Author: angelinaakisti

  • Avocado Toast and Poached Egg

    Avocado Toast and Poached Egg

    Recipe · TRT / Breakfast / Balanced

    Avocado Toast and Poached Egg

    A lighter morning than my usual — proper wholegrain toast, half a ripe avocado smashed with lemon, and one soft poached egg sat on top. About 410 calories and 24 grams of protein. It won’t fill you the way steak and eggs does, and I’ll show you exactly how to build it up when you want more. But on a slow morning, it’s a gentle, balanced start I keep coming back to.

    GoalTRT
    Total time15 min
    Servings1 plate
    Protein / serving24 g
    Calories / serving410 kcal
    Wholegrain toast topped with smashed avocado and a soft poached egg on a plate under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    I’ll be honest with you up front: this is the lightest breakfast on the whole site, and I’m not going to pretend it’s a protein bomb. Twenty-four grams is a fine start to a day, not a finish line. But there are mornings — the ones after a heavy training block, or when I just want to sit at the window with a coffee and not feel like I’ve eaten a brick — when this is exactly what I want. One soft poached egg, half an avocado smashed with a squeeze of lemon, and a slice of real wholegrain bread underneath to carry it all.

    I started keeping avocados in the house properly after I went on TRT in my mid-thirties. Not because they do anything clever for your numbers — they don’t, and I’d never tell you they did — but because they’re an honest source of the kind of fats and potassium I like having on a plate when I’m eating for steady energy through a long day. The toast gives me a bit of fibre and the egg brings complete protein and a hit of B12. It’s three plain things that happen to sit really well together. No medical claim in there anywhere. Just a man telling you what’s on his plate and why he likes it.

    The thing most people get wrong is doing it as fat on starch and stopping there — half an hour later they’re hungry again and cross about it. So I do it properly: a good seeded slice with some real protein in it, the avocado seasoned so it tastes of something, and the egg poached soft so the yolk runs into the mash. Once you’ve had that, you understand why people make a fuss. It’s a small, gentle plate. Treat it like one, and build it up when you need more — I’ll show you how, and I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    This is a light, balanced breakfast that flexes hard depending on what you need from your morning. The toast, avocado and egg stay the same; you steer the protein and the calories with what you add on top.

    On a cut

    Trim it down

    Use a thinner slice of bread, drop the avocado to a quarter, and poach two eggs instead of one. You actually nudge the protein up and the calories down at the same time — the numbers are in the variations below.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Second slice of toast, the whole avocado, two poached eggs, and a spoon of cottage cheese under the mash. That turns a light breakfast into a proper plate without losing what makes it good. Numbers below.

    On TRT

    A gentle morning plate

    The plate as written, with one honest caveat: it’s lighter on protein than I’d usually run. For a steady-energy morning that doesn’t sit heavy, it’s lovely. Want it to carry you to lunch? Add a second egg or a layer of cottage cheese — see the variations for the maths.

    Timing: this is a morning plate, especially a slower one — a weekend, or a rest day when you don’t need a heavy breakfast sitting on you. It also makes a quiet, good lunch. Just know going in that it’s the light option; if you’ve trained hard and you’re properly hungry, build it up before you sit down.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 plate. Cooking for two? Double everything, and poach the eggs in one wide pan with plenty of water so they’ve got room to swirl.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Wholegrain or seeded bread1 slice · 50 g · 1.8 oz
    • Avocado, ripe half a medium one75 g · 2.6 oz
    • Egg, large fresh as you can get1
    • Lemon juice1 tsp · 5 ml
    • White vinegar for the poaching water1 tsp · 5 ml
    • Chilli flakes optionala pinch
    • Black pepperto taste
    • Flaky saltto taste

    Swaps I actually use: the bread is where you win protein — a high-protein or heavily seeded loaf carries far more than a plain slice, so reach for that. Sourdough is grand too. The other easy win is the protein on top or underneath: a soft second egg, a fold of smoked salmon, or a thin layer of cottage cheese spread on the toast under the avocado, where it disappears into the mash and adds a clean few grams. No lemon? A splash of vinegar in the avocado keeps it green the same way.

    03Step by step

    Toast the bread

    Toast it properly first

    Get the bread toasting before anything else — you want it a real golden brown with a firm crust. Pale toast goes soggy the second wet avocado lands on it. A good crisp base is the floor the whole plate stands on, so toast it darker than you think.

    Magnus says: a sturdy slice holds everything. Limp toast collapses under the egg every time.

    A slice of seeded bread toasted golden and crisp
    Smash the avocado

    Mash it with lemon and salt

    Scoop half the avocado into a bowl. Add the lemon juice, a pinch of flaky salt and a grind of pepper, and smash it with a fork. Leave it a bit rough — you want texture, not baby food. Taste it; under-seasoned avocado is the most common way this plate falls flat, so don’t be shy with the salt and acid.

    Magnus says: the lemon isn’t optional. It wakes the avocado up and keeps it green.

    Half an avocado being smashed in a bowl with lemon, salt and pepper
    Poach the egg

    Gentle simmer, vinegar, a slow swirl

    Bring a deep pan of water to a bare simmer — small bubbles rising, not a rolling boil — and stir in the vinegar. Crack the egg into a small cup first, give the water a gentle swirl, and slide the egg into the centre of the spin. Leave it about three minutes for a soft yolk, then lift it out with a slotted spoon. Don’t poke it; the swirl wraps the white around the yolk for you.

    Magnus says: fresh eggs poach tidy, old ones spread into rags. That’s the egg, not you.

    An egg being poached in gently swirling simmering water in a deep pan
    Cottage cheese (optional)

    The quiet protein layer

    If you want more protein, spread a thin layer of cottage cheese over the hot toast before the avocado goes on. It melts in a little, you won’t really taste it under the lemon and salt, and it lifts the plate by a clean few grams. Skip it if you’re keeping things simple.

    A thin layer of cottage cheese spread over warm toast
    Assemble

    Avocado down, egg on top

    Spread the smashed avocado over the whole slice, right to the edges, so every bite has some. Rest the poached egg on a folded piece of kitchen paper for a few seconds to drain — wet egg makes wet toast — then settle it on top of the avocado.

    Smashed avocado spread to the edges of the toast with a drained poached egg set on top
    Finish it

    Chilli, salt, eat straight away

    Scatter the chilli flakes over, a last grind of pepper and a little flaky salt across the egg, and take it to the table. Cut in while the yolk’s still soft and let it run down into the avocado. Don’t let it sit — this is a plate for eating now.

    Magnus says: break the yolk at the table, not in the pan. That run of gold over the avocado is the whole point.

    Finished avocado toast and poached egg dusted with chilli flakes and flaky salt

    04How to poach an egg that holds

    Poaching scares people off, and it shouldn’t. Three things do almost all the work, and once you’ve got them it’s the easiest egg there is.

    Use the freshest egg you can. A fresh egg has a tight, firm white that clings to the yolk; an older egg has a loose, watery white that spreads into ragged threads the moment it hits the water. If your eggs aren’t new, crack one into a cup first and tip off the thin runny white before it goes in.

    Keep the water at a bare simmer. You want the surface trembling with the odd small bubble, not a rolling boil. A hard boil batters the egg apart. If it’s roaring, drop the heat and wait a moment before you start.

    Swirl, then drop into the middle. A gentle swirl pulls the white in around the yolk as it sets. Crack the egg into a cup, lower the cup almost to the surface, and let it slide into the centre of the spin. The vinegar helps the white firm up faster — you won’t taste it once the egg’s drained.

    05The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. The plate as written is one serving, about 220g of finished food. Here’s what that serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy410 kcal186 kcal
    Protein24.0 g10.9 g
    Carbohydrate32.0 g14.5 g
    — of which sugars4.0 g1.8 g
    Fat24.0 g10.9 g
    — of which saturates5.5 g2.5 g
    Fibre9.0 g4.1 g
    Sodium~0.55 g~0.25 g
    Calorie density
    186 kcal / 100g

    Moderate. The avocado and yolk carry most of the calories here, which is what makes a small plate feel a bit more satisfying than the protein number alone would suggest.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    5.9 g / 100 kcal

    Honestly, this is the soft spot of the plate. The fats and the toast pull the ratio down, so if protein is what you’re chasing this morning, add a second egg or some cottage cheese — see the variations.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Choline~150 mg · 27% DV
    • Vitamin B12~0.6 µg · 25% DV
    • Folate~115 µg · 29% DV
    • Potassium~640 mg · 14% DV
    • Vitamin E~2.6 mg · 17% DV
    • Selenium~18 µg · 33% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with the size of your avocado and the bread you use. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    06Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One plate, three jobs. The method never changes — you adjust the bread, the avocado, and the protein on top. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    Lean it out

    Thinner slice of bread, drop the avocado to a quarter, and poach egg whites or one whole egg with the avocado scaled back. You keep the running yolk and the flavour but pull the fat and calories right down for a lean morning.

    280Kcal
    16G Protein
    14G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    Two slices of toast, the whole avocado, two poached eggs, and a spoon of cottage cheese under a generous layer of mash. That’s where this plate finally pulls its weight on protein without losing the easy charm.

    620Kcal
    34G Protein
    34G Fat
    TRT

    Light & balanced

    The plate exactly as written: one slice of wholegrain toast, half an avocado, one soft poached egg. A gentle, steady-energy start. Add a second egg if you want it to hold you longer.

    410Kcal
    24G Protein
    24G Fat

    07Meal prep & storage

    I’ll be straight with you — this is a cook-fresh plate, and there’s no getting around it. Avocado browns the moment it meets air, a poached egg goes rubbery in the fridge, and toast doesn’t keep. But there’s a little you can do to make the morning faster.

    Avocado
    cut fresh

    Cut and smash it the moment you want it. If you must prep ahead, press cling film right onto the surface and add extra lemon — it slows the browning a few hours, but it’s never as good as fresh.

    Eggs
    poach to order

    Always poach to order — three minutes, every time. A fresh soft yolk is the whole reason to make this. Don’t cut that corner.

    Bread
    keep on hand

    The only thing you can genuinely keep ahead. A good loaf freezes well sliced — toast it straight from frozen so you’ve always got the base ready.

    If you want a TRT breakfast that actually batches for a busy week, this just isn’t one, and I’d rather tell you that than pretend. Keep good bread and fresh eggs in the house and toast and poach to order — it takes fifteen minutes, and it’s so much better fresh that there’s no real reason to do it any other way.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    08Common questions

    What’s the best bread for this? +

    A good wholegrain or seeded loaf, and ideally a high-protein one if you can find it. The bread is where you make or lose the protein on this plate — a heavily seeded or protein-enriched slice can carry several grams more than plain white, with better fibre to boot. Sourdough is lovely for flavour and structure too. Just toast it properly so it holds the wet avocado.

    How do I poach the egg without it falling apart? +

    Three things: use the freshest egg you’ve got, keep the water at a bare simmer rather than a boil, and stir a slow swirl before you slide the egg in. Crack it into a cup first so it goes in clean and low to the surface, and a teaspoon of vinegar helps the white firm up fast. If your eggs are older and spreading anyway, that’s the eggs, not your technique.

    How do I add more protein to this? +

    This is the lighter plate on the site at 24g, so a few easy moves push it up. Use two eggs instead of one. Reach for a high-protein or heavily seeded bread. And spread a thin layer of cottage cheese on the toast under the avocado — it disappears into the mash and adds a clean few grams. Stack all three and you’re well past 30g while it still feels like the same gentle breakfast.

    Can I use a fried egg instead of poached? +

    Of course. A fried egg with a soft yolk works just as well on top — fry it gently so the yolk stays runny to spill into the avocado. It’ll add a touch of fat if you use oil in the pan, so nudge the avocado back a little if you’re watching calories. Poaching keeps it leaner, but cook the egg the way you’ll actually enjoy.

    Can I make the avocado ahead? +

    Not really, and I’d rather be honest than sell you on it. Avocado browns the second it hits air. If you absolutely must, smash it with extra lemon, press cling film right onto the surface, and use it within a few hours — but cut fresh always wins. It’s a thirty-second job in the morning anyway.

    From my 7-day TRT plan

    This breakfast lives inside a full week of meals.

    Avocado toast is one of the lighter plates in my 7-day TRT plan — a week of balanced, protein-forward meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the TRT meal plan
    Avocado toast and poached egg plated as part of a TRT meal plan under cold light

    09Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Ribeye and Sauteed Spinach

    Ribeye and Sauteed Spinach

    Recipe · TRT / Meat / High-protein

    Ribeye and Sautéed Spinach

    A proper ribeye, seared hard and rested right, with a pan of spinach wilted down in garlic butter and all the steak’s own juices. The whole plate lands around 640 calories with 52 grams of protein. It cooks in about 25 minutes, and it’s the plate I come back to when I want to feel fed, not just fuelled.

    GoalTRT
    Total time25 min
    Servings1 big plate
    Protein / serving52 g
    Calories / serving640 kcal
    Pan-seared ribeye steak resting beside a pile of garlic-buttered spinach on a plate under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    For years I told myself a steak like this was something you had to bargain for. Train hard enough, diet long enough, and maybe at the weekend you’d be allowed a ribeye, eaten fast and half-guilty before the feeling passed. That was a daft way to live, and it took me too long to drop it. Food isn’t a debt. A good steak is just good food, and you’re allowed to enjoy it on a plain Tuesday for no reason at all.

    This is the plate I come back to. A ribeye has fat running all through it, which is exactly why it tastes the way it does and exactly why people get nervous about it — and I’d rather you ate it cooked properly and counted honestly than nibbled something joyless and felt cheated. So I sear it hard, baste it in butter, rest it like it matters, and wilt a big pile of spinach down in the same pan so nothing good gets wasted. Rich, yes. Real, very much so.

