Foodporn – THE MUSCLE BAKERY

Everyday, should be Pancake Day.

Pancake day is the equivalent of Valentine’s Day for us food fiends, a day where you are OFFICIALLY allowed to eat pancakes pretty much all day (not that we wouldn’t anyway).

Now, what is a pancake?

Quite simply, it’s a cake that you cook in a pan. What makes it so awesome? … IT’S A CAKE YOU COOK IN A PAN. DUH.

We trawled the internet to see what it had to say about pancakes and found this:

PANCAKE / Something you eat for breakfast. I had pancakes this morning.

However, not to be confused with:

PANCAKES / A life changing miracle of fluffy happiness man. So i had some pancakes today, it was so great, i gave my pants to a hobo.

Anyway, to celebrate such a phenomenal day we scoured our recipe archives and dug out our tastiest pancake creations AND made a new recipe (scroll to end for that one):

Vegan Pancakes

The pancakes are everything you want pancakes to be; soft, scrumptious, moist, tasty and filling. Top it with rich Vanilla Agave nectar and you have an absolute winner! Perfect for Vegans and Non-Vegans alike.

Easy Lemon Pancakes

This is our basic staple protein pancake recipe, easy to make with only a few key ingredients. No culinary skills required.

Spinach & Blueberry Pancakes

Looking for something a little more adventurous? Try these Spinach pancakes topped with blueberries! Don’t be put off by their green colour, they are super delicious and extra nutritious. Eating pancakes and getting your greens in at the same time, whats not to love?

Simple Pancakes with Choc Sauce (Dairy-Free)

Anyone looking for a Dairy-Free pancake option, look no further. These delicious pancakes with a rich choc sauce topping will hit the spot! (Sharing will be the only problem).

Chocolate Pancakes (Low-Carb)

Similar to our basic protein pancake recipe, except using ground almonds instead of oats making them perfect for those on lower carb diets. Have them simple or topped with your fave sauces or nut butters.

Protein Waffles (i.e. pancakes with abs)

What happens when your pancakes go to the gym? They become waffles. (Just like these damn fine Strawberry Vanilla Waffles.)

Banoffee Pancakes

Pancakes, Banana and Toffee rolled into one epic stack of pancake porn with a whopping protein content of almost 50g. *Gym buffs rejoice*

Cookie Protein Waffles (more pancakes with abs)

These pancakes also went to the gym to get its pump on, and met sexy oreo there… and well… Oreo Cookie Protein Waffle was born…

Pancake Cake

PANCAKE CAKE!!! Layers of chocolate pancake, with protein frosting with more protein frosting and then a protein choc drizzle. 50g protein per slice of 4… WADDUP!

AND OUR LATEST RECIPE:

Vegan Spinach & Banana Pancakes

Ingredients:
Handful Spinach Leaves
1 Cup Ground Oats
1 Banana
1.5 Cup Milk of Choice
1 Scoop Soy Protein Isolate (or sub with preferred protein powder)
1 Tbsp Maple Zero Syrup (or agave/ honey)
1 Tbsp Chia Seeds
1 Tbsp Water
1 Tsp Baking Powder

Method:
Add all the ingredients into a high speed blender ( we used a Nutri Bullet) and set aside for about 5 minutes. You need to let it set so that the chia seeds get to work and soak up some of the moisture.

Note: If you like your pancakes thick and chunky, the recipe as above will make them like that, however if you prefer thinner ones, just add more water or milk.

Prepare a non-stick pan with a dab of coconut oil or coconut oil spray (We used the latter) and turn hob heat onto medium, which is approximately 4 (of 6) on ours.

Start by pouring a spoonful of batter with a tablespoon and cook for several minutes. Then, flip over gently using a spatula and let cook for another several minutes.

Then, drizzle your favourite sauce, fruit or even nut butter and enjoy these delicately moist and delicious pancakes!

Yields 2 servings.

Nutritional Info (per serving of two):

411 Cals | 8.3F | 61.4C | 22.6P

Or you could even go for the easy option and buy yourself some Protein Pancake Mix! Our favourite flavour is the Maple!

