Foodie – Page 2 – THE MUSCLE BAKERY

Veganuary Week Uno 🌱

Let’s take part in Veganuary they said. It’ll be fun they said. No-one warned us about the cheese cravings, dangers of sudden fibre uptake and how easy it is to get fat. But, it aint all doom and gloom, have a read and find out what the experience has been like so far:

For those who don’t know what Veganuary is, we explained it in our previous blogpost: Top tips to tackle Veganuary.

DAY ONE: HANGOVER 💀

My first day as a vegan was quite uneventful, I skipped breakfast as usual (because bed minutes are worth more than breakfast minutes) and waking up on New Years Day still sporting the previous nights make-up (across face and pillow) to the realisation that it was now Veganuary and I couldn’t call up Mr Pizza Man for the usual fix was really tough. More so, with a hangover. But, I mustered up all my energy and rolled out of bed, first into the bathroom to turn myself from drug addict to relatively normal looking human and then into the kitchen to make some avo toast in true cliche Vegan style.

I hadn’t really given much thought to what being vegan implied, I just knew I didn’t want any other living being to suffer unnecessarily on my account, and no I have not watched Earthlings yet.

The hangover had claimed all my energy and nothing was gonna culminate in a greasy cheesy pizza.

The rest of the day was spent opening the cupboards in a majorly uninspired fashion, the hangover had claimed all my energy and nothing was gonna culminate in a greasy cheesy pizza. The night before the change, I spoke to my only vegan friend, and he advised me to throw out all non vegan products. I said I would, but I didn’t. Ingrained in my very being is my father’s voice saying “waste not, want not” or “starving children in Africa would fight over that plate”,every time I attempt to throw food away. So, when the temptation to whip out the cheese and crackers came along, I knew they had to go.

Sorry dad. Was there no one I could offload my brie on?

Humus and carrot sticks for dinner it is.

And with that, day one finito.

*Pats self on back*

DAY TWO: INSPIRED ✨

Woke up late (earning extra bed minutes) and in a huff decided to be pro-active in a bid to make up for those wasted hours. Chopped up all the veggies possible, laid them in a tray and popped them in oven to grill. +5pts to me.

Determined to stick to my plan, I spent a considerable amount of my lunch hour in the health shop along with most of my life savings; stocking up on organic fruits, vegetables, beans, pulses and vegan alternatives.

Then it hit me,Chocolate!

What the hell vegans? Why would you do this to yourselves, and more importantly, me.

Chocolate is my thing. I eat it every day.

Now, for any of you thinking about going vegan, let me tell you this; your chocolate will never taste the same again. Say goodbye to Green & Blacks Butterscotch bars *sad face*. This does not mean vegans cannot eat chocolate, we can, just not the deliciously smooth milk variety.

I’m a fan of all kinds of chocolate, so after a frantic Google search, I found that some of my favourites were in fact vegan. Lindt Excellence, as from 70% cocoa, awesome! It also helps if you (or in Lisanka’s case, your best friend) is a wizard in the ‘free from’ kitchen. *insert Hazelnut truffles here*

Anyhow, whilst on my splurge at the health shop, I discovered something much better than chocolate anyway, dried pineapple. My absolute favourite fruit ever. There are many versions of dried pineapple on the market, most of them heavily laced with preservatives and sugars. Sulfur dioxide is not something I want to be consuming thank you very much. I’ve become an additive snob along with my vegan-ism. Tropical Wholefoods ‘sun dried pineapple’ is 100% pineapple and is organic to boot. I may have eaten the whole bag in sheer excitement.

Lunch was a bit of everything. I went to the only vegetarian place I could think of close by and ordered enough food to feed a small country. Avocado and tomato salad, roast sweet potato and beetroot salad, 3 bean soup, falafel and humus. I must stress, I did not eat this all. The falafel and humus was enough and I saved the rest for later. I guess I tried to over compensate for the lack of obvious protein on my plate.

I spent most of my afternoon engrossed in vegan literature, i.e. Google, Pinterest and Instagram.

Inspired by the colourful offerings I held in the palm of my hand, I set to work on writing up an endless list of ‘to-do’ recipes. The first on my list? Bean burgers. What i ended up with? Lentil & Quinoa patties. Ah well, its only my second day, ill get this.

I know most vegans and vegetarians say this when they make a meat free alternative, but seriously, I did not miss the meat at all. My bean patty was divine and my mother agreed. Although, I’m going to be honest, I missed the slice (or two) of cheese.

For dessert? The remaining Hazelnut Truffles of course.

DAY 3: HELLO FIBRE 🙃

O.K, so none of these vegan blogs warned me about the side effects of upping your fibre intake dramatically. In hindsight I should have seen it coming. I won’t go into the technicalities, but I am under the mercy of my digestive system, and she’s not being very gracious.

To be safe, my breakfast choice was a Coconut Milk smoothie laced with flaxseed, oats and a generous dollop of Hazelnut butter. Somehow, it felt sensible to keep to liquids, or at least it seemed logical to me.

I’ve started slowly telling people that I am cutting out meat, dairy and any other animal products from my diet and for the most part everyone is surprisingly supportive. Vegans tend to get a bad reputation for being pushy, preachy, holier-than-thou know-it-alls, so the common response when you tell someone you’re vegan is a defensive one. I know, because I used to get that way.

I once tweeted something quite awful about a vegan, and how I wanted to slap her in the face with a steak. In jest, of course. It’s not that she was vegan, she was just an ass hole; an ass hole who happened to be a vegan.

I don’t want to be one of those people who sneers at your life choices at the dinner table, or aggressively pushes their beliefs on others.

Lunch was leftover bean patties paired with homemade sprout crispies; an idea that was inspired by one of many Vegan Insta-foodie accounts I have began to follow since starting Veganuary. My judgement clouded by excitement, but my fibre intake jeopardised. A decision I would come to regret.

I feel a constant need to eat and to be nourished, and as a result I’m eating copious amounts of nuts, nut butter, seeds and dried fruit, namely cashews, peanut butter and dried pineapple. I may be eating too much, but how can something so small be so calorific?

*sigh*

Dinner comes along and in usual post-workout fashion, am really tired, cranky and hungry. I only have enough macros left to eat protein and not much else and with that, for the first time since starting, i wish for some chicken. I give myself a few imaginary slaps and proceed to whip up some Satay Tofu. (Honestly… it was horrible, but i ate it anyway.)

Tomorrow will be better, surely.

DAY 4: BLOATED 💩

Not loving myself at the moment if I’m totally honest. I feel like a blow up doll. I’m swollen, uncomfortable and fat.

The thought of a lean scrambled egg breakfast was plaguing my mind. I banish the little yellow clouds of protein goodness from my thoughts and again opt for a liquid breakfast. Paired with a bowl of oats. Girl logic.

