Are you scrambling around in the mornings like eggs in a pan trying to fix a quick and nutritious breakfast?

If so, then give this jacked up French Toast recipe a try to feed those hungry muscles before you head out there door.

High Protein Feel Good French Toast

2 slices of 100% Multi-Grain Bread
3 Omega 3 enriched Eggs
1/4 cup of milk
1 scoop of vanilla protein powder
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tsp of vanilla extract

-Take the eggs, milk,  protein powder, cinnamon, and vanilla and whisk them together in a bowl.

-Spray a non stick pan with cooking spray and turn to medium heat.

-Soak each piece of bread for at least 1 minute in the mixture pressing down as to make the toast absorb as much as possible.

-Fry each piece 2-4 minutes each side until golden brown.

Top with fresh fruit or berries…Enjoy!

Click here to view the embedded video.

I started a new muscle building Dad Fitness workout routine yesterday.

I had a few whole wheat hamburger buns laying around as well so I decided to put them to use for this guy’s gourmet version of a grilled cheese sandwich.

Meet the Garlic Grilled Beef and Cheese Sandwich

1 clove of chopped garlic
1 tsp of parsley
1/4 cup of unsalted butter

2 large whole wheat kaiser rolls
2 tbsp of bbq sauce
4 slices of aged cheddar cheese
6 oz of thinly sliced leftover roast beef

In a small bowl mix garlic, parsley and butter together and melt in microwave for 30 secs.

Butter outside of rolls (tops and bottoms) with basting brush

Spread 1tbsp of bbq sauce on inside of each bun

Place 2 bottoms butter-side down in skillet on medium heat

Add 2 slices of  cheddar and roast beef to each bun in skillet

Place top rolls on sandwiches and cook 5-10 minutes or until golden brown

Carefully turn sandwiches over with spatula or tongs and cook for additional 5-7 minutes until golden brown and cheese is melted.

Remove from pan and enjoy with some spicy Peperoncini peppers on the side.

So the next time you want a Roast Beef and Cheddar Sandwich for lunch don’t think Arby’s!  Think homemade REAL food with the Grilled Garlic Roast and Cheedar from the Dad Fitness Workout and Nutrition System.

So when it comes to keeping my bodyfat around 10% year round I am not a guy to count calories or have a cardio crush on the treadmill display (which studies show are inaccurate anyway).

Despite what you may have heard in the gym, muscle does not WEIGH more than fat. A pound is a pound despite what’s being weighed. But muscle is more DENSE, meaning 5lbs of muscle takes up less space than 5lbs of fat (and makes you look a hell of a lot better!) Plus muscle is metabolically active unlike fat which just hangs around for the ride and makes chinups that much harder.

But on page 46 in the September issue of Men’s Health, I noticed a chart showing the estimated calories burned not by hitting the gym but by doing “manly” around the house activities. Remember, muscles are made for movements not mirrors.

Average number of calories an 180lb man burns in an hour of…
(I currently weigh 175lbs, close enough)

Chopping and splitting wood, 491
Cleaning gutters, 409
Mowing grass (pushing by hand), 491
Painting outside, 409
Planting trees, 368
Raking, 352
Trimming trees, 286
Carpentry, 245
Papering or Plastering, 245
Sanding, 368
Wiring and Plumbing, 245
General cleaning, 245

So after a busy and productive morning off yesterday where I “prepared” dinner before breakfast (by throwing a roast in the crockpot), headed to the gym for a quick Dad Fitness workout, mowed and raked the front and back lawn,then cleaned up around the house all before lunch, it made me break out the calculator.

Calorie Countdown Calculator

Dad Fitness Workout (45 mins)- 362 calories

Mowing Grass (30 mins) – 245 calories

Raking Grass (30 mins) – 176 calories

House Cleanup (30 mins) – 122 calories

The total caloric burn from just these 4 activities alone comes to 905 calories!

Provided you eat REAL food that was made by Mother Nature and not Man, like is found in the Dad Fitness Meal Plans, you can eat great tasting food and not have to worry about dieting and counting calories.

So the next time your wife gives you the dreaded “to-do” list think about all the extra calories you are going to burn by mowing the lawn or painting the deck.

Thankfully, from now on, counting calories will be one chore that you won’t have to think about…

If you liked the documentary Food Inc., (which I highly recommend if you haven’t seen it yet) you will also like Killer at Large.

This film provides a strong wake up call about the dangerous rise of obesity, especially in our kids as well as the importance of local organic farming.

I remember meeting with world-renown strength and conditioning expert Charles Poliquin a few years back and we talked about the alarming rate of childhood obesity. With his informative wit he said “When I was growing up, the fat kids in school were made fun of because they were the minority, now childhood obesity has gotten so bad it’s the skinny kids in school that are being made fun of”

Sad but true. ..Unfortunately, this is not a laughing matter and I believe it all starts at home in teaching our kids the value in preparing and eating REAL food. Then the schools need to step up and give health education the same importance as math and science. How smart are you really when you are destroying your health?

