Tag: Lose the Beer Belly

I love meals I can make once and eat all week long. Soup is one of those meals. However, not any old soup will do. I like soups that eat like a meal and stealing a line from the Campbell’s Soup debate- I like soups you can either eat with a spoon or a fork.

Unfortunately most pre-packaged and processed soups lack flavor and are loaded with salt and preservatives to make up for it. Solution- we’re going to make a kick-ass homemade soup from scratch that is heart healthy, gut slimming, filling, tastes amazing and doesn’t take much time to do.

In today’s Cooking with Beer we’re going to throw together a hearty Chicken and Vegetable Soup using Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale.

Mmmm… Let’s get started.
 

Irish Cream Ale Chicken and Vegetable Soup

Kilkenny Chicken, Lentil and Vegetable Soup

 
Here’s what you need:

• 1 can of Kilkenny Irish Cream Ale
• 1 qt or 900 ml of Chicken Broth (preferably organic or at least reduced sodium)
• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1/2 cup of Dry Quinoa
• 1 small Zucchini, 2 Carrots, 2 Celery Stalks, 2 Medium Onions, 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 1 can (15 oz) of Lentils
• 1 can (24 oz) of Diced Tomatoes
• 2 cups of Cauliflower
• 2 cups of Broccoli
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/2 teaspoon of dried Basil
• Sea Salt and Black Pepper

 
What to do:

Wash, peel and chop the zucchini, carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Add 2 tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil to a saucepan at medium heat then add the chopped vegetables. Cook for 10 minutes stirring every 30 seconds or so. Meanwhile in another saucepan bring to a boil the Chicken Broth, Can of Tomatoes, Can of Kilkenny and half cup of Quinoa. Once the vegetables have cooked for 10 to 12 minutes transfer the boiling beer broth to the pot. Rinse and drain your lentils, chop the cauliflower and broccoli into small florets and chicken into small pieces. Add everything to the soup. Stir, reduce heat and let simmer for 15 minutes with the lid on. Season with a little sea salt and pepper and enjoy.

Yours in health,

Sean

PS. Follow the link for more Cooking With Beer Recipes.

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As opposed to last weeks Beef and Guinness Stew today’s cooking with beer recipe (Beer Can Chicken) is a summer classic. I usually prefer to make this baby on the grill but due to the 25 cm (12 inches) of snow we had over the weekend the barbecue is covered and out of commission.

Not to worry, my version of Beer Can Chicken tastes just as good roasted in the oven.

The beer of choice for today’s Beer Can Chicken is a lager but any variety or your favorite kind will do. I’ve even seen people get creative, add sangria to an empty beer can, shove it up the chicken and fire it on the BBQ.

Like Beer Chili Con Carne this recipe takes a half can of beer so make sure to take a few gulps while prepping. (Little gulps… Leave half for the Chicken)

Watch below to see how it’s done:
 

Beer Can Chicken

Here’s what you need for the Beer Can Chicken:

• 1 – 3-4 pound Chicken (innards removed, washed inside/out and patted dry)
• 1 can of Beer (Lager)
• 2 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)
• Half a lemon
• Dried Rosemary and Thyme
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

How to put it all together:

Remove the innards (if any) from your chicken. Wash inside and out and pat dry.

Preheat your oven to 450°F but before you do make sure to place the bottom rack at its lowest position and remove the middle rack so the chicken can stand stall.

Finely Chop your fresh garlic, place in a bowl and mix together with a few pinches of rosemary and thyme.

Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and season with sea salt and pepper, rubbing it in all over.

Pat down the bird with the garlic, rosemary and thyme and squeeze the juice of half the lemon all over.

Place the (half full) beer can into a roasting pan (on a solid surface) and stand the bird (cavity down) onto the can using the legs to balance like a tripod.

Turn the oven down to 400°F and carefully place the bird in the oven. Cook for approximately 1 hour and 20 minutes checking mid way through to make sure it isn’t drying out. Once done, remove and let stand covered with a clean towel for 10 minutes.

Carve it up; serve with a side of roasted brussel sprouts, asparagus and sweet potato and enjoy.

How to make your roasted brussel sprouts, asparagus and sweet potato:

Chop the ends off the brussel sprouts and remove the outer leaves. Chop the sweet potato into small cubes. Wash and dry the brussel sprouts, asparagus and sweet potato. Place everything into a bowl and season with sea salt and black pepper. Add approximately half a tablespoon of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and a teaspoon of Red Chili flakes. Mix well.

When there are 40 minutes left on the timer for the Beer Can Chicken put the brussel sprouts and sweet potato into a roasting dish and then into the oven. Add the asparagus for the last 10 minutes.

