Hi, I’m Jake Lylia — the chef behind Cooklylia, and I’ve been obsessed with ground beef since I was old enough to hold a spatula.
I’m 36, born and raised in Austin, Texas, and cooking has been part of my life for as long as I can remember. Growing up, our kitchen wasn’t fancy — but it was always busy. My dad worked long hours and my mom kept dinner on the table every night with whatever was affordable and filling. Ground beef was always there. Tacos on Tuesdays, skillet pasta on Wednesdays, homemade burgers on the weekend. I didn’t realize it then, but those meals taught me everything I needed to know about eating well on a real budget.
By my mid-twenties I was cooking seriously — testing recipes on friends, reading about nutrition, learning how to make lean ground beef work harder than almost any other protein on the market. High in protein, low in cost, endlessly versatile. I became convinced that ground beef was one of the most underrated healthy ingredients in the American kitchen — and that nobody was giving it the attention it deserved.
So I built Cooklylia to fix that.
Every recipe you’ll find here is something I’ve cooked myself, tested more than once, and genuinely enjoyed eating. I’m not interested in food that looks good but tastes average. I want bold flavor, honest ingredients, real macros — and meals that fit into a normal grocery budget without making you feel like you’re sacrificing anything.
My philosophy is simple: eat high-protein, spend smart, cook confidently. Whether you’re meal prepping for the week, feeding a family on a tight budget, eating for weight loss, or just trying to put something healthy and delicious on the table tonight — Cooklylia is built for you.
All recipes include calories, protein, and prep time. Most are ready in 30 minutes or less. And every single one uses ingredients you can find at any grocery store for under $10 a meal.
When I’m not in the kitchen, I’m at the farmers’ market, hiking the Barton Creek Greenbelt, or arguing with myself about whether smash burgers count as health food. (They do. Trust me.)
Thanks for being here. Now let’s make something great.
— Jake Lylia