Meet the Chef Who Has a Tougher Workout Than You
He works 12-hour days, has two kids, and still finds time for burpees. What’s your excuse?
“Most people work eight-hour days and they say they don’t have time to train”, says Jesse Moreno, executive chef of The Mansion at the MGM inLas Vegas. “I just laugh at that.”
Moreno, a 42-year-old father of two sons, clocks 12 hours a day in his kitchen and still fits in two hours of exercise five days a week. Some days that includes hill repeats in Nevada’s desert terrain. Other days that means bear crawls around his neighborhood’s cul de sac with his 8-year-old on his back. He’s part of the rising #FitChef movement. He warms up with burpees. He’ll teach you how to do a set of clapping pushups. And ifpull-ups on a set of Olympic rings sounds difficult, consider that Moreno executes them in a descending set, starting from 13 reps and progressing to 12, 11, 10 ... and you get the freakin’ point. In short, he’s a beast.
But Moreno wasn’t always so driven. Growing up in Los Angeles, he did the recreational stuff L.A. kids do: surfing, skateboarding, BMX. But when his cooking career launched, the demanding hours in the kitchen fooled him into thinking that he couldn’t find time for fitness.
Despite the hours on his feet, Moreno started to take on weight. At his heaviest, he registered 171 pounds with 24 percent body fat. Then a friend bet him $1,000 in a three-month-long weight loss contest. Moreno started lifting weights, doing bodyweight exercises, and experimenting with CrossFit. At the end of the competition he dropped about 30 pounds and 13 percent of his body fat (handedly winning the bet). So it was on to the next challenge.
Another friend introduced him to Spartan Race and he entered. “I had the most brutal ass-kicking I ever experienced,” Moreno says. “I was so drained that I fell 20 feet off a rope and I missed the spear throw—and then I was penalized 30 burpees for each.” Moreno now competes in 10 Spartan races a year.
“I changed my habits and am a better chef for it because I now have the fitness and energy to match my drive and my passion,” he says.
Sure, having a kitchen with access to the grass-fed meats and organic vegetables takes the hassle of feeding yourself. But there’s really no reason you can’t eat like him. Moreno keeps a supply of washed and prepared vegetables like roasted beets and sweet potatoes on hand to help complete meals come together quickly.
Take, for instance, this breakfast, which he whips up in one pan and carries the vegetables, protein, and good fats he looks for in every meal.
Chicken Vegetable Hash
Recipe by Jesse Moreno, executive chef of The Mansion at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas
Recipe by Jesse Moreno, executive chef of The Mansion at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas
What you’ll need:
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 skinless boneless chicken breast, pounded ¼-inches thick
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cups vegetables (such as sliced baby carrots, sliced green beans, sliced sweet potatoes, chopped cauliflower, diced mushrooms, finely chopped bell peppers, and/or finely chopped diced onion)
1 small handful of baby kale or regular kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
Hot sauce, to taste
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 skinless boneless chicken breast, pounded ¼-inches thick
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cups vegetables (such as sliced baby carrots, sliced green beans, sliced sweet potatoes, chopped cauliflower, diced mushrooms, finely chopped bell peppers, and/or finely chopped diced onion)
1 small handful of baby kale or regular kale, torn into bite-sized pieces
1 egg
Hot sauce, to taste
How to make it:
1. In a large skillet over medium, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and sizzle until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
2. In the same skillet you used to cook the chicken, add the vegetables and kale and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, mix to combine and then plate everything on a serving dish.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Crack in the egg and cook until the white is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Slide atop the chicken and vegetables. Douse with hot sauce. Makes 1 serving.
1. In a large skillet over medium, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil. Season the chicken breast on both sides with salt and pepper. Add the chicken to the pan and sizzle until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken and set aside.
2. In the same skillet you used to cook the chicken, add the vegetables and kale and cook until tender-crisp, about 3 minutes. Return the chicken to the pan, mix to combine and then plate everything on a serving dish.
3. In the same skillet, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Crack in the egg and cook until the white is set, 2 to 3 minutes. Slide atop the chicken and vegetables. Douse with hot sauce. Makes 1 serving.
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