TFA Cook Book (PDF)

30 Breakfasts, 30 Lunches, 30 Dinners and 10 Desserts

The Fitness Academy Athboy
The Fitness Academy was established in 2017 by Gavin Brown and Shane McAnarney on the
principles of fitness, community, honesty and accountability.
Our mission is to fill the gap in the health and fitness industry and support people of all fitness
levels improve their quality of life. There have never been as many gyms available to the public
than at present. So why do we still see rising levels of obesity? The answer is simple, commercial
gyms do not look after or care about whether or not you turn up once or never go to the gym, you
are just a number. There is no coaching involved, no accountability, and no guidance.

We have developed a tried and tested three-layered system to training that improves all aspects of
fitness. Gain back your flexibility to allow us to move better (pain-free) and reduce your chances of
injury. Build strength to make everyday tasks easier and work on your conditioning or
cardiovascular fitness with a constantly varied never boring approach to training.
In our opinion, this makes for the best all round individual or athlete. The main difference between
us and the rest is that we are a coaching gym, where technique comes before ego at all costs. All
sessions will be monitored and designed by our head trainer and we aim to make the session the
best hour of your day.
If you’re tired and frustrated with your lack of progress over the last weeks, months or even years
and don’t know how to get different results then we are the gym for you.

We don’t care how fit or strong you are NOW!!

All we care about is that you show up and do the best you can because we know from past
experience that when you show up and give it your best, we guarantee you that you will surprise
yourself with how good that actually is.

Fundamental to each of our services is the fact that in order to perform at our best and get the
most from our training there are two core principles that never change.
Nutrition and mobility (flexibility) are the cornerstone of any good program and healthy individual.
These two aspects of health will have a major positive/negative effect on everything else. How you
fuel your body as an individual and how good your mobility is (how well you can move) will help
everything else tenfold no matter what your goals are.
Have back pain?
Can’t touch your toes?
Can’t lift your arms over your head without arching your back?
Your mobility matters. Training all the time but not losing weight, not getting any stronger or feel
like you have reached a plateau then more than likely you need to get your nutrition in check.

Getting Started and Staying on Track
1. Plan ahead and set goals
2. Never skip breakfast:
Whatever you do, don’t skip breakfast. Starting your day with your blood sugar levels under
control is important for success during the rest of your day.
3. Little and often is key:
In order to lose weight, you must balance your blood sugars. By including protein in each
meal and snack and avoiding refined sugars you will achieve this. Aim to eat every 3hrs,
little and often throughout the day.
4. Eat protein with carbohydrates:
At every meal to slow down the release of sugar and keep blood sugar levels under
control...e.g.: apple and almonds, ryvita and cottage cheese, mixed berries and natural
yogurt (Glenisk).
5. Snacks are essential:
For the diet to succeed it is essential to keep blood sugars level: snack between breakfast
and lunch, snack between lunch and dinner. Plan to carry a supply of oat cakes, fruit, nuts
and seeds with you to avoid eating biscuits, crisps or unhealthy options.
6. Food on the Move:
At lunchtime preparing your own food in advance is best. Make up salads and snacks, and
then bring them with you to work or when out and about.
7. Stock up with essentials:
Stocking up in advance with essential foods and getting used to buying and using new
ingredients and cooking methods is part of your preparation for success.
8. Water:
It helps to detoxify the body effectively and is essential for all your body’s vital organs to
work well. Drink 2 litres a day
9. Juices:
Fruit juices have high sugar content and should be avoided always. Never drink your
calories.
10. Be aware of claims on foods:
E.g. 100% fat free - these generally contain more sugar and salt, which is actually more
harmful. Fat in moderation is good!!! Especially essential fats- nuts, seeds, olive oil,
avocado, oily fish.
11. Read labels and understand what is going into your body:
You can’t expect your body to function properly if you are putting rubbish into it.
12. When to have your carbohydrates:
Don’t eat too many carbohydrates in the evening, eat most of your energy-giving foods
early in the day, and in particular avoid potatoes and bread.

Health Benefits of a Clean Eating
For most people the fact the Clean Eating delivers the best results is all they need. Improved
blood lipids, weight loss, and reduced pain from autoimmunity are proof enough. Many people
however are not satisfied with blindly following any recommendations, be they nutrition or exercise
related. Some folks like to know WHY they are doing something. Fortunately, a clean diet has
stood not only the test of time, but also the rigors of scientific scrutiny.
With a very simple shift we not only remove the foods that are at odds with our health but we also
increase our intake of vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants.

Building a Healthy Clean Diet
Lean Proteins
Lean proteins support strong muscles, healthy bones and optimal immune function. Protein also
makes you feel satisfied between meals.
Fruits and Vegetables
Fruits and vegetables are rich in antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and phytonutrients that have
been shown to decrease the likelihood of developing a number of degenerative diseases including
cancer, diabetes and neurological decline.
Healthy fats from nuts, seeds, avocados, olive oil, fish oil and grass-fed meat
Scientific research and epidemiological studies show that diets rich in Monounsaturated and
Omega-3 fats dramatically reduce the instances of obesity, cancer, diabetes, heart disease and
cognitive decline.
Saturated fat has been demonized by our health authorities and media. What is the basis for this
position on Saturated fat? Are current recommendations for VERY low saturated fat intake
justified? How much saturated fat (and what types), if any should one eat?
One of the greatest deviations away from our ancestral diet is the amounts and types of fat found
in modern grain feed animals vs. the amounts and types of fats found in grass fed or wild meat,
fowl and fish. What we observe is wild meat is remarkably lean, and has relatively low amounts of
saturated fats, while supplying significant amounts of beneficial omega-3 fats such as EPA and
DHA. The take home message is that free range meat is far healthier than conventional meat.

