Background

Lots of fibre.

Ingredients

• 125g steel cut oats
• 1 tbsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tbsp goji berries
• 1 tbsp raisins
• 1/2 tsp turmeric, ground
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, ground
• 1/4 tsp ginger, ground

Directions

1. Put in a jar
2. Add water about 50% above the oats
3. Let soak overnight
4. Eat

Version History

Background

My primary goal here is to boost lycopene. Courtesy of Serious Eats.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cloves garlic, grated on a microplane grater
• 1 small onion, finely sliced (about 1 cup)
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 slices white bread, crusts removed, torn into rough 1/2inch pieces
• 2 800ml cans whole peeled tomatoes packed in juice
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large saucepan over mediumhigh heat until shimmering. Add garlic, onions, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring frequently until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add bread and tomatoes. Roughly mash tomatoes with a whisk or a potato masher. Add 2 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes.
2. Transfer half of the soup to the jar of a blender. Blend soup, starting at low speed and gradually increasing to high. With blender running on high, gradually trickle in half of remaining olive oil. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with remaining half of soup and olive oil. Ladle into individual serving bowls, top with minced herbs, drizzle with more olive oil, and serve with toast or grilled cheese.
3. Divid in two portions and serve with bread or crackers.

Version History

Background

The primary goal here is to increase my lycopene consumption, as I was noticing this is one of the antioxidants that Cronometer reported as me needing to focus on.

Ingredients

• 2 cans chickpeas, drained & rinsed

• 2 large onions, finely chopped
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2-inch piece ginger, grated
• 140g tomato paste (concentrated lycopene hit)
• 2 cans (400g) crushed tomatoes
• 2–4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (for absorption)
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp turmeric
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp chili powder (optional, adjust to spice tolerance)
• 1 tsp black pepper (enhances absorption of antioxidants)
• 1 tsp lite salt
• Fresh coriander (cilantro), chopped (folate boost)

Directions

• Heat olive oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and let them sizzle. Add onions, cook until golden. Stir in garlic + ginger. Cook 1–2 min until fragrant.
• Add tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and spices (coriander, turmeric, garam masala, chilli, black pepper). Simmer ~10 min → this cooking step boosts lycopene bioavailability.
• Use an immersion blender to blend
• Stir in chickpeas and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 15–20 min, stirring occasionally, until thickened.
• Finish with lemon juice and lots of fresh coriander.
• Divide in to 6 servings.

Version History

Background

Another way for me to get lycopene.

Ingredients

• 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or use more oregano)
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 140g can of tomato paste
• 500 mL vegetable broth
• 760g red lentils, soaked (use boxed lentils)
• 32g walnuts, crushed finely
• 800g can of whole peeled tomatoes, blended
• 1 tablespoon high quality balsamic vinegar (see note 5)

Optional

• Whole-wheat pasta or other whole grain base

Directions

1. Add olive oil then onion. Cook 10min, deglaze periodically
2. Add the garlic, thyme, oregano, 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt, and pepper to taste. Stir frequently and cook for 60-90 seconds.
3. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2-3 minutes to caramelise, stirring very frequently, until it’s darker red in colour.
4. Deglaze with broth, add lentils and walnuts, bring to boil.
5. Simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Add the crushed tomatoes and simmer for another 15-20 minutes
7. Finish with the balsamic vinegar
8. Makes 5 servings (about 475g per serving)

Version History

Background (OG)

It has now been quite some time since I’ve been making Blueprint’s Nutty Pudding. For future reference, in case the Blueprint site stops showing recipes, here is the OG:

• 50-100 mL Macadamia Nut Milk
• 3 tbsp ground macadamia nuts
• 2 tsp of ground walnuts
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp of ground flaxseed (seed that is ground into flour)
• 1/4 brazil nut
• 6 grams of Blueprint cocoa
• 1 tsp sunflower lecithin
• 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup blueberries/raspberries/strawberries (your choice)
• 3 cherries
• 2 oz pomegranate juice

My Tweaks

Some of these items are a little hard to get in Australia, or have (in my opinion) below average value-to-benefit ratios, and I’ve decided to swap them out. Instead, this is the recipe I am currently using:

Powders / Base

• 10g whole macadamia nuts
• 10g cashews
• 15g whole walnuts
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp whole linseed/flaxseed
• 1/4 brazil nut
• 1 tbsp cacao powder (that’s CACAO, not COCOA)
• 1 tbsp soy lecithin granules
• 1/2 tsp ceylon cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1.5g TMG powder
• 1mg Boron
• 1 tsp matcha powder
• 1 tsp taurine
• 1 tbsp wheat germ
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp of creatine
• 1 tsp inulin
• A dash black pepper

Liquids / At Consumption Time

• 200g frozen mixed berries
• 500ml of water
• 1 large carrot
• 50g of spinach
• 30g pea protein

Almost all of this is just from Woolies or Coles, but I did buy the TMG from iHerb, the Creatine from Bulk Nutrients, and the cacao powder and ceylon cinnamon from Amazon. Here is my justification for the adjustments.

