Let's Talk About Carb Cycling

Carb cycling is a fat loss strategy commonly used by elite bodybuilders which is recently getting a lot of attention. It promises to make you lose fat and build muscle by keeping your metabolism in top form through a rotation between low carb and high carb days1.
In fact, carb cycling - scientifically referred to as the Cyclic Ketogenic Diet or CKD - is nothing else but a low carb diet with intermittent periods of high or moderate carbohydrate consumption. In other words, periods of low-carb, high protein and high fat intake are cycled with periods of high carb, high protein and low fat2.
Turns out, carb cycling might be one of the most effective ways to lose fat and build muscles.

Sweet Potato Paleo Brownies

This is the story of an incredible recipe for outrageous brownies.
But let’s take baby steps.
Over a year ago I saw a recipe for caveman brownies on Pinterest made with sweet potatoes.
One that was pinned quite a lot. I was intrigued, so I printed it out and waited for the right time to bake them.
Unfortunately that time never came; and the print-out got lost in one of the stacks of papers that are precariously placed around my room.
But just as the One Ring in the Lord of The Rings, the recipe waited to reveal itself to me just when I needed: Yesterday.
You see, I’m drastically cutting on sugars this week (I’m trying to lower my body fat to 6%-8% to get ready for a triathlon I’m competing in next Saturday). I do struggle though.
I’ve always been one of those people that needs something sweet after lunch and dinner. It’s doesn’t have to be fancy, just something to satisfy my sweet tooth and stop it from nagging me.

Blueberry Pre-Workout Smoothie

Smoothies are an ideal snack pre-workout as they are a cinch to make, portable, easy to digest and deliver the necessary nutrients to your muscles quickly. They also allow the time between eating and working out to be shortened, a lot.

"IKEA" Swedish Meatballs

I dread going to IKEA. Not because of what they sell (which is great), but because of the crowds.
I get more stressed going to IKEA than training outdoors during a heatwave.
To be honest, IKEA in New York (Brooklyn) is a great store, located in an awesome spot on the riverfront. Clients can enjoy a magnificent view of the City while shopping. Plus there’s a complimentary water taxi service that takes you from Manhattan’s Pier 11 directly to IKEA. Nice.
However, I still don’t find going there to be a pleasant experience. Maybe when I’m older I will, just not today.

Cauliflower Crust Calzone

After the HUUUGE success I experienced with my cauliflower crust pizza marinara and cheese pizza, I felt the time was ripe to try something new involving cauliflower crust.
As I was making up my mind, the other day - on my way back from the gym - I walked by a pizza parlor and noticed some pretty good looking calzones in the window.
That’s when it hit me: cauliflower crust calzone! Rad.

Zucchini Pizza Bites

 Let’s say you find yourself in the kitchen at 7:30 p.m. and you need to whip up something stellar in a wee bit-of-time. Let’s also add that you want some healthy, tasty, filling, and that involves a good amount of veggies. Well my friend, then this might be just the right recipe for you.

Skinny Apricot Loaf Cake

I'm getting bored with my breakfast lately. Oatmeal during the summer is kind of hard for me.
Smoothies? Yes. All the time? Almost. But sometimes it’s also nice to dig your teeth into something with some consistency to it. Munching is an activity deserving much more credit than it receives.
Not sure? Go on a juice cleanse for three days and then we can discuss the topic thoroughly.
As I was wrapping my head around what to make, my beloved aunt G called me over the phone to tell me about this amazing apricot cake she just baked. No butter, no oil, just yogurt and a lot of ripe apricots. Sounded almost too good to be true.
I had just bought 2 full pounds of delicious apricots at the Farmers’ market, so I just knew I had to bake this.

It's Summer, Give Swimming A Chance

Credit: Image courtesy of swimmingpeople.tumblr.com

I know that not many of you are fond of swimming and this is particularly true during the colder months. Throughout the years I've tried to convince many friends that swimming (just like ice-cream) can also be enjoyed when outside it’s freezing; but I have always failed.
I get that the thought of getting into your swimsuit and jumping into cold water when outside snowing is not exactly appealing. Or better yet, I try to understand this, because I believe that it’s just a lazy excuse to slack off.
Anyway, now it’s summertime and a refreshing dive might just be what you need to the cool off the heat. So I do urge to take this chance and make swimming part of your workout routine and maybe, by the time Fall rolls around, you won’t be able to give it up.