Now I also don’t agree with being a food Nazi and raising our kids on some strict diets. We let our daughter Matea enjoy being a kid by having the typical treats that we all enjoy from time to time. But like I stress in my Dad Fitness Cookbook, Fast Food For Fit Families, you can strike the perfect balance between food and fitness if you prepare healthy meals at home. Matea’s favorite is my Tasty Turkey Meatloaf!

So I hope you take the time to watch this film this weekend so you don’t have to be watching your kids weight…

Click here to view the embedded video.

So here are 3 new fat loss strategies that I followed this summer that allowed me to get leaner and stronger without the effort of dieting or doing long boring cardio.

Fat For Fuel

This first one happens in the kitchen not the gym. Say goodbye to grains for your breakfast and start the day with a meal consisting of proteins and fats only. The protein and fat will help keep you full and more alert during the morning without the mid-morning carb crash. It also supplies muscle building protein and fat to fuel your workouts. Try some Omega 3 eggs scrambled with scallions and cheese or go classic with steak and eggs. Don’t be afraid of fat, it was around long before bread!

HIIT The Hills

You keep hearing that HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) is the fastest and most effective cardio to burn fat. Now it’s also super convenient, thanks to Hill Sprints. Being outdoors it requires only you and a pair of running shoes. Sprinting up hill in short bursts of around 20 seconds seems to almost frighten the fat off your body and anyone can try it because the nature of sprinting uphill is more self regulating due to the increased resistance than sprinting on flat ground. The recovery is also built in as you walk back down the hill. This means there is less chance of injury and a greater chance of intensity, which is the real secret to burning fat.

Track Your Time

I might of mentioned this before but it bares repeating because I still hardly see anyone doing this in the gym. Track your time in between your working sets with your watch (not in your head). Most properly designed workout routines should dictate specific rest periods anyway, so follow them, they are there for a reason! Very rarely should you be resting more than 90 seconds in between sets, unless you are competing for the world’s strongest man. For fat loss the shorter the better. Resting only 30-60 seconds in between sets keeps your heart rate up and your mind on the muscle so you can be on the fast track to fat loss.

So follow these Laws of Leanness this summer so you are even fitter this fall…

Well, today I turn the big THREE TWO…

Nothing too crazy planned that I KNOW of anyway. My wife is taking the day off so we can all spend the day together.

(I am up early and letting her sleep in so I wanted to post this)

This makes for a great magazine headline on your nearest news stand but unfortunately you become disappointed and confused once you flip through the pages.

Wether it’s the magical Acai or Gogi berry one week, or the raw, cooked or frozen diet the next, it’s all a marketing illusion for companies to sell you more of their stuff.

So let’s breakdown the Diet Dogma.

The idea of a “Perfect” Diet is like chasing a moving target, and if you continue to chase this moving target you are setting yourself up for failure.

Even some of the most common advice you hear regarding healthy eating is contradictory and not always perfect or practical for everyone.

-Eat 6 small meals a day…
(quite the chore for us busy dads with families who work 12 hours a day)

-Don’t eat late at night…
(kinda sucks for us night-shift workers or culture’s in the Mediterranean who eat a late dinner)

-Eat lots of fruits and vegetables…
(tell that to the Inuit who hardly ate any and have the lowest rate of heart disease)

-Eat high protein…
(some of the longest living and highest performing athletes in the world get 75% of their calories from carbs)

-Eat low carbs…
(except first thing in the morning, before or after your workout, on Tuesday’s or during a full moon)

-High fat, low fat…
(high fat diets with healthy fats from fish and nuts is highly recommended these days…but not the best advice if you are going in for surgery or if you have a peanut allergy. As for low fat, you’ll have to fight with the French on that one)

-Chocolate is healthy
(but only if it’s from 87.625% organic dark Cacao beans that hasn’t seen the light of day in the northern mountains of Papua New Guinea)

-Alcohol is bad
(the healthy elders of Sardinia, Italy or Okinawa, Japan with their red wine and sake would disagree)

From only organic, to vegan vegetarians the list goes on between the battle of the perfect diet and more importantly for your dieting dollar.

As a fitness professional myself who has a passion for encouraging healthy lifestyle habits, I still believe all these methods are valid and do work but their long term success depends on the person’s personality and lifestyle, not shear will power.

Humans have healthily survived for millions of years without having to call Jenny. That’s because different cultures from different parts of the world evolved on what worked best for them.