Note: Please make sure your pan is non-stick or else you are going to have a BAD TIME making pancakes! Read our How: To Pancakes for more help!

Hope this post gives you all some pancake inspo.

Don’t forget to tag us in your creations, you can find us on all social media platforms @themusclebakery.

Lots of love & Pancakes
The Muscle Baker <3

Hello Halloween.

Did you know that most experts trace trick-or-treating back to the European practice of “mumming,” or “guysing,” in which costume-wearing participants would go door-to-door performing choreographed dances, songs and plays in exchange for treats! (Yes, that’s right… dancing.)

Although it is unknown precisely where and when the phrase “trick or treat” was coined, the custom had been firmly established in American popular culture by 1951, when trick-or-treating was depicted in the Peanuts comic strip. In 1952, Disney produced a cartoon called “Trick or Treat” featuring Donald Duck and his nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie.

One thing is for certain, each year the popularity for this celebration increases with everyone wanting to join in on the pumpkin carving, fancy dress wearing and treat making.

We decided to jump on the bandwagon (but only for the treat making) and made these delicious Spiced ‘Franky’ Muffins.

SPICED 'FRANKY' MUFFINS

Servings: 12
Print

Author: The Muscle Bakery. Spiced muffins topped with Pumpkin Spiced flavour PB and decorated with an easy ‘spooky’ face.

Ingredients

3 Cups Carrot or Pumpkin Puree

3/4 Cup Coconut Flour

1/2 Tsp Baking Soda

1 Tbsp Agave Nectar

2 Scoops Apple & Custard Whey (can use any whey you prefer)

5 Egg Whites

1/4 Cup Sweetener (optional)

1 Tsp Cider Vinegar Topping: 2 Tbsp Water

2 Scoop Vitafiber

60g Peanut Butter Co Pumpkin Spice Decoration: Dark Choc Chunks

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 muffin tray with muffin cases and pour batter into each, should be enough for 12.
Bake for 30-40mins (until soft and springy to touch and golden on edges).
Leave to cool completely.
To make PB frosting mix water and vitafiber and whisk vigorously, microwave for 30 seconds or heat in pan till vitafiebr dissolves. Then spread over your cooled muffins and store in fridge for an hour so it can set.
You can decorate as you please, we used dark choc chunks and Sukrin i ing made as per instructions on packaging.

Nutritional Info (per slice):138 Cals | 4.5F | 17.7C | 7.7P

Free from Gluten & Wheat.

We also dug out our favourite Halloween themed recipes from previous years (including one that never got published), have a scroll:

PROTEIN WORMS

Using beef gelatine, straws and a hella lot of patience… make these disgusting looking high protein worms! Recipe here.

SPIDER MATCHA CAKE

Spooky green cake made with Matcha and using walnuts to simulate worms and a ‘cream’ topping painted with a spider web. All the Halloween things, under one frightful recipe. Click here for it.

BLOODY FINGERS (VEGAN)

This recipe was made for Bulkpowders but never published! So, we thought we’d dig it out just for you guys. Easy, no baking, made Vegan and no that isn’t real blood just a bit of Vegan friendly red dye! Recipe below.

BLOODY FINGERS (VEGAN)

Servings: 6
Print

Author: The Muscle Bakery. No bake fingers, kinda like Nakd bar’s but scarier.

Ingredients

5 Pre-soaked dates*

25g Walnuts

25g Chopped Hazelnuts

2 Tbsp Agave Nectar

1 Tbsp Unsweetened Cocoa Powder or Cacao

1 Tbsp Coconut Sugar

1 Tbsp Unsweetened Almond Milk

2 Tbsp Brown Rice Protein

2 Tbsp Ground Almonds

6 Blanched Almonds

Concentrated Vegan Red Food Colouring

Directions

Add your pre-soaked dates, walnuts and hazelnuts to a bowl and start mushing them down with a utensil of your preference. The edge of a wooden rolling pin is perfect for this to really grind everything together.
Start adding all the rest of the ingredients in the order they are listed, mixing with a spoon, leaving the ground almonds till last. Your mix should remain kind of sticky up until that point, the ground almonds will add the final touch to make them easier to roll. Roll them into finger shaped bars and place on a baking sheet.
Dip your 6 almonds into the colouring so that the tips are smudged with red, press them onto your rolled up fingers and whack them in the fridge for a couple of hours.
No doubt the trick or treaters will be pleased when they come knocking!

