A Friendly Nudge - Mise en place for muscles!
...because we all could use a little encouragement!
Having the right tools to do the job makes a huge difference.
I’ve been interested in cooking for years and one of the things that changed my relationship with cooking was when I figured out why chefs always emphasized the importance of mise en place. Mise en place is a french expression that basically means to be properly prepared.
Once I figured this out, cooking became a lot less frantic and a lot more enjoyable. If you only have 1 egg in the fridge, starting an omelet is not a good idea. It turns out our bodies have their own mise en place strategy. If we want our body to make muscle, it expects us to give it enough protein to get the job done.
Noted protein synthesis researcher, Dr. Donald Layman pointed out on Dr. Peter Attia’s podcast, The Drive that our body is looking for about 30 grams of protein from a meal as an anabolic or muscle building signal. Dr. Layman and his colleagues conducted a study where they held the total amount of protein virtually constant between groups, but with one group they gave the subjects just 10 grams of protein at breakfast, 16 grams of protein at lunch and then 63 grams of protein in the evening and the other group got 31, 30 and 32 grams of protein across their 3 meals. The group with the more consistent protein consumption showed a 25 percent greater protein synthesis.
The age of the subjects in Layman’s study were between 25 and 55 and the older we get the more protein it takes to generate the same muscle building signal. That’s why I’m always stressing the importance of getting adequate protein. Muscle helps us with blood sugar regulation, but it also plays a crucial role in avoiding frailty.
If you haven’t been prioritizing protein, hitting Dr. Attia’s recommendation to his patients of 1 gram of protein per pound of target body weight can be a little intimidating and overwhelming, but we’ll be looking at some doable and tasty ways to start increasing your protein consumption.
Just for context, 30 grams of protein are contained in 3.5 oz of turkey, 3.5 oz of chicken breast, 4 oz of filet mignon, 4.5 oz of strip steak, 5 oz ribeye, 5.3 oz salmon, 10 oz Greek yogurt, 10 oz of cottage cheese or 5 eggs.
This week we’re making cold skillet steak with a pan sauce so this is a delicious, doable way to put your muscle building protein blocks in place.
Ingredients:
Steaks - I’m using Sirloins, but NY Strips, Ribeyes or whatever your steak preference
1-2 cups chicken broth
1-2 cups red wine
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1-2 tbsp butter
Thyme
Salt & Pepper
Start with salting the steaks liberally on both sides, put them on a wire rack above a rimmed baking sheet and put in the fridge uncovered for at least 2 hours, but preferably overnight.
This step helps dry the surface of the steak and allows the salt to become drawn into the meat.
Remove the steaks from the fridge 45 minutes to an hour before cooking.
Place the steaks in a skillet with no oil and then turn the burner to high. Set a timer for 2 minutes and flip the steaks. Set the timer for another 2 minutes. When 2 minutes have passed, turn the steaks and lower the burner to medium. Reset the timer.
Turn the steaks every 2 minutes until they have reached your desired level of doneness. I like mine medium rare, so I’m looking for 125℉.
Move the steaks to a plate to rest on a plate while you make the pan sauce.
If you used a fattier cut of steak like a ribeye, remove any excess fat from the pan and then pour in enough wine to cover the bottom of the skillet. Use a spatula to loosen the fond on the bottom of the pan. It is part of what makes pan sauce so delicious. Turn the heat up and add the thyme to the pan. When the red wine has reduced, add the chicken stock and continue to stir.
When the sauce has reduced where you can streak the bottom of the skillet, add the butter and mustard and stir to combine.
Spoon this over your steaks and enjoy!
Now let’s build a workout that will put that muscle building protein to good use.