Jef Nelson is the owner and coach at Shogun Fitness in Seattle.

Jef Nelson

At ChefSteps, a typical afternoon in the kitchen involves <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/behind-the-scenes-deep-fryer-frenzy">deep-frying steaks</a> and <a href="https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/behind-the-scenes-waffle-iron-frenzy">waffle-ironing tater tots</a>. That’s a lot of temptation for our hardworking kitchen team! To stay healthy, svelte, and full of energy, they rely on fitness experts just like everyone else. And not just in the gym, but in the kitchen too.Enter Jef Nelson. The owner of Shogun Fitness in Seattle, Jef has a simple formula for balanced meals—a healthy mix of lean protein, complex carbohydrates, fibrous veggies, and a little bit of fat. To help clients stick to the plan, he recommends batch cooking a week’s worth of these balanced meals at once. And of course, Joule makes it easy to batch cook proteins like chicken, fish, and pork with juicy, delicious results you’ll savor all week long. Plus, you’ll have plenty of hands-free time to tackle the sides while Joule heats the meats.Here you’ll find a formula for creating these perfectly crafted meals—along with three recently added recipes to get you started. Follow Jef’s plan and in one hour, you’ll have cooked up a week’s worth of nutritious lunches and no-stress dinners, packed and ready to go. A healthier, more energetic you is just a Joule cook away. *OTHER PEOPLE’S IDEAS: A Series From ChefSteps

At ChefSteps, we love to cook. And we love to share our top tips and techniques with you. But we’re not the boss of everything, and we learn from our friends and colleagues every day. That’s why we created Other People’s Ideas, a new series starring our favorite subject experts. These talented folks are here to help you tackle everything from soup dumplings to pizza pie—and have a ton of fun along the way. You down with OPI? Yeah you are. Let’s do this.*