jug Fitness YouTube channel! Lastly, I love the feedback you guys have been sharing on other videos so please keep it coming.

Delicious Homemade Protein Bars

Do you often find yourself snacking on chips, candy or other unhealthy treats throughout your day? I’ve been there, it’s easy to fall into this trap. What if I told you I have a delicious homemade protein bar to curb your cravings? These bars are so good you’re not going to believe they can be healthy for you. This recipe will have all of your friends, family, and in my case coworkers asking for more. Another great thing about this recipe is it only requires 4 products you can get from almost any grocery store and no baking required. I hope you’re as excited to try these as I am to share them!

Ingredients

  • 34 oz. Mixed Nuts
  • 1/2 Cup PB2 (Powdered Peanut Butter)
  • 5 oz. Reduced Sugar Craisins
  • 1/2 Cup Honey

Cooking Utensils

Cooking Instructions

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine the mixed nuts, PB2, craisins and honey.
  2. With a spatula, mix the ingredients together thoroughly.
  3. Cover a baking pan with wax paper.
  4. Pour mixed ingredients onto the baking pan.
  5. With a spatula, spread and press the ingredients evenly.
  6. Place the baking pan in the freezer for 1 hour.
  7. Remove the baking pan from freezer, cut and enjoy.

It’s important to store these protein bars in the freezer until you’re ready to eat them. If you leave them out or store them in the refrigerator they will not hold together and become extremely messy. I had to learn this hard way.

Do you make your own protein bars or have a protein bar recipe you really like? Please leave a comment below and I would love to check it out. Always looking for new healthy recipes. Now be sure to go check out the Water Jug Fitness YouTube Channel for more healthy recipes. Also, go follow WaterJugFitness on Instagram and Twitter for daily fitness tips.

What’s With The Gallon Jug?

The Dude With The Jug

Have you ever seen someone in the gym carrying a gallon jug of water? That guys is usually me. But why? Well, one reason being I drink a gallon of water a day. Water has numerous benefits when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle. Check out few of the great water benefits you might not have known.

Water Benefits

  • Weight Loss
  • Food Suppressant
  • Boosts Metabolism
  • Flushes Toxins
  • Relieves Headaches
  • Healthier Looking Skin
  • Muscle Growth aka. GAINS
  • Improved Endurance

If you’re not drinking at least eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day you’re only hurting yourself.

What The Jug Has Done For Me

Whether you drink from a gallon jug, water bottle, or shaker it makes no difference. Drinking from a gallon jug just makes it simple to track my daily water intake. It also motivates me to drink more water and fewer carbonated beverages which are generally loaded with sugar. So the point here is not to get you to drink from a gallon jug, even though I hope you do. My point is to get you to look at your daily water intake and drink more.

Water Jug Motivation

My water jug motivates me to get in the gym! Almost every water jug I have has a motivational quote or something to inspire and keep me focused. Check out just a few of my jugs below and let me know what you think. Also, if you have any ideas on what else I could put on my jug I would love to hear it. Leave a comment and feel free to tag #WaterJugFitness on Instagram and Twitter with your own water jug pictures.

IMG_0046

Also be sure to check out the Water Jug Fitness YouTube channel for Fitness tips and motivation!

References
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hannah-helsabeck/10-amazing-benefits-of-dr_b_5798440.html
http://www.livestrong.com/article/424740-what-are-the-benefits-of-drinking-a-gallon-of-water-a-day/
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/ask-the-ripped-dude-can-water-help-me-lose-weight.html
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/water-for-weight-loss-diet

Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Feeding Time

It’s time to eat for those who have read both the Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Grocery List and the Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Prep And Pack articles. If you haven’t read these articles yet, you might be a bit lost going forward so I suggest checking them out now. You’ve turned the grocery list in part 1 into prepped and packaged meals. The only thing left to do is plan your meals to optimize growth. What do I mean by this? It’s crucial to plan your meals accordingly to when you workout.  I know they say breakfast is the most important meal of the day but in my world it’s the pre and post workout meals. Pre workout meals are going to provide energy throughout your workout and should include a good amount of protein and slow digesting carbs. Where as your post workout meal should be high in protein and fast digesting carbs for recovery and rebuilding muscle. Below is a full breakdown of my daily intake including calories for each meal, I usually workout from 6-7:30pm.

Part 3 Of 3

  1. Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Grocery List
  2. Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Prep And Pack
  3. Ultimate 4,000 Calorie Clean Bulking Meal Plan: Feeding Time

Eat Up, Meal Time

Full breakdown of meals and calories per meal.

Protein = P

Carbohydrates = C

Fats = F

Breakfast 1: 7:00 – 7:30am

(210 Calories P-26g/C-7g/F-8g)

Breakfast 2: 9:00 – 9:30am

(675 Calories P-35g/C-79g/F-25g)
  • 1 Cup Oats
  • 1 Red Delicious Apple
  • 4 Large Eggs

Lunch 1: 11:45pm – 12:15pm

(616 Calories P-61g/C-43g/F-27g)
  • 8 oz. Chicken
  • 8 oz. Potato
  • 1 Cup Broccoli
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Lunch 2: 2:00 – 2:30pm

(785 Calories P-41g/C-57g/F-47g)
  • 2 Slices 100% Whole Wheat Bread
  • 5 Whole Wheat Crackers
  • 1 Can Tuna In Water
  • 1 1/2 tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 1 tbsp. Reduced Fat Mayo
  • 1 tbsp. Dill Relish
  • 26 Almonds

Pre Workout Meal: 4:00pm

(660 Calories P-50g/C-75g/F-20g)

Post Workout Shake: 7:00pm – 7:30pm

(400 Calories P-41g/C-50g/F-4g)

Post Workout Meal 2: 8:00pm

(565 Calories P-62g/C-53g/F-12g)
  • 8 oz. Chicken
  • 1 Cup Rice
  • 1 Cup Broccoli
  • 16 oz. Unsweetened Almond/Coconut Milk

Snack: 10:00 – 10:30pm

(145 Calories P-18g/C-7g/F-5g)
  • 1/2 Cup LowFat Cottage Cheese
  • 1/4 Cup 4% Cottage Cheese

Protein: 329
Carbs: 371
Fat: 148
Total Calories: 4,026

You can do this! Believe me, I know it’s going to be hard eating this many calories but if you want to grow naturally you’ll find a way! Trust me when I say, it will get easier. I hope you enjoyed this meal plan! If you have any suggestions or want to chat about gaining weight please leave a comment below. Also, go follow WaterJugFitness on Twitter and Instagram for daily fitness tips, dieting and motivation.