My Go-To Recipes for Prepping or Bulk Meals

This week I've had a few clients enter a deficit (fat loss phase) so I figured it was a perfect time to share some of my favorite recipes to make whenever I'm in the same boat - or just in general, because they're f*cking delicious.

These are all pretty simple to make and all tend to have a decent amount of protein in them or can be manipulated as such. They also help keep me full, which is key whenever you're eating a bit less than your body might be wanting.

Stick around below for three recipes to try and, if you try them, let me know! Tag me @apthul or @helmtraining.co on Instagram!

RECIPE # 1:

A very simple greek yogurt bowl with strawberries

My Favorite Thing About This ​– it satisfies my sweet tooth and high-protein.

​

Ingredients:

- Greek Yogurt (fat-free)

- Strawberries (or other fruit of choice)

- Stevia or zero cal sweetener of choice

Instructions:

1. Add yogurt (usually anywhere from 150-250g) to bowl.

2. Cut up strawberries (usually 100-200g) and top yogurt.

3. Sprinkle sweetener on top. Mix and enjoy!​​

This yogurt bowl is so simple. Quite literally, it's just yogurt and fruit.... in a bowl.​​

I have a nasty sweet tooth. I mean, just today I had a cookie. This yogurt bowl is an awesome option if you, like me, just need to satisfy a sweet tooth. And it's not easy to scarf down yogurt, so it takes a bit more time to eat and helps keep you full.

You can customize this however you like - add more fruit, add something crunchy, maybe try some sprinkles (pro tip: try the sprinkles). Plus if you're in a protein-bind, because of the fat free yogurt, it's a quality high-protein option.

RECIPE # 2:

A twist on Elote

My Favorite Thing About This ​– it has a ton of volume and is easily modified.

​

Ingredients:

- Protein of choice

- Sweet Corn (150g)

- Onion (50g)

- Center Cut Bacon (1 serv)

- Non-fat greek yogurt (75g)

- Cotija (10g)

- Cilantro, Garlic, Paprika, Cumin, Red Chili Pepper, Cayenne, Lime Juice

Instructions:

1. Slice onions and chop bacon.

2. Heat pan over medium and begin cooking bacon and onions. Cook until onions are soft - adjust heat so bacon doesn't fully crisp.

3. Add corn and all seasonings (paprika, cumin, cayenne, and red chili pepper) and garlic to pan. Add seasonings as desired (cayenne goes a long way if you have a hard time with spicy things like me). Stir thoroughly until corn is warm and seasonings are mixed in.

3. Remove corn mix from pan and begin cooking your protein of choice (we usually use sliced chicken or steak or ground beef - all seasoned the same as the elote). Cook to your liking.

4. Top the corn with greek yogurt, cilantro, lime juice, and cotija (parmesan is a good substitution here).

5. Add your protein and enjoy!​​

This might seem like a pretty difficult meal to cook, but it really only takes like 20 minutes!

​​It draws inspiration from the classic Mexican street corn, Elote. Except with this version you don't have to worry about eating it off the cob and it's packed with veggies and protein!

Take warning, though, this is a pretty high volume meal so whatever you add to it will only make it more so. Granted, whenever I cook this I usually have 6-8 ounces of some leaner meat with it, but if you're planning to try it with rice or anything, just be warned!

That's also one of the benefits of this recipe. It will help keep you full while tasting great. Be gentle on the seasonings though, it can get spicy.

RECIPE # 3:

This lean (& delicious) potato salad

(sorry y'all - this doesn't photograph well)

My Favorite Thing About This ​– who doesn't love anything potato-based? This is a great snack or side option, stores great, and surprisingly good protein in it!

Ingredients: for 2 "servings"

- Potatoes (~370g)

- Center Cut Bacon (2 serv)

- Onion (75g)

- Eggs (2)

- Celery or Celery Seed (as desired)

- Light or Fat Free Mayo (2-3 serv)

- Salt, Pepper

Instructions:

1. Take potatoes and cut into one-inch cubes. Cook until soft (you can boil them or use an instant pot for 7 minutes - I like the instant pot because you can cook the eggs at the same time a bit easier). Boil eggs at the same time.

2. Dice onions and chop bacon. Place onions in a large mixing bowl.

3. Heat pan over medium and begin cooking bacon. Cook until bacon has just started to crisp. Add bacon and grease to mixing bowl.

4. Once potatoes have cooked thoroughly, add to mixing bowl and mash. You don't have to be perfect here - it will continue to smooth as you go on.

5. Chop up boiled eggs and add to mixing bowl. Add in the mayo and celery / celery seed. Continue to mix until almost smooth.

6. Add salt and pepper while mixing, as desired.

7. Eat right away or enjoy cold!

​​​You all can thank Mel for this one. She introduced it to me and we've since tweaked it (very subtly) to get a bit more "bang for our buck" - aka slightly more protein.

​​If I have the story right, Mel got this recipe from one of her law school roommates. And my first reaction when I hear potato salad isn't typically one that's "oh this is a great thing to prep for a deficit or to help me get protein" but this one is.

Not because it's got a lot of high protein qualities to it, but more so because of the possibility. This recipe creates quite a bit of food - and it tastes GOOD. But, what we usually do is just pair it with a protein and, BAM, that's our meal. Potato salad and chicken, potato salad and steak, etc. The other added bonus (and this is a tip beyond just potato salad) is that you can always add a few more egg whites into the salad without affecting the flavor to get even more protein!

NEED A FEW MORE COOKING TIPS?

Here are my favorite ways to season meats:

Chicken

Season with Mediterranean Basil & Mesquite seasonings.

Burger Patties

Season with seasoned salt and Grippos seasoning.

Steak

Season with garlic salt, paprika, and cilantro.