Getting ready for work was a chore, everything feels too tight and I was in no mood for the confines of hosiery. I look in the mirror and liken myself to a dairy cow who’s been pumped full of hormones. Even my face looks distorted. What’s happening to me?

Google will know.

“Is veganism making me fat and ugly?”

The short answer is yes, the long one is no.

There is a common misconception, that there are certain things one can do to “detoxify”

When you starve your body of all animal products, a lot of weird stuff happens. You might feel overly emotional and sensitive,experience unexplained aches and pains, tension headaches,flu-like symptoms bloating, constipation, diarrhea (or both), vomiting (or all three). You may start thinking your body is punishing you for deviating from what we all believe is our God given right, eating animals. I likened it to going cold turkey on Heroin, not that I’ve ever been a heroin addict, but if Eastenders taught me anything, it’s that addicts go through hell when they give up the goods.

Hang in there. It will get better, you will get better. Much better.

Your face wont always resemble a big hunk of celeriac (organic of course), I promise.

I will say this though, the withdrawal symptoms are real. It will happen to you. Just think of it as a good spring clean. The body is ridding itself of mercury, pesticides, bacteria and hormones along with a whole host of other nasties found in animal based foods.

Thankfully, i didn’t have to worry about lunch today. Wagamama had my back. All the Edamame beans please.

Note to self: Stop buying dried pineapple.

DAY 5: STILL BLOATED 💩💩

The ugly continues.

I stare at my reflection in the mirror… how is this bloat even normal? I look like I’m in my third trimester, ready to pop triplets and my partner has already begun mocking me. ‘Stop sticking your belly out.’ he says … I wasn’t even. I start to think of all the moments in my life i wasnt bloated and took for granted.

F**K you sprouts.

I proceed to rummage through all my clothes, finding all and any baggy items, telling myself, ‘Today, i will refrain from eating fiber. I can do this.’

Breakfast was again a liquid option. With toast, toast is always a good idea, and 100% vegan.

In a bid to avoid any extra fibre, I steered away from all the cans of neatly stacked beans which I had impulse bought in my pre- veganuary excitement. My next best bet for getting some high protein foods in my belly? Tofu. I remembered a chicken nugget recipe i used to make, so applied the same ingredients and methods to the tofu instead. Thankfully, it was a success and possibly the best Vegan recipe ive made so far. #VegansOfIG rejoice. Tofu nuggets was born.

I start feeling a little bit better come afternoon and the bloat subdued after several toilet visits. (Gotta thank the extra dosages of lemongrass tea for that).

Then much to my surprise, an asos delivery came a knocking at my door, inside? Some new training gear! I popped it straight on, and pranced around feeling as light as a pringle. What a contrast to this morning!

Eager to test out the new gear, i opened up my NTC app and set off for a run. I started running and couldnt stop. I felt alive. For the first time in all of Veganuary i was PUMPED! Was it being Vegan that had made me able to run for so long? Maybe it was, who knows. Either way, i was loving it.

DAY 6: OK, I GOT THIS 🙅🏼

Fresh from the previous days motivation i woke up feeling great, not only had it been a while since i was capable of running 10k but for the first time all week… no bloat! YASSSSS! Guess this Veganism is kinda alright!!? With a smile on my face, i swirl up my daily dosage of super greens and hot lemon water before seizing the day ahead.

It was a busy day prepping bars for the week ahead, and even when my oven broke and toilet started leaking… my positivity levels were still high. After all, what is a broken oven in the grand scheme of things? Im alive, i’m healthy and have a fluffy gown that warms me up at night. It could be worse.

DAY 7: HAPPY ONE WEEK! 🎉

I would love to say that I woke up this morning feeling rested and refreshed. The truth is I was kept up half the night by my upstairs neighbour. 1 am is as as good a time as any to grind cacao nibs in your antique heavyweight bronze pestle and mortar (So 2017).

I know because after half an hour of racking my brains I asked him what the hell that was.

“I’m making chocolate, darling, come up it’s fabulous. I’ve got cacao nibs on the grind.”

“No thanks, it’s late. I’m trying to sleep.”

“Save me some.Goodnight.”

If I wake up at 10 i’ll get a solid 8 hours.

6 hours later, a frantic mother charges in my room like a bull in a china shop, looking for her charger (why in my room I don’t know).

I’m up. I’m annoyed. Tea.

I love the ritual involved in making a pot of tea. i opted for my favourite: mint tea.

Soak some loose green tea leaves in about an inch of water in a tea pot. Drain after a couple of minutes, this reduces the bitterness in the tea. Add a bunch of fresh mint leaves and add just boiled water. Wait 3-5 minutes. Pour. Sit outside. Watch the ships go by. Relax.

After about 6 months, endless cancellations and several illness excuses, our attempt at a girl date was successful. I met Liz and we ventured up the Rock and onto the new suspension bridge. The day was still, the sun was warming. The apes were out in abundance.

On our way back down from our trek, Liz was telling a story about how she and her family had been chased by a pack of apes because her youngest brother had mimicked one and proclaimed “OOOH” in its face.

As she demonstrated what her little brother had done over a decade ago, an adolescent ape (who up until that point had been indifferent to our presence and totally engrossed in a fruit peelings), leapt from behind her and onto her back baring its teeth whilst grabbing her arm. Luckily, she’s well acquainted with a quick backhand, and she shook the ape off. It seemed like she’d done this before.

I thought animals were supposed to appreciate vegans?

Exhausted from our ordeal we head off for lunch. But first, a quick stop at the supermarket for some lettuce i needed.

Sixteen impulse buys and £50 later we made our way to Wagamamas for lunch. By the way, vegan bacon bits exist, as does “just add water” sausage mix (vegan of course) and Lotus biscuits are Vegan. You’re welcome.

Wagamama’s always delivers, those edamame beans are life. I have been tempted to hit it up everyday instead of cooking myself but, my bank account denies me this luxury. We engross ourselves in eating these little green pellets of protein goodness, sip on green tea and enjoy eachothers company.

One week Veganuary down, i celebrate by making a Veggie Paella and treat myself to a bag of crisps. Yolo.

Note to self: The stated amount of rice in mother’s recipe is correct. Do NOT add more rice. Repeat. DO NOT ADD MORE RICE.

We hope you enjoyed our week one Veganuary. It has been fun to do, (challenging somewhat) but exciting to try new recipes and foods and not as hard as you may believe it to be! You may feel that it is impossible to do it and give up *insert favourite animal based food here* (most people say cheese) BUT, eating LESS also makes a positive change on our environment! Try it 😄

This text is based on the experiences of Elke Hurtado and Lisanka Trinidad. Written by them both. You can find Lisanka Trinidad and some of her blogposts on Just Weight and Tea.

Much love,

The Muscle Baker ❤️

GUEST POST // Vegan Rice & Tofu Stir-Fry

Vegan Tofu & Rice Stir-Fry Recipe, By Veggie Gib.

