Raspberry/banana Protein Pancakes

Yet another variation on my lovely pancake recipe!

For this, follow my usual recipe for banana pancakes here:  Banana Protein Pancakes

The only change you need to make is to smash some raspberries up and drop them onto each pancake before you flip it over in the pan :-)

I have tried mixing the raspberries into the pancake mixture but it makes each pancake really hard to flip and can result in burning because of the sugars in the fruit.

I enjoy mine with a dollop of Greek yoghurt and a sprinkle of cacao flaxseed!

ENJOY :-) x

Zucchini / courgette noodles!

So we all know about the slim noodles and zero noodles which have become highly popular... Mainly for those wanting to loose weight. Losing weight isn't what I'm wanting to do though so I wanted to find a nutricious alternative with low carbs.... This is when courgette noodles were born!!

So basically all you need is a courgette and a Julienne peeler:

Stand your courgette vertical and slice the peeler down each length until you've reached the core! The peeler creates lots of noodle strands!

In this example I sautéed the noodles in a pan to soften them then added a tomato and herb sauce. To this I added edamame beens and some veg and sprinkled some cheese on top! You can add meat, fish.. Whatever takes your fancy!

Delicious, nutricious and clean!

Pretty good when you consider one nest of whole wheat noodles contains 180 calories and 38carbs and one courgette 'noodled' is only 30 calories and 1 carb!! BOOM! 

High Protein, Gluten Free, Chocolate Chickpea Loaf

So, you fancy some cake....but we all know lots of cake too often = muffin top and sluggishness.

So this is where I thought I'd try make a 'healthier cake'...something which can be enjoyed post-workout with a helping or protein and a good dose of vitamins and healthy fats. This was the result....:

High protein, gluten free, raw chocolate chickpea loaf!

This was my first time making this, and it turned out great! More dense than fluffy - infact its best enjoyed when it's fully cool or after refrigeration in my opinion.

I reckon with modifications here and there it could be improved even further. For example - I didn't use honey/agave syrup, but this could be added next time? Or maybe unsweetened apple sauce. I may even experiement adding protein powder to up the protein intake. Food for thought.

What you will need: (serves 6)

- 20g Fairtrade Organic cacao powder
- 4 whole eggs
- 50g dark brown unrefined cane sugar (could be replaced with alternatives such as agave syrup, honey or unsweetened apple sauce
- 15g coconut flour
- 4 packets stevia
- 1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
- 1 tsp  vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp olive oil (could be replaced with coconut butter - or other healthy alternatives to add moisture)
- 1 tin chickpeas drained, washed and de-skinned
- 100g begian 72% dark chocolate

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F/ 180 C
2. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper
3. Purree the chickpeas, eggs and vanilla in a blender or grinder
4. In a large bowl bring together oil, cocoa, brown sugar, stevia (or more brown sugar), baking powder, salt and chickpea mixture – stir until smooth 
   
5. Melt chocolate chips in a bowl over a pan with hot water 
   
6. Add to batter and stir until smooth
7. Transfer batter into loaf pan and bake for 45 minutes

Viola!!

Per 1/6th of loaf: 

Fat: 7.2g (mostly healthy fats!)
Carbs: 17.8 g
Protein 10.2g

Healthy High Protein Bacon Breakfast Idea

So I've recently moved house and found myself conveniently close to a Waitrose which = amazing top quality food, but more importantly ...an amazing selection of gluten free/health foods!!

So on my most recent visit I stumbled across Organic Wholegrain Biona Millet Bread. I generally don't eat much bread anyway but this doesn't really resemble bread... More like a seedy, fibre-filled, cakey-textured, nutty-flavoured accompaniment to a healthy meal. It's MUCH healthier than your average slice of bread!

So the other day I decided I needed such an accompaniment to my protein-packed breakfast of scrambled egg whites and grilled crispy bacon with avocado.......

DEEEElicious! A breakfast that kept me sustained through until lunch time and a perfect to have following a gym session the previous evening or pre-breakfast :-) 

Healthy Breakfast Option

This has become my new favourite in the (rare) long period of hot weather we're having this summer!

It contains a variety of fruit and grains and is therefore a brilliant source of vitamins to help kickstart your day!

Ingredients

-3 tablespoons of fat free Greek yoghurt

-a sprinkling of gluten free porridge oats

- a sprinkling of 'munchy seeds' (a combo of roasts sunflower, pumpkin, hemp, sesame, chia and flaxseed)

- a squeeze of honey

- a combo of fruit - I often have a banana chopped with raspberries, blueberries and kiwi or peach and strawberries .... The list goes on....

Combine your preferred fruits with all other ingredients as ENJOY! Super tasty!!

Cauliflower cheese and herb 'flat bread'

This recipe is really simple and creates a flat bread which doesn't actually contain any usual bread ingredients such as flour! It is therefore gluten free and low carb :-)!!!

Ingredients (makes one small flat bread)

-1 egg

-1 cup of cauliflower (riced)

-Couple of teaspoons of mixed herbs

-Handful of low fat cheese (grated)

-Baking paper

~*~

- pre heat oven to 180c

- put enough cauliflower into a food chopper to make 1 cup full of grated cauliflower.

- sauté the cauliflower in a pan to remove moisture

- mix cauliflower with egg, cheese and herbs

- spread onto a baking tray (covered with baking paper). Make sure it's spread nice and thinly but make sure it is still one piece.

- bake for approx 15 mins or until golden brown.

Ta-da!

I used mine for a ham salad wrap mmm.

However you can coursley chop your cauliflower and double the mixture to make a pizza base and then top with your favourite toppings and grill!!

Tastes amazing!!!

Macros per one wrap: 208 calories, 11g fat, 7g carbs, 18g protein.

I will be sure to post a pizza version soon :-)

Enjoy xxx

Healthy meal idea: Flaked baked tuna, cream cheese and pesto with greenveg!

This meal is easy peasy to make and packed full of protein and vitamins! 

Ingredients

- 1 tuna steak

- 40g 'Yum' pesto and cream cheese

- 5 spears of asparagus

- 50g green beans

- 100g brocolli and cauliflower florets 

- fresh black pepper

~*~

-preheat the over at 180 degrees and place tuna steak on middle shelf (sprinkle some black pepper on top beforehand). Cook for approx 17mins.

-in the meantime prepare the veg. 

- once the tuna is cooked, flake it in a bowl and mash the pesto cream cheese into it.

-serve everything up in a dish and FEAST!!

~*~

Macros: 410cals 14g carbs 16g fat 49g protein

Enjoy x