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