Tag Archives: protein

Amanda’s Protein & Oat Pancakes

22 Nov

This post comes from my sick bed, where I have been for the past 2 days. :( I contracted a stomach bug but all is fine – just need to keep hydrated, eat bland (come at me white bread!) and I should be fine in a day or so.

Now, even though I can eat an abundance of white bread and crackers at the moment, the only thing I REALLY want are these gorgeous, fluffy pancakes. They are so devine. One day I ate them for breakfast AND dinner… DON’T YOU DARE JUDGE ME!

I’ve fooled around with a few different recipes but they were never quite right. So I made some of my own changes and came up with these.

The trick is in the protein powder – you really have to get a nice tasting protein powder. I use Gaspari Myofusion in Milk Chocolate and it is DELICIOUS. You can buy it from BMB Supplements. Enter in the code “mevsbulge” and get 10% off any products til 1st February 2012! ;)

These can pack quite a calorie punch though – about 500 calories (and an amazing 55g of protein!) if you have them with the yoghurt and berries but you can remove the oats and use only egg whites to make them lighter.

Ingredients

1 scoop protein powder
1/2 cup dry, uncooked instant oats
1/4 low fat cottage cheese
3 egg whites
1 whole raw egg

Add everything to a bowl.

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Stir well or blend for a smoother consistency.

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Pour into a non-stick pan on low-medium heat. Meanwhile, heat up your grill.

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Wait a few mins for bubbles to form…

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Then stick it under the grill for a few minutes. I do this because it is too big and awkward to flip over without breaking!

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Add a tablespoon of natural yoghurt and a few berries… And voila!

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Yum!

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Hope you guys enjoy – let me know what you think! :)

Clean Eats: Lean Beef Patties

19 Jul

I got extremely creative in the kitchen yesterday!  I was all pepped up after just passing my P’s test (yay!  I’m a driver now! :D ) so I decided to spend a solid 3 hours in the kitchen preparing meals for the week.   What a way to congratulate myself!

I can’t stress the importance of meal planning enough.  Fail to plan = plan to fail.  When I know all my lunches are prepared for the week it saves me money, time and it also saves me from eating something I shouldn’t.  I also know the exact portion, calories, fat, protein and carbs that I am getting.

I made the usual baked chicken breast (which I just season with Moroccan, Cajun or Portuguese seasoning and bake), a spicy turkey casserole (recipe to come) and these delicious lean beef patties.

These are great as lunch, dinner or even a snack-on-the-g0 option as they are quite tasty cold too!

For lunch or dinner I would eat two or three patties with 1/2 a cup of cooked quinoa and 1 – 2 cups of steamed green veg.  For dinner I would substitute the quinoa for sweet potato (about 100g is a good serve).

Give them a go and let me know what you think!

Lean Beef Patties (makes 10)

500g lean beef mince
Half a carrot, grated
Half an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Handful of chopped parsley
1/2 cup almond meal (or bread crumbs if you are not worried about carbs)
1 egg
Chilli flakes, to taste
1 teaspoon of meat seasoning (I use one that has cumin, chilli, garlic and oregano in it)
1 tablespoon of dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and roll into 10 balls.


Heat a little olive oil in a pan on medium heat.  Add balls and squash them down to form patties.

Cook for a few minutes a side until cooked through.

Nutritional Info: 108 cals per pattie; 6g fat; 2g sat fat; 13g protein; 1.5g carbs

 

Project Tighten Up: Update 1

29 Apr

Hey Team Tighten Up!

How is your week going so far?

My week has been going very well and I am just a couple of measly 100 grams away from pre-Easter weight. I’ve gone hard with my training the last 3 days and my eating has been 100% clean. I am going to a mexican restaurant tonight though for a friend’s birthday but they have salads with chicken and pork so I’ll be having one of those (served in a crisp tortilla bowl mind you – may need restraints applied to me so that I don’t eat it! Nom Nom Nom).

One thing I have found with the meal plan I posted in my last entry is that it may be a tad low in calories and a tad low in carbs too as I have been quite tired and headachey over the last few days. And as my trainer has said, my workouts have been fucking rubbish. Eep.