Breakfast
Recipe 1 – Egg Muffins
This recipe makes about 12 muffins.


12 eggs (organic, free range)



A little coconut oil, olive oil or grass-fed butter to line the muffin tins with



Sea salt + pepper to taste



Vegetables — I made the following 3 kinds:

1. Tomato + basil (1/4 cup chopped tomatoes, 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil)
2. Kale + garlic (1/2 cup chopped kale, 3 cloves chopped garlic)
3. Cilantro + green onion (1/4 cup chopped cilantro, 1/4 cup green onion)
Pre-heat oven to 350. Lightly grease muffin tins with coconut oil, olive oil or grass-fed butter.
Chop veggies.
Whisk eggs well in a large bowl, add sea salt + pepper.
Stir in veggies. (If you’re making different flavours, you’ll need to ration the eggs into different
bowls for each flavour).
Pour into muffin tins.
Bake for 20-25 mines, or until eggs are fully cooked through.
That’s it! Awesome, yes? I know. And you can add whatever else you want to these.

Recipe 2 – Baked Eggs in Bacon Rings


Six bacon (nitrate free)



For brushing tins need melted bacon fat



Four eggs



One small or medium tomato that cut into four (half inch) slices



1/3 cup onions that is chopped

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3-4 white button mushrooms that is also chopped



Half teaspoon ground black pepper

Firstly, we need to heat the oven up to 325 Fahrenheit (325℉). Then cook bacon in a skillet
over medium heat until it begins to shrivel (about 3 minutes). Then we must remove bacon from
pan and set aside.
Discard all but a shallow film of bacon fat in the bottom of the skillet.
Then, brush four cups in muffin tin or four small ramekins with bacon fat from the pan.
Then we add chopped onions and mushrooms to hot pan with remaining bacon drippings in the
skillet and cook over medium heat until softened (whenever the mixture would be softened).
Meanwhile, a slice tomato places in the bottom of each cup. Then circle the inside of each cup
with 1-1/2 strips of bacon carefully and perfectly.
Break an egg into each muffin cup and season with pepper. Then add sautéed mushrooms and
onions over the egg.
To protect from burning, we need to fill unused tins with water.
Then bake all mixture in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
To serve, loosen the edges of the eggs with spatula and transfer the eggs to plates.

Recipe 3 – Eggs Benedict 1
Serves 2 People


Prosciutto, bacon, back bacon, or other topping of choice



6 farm fresh eggs (they hold together when poached better than grocery store eggs)



1/2 lb unsalted butter, clarified



3 egg yolks



3 Tbsp. cold water



1 Tbsp. lemon juice

Start by making your hollandaise sauce. I made mine in the blender because it’s a weekday and I
don’t have time for endless whisking before work. Heat your clarified butter over the stove to 185F
(too hot will curdle the egg yolks, too cool will not cook them). Combine the egg yolks and water in
your blender or food processor. Run the blender and add the butter in a slow, steady stream to
emulsify. You should get a nice, creamy sauce. Transfer it to a bowl and mix in 1 tbsp. lemon
juice.
Next, poach your eggs. Fill a large skillet with a couple inches of water and bring to a simmer.
Crack your eggs as close to the surface as possible, and simmer for about 5 minutes. While those
are going, heat some butter in another skillet. Slice some biscuits in half and place them cut-sidedown in the hot butter and toast until golden
Place 3 halves on each of your serving plates, buttered side up. If the top halves of the biscuits
won’t sit nicely on the plate and rock around too much, you may want to slice the top off to get
them to stay still. Cook your meat topping if necessary (i.e. for back bacon or bacon) and place on
top of the biscuit slices – I just put uncooked prosciutto slices on top so that was one less dirty pan
I ended up with.
When your eggs are ready, fish them out of the water with a skimmer or spatula and trim off any
scraggly bits of egg white with a sharp knife. I transferred them to a separate plate for this step,
which had the added benefit of letting the excess water runoff of them before I placed them on top
of the biscuits.
After everything else is assembled and ready to go, spoon generous amounts of hollandaise all
over each egg. Seriously, use lots. It’s so unbelievably good, and the biscuits are a bit so you’ll
want to use them to sop up every stray bit of egg yolk and sauce on the plate

Recipe 4 - Ultimate Coconut Flour Pancakes
Serves: Makes about 10 small pancakes
For the pancakes


3 Tbs. coconut flour



3 eggs



2 Tbs. unsweetened applesauce



1 Tbs. melted butter or coconut oil, plus extra for the pan



3-4 Tbs. coconut milk



1/4 tsp. baking soda



1/4 tsp. apple cider vinegar

For the strawberry sauce


1 cup organic strawberries (I used thawed frozen ones)



2 Tbs. creamed coconut, at room temperature



Honey to taste

Heat a skillet (preferably cast iron) over medium high heat. Stir together the coconut flour and
eggs until a smooth paste forms. Stir in the applesauce, oil, coconut milk, and stevia until smooth.
Just before cooking, stir in the baking soda and vinegar.
Add about a tablespoon of oil into the hot pan. Cook the pancakes in the skillet. For best results,
make smallish pancakes so they are easier to flip. Top with syrup or Creamy Strawberry Sauce.
To make the strawberry sauce, blend all ingredients in a food processor until creamy.

Recipe 5 – Omelette


Large organic eggs



1 tbsp. water



Salt & pepper to taste



Coconut oil for the pan



About 2-4 tbsp. fillings

The fillings can be just about anything:


Thinly sliced leftover roast meat and veggies



Nitrate free bacon



Tomato, mushroom & basil