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Jerk Burgers & Squash Chunky Fries
Welcome back y’all! As ever, I’m going to try and bring you something damn healthy which can be made damn cheaply. Today, there’s a simple concept, have a cheat meal or comfort food, whatever you want to term it, but make it yourself at home! Today’s menu doesn’t come much more comforting, here we have homemade jerk burgers & squash chunky fries. 
If buying a jerk spice, check the ingredient list. If it includes chemical sounding names and numbers in the list, pass and make your own. Sainsburys do a nice cheap own brand one. 
Squash fries over potato as squash is not a starchy carbohydrate and will not spike the blood sugars in the same way as the bog standard potatoes.

Ingredients:

(Serves 2 and probably a burger or 2 left for lunch the next day!)
– 1 medium squash 

– 1 500g pack of beef mince 

– 1 egg

– saturated fat such as goose fat or coconut oil (this is because these saturated fats a far more stable under high heats)

– 1 tble spoon of jerk spice or 1 tsp of chilli flakes, 1 tsp of cinnamon & 1 tsp of paprika 

– salt & pepper
Optional:

– half an onion diced
– 3 cloves of fresh garlic 

– feta cheese cubed 
Method: 

1. (if you choose to add), onion and garlic heated gently in pan till translucent and place to one side 
2. Cut up squash into ruff chunks, leaving the skin on. Place in a heat proof pan and liberally poor over oil/fat (I’ve found that using the goose fat gives a great flavour!). 
3. Ensuring all the chunks of squash are covered in oil, place the pan on a medium to high heat for around 30 minutes (or until they start to look crispy). 
4. While squash is cooking, place meet, spices, salt, pepper, (onions & garlic if done so) and egg in bowl and get your hands, giving it a a real good mix together. Now, if your super organised, do this the night or morning before you plan to cook. Cover the meet with cling film and leave in fridge. This will give the spices a real good chance to marinate the meat, massively adding to the flavour. 
4. Shape palm sized patties and, if chosen to add, place a small cube sized piece of feta in the middle of each patty. 
5. Heat 1 tble spoon of oil/fat on medium setting in frying pan. Place patties in pan and cook each side for 3/4 minutes, checking with knife that the parties are cooked through.
6. Serve burgers in lettuce leaves with chopped avocado and sliced tomato & cheese of your liking! 👌😘

Ok so hopefully you know the drill. Here’s a few things that have been going down for me over the last week. 

What am listening to? – The Mind Diet  podcast – Kyle Kingsbury episode 

Wow this dude just drops absolute knowledge bombs every other sentence. Kyle is an ex UFC Mixed Martial Arts, (MMA) fighter. 5 minutes in and he smashes every predjudice/stereotype/preconceived idea of what someone who fights for a living ‘should’ be like. 
On this podcast Kyle speaks about the use of CPD oils to deal with inflammation in the body, use of phycodelics to gain spiritual enlightenment and his own podcasting future. This is a good one but I’d highly recommend checking out the numerous other podcasts he appears on from joe rogan to living la viva low carb with famed keto advocate; Jimmie Moore.

What am I supplement with? 
Bulletproof High Octane MCT oil in my morning bulletproof coffee. As many will know the famed ‘bulletproof’ coffee consists of black coffee with a healthy slab of grass fed butter and medium-chain triglycerides (MCT) oils that are prevalent in coconut oil. 
Now the finer points of why bulletproof coffee is a good addition to your morning routine are for another post, but bulletproof’s high octane oil has been quite the addition in place of pure coconut oil. I’ve experimented with between 1 and 2 caps full and have found it to really improve my mental clarity when combined with morning fasting. 

What I’ve been trying out?