So, I’ve been scouring Bodybuilding.com’s Plans & Programs section for advice. This site is a fantastic resource full of FREE personalised plans that are not only for body builders but for people looking to lose weight too. There’s also incredible transformation stories that you can read which, I don’t know about you, get me so amped up and inspired that I want to drop whatever it is I am doing and smash out a workout right then and there. Truth be told, I have been known to save an incredible transformation image on my phone and set it as my screen saver. What an exercise GEEK.

I spent a long time reading Jamie Eason’s plan. I find her so inspiring – at one point she was leading a fairly sedentary and unhealthy lifestyle but a cancer scare prompted her to transform her body, her health and her life. It’s women like this that I think young women should look up to as role models rather than stick thin celebrities and supermodels who maintain their figures by taking illicit substances, chain-smoking and sipping on coffees all day.

The incredibly inspirtational, fit and toned Jamie Eason

Now all of that has been said I am modifying my meal plan based on Jamie’s (and my super-trainer’s) recommendations. Because, as Nat says, if you want the shapes, you’ve got to feed the shapes. And no, not Pizza Shapes.

Now remember! This is MY meal plan. You will need to get your own so that it is tailored to your needs! ;-)

The Diet

Calories: 1600 – 1700

Fat: 35g

Protein: 170g

Carbs: 170g

Fibre: 35g

Meal 1

Double Barrel Nutrition Protein Powder, raw oat, rice milk and honey smoothie

Meal 2

Green apple with natural peanut butter

Meal 3

Chicken breast, brown rice, steamed vegetables and olive oil

Meal 4

Chicken breast, spinach, chia seeds and olive oil

Meal 5

Chicken, fish or lean pork, beef or lamb with sweet potato, steamed vegetables and olive oil

So much food. So much better. So very excited.

The official start date for Project Tighten Up is Monday the 2nd of May. I’ll be adding some discussion boards on my Facebook page so we can all discuss our progress, our hurdles and our triumphs!

A few people have said they would love to join in but don’t feel they are at tighten up stage yet. That’s cool – I still think you should formulate your own plan and go hard with us for the 12 weeks and give that fat a good swift kick in the buttocks!

What are your goals over the next 12 weeks?

Mini Frittatas

13 Apr

Although I am still loving soup for lunch, I have been thinking about what else I can make ahead of time for lunch during the week.  Then it came to me – mini frittatas!

These are so easy to make and are absolutely delicious!  When I texted Justin to ask him what he thought of them (I packed them for his lunch too!), he texted one word back – “Beautiful”.  God I’m a good cook!  Sometimes I just don’t know WHAT to do with myself!  ;-)

I’m not going to lie, these have a fair amount of fat in them so next time I will be using 12 egg whites and maybe 4 or 5 yolks.  You could also add to them mushroom, zucchini, corn or whatever floats your boat!

Ingredients (makes 15)

12 eggs, lightly whisked (or 12 eggs whites & 4 – 5 yolks)

60g of light tasty cheese, grated

50g of reduced fat feta, crumbled

50g lean leg ham, diced

Handful of baby spinach, roughly chopped

Small handful of flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped

Olive oil spray

Salt & pepper

Pre-heat oven to 180 degrees.  In a bowl, combine all ingredients.  Spray non-stick muffin trays lightly with olive oil.  Spoon egg mixture into muffin trays so that they are 3/4 of the way filled.  Place the trays into the oven and bake for about 15 minutes.  Keep your eye on them as they tend to puff up a little!

Once the frittatas are firm, take them out of the oven and leave to cool.  Use a knife to loosen them around the edges and then pop them out.

One serving equals 3 frittatas and they are perfect with a little side salad.  They would also be handy as an on-the-run breakfast option and can be enjoyed cold or warm.  And apparently they freeze well too!  Haven’t tried that yet… but google tells me they do!

Nutritional info per serve: 290 cals; 24g protein; 20g fat; 8g sat fat; 100g calcium

What’s your favourite frittata combination?