    I make this when I want my dinner to feel like an event without it actually being one. Twenty-five minutes, one pan, a steak and a heap of greens. It’s the richest plate I keep in steady rotation, and on my own days it’s the one that leaves me settled rather than wanting. Real meat, real numbers, no apology attached. Cook it once, rest it properly, and you’ll understand the whole thing — I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    A ribeye and a pan of spinach is a brilliant base because the steak does the heavy lifting on protein and flavour, and what you put beside it decides the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    Lean it out

    Swap the ribeye for a trimmed sirloin and cut the butter back to a teaspoon, leaning on the garlic and the steak’s own juices. Same plate, same spinach, a good bit less fat. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Keep the full ribeye and add a baked potato or a bowl of rice alongside, with the spinach finished in extra butter. Easy, satisfying calories without anything fried or fussy. Macros are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    The default plate

    The ribeye and the garlic-butter spinach exactly as written, no carbs needed. This is the version I eat as-is — rich, full of good fats and protein, and one of the plates I come back to most often.

    Timing: this is a rich, slow-burning plate, so I tend to keep it for a proper evening meal rather than straight after training. It sits well, keeps you full for hours, and a ribeye is always best eaten fresh and rested rather than reheated.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 big plate — one generous serving. Cooking two steaks? Sear them one at a time so the pan stays screaming hot and they sear rather than stew.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Ribeye steak about 2.5 cm thick220 g · 7.8 oz
    • Fresh spinach150 g · 5.3 oz
    • Butter1 tbsp · 14 g
    • Garlic, finely sliced3 cloves
    • Neutral oil for the sear1 tsp · 5 ml
    • Flaky saltto taste
    • Black pepper, coarseto taste
    • Lemon, juice of optional¼ lemon

    Swaps I actually use: if you want it leaner, a trimmed sirloin or a thick flat-iron gives you most of the same satisfaction for fewer fats — same method exactly. No butter, or watching the saturated fat? A spoon of olive oil wilts the spinach perfectly well; you lose a little richness, not much. Baby spinach wilts faster than the big leaves, so go gentle on it. A handful of mushrooms in the pan after the steak is never a bad idea.

    03Step by step

    Temper & dry

    Let it come up, then pat it bone dry

    Take the steak out of the fridge 30 minutes before you cook, so it isn’t fridge-cold in the middle. Just before it hits the pan, pat the whole surface properly dry with paper towel. A wet steak steams and goes grey instead of building that dark crust.

    Magnus says: a dry surface is the whole secret to a good crust. Don’t rush this bit.

    A thick ribeye steak being patted dry with paper towel on a board
    Season

    Salt and pepper, generous and even

    Season both sides hard with flaky salt and coarse black pepper, right up to the edges — a steak this size can take more than you’d think. Press it on gently so it sticks. Leave it a minute while the pan gets properly hot.

    Ribeye steak seasoned with flaky salt and coarse pepper on both sides
    Sear & baste

    Hot pan, then butter and spoon

    Get a heavy pan very hot, add the teaspoon of oil, and lay the steak down away from you. Sear hard for about 2 to 3 minutes a side for medium-rare, then drop in the butter and a couple of crushed garlic cloves, tilt the pan, and spoon the foaming butter over the top for a minute. That basting is what carries the garlic flavour right through the crust.

    Magnus says: basting isn’t showing off. The hot butter cooks the top gently and seasons the whole steak.

    Ribeye searing in a hot pan being basted with foaming garlic butter
    Rest it

    Off the heat, hands off, five minutes

    Move the steak to a warm plate or board and leave it alone for 5 minutes. This is not optional. Resting lets the juices settle back through the meat instead of running out the second you cut it — slice it early and you’ll lose half the reason you bought a ribeye.

    Magnus says: resting feels like waiting for nothing. It’s the difference between juicy and dry. Wait.

    Seared ribeye steak resting on a wooden board under cold light
    Wilt the spinach

    Same pan, garlic, all the juices

    While the steak rests, put the pan back on a medium heat with all its butter and browned bits. Add the sliced garlic, let it sizzle for 30 seconds, then pile in the spinach and toss until it wilts right down — a minute or two. Tip in any juices the resting steak has thrown off.

    Fresh spinach wilting in garlic butter in the steak pan
    Plate & spoon over

    Steak, spinach, juices over the top

    Lay the spinach on the plate and the rested steak beside it. Spoon every last bit of garlic butter and resting juice from the pan and board back over the meat, a squeeze of lemon if you like, a final scatter of flaky salt. Eat it while it’s hot.

    Plated ribeye and garlic-buttered spinach with juices spooned over the steak

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes one big plate, about 320g of cooked food once the steak loses a little weight in the pan. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy640 kcal200 kcal
    Protein52.0 g16.3 g
    Carbohydrate4.0 g1.3 g
    — of which sugars1.0 g0.3 g
    Fat46.0 g14.4 g
    — of which saturates20.0 g6.3 g
    Fibre2.0 g0.6 g
    Sodium~0.65 g~0.20 g
    Calorie density
    200 kcal / 100g

    Moderate-to-rich. A ribeye carries real fat, so the calories ride higher than a lean plate — that’s the trade for how satisfying it is. A genuinely filling dinner that holds you for hours.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    8.1 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. Lower than a lean cut plate because of the steak’s fat, but still a solid haul of protein per calorie from a meal this rich and easy to eat.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Vitamin B12~5.0 µg · 208% DV
    • Zinc~9 mg · 82% DV
    • Selenium~35 µg · 64% DV
    • Vitamin K~360 µg · 300% DV
    • Iron~5 mg · 28% DV
    • Folate~130 µg · 33% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One method, three jobs. The sear-rest-wilt routine stays the same — you adjust the cut of meat and what sits beside it. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    Lean it down

    Swap the ribeye for a trimmed sirloin and drop the butter to a single teaspoon, wilting the spinach in the steak’s juices and a little oil. Same big, satisfying plate with the fat pulled right back.

    480Kcal
    54G Protein
    26G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    Keep the full ribeye and add a baked potato or 180g of cooked rice alongside, with the spinach finished in extra butter. Easy clean calories for a hard-training day or a low appetite.

    880Kcal
    56G Protein
    47G Fat
    TRT

    The default plate

    The ribeye and garlic-butter spinach exactly as written, no carbs added. Rich, full of good fats and protein, and one of the plates I keep in steady rotation on my own days.

    640Kcal
    52G Protein
    46G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    A ribeye is best the moment it’s rested, not reheated — that’s just the honest truth of it. But if you’ve cooked a second one or you’re saving leftovers, here’s how to treat it so it doesn’t go grey and tough.

    Fridge
    3 days

    Store the steak and spinach together in an airtight container. Slice the steak only when you’re ready to eat so it keeps its juices.

    Freezer
    Not ideal

    I don’t freeze cooked steak — the texture turns dry and the spinach goes watery. Freeze the raw ribeye and cook it fresh instead.

    Reheat
    Low & gentle

    Slice it cold, then warm it for seconds only in a pan with a knob of butter — just to take the chill off. Blast it and a rested steak turns grey and chewy.

    If you want this for the week, my honest advice is to keep raw ribeyes portioned in the freezer and cook one fresh on the night. A steak only needs five minutes in the pan and five to rest — it’s barely more effort than reheating, and it tastes a world better.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    How do I cook a ribeye to medium-rare? +

    For a steak about 2.5cm thick, sear it in a very hot pan for roughly 2 to 3 minutes a side, basting in butter at the end. If you’ve got a thermometer, pull it at about 52°C in the middle — it’ll climb a few more degrees while it rests. No thermometer? Press the steak; medium-rare gives a little but springs back. With practice you’ll just know.

    Why do I have to rest the steak? +

    Because cutting it straight away dumps the juices all over the board instead of keeping them in the meat. Five minutes resting lets everything settle back through, so each bite stays juicy. It feels like dead time, I know — but it’s the single biggest thing standing between you and a dry steak. Wait it out.

    Cast iron or nonstick? +

    Cast iron, every time, if you have it. It holds a fierce, even heat that a nonstick simply can’t, and that’s what gives you a proper dark crust. A heavy stainless pan works nearly as well. Use nonstick only if it’s all you’ve got, and don’t push the heat past where the coating’s happy.

    Isn’t ribeye too fatty to eat often? +

    Ribeye is a rich, fatty cut — that’s exactly why it tastes so good, and there’s nothing wrong with enjoying it as part of a varied week of eating. If you want it more often with less fat, a trimmed sirloin gives you most of the satisfaction for fewer calories; I’ve put those numbers in the Cut variation above. What’s right for your own diet and any health needs is a conversation for you and your doctor — I just cook the food and count it straight.

    What can I serve instead of spinach? +

    Anything that takes a quick wilt or a fast cook in the steak pan. Tenderstem broccoli, chard, kale, or a pile of mushrooms all soak up the garlic butter beautifully. Keep it simple — the steak is the star, and the greens are there to carry those juices and give you something fresh to chew against the richness.

    From my 7-day TRT plan

    This plate lives inside a full week of meals.

    This ribeye is one dinner in my 7-day TRT plan — seven days of high-protein, steady-fuelling meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the TRT meal plan
    Ribeye and garlic-buttered spinach portioned as part of a TRT meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Salmon and Avocado Plate

    Salmon and Avocado Plate

    Recipe · TRT / Seafood / Healthy fats

    Salmon and Avocado Plate

    A thick salmon fillet with crisp skin, a fanned-out avocado, a handful of leafy greens, and a slick of good olive oil with lemon. It lands around 520 calories with 40 grams of protein and a proper dose of omega-3 fats. Twenty minutes, one pan, and a plate that feels like someone took care of you.

    GoalTRT
    Total time20 min
    Servings1 big plate
    Protein / serving40 g
    Calories / serving520 kcal
    Pan-seared salmon fillet with crisp skin beside sliced avocado and leafy greens on a plate under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    My mother used to cook salmon on a Sunday, the only fish she trusted herself with, and she’d stand over the pan worrying the whole time that she’d ruin it. She never did. The skin would crackle, the kitchen would smell like the harbour, and for one evening a week the house felt looked after. I didn’t have words for it then. I do now: it’s the plate that feels like care.

    I cook a version of this most weeks myself. I’m a big man, I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five, and I’ve learned the hard way that the fats I keep in my diet matter as much as the protein. Salmon does a lot of quiet work — it’s full of the kind of fats often linked to heart health, it’s rich and filling, and it keeps me steady for hours instead of leaving me prowling the fridge by nine. The avocado is along for the same ride: soft, fatty, kind to the gut.

    This isn’t a diet plate that punishes you. It’s real food with real fats, and it happens to come in at numbers that work whether you’re holding muscle, eating to feel well, or just tired and hungry and in need of something honest. Twenty minutes, a hot pan, a sharp knife for the avocado. Cook it once and you’ll see what I mean — I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Salmon and avocado are a brilliant fats-forward base because they bend in every direction. The protein is solid, the fats are good ones, and what you add around them decides the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    Lean it down

    Keep the salmon and greens, halve the avocado, drop the oil to a teaspoon. You lose calories without losing the good fats entirely — still satisfying, still rich, just lighter on the day. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Same salmon, same avocado, plus a baked potato or a bowl of rice and an extra glug of oil. Clean calories that go down easy — good for getting food in when appetite is low and you need the fuel.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    The plate as written. Healthy fats, lean protein, leafy greens, nothing overshot. This is the one I eat myself on an ordinary evening — full, settled, and easy to sleep on.

    Timing: the fats here are filling and slow to digest, so this is a lovely main meal of the day — lunch or an earlier dinner rather than late at night. It keeps you full for hours, which is exactly the point when you’re trying to eat well without grazing all evening.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 big plate — one generous serving. Cooking for two? Sear the fillets in batches or use a pan big enough that they aren’t crowded, or you’ll steam the skin instead of crisping it.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Salmon fillet, skin on150 g · 5.3 oz
    • Avocado, ripe½ medium
    • Mixed leafy greens rocket, spinach, baby leaves60 g · 2 oz
    • Olive oil1 tbsp · 15 ml
    • Lemon, juice of½ lemon
    • Mixed seeds pumpkin, sunflower1 tbsp
    • Chilli flakes optional½ tsp
    • Black pepperto taste
    • Saltto taste (go light)

    Swaps I actually use: trout or mackerel stand in for the salmon beautifully and bring the same oily-fish fats — mackerel is cheaper and even richer. Frozen salmon is fine; thaw it fully and pat it bone dry or the skin won’t crisp. Want it leaner? Drop the avocado to a quarter or skip it, and pull the oil back to a teaspoon. A splash of light soy instead of salt adds savour for barely any calories.

    03Step by step

    Prep the salmon

    Pat it bone dry, season the skin

    Take the salmon out of the fridge ten minutes before you cook so it isn’t fridge-cold. Pat both sides properly dry with paper towel, especially the skin — wet skin steams and goes flabby. Season the skin side with salt and a little pepper.

    Magnus says: dry skin is crisp skin. A wet fillet will never crackle, no matter how hot the pan is.

    Salmon fillet being patted dry with paper towel and seasoned on the skin side
    Sear skin-side first

    Into a hot pan, skin down

    Heat half the olive oil in a pan over medium-high. Lay the salmon in skin-side down and press it flat with a spatula for the first ten seconds so the skin makes full contact. Leave it alone for 4 to 5 minutes — don’t fiddle. The skin crisps as the fillet cooks up from the bottom.

    Magnus says: most of the cooking happens on the skin side. Be patient and let it crisp.