Soooooooooo good.

Yours in health,

Sean

PS. Follow the link for more Cooking With Beer Recipes.

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

Up next in our cooking with beer series is another one of my favorites. Perfect for cold dark winter nights this Beef and Guinness Stew is sure to delight.

Unlike the Beer Chili Con Carne this recipe takes a full can of Guinness so make sure to have another on hand to enjoy while prepping.

Watch below to see how it’s done:
 

Guinness and Beef Stew

Here’s what you need:

• 1 pound of stewing beef, diced into cubes
• 1 can of Guinness Draught
• 1 – 14 oz can of diced tomatoes
• 2 Celery Stalks, washed and chopped
• 2 Large Carrot Sticks, washed and chopped
• 2 Medium Onions, roughly chopped
• 1 Handful of Mushrooms, chopped
• 2 tbsp of spelt flour ground flax seed to thicken the stew (whole-wheat flour or all-purpose
• flour can also be used)
• Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 3-4 dried bay leaves
• Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper

 
How to put it all together:

Roughly Chop all vegetables. Place the veges, olive oil and bay leaves into the pan over high heat and cook for 8-10 minutes stirring occasionally.

Then add your flour (or ground flax seed), meat, Guinness and diced tomatoes. Stir and season with sea salt and black pepper.

Bring to a boil and then reduce heat. Cover and let simmer for up to 3 hours or until beef is tender all the way through.

If the stew is still too runny, remove lid for the last half hour. If stew becomes too dry, add a splash of water. Remove bay leaves before serving.

Serve over a bed of Quinoa and a side salad. Enjoy.

Yours in health,

Sean

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

Studies support the best time to refuel muscles is directly after a workout. They are screaming for food in order to restore muscle glycogen.

Try this 6-minute circuit before the big game and make sure the chicken wings and beers go into your muscles and not the beer gut.
 

The Man-Maker

 
The Superbowl pre-game workout is called the “Man-Maker” and the name says it all. Here’s how you perform the Man-Maker:

Holding 2 dumbbells squat down and touch them to the floor. Once crouched jump your feet back into a push-up position and perform a push-up. When you come to the top of your push-up perform a renegade row with each arm. Next jump your feet back in and stand back up while cleaning the dumbbells to your shoulders. Then perform a push-press.

Sounds complicated but it’s not.

Complete the Man-Maker for 2 full minutes without stopping. After your 2 minutes are up, rest 1 minute and repeat 2 more sets of the 2 minute Man-Maker for a total of 6 minutes of work.

Still confused?

Watch Drew perform the Man-Maker in the Superbowl 46 pre-game workout.
 

Cheers,

Sean

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

With the Super Bowl this Sunday what better time to not only introduce the new series (Cooking with Beer) but also share my all-time favorite recipe- Beer Chili Con Carne.

This easy to make recipe is packed so full of flavor you won’t even realize it is one of the healthiest Chili recipes on the planet.

When you combine the fiber from the veges and legumes (black and kidney beans) with the mouth watering spice concoction… you get a heart healthy, beer belly reducing bowl of glorious-ness.

Watch below as I show you how it’s done:
 

Chili Con Carne and Beer

Here’s what you need:

• 2 Medium Yellow Onions
• 2 Cloves of Garlic
• 2 Carrots
• 2 Celery Stalks
• 2 Red (Green, Yellow or Orange) Bell Peppers
• Big Handful of Mushrooms
• 1 Small Zucchini
• 1 – 24 oz Can of Diced Tomatoes
• 1 – 12 oz Can of Chick Peas (Garbanzo Beans)
• 1 – 12 oz Can of Black Beans
• 1 – 12 oz Can of Kidney Beans
• 1 pound of Extra Lean Ground Carne/Beef (Turkey or Chicken)
• 1 Can of your favorite Beer
• 2 table spoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 heaping tablespoons of Chili Powder
• 2 table spoons of Balsamic Vinegar
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Ground Cumin
• 1 heaping teaspoon of Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of Red Chili Flakes (more or less depending how spicy you like it)
• Sea Salt and freshly ground Black Pepper

 
How to put it all together:

Crack open the can of Beer and sip slowly making sure to save half of it for later.

Chop up all the veggies. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive or coconut oil into a large pot and turn to medium/high heat.

Toss in all the chopped veggies and add in the following spices: 2 heaping table spoons of Chili Powder, 1 heaping tea spoon of Ground Cumin (or Coriander), 1 heaping tea spoon of Cinnamon, 1 teaspoon of Red Chili Flakes (more or less depending how spicy you like it) and a pinch of salt and pepper.

