Protein

  • Breakfast, Food

    A protein start to the day

    They say breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I look to get the best start possible in the easiest way possible. I have the same thing every week day so I do not have to think about what I am doing (I am not the best as early rising and mostly brain dead until coffee). I am following Tim Ferris’s slow carb diet in which he states you should look to consume 30g protein within 30 minutes of rising. He states 30 in 30 is easy to remember and the protein will leave you feeling full. Google slow carb diet to find his blog post.

    day

    To achieve 30 in 30 I use 60g of Braham And Murray Natural Hemp Protein Powder and 26g of It Works Chocolate Protein Powder to compensate for the bitter taste of the hemp protein. This provides 45g of complete protein which leaves me feeling full until lunchtime. A protein is considered complete when it includes all the essential amino acids. The shake also contains over 12g of fibre to keep the body in running order and as discussed in a previous post is a source of Omega 3 with a ratio to Omega 6 as (Omega6 3:1 Omega 3)

    Both shakes are vegan with the It Works Chocolate Protein Powder made from Pea Protein and Brown Rice Protein.

    In terms of calories, it breaks down as 208 k/cals from the Hemp Protein Powder and 105 k/cals from the It Works Chocolate Protein Powder giving a total of 313 k/cals.

     

    The calories breakdown looks like:
    60g Braham And Murray Natural Hemp Protein Powder – 208 k/cals
    26g It Works Chocolate Protein Powder – 105 k/cals
    Total – 313 k/cals.

    The carb breakdown looks like:
    60g Braham And Murray Natural Hemp Protein Powder – 15g with 3.2g sugar
    26g It Works Chocolate Protein Powder  – 5g with no sugar
    Total – 20g

    Although I cannot find the exact amounts, the Hemp Protein Powder also contains magnesium, potassium, calcium and iron to boost mineral intake making it an excellent start to the day.

  • Breakfast, Food

    Mini Breakfast Omelettes

    Eggs eggs eggs

    I don’t know about you but I find an omelette the perfect way to start my day, gearing up for a day of work or a relaxing brunch, an omelette helps keep me filled up until lunchtime. Eggs are incredible source of high-quality protein as well as heart healthy omega-3 acids. It is right up there with butter as another one of those food items that received a bad rap over the years and now back firmly in our diets again. The health food industry demonised eggs by saying the were the cause of high cholesterol levels which then made everybody just consume everything with egg whites only. Egg whites are perfectly healthy a great source of protein, but we should definitely be making room for whole eggs our diets, unless of course you have been advised otherwise by your doctor.
     
    Eggs are not a threat to your cholesterol, the real threat comes in the form of trans fats and sugars not through dietary cholesterol. There have been studies, one in particular from the University of Connecticut, which found that the fat in eggs actually helps to reduce your LDL, a.k.a your bad cholesterol. Eggs also contain a number of proteins and vitamins including vitamin B2, selenium, vitamin D, vitamin B6, vitamin B12 as well as minerals such as copper, iron and zinc. So with that said let’s get on to the recipe.
     
     
    omelettes
     
     

    Mini breakfast omelettes

    Ingredients

    • 3 eggs
    • Roasted vegetables of your choice
    • And a dash of non dairy milk
    • Coconut oil (for frying)
    Mini Omelettes

    Mini Omelettes

    Prep Time: 10 minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes

    Ingredients

    • 3 eggs
    • Roasted vegetables of your choice
    • And a dash of milk
    • Coconut oil (for frying)

    Instructions

    1. Mix 3 eggs in a bowl and beat
    2. Add a dash of milk
    3. Add coconut oil to the pan
    4. Then add your pre roasted vegetables to the pan
    5. Pull your egg mixture around your vegetables, covering the pan
    6. Cook until cooked on both sides
     
    You can make these omelettes full sized, or make a mini ones like I did. I cooked mine on a small pancake maker hot plate, which worked perfectly for these omelettes. You can batch cook these, keep them refrigerated and grab one (or two) every morning to start your day.
  • Breakfast, Food

    Strawberry & Vanilla Cupcake Protein Shake

    Who loves Strawberry & Vanilla Cupcakes?

    If you like your morning shake with a little bit of yumminess then look no further, today I have a really tasty strawberry and vanilla cupcake protein shake recipe to share with you. This is one you definitely will not want to live without. Like Strawberries? Like Cupcakes? Then keep on reading!

