A while back, I was interviewed for Mind and Muscle Magazine by Marc McDougal. I enjoyed it mainly because there were a lot of “M” words in that sentence, and I love alliteration. However, I also enjoyed speaking with Marc.
For anyone unfamiliar with Mr. McD, he and I go way back to a magazine we both wrote for called Rugged which also featured authors Joel Marion, Eric Cressey, and Nate Green, who at the time was so young he had to be paid in direct deposits to his piggy-bank.
Marc and I have a lot of similar ideas on both fitness practices and lifestyle, so after the interview I asked him to do a guest blog post for me. Lately, I’ve mostly been writing about training, Marc said he’d tackle some nutrition stuff.
Everyone likes recipes, so he offered some up. I agreed, and that was about as far as the conversation went.
Fast forward to 3 days later, when I opened my inbox to a message from McDougal entitled “My Nuts.” First I noticed that this attachment was marked urgent. Then I noticed it had an attachment. I wasn’t certain why Marc would be sending me a picture of his testicles, but I thought, “well, it IS urgent…I guess I’d better have a look…?”
Thankfully, the attachment was not, in fact a picture of Marc’s naughty-bits. It was this blog post of delicious recipes for a variety of health snacks.
Without further adieu, I present to you Marc McDougal and his nuts.
McDougal’s Fancy Nuts
Nuts are a great source of healthy fats, and an easy addition to a meal or great as a quick snack between meals. But they sure are boring. Problem solved, folks. All of these recipes call for diacylglycerol oil (DAG), which can be found under the brand name Enova at most grocery stores. If you’re not familiar with the sexiness of DAG, see my article here.
Sour Cream and Onion Nuts
Start with a can of unsalted cashews or almonds with no added oil.
Add 1TBSP Enova oil and ½ tsp sour cream and onion popcorn seasoning. Put the lid back on the nuts and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Cinnamon Bun Nuts
Enova
splenda
cinnamon
butter budsStart again with a can of unsalted cashews or almonds with no oil. Add 1TBSP Enova oil, 1 tsp Splenda, 1/8 tsp cinnamon, and ¼ tsp butter buds. Put the lid back on the nuts and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Spicy/Salty Nuts
Enova
sea salt
cayenneOnce again, start off with a can of unsalted nuts. Add 1TBSP Enova oil, 1/8 tsp. Sea Salt and 1/8 tsp cayenne powder. Put the lid back on the nuts and shake vigorously for 20 seconds.
Enjoy!
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Well, I gotta say he was right.
And so, without apology, without shame, I freely admit. I, John Romaniello, love Marc McDougal’s nuts.
"Author, coach, and self-professed pretty-boy John Romaniello runs Roman Fitness Systems with a tongue-in-cheek approach to fitness--and himself--that shows a genuine love/hate relationship with both. Equal parts narcissism and self-loathing, Roman writes with passion and humor, show-casing his belief that training doesn't need to be the serious, stern, science-laden monotony that is pervasive in this industry."
Cool, will try these out. I love my nuts & REALLY enjoy tea bagging them as well.
John, too funny. I’ll have to give them a try. In the meantime for another great snack idea, check out this from Southpark (I’m sure you’ve seen it) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnNYXgV7L-c
You guys need to try the cinnamon bun ones. Joel and I just killed like 3 cans worth of nuts. My tummy hurts.
They do sound delicious!
How big is a can in these recipes? I usually buy my nuts (er..) in bulk (…) , so nut cans don’t exist much around here.
Also, you and Joel sound like disaster when brought together. Albeit a funny one
The cinnamon bun nuts seem to be drawing the most fanfare. This afternoon I had a frantic family accost me on the 16th Street Mall in downtown Denver demanding more recipes. I sent them home with an autographed Planter’s lid and a gentle/affirming slap on the butt. Stay tuned.
@Mathieu – standard 9.5oz. cans. I dunno about “disaster…” more like…well, okay, disaster. But in a productive and hilarious way =)
I like my nuts roasted. I’ve never fancied guys who can’t take a little heat without getting cold feet. Kudos to my fiancee, he’s a very brave man.
As much as nuts are a healthy snack, my problem is that I love them too much. Much like you and Joel, I can finish three cans in a heartbeat. Healthy as they might be that’s an awful lot of calories…
@Ylwa – True, they are heavy on the calories. I normally recommend that people pre-portion them out and put that portion in a small bowl. The rest goes away under lock and key.
Normally, that’s why I do, but sadly the tendency Joel and I have to turn competitive with our eating often gets the better of me =)
This is fantastic! Thank you.
Wow, actually the best part about this post was that interview.
Funny stuff.
BTW, how did the lady respond when you told her, “she doesn’t actually care about her health or ‘fitting into her old clothes’? But that her motivations for seeing a trainer are really improve her position in her social group, and get her husband to fuck her again?”
Well, to be honest it’s a conversation I have pretty often. In most cases, people are pretty receptive. Most women take a minute to digest and then agree. In a lot of cases, it’s something as simple as, “…yea we really don’t have sex anymore. ”
Keep in mind also that most people in New York are a bit more accustomed to an outspoken attitudes =)
FYI, Enova oil is no longer being sold. Well, not in the Washington D.C area. The website even states that the product is not being sold anymore.
@Antonio Wright –
Somebody told me this last week and I’ve been trying to confirm. Sad news if true. Strange as well, as KAO Corp published quite a few studies on its efficacy. I’m assuming it’s still selling in Japan, and probably available online with some creativity.
As an alternative, you can substitute unrefined coconut oil for Enova, the caveat being that it starts to solidify under 76 degrees. I’ve done it many times with these same recipes, and even when it solidifies a little its not a big deal and doesn’t decrease palatability.
Instead of DAG you’ll get a good dose of the healthy saturated fat Lauric Acid.
The coconut flavor is very mild, not overpowering at all…entirely unlike Roman’s cologne.
As far as what fat to use, wouldn’t any relatively unprocessed fat work flax, hemp, walnut, pumpkinseed, cold-pressed olive oil, palm oil, unprocessed sesame oil)? John, love the site and all the great info!