Intermittent fasting. After a successful 7 or 8 months going low carb/high fat, and having my interests peaked in fasting from the likes of Dr Dom Dagonstini, Jimmie Moore, Mark Sisson and Kyle Kingsbury, I decided to start my fasting experiment with with eating in compressed eating windows. 
As I have also been training for a Mauy Thai fight, I’ve been conscious of both cutting weight while retaining muscle and of course, still having enough in the tank for a hard workout. So I’ve not attempted anything to dramatic as yet. I’ve not gone past doing two days a week where I will hold off breakfast until around 1pm. This has meant about a 14 hour fast, aside from water and the bulletproof coffee with brain octane oil. 
Fasting is reportedly particularly good for your gut microbe colonies, acting to both kill of the less active and encourage growth of powerful new ones. Fasting also further enhances the body’s production ketones, which act as both a fuel source and neural protector. 
Ketones and the Ketogenic diet are getting a lot of press lately due to their healing qualities. Historically the diets have been used for children suffering with epilepsy as its served to reduce seizures. Within recent years however the diet has gained traction with endurance athletes. This, in short, is primarily due to the diet excelaraiting the body’s production of ketones. 
Ketones can be used as fuel source by the body and are produced by the liver. Adapting the body to choose ketones over the easier to access glucose that comes from a diet high in carbohydrates, requires the body to consume a diet extremely high in fat. It’s a fascinating (well, for those without active social life’s like me), bit of body mechanics that is far beyond my expertise to give it the justice it deserves in a summary explanation. 
So, in short I’ve covered a bit of ground with this one without even really scratching the surface proper on gut health and/or ketosis. Please leave a comment if to tell me what you reckon, what you got to add and if you want to hear more! 

Another free recipe idea that’s cheap, simple and nutritious? Why yes I hear you cry.

Alrighty, so here is a simple gluten free alternative to those amazing home cooked pancakes that *insert family member/friend* used to make. 

Ingredients:

Pancakes – 
(Serves 2)

– 2 bananas 

– 4 eggs 

– 1 tsp spoon of coconut oil

– 1/2 tsp of bicarbonate of soda

Berry compote –

– cup of frozen or fresh berries (I prefer blue berries and strawberries but whatever tickles your fancy)

– splash of water (2 splashes if berries are fresh)

Method: 

1. Put berries into a saucepan with water, cover and place on a low to medium heat.

2. Blend eggs, bananas & bicarbonate of soda together until smooth with no lumps.

3. Heat half of coconut oil on low to medium heat in a frying pan. When heated, pour saucer sized portion into frying pan.

4. When bubbles start to come through, flip edge of pancake. If brown, either fully flip or roll pancakes up. 

5. If flipped allow few minutes to heat other side (banana pancakes will cook much quicker). Remove, add more coconut oil and repeat.

6. Take off berries from heat and mash with potato masher, pour content into jug.

7. Now serve with a little honey, or my fave, cinnamon to sweeten – Boom! 🤘

Fish curry with cauliflower rice 
Serves 2 – 4

Ok, so this little number is a particular fave of mine and the Mrs as it’s pretty quick and damn tasty! (Even if I do say so myself). 
Ingredients:

– 2 heaped tble spoons of turmeric 

– 1 level tble spoon cinnamon 

– 1-2 tins of coconut cream 

– 2 level tble spoons of coconut oil 

– 1-2 onions 

– 2-4 cloves of garlic 

– fillet of fish (white fish preferred such as plaice or cod)

– 1 large cauliflower

Optional:
– courgette 

– raisins 

– cashew nuts 

– 1 tble spoon of coconut flour 

– extra virgin olive oil or butter 

– tea spoon of pepper 

– tea spoon chilli
Method:
1. Chop onions and garlic, place to one side. 

2. Chop fish into rough chunks 

3. Heat the coconut oil on a low to medium heat. When melted, add spices (chilly (optional!) turmeric and cinnamon)and mix together. ( I like to load up on the turmeric due to its anti inflammatory properties, if you wanted a sweater taste, increase the cinnamon. The cinnamon can help to balance your blood sugars by the way as well as offering a source of fibre, calcium and antioxidants). 

4. Add onions and garlic and heat for 3-4 mins (or until onion is translucent).

5. Add the fish and cook until fish is nearly cooked through, (depending on how long you have to allow it to sit a simmer in a low heat will dictate how much you want to cook the fish initially, ie less time – cook right through).

6. Add coconut milk. If you wish add nuts and courgette for extra flavour. Also add the coconut flour SLOWLY, this will thicken up the curry but can happen very quickly!

7. Place on low heat, cover and simmer for 5 – 20 mins depending on time and taste buds! 

8. Meanwhile wash and cut cauliflower into large chunks. Steam for around 10-12 mins. Remove, run under cold water (to save your hands!) and grate with cheese grater. Add a pepper and chunk of butter or liberally drizzle extra virgin olive oil if you wish for added flavour and health dose of nutritious fats!  

Serve and enjoy!