    Salmon fillet searing skin-side down and crisping in a hot pan
    Flip and finish

    A minute or two on the flesh, then rest

    Turn the fillet over and cook the flesh side for just 1 to 2 minutes, until the salmon is opaque most of the way through but still a touch translucent in the centre. Lift it out and let it rest on a plate for a couple of minutes — it keeps cooking gently as it sits. Prefer the oven? Bake skin-side up at 200°C for 12 to 14 minutes instead.

    Salmon fillet flipped flesh-side down to finish cooking in the pan
    Dress the greens

    Greens, oil, lemon — toss

    Pile the leafy greens in a bowl. Spoon over the rest of the olive oil and squeeze on the lemon, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and toss with your hands so every leaf gets coated. Light dressing, big flavour — this is the fresh, sharp counter to the rich fish.

    Leafy greens being tossed with olive oil and lemon in a bowl
    Slice the avocado

    Halve, stone, fan it out

    Halve the avocado, pop the stone out, and run a knife through the flesh inside the skin. Scoop the slices out with a spoon and fan them across the plate. Slice it last so it doesn’t brown while everything else cooks.

    A halved avocado sliced inside the skin and fanned out on a plate
    Plate it

    Bring it all together

    Lay the dressed greens down, set the rested salmon on top skin-side up so it stays crisp, fan the avocado alongside, and scatter the seeds over the lot. A last squeeze of lemon and a few chilli flakes if you like the heat. Eat it while the skin still crackles.

    Finished salmon and avocado plate with greens, seeds and lemon under cold light

    04The one thing: crispy salmon skin

    Crisp skin is the whole difference between a salmon plate you remember and one you tolerate, and it comes down to three things people get wrong. First, dry the skin — really dry it, with paper towel, like you’ve got something against it. Any moisture left on the surface turns to steam and you’ll never get a crackle. Second, start the fillet skin-side down in a properly hot pan and leave it there for most of the cook; the gentle flip at the end is just to finish the flesh. Third, don’t move it. The urge to poke and lift is strong, but the skin needs steady, uninterrupted contact to render its fat and go golden. Get those three right and the skin shatters under the fork like good crackling. Get them wrong and it slides off in a soggy sheet — and the fish itself is grand, but you’ve missed the best part of the plate.

    05The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes one big plate, about 320g of food. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy520 kcal163 kcal
    Protein40.0 g12.5 g
    Carbohydrate8.0 g2.5 g
    — of which sugars1.5 g0.5 g
    Fat36.0 g11.3 g
    — of which saturates6.0 g1.9 g
    Fibre7.0 g2.2 g
    Sodium~0.5 g~0.16 g
    Calorie density
    163 kcal / 100g

    Moderate — this is a fats-forward plate, so it carries more energy per bite than a lean cut meal. That’s by design: the fats are what keep you full for hours and steady between meals.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    7.7 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. Lower than a pure lean plate because of all those good fats, but still a respectable share of protein for a meal built around omega-3 and healthy oils.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Omega-3 (EPA+DHA)~2.2 g
    • Vitamin D~14 µg · 70% DV
    • Vitamin B12~4.5 µg · 188% DV
    • Selenium~45 µg · 82% DV
    • Potassium~900 mg · 19% DV
    • Folate~80 µg · 20% DV
    • Vitamin E~2.5 mg · 17% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    06Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One base, three jobs. The salmon and greens stay the same — you adjust the avocado, oil and carbs around them. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    Lean it down

    Salmon and greens with a quarter avocado instead of a half, oil dropped to a teaspoon, leaning on lemon and chilli for flavour. Still rich and filling, just lighter on the day — good before a shoot when fats need pulling back.

    400Kcal
    38G Protein
    24G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    The full plate plus a baked potato or 150g cooked rice and an extra teaspoon of oil. Clean, easy calories that go down without bloat — great for getting fuel in when appetite is low and the work is heavy.

    750Kcal
    43G Protein
    38G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    The plate exactly as written — half an avocado, a tablespoon of oil, the lean salmon and greens. Healthy fats, solid protein, nothing overshot. This is the default, and the one I eat myself.

    520Kcal
    40G Protein
    36G Fat

    07Meal prep & storage

    Salmon keeps better than most fish, so this preps decently — but avocado is a fresh-only affair. My honest advice is to cook the salmon ahead and slice the avocado fresh when you eat.

    Fridge
    2–3 days

    Store cooked salmon in an airtight container. It keeps two to three days and is genuinely good cold, flaked over a fresh salad.

    Avocado
    Best fresh

    Don’t prep avocado ahead — it browns within hours even with lemon on it. Slice it to order; it takes thirty seconds.

    Reheat
    Gently

    Warm salmon low and slow, or eat it cold. A blast of high heat dries it out and toughens it — or skip the reheat and serve it chilled.

    If you’re prepping for the week, cook a couple of fillets at once and keep them in the fridge. Then it’s a two-minute job: flake or warm the salmon, dress some greens, slice a fresh avocado, scatter the seeds. Dinner with no real cooking, and the fats still doing their quiet work.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    08Common questions

    Skin on or off? +

    Skin on, always, if you can. Cooked properly it crisps up like crackling and it’s the best part of the plate — plus it protects the flesh and holds in moisture while it cooks. If you genuinely don’t like it, cook skin-side down anyway for the crisp, then peel it off after. But give it a fair go first.

    Can I bake the salmon instead of searing it? +

    Yes, and it’s easier if you’re nervous about the pan. Bake it skin-side up at 200°C for 12 to 14 minutes, depending on thickness. You lose a little of the crackle you get from searing, but the fish comes out tender and forgiving — and you can walk away from the oven, which the pan won’t let you do.

    How do I know when the salmon is done? +

    The flesh turns from translucent to opaque and the flakes pull apart easily when you press with a fork. Pull it when the centre is still a shade translucent — it carries on cooking as it rests, and salmon dries out fast if you take it all the way. Better a touch under than overdone.

    Is frozen salmon okay? +

    Completely. Frozen salmon is often frozen fresh at sea and is perfectly good. The only rules are to thaw it fully in the fridge and pat it bone dry before it hits the pan — wet fish steams and the skin won’t crisp. Beyond that, treat it exactly like fresh.

    What can I use instead of salmon? +

    Any oily fish brings the same kind of good fats. Trout is the closest swap and cooks the same way. Mackerel is richer, cheaper, and even higher in those omega-3 fats — sear it skin-side down just like the salmon. All three work on this plate and keep the spirit of it intact.

    From my 7-day TRT plan

    This plate lives inside a full week of meals.

    This salmon and avocado plate is one meal in my 7-day TRT plan — seven days of balanced, healthy-fats, high-protein meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the TRT meal plan
    Salmon and avocado plate portioned as part of a TRT meal plan under cold light

    09Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Steak and Eggs with Spinach

    Steak and Eggs with Spinach

    Recipe · TRT / Meat / High-protein

    Steak and Eggs with Spinach

    A seared lean steak, two eggs cooked in the steak’s own warmth, and a heap of garlicky spinach wilted soft. One plate, around 560 calories with 46 grams of protein. It’s the steady, old-fashioned meal I come back to more than any other — quiet food that leaves you feeling like yourself.

    GoalTRT
    Total time20 min
    Servings1 plate
    Protein / serving46 g
    Calories / serving560 kcal
    Seared lean steak with two eggs and a heap of wilted spinach on a plate under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    For about three years this was the first thing I ate every single morning. I’d come back from the early gym session, the flat still dark and cold, and I wanted something that would actually hold me until lunch instead of leaving me clawing at the cupboard by ten. Steak and eggs did that. It still does. There’s nothing clever about it — a lean steak gets seared hard, the eggs go into the same hot pan, and a great fistful of spinach wilts down in the last of the fat. Three things, one pan, twenty minutes, most of it spent waiting on the steak to rest.

    I started leaning on it harder after I went on TRT in my mid-thirties. Not because the plate is anything special — no plate is, and I won’t pretend otherwise — but because it’s an honest source of the things I want when I’m eating for steady energy: whole-food protein, real fat from the eggs, and a proper hit of zinc, iron and B12 from the red meat. I’m not making a claim about any of that beyond the food itself. I’m just telling you what I cook and why it feels good to me. Eating well is the part I can actually control, so I do it.

    It’s the kind of plate that makes you feel looked after at seven in the morning, and just as good across a quiet table at night. There’s no trick to it, only patience: temper the meat, get the pan hot, leave it alone, let it rest. Cook it once and you’ll see what I mean — I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Steak, eggs and spinach are a brilliant base because the protein is high and the parts move easily. You change one or two things and the whole plate changes job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    Lean it down

    A leaner cut, one whole egg plus a couple of whites, cooked dry with no butter, and the spinach piled higher. Same protein, fewer calories — the fats come down while the plate stays satisfying. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    A bigger steak, the full two eggs, and a side of potatoes or sourdough for the carbs. Easy, honest calories around a plate you already want to eat. Good for getting food in when training’s heavy.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    The plate as written — a lean sirloin, two whole eggs, garlicky spinach. Balanced protein and fat, light on the day, the kind of meal I lean on to feel level. This is my default.

    Timing: this works as a real breakfast or an easy dinner. The protein and fat keep you full for hours, so it’s a kind plate first thing or after training. It’s best fresh from the pan — eggs don’t love reheating — but the steak and spinach hold fine for later.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 plate — one generous serving. Cooking for two? Sear the steaks one at a time so the pan stays hot, then rest them together while you do the eggs.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Lean steak, sirloin or flank170 g · 6 oz
    • Eggs, large2
    • Baby spinach150 g · 5.3 oz
    • Garlic, finely sliced2 cloves
    • Olive oil2 tsp · 10 ml
    • Butter optional, for the eggs1 tsp · 5 g
    • Black pepperto taste
    • Flaky saltto taste

    Swaps I actually use: any quick-cooking steak works — sirloin, flank, rump, or a thin ribeye if you don’t mind the extra fat. For a leaner plate, use a 5%-fat lean cut and cook the eggs dry. No baby spinach? Mature spinach is fine, just chop it and give it another minute; frozen is fine too — squeeze it bone dry first. A pinch of chilli flakes in the spinach is never a bad idea.

    03Step by step

    Temper the steak

    Bring it up, dry it, season it

    Take the steak out of the fridge 20 to 30 minutes before you cook — a cold steak in a hot pan cooks unevenly. Pat it completely dry with paper towel and season both sides well with salt and pepper. A dry surface is what gives you a proper brown crust.

    Magnus says: wet meat steams, it doesn’t sear. Dry it like you mean it.

    A lean steak being patted dry and seasoned with salt and pepper on a board
    Sear it hard

    Hot pan, oil in, leave it alone

    Get a heavy pan properly hot. Add the olive oil, lay the steak down, and don’t touch it — let it sear for about 3 minutes a side for medium-rare on a 2cm cut, longer if it’s thicker or you like it more done. One flip is enough. Don’t poke it or slide it around; let the crust form.

    Magnus says: the urge to poke it is the enemy. Set it down and walk away.

    A steak searing undisturbed with a deep crust in a hot heavy pan
    Rest the steak

    Off the heat, give it five minutes

    Move the steak to a board or warm plate and leave it to rest for 5 minutes while you cook everything else. This is not optional. Cut it too soon and all the juice runs out onto the board instead of staying in the meat.

    Magnus says: resting is cooking too. Patience here is the whole difference.

    A seared steak resting on a wooden board
    Wilt the spinach

    Garlic first, then the greens

    In the same pan, drop the heat to medium and add the sliced garlic. Let it sizzle gently for about a minute until fragrant, then pile in the spinach. It looks like far too much, but it collapses in a minute or two. Toss it through the garlicky fat, season, and pull it off the heat while it’s still bright green.

    Magnus says: cooking it in the steak pan picks up all the flavour left behind. Waste nothing.

    Baby spinach wilting down with sliced garlic in the pan
    Cook the eggs

    Fry or poach them to your liking

    Push the spinach aside, add the butter if using, and crack in the eggs. Fry them gently for a couple of minutes until the whites are set and the yolks are how you like them. Soft yolks are the move here — they make a sauce when you cut into them. Poach them instead if that’s your way.

    Two eggs frying gently with soft yolks in the pan
    Plate it

    Slice, build, flaky salt

    Slice the rested steak against the grain so it eats tender, lay it beside the spinach, and slide the eggs on top. A final crack of pepper, a little flaky salt, and that’s the plate. Eat it straight away while everything’s hot.

    Sliced steak plated with two eggs and wilted spinach, finished with flaky salt

    04The one thing most people skip: resting

    If you take one habit from this plate, make it resting the steak. When meat sears, the heat drives the juices toward the centre. Cut into it the second it leaves the pan and that juice floods out onto the board — you lose flavour, and the steak goes grey and dry from edge to edge.

    Give it 5 minutes off the heat and the juices settle back through the meat. It stays pink, stays tender, and carves clean. Five minutes feels long when you’re hungry and the plate’s nearly done, I know. Use the time to wilt the spinach and cook the eggs, and the wait does itself. It’s the cheapest upgrade in cooking — costs nothing, asks only that you stand still.