Mighty Marinated Chicken Thighs

23 Feb

Many people steer away from chicken thighs because they are told they contain too much fat.  True they contain more fat than their leaner counterpart the chicken breast but the truth is chicken thighs only contain 9g of fat per 100g serve.  That’s less than what is contained in the same serving size of beef, lamb or pork.

What’s more, a medium thigh contains only 117 calories and has a whopping 24.5g of protein.  They do contain a moderate amount of cholesterol though (about 12% of your RDI) so if you are watching your cholesterol levels, limit your intake of chicken thigh.

Dark chicken meat also has zinc, riboflavin, niacin, thiamin, vitamins B6 and B12, amino acids, iron which are all essential if you are leading an active lifestyle.  (Read more: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/Is_white_or_dark_meat_better_for_you#ixzz1Edsvw8k1)

Chicken thighs are also usually cheaper than the breast and you can buy them without the skin which is better for you.  They are wonderfully juicy and do not dry out as easy as breasts do.  They hold flavour remarkably well and are perfect for marinating, stir frying and using in soups and stews.

 

Marinated Chicken Thighs

4 x boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Small handful of fresh thyme, squashed and roughly chopped

Juice and zest of one lemon

Dried chilli flakes (to your taste)

2 cloves of garlic (crushed)

2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Place the chicken fillets in a flat dish.  Combine the thyme, lemon juice, lemon zest, chilli and garlic in a small bowl.  Pour over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.  Cover and leave in the fridge for at least 30 mins (longer for better flavour).

To cook, heat a non-stick grill pan over medium heat.  Cook the thighs for about 5 – 7 minutes each side or until cooked through.  Take out of pan and leave to rest on a warm plate, covered, for a few minutes.

I served this with baked sweet potato and grilled asparagus but you could slice it and serve over a bed of quinoa with a side of steamed vegetables or accompany it with a simple garden salad.

Have you changed your mind about chicken thighs?


Quinoa Smoothie

29 Jan

Yep, that’s right. I said quinoa smoothie. Okay, maybe I’m a little obsessed with quinoa but I’m telling you, it really is amazing and so good for you. It has a slightly nutty flavor that really takes on the flavor of anything it’s paired with so I thought it would make a great addition to a smoothie.

This smoothie makes the PERFECT post-workout meal because it’s packed with protein from the milk, yogurt and quinoa. The honey is loaded with healing properties that will help reduce muscle inflammation and the cinnamon helps stabalise blood sugars. The banana provides a healthy dose of fibre and we all know what fibre is food for! Wink wink.

1 serving = 250 calories

Ingredients

1/2 cup of milk (I use 98% fat free)
1/2 medium banana
1/3 cup of cooked, cooled quinoa
2 tablespoons of fat free natural yoghurt
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of honey

Blend for a few minutes until smooth. Pour into a cup and revel at your healthiness.

Lamb Cutlets with Quinoa Tabouli

27 Jan

I made quinoa tabouli the other week and it was a bit of a fail because the quinoa was too gluggy. I think I used too much water. But I was determined to get it right so gave it another go last night and this time it was a massive WIN!

Cool two cups of cooked quinoa (to cook it perfectly the trick is to use two parts water to one part quinoa. Bring to the boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and leave to simmer for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed).

Once the quinoa is cooled, add one teaspoon of ground cumin. Also, add diced tomatoes (or cherry tomatoes), diced spring onions, a handful of parsley and dress with extra virgin olive oil and a squeeze of lemon. You can also add mint if it tickles your fancy. It does not tickle mine. Cucumbers are also a fine idea but to be honest, I just wasn’t bothered. Plus, my husband doesn’t eat them. Says they repeat on him. Does anyone else get that?

For the lamb I just seasoned them with salt and pepper and grilled for 3 minutes a side then rested them on a warm plate covered with foil for about 5 mins. They were tender and juicy. Perfect.

Simple, healthy and delicious. That’s what I’m all about!

Moroccan Fish with Warm Quinoa Salad

19 Jan

This yummy fish dish is packed to the brim with protein and is low in fat. It’s very easy to make (as all my meals are!) and you can substitute the fish for any other meat you want (lamb would be perfect!).