Making a high protein and nutritious stir fry without meat is not an impossibility, in fact it is quite easy! Mr Veggie Gib shows us how…

I like to use extra firm tofu (usually sold as ‘bio’ tofu) for stir fries because it is higher in protein (a good 15g/100g) and has less water so it doesn’t need to be pressed. All you do is pat the tofu dry, cut it up and shallow fry. The outside will go crispy whereas the inside will be soft, giving a nice contrast of textures, and it develops a nutty, almost popcorn-like flavour.

I don’t mind admitting I sometimes use shortcuts, in this case with the stir fry vegetables which I buy ready to use, but feel free to add any of your liking. Stir fries require some organisation because they are quite quick, so it pays to have a hot wok and all the other components ready beforehand.

Tofu, made from soybean curds, is naturally gluten-free and low calorie, contains no cholesterol and is an excellent source of protein, iron, and calcium.

Ingredients:
150g rice noodles, 5mm thick
250g extra firm tofu
1 tbsp coconut oil
150g stir fry vegetables (carrots, beansprouts, onion, pepper, Chinese leaf, water chestnuts and bamboo shoots)
20g (1 tbsp) peanut butter
2 tbsp tamari soy sauce
1 tsp rice vinegar
25g dried shiitake mushrooms (about 7 or 8), alternatively a packet of mixed dried mushrooms will do
100 ml of water

1. Put the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl with about 100ml of hot water and allow to soak for about 15 minutes until soft.

2. Add the peanut butter, tamari soy sauce and rice vinegar into a small bowl and stir. It might look like it won’t mix but it will do so later on.

3. Place the noodles in a large bowl of warm water and let them soak. They only need to be soaked for about 8-10 minutes and should be ready for when they are needed at the end.

4. Pat the tofu dry with some kitchen paper and cut the tofu into bit size pieces and add the coconut oil in a hot wok. Once the oil is hot add the tofu and shallow fry until it has browned on all sides. This should only take about 5 minutes. Take the tofu out, place on kitchen paper to absorb any extra oil and put to one side.

6. Add the vegetables to the wok and stir fry.

7. Cut the shiitake mushrooms into strips and add to the wok.

8. Add about 4-5 tbsp of the shiitake mushroom liquid to the peanut butter / tamari soy sauce marinade and this should loosen up to the consistency of a thick sauce.

9. Add the noodles and peanut sauce to the wok and give a good stir.

10. Add the tofu pieces and serve.

Makes 2 servings.

Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Nutritional Info:
Calories:635 kcal
Fat: 17.1g
Carbs: 65.3g
Protein: 29.7g

Muscle Bakery tip: Want to make it lower cal and carbs? Sub the noodles for spiralised veggies or Bare Naked / Slim Noodles!

Food has always been a passion of mine, especially eating! Being naturally curious and having a sweet tooth I have always enjoyed experimenting in the kitchen and creating yummy treats for myself, family and friends. Going vegetarian made me explore a lot of different foods and ingredients and made me look at food from a different perspective. What is more I quickly learned that veggie food is far from bland or boring. I like to make food that is quick, easy and tasty and I like to adapt traditional recipes to vegetarian alternatives whenever I can. Now I like to share what I eat and my recipes and hopefully make people want to eat more veggie food.

Recipe created by Ivan Hernandez, the man behind Veggie Gib. if you have not checked him out… what are you waiting for?! You can find him on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and most importantly via his website. (His Instagram is a beautiful array of meals and sweets that will most certainly make your tummy rumble!)

We hope you enjoyed this recipe, get involved… tweet/ gram us @themusclebakery & @veggiegib and tell us your thoughts!

Review: Hectares Sweet Potato Crisps

The lovely team at Crisps ‘N’ stuff sent us a bag full of their Hectares Sweet Potato Crisps and ofc we (very) happily dug in to review them! We were big fans to start off with, so we were SUPER excited to get so many bags sent to us! (Thanks guys) 😋

They have a selection of 3 flavours: Lightly Sea Salted, Chorizo & Sundried Tomato and Red Onion & Black Pepper. All of which are free from Gluten, Wheat, Dairy and Vegan friendly (inclusive of the Sundried Tomato & Chorizo flavour.)

Red Onion & Black Pepper:

Perfect for those who love a bit of a peppery tang due to the predominant pepper flavour. The flavour does state ‘Onion & Pepper’ but the onion flavour is definitely more subtle.

I would use it in a combo for a recipe or as an addition to a salad or sandwich whereas the pepper flavour would compliment the meal rather than override it. Plus, crisps in a sandwich is always a winner!

Or, you could always try out Sweet Potato Crusted Chicken Breast Recipe.

Per 35g bag: 179Cals | 11F | 17.8C | 1.2P Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Red Onion & Black Pepper Flavoured Seasoning (Black Pepper, Dextrose, Sea Salt, Rice Flour, Red Onion Powder, Colour: Beetroot Red, Natural Black Pepper Flavouring).

Lightly Sea Salted:

It is what it is, like Ready Salted except made with sweet taters. Perfect if you’re not too adventurous and like your snacks plain. Unlike a lot of veggie crisps out there, these are way less greasy and super tasty! PLUS (out of all 3) these contain the least ingredients so if you are fussy like that, they are comprised simply of sweet potatoes, high oleic sunflower oil and salt!

Per 35g bag: 184Cals | 11.6F | 17.7C | 1.2P Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Salt.

Chorizo & Sun-Dried Tomato:

If a sweet potato eloped with a Bag of Lays Campesina flavour crisps you’d end up with these. No doubt my favourite flavour of the lot!

So full of smokey/ tangy/ paprika flavours Which remind me of the Lays mentioned above. Anyone who has shopped in a Spanish supermarket before will know it as the bright green packet. It’s one of my favourite crisps but it’s riddled with wheat and dairy which I cannot have so when I tried these… Ohhhhh the happiness!

Eat them solo, add to your salad for a little crunch (pic below) or try the chicken recipe with these instead!

Per 35g bag: 179Cals | 10.9F | 17.7C | 1.3P Ingredients: Sweet Potatoes, High Oleic Sunflower Oil, Red Onion & Black Pepper Flavoured Seasoning (Rice Flour, Salt, Tomato Powder, Paprika, Cayenne, Yeast Extract Powder, Sugar, Natural Flavourings, Dried Bell Pepper Powder, Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Oregano, Colour: Paprika Extract, Chorizo Extract).

You may be wondering what High Oleic Sunflower Oil is (seeing as all 3 flavours contain this ingredient). Well, hi-oleic sunflower oil is a type of sunflower oil bred to have a high concentration of the fatty acid oleic acid, a monounsaturated fatty acid which is found in olive oil and macadamia nuts. It is also considered as a Non-GMO ingredient as it is the result of traditional plant breeding.

