A Short Roundup of Cheat Meals

Guest Post by Samantha of Ripped.me

Diets are bland, frustrating and boring. Let’s face it, no one likes being deprived of delicious things, and if you’re used to chocolate cake and pizza, the taste of celery and avocado won’t be all that thrilling. We’re stuck between the food industry that thrives on selling us greasy, sugary things, and our own desire to be healthy.

Why must the world make staying fit such a chore? Are you doomed to a lifetime of tasteless food? Hell, no! Healthy food is actually super fun! To be fair, it took me a while to actually see that. Now, I’ve always loved working out, but I have the worst sweet tooth in history. I’ll do anything for a candy bar, and I’m really busy, so any meal that takes too long to prepare doesn’t work for me.

So, what did I do? I made a cheat sheet. A cheat sheet with recipes that are both healthy and delicious. Things that don’t take long to prepare, and yet are perfect for anyone who’s trying to lose weight or is passionate about fitness.

You want in on the secret, don’t you? Well, since you’re so nice and I’m so generous, here you go:

Chocolate dipped banana bites

I am all for munching something sweet half an hour after a workout, but I don’t really want anything that will ruin all the progress I’ve just made. These banana bites, though? They’re perfect. The only thing you need are two tablespoons of dark chocolate chips and a banana. Put the chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate, and then slice the banana in large chunks. Dip them in chocolate and you have a really quick, delicious snack on your hands. An easy recipe that anyone can make.

Super clean protein cookies

Yes, I know, I’m obsessed with sweets, don’t judge. These cookies are seriously amazing, though. Healthy, and easy to make. You’ll need 2 cups of rolled oats, some dried blueberries, 1 cup of pumpkin and sunflower seeds, 1 cup of various nuts, 1 tbsp of cinnamon, 1 cup of protein powder, ½ tbsp of ground ginger, 3 bananas, ½ coconut oil, 1 egg, 1 tbsp of vanilla and sea salt to taste.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and mix all the dry ingredients. Take the rest of the ingredients and mash them together in a bowl and then add them to the dry ingredients bit by bit. Take small pieces of this dough and roll them into a ball, then place on the baking sheet. The cookies need to be baked for about 20 minutes, until they’re golden. You can find the whole recipe for the super clean protein cookies here, where it’s a bit more detailed, and vegan as well.

Sesame butterflied chicken

This is a Jamie Oliver recipe, so you know this one’s going to be good. You’ll need: 100g of rice noodles, 2 chicken breasts, 4 spring onions, ½ of a Chinese cabbage, groundnut oil, 1 fresh red chilli pepper, 200g sugar snap peas, 2 limes, 1 tbsp of peanut butter, 1 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of yoghurt, some ginger, and some sesame seeds.

Pour hot, boiling water over your rice noodles and let them sit. Slice into the chicken breasts and then rub them with groundnut oil, salt and pepper. Fry them in a pan until they’re golden. Take the spring onions, chilli, cabbage and snap peas, and put them in a blender. You want them to have the consistency of a sauce almost. Put all this in a bowl and then add yoghurt, peanut butter, ground ginger, lime juice and soy sauce. Stir well. Put the sesame seeds over the chicken and fry lightly for two more minutes. Drain your noodles and serve the chicken with the sauce you’ve made.

We’re all used to the taste of unhealthy food. With so many additives and strange ingredients, it’s no wonder it has such a strong taste. But from my experience, as soon as you’ve had enough time away from it, you start enjoying and craving better, healthier food, and you become aware how overly-sweetened everything is. Good luck with your workouts and I hope these recipes help!

Samantha has a B.Sc. in Nutrition, and has spent two years working as a personal trainer. Since then, she has embarked on a mission to conquer the blogosphere. When not in the gym or on the track, you can find her at Ripped.me, or in a tea shop.