    05The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. The plate as written is one serving, about 330g of cooked food. Here’s what that serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy560 kcal170 kcal
    Protein46.0 g13.9 g
    Carbohydrate5.0 g1.5 g
    — of which sugars1.0 g0.3 g
    Fat38.0 g11.5 g
    — of which saturates12.0 g3.6 g
    Fibre2.0 g0.6 g
    Sodium~0.60 g~0.18 g
    Calorie density
    170 kcal / 100g

    Moderate. The fat from the eggs and steak carries the calories, which is exactly what you want from a satisfying plate that holds you for hours rather than minutes.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    8.2 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. Lower than a pure lean plate because the fats earn their keep here — but 46g of complete protein in one meal is a genuinely strong number.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Vitamin B12~3.4 µg · 142% DV
    • Zinc~7.5 mg · 68% DV
    • Iron~5 mg · 28% DV
    • Selenium~45 µg · 82% DV
    • Choline~290 mg · 53% DV
    • Vitamin K~290 µg · 240% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact cut of steak and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Red meat, eggs and leafy greens are whole-food sources of nutrients like zinc and B12 that matter for general health; that’s a statement about food, not a medical claim. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    06Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One plate, three jobs. The method never changes — you adjust the cut, the eggs, and what you serve alongside. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    Lean it down

    A leaner cut like a small flank or 5%-fat sirloin, one whole egg plus two egg whites, no butter, the spinach piled higher. You keep the protein and most of the satisfaction for far fewer calories — the version I live on before a shoot.

    420Kcal
    44G Protein
    23G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    A bigger 220g steak, the full two eggs, and a side of 200g potatoes cooked in the steak fat. Honest calories around a plate you already want — easy fuel for heavy training weeks.

    780Kcal
    54G Protein
    46G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    The plate exactly as written — a lean sirloin, two whole eggs, garlicky spinach. Balanced protein and fat, light on the day, the meal I come back to for feeling level and well-fed.

    560Kcal
    46G Protein
    38G Fat

    07Meal prep & storage

    Honestly, this is a cook-fresh plate — eggs don’t reheat well and a seared steak loses its magic in the fridge. But you can do the prep that makes it a fast job on a busy morning. The spinach is the part that preps well.

    Steak, cooked
    2 days

    Leftover cooked steak keeps airtight for two days. Slice it cold and warm it through in the pan for the last thirty seconds only — don’t recook it or it goes grey and tough.

    Spinach, prepped
    3 days

    Wash and dry the spinach ahead and keep it bagged with a sheet of paper towel. The garlic can be sliced and stored too. Morning-you will thank you.

    Eggs
    cook fresh

    Always cook the eggs to order — two minutes, every time. They’re the one thing here that’s never worth making ahead.

    If you’re prepping for the week, my honest advice is to wilt a big batch of garlicky spinach ahead and keep it in the fridge, then sear a fresh steak and a couple of eggs to order. Ten minutes and dinner’s done — barely more effort than reheating, and it tastes like a proper meal instead of leftovers.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    08Common questions

    What’s the best cut of steak for this? +

    For a lean, protein-forward plate I reach for sirloin or flank — both are full of flavour without much fat, and they cook fast. If you want it richer, a thin ribeye is lovely but it’ll add fat and calories. Whatever you use, buy a cut you can sear in a few minutes; thick roasting joints are a different job entirely.

    How should I cook the eggs? +

    However you like them — this plate doesn’t argue. I fry mine gently with soft yolks so they break into a kind of sauce over the steak and spinach. For runny yolks, use medium heat and cover the pan for thirty seconds at the end; the trapped steam sets the white without hardening the yolk. Poached works beautifully too, and skips the butter if you’re watching fats.

    Can I meal-prep this? +

    Partly. Steak and eggs are best fresh, so I wouldn’t batch the whole plate. What works is prepping the garlicky spinach ahead and keeping it in the fridge, then searing a fresh steak and a couple of eggs to order. It’s ten minutes and tastes far better than anything reheated.

    Is red meat okay to eat regularly? +

    For most people, lean red meat fits comfortably into a balanced way of eating — it’s a strong whole-food source of protein, iron, zinc and B12, and a sensible portion like this one keeps the fats reasonable. Everyone’s situation is different, though, so if you’ve been given specific dietary guidance, follow that. I share food and macros, not medical advice — your doctor or dietitian is the one to weigh in on what’s right for you.

    What can I use instead of spinach? +

    Any quick-cooking green slots in — kale, chard, or a handful of rocket wilted at the end all work. You could also serve the steak and eggs over a tomato salad if you’d rather something fresh. Keep the cooking light so the greens hold their colour.

    From my 7-day TRT plan

    This plate lives inside a full week of meals.

    This steak and eggs is one meal in my 7-day TRT plan — seven days of steady, whole-food, protein-forward meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the TRT meal plan
    Steak, eggs and spinach portioned as part of a TRT meal plan under cold light

    09Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Prawn and Egg-White Cauli Fried Rice

    Prawn and Egg-White Cauli Fried Rice

    Recipe · Cutting / Seafood / High-protein

    Prawn and Egg-White Cauli Fried Rice

    Cauliflower rice fried hot and fast with sweet prawns, fluffy egg whites, peas and a hit of garlic and ginger. It scratches the takeaway itch without the heavy lump in your gut, and the whole bowl lands at 360 calories with 42 grams of protein. Twenty minutes, one pan, real food.

    GoalCut
    Total time20 min
    Servings1 big bowl
    Protein / serving42 g
    Calories / serving360 kcal
    Cauliflower fried rice with pink prawns, egg whites, peas and spring onion in a bowl under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    There’s a little takeaway two streets from my old flat, and for years their egg fried rice was my reward to myself on a Friday. Then I’d go and sit on the bus home holding a hot foil tub like it was a sleeping cat, and by the time I got in I’d eaten the lot and felt about nine hundred calories heavier and a bit ashamed of how fast it went. Fried rice does that. It’s soft, it’s salty, it disappears, and somehow you’re still looking for more.

    When I started cutting properly for shows, that tub became a problem. Not because it’s wicked food — it isn’t — but because one portion ate half my day’s calories and left me hungry an hour later. So I missed it. Genuinely missed it. I’d stand in my kitchen on a Friday night feeling sorry for myself like a great bald toddler.

    This is the version I built so I’d stop sulking. Cauliflower rice in place of the white rice, prawns and egg whites doing the protein, peas and spring onion and a proper hit of garlic and ginger so it actually tastes of something. It is not pretending to be the takeaway — nothing pretends to be the takeaway — but it scratches the exact same itch. Hot, savoury, a big satisfying bowl you eat with a spoon. And it lands light enough that I can have it and still sleep fine. I make this most weeks now. The bus tub I let go. I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Cauli fried rice is a brilliant lean base because it bends in every direction. The protein sits high, the calories sit low, and what you do with the rice underneath decides the whole job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    The default bowl

    All cauliflower rice, prawns and egg whites, peas, garlic and ginger, a teaspoon of sesame oil to finish. Huge volume, low calories — exactly what you want when you’re hungry but the day’s nearly spent. My go-to evening cut meal.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    The same prawns and aromatics over real jasmine rice, with whole eggs instead of whites and a proper glug of sesame oil. Easy clean calories that go down without the bloat. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    Half cauliflower rice, half jasmine, a whole egg folded through for the fats. Light on digestion for an evening, keeps you full, nothing overshot.

    Timing: this is a fast, light-on-the-gut bowl, so it’s lovely after evening training when you don’t want to lie down full. It also reheats decently if you’re careful, though prawns are always happiest fresh from the pan.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 big bowl — one generous serving. Doubling for two? Fry the cauli rice in two batches so the pan stays screaming hot and it crisps rather than steams.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Raw prawns, peeled tails off150 g · 5.3 oz
    • Cauliflower rice fresh or frozen200 g · 7 oz
    • Egg whites120 g · 4 large
    • Frozen peas50 g · 1.8 oz
    • Garlic, finely grated2 cloves
    • Fresh ginger, grated1 tsp
    • Spring onion, sliced2 stalks
    • Light soy sauce1 tbsp · 15 ml
    • Toasted sesame oil1 tsp · 5 ml
    • White pepperto taste

    Swaps I actually use: want a bulk bowl? Swap the cauliflower rice for real jasmine rice and the calories climb fast in a good way. No prawns? Diced chicken breast works the same — just give it a couple more minutes to cook through. Egg whites feeling too lean? Use two whole eggs instead; you trade a little protein for a richer bowl and a few more fats. A pinch of chilli flakes or a dash of fish sauce both add savour for almost no calories.

    03Step by step

    Dry everything

    Pat the prawns and cauli rice properly dry

    If the prawns are frozen, thaw them fully and pat them bone dry with paper towel. Do the same with the cauliflower rice — squeeze frozen cauli rice in a clean cloth, or spread fresh out for a minute. Cauliflower is mostly water, and wet rice in a pan gives you mush, not fried rice.

    Magnus says: dry the cauli like you mean it. Wet rice in equals soggy rice out.

    Cauliflower rice being squeezed dry in a clean cloth beside patted prawns
    Scramble the whites

    Cook the egg whites first, then set aside

    Get a wide pan hot over medium with the lightest film of oil. Pour in the egg whites and scramble them quickly into soft curds — 30 to 40 seconds. Tip them straight back out onto a plate. You want them just set, not browned; they’ll go back in at the end.

    Egg whites scrambling into soft white curds in a hot pan
    Sear the prawns

    Two to three minutes, no more

    Turn the heat up to medium-high. Add the prawns in a single layer and sear for about 90 seconds a side, until they turn pink and curl into a loose C. The moment they’re opaque through, lift them out and rest them with the eggs. Overcook them and they tighten to rubber.

    Magnus says: a tight little O means overdone. Pull them at the loose C.

    Prawns searing pink in a hot pan
    Bloom the aromatics

    Garlic and ginger, quick and fragrant

    Same pan, still hot. Add the grated garlic and ginger and stir for about 20 seconds until fragrant — keep them moving so they don’t catch and turn bitter. This is where the bowl gets its backbone, so don’t rush past it, but don’t let it burn either.

    Grated garlic and ginger sizzling in a hot pan
    Fry the cauli rice HOT

    Get the pan screaming and don’t crowd it

    Tip in the dried cauliflower rice and spread it out across the hottest pan you can manage. Leave it a moment to catch before you stir, then keep it moving for 3 to 4 minutes. You want it tender with a few golden edges, not a wet grey heap. High heat is the whole secret here.

    Magnus says: hot and spread out, not warm and piled up. That’s the line between fried and steamed.

    Cauliflower rice frying with golden edges in a screaming hot pan
    Bring it together

    Peas, egg, soy — then finish

    Add the peas and the light soy and toss for a minute until the peas are hot through. Fold the egg whites and prawns back in to warm, then kill the heat. Drizzle over the sesame oil, scatter the spring onion, season with white pepper, and serve it straight from the pan.

    Finished prawn and egg-white cauli fried rice tossed with peas and spring onion

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes one big bowl, about 380g of cooked food. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy360 kcal95 kcal
    Protein42.0 g11.1 g
    Carbohydrate18.0 g4.7 g
    — of which sugars6.0 g1.6 g
    Fat12.0 g3.2 g
    — of which saturates2.0 g0.5 g
    Fibre6.0 g1.6 g
    Sodium~0.9 g~0.24 g
    Calorie density
    95 kcal / 100g

    Very low. Cauliflower and prawns are mostly water and protein, so you get a genuinely large bowl for the calories — volume is your best friend on a cut, and this delivers it.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    11.7 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. A big share of these calories is protein, exactly what you want when you’re holding muscle while the scale comes down.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Selenium~50 µg · 91% DV
    • Vitamin C~95 mg · 106% DV
    • Vitamin B12~1.3 µg · 54% DV
    • Vitamin K~30 µg · 25% DV
    • Iodine~45 µg · 30% DV
    • Folate~80 µg · 20% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One base, three jobs. The prawns and aromatics stay the same — you adjust the rice and fat around them. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    The lean default

    All cauliflower rice, egg whites, a single teaspoon of sesame oil to finish. Heavy on garlic, ginger and spring onion for flavour. Maximum volume, minimum calories — this is the bowl I live on before a shoot.

    360Kcal
    42G Protein
    12G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    Same prawns over 180g cooked jasmine rice instead of cauli, with two whole eggs and a full tablespoon of sesame oil. Clean, easy calories that go down without bloat — great for getting food in when appetite’s low.

    660Kcal
    47G Protein
    20G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    Half cauliflower rice, half jasmine rice, with one whole egg folded through for the fats. Moderate carbs, healthy fats, lean protein — full and satisfied without overshooting your day.

    500Kcal
    44G Protein
    16G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    This one actually preps well — cauli fried rice reheats far better than most low-carb swaps, since there’s no real rice to go hard in the fridge. I’ll cook a couple of bowls’ worth at once and keep prawns in mind for the reheat.

    Fridge
    2 days

    Store the cooked bowl in an airtight container. Cooked prawns don’t keep as long as meat, so eat within two days for the best of it.

    Freezer
    Not ideal

    The cauli rice and egg freeze passably, but the prawns turn watery and tough on thawing. If you’re freezing, leave the prawns out and add fresh ones at the reheat.

    Reheat
    2 min

    A hot pan beats the microwave here — it drives off any water the cauli has given up. Get it just hot through; don’t push the prawns or they go rubbery.

    If you’re prepping for the week, my honest advice is to cook the cauli rice, egg and veg base ahead and keep raw prawns portioned in the freezer. Three minutes in a hot pan for the prawns, fold them through the reheated base, and dinner’s done — barely more effort than reheating, and the prawns taste ten times better.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    How do I stop the cauli rice going soggy? +

    Two things. First, get the water out before it hits the pan — squeeze frozen cauli rice in a cloth, or spread fresh out for a minute to dry. Second, fry it on the highest heat you’ve got and don’t pile it up. A crowded pan steams; a hot, spread-out pan fries. That’s the whole game.

    Fresh or frozen cauliflower rice? +

    Both work, and frozen is honestly more convenient. The only catch with frozen is the extra water, so thaw it and squeeze it hard before frying. Fresh cauli rice has less water but still benefits from a quick dry. Whichever you use, the hot pan does the heavy lifting.