To get your hands on these delicious crisps, follow Crisps ‘N’ Stuff on FB and order via their page directly or buy at any of their point of sales. La Parrilla On The Go sell them AND Muscle Bakery treats so we suggest you go there best 😝

For anyone in the UK, you can find them in a variety of outlets such as Holland & Barrett, Ocado, Wholefoods and more! Check Hectares website for more info.

We hope you enjoyed our little review! We plan to try some recipes featuring these crisps (when we manage to get a break from making Muscle Malts) so keep an eye out! You can find us on @themusclebakery on all social outlets, or follow @themusclebaker directly on Instagram!

Tag us if your try them!

Much love <3

Free-From Eats: Brunch It (Malaga)

Brunch It Cafe

Location: Calle Carreteria, 46 29008 – Malaga📍

Whenever i need to go somewhere the first thing i do is find somewhere new to eat, (it isn’t really worthwhile without some good food) so one quick search and i found this cute place in Malaga. The typography and cool design kinda sold it to me, the food looked pretty good too. Thanks Instagram.

To get to this location, we used the Sat Nav as we are not very familiar with the area. It’s a good job we did as there were roadworks around the area, which meant a sudden route change. Best suggestion is follow directions as best and as close as possible then park and walk there.

The decor is modern, blacks and whites with a fresh tone from plants, fruits and ornaments. Their large window opens up to allow seating on the front, there is a bar seating area at the entrance, then more seating indoors with one ‘lounge’ table with sofa seating towards the back of the establishment.

To start off I ordered a fresh fruit/veg smoothie. There was a few to choose from and each had a description of what they would help with ie. Digestion, alcalizing, energising etc. I chose the ‘Kotao’ which was for ‘digestion’ and comprised of apples, pear, ginger, lemon and spinach.

They were all priced at €3.50.

The other half decided to go for a slice of their freshly made pizzas, parma ham and pumpkin flavour made on a focaccia style base which looked and smelt DIVINE. (These moments are when i realise how much i miss cheese.)

Anyhow, the pizzas/ sandwiches etc are all made with their freshly baked focaccia style bread and each piece is sold by weight not by slice which is pretty cool. Especially if you’re one of those unlucky people who always ends up with the smaller pieces 😛

For my mains, after much deliberation I chose a salad, bacon salad to be exact. In hindsight it was not the best option and I should have gone for the quinoa salad or veggie burger, which had initially caught my eye. I’m used to eating turkey bacon so when the salad came it was a lot greasier and it was the typical Spanish bacon which has loadsa fat pieces and i dunno i just felt bad eating it. I think the wanting of cheese clouded my judgement!

By default, my partner chose a burger. There was a few to choose from including a turkey burger, veggie burger and soya burger by the names of Buey, Crunchit, Pavo Eco, Veggie & Tofu, all priced at €8.90 and came with a side of fresh cut chips.

Same goes for all their meals, they have a bit of a variety to choose from, designed to suit all and any. They even have a veggie and vegan pizza option: veggie had olive oil, cucumber, aubergine, peppers and Pecorino cheese (made from Sheeps milk) and vegan one had sweet onion, aubergine, cucumber and pepper. Each of the pizzas also had a different type of cheese, some with mozarella, others Parmesan and even one with provolone.

We weren’t sure if to stay for dessert but like most occasions, i was there… i may as well. But, much to my disappointment i wasn’t able to have anything as none were wheat-free or vegan friendly (without dairy/egg) so i opted for a green tea to soothe my tummy post-food and watched the other one eat a Nutella stuffed focaccia. Sigh.

Price: ☺️ | Location: 😰 | Service: 😄 | Food: ☺️

The place is super cool, the layout is awesome, the decor is trendy and they even have iPads on the tables so you can surf the net. I wouldn’t consider it to be an ‘organic’ place per say, more like a healthified eatery with Italian vibes. They have meal options to suit all and any which is great, especially if you’re travelling there with a variety of people who have different diets and even though they don’t specifically cater to Gluten-Free they do have salad/ smoothie options to choose from. Perfect place if you’re not Gluten/ Wheat intolerant as you can enjoy any of the burgers or pizzas too, whether you’re Vegan or not.

Caters to Vegan/ Vegetarian diets (and people who love pizza).

Tip: For anyone counting calories/ macros etc my advise would be to log in similar counterparts to what you are eating and be mindful about it. Eg. bean burger isn’t hard to find on MFP, and it is very unlikely that there is a vast difference in macros. Trust me, at some point, someone has logged in something similar in MFP, a quick search and you’re good! If at the very least, for peace of mind.

Another from our series of #EatsFreeFrom as we travel around taste testing all the delicious (free-from) foods for you!

Any requests? Let us know! 🙂

Much love,

The Muscle Baker

Banana Bread: Two Ways (Protein & Vegan)

Banana bread is possibly the easiest and most re-created recipe amongst the foodie realms and no surprise why, it’s flipping delicious! The nan used to make a walnut one when we were little ohhhh did we love it!

Some food historians believe banana bread was a byproduct of the Great Depression as resourceful housewives did not wish to throw away overripe bananas (as they were still a costly item to purchase), others believe the modern banana bread was developed in corporate kitchens to promote flour and baking soda products.

These recipes came about after finding a printed banana bread recipe from what used to be our first blog and one of the first recipes we ever created all those many moons ago. We decided to give it a go again with a few tweaks and making two versions: Protein version and a Vegan version.

PROTEIN BANANA BREAD

Servings: 16
Print

Author: The Muscle Bakery.
Banana bread recipe that you can whip up in no time! Simple, delightful and tasty!

Ingredients

Banana Whey

Egg Whites

If you don’t have this, substitute with applesauce.

You will also need a metal loaf pan, not the silicone one.

Directions

Preheat oven to 170 Degrees C.
In a bowl mix together all your dry ingredients until combined. Then, fold in your wet ingredients until you get a thick batter.
Prepare a greaseproof baking sheet in your loaf pan then pour mix into it.
Bake for 30-40mins (until knife comes out clean when piercing it).
Leave to cool completely before slicing.
Then slice up and enjoy solo or with your fave nut butter!

Nutritional Info (per slice):109 Cals | 1.6F | 19C | 6.5P

Free from Gluten, Wheat & Sugar

For the Vegan variation, we decided to use a Coke Zero to replace the egg. Yes. You heard that right!

After delivering a Vegan cakey to a customer, he mentioned that he had tried making a cake with his daughter using a Betty Crocker mix and a Diet Coke and it worked! This clearly got us SOOOO curious and the culinary creative juices started flowing! We had read somewhere before that sparkling water could be used but never really thought much about it until he mentioned it so without further ado we jumped right in and used the above recipe to experiment with.

As with all of our recipes, we prefer trying and failing before having to call on our buddy google for help and that is exactly what we did with this one and absolutely winged it. The experiment paid off! It made the most delightful banana cake, id even go as far as to say that it was better than the original creation!