Stir every 30-45 seconds for about 8-10 minutes.

Add the entire can of Diced Tomatoes. Drain and Rinse the Chick Peas, Black and Kidney Beans and stir them into the pot.

Pour in the 1/2 Can of your favorite Beer. With your wooden spoon slowly stir in and break apart the Ground Carne (allowing it to cook in the chili).

Stir in the 2 tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar, and add another pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Reduce heat, cover and allow to simmer for about an hour or more, stirring occasionally.

Serve garnished with a scoop of plain Greek yogurt, some grated cheddar cheese and freshly chopped cilantro. Sooooo Good. Makes about 6 – 8 servings.

Enjoy.

Yours in health,

Sean

PS. Stay tuned for another one of my favourites – Beef and Guinness Stew.

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

Flash Fan Budweiser Commercial?

 
Most have heard of these Flash Mob things where all of a sudden you’re walking through Times Square and hundreds of people break into some elaborate choreographed dance around you.

In their upcoming Superbowl commercial Budweiser puts a spin on that idea and has a Flash Mob of Fans show up at a local rec league hockey game in Port Credit, Ontario.

Imagine showing up with your buddies for your Monday night beer league game and thousands of fans walk in before the puck drops to cheer you on. Priceless.

One of the best commercials I’ve seen in awhile.
 

Men’s Beer League Hockey Workout

Cheers,

Sean

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer

Being my first blog post this is not an easy subject to cover. Mentally, emotionally and physically- last summer was a tough one for me.

My first owner gave me up because I got into our neighbors paddock and roughed up a sheep.

Apparently it’s frowned upon to chase sheep. Even more frowned upon when a couple weeks later the sheep in question passes away from complications aroused from the chase.

Needless to say the farmer was not happy, complained to the city and I was deemed “dangerous to livestock”.

Dangerous to livestock? Me? No way. We were just having a little fun. When sheep run- you chase em right?

The sheep incident was a cross roads in my short-lived life. Things started to spiral out of control and the next thing I knew I was dropped off at a vet clinic to be put down.

Yep, you heard it right. I was apparently too much to handle with my newly acquired “dangerous to livestock” title and wasn’t worth the extra work or cost.

Thankfully the vet was compassionate and saw something in me the authority had failed to see. He decided there was no way he could put down such a beautiful, um, handsome young animal and brought in a behaviorist to figure out whether or not I was dangerous.

Regardless I did a lot of growing up over the next couple of days but thankfully it turned out all right as Sean and his girlfriend Kelly adopted me a couple weeks later.
 

The Incident

 
A strapping young lad in the prime years of my life I was happy as could be in my new home… until it happened.

My parents were advised that being such a large dog with a “dangerous to livestock” title and fully intact (if you know was I’m getting at) probably wasn’t the best idea.

Within a week I was scheduled for “the surgery”.

To further complicate matters, my mom who is studying to become a Vet performed the un-speak-able herself.

That’s right- she chopped my balls off.
 

The Point

 
All right, pity story is over, enough rambling… What’s the point of today’s blog post?

I no longer have my balls, which means I no longer produce Testosterone. Which means, technically I have the right to a reduced libido, less lean muscle mass and more body fat.

I have an excuse.

It makes me sad to see men walking around fully intact and not producing Testosterone.

Testosterone is naturally occurring in the body and is one of the hormones responsible for increasing protein synthesis (muscle building) and metabolic capacity, leading to faster muscle repair/building, increased energy (fat) burning, a stronger libido and greater cognitive functioning.

When you are inactive and unhealthy there is no demand on your body to produce Testosterone.

You may as well have my mom chop your balls off too.

Furthermore, low levels of this hormone decrease energy and muscle building, leading you on a downward spiral. In order to reverse the trend, you need to give your body a reason to increase its production. This can be achieved through beer belly exercises and strength resistance training outlined in the 3BG System.

There are limitations to how much of this hormone your body will produce even in the best of shape (for good reason). This causes some people go the added (illegal) step. But too much of anything is a very bad thing and remember that your body knows what is best.

If you are sticking with the Mind-Body-Mouth approach outlined in the 3BG System, you won’t have any problems stimulating your body’s natural production of Testosterone.

If you’re sitting on your ass all day, eating fried greasy foods and not getting in short intense workouts like the one Jonny performs here, then you might as well stop calling yourself a man.

Sorry for sounding a little bitter. I have an excuse… You do not.

Catch you next week.

Dante

PS. The sheep had it coming…

Click Here and Start Earning Your Beer