    Can I just use real rice? +

    Of course — and if you’re bulking, you should. Swap the cauliflower rice for 180g of cooked jasmine rice, add two whole eggs and a full tablespoon of sesame oil, and the bowl climbs from around 360 to roughly 660 calories with 47g protein. Day-old cold rice fries best of all. See the Bulk variation above for the full numbers.

    Can I use chicken instead of prawns? +

    Yes, diced chicken breast works a treat. Cook it through first — about 5 minutes over medium-high until no pink remains — then set it aside the same way you would the prawns and fold it back in at the end. The macros stay close; chicken breast is just as lean as prawns for this bowl.

    Can I make this without eggs? +

    You can, though you’ll lose a chunk of the protein and some of the texture. To make it up, bump the prawns to around 200g, or stir in a handful of edamame with the peas. The egg whites are doing real work here, so I’d keep them if you can — but the bowl still stands without them.

    From my 7-day Cut plan

    This bowl lives inside a full week of meals.

    This cauli fried rice is one dinner in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the cutting meal plan
    Prawn and egg-white cauli fried rice portioned as part of a cutting meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Zucchini-Noodle Chicken Alfredo

    Zucchini-Noodle Chicken Alfredo

    Recipe · Cutting / Chicken / High-protein

    Zucchini-Noodle Chicken Alfredo

    Ribbons of zucchini standing in for pasta, sliced chicken breast, and a creamy “alfredo” built from blended cottage cheese and parmesan instead of cream. The whole plate lands around 380 calories with 45 grams of protein, and it cooks in about 25 minutes. It’s the meal I make when I want creamy pasta and a number I can live with.

    GoalCut
    Total time25 min
    Servings1 big plate
    Protein / serving45 g
    Calories / serving380 kcal
    Zucchini noodles tossed in creamy alfredo with sliced chicken breast on a plate under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    There was a stretch of cut a few winters back where all I wanted was creamy pasta. Not steak, not eggs, not another grilled chicken breast staring up at me like a punishment. Pasta. The white, heavy, comforting kind you eat under a blanket. And the numbers on real alfredo are brutal on a cut — a plate of it can run you a thousand calories before you’ve put a fork in. So I stood in my kitchen, hungry and a bit grumpy, and tried to work out how to get the feeling without the bill.

    The trick turned out to be cottage cheese. Blend it smooth with a little parmesan and garlic and it goes silky and creamy, almost exactly like a thinned alfredo, for a fraction of the fat. Swap the pasta for zucchini noodles and you’ve got a real plate of food that tastes rich and lands light. The first time I made it I genuinely sat back surprised. It scratched the itch. It still does.

    I make this when the cut is dragging and I want something that feels like a treat without being one. Twenty-five minutes, one blender and one pan, real chicken and real cheese. The sauce is the whole point — get it warm and smooth and it carries the dish. There’s a knack to the zoodles too, which I’ll walk you through, because nobody wants a watery plate. Cook it once and you’ll keep it in the rotation. I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Chicken and a high-protein sauce are a brilliant lean base because the creamy comfort is doing the heavy lifting, not the calories. The protein is high, the fat is controlled, and what you put the sauce on decides the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    The default plate

    Sliced chicken and the cottage-cheese alfredo over zucchini noodles, parmesan grated on top. Big creamy plate, low calories — exactly what you want when the cravings hit but the day’s calories are nearly gone. My go-to comfort cut meal.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Same chicken and sauce over a bowl of real spaghetti, with extra parmesan stirred through. Easy clean calories and a properly hearty plate. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    Half pasta and half zoodles, a drizzle of olive oil for the fats, the same lean chicken. Comforting and filling for an evening, without overshooting the day.

    Timing: this is a satisfying, creamy-feeling plate that stays light on the gut, so it’s lovely on an evening when you want comfort food without lying down stuffed. The sauce and chicken reheat well; the zoodles are always best fresh, which I’ll get to.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 big plate — one generous serving. Doubling for two? Blend the sauce in one go, but salt and drain the zucchini in a larger batch so it doesn’t crowd.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Chicken breast, skinless150 g · 5.3 oz
    • Zucchini courgette, spiralized250 g · 8.8 oz (about 1 large)
    • Cottage cheese, low-fat120 g · 4.2 oz
    • Parmesan, finely grated20 g · 0.7 oz
    • Garlic, finely grated2 cloves
    • Olive oil2 tsp · 10 ml
    • Lemon, juice of optional¼ lemon
    • Fresh parsley, chopped1 tbsp
    • Black pepperto taste
    • Saltto taste (go light — parmesan is salty)

    Swaps I actually use: no spiralizer? A julienne peeler works, or grab a bag of pre-cut zoodles. Want it as a bulk plate? Run the sauce and chicken over real spaghetti instead of the zucchini — see the variations below. No cottage cheese? Thick Greek yoghurt blends just as smooth; it’s a touch tangier, which I rather like, and a squeeze of lemon plays off it well. A pinch of nutmeg makes it taste even more like the real thing.

    03Step by step

    Prep the zoodles

    Spiralize, salt, and let them weep

    Spiralize the zucchini into noodles. Tip them into a colander, scatter over a good pinch of salt, and leave them for 10 minutes. Zucchini holds a lot of water — the salt draws it out so your plate doesn’t go soupy later. Squeeze and pat them properly dry before they go anywhere near the pan.

    Magnus says: salt them, wait, then pat them dry like you mean it. Wet zoodles are watery zoodles.

    Spiralized zucchini noodles draining in a colander with a scatter of salt
    Cook the chicken

    Sear it through, then slice

    Season the chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat a teaspoon of the oil in a pan over medium-high and cook the chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes a side, until golden and cooked through. Rest it for a couple of minutes, then slice it across the grain into strips.

    Golden seared chicken breast resting before being sliced
    Blend the sauce

    Cottage cheese into silk

    Put the cottage cheese, most of the parmesan, the grated garlic and a splash of water into a blender or a tall jug, and blitz until completely smooth. It’ll go glossy and creamy, almost like a thinned alfredo. Season with pepper and a little lemon if you’re using it.

    Magnus says: blend it properly. The whole creamy effect lives or dies on getting it smooth.

    Blended cottage cheese alfredo sauce being poured smooth and glossy
    Warm the sauce

    Low heat, no boiling

    Pour the blended sauce into the warm pan over low heat and stir gently until it’s just hot through. Keep it low — a dairy sauce like this will split and go grainy if you boil it. You want warm and smooth, not bubbling. Stir in the rest of the parmesan off the heat.

    Magnus says: gentle does it. Boil this sauce and it curdles. Low heat, patient stirring.

    Creamy alfredo sauce being warmed gently and stirred in a low pan
    Toss the zoodles

    Quick and hot, so they stay firm

    Add the dried zoodles to the pan with the remaining teaspoon of oil and toss for just 1 to 2 minutes over a higher heat — long enough to warm and soften slightly, no longer. Overcook them and they collapse and leak water into your sauce. Keep them with a bit of bite.

    Zucchini noodles being tossed quickly in a hot pan
    Bring it together

    Sauce, chicken, plate it straight away

    Fold the warm sauce through the zoodles to coat them, lay the sliced chicken on top, and scatter over the parsley and a last grate of parmesan. Plate it immediately — zoodles keep releasing water as they sit, so a fresh plate is a firm plate.

    Zucchini noodle alfredo plated with sliced chicken and parsley on top

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes one big plate, about 330g of finished food. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy380 kcal115 kcal
    Protein45.0 g13.6 g
    Carbohydrate14.0 g4.2 g
    — of which sugars8.0 g2.4 g
    Fat14.0 g4.2 g
    — of which saturates5.0 g1.5 g
    Fibre4.0 g1.2 g
    Sodium~0.65 g~0.20 g
    Calorie density
    115 kcal / 100g

    Low. Zucchini is mostly water, and the cottage-cheese sauce carries the creaminess without the fat of real alfredo, so you get a genuinely big plate for the calories — volume on a cut, exactly as it should be.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    11.8 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. A big share of these calories is protein, between the chicken and the dairy — what you want when you’re holding muscle while the scale comes down.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Niacin (B3)~14 mg · 88% DV
    • Vitamin B6~1.0 mg · 59% DV
    • Selenium~35 µg · 64% DV
    • Phosphorus~420 mg · 60% DV
    • Calcium~280 mg · 28% DV
    • Vitamin C~30 mg · 33% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One base, three jobs. The chicken and the cottage-cheese sauce stay the same — you adjust what you put it on. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    The lean default

    Chicken and sauce over zucchini noodles, two teaspoons of oil, parmesan grated on top. No pasta. Maximum volume, minimum calories — this is the version I live on when I’m chasing a creamy plate on a cut.

    380Kcal
    45G Protein
    14G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    Same chicken and sauce over 100g (dry) cooked spaghetti, with extra parmesan stirred through. A proper hearty plate of pasta with the protein already high — clean calories for building.

    680Kcal
    52G Protein
    17G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    Half real spaghetti and half zoodles, with a drizzle of olive oil for the fats. Moderate carbs, lean protein, a creamy comfort plate that keeps you full without overshooting your day.

    520Kcal
    48G Protein
    18G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    The sauce and chicken prep beautifully; the zoodles do not. My honest advice is to keep the components separate and combine fresh, because zucchini noodles weep water as they sit and a pre-mixed plate turns soupy by the next day.

    Sauce & chicken
    3 days

    Store the blended sauce and the cooked sliced chicken in separate airtight containers in the fridge. Both keep well for three days.

    Zoodles
    Best fresh

    Spiralize them fresh each time. They take two minutes, and pre-cut ones leak water and go limp — not worth the loss of texture.

    Reheat
    Gentle

    Warm the sauce over low heat so it doesn’t split, toss fresh zoodles through, top with the chicken. Combine on the plate, not in storage.

    If you’re prepping for the week, batch the sauce and grill a few chicken breasts ahead. Then it’s two minutes with a spiralizer and a gentle warm-through, and you’ve got a creamy plate in the time it takes to reheat a sad lunchbox — and it tastes far better.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    How do I stop the zoodles going watery? +

    Two things. Salt them first — scatter salt over the spiralized zucchini, let it sit 10 minutes, then squeeze and pat them properly dry so the water comes out before they hit the pan, not after. Then cook them fast and briefly, one or two minutes at most. Overcooked zoodles collapse and leak. And plate the dish straight away, because they keep weeping the longer they sit.

    Can I use real pasta instead? +

    Of course — the sauce works just as well over spaghetti. That’s exactly how I make the bulk version: chicken and sauce over 100g (dry) cooked pasta with extra parmesan, which takes it from around 380 to roughly 680 calories with 52g protein. Or split the difference and do half pasta, half zoodles for a TRT-friendly middle ground. See the variations above for the numbers.

    Does it reheat well? +

    The sauce and chicken reheat fine; the assembled dish doesn’t. Keep them separate. Warm the sauce gently over low heat — never boil it, or the dairy splits and goes grainy — then toss fresh zoodles through and top with the chicken. Combine on the plate each time and it’s as good as the first.

    Why did my sauce go grainy? +

    It got too hot. A blended cottage-cheese or yoghurt sauce will split and turn grainy if you boil it. Keep the heat low and just warm it through — you want it hot and smooth, not bubbling. If it does break a little, a splash of water and a brisk stir off the heat usually pulls it back together.

    Can I make it dairy-free? +

    You can get close. Use a thick unsweetened plant-based yoghurt or a soft silken tofu blended smooth in place of the cottage cheese, and a dairy-free hard cheese for the parmesan, though the flavour and protein will shift, so the macros above won’t hold exactly. It won’t be quite the same, but blended smooth with plenty of garlic it still makes a creamy, satisfying plate.

    From my 7-day Cut plan

    This plate lives inside a full week of meals.

    This zucchini alfredo is one dinner in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the cutting meal plan
    Zucchini noodle chicken alfredo portioned as part of a cutting meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Lean Turkey Chilli

    Lean Turkey Chilli

    Recipe · Cutting / One-pot / High-protein

    Lean Turkey Chilli

    One pot of lean ground turkey, kidney beans, sweet peppers and tomatoes, simmered down with proper spice until it tastes like it took all day. A bowl lands at 400 calories with 43 grams of protein, it makes a batch, and it freezes like a dream. This is the pot I make when the week is long and I want dinner sorted before it starts.

    GoalCut
    Total time40 min
    Servings4 bowls
    Protein / serving43 g
    Calories / serving400 kcal
    A bowl of lean turkey chilli with kidney beans and peppers under cold light Bowl 01 / Finished

    Stockholm in February is a serious place. The light gives up around three in the afternoon, the cold gets in under your coat no matter what you wear, and by the time I’m done training I want a hot bowl of something and I want it now — not in an hour. So one winter, years ago, I started making a big pot of chilli on a Sunday and living off it through the dark half of the week. It changed how I ate. It changed my whole mood, honestly.

    I went with ground turkey instead of beef for the simple reason that it’s lighter on the calories while still giving me a proper hit of protein, and on a cut that matters. The beans bulk it out, add fibre, and stretch a pound of meat into four real meals. The peppers and tomatoes do the rest. By the time it’s simmered down it’s thick, deep and a little smoky, and nobody at the table ever asks where the beef went.

    The thing I love most about it is that it asks almost nothing of you. Brown the meat, soften the veg, tip everything in, then walk away while it simmers. Come back to dinner for four, with three more bowls waiting in the fridge for the days you can’t be bothered. On a cold week that pot is the difference between eating well and eating sadly over the sink. Make it once and I think you’ll keep making it — I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Lean turkey chilli is a brilliant base because it bends in every direction. The protein is high, the calories are honest, and what you serve it on decides the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    The default bowl

    A big bowl of chilli on its own, or over a pile of shredded greens for even more volume. Filling, high-protein, properly low for the calories. My go-to dinner through a long, hungry cut.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    The same chilli over a bowl of rice with a handful of grated cheese on top. Easy clean calories that go down without a fight — good for getting food in when your appetite’s flagging. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    A moderate portion of rice, the chilli on top, and half an avocado for the fats. Balanced and filling for an evening, with nothing overshot. Keeps you full without sitting heavy.