(Thanks for that Mr Williams).

Heres the recipe:

VEGAN BANANA BREAD

Servings: 12
Print

Author: The Muscle Bakery.
Banana bread made with Coke Zero?!! YUP! So damn delicious, like a cross between bread and pudding… exactly like nan used to make (made vegan)!

Ingredients

Pea Protein Isolate

If you don’t have this, substitute with applesauce.
If you want to omit this or don’t have this ingredient, try adding a little bit more flour instead.

You will also need a metal loaf pan, not the silicone one.

Directions

Preheat oven to 170 Degrees C.
In a bowl mix together all your dry ingredients until combined. Then, fold in your wet ingredients until you get a thick batter.
Prepare a greaseproof baking sheet in your loaf pan then pour mix into it.
Bake for 30-40mins (until knife comes out clean when piercing it).
Leave to cool completely before slicing.
Then slice up and enjoy solo or with your fave nut butter!

Nutritional Info (per slice): 112 Cals | 1.8F | 25.1C | 5P

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Sugar, Dairy, & Egg.

As you can see the recipes are extremely similar, in fact they are almost identical except for the eggs part.

You can try the Protein version without eggs and use coke instead, but we have not yet tried that yet as we still have all the above slices of banana bread to get through! 😛

If you do, let us know how it goes!

Don’t forget to tag us if you try any of these recipes, you can find us on all social media outlets @themusclebakery

For 15% discount on Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY15

HAPPY (BANANA BREAD) BAKING!

Free-From Eats: Gioia (Marbella)

Gioia Plant Based Cuisine

Located on: Avda Bulevar Principe Alfonso, Marbella📍

Opening Hours: 13:00- 23:00 (Closed Sunday’s).

I stumbled upon this place after a friend from Marbella posted up some pics after a visit there. At first glance I thought it was going to be a fancy gourmet vegan restaurant, but boy was I wrong and for all the right reasons!

The location is easy to get to and impossible to miss. Take the first right after Guadalpin Suites (opposite Opera Room club) and you’ll see it. Parking may be a little hard but you can park along the front of the hotel anyway.

The setting is simple and quaint, modern with vintage tones. We chose to sit inside as it was a bit chilly, and the sun was no longer shining over it (approx 4pm). Perhaps at breakfast or brunch would be better for outside seating, at least now that winter is coming.

The menu was simple, several choices for starters, mains, desserts, smoothies, teas and wines. However, you could tell the choices had been carefully thought out, using a variety of wonderful ingredients.

Our first choices were of course the smoothies. There were 8 to choose from, 5 of which were fresh juices and the remaining 3 were labelled as smoothies: Classic Green, Summer Breeze, Ruby Tuesday, abc, Banana Cacao, Dreamy Chai and Blueberry Bee all priced at 6eur. I went straight for the Dreamy Chai and my friend chose the Blueberry Bee.

Needless to say they were both delicious, the Dreamy Chai was exactly that… DREAMY. I tend to love cinnamon/ spiced foods/ drinks and this was exactly that! The Blueberry Bee was smoother and fruitier, topped with bee pollen and also really tasty. They are all made with almond milk as the base and sweetened with agave or dates and have added (awesome) hidden ingredients such as maca powder and hemp seed.

We shared a starter dish: Baba Ganoush, which came with homemade raw crackers and Kalamata olives. The crackers were absolutely delicious and were not dry which tends to happen when foods are made in dehydrator. I polished off the olives (standard) and my friend enjoyed the baba ganoush. Thumbs up so far.

Starter prices range from 5eur to the most expensive choices at 8eur which are mushroom carpaccio and mock sushi.

Onto the mains:

The mains (as usual) is always the hardest, a fussy eater with intolerances is not fun at all and after eyeing up the Mexican Salad which came with guacamole & pico de gallo I decided to break away from my default (safe) salad choice and managed to mix and match the bean burger with gluten-free bread which the owner happily changed for me. (Major bonus points). My friend chose the raw Zucchini Lasagna because she is way less fussy than i am 😝

What convinced me the most about the burger was that it came with homemade condiments: cashew mayo and sundried tomato ketchup. I was really curious about tasting them and also majorly excited about not having to choose salad for once. Bean burger came sandwiched between 2 slices of Gluten-Free bread (buckwheat or spelt options) was coated in sesame seeds and pan fried, with a side of mixed greens and red peppers.

Can honestly say it is one of the most delicious Vegan burgers I have tried to date, (best one was at Teresa Carles in Barcelona) but this coming a very close second. The texture was soft, which is standard for Vegan burgers, yet the sesame coating gave it a slight crunch which really complimented it. Even the mixed greens were really tasty, topped with a light dressing and pumpkin seeds. For someone who usually drowns her salads in vinegar, and didn’t this time… This is monumental 😂

My friends Raw Zucchini Lasagna came layered with spicy marinara, cashew ricotta and brazil nut/ pine nut pesto and she absolutely loved it too. Simple, tasty and really filling.

Lastly… dessert.

There is always room for dessert.

By this point we were REALLY full, but I had travelled all the way there… I wasn’t about to leave without dessert! Luckily they sell bitesize treats such as truffles and cookies which were perfect to satisfy the sweet tooth without them sitting too heavy on the stomach.

I chose the raw White Choc and Raspberry Truffle and my friend chose a Chocolate Cookie which we accompanied with some tea and coffee. I tried both and they were delicious, the truffle mostly tasted of coconut butter, with a melt in your mouth texture while the cookie was crunchy yet chewy and had a rich taste of cocoa.

Price: 😄 | Location: 😄 | Service: 😍 | Food: 😍

In all honesty the place is faultless, the price was very reasonable (we paid 30eur each and literally had one of everything), the service was wonderful, the owner who was the one who served us was happy to amend my meals without hesitation, the decor was pleasing and most importantly… the food was incredible. Bearing in mind i occasionally eat chicken and consider myself a Flexitarian rather than a Vegan, so for me to say that the burger was better than any normal burger i have tried… really does say a lot!

The location is perfect too, not too busy with hustle and bustle and you can enjoy a nice walk around the area after your meal. Perhaps during busy periods not so child friendly due to it being next to a road but, at the time we went it was really peaceful and quiet so depends at what time you go (and how naughty your kids may be) 😛

Caters to Gluten-Free/ Wheat-Free/ Vegan/ Vegetarian diets.

Another from our series of #EatsFreeFrom as we travel around taste testing all the delicious (free-from) foods for you!

Any requests? Let us know! 🙂

Much love,

The Muscle Baker

Free-From Eats: Pane Cioccolate (Marbella)

Pane Cioccolate

Located on: Calle 19A, Marbella📍

Opening Hours: 09:00- 21:30 (Closed Sunday’s).

This chain has two eateries, one situated in Sotogrande and one in San Pedro and after visiting (and loving) the Sotogrande one, we just had to visit their bigger San Pedro one. It’s location can easily go unnoticed which is actually a good thing as it means less people.