Ingredients (serves 4)

2 cups of cooked quinoa
1 brown onion (diced)
2 cloves of garlic (crushed)
1 tablespoon of moroccan seasoning
Olive oil
1/2 punnet of cherry tomatoes (halved)
1/2 a bag of baby spinach
1 can of chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
Handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley (chopped)
4 thick white fish fillets (about 150g)
Low-fat natural yoghurt
Lemon

Heat a little oil in a pan. Add the onion and garlic and over a medium heat cook until translucent. Reserve about half a clove of garlic for the yoghurt dressing. Add about a teaspoon of the moroccan seasoning and the cherry tomatoes. Cook until tomatoes are softened. Add the cooked quinoa and chickpeas and stir to combine. Mix through the spinach and parsley just before serving.

To cook the fish, add a little oil to a pan and heat over a medium heat. Sprinkle the fish with the rest of the moroccan seasoning. Cook the fish for about 2 – 3 minutes a side or until cooked through.

To make the yoghurt dressing, in a small cup mix the yoghurt, garlic and a squeeze of lemon juice.

To serve, take about a cup of the warm quinoa salad and place it in the middle of the plate. Place the cooked fish on top and drizzle over the yoghurt dressing. Serve with lemon wedges which can be squeezed over the entire dish. Dig in!

Quinoa Porridge with Banana!

29 Dec

Remember my Merry Try-smas post?  What a clever little name for a post.  By George, it’s genius!  Anyhoo, enough about my marvelous wit.  Within that post I stated that I would be making quinoa for breakfast in the Christmas holidays and today that little mission was completed!

I present you with my recipe for Quinoa Porridge with Banana!  Enjoy!

Ingredients (serves 1)

1/4 cup of rinsed quinoa

3/4 cup of almond milk (you can use any type of milk you prefer)

1/4 cup of water

1 teaspoon of brown sugar

1 drop of vanilla extract

Place your rinsed quinoa in a medium sized pot.

Add the almond milk and water.

Add a drop of vanilla extract.

And a teaspoon of brown sugar.

Bring to the boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cover for 20 – 25 minutes or until it reaches a porridge consistency.

Keep your eye on it though!  I turned my back and mine boiled over EVERYWHERE.  So make sure you keep it on a low heat.

Transfer to a bowl and stir through half a chopped banana or use what ever fruit you like!  Strawberries would be a dream.  You could even add some chopped nuts for crunch.  Drool.

I thoroughly enjoyed my quinoa porridge and will definitely be making it again.

Since my Merry Try-smas post I have also mastered the protein smoothie, have trained every morning down at the beach and have been as gluten-free as possible.  I am absolutely LOVING my Christmas holidays!

Coming soon… 2011 goals.  Have you started thinking about yours?

Merry Try-smas!

15 Dec

I’m starting to get abnormally excited for my Christmas break.   No, it’s not because of the delicious food.  No, it’s not because I don’t have to go to work.  No, it’s not because of all the boozy parties.  No, it’s not because of presents (okay, maybe a little bit).

It’s because I am going to have 2 and a half weeks to totally focus on health and fitness!  What a freak!  But my, oh my, I am so excited about all the things I am going to try!

I am going to try quinoa for breakfast:

Source: theceliacmaniac.com

I’m going to try almond milk:

Source: nandyala.org

And, oh my god, maybe I’ll even cook the quinoa in the almond milk and add bananas?  I don’t know!  I’m feeling that crazy!

I’m going to make protein powder smoothies:

Source: womensabworkout.com

Mmm blended berries, yoghurt, ice and protein powder!  Hello!

I’m going to try and be as gluten-free as possible (tummy issues – I’m looking glaring at you):

Source: sensitivediner.com

AND I’m going to train at the beach every morning:

Source: blogs.people.co.uk

Weee look at me go!

Although some people might not agree, being on holidays is a great time to focus on your health and fitness goals.  You’ve got no excuses!  Time – you have plenty of it!  Work – sayonara!  Bored – time to try new things!

What new things are YOU going to try this Christmas holidays?

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