    Timing: this is a batch-cook meal first and foremost, so it earns its keep on busy weeks. It reheats better than almost anything I make — the flavour actually deepens overnight — which makes it ideal for prepping ahead and eating after training when you don’t want to start cooking from scratch.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 4 bowls — a proper batch. Halving it? Use a smaller pot so the liquid still reduces and the chilli stays thick rather than watery.

    Servings 4 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Lean ground turkey 5% fat500 g · 1.1 lb
    • Kidney beans, drained400 g · 14 oz tin
    • Chopped tomatoes, tinned800 g · two 14 oz tins
    • Bell peppers, diced2 medium
    • Onion, finely diced1 large
    • Garlic, crushed3 cloves
    • Tomato purée2 tbsp · 30 g
    • Ground cumin2 tsp
    • Smoked paprika2 tsp
    • Chilli powder to taste1–2 tsp
    • Olive oil1 tbsp · 15 ml
    • Beef or veg stock200 ml · ¾ cup
    • Salt & black pepperto taste

    Swaps I actually use: no turkey? Lean ground beef (5% fat) works the same way — the calories climb a touch, so check the variation numbers. Not a bean person, or watching carbs hard? Drop the kidney beans and double the peppers and a diced courgette instead; you lose some fibre but it’s still a fine bowl. A square of dark chocolate or a spoon of cocoa stirred in at the end adds real depth for barely any calories. And a tin of black beans in place of kidney is just as good.

    03Step by step

    Brown the turkey

    Get real colour on the meat first

    Heat half the oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add the ground turkey and break it up, then leave it alone for a minute at a time so it actually browns rather than steams. Turkey is lean and pale, so be patient — colour is flavour, and it’s where this bowl gets its backbone. Scoop the browned meat out and set it aside.

    Magnus says: don’t stir it to death. Let the meat sit and catch some colour, then turn it.

    Lean ground turkey browning in a large pot
    Soften the veg

    Onion, peppers and garlic, low and easy

    Add the rest of the oil to the same pot, then the diced onion and peppers. Cook gently for 6 to 7 minutes until softened and sweet, scraping up the brown bits the meat left behind. Stir in the garlic for the last minute so it stays fragrant and never burns.

    Diced onion and bell peppers softening in a pot
    Bloom the spices

    Wake the spices up in the hot pot

    Stir in the cumin, smoked paprika, chilli powder and tomato purée. Cook it all together for about a minute, stirring constantly, until the kitchen smells like a proper chilli. Toasting the spices like this pulls far more flavour out of them than just dumping them in the sauce.

    Magnus says: a minute on the spices now saves you a bland bowl later. Don’t skip it.

    Spices and tomato purée toasting with the softened vegetables
    Add the rest

    Meat, tomatoes, beans and stock in

    Return the turkey to the pot, then tip in the chopped tomatoes, drained kidney beans and the stock. Stir everything together, season with a little salt and pepper, and bring it up to a gentle bubble.

    Tomatoes and kidney beans being added to the turkey and spices
    Simmer it down

    Twenty-five minutes, lid off, low heat

    Drop the heat to low and let it simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring now and then, until it’s thick enough to hold a spoon-trail across the pot. This is where it goes from soup to chilli — don’t rush it. If it tightens too far, loosen it with a splash of stock.

    Magnus says: the longer slow bubble is the whole game. Patience makes it taste like it took all day.

    Turkey chilli simmering and thickening in the pot
    Taste & finish

    Adjust, then serve

    Off the heat, taste it. It usually wants a touch more salt and sometimes a pinch more chilli. A squeeze of lime brightens the whole pot if you have one. Ladle into bowls and serve as it is, or over greens. The rest goes in the fridge for the week.

    Finished turkey chilli ladled into a bowl under cold light

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes four bowls, and each one is about 350g of cooked chilli. Here’s what a full serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy400 kcal114 kcal
    Protein43.0 g12.3 g
    Carbohydrate30.0 g8.6 g
    — of which sugars9.0 g2.6 g
    Fat10.0 g2.9 g
    — of which saturates2.5 g0.7 g
    Fibre12.0 g3.4 g
    Sodium~0.65 g~0.19 g
    Calorie density
    114 kcal / 100g

    Low. The beans, peppers and tomatoes carry a lot of water and fibre, so you get a genuinely big, filling bowl for the calories — volume is your best friend on a cut, and this delivers it.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    10.8 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. A solid share of these calories is protein, exactly what you want when you’re holding muscle while the scale comes down.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Vitamin B6~0.9 mg · 53% DV
    • Niacin (B3)~9 mg · 56% DV
    • Selenium~30 µg · 55% DV
    • Zinc~4 mg · 36% DV
    • Iron~4.5 mg · 25% DV
    • Folate~120 µg · 30% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One pot, three jobs. The chilli itself stays the same — you adjust what you serve it on. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    The lean default

    A big bowl of chilli on its own, or piled over a heap of shredded greens for even more volume and barely any extra calories. No rice. Maximum food, minimum cost to your day — this is the bowl I live on through a cut.

    400Kcal
    43G Protein
    10G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    The same chilli over 180g cooked rice with a 30g handful of grated cheese on top. Clean, easy calories that go down without bloat — great for getting food in when your appetite’s low and the numbers need to climb.

    700Kcal
    52G Protein
    20G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    Chilli over 120g cooked rice with half a sliced avocado for the healthy fats. Moderate carbs, good fats, lean protein — full and satisfied without overshooting your day.

    600Kcal
    46G Protein
    20G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    This is one of the best meal-prep meals I know. It keeps, it reheats, and it freezes beautifully — the flavour actually gets better after a day or two in the fridge as everything settles. Cook the batch on a Sunday and you’ve got dinner sorted for half the week.

    Fridge
    4 days

    Cool it quickly, then keep it in airtight containers. It’ll happily hold for four days and taste better on day two than it did fresh.

    Freezer
    3 months

    Freezes like a champion. Portion it into single bowls, freeze flat, and you’ve got grab-and-heat dinners for months. This is the chilli’s real superpower.

    Reheat
    5 min

    Gently in a pan or the microwave until piping hot through. Add a splash of water or stock if it’s thickened up in the fridge — it loosens right back to a proper bowl.

    If you’re prepping for the week, my honest advice is to make a double batch and freeze half flat in portion bags. On a cold, dark evening when cooking feels like a mountain, a frozen bowl of this is five minutes from done — real food, macros already counted, no fuss.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    Can I make this with ground beef instead? +

    Yes, and it’s lovely — just use lean 5% beef so the calories don’t run away. Beef carries a bit more fat than turkey, so a bowl climbs from around 400 to roughly 460 calories. Brown it the same way and follow the rest exactly. If you want to split the difference, do half turkey, half beef.

    How do I make it spicier or milder? +

    It’s easy to dial either way. For more heat, add a chopped fresh chilli with the peppers, or push the chilli powder up to two teaspoons and add a pinch of cayenne. For milder, drop the chilli powder to half a teaspoon and lean on the smoked paprika for flavour without the burn — kids and gentle stomachs do fine with that.

    Can I make it in a slow cooker? +

    You can. Brown the turkey and bloom the spices in a pan first — that step really does matter for flavour — then tip everything into the slow cooker and run it on low for 6 to 7 hours. Leave the lid cracked for the last hour, or stir in a spoon of tomato purée, so it thickens up rather than staying watery.

    How do I turn this into a proper bulk meal? +

    Add carbs and a little fat. Serve a bowl of chilli over 180g of cooked rice and top it with a 30g handful of grated cheese. That takes the meal from around 400 to roughly 700 calories with 52g protein — clean calories that go down easy. See the Bulk variation above for the full numbers.

    Can I leave the beans out? +

    You can, if you’re watching carbs hard or just don’t get on with beans. Drop the kidney beans and add a diced courgette and an extra pepper so you keep the volume up. You’ll lose a good chunk of the fibre, and the carbs fall to around 14g a bowl, but it’s still a solid, filling meal.

    Does it really freeze well? +

    It’s one of the best things you can freeze. Cool it fully, portion into bowls or bags, freeze flat, and it keeps for about three months with no real loss in quality. Thaw overnight in the fridge or reheat straight from frozen on a low heat with a splash of water. This is exactly why I batch it.

    From my 7-day Cut plan

    This bowl lives inside a full week of meals.

    This turkey chilli is one dinner in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the cutting meal plan
    A bowl of lean turkey chilli portioned as part of a cutting meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • High-Protein Cottage Cheese Bowl

    High-Protein Cottage Cheese Bowl

    Recipe · Cutting / No-cook / High-protein

    High-Protein Cottage Cheese Bowl

    A tub of cottage cheese, crunchy cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes and a heavy hand of everything-bagel seasoning, all stirred together in one bowl. Forty grams of protein, three hundred calories, and not a single thing turned on in the kitchen. This is the lunch I make when I’m hungry now and patient never.

    GoalCut
    Total time5 min
    Servings1 big bowl
    Protein / serving40 g
    Calories / serving300 kcal
    A bowl of cottage cheese topped with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and everything-bagel seasoning under cold light Bowl 01 / Finished

    For years I thought cottage cheese was punishment food. The stuff you ate on a diet because the magazine said to, cold and bland out of a plastic tub, with the texture of something that had given up. I’d choke it down standing at the counter and feel sorry for myself. Then one summer I was deep in a cut, too tired to cook, and I dumped a tub into a bowl with the only fresh things in the fridge — half a cucumber and a handful of cherry tomatoes going soft. I shook some everything-bagel seasoning over the top because it was there. And I sat down and actually enjoyed it.

    That’s the whole trick, it turns out. Cottage cheese on its own is sad. Cottage cheese with crunch, with sweetness from the tomatoes, with salt and onion and sesame from the seasoning, with a little crack of black pepper — that’s a real bowl of food. It tastes like something a person chose to eat. And the numbers are almost rude: a fat bowl that fills you up, forty grams of protein, three hundred calories, and you didn’t dirty a single pan to get there.

    I make this most days I’m cutting now, usually for lunch when I want to be full but I don’t want to think. Five minutes, one bowl, a fork. No heat, no mess, no standing over a stove feeling hard done by. Just cold, savoury, satisfying food that happens to be very kind to your macros. Make it once the way I do and you’ll stop calling cottage cheese punishment too. I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Cottage cheese is one of the best lean bases a lifter can keep in the fridge, because it bends every direction you need it to. The protein is high, the calories are low, and what you stir through it decides the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    The default bowl

    Low-fat cottage cheese with cucumber, cherry tomatoes and everything-bagel seasoning. Big volume, loads of protein, barely any calories — exactly what you want when you’re hungry but the day’s nearly spent. My go-to cutting lunch.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Take it sweet instead — cottage cheese with granola, a drizzle of honey and a spoon of nut butter. Easy clean calories that go down without a fight when appetite’s low. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    Same savoury base with half an avocado and a scatter of seeds for the fats. Light on digestion, keeps you full for hours, and nothing overshot. A solid steady-day lunch.

    Timing: cottage cheese is slow-digesting protein, so it’s a brilliant late lunch or an evening bowl that holds you through to morning. It’s also the easiest thing on earth to pack — assemble it cold and eat it whenever the hunger lands.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 big bowl — one generous serving. Scaling up for the week? Keep the cottage cheese and the chopped veg in separate tubs and combine just before eating, or the tomatoes will weep.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Low-fat cottage cheese200 g · 7 oz
    • Cucumber, diced60 g · ½ cup
    • Cherry tomatoes, halved60 g · ½ cup
    • Everything-bagel seasoning1 tsp
    • Spring onion, sliced optional1 tbsp
    • Lemon, juice of¼ lemon
    • Chilli flakes optional¼ tsp
    • Fresh dill or parsley, chopped1 tbsp
    • Black pepperto taste

    Swaps I actually use: no everything-bagel seasoning? A pinch of salt, a pinch of garlic powder, some toasted sesame and a little dried onion does the same job. Skyr or thick Greek yoghurt works if you want the bowl smoother instead of curdy. Swap the cucumber and tomato for grated carrot, radish or roasted pepper — anything cold, crunchy and bright. And if you want it sweet instead of savoury, see the variations below; the base doesn’t mind either way.

    03Step by step

    Drain it

    Tip off the watery liquid first

    Spoon the cottage cheese into your bowl and tip off any pooled liquid sitting on top. That thin water is what makes a sad, sloppy bowl. Drain it and you get a thicker, creamier base that holds the toppings instead of drowning them.

    Magnus says: drain the tub, every time. Two seconds of effort, a far better bowl.

    Cottage cheese spooned into a bowl with the watery liquid being tipped off
    Chop the veg

    Dice the cucumber, halve the tomatoes

    Dice the cucumber small so you get crunch in every forkful, and halve the cherry tomatoes so they release a little of their sweetness into the bowl. Slice the spring onion thin if you’re using it. Keep the pieces bite-sized — this is a stirred bowl, not a salad.

    Diced cucumber and halved cherry tomatoes on a board ready for the bowl
    Season the base

    Lemon, pepper, and a squeeze of brightness

    Squeeze the lemon juice over the cottage cheese and crack in plenty of black pepper. Give it a stir. The acid wakes the whole bowl up — cottage cheese can be flat on its own, and a little sharpness is what turns it into something you actually want to eat.

