The Shredded Chef: 115 Recipes for Building Muscle, Getting Lean, and Staying Healthy (Build Healthy Muscle Series)

Awesome book, bought it for my son and he loves it. Fast shipping, will order again from this seller.

I pre-ordered this book when I was browsing the fitness section here on amazon. I'm working on the comeback (post major injury and long term layoff) of my lifetime, comeback meaning I have been there before. Only this time I don't want to eat chicken breast and green beans 5 times a day, along with some egg whites, a couple whole eggs, more greens, an over cooked piece of fish, and a few shakes. When I was younger, and didn't have a family, that was fine. It worked, painful and boring as it was...this time I want to add some creativity to my meal plan, along with bringing my wife and kids along for the ride health wise.My kids race BMX, and kids are kids when it comes to what they want to eat...its a constant battle as a parent to convince, or trick them into eating healthy a good part of the time. I know what they eat now, though they are not over weight thanks to their high activity rate, still has an impact on their development, and will impact their health later in life. I can honestly say this book will help me improve their diet, and in turn impact their lives greatly in the long run.I've had this book for a couple weeks now, and its showing age already around the edges and the pages are being marked 'like' and 'try'. That is a sign of a home run in my house. As the owner of 76 fitness related books, starting with the original "Pumping Iron" I've held and read a few fitness/training books over the years... I now own three books written by Mike. This one, Bigger Leaner Stronger (highly recommended as well as this one for you guys) and I just bought my wife, for Valentines Day, "Thinner Leaner Stronger" (another great book by Mike, for you ladies)...I can honestly say Mike's written work is easy to read..and his basic, and yet so functionally to the point approach to fitness and diet is something you really need to check out for yourself.This cook book is a must have if you're tired of that boring cutting, or clean bulking diet (the book contains both approaches)...it's a must have if you have a family and you want to really know what your feeding your kids, esp if they are young athletes (this book has no direct info on young athletes, that is just my opinion, but it is a healthy cookbook, ya know you can apply the method)...it's a must have if you are just starting out fitness wise and need some solid guidance on calorie contents and macros, along with an awesome amount of variety...it's a must have if you're making a midlife comeback like myself, and shiver when you think of eating chicken breast like you once punished yourself with long term.The book also contains a lot, hang on I'll count em being I got up to count the other books on my shelves...61 full color photos the way I counted em (ie some area a two page spread I counted as one)...has a great introductory section on the basics of what macros are etc...and has a few really cool bonuses in the back.I'm telling you, in all honesty, this book is a home run...and an outright bargain for the info, and inspiration it contains. I'd go into the recipes but you should be surprised like I was...key lime pie, man key west is my wife and I's favorite place in the world...and Mike's take on the pie isn't your typical protein pie...kicked up tuna sandwiches (drop that can brother, well now its fancy pouches but ya know what I mean, back in the day we choked down can after can, you can eat tuna in style with this book)...Aussie chicken...man, I'll stop there, gotta leave some adventure for the new buyer, and there's plenty of it in this book.Do yourself a favor, you deserve it...you deserve a change for the better my friend. Buy this book...and begin enjoying your 'diet' like you never have before.(added a couple hrs later) This review was written by Dianne's Husband, Dennis

I wrote a good review of this book last year, and I still like it, but have found various problems that make me wonder how accurate the nutritional information is. For example, the Steak & Sweet Potato Salad, which makes 1 serving, calls for an 8 oz filet mignon steak, and the total calorie count for the recipe is given as 252. This is entirely impossible, because 8 oz of filet mignon ranges from around 322 calories (for a lean cut) to (560 for a lean & fat cut from Omaha Steaks) according to several websites, including Calorie King. Even if you take the lean cut, it is not possible for the recipe to end up at 252 calories. The meat alone is at least 322. Add to that "1 large sweet potato", as the recipe calls for, and the dressing, and you have a recipe of at least 425 calories. That is a very far cry from 252. If such mistakes occur elsewhere too, then the calorie count could be way off and could seriously mess up your daily totals.In addition, some recipes seem like they were not tested. The Maple Protein Muffin does not turn out in the slightest if you follow the recipe. I am an experienced baker and I thought it looked odd on the page (the baking time is quite long, for one thing), and sure enough it ended up inedible — rock hard — when I followed the instructions to the letter. The Harvest Chicken Stew is not at all a stew; the recipe calls for far too much water, given that the vegetables give off a lot of water on their own while they are cooking. The corn starch does nothing whatsoever to thicken it since you do not boil this dish but bake it. You end up with a starchy broth and chicken & veggies swimming inside. I drained it, made a separate sauce on the stove using a little corn starch and bouillon, and that helped a lot and kept it low-cal, but the recipe just doesn't work out if you follow the directions.There are also various typos and other errors, including some confusion about whether he is referring to raw or cooked products, etc..Other things are great, including the Quick & Easy Peanut Butter Oatmeal breakfast, which has become my staple and is popular with my friends who aren't even dieting. The sweet potato muffins, berry muffins, and banana muffins, are all good, as long as you adjust your exceptions regarding how low-cal food tastes. You get used to it, and it tastes great to me. The breakfasts are the best part of the book.

I've owned this cook book for a while now and overall am thoroughly impressed with the content.Pros:- Most recipes in this book are very easy. Being a bachelor that never had to cook for himself growing up, that previously ate out almost every meal, I can say that this book requires minimal patience and skill.- The recipes are really good. Like you make them and you feel like a professional good.- Every recipe has listed out it's nutritional content. Which if you count your calories (Something that is harder to do when you eat out all the time) you can actually eat yourself thinner. I've lost and kept off 15 lbs. I've also gained and maintained muscle easier, and feel like I have much more energy than my old diet.Cons:- Well, my girlfriend and I refer to this cook book as the "Man Nipple Book". It's not hard to see why. I've had friends and family over and I feel as if the cover takes away from the seriousness and overall valuable information in the book...- The muffin recipes are pretty tasty but I imagine due to the egg whites, protein powder and oats blended in, the muffins become a little firm. I have found the best luck with having people eat them all with me in one sitting. They don't seem to keep well.- The mexican meatloaf is also extremely tasty and moderately spicy but will have you pooing a storm. Haha. No pain no gain!I highly recommend this book to people who are lazy about cooking but want to get into better shape.

This has made eating healthy so much easier!! I would advise using coconut oil or olive oil anytime is says to use canola oil because seed oils are BAD for you!!!