Nutritional Info (per slice):182Cals | 8.1F | 25.2C | 4.6P

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Egg & Sugar (agave contains sugars)

HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR HALLOWEEN THEMED RECIPES

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

For 10% discount on iHerb (on your first purchase) use code: JCB887

HAPPY (HALLOWEENY) BAKING!

<3

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.

image-insta

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.)

Happy Day of PANCAKES! foodies rejoice

Pancake day is the equivalent of Valentine’s Day for us food fiends, a day where you are OFFICIALLY allowed to eat pancakes pretty much all day (not that we wouldn’t anyway).

Now, what is a pancake?

Quite simply, it’s a cake that you cook in a pan. What makes it so awesome? … IT’S A CAKE YOU COOK IN A PAN. DUH.

We trawled the internet to see what it had to say about pancakes and found this:

PANCAKE / Something you eat for breakfast. I had pancakes this morning.

However, not to be confused with:

PANCAKES / A life changing miracle of fluffy happiness man. So i had some pancakes today, it was so great, i gave my pants to a hobo.

Anyway, to celebrate such a phenomenal day we scoured our recipe archives and dug out our tastiest pancake creations:

1. Vegan Pancakes

The pancakes are everything you want pancakes to be; soft, scrumptious, moist, tasty and filling. Top it with rich Vanilla Agave nectar and you have an absolute winner! Perfect for Vegans and Non-Vegans alike.

2. Easy Lemon Pancakes

This is our basic staple protein pancake recipe, easy to make with only a few key ingredients. No culinary skills required.

3. Spinach & Blueberry Pancakes

Looking for something a little more adventurous? Try these Spinach pancakes topped with blueberries! Don’t be put off by their green colour, they are super delicious and extra nutritious. Eating pancakes and getting your greens in at the same time, whats not to love?

4. Simple Pancakes with Choc Sauce (Dairy-Free)

Anyone looking for a Dairy-Free pancake option, look no further. These delicious pancakes with a rich choc sauce topping will hit the spot! (Sharing will be the only problem).

5. Chocolate Pancakes (Low-Carb)

Similar to our basic protein pancake recipe, except using ground almonds instead of oats making them perfect for those on lower carb diets. Have them simple or topped with your fave sauces or nut butters.

6. Protein Waffles (i.e. pancakes with abs)

What happens when your pancakes go to the gym? They become waffles. (Just like these damn fine Strawberry Vanilla Waffles.)

7. Banoffee Pancakes

Pancakes, Banana and Toffee rolled into one epic stack of pancake porn with a whopping protein content of almost 50g. *Gym buffs rejoice*

8. Cookie Protein Waffles (more pancakes with abs)

These pancakes also went to the gym to get its pump on, and met sexy oreo there… and well… Oreo Cookie Protein Waffle was born…

9. Pancake Cake

And last but not least is the most epic of them all…. PANCAKE CAKE. Layers of chocolate pancake, with protein frosting with more protein frosting and then a protein choc drizzle. 50g protein per slice of 4… WADDUP!

OR you could give these guest recipes a try:

Vegan Pancakes with peanut butter and topped with Reeses Mini Cups by @burtonsbakes

Savoury Sweetcorn Protein Pancakes by @the_beltsander

Or you could even go for the easy option and buy yourself some Protein Pancake Mix! Our favourite flavour is the Maple!

Note: Please make sure your pan is non-stick or else you are going to have a BAD TIME making pancakes!

Hope this post gives you all some pancake inspo.

Don’t forget to tag us in your creations, you can find us on all social media platforms @themusclebakery.

We are now on Snapchat too! Add us! 😛

Lots of love & Pancakes
The Muscle Baker <3