    Magnus says: taste the base before you top it. If it’s flat, it’s almost always more lemon or more pepper.

    Lemon juice and black pepper being stirred through cottage cheese
    Pile it on

    Veg over the top, then the seasoning

    Scatter the cucumber, tomatoes and spring onion over the cottage cheese. Shower the everything-bagel seasoning across the lot, add the chilli flakes if you like a little heat, and finish with the chopped dill or parsley. Don’t fully mix it in — a little structure looks better and eats better.

    Magnus says: the seasoning goes on last so it stays crunchy. Stir it in early and it just dissolves.

    Cottage cheese bowl topped with cucumber, tomatoes and everything-bagel seasoning
    Eat it

    Straight away, while the veg is crisp

    That’s it — no heat, no waiting. Eat it right away while the cucumber still snaps and the tomatoes are juicy. If you’re packing it for later, keep the veg and seasoning separate and combine when you sit down, so nothing goes soft.

    Finished cottage cheese bowl with a fork, ready to eat under cold light

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes one big bowl, about 300g of food. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy300 kcal100 kcal
    Protein40.0 g13.3 g
    Carbohydrate16.0 g5.3 g
    — of which sugars11.0 g3.7 g
    Fat6.5 g2.2 g
    — of which saturates3.5 g1.2 g
    Fibre2.0 g0.7 g
    Sodium~0.85 g~0.28 g
    Calorie density
    100 kcal / 100g

    Very low. Cottage cheese and crunchy veg are mostly water and protein, so you get a genuinely big bowl for the calories — volume is your best friend on a cut, and this delivers it.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    13.3 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric, and a very strong one. A huge share of these calories is protein, exactly what you want when you’re holding muscle while the scale comes down.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Calcium~180 mg · 18% DV
    • Vitamin B12~1.4 µg · 58% DV
    • Phosphorus~310 mg · 44% DV
    • Selenium~20 µg · 36% DV
    • Riboflavin (B2)~0.3 mg · 23% DV
    • Vitamin C~12 mg · 13% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One base, three jobs. The cottage cheese stays the same — you adjust what you stir through it. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    The lean default

    Low-fat cottage cheese with cucumber, tomato and everything-bagel seasoning. Heavy on lemon, pepper and fresh herbs for flavour, no added fat. Maximum volume, minimum calories — this is the bowl I live on before a shoot.

    300Kcal
    40G Protein
    6.5G Fat
    Bulk

    Take it sweet

    Same cottage cheese gone sweet: a handful of granola, a drizzle of honey and a spoon of peanut butter stirred through, with berries instead of the savoury veg. Clean, easy calories that go down even when appetite’s flat.

    550Kcal
    46G Protein
    22G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    The savoury base with half an avocado and a scatter of mixed seeds for healthy fats. Moderate calories, slow-digesting protein, plenty of fibre — full and satisfied without overshooting your day.

    450Kcal
    43G Protein
    22G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    This is about the most prep-friendly meal there is, as long as you respect the one rule: keep the wet veg away from the cheese until you eat. Cut tomatoes weep, and a watery bowl is a sad bowl.

    Fridge
    3 days

    Cottage cheese keeps well in a sealed tub for around three days. Store the chopped veg in a separate container and combine just before eating.

    Freezer
    Not ideal

    I don’t freeze it — cottage cheese splits and goes grainy on thawing, and fresh veg turns to mush. This one’s a fridge meal, eaten fresh.

    Assemble
    60 sec

    No reheating, ever. Drain the cheese, tip in the veg, shake over the seasoning. A full minute, start to fork, and you’re done.

    If you’re prepping for the week, my honest advice is to portion the drained cottage cheese into tubs and keep one little container of pre-chopped cucumber, tomato and spring onion alongside. Sixty seconds to combine at lunch — barely more effort than opening a packet, and it tastes a great deal better.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    How does this hit 40g of protein? +

    It’s almost all the cottage cheese. A 200g serving of low-fat cottage cheese carries roughly 38 to 40g of protein on its own, depending on the brand, and the veg and seasoning round it out. If your tub reads lower on the label, bump the cottage cheese to 220g and you’ll land right on the mark.

    Can I make a sweet version instead? +

    Easily. Skip the cucumber, tomato and seasoning, and stir through berries, a little vanilla and a drizzle of honey. Cottage cheese is brilliant sweet — it’s the curd version of yoghurt. For a higher-calorie sweet bowl with granola and nut butter, see the Bulk variation above; it’s built exactly for that.

    I don’t love the texture of cottage cheese — help? +

    Two fixes. First, drain off the watery liquid, which is half the problem. Second, blend the cottage cheese for a few seconds before you top it — it goes smooth and creamy, almost like a thick dip, and the curds disappear entirely. Many people who think they hate cottage cheese only hate the curd texture, and blending solves it.

    How do I turn this into a proper bulk meal? +

    Add carbs and fat. Stir through a handful of granola, a drizzle of honey and a spoon of peanut butter, and swap the savoury veg for berries. That takes the bowl from around 300 to roughly 550 calories with 46g of protein — clean calories that go down easy even on low appetite. See the Bulk variation above for the full numbers.

    What if I can’t find everything-bagel seasoning? +

    Make your own. A pinch of flaky salt, some toasted sesame and poppy seeds, a little dried onion and a little garlic powder gives you the same savoury, oniony, salty hit. Even just garlic powder, sesame and a crack of pepper will carry the bowl. It’s a flexible thing — use what’s in the cupboard.

    Is this enough food for a real meal? +

    For most people, yes — it’s a big, filling bowl and cottage cheese is slow to digest, so it holds you. If you’re a larger lifter or training hard that day, scale the cottage cheese up or pair it with one of the cutting recipes below for a fuller plate. The numbers stay friendly even when you double it.

    From my 7-day Cut plan

    This bowl lives inside a full week of meals.

    This cottage cheese bowl is one lunch in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the cutting meal plan
    Cottage cheese bowl portioned as part of a cutting meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • White-Fish Tacos (lettuce cups)

    White-Fish Tacos (lettuce cups)

    Recipe · Cutting / Seafood / High-protein

    White-Fish Tacos (lettuce cups)

    Flaky, spiced white fish piled into crisp lettuce cups with a quick lime-yoghurt drizzle and a sharp little slaw — about 340 calories and 39 grams of protein for the lot. All the noise and colour of taco night, none of the heavy aftermath. This is how I eat tacos on a cut and still sleep like a baby.

    GoalCut
    Total time20 min
    Servings1 (4 cups)
    Protein / serving39 g
    Calories / serving340 kcal
    Spiced flaky white fish in crisp lettuce cups with slaw and lime-yoghurt drizzle under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    The first time I had a proper fish taco, I was sat on a plastic chair outside a little place by the water, sunburnt on one side, a paper plate going soft in my hands. I was deep in an off-season at the time — eating like a man trying to fill a hole — and I must have put away six of them without blinking. They were perfect. They were also, if I’m honest, a small avalanche of calories, and that’s the thing about tacos: it’s never the fish. It’s the fried shells, the cheese, the sour cream, the second basket of chips you swore you wouldn’t touch.

    So when I’m cutting, I keep everything I loved about that plate and quietly drop the parts that wreck the maths. The fish stays — white fish is gorgeous on a cut, lean and flaky and ready in minutes. The shells become crisp lettuce cups, which I genuinely prefer; they crunch, they’re cold, they hold the filling. The sour cream becomes a thin lime-yoghurt drizzle that tastes richer than it has any right to. You still get the colour, the spice, the squeeze of lime that makes the whole thing sing.

    And it lands at 340 calories with nearly 40 grams of protein, which means you can build the whole plate without doing sums in your head and feeling guilty. There’s no guilt here anyway, love — there’s just good food. Make these on a warm evening, eat them with your hands, and tell me they feel like a diet. They don’t. I’ve got you on this one.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    White fish is one of the most flexible lean proteins there is. The spiced fish stays the same; the carrier and the carbs around it decide the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    The default plate

    Spiced fish in lettuce cups with slaw and lime-yoghurt. High protein, low calories, loads of crunch and colour. Genuinely satisfying for the calories — my go-to when I want taco night without the taco night damage.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Swap the lettuce for warm corn tortillas, add rice and beans on the side, and don’t be shy with the avocado. Same fish, real carbs, easy calories. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    Two corn tortillas, the fish, the slaw, half an avocado for the fats. Moderate carbs, lean protein, balanced and easy on the gut for an evening meal.

    Timing: light, fast-cooking and easy to digest, so these are great after evening training or on a hot day when you don’t fancy anything heavy. The components also keep separately, so you can prep the slaw and sauce ahead and cook the fish fresh in minutes.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 4 lettuce cups — one generous serving. Scaling up? Keep the fish-to-spice ratio the same and just multiply every line.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • White fish fillet cod, haddock or pollock170 g · 6 oz
    • Baby gem lettuce for cups1 head
    • Red cabbage, shredded80 g · 2.8 oz
    • Carrot, grated1 small
    • Greek yoghurt, 0% fat60 g · ¼ cup
    • Lime, juice of1 lime
    • Olive oil2 tsp · 10 ml
    • Smoked paprika1 tsp
    • Ground cumin½ tsp
    • Garlic powder½ tsp
    • Fresh coriander, chopped2 tbsp
    • Salt & black pepperto taste (go light)

    Swaps I actually use: any firm white fish works — cod, haddock, pollock, hake, even tilapia. No coriander lover in the house? Leave it out or use parsley. For a richer drizzle on a less strict day, stir a little mashed avocado into the yoghurt. And if you want more heat, a pinch of cayenne or a splash of hot sauce in the spice mix does the job for almost no calories.

    03Step by step

    Make the slaw

    Toss the cabbage, carrot and lime

    Shred the red cabbage fine and grate the carrot. Toss them with half the lime juice and a small pinch of salt, then leave them to sit while you cook — the lime softens the cabbage and sharpens it up beautifully.

    Magnus says: salting the slaw early is what stops it being a dry, raw mouthful. Let it sit.

    Shredded red cabbage and grated carrot tossed with lime in a bowl
    The drizzle

    Stir up the lime-yoghurt

    Mix the Greek yoghurt with the rest of the lime juice, a pinch of garlic powder and a little salt and pepper. Loosen it with a teaspoon of water until it pours in a thin ribbon. Taste it — it should be sharp and bright, not bland.

    Lime-yoghurt drizzle being stirred in a small bowl
    Spice the fish

    Pat dry and rub with spice

    Pat the fish properly dry, then rub it all over with the paprika, cumin, garlic powder, a little salt and pepper, and a teaspoon of the oil. A dry fillet takes a crust; a wet one just goes pale and sad.

    Magnus says: dry the fish first. Spices stick to dry, not damp.

    White fish fillet rubbed with smoked paprika and cumin spice mix
    Cook the fish

    Sear 3–4 minutes a side

    Heat the last teaspoon of oil in a pan over medium-high. Cook the fish for about 3 to 4 minutes a side, until it’s opaque and flakes easily with a fork. White fish is delicate, so flip it once and gently. Break it into big flakes once it’s done.

    Magnus says: flake it, don’t shred it. Big chunks eat far better in a cup.

    Spiced white fish searing in a pan until golden and flaky
    Build the cups

    Layer it all into the lettuce

    Separate the baby gem into cup-shaped leaves. Spoon in a little slaw, pile on the flaked fish, drizzle over the lime-yoghurt and finish with the coriander and a final squeeze of lime. Eat them with your hands, straight away, while the fish is still warm.

    Lettuce cups filled with slaw, flaked fish and lime-yoghurt drizzle

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes four loaded lettuce cups, about 380g of food total. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy340 kcal89 kcal
    Protein39.0 g10.3 g
    Carbohydrate18.0 g4.7 g
    — of which sugars10.0 g2.6 g
    Fat11.0 g2.9 g
    — of which saturates2.0 g0.5 g
    Fibre6.0 g1.6 g
    Sodium~0.5 g~0.13 g
    Calorie density
    89 kcal / 100g

    Very low. Built on fish, leaves and slaw, this is a big, colourful plate for the calories — exactly the kind of volume that makes a cut feel survivable.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    11.5 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. Most of these calories are protein, which is what holds your muscle while the calories come down.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Vitamin B12~1.8 µg · 75% DV
    • Vitamin C~50 mg · 56% DV
    • Vitamin A~430 µg · 48% DV
    • Selenium~40 µg · 73% DV
    • Iodine~110 µg · 73% DV
    • Phosphorus~270 mg · 38% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One base, three jobs. The spiced fish, slaw and drizzle stay the same — you change the carrier and the carbs. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    The lean default

    Fish in lettuce cups, plenty of slaw, the thin lime-yoghurt drizzle, no tortillas. Maximum crunch and volume for minimum calories. This is the version I make on repeat through a cut.

    340Kcal
    39G Protein
    11G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    Swap to three warm corn tortillas, add 100g rice and a spoon of black beans on the side, and finish with half an avocado. Same fish, real carbs and fats — easy, clean calories.

    680Kcal
    44G Protein
    22G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    Two corn tortillas, the fish and slaw, half an avocado for the fats. Moderate carbs, healthy fats, lean protein — full and balanced without overshooting your day.

    520Kcal
    41G Protein
    20G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    This is a build-to-order plate, but the components prep brilliantly. I’ll make the slaw and drizzle ahead, keep the lettuce crisp, and cook the fish fresh — it takes under ten minutes.

    Slaw & sauce
    3 days

    The slaw and lime-yoghurt keep well in sealed containers in the fridge for up to three days — the slaw actually improves as it sits.

    Cooked fish
    2 days

    Store flaked fish separately and eat within two days. Keep the lettuce dry and whole until you’re ready to build.