Here are the directions as it could very easily go amiss:

– Travel along the AP-7 Autopista del Mediterraneo (if coming from Gib-Marbella direction) and take exit 157 which merges onto the A-7 towards Estepona/ San Pedro Alcantara.

– Take exit 170 towards Gaudalmina, San Pedro de Alcantara and take the 3rd exit once you get to the roundabout.

– At the next roundabout take the 4th exit and follow on until the last roundabout, take the 2nd exit.

– Continue and turn right onto Calle 18, left onto Calle 19, follow left again and your destination will be on your right.

The setting is lovely, a little bit of shabby chic meets hipster vibes with blue hues and pastel colours all around and delicate decor in the form of cushions, quotes and cute ornaments.

At first glance the menu is extensive with a wide variety of items, all of which are clearly labelled with intolerances (see below). Unfortunately, the wide variety is narrowed down considerably if you need to avoid dairy, egg and wheat but none-the-less there are a few items as well as off the carte Vegan menu items (which you need to ask for).

My first choice was the Apple Pie Smoothie, I had tried it before and it is my absolute favourite! Made with apples, almond milk, agave, lemon and cinnamon, so simple yet so tasty! Definitely recommend if you like apple/cinnamon flavours, but there is something to suit all tastes.

The most impressive part of the menu was their great selection of toasts combinations, they have a different type of bread depending on what ingredient you would need to avoid which is absolutely awesome! There were combinations for all sorts of diets, whether you wanted eggs, tomato, olive oil or avocado, and if it isn’t on menu they are happy to customise it for you.

After reading the menu several times I decided I wanted bread (there is always time for bread) and decided on a Rye/ Spelt Wheat-Free toast. I really wanted a high protein topping that wasn’t eggs though, so I asked if I could have turkey, they happily noted it down and brought me some delicious chargrilled turkey pieces atop of my toast! A pleasant surprise as I was kinda expecting cheap supermarket cold cuts!

The mains had a little bit to suit anyone and everyone, a selection of salads, wraps, burgers, pastas etc. Perfect if there is a group of people with varying diets and taste preferences which was the case for us. (The boys wanted burgers while the girls wanted salads.)

However, I did find the mains a bit hard to choose, mainly because I’m a fussy eater who has to cater to intolerances which is a double whammy of annoyingness for the poor waiters/ waitresses *hides face*

I decided to opt for the ‘Nicky’ salad which is comprised of salad greens, cherry toms, walnuts, chicken breast and a balsamic glaze. (It also contains Parmesan but I had to omit that.)

The other half decided to go for the burger which came in a seedy bun filled with salad greens and a fried quail egg.

Other meals that were ordered were Goats cheese salad and a spaghetti pasta dish, everyone seemed satisfied and happy with their meals (with space left for dessert).

Now, I’m going to be completely honest here… The dessert was the most disappointing part for me because I never got to have any! 😩

All the cakes contained some form of gluten, wheat, dairy or egg and when asked if there was any Vegan desserts available, the waitress offered me a cake but wasn’t too convinced herself about the contents which didn’t inspire much confidence. (And then i asked the guy waiter and he thought i asked for Veal!) lol

Thing is, yes there was some Vegan items, yes there was some gluten-free items (which is great)… But no crossover treats catering to an all in one.

Watching everyone eat delicious Banoffee cake isn’t fun when it looks this incredible 👉🏻

Having said that, i would still go again (maybe prompt them beforehand to make sure there is Vegan cake available) 😛

Price: 😅 | Location: 😄 | Service: 😊 | Food: 😄

Would recommend for mixed groups as they cater to all sorts of diets, perfect for breakfasts, smoothies and non-vegan cakes. This place is also child-friendly and has sweets, cookies etc that children would prefer to eat. Overall prices are decent, smoothies at €5, salads around 10€, just don’t be too frivolous ordering drinks as they do add up!

Caters to Gluten-Free/ Wheat-Free/ Vegan/ Vegetarian diets.

The first in our series of #EatsFreeFrom as we travel around taste testing all the delicious (free-from) foods for you!

Any requests? Let us know! 🙂

Much love,

The Muscle Baker

How to: Burrito Bowl

Wondering what a Burrito bowl is? Well, we are here to explain it to you, show you how we make ours and inspire you to make your very own!

Now, What is a Burrito Bowl?

A simplified version of a Burrito… so, exactly like a Burrito except you skip the wholemeal wrap and devour the contents from a bowl instead. The precise origin of the modern burrito is unknown, but guaranteed that the Burrito bowl was invented by someone who was too lazy to wrap it all up, or too poor to afford wraps. Either way, GENIUS.

The standard burrito/ burrito bowls are usually comprised of black beans, fried rice, salsa, cheese etc however you can make it as you please and that is the absolute beauty of it! With the right choice of ingredient substitutions it can prove to be a delicious, filling and healthy with the added bonus of it being so easy to make.

To make ours we follow these simple rules:

1. Choose a base.

The base that we choose is usually dependant on macro allowance, for example if it is a low-carb day we would choose some leafy greens, Bare Naked rice or Cauli rice. If a higher carb day, the choice would be brown rice, quinoa or potatoes. You may even choose to not have a base ingredient and just enjoy a bowl of solo ingredients.

Tip: Microwave rice packs are great for those who don’t really have time to wait 3 decades for rice to boil.

2. Add some greens.

By default, we make sure we always add greens to all or most of our meals. They are high in fiber, vitamins, minerals and are a great volume food which means you can add loads without affecting the total calorie content too much.

3. Chop up tomatoes.

It aint no burrito without tomatoes. Obvs.

Decide on what beans you prefer.

Black beans is a typical ingredient in burritos, however if those don’t tickle your fancy just add whichever beans you most like. We absolutely LOVE adding Lupin beans to ours. They are naturally high in fiber, high in protein, have a salty taste and add some colour to your beautiful dish.

4. Choose a protein source.

This will of course vary depending on your dietary requirement. For Vegans & Veggies: Tofu, Quorn mince and fillets are a great addition to this meal. Our choice was some pre-packaged spiced chicken which we we found in Mercadona and tastes delicious! However, you can add as you please whether it be chicken, turkey, mince, steak, fish or even none at all. We just prefer to add a protein source to every meal, or else we find ourselves guzzling down shakes of Casein pre-bed which is not ideal.

5. Add any extras as you prefer (and macros will allow you).

No doubt that for us, the extra will always be olives. But, pretty much add anything else you fancy! More veggies, protein sources, beans, rice, potatoes… go as crazy as you want to. You could also add some home-made nachos like we did, recipe here. (Better than store bought ones, trust us! SO good.)

6. Salsa & Guacamole (obligatory).

Well, it aint no burrito without these two either!

