Happy New Year, delicious world!
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With the holidays dinners and parties tucked under the belt, now is the time that lots of people swear that this year they’ll lose those extra ____ pounds that they’ve gained over the past few holidays… And to do this, they go on a “[insert silly name] diet”.

I’m not a doctor, but in my line of work I get to come in contact with a lot of cool nutritionists, athletic trainers, and other credible folks. After lots of brain-picking questions and research on a healthier food lifestyle, I’ve boiled down my learnings to three philosophies that have worked for me and, I think, can work for anyone – even the passionate foodie.

We've all been here...you have a cup of milk left in the fridge with a hankering for something tasty, but the recipe calls for a cup and a half of milk. Running out to the store just to get a little more milk feels like a pain...but you're jonesing for that delicious dish. 

Fear not - for you can solve this dilemma with math! One of the main skills that professional chefs have in their food-brain arsenal is being able to scale recipes up and down to accommodate what ingredients they have in stock. Here's how...

WARNING: This post contains copious amounts of cursing in the name of healthy food. If this isn't your thing, here's a less offensive post for you.

For all others, let's f*cking do this!


I received the most wonderful, in-your-face cookbook from a good friend this week. This video explains the book quite beautifully:

I about died laughing at this video. You're welcome.

In all seriousness, this book is a pretty great, approachable way to start cooking dishes that taste good and are healthy for you. It gives a lot of starter tips on the tools needed in the kitchen, basics on how to cook some staple foods such as rice and beans, and general advice on cooking. Some great examples:

• On reading recipes completely before starting to cook: "READ THE GODDAMN RECIPE...Nothing is worse than getting to a crucial point in a recipe and realizing that the next thing you need is dirty in the sink...Don't just glance at a recipe and assume you've got that shit."
• On substituting ingredients in a recipe: "We offer ideas for substitutions in can't you can't find one of the ingredients or don't want to all the way to the store for just one fucking item...Feel free to try and mix shit up on your own, but use some goddamn sense. Out of tomato sauce? Not  problem, just...PUT THE FUCKING KETCHUP BACK. NO. NOT THE SAME THING...Like we were saying, just throw some diced tomatoes in a blender."
• On basic tools to have in the kitchen: "Who needs an avocado slicer? A person without any goddamn sense, that's who. Stick to this basic list [on the page in the book] and you'll be set for almost anything"

All the recipes in the book are plant-based - no meat or animal products! The average American eats more than double the pounds of meat that is recommended for a healthy diet, according to the book. "So come the fuck on, the last thing anybody needs is another book coming out telling you how to cook meat. Clearly you that shit on lock."

I've only had time to test out a couple recipes, but so far so delicious! I the best part is I don't feel bad eating any of it because it's all healthy. They have awesome recipes for breakfast, salads, sandwiches, soups, mini-meals, snacks, dinners, and dessert - they cover all the eating occasion bases.

If you're still on the fence about this book, Thug Kitchen's website has a recipe section, where you can make some of their tasty creations. The book has way more than what the website offers, though, with lots of nifty and helpful kitchen tips and tricks.