1. I’ve used whole nuts instead of ground, as my blender (Vitamix) does a perfectly adequate job of grinding everything up. Anecdotally, I believe that ground nuts spoil more quickly than whole nutes.
2. I’ve swapped out cocoa powder for cacao powder, and it is less processed. It should have higher antioxidants, more nutrients, and fewer additives.
3. I’m experimenting swapping out the sunflower lecithin with soy lecithin granules. It is my understanding that there are two reasons for including lecithin in Nutty Pudding: firstly, because it adds choline, and secondly, because it improves the texture. Choline probably isn’t a challenge for people consuming a lot of meat or dairy, but consider I tend to avoid both, there is the chance that I need more. Of course, choline combined with meat consumption can be problematic, apparently. So, why soy lecithin? Simply because it is easier to get in Australia, cheaper, and has a higher amount of choline.
4. I’ve taken out the pomegranate juice because it is expensive, and the research seemed limited when it came to benefits.
5. I’ve added mustard seeds to boost sulforaphane, which is an antioxidant. Given I cook almost all my vegetables, it is my understanding that this diminishes the sulforaphane content of them. This is from How Not To Age.
6. I’ve added TMG to help with methylation and reduce homocysteine.
7. I’ve added taurine because it is apparently harder to get from a whole foods plant based diet.
8. Wheat germ is for spermidine, which is a compound linked to autophagy. This is from How Not To Age.
9. Turmeric is for it’s active component curcumin, which is anti-inflammatory. This is from How Not To Age.
10. Black Pepper to increase absorption of turmeric.
11. Creatine is to increase ATP production and hopefully allow me to build muscle faster. Apparently there are also some studies indicating it may be helpful to push back Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.
12. Removed Macadamia Nut Milk, as I just use water. Macadamia Nut Milk is expensive in Australia.
13. HCP for skin health, muscle recovery (glycine) and joint/bone support. I’m on the fence if there is enough evidence to show efficacy here, and then there is the fear of contamination during the manufacturing process. Edit: I’ve taken out in an effort to try and decrease my IGF-1.
14. Pea Protein Powder to slightly up my protein intake. I’m currently 77kg and aim for around 125g per day, but don’t track macros anymore. As we know, protein is a double edged sword: on one side we build muscle to fend off sarcopenia, an on the other side we activate MTOR which inhibits autophagy. Edit: I’ve taken out in an effort to try and decrease my IGF-1.

Prep and Storage

I prepare about 15 days worth of dry powders ahead of time. I typically add some water in the blender and put the dry powders in, and then go on a run. My hypothesis here is that this helps with bioavailability, even though the blender chops things up perfectly fine. After my run I dump the frozen mixed berries in, and have a shower. After my shower I finally blend it all up, and enjoy!

Consumption

I make mine rather liquid-y, and use a metal boba straw to drink it. These are large peanut butter jars that I’ve stocked up on and re-use.

Background

My primary goal here is to boost Omega 3, B12, and Calcium. This is generally the only meat that I’ll consume outside of travel.

Ingredients

• 1 can 120g sardines in olive oil
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• ½ tsp dried oregano
• Pinch of low sodium salt
• Ground pepper

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 250°C
2. Put sardines in an oven-proof tray
3. Cover with garlic
4. Sprinkle the oregano, kosher salt, and pepper on top.
5. Cook the sardines for approximately 15 minutes until they get nice and roasted on top. There is no need to flip the fish while it cooks.
6. Put on a plate and eat with a few crackers.

Version History

Background

Inspired from Bryan Johnson’s OG “Super Veggie” recipe, this is my version with some tweaks.

Ingredients

Base

• 1.5kg frozen broccoli / cauliflower
• 180g french style lentils

Sauce

• ½ tsp black pepper, ground
• 125g of EVOO
• 2 tsp of turmeric
• ½ tsp of black pepper, ground
• ½ tsp Lite sale
• ½ tsp ginger, ground
• 1 tsp mustard powder
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp cumin, ground
• 1 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Toppings

• 8 tsp hemp seeds
• 8 tsp sesame seeds
• 8 tsp of pumpkin seeds
• 150g of beetroot, thinly sliced

Directions

1. Add cold water to a big pot, put in lentils. Cook for 15 minutes.
2. Put in frozen vegetables. Cook for ~5 minutes.
3. Portion to 4 containers
4. Make sauce and spread evenly on each container.

Version History