    Reheat
    60 sec

    Warm the fish gently — a short microwave blast or a quick pan toss. Or eat it cold; flaked white fish is lovely cool in these cups.

    For a packed lunch, keep the four parts separate — fish, slaw, drizzle, lettuce — and assemble at the table so the cups stay crisp. A soggy lettuce cup is a sad thing, and you deserve better than that.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    What’s the best white fish to use? +

    Any firm white fish works — cod, haddock, pollock, hake, and tilapia all flake nicely and take the spice well. Cod and haddock are my favourites for the big, clean flakes. Frozen fillets are fine too; just thaw and pat them dry before cooking.

    Can I use tortillas instead of lettuce? +

    Of course. Lettuce cups keep this light for a cut, but warm corn tortillas are gorgeous and add real carbs for a bulk or a balanced day. Two corn tortillas add roughly 100–120 calories. Use whatever fits your day — there are no rules here, only macros.

    How do I stop the fish falling apart? +

    White fish is delicate, so handle it gently. Pat it dry, cook it on a properly hot pan so it releases cleanly, and flip it only once with a wide spatula. A little breaking is fine — you’re flaking it for the cups anyway — but big chunks eat best.

    Can I make this dairy-free? +

    Easily. Swap the Greek yoghurt for a thick plant-based unsweetened yoghurt, or skip the drizzle and use mashed avocado with lime instead. You’ll add a few calories with avocado but lose nothing in flavour — it’s a lovely swap on a TRT or bulk day.

    How do I turn this into a bulk meal? +

    Add carbs and fats. Move to three corn tortillas, serve rice and black beans on the side, and finish with half an avocado. That takes the plate from around 340 to roughly 680 calories with 44g protein. See the Bulk variation above for the full numbers.

    From my 7-day Cut plan

    These tacos live inside a full week of meals.

    These fish tacos are one dinner in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the cutting meal plan
    White-fish lettuce cup tacos portioned as part of a cutting meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.

  • Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

    Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

    Recipe · Cutting / Seafood / High-protein

    Garlic Shrimp and Broccoli

    Fat prawns seared in garlic, a heap of broccoli still snapping with bite, and a whole plate that lands around 360 calories with 41 grams of protein. It cooks in the time it takes the kettle to boil twice, and it’s the meal I make when I’m tired, hungry, and not in the mood to be sad about either.

    GoalCut
    Total time15 min
    Servings1 big plate
    Protein / serving41 g
    Calories / serving360 kcal
    Seared garlic prawns piled over bright steamed broccoli on a plate under cold light Plate 01 / Finished

    There’s a fish market near the harbour back home where I’ve been buying prawns since I was a younger, dafter man with twice the ego and half the sense. The fella behind the counter knows me. He knows I’ll poke every tray, sniff the air like a suspicious bear, and walk out with a bag of shell-on prawns and a sermon nobody asked for about how shrimp is the most forgiving protein a person on a cut can own. He’s heard it a hundred times. He nods. He’s a patient man.

    And I stand by the sermon. When I’m pulling calories down for a shoot and everything feels grey and joyless, this is the plate that brings me back. Prawns cook in three minutes flat — overshoot them and they go to rubber, so you have to stay at the pan, which I quite like; it makes me slow down. The garlic does most of the heavy lifting for flavour, the broccoli gives you a genuine pile of food to chew through, and the whole thing lands light enough that I’m not lying awake feeling stuffed.

    I make this when I can’t be bothered, which on a long cut is most evenings. Fifteen minutes, one pan, real food, real numbers. No sad steamed nonsense, no eating standing over the sink feeling like you’ve been punished. Just a hot, garlicky plate that happens to be very kind to your macros. Cook it once and you’ll see what I mean — I’ve got you.

    01Who it’s for & when to eat it

    Prawns and broccoli are a brilliant lean base because they bend in every direction. The protein is high, the calories are low, and what you add around them decides the job. Here’s how I steer it.

    On a cut

    The default plate

    Prawns and a mountain of broccoli, garlic, lemon, a single teaspoon of oil. Huge volume, low calories — exactly what you want when you’re hungry but the day’s calories are nearly gone. My go-to evening cut meal.

    On a bulk

    Build it up

    Same prawns and broccoli over a bowl of jasmine rice, with an extra glug of oil and a spoon of soy. Easy clean calories without the bloat you’d get from anything fried. Numbers are in the variations below.

    On TRT

    Steady fuel

    A moderate portion of rice, a little more oil for the fats, the same lean prawns. Light on digestion for an evening, keeps you full, and nothing overshot.

    Timing: this is a fast-cooking, light-on-the-gut plate, so it’s lovely after evening training when you don’t want to lie down full. It also reheats decently if you’re careful, though prawns are always best fresh from the pan.

    02Ingredients

    Makes 1 big plate — one generous serving. Doubling for two? Cook the prawns in two batches so the pan stays hot and they sear rather than stew.

    Servings 1 · adjust on the live recipe card
    • Raw prawns, peeled tails on or off180 g · 6.3 oz
    • Broccoli florets200 g · 7 oz
    • Garlic, finely sliced4 cloves
    • Olive oil1 tbsp · 15 ml
    • Lemon, juice of½ lemon
    • Chilli flakes optional½ tsp
    • Fresh parsley, chopped2 tbsp
    • Black pepperto taste
    • Saltto taste (go light)

    Swaps I actually use: frozen prawns are perfectly good here — just thaw and pat them bone dry or they’ll steam. No broccoli? Tenderstem, green beans, or asparagus all work the same way. Want it leaner still? Drop the oil to two teaspoons and lean on the garlic and lemon for flavour. A splash of light soy instead of salt adds savour for barely any calories.

    03Step by step

    Prep the prawns

    Thaw if frozen, then pat them dry

    If the prawns are frozen, thaw them fully and pat them properly dry with paper towel. Wet prawns release water and steam instead of searing — and a steamed prawn is a sad, rubbery prawn. Dry surface, every time.

    Magnus says: dry the prawns like you mean it. It’s the whole difference between sear and stew.

    Peeled raw prawns being patted dry on paper towel
    Start the broccoli

    Get the greens going first

    Steam or boil the broccoli florets for 3 to 4 minutes — you want them bright green and still snapping, not grey and floppy. Drain well and set aside. Undercook them slightly; they’ll keep cooking on the hot plate.

    Bright green broccoli florets steaming in a pan
    Bloom the garlic

    Warm the oil and garlic gently

    Heat the olive oil in a wide pan over medium. Add the sliced garlic and the chilli flakes if using, and let them sizzle gently for about a minute until fragrant and just turning gold. Don’t let the garlic brown hard or it goes bitter.

    Magnus says: low and slow with the garlic. Burnt garlic ruins the whole plate.

    Sliced garlic sizzling gently in olive oil with chilli flakes
    Sear the prawns

    Two to three minutes, no more

    Turn the heat up to medium-high and add the prawns in a single layer. Sear for about 90 seconds a side, until they turn pink and curl into a loose C. The moment they’re opaque through, they’re done — overcook them and they tighten to rubber.

    Magnus says: a tight little O means overdone. Pull them at the loose C.

    Prawns searing pink in a hot garlicky pan
    Bring it together

    Broccoli in, lemon over, done

    Tip the broccoli back into the pan, squeeze over the lemon, season with pepper and a light pinch of salt, and toss everything together for 30 seconds so the greens pick up all that garlicky oil. Off the heat, scatter over the parsley and plate it straight away.

    Prawns and broccoli tossed together with lemon and parsley in the pan

    04The spec sheet

    Real numbers, calculated — not guessed. This makes one big plate, about 400g of cooked food. Here’s what the whole serving and a flat 100g actually give you.

    Macros — per serving & per 100g
    NutrientPer servingPer 100g
    Energy360 kcal90 kcal
    Protein41.0 g10.3 g
    Carbohydrate14.0 g3.5 g
    — of which sugars4.0 g1.0 g
    Fat15.0 g3.8 g
    — of which saturates2.3 g0.6 g
    Fibre6.0 g1.5 g
    Sodium~0.55 g~0.14 g
    Calorie density
    90 kcal / 100g

    Very low. Prawns and broccoli are mostly water and protein, so you get a genuinely large plate for the calories — volume is your best friend on a cut, and this delivers it.

    Protein per 100 kcal
    11.4 g / 100 kcal

    A lifter’s metric. A big share of these calories is protein, exactly what you want when you’re holding muscle while the scale comes down.

    Key micros (per serving, approx.)
    • Selenium~60 µg · 109% DV
    • Vitamin C~135 mg · 150% DV
    • Vitamin B12~1.4 µg · 58% DV
    • Vitamin K~180 µg · 150% DV
    • Iodine~50 µg · 33% DV
    • Folate~110 µg · 28% DV

    Macros are calculated from standard food-composition data and will shift a little with your exact ingredients and brands. Micronutrient figures are estimates against general adult Daily Values. Numbers are for guidance, not medical advice — see our Nutrition Disclaimer.

    05Bulk / Cut / TRT variations

    One base, three jobs. The prawns and broccoli stay the same — you adjust the carbs and fat around them. Macros below are for a full serving.

    Cut

    The lean default

    Prawns and broccoli with the oil dropped to two teaspoons, heavy on garlic, lemon and chilli for flavour. No rice. Maximum volume, minimum calories — this is the version I live on before a shoot.

    290Kcal
    40G Protein
    9G Fat
    Bulk

    Build it up

    Same plate over 180g cooked jasmine rice, with the full tablespoon of oil and a spoon of light soy. Clean, easy calories that go down without bloat — great for getting food in when appetite’s low.

    640Kcal
    46G Protein
    16G Fat
    TRT

    Steady & balanced

    Prawns and broccoli over 120g rice with the full tablespoon of oil. Moderate carbs, healthy fats, lean protein — full and satisfied without overshooting your day.

    500Kcal
    43G Protein
    16G Fat

    06Meal prep & storage

    Prawns are best straight from the pan, but this still preps well if you’re sensible about the reheat. I’ll cook the broccoli and garlic base ahead and sear fresh prawns to order when I can.

    Fridge
    2 days

    Store cooked prawns and broccoli together in an airtight container. Cooked prawns don’t keep as long as meat, so eat within two days.

    Freezer
    Not ideal

    I don’t freeze cooked prawns — they go watery and tough on thawing. Freeze the raw prawns instead and cook fresh.

    Reheat
    90 sec

    Gently, and only just warm through. A quick toss in a hot pan or a short microwave blast — push it and the prawns turn to rubber.

    If you’re prepping for the week, my honest advice is to cook the broccoli, garlic and lemon base ahead and keep raw prawns portioned in the freezer. Three minutes in a hot pan and dinner’s done — it’s barely more effort than reheating, and it tastes ten times better.

    Free · the 7-day “Get Fed” plan

    Want a whole week built around food like this?

    Drop your email and I’ll send you my free 7-day plan — meals, macros already counted, grocery list written. No spam, no lectures.

    No spam. Unsubscribe whenever. See what’s in the plan →

    07Common questions

    Can I use frozen prawns? +

    Absolutely — frozen prawns are often fresher than the “fresh” ones, since they’re frozen at sea. The only rule is to thaw them fully and pat them bone dry before they hit the pan. Wet prawns steam instead of searing, and you lose all that lovely caramelised edge.

    How do I stop prawns going rubbery? +

    Don’t overcook them, that’s the whole game. Prawns are done in about 90 seconds a side — the second they turn pink and curl into a loose C, pull them. A tight little O shape means they’re overdone. Cook them on real heat, fast, and get them off.

    Can I make this in an air fryer? +

    You can do the broccoli beautifully in an air fryer — toss it with a teaspoon of oil and the garlic, then air-fry at 190°C for about 8 minutes. I’d still sear the prawns in a pan, though; they cook so fast that the pan gives you more control and a better edge.

    How do I turn this into a proper bulk meal? +

    Add carbs and a touch more fat. Serve the prawns and broccoli over 180g of cooked jasmine rice, use the full tablespoon of oil, and finish with a spoon of light soy. That takes the plate from around 360 to roughly 640 calories with 46g protein — clean calories that go down easy. See the Bulk variation above for the full numbers.

    What can I use instead of broccoli? +

    Anything green and quick. Tenderstem broccoli, green beans, asparagus, or sugar snap peas all cook in the same few minutes and pair just as well with garlic and lemon. Keep the cooking light so they hold their bite — limp greens are the only way to ruin this plate.

    From my 7-day Cut plan

    This plate lives inside a full week of meals.

    This garlic shrimp is one dinner in my 7-day cutting plan — seven days of high-protein, low-calorie meals with the macros counted and the grocery list written. You pick the goal; I do the maths.

    See the cutting meal plan
    Garlic prawns and broccoli portioned as part of a cutting meal plan under cold light

    08Pairs well with

    Browse all recipes →

    Magnus Olafsson in his kitchen — bald, bearded and broad, in his pink apron, under cold light
    About the author

    Magnus Olafsson

    I’m Magnus — twenty years under the iron, from a cold gym in Stockholm to the classic-physique stage, and now mostly in my kitchen in a pink apron. I’ve cut for shows, bulked through winters, and I’ve been on TRT since I was thirty-five. I know what it takes to eat for the body you’re chasing, and I know it shouldn’t come with a side of shame.

    Everything here is food I actually cook and macros I actually count. I don’t diagnose, I don’t promise, and I never make a number up. I just feed you well and tell you the truth.

    NPC Illinois NPC Classic Physique On TRT since 35 20 years training

    Slim Diet Era shares recipes and general nutrition information. It is not medical or dietetic advice, and we do not provide guidance on obtaining or using any controlled substance. See our Medical Disclaimer and Nutrition Disclaimer.