7. and ofc… Cheese

Cheese makes any meal great, so it aint no different here! For anyone looking to avoid Dairy, Violife cheese is perfect and now available at both Morrisons & Eroski! Or you could buy some of our Vegan Queso (available for pre-order). Otherwise, choose a cheese of preference and load it up! Don’t overdo it though, cheese packs on a lot of extra calories and fat, so add it on sensibly.

8. Wear Mexican hat

This is ofc optional, but if you really wanna get into the mood… perfect addition 😛

Re-create our one by following this recipe:

Burrito Bowl

Servings: 1
Time: 10-20mins
Difficulty: SUPER easy
Print

All the burrito-ness, none of the naughty-ness Credit: The Muscle Bakery

Ingredients

100g Uncle Bens Brown Rice
100g Hacendado Oven Roasted Chicken pieces
25g Lupin Beans
25g Pimiento Stuffed Olives
20g Lambs Lettuce
2 Salad Tomatoes (chopped)
15g Hacendado Guacamole
20g Doritos Mild Salsa
Pinch of salt and mixed herbs

Vegan Cheese (optional)
‘Cheesy Nachos’ (optional)

Directions

Prepare rice as per packet instructions then pour 100g into a bowl. (Make sure to choose a bowl which will accommodate all your ingredients comfortably).
In no particular order, add all your ingredients except for salsa and guacamole.
Once all your ingredients have been laid onto the base, top with salsa and guac then sprinkle salt and herbs.
DONE.

The nachos was such a great addition, mainly because it become a shovel to scoop all the goodness from bowl to mouth! 😀

Nutritional Info (per bowl – without cheese sauce/nachos):
363Cals | 11F | 42C | 23P

Free from Gluten, Wheat & Dairy.

Don’t forget to tag us if you make it!

You can find us on all social media outlets: @themusclebakery 😛

Get an exclusive 15% discount on Bulkpowders using code:
MUSCLEBAKERY15 (Available for UK AND GIB customers.)

Our bars (explained)

The start of our product base began unknowingly in the creation of our very first bar: Vegan Nuttylicious (which at the time was just called Healthy Snickers).

Once we had created and tweaked this one, the thirst to create more was unleashed! With knowledge + creativity, the Mighty Bar, Coco Bliss & Toffee Crunch were then born.

The idea was to re-create all of our usual favourite bars that we would have as kids (and admittedly as adults of course), by applying healthier methods of baking, using alternative ingredients, no refined sugars and making them free from Gluten & Wheat.

We wanted to cater to the needs of people with dietary constraints as well as those who are slightly more strict with their macronutrient intake…but, also create bars that anyone could enjoy, regardless of diet… Leaving behind the ancient ideals that healthy isn’t tasty!

Thankfully, a local supplement shop offered us the chance to sell small amounts there, a great starting point for us. The true test would lie within our new customer base and their feedback would be instrumental in the growth of more products (and outlets).

Soon after, our beautiful Muscle Malt was born… Our biggest seller from day one! To think that it only happened by chance after a promise to a friend to create it (who still rubs it in our faces btw).

Then, Party Bar came along with a few mishaps along the way, followed by Cookie Cups & Skinny Bites which have since been discontinued.

But, eventually, we landed a second outlet… Created some more bars… And approximately 2 years down the line, we have 13-14 products sold exclusively at 3 outlets, in Gibraltar & Marbella (and hopefully many more in future.)

~

So, to culminate our brief history intro, here is a look into our selection of bars:

1. NUTTYLICIOUS (VEGAN)

Our first creation and still one of our popular ones due to it being Vegan. This re-creation of the Snickers bar uses natural ingredients and sweeteners including dates, agave nectar and home-roasted nuts. Topped with dairy-free dark chocolate. Luxurious and decadent, it is in a whole league of its own… it’s frickin’ Nutty-Licious! 😛

Each bar has 287Cals, 16.2g of Fat, 29.7g Carbs (22g sugars), 8.5g Protein.

2. MIGHTY BAR

A creamy high protein (dairy) chocolate filling, topped with date caramel and coated in luxurious dark chocolate. This is our take on the classic favourite ‘Mars Bar’ except with way better macronutrients, less sugars and carbs yet tastes INSANE! This one is most certainly the mightiest bar in town. Try it and you’ll know what we mean…. Mars move over, we got this! (Exclusive to La Parrilla on the Go.)

Each bar has 225Cals, 14g of Fat, 12g Carbs (of which 1.9g fiber and 8.5g sugars) + 12g Protein.

3. COCO BLISS (VEGAN)

Reduced fat organic shredded coconut combined with coconut oil, sweetened with agave nectar and enriched with a rich Vegan Protein blend… Like bounty bar, but better!

We actually used to make a non-vegan and vegan version of this bar, however the macros were really similar as well as the taste so we decided to go with just making the vegan version and it has been a hugely popular one ever since.

Each bar has 198Cals, 15.5g of Fat, 11.2g Carbs (7.4g sugars), 6g Protein.

4. TOFFEE CRUNCH

The re-creation of this one is obvious just by looking at the name (hehe)… A beautiful mixture of crispy brown rice, whey protein, toffee flavouring and dark chocolate. Whether you love toffee or not, there is no doubt you’ll have nothing but love for this one! Perfect post-workout treat!

Each bar has 221cals, 12.3g of Fat, 16.7g Carbs (7.9g sugars), 9.4g Protein.

5. MUSCLE MALT

Our greatest creation… Tastes exactly like Malteasers but made with good for you ingredients! Brown rice, cashews, hydrolysed whey, agave and luxurious dark chocolate… the only problem? They are highly addictive! (NO SERIOUSLY… THEY REALLY ARE!)

Fun fact: This bar actually started out as balls just like Malteasers, however demand began growing so much we had to cut out the hand-rolling so many balls and make them into bars instead.

This is our favourite bar to have on Leg Days, combine it with a good black coffee and you’ll good to go!!

Each bar has 223Cals, 13g of Fat, 19.5g Carbs (1.5g fiber, 11.3g sugars), 6g Protein.

Muscle Malt is one of our most popular bars! Evident in the #MuscleMalt search on Instagram like shown below.

6. PARTY BAR

This bar encountered some mishaps from the beginning of its creation. Without changing recipe whatsoever, the bars began solidifying… like, inedible hard after only a couple of days of making them. This had not happened before so, unsure of what to do we had to recall them and halted its sale until we could figure out how to solve this problem. The only thing we could think had affected it was the weather; we created it during summer and it began giving us problems in the colder months. Weird huh? Anyways, couple of months and a few experimentations later… we managed to nail it once again and got no more solidifying problems *crowd surf*

Containing sweet sultanas, crispy brown rice, chopped home-roasted nuts, gluten-free biscuits, prebiotic fiber, whey protein and topped with luxurious dark chocolate… it has everything you need! Think Picnic Bar meets Muscle Bakery! + Due to its varied and fuel-packed ingredient listing, this bar is the perfect choice to invigorate some energy… pre or post-workout!