    Nutrition and what I put into my body is hugely important to me and being lactose intolerant pretty much excludes me from a lot (although in hindsight I am glad because I don’t really want to be putting much dairy into my body anyway.

     

    Why protein?

    Protein is an extremely important nutrient to have in our diets and many of us are not taking on enough protein daily. Protein is vital component for every single cell in your body, it helps to build and repair tissue, you need it to make hormones and enzymes and it it is important for building bones, muscles, cartilage, skin and blood. You body needs protein in relatively large amounts to stay healthy because unlike carbohydrates and fat, protein is a macronutrient and you body has no reserves to pull from when you are running low. This is why a daily protein shake can be so beneficial to your health.

    When protein is digested it leaves behind amino acids which are essential for your body and a complete protein will provide your body will all the amino acids your body needs. A protein rich diet comes with a whole raft of health benefits including curbing hunger by making you feel full, building lean muscle and helping you to maintain a healthy weight.

     

    Protein shakes & me

    I try to stay consistent and have a protein shake every day, usually with or after my breakfast and it helps to keep me full all day long. My usual favourite is a chocolate peanut butter cup or my cherry bakewell inspired shake. For todays recipe I stepped a little outside my comfort zone (because that is where the magic happens) and created this yummy strawberry vanilla cupcake flavoured protein shake.

     

    shake

     

     

     

    Strawberry Vanilla Protein Shake Recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 handful of strawberries, either fresh or frozen.
    • 1 handful of banana.
    • 250ml of coconut almond milk (or any non dairy milk of your choosing).
    • 1 scoop of It Works vanilla protein shake powder.
    • 1 tsp of agave nectar (or Manuka honey for any non-vegans).

     

    Method

    The method is simple – throw it all into your blender and blend until smooth. We used to use a Nutribullet but we are now big fans of the Blend Active.

     

    This shake is absolutely amazing and here is why:
    • Tastes just like a strawberry cupcake.
    • A complete protein so it nourishes you body with 9 branch chain amino acids.
    •  Dairy Free.
    • Gluten Free.
    • Soy Free.
    • Vegan.
    • Plant based.
    • Non-GMO (Meaning no ingredients are genetically modified).
    • 15g of organic plant based protein (Sprouted brown rice & yellow pea).
    • Only sugar is the naturally occurring sugar in the fruit.
    • 5g of Carbohydrates.

    It is clean, healthy and everything your body needs. Stay tuned for my Peanut Butter Cup and Cherry Bakewell inspired shakes coming soon!

     

  • Breakfast, Food

    Peanut butter cup protein shake

    My favourite protein shake…

    After I posted my last recipe, my strawberry and vanilla cupcake protein shake, I did promise that I would come back and tell you all about my chocolate peanut butter cup flavoured Shake, because it is just too divine not to share it. I have been mixing this one up a little recently, and if you ever read my previous post you will have seen that I talked about not only the chocolate peanut butter cup shake, but also a cherry bakewell inspired shake as well. Well I love chocolate, love peanut butter and I love cherries so I have been adding them all in together to make the most amazing tasting chocolate peanut butter cup shake and I am coming to you today with a recipe that will blow your mind. I’m going to talk to you a little bit about why I love this shake, why adding protein to my diet is so important, why you should consider adding protein to your diet too and of course the recipe to make this tasty shake for yourself.

    Why protein is so important for us…

    My previous post about protein and why it is such an important nutrient for us to add into our diets. This is a vegetarian blog so I don’t want to talk too much about anything that’s not vegetarian, but many people would presume on the whole we should get our protein from meat, however we all know that this is not the case. That is, in fact, a very old school way of thinking. Many of us, meat eaters or not, are not getting enough daily protein into our diets. It is such an amazing nutrient and helps the aid the repair every single cell in our bodies. Let that sink in for a moment. EVERY. SINGLE. CELL. It is also great at helping with tissue repair, our hormones, our blood, building lean muscle and much more. Because protein is a macronutrient, which means it is needed in large amounts in our diet, our body often has no reserves on which to use when we are running low. This is one of many reasons why I am a huge advocate of a daily protein shake being so beneficial to your health. Not only is it tasty, keeps you full and provides you with a load of nutrients, it is also going to ensure you get all the protein that your body needs. As you can tell protein is extremely important.