Grilled Ratatouille Muffuletta

The Muffuletta is a sandwich that hails from New Orleans. It’s sold in bakeries (and street carts) as an entire loaf of bread, cut in half and layered with a piquant olive spread and various meats and cheeses. A whole muffuletta can easily feed four hungry people.

Italian Polenta Pie

Polenta is not exactly a summer food. I get that. But last night while I was doing intervals along the river I started craving polenta. I have no idea why, but I just did. So by time I got back home I needed polenta; badly.
I had eggplants and tomato sauce, so I created this simple yet wonderful polenta dish. Full of flavors and so Italian. To me any dish involving eggplant, tomato and basil deserves to be labeled as “Italian”. So here it is, a magnificent Italian Polenta Pie.

Many are intimidated to try polenta at home. You hear lots of things about how it can become rubbery, or you have to stir forever. It’s none of these things. You just have to nail the correct ratio polenta : water and you’re good to go. And trust me, the proportions I give you in this recipe work pretty well.
Polenta is a thicker cornmeal. It absorbs water and thickers as it cooks, just like oatmeal. No biggies. It cooks pretty fast and you don’t have to do anything besides stirring every now and then.



You might also need to dodge hot polenta splatters when it first starts to boil. But that’s about it.


Thing with polenta it’s that it’s gluten-free, pretty low calorie, almost fat-free and very tasty. When paired with ton a of veggies, it makes for a complete meal full of goodness. All in all this dish is winner. Yes, one more click to convince you: BAM!



Italian Polenta Pie                                                                                                    Print this recipe! 
Inspired by PinchOfYum

Few notes. This recipe makes for quite a lot of food, so cut quantities in half if you have to feed a smaller crowd. It may look like I used a ton of cheese but it was actually less than a cup, and you might as well skip it if you don’t feel like it.

Ingredients
Serves 8

Polenta

1 ½ cups polenta
6 cups water
1 + 2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt

Eggplant mixture

2 large eggplants (about 2 ½ lb / 1.2 kg), cubed (not sure how to cube an eggplant? Look here)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
handful fresh basil leaves, chopped
1 29 oz / 822 gr can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons fine grain sea salt
½ cup water

Toppings

Mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese)
Fresh basil
Red pepper flakes (optional)

Directions

Fill a large bowl with cold water, add 1 teaspoon of salt and stir until salt dissolves completely.
Place eggplant. Let eggplant sit at least for 20 minutes to draw out the bitterness. Drain eggplant cubes and pat them dry.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large non-stick pan (I used a non-stick wok) over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute’ for 1 minute, add eggplant cubes and saute’ for 10 minutes stirring every so often, making sure that the eggplant doesn’t stick to the pan.
Add tomato sauce, water, basil, red pepper flakes and 1 teaspoon of salt, turn the heat to low, cover with a lid and cook for 25 to 30 minutes.
In the meantime make the polenta. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large non-stick pan, add 2 teaspoons of salt and, using a whisk, add the polenta making sure no lumps form. Continue cooking stirring once in a while to prevent it from sticking all over the bottom (also be careful that the polenta tend to splatter so use a lid). Polenta will thicken as it cooks.
Cook for about 20 to 25 minutes for a soft polenta, adding a little more water if necessary.
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C).
Arrange the eggplant mixture in the bottom of a baking dish and spread polenta evenly over the top. Cover with mozzarella cheese (or vegan cheese) and bake in the oven for 10 minutes, turn on the broiler and bake for another minute until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Serve sprinkled with chopped fresh basil and a couple of pinches of red pepper flakes if you want to add a kick.

Nutrition facts

One serving scores 298 calories, 5.5 grams of fat, 51 grams of carbs and 8.1 grams of protein.