Each bar is 164cals, 6.8g Fat, 19.1g Carbs (16.6g sugars) 7.1g of Protein.

7. NUTTYLICIOUS

Chewy nougat filling, peanut caramel, chopped nuts and luxurious dark chocolate… Snickers has nothing on this one!

When we end up cutting batches of these, the ends always end up in a bowl for us to enjoy. Fave way to eat it? Chopped up in a warm bowl of protein oats, the absolute perfect post-workout!

Each bar is 193Cals, 10.7g of Fat, 15.6g Carbs (13g sugars), 8.6g of Protein.

8. RAZZLE BERRY

This bar has a soft raspberry flavour filling, combined with lashings of smooth peanut butter, enriched with whey protein concentrate, a chia seed crunch and finished in luxurious Dark Chocolate coat… A pleasant delight for those who love Raspberry flavour everything!

We love having this one with greek yoghurt… chop up half a bar, add some stevia, mix it up and enjoy! Tasty, filling and most importantly, won’t hurt them macros.

Each bar is 184Cals, 10.2g Fat, 13.8g Carbs (10.8g sugars), 9.1g of Protein.

9. VANILLA CRUNCH

A vanilla twist to our Toffee Crunch, made Vegan-friendly! Using brown rice, cashews, vanilla and enriched with pea protein isolate. Simple. Tasty.

This one happened just before we started selling at LPH, we knew that the customer base would be completely different to previous stockists (and a high volume of Vegans would go there) so we decided to create another bar! We took our toffee crunch recipe and made it vegan friendly while providing a different flavour for those who are not Vegan too. (Exclusive to LPH.)

Each bar has 241cals, 13.8g Fat, 23.6g Carbs (13.9g sugars), 7.2g Protein.

10. PROTIX

Whats better than a Twix? a Protix of course! a Gluten-Free, casein enriched biscuit base, a naturally made, sugar-free, high protein caramel and a luxurious coat of dark chocolate. Lower in carbs AND higher in protein… winner winner.

This one is a big favourite at home, perfect to curb the late night cravings with a cheeky cuppa and your favourite TV series.

Each bar has 246cals, 14.7g of Fat, 20g Carbs (8g sugars), 13.4g Protein.

11. SKINNY DREAM

Every chocolate lover’s dream… its milky, creamy, silky and it’ll make you go ‘MMMM’ and ‘AHHHH’. A soft dairy-based centre, enriched with whey protein and coated in luxurious dark chocolate, perfect post-workout treat. (Exclusive to Strength Factory.)

Each bar has 188Cals, 10.4g of Fat, 12.7g of Carbs (10.1g sugars), 10.4g Protein.

12. ROCKY ROAD

Packed with crushed (gluten-free) biscuits, fluffy marshmallows and enriched with whey protein. Packing a whopping 14g protein per piece… the perfect little indulgence!

This creation happened by accident while some friends were over and wanted some treats (but had nothing to give). So, in a typical mish mash the first edition of Rocky Road was born! Then, after a few amendments we decided it was good enough for all of you… It is smaller than the rest of the bars, but only because we consider it a more luxurious treat with higher calories. In basic, we keep it smaller to keep you guys safe from the fat monsters. Your welcome!

Each bar has 200cals, 8.8g of Fat, 15.6g Carbs (9.9g sugars), 14g Protein.

And if you don’t fancy some choc coated bars we also have these:

13. ALMOND DELIGHT (VEGAN)

Delicate almond butter fused with roasted & salted pumpkin seeds, enriched with pea protein and extra fiber. Tastes just like Turron except none of the sugar and nasty fats! Yippee!

Each bar has 208cals, 11.3g of Fat, 15g Carbs, 12.4g Protein.

14. PB CHIA BAR (VEGAN)

The combo of natural peanut butter, chia seeds and blackstrap molasses makes this bar oh so beautiful! Enriched with pea protein isolate, prebiotic fiber and crunchy brown rice… an all round bar of perfection.

We used to make these in a smaller size, but due to everyone complaining they were too small… we doubled them in size!

Each bar has 203cals, 13g of Fat, 10.4g Carbs (7.5g sugars), 10.7g Protein.

15. MATCHA BAR (VEGAN)

Simple ingredients, sweetened with agave, enriched with matcha green tea and pea protein isolate. Don’t be fooled by it’s green colouring, the taste is magnificent!

We used to make these in a smaller size, but due to everyone complaining they were too small… we doubled them in size!

Each bar has 195cals, 10.2g of Fat, 11g Carbs (5.8g sugars), 11.5g Protein.

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FAQ

How long do the bars last?
Depends on each bar, if kept refrigerated they will last up to a minimum of 2 weeks if not longer. However, if left in warmer temperatures the life of each bar will be less; especially the Mighty Bar which contains dairy and Coco Bliss which contains a mix of almond milk and coconut (which tends to mould fairly quick).

Do i need to keep refrigerated?
Absolutely, especially in the warmer months. You can even freeze them if you wish for them to last a lot longer.

Do the Vegan bars contain whey?
No, any bars which are stated as Vegan DO NOT contain any dairy or egg what so ever.

Why are some bars smaller than others?
Each bar is made, cut, coated, wrapped by hand so naturally the bars will often vary in size.

When should i eat them?
It depends on preference, there is no right or wrong time to eat them. Some people prefer to eat them pre-workout, others like it as an afternoon snack to stop them from breaking their diet. As long as you eat them sensibly (not all 4 in one go) you should be fine no matter when you decide to eat them.

What sweeteners do you use?
We use a variety of different sweeteners, we tend to use agave nectar for its low GI properties (making it suitable for diabetics + we love the taste), together with stevia (liquid and granulated) or xylitol. However we do occasionally use other forms of sweetener and happy to amend bars accordingly for those who can’t have the above. You can check our pantry ingredient list to check full list of ingredients we use.

Are the bars suitable for diabetics?
All fillings are free from refined sugar, however they are coated in dark chocolate which DOES contain some sugars. If you are concerned about the amount of sugars each bar contains, they are listed above. However, we can make batches for you, using sugar-free dark chocolate via pre-order.

Are all bars Gluten & Wheat-Free?
Indeed so! All bars are 100% free from Gluten & Wheat (due to suffering those intolerances ourselves), but for any other requirements please check each description accordingly.

When are bars re-stocked?
All bars a re-stocked weekly, mostly on Mondays but depends if there has been a bank holiday or personal circumstances where day may vary.

Do you ship to UK?
Not at the moment, however we are looking at the possibility of stocking one outlet in UK… watch this space.

How accurate are the macros?
The macros are as close as possible, but like mentioned earlier, due to them being handmade there will naturally be some variance in size.

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We hope we have answered all your questions, if not please ask away! You can message us via FB, email us or even comment below.

Thanks and much love from us <3