This post is an open thank you note…a tribute to Mason Woodruff of masonfit / Mugs for Muscles / Stronger U Recipe Guru fame. If you don’t know him and you are interested in fueling your body for performance or weight loss or just healthy deliciousness, you are in for a treat. As I’ve gone week after week through my first session of Stronger U, I’ve become more and more of a Mason Woodruff fan.
At first, even before I signed on to Stronger U, I would look at the recipes on the Stronger U Instagram feed and think they sounded soooooo strange. Make your own chicken nuggets? Protein boats? Proats? Pumpkin in chili? Protein powder everywhere you turn, even in cupcakes? What is all this stuff? And who would want to make it, never mind eat it?
As I got further into understanding and counting macros (and forever chasing my daily protein goals), I decided to give some of the recipes try. Now, 10 weeks in, Mason Woodruff is my go-to for macro-friendly recipes. Since many in the Stronger U community are serving up Mason Woodruff recipes today for #SUFamilyDinner, I thought I’d highlight some of my favorites.
Entrees
First, Mike Nuggets. An SU classic and staple in my lunches lately. Simple. I order the pretzel coating from amazon. Huge protein boost.
My new favorite is his pepperoni chicken parmesan meatballs. I have to be careful with these because I am losing carbs each week and these are super poppable. I can quickly get out of control. My solution right now is to make a batch of each on Sundays and have a couple of each kind at lunch each day.
The bacon cheeseburger brussels sprouts were tasty. I love brussels and adore a burger. But, for the most part I am meal prepping in advance and want something I can reheat throughout the week. This didn’t hold up very well. Best when fresh.
Soups
I pretty much love soup in the cold weather months. Here are a couple I’ve tried so far:
Southwest Chicken Corn Chowder
I made this one in the crock pot. My husband didn’t even notice the cauliflower and he really liked the soup (he refused to call it a chowder. He’s a chef.) It went quickly.
I liked Jalapeno Popper Bean Bacon soup. One of the things that amazed me was the use of fat free cream cheese. The soup still tasted rich and creamy. Has a few too many carbs for my numbers right now, but I’d make it again.
Treats
Love the chocolate chips and the pumpkin, and they filled me up. My daughters didn’t care for them. They said they could taste the protein powder but I couldn’t.
Double Chocolate Pancake Poppers.
I brought these to the recent competition as a snack for the ladies and myself. 10 grams of protein with the help of protein powder and Kodiak Cakes pancake mix. I liked them but wouldn’t eat them every day. I did like how they didn’t weigh me down. I was afraid they would be heavy. I also need to budget more time to cool them off before dipping.
The Toughest (and maybe Tastiest) One So Far
Finally, a request from my friend KT, the Cheesy High Protein Taco Boats. (Obviously I am not a food stylist but the taste is amazing.)
I had my eye on these for a while when she sent me the recipe. It was the nudge I needed to try it. One of my favorite things about Mason Woodruff’s recipes is the way he uses unexpected ingredients to make things luscious and satisfying. Who would have thought to use fat free Greek yogurt and cheese powder to add just the right richness to such a meaty filling? Or Kodiak Cakes buttermilk pancake mix with (again) fat free Greek yogurt to make the boat? It’s not really much to look at but with 50 – yes 50 (!?!?!) – grams of protein, this was great. And, I didn’t get hungry for like 7 hours. Amazing. And tacos are my fave so….
What’s Next
I want to try the proats but at this point it works to keep my breakfast very simple. High protein yogurt, berries, a sprinkle of protein cereal. Mornings are crazy with commuting and work. But, maybe as a dessert treat. Speaking of dessert, I also REALLY want to try the healthy banana cake. Just looks dee-lish. And then there are the healthy cheeseburger bites…And more. I also need a food processor and an air fryer! Thanks, Mason, and SU, for crave-able, makeable, macro-able meals!
2 Chicks and a blog 