The North American culture continues to feed the media it’s law of the land for healthy diets but ironically it is one of the biggest leader’s or maybe the biggest losers for preventing heart disease and obesity in the modern world.

Unfortunately, most of the food we now eat is being purchased not prepared. What used to be known as a meal has now become a snack that we eat in-between even bigger meals.

No longer is even food enough. According to every second page in a health and fitness magazine we also need pills and powders to supplement our already sub-standard diet.

The problem is when people believe the media’s messages on what is best for them and allow billion dollar companies to dictate what, when and how much we eat.

OCD has turned into OCE, Obsessive Compulsive Eating, and crossing the line between self-discipline because you ate GOOD and self-punishment because you ate BAD is where things go wrong. I always say that the food guilt is sometimes worse than the food itself.

Remember holistic health is mind AND body. So don’t beat yourself up the next time you have a slice of cake at a Birthday party.

Continue to move more, enjoy eating REAL food and stress less.

Eating healthy without obsessing over eating healthy, now that sounds like the Perfect Diet…

To celebrate my 32nd Birthday I am offering my entire Dad Fitness Workout and Nutrition System for 50% off the regular price!

You get over 10 workout and nutrition programs and bonuses for less than $20, for 24 hours only!

Help me celebrate and help yourself get fit fast while you enjoy life and eat REAL food with Dad Fitness…

Starting living the Dad Fitness Lifestyle TODAY

50% off discount==>http://www.DadFitness.com

These are probably sabotaging your weight loss efforts without you even knowing!

1. Better Butter

Choosing whole grain toast in the morning is a step in the right direction but slathering it in man-made margarine is not. Avoid the fake fat full of trans fatty acids and hydrogenated oils and try nature’s fat fruit instead, the Avocado. It’s full of heart healthy fat that your body can use for fuel and to keep you full. Slice it open. discard the pit and scoop your butter knife inside to spread on toast or sandwiches. If you still want butter, then use REAL organic butter from grass-fed cows, it’s rich in fat fighting CLA (conjugated linoleic acid),

2. Muscle Mayo

Hold the mayo in your salads or sandwiches and go Greek. Store bought Mayo is full of additives and processed omega 6 fats which we get too much of anyway, it’s the omega 3 fats we really need. Try substituting plain Greek yogurt in place of mayonnaise and losing fat won’t depend on a miracle. This simple switch also makes dynamite dips and is a great source of muscle building protein.

3. Loser Lettuce

Lettuce might be the nutritional winner when it’s sitting on a fattening fast food burger, but when compared to spinach it’s a loser. Plain iceberg lettuce makes a great filler in salads but provides little nutritional value next to the superfood spinach. Baby spinach is bursting with antioxidants, vitamins and minerals, especially Vitamin A, Lutein and Folate. Toss a handful in your next omelette, or make a better burger by leaving the lettuce and going green with spinach.

Try this fiery dip that includes all three of these superfoods so you can eat real food and get real results.

Indian Spinach Dip

1 small clove garlic, minced
1 large avocado
1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt
1/8 tsp fresh ginger, minced
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
4 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/4 tsp curry powder
dash of cumin
dash of chili powder
dash of cayenne pepper

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor until very smooth. Chill for about an hour and serve with veggies or pita chips!

Do you eat breakfast?…I hope so. But do you eat a HEALTHY breakfast?

Unlike this belly buster breakfast in a box that weighs in with over 1000 calories, 2000mg in sodium and 64 grams of artery-clogging FAT!

I know some mornings as a busy dad just seem too crazy to prepare a healthy breakfast, like this morning when I was trying to get my daughter Matea ready to go to the sitter’s…

When I finally pulled her away from playing Dora Candyland and got her in the car…nothing…not a gig…the car wouldn’t start!

Luckily I had some booster cables in my truck and boosted the car, but took the truck anyway just in case.

Ditch the high carb, coma inducing pancakes and syrup to start your day and try these Dad Fitness approved Bursting Blueberry Protein Pancakes that are full of high quality protein, complex carbohydrates, anti-aging antioxidants, healthy fat and fiber.

These take only minutes to prepare and will keep you full and fit until lunch without the mid-morning crash…

1/2 cup of oats

1/2 cup of cottage cheese

2 tbsp flax meal

1 scoop of vanilla protein powder

3 whole omega 3 eggs

1/4 cup of egg whites

1/2 cup of blueberries

Optional: Sliced banana or natural honey for topping in place of syrup

-Heat grape seed oil at medium temperature in non-stick skillet

-Mix wet and dry ingredients in a bowl, and mix well.

-Pour batter mix into center of pan until your pancake is at desired size

-Brown for a couple minutes on one side and flip to brown the other side.

Makes approx. 3 large pancakes.

Aunt Jemima isn’t the best role model for a busy dad trying to stay fit anyway…