    And what about Amino Acids?

    When we digest protein we leave behind something called amino acids, which are essential for our body and health. Anything that is a complete protein will provide your body with all the amino acids that it needs. The protein that we use has all 9 branched-chain amino acids which are considered essential amino acids for our body and our health. We must get them into our diet from outside means because our bodies do not produce them by themselves. Yet another reason why a protein shake can be so beneficial in your diet. I said in my previous post that I really do try and stay consistent and have a protein shake everyday. Recently I have been using this recipe adding oats and having this for my breakfast. It is fun, tasty, healthy, me all the protein that I need, gives me all the branched chain amino acids that my body needs and it keeps me full until lunch time.
    If you want to read more about protein and why I think it is such an important part of our diet, be sure to check out my previous blog post where I make a yummy strawberry and vanilla cupcake protein shake. I go into great detail there all about protein and why it is so important.
    Ok, now let us get on with the recipe.

    Chocolate peanut butter cup protein shake recipe

    Ingredients

    • 1 large handful of cherries, either fresh or frozen (I prefer frozen because it makes a lovely cold shake).
    • 250ml any non dairy milk of your choosing.
    • 1 scoop of It Works chocolate protein shake powder.
    • 1 TBSP of PB Fit peanut butter powder.
    • 1 TBSP of organic cacao powder.
    • 1 – 2 TBSP of organic oats (optional).

    Method

    • Add your cherries into a blender cup an ad half of your milk.
    • Blend until smooth.
    • Cacao powder and peanut butter powder and again until smooth.
    • Add your chocolate protein shake powder and blend.
    • Add in the rest of your milk and blend.
    • If you are using oats in Wanted 2 tablespoons of organic oats and blend to mix.

     

    shake

    This shake tastes so good and here is why:

    • It tastes just like a chocolate peanut butter cup.
    • Complete protein your body all essential branched-chain amino acids.
    • It is dairy free, gluten free and soy free.
    • It is suitable for vegans.
    • Plant based.
    • It is non GMO, meaning that none of the ingredients have been genetically modified.
    • It has 15 grams of organic plant based protein (organic sprouted brown rice & yellow pea proteins).
    • The only sugar you will find in this shake is naturally occurring from the fruit.
    • Only 5 grams of carbohydrates,
    • The shake alone, if mixed with water, is only 100 calories.
    • It will keep you full and stop you snacking.
    • Give your body the protein that it needs.
    This shake is my absolute favourite; I love the flavour, I love the cherries, it is clean, healthy and enables me to nourish my body with everything it needs.
  • Food

    Keto & Low Carb Bread

    But Bread is off limits, isn’t it?

    Yes, you would be right, standard bread is too high in carbohydrates if you are following a Ketogenic diet and it might be something you are choosing to avoid or having in moderation if you are following a low carb diet, but that doesn’t mean that you have to miss out on things like sandwiches, English Muffins or toast, because guess what? Help is here!

    keto bread

    Do I need many ingredients and is it hard?

    You do need a few specialised ingredients in and if you’re new to low carb or keto then they might not be something you have in your cupboards, but the good news is once you get them in stock it’s something you will always have, which makes this recipe super easy to whip up in just a few minutes. All you need is the ingredients and a microwave and it is that simple! Now, onto the ingredients and the recipe!

    keto bread

    Ingredients:

    • 3 tbsp of Almond Flour (but finely ground almonds works a treat, is are much cheaper too).
    • 1/2 tbsp of Coconut Flour.
    • 1 tbsp of Grass fed butter (We use Kerrygold unsalted).
    • 1 Egg (You can use the whole egg or just the egg white – with the yolk you’ll end up with bread more yellow in colour).
    • A pinch of pink Himalayan salt.
    •  1/2 tsp of gluten free baking powder (sometimes hard to find but this is always a good option).

     

    Method:

    1. Melt butter in microwaveable mug for 30 seconds.
    2. Add remaining ingredients and whisk until smooth.
    3. Let sit for a moment in the mug, to thicken.
    4. Microwave for 2 minutes.
    5. Turn out onto a plate.

    I then always like to slice my bread into small rounds and toast on a low heat setting or pop it under the grill.

     

    This has the taste and texture of normal bread and is very low carb too, so it works with both a ketogenic and low carb diet.