Healthy – Page 4 – THE MUSCLE BAKERY

The day of LOVE (and food)

Food is the ingredient that binds us together

Nowadays, Valentines Day is a far cry from what it used to be and has evolved into a somewhat different celebration. It is a day of proving your love to someone… Whether it be to your partner or someone you admire, lavishing them with gifts such as cards, chocolates, romantic meals and so on.

In the UK alone, it is estimated that £1.3 billion is spent every year on Valentine’s, with an estimated 25 million cards being sent. (WOAH!)

In Spain, Valentines Day is known as *add spanish accent* Dia de San Valentin… (sounds romantic).

DID YOU KNOW

Valentines Day started out as a celebration for Saint Valentine, a priest from Rome who was martyred in AD496. However, the celebrations have no romantic connotations and prior to the 14th century there is no link between the saint and romantic love. It is not until Chaucer wrote ‘Parliament of Foules’ that Valentines Day became associated with love.

To us however, Valentine’s Day is also the day where we get to dust off all our heart shaped baking molds, fine red linen, cute ribbons and play around with our culinary creativity… in the name of love of course.

So, here is a few of our creations that we have made over the years in celebration of this day, the perfect little treats that you can impress your loved ones with:

HEART PROTEIN BARS

These will no doubt impress the favourite human in your life, a little bit naughty and a whole lot of nice… the perfect treat for Valentines.

BANOFFEE CRUMBLE (Dairy-Free)

A combination of almond butter, banana and beef protein make this a decadent treat, perfect to indulge after a romantic dinner.

DOUBLE CHOC COOKIES (Dairy-Free)

Chocolate is pretty much Valentine’s middle name, it comes with the package. So whip these Double chocolate cookies, and proceed to eat all of them with the important one in your life… what are healthy cookies for right?

PROTEIN HEARTS

Cute miniature hearts with raspberry pieces and made with fruit powder, who said eating healthy wasn’t fun?

HEALTHY PROTEIN MAGNUMS

Ice-cream is great any time of the year, but at least you get to share it with someone special today… (or not.)

RASPBERRY PROTEIN HEARTS (OR BUMS)

Who needs pick and mix when you can have these super cute high protein jelly sweeties! Made high in fiber thanks to Vita fiber powder and in a super deliciously raspberry flavour!

VEGAN BLUEBERRY SLICES

Knock up this simple recipe in no time with a few simple ingredients, Vegan or not… you’ll love it anyway!

CHOCOLATE PROTEIN HEARTS

As we mentioned earlier chocolate goes hand in hand with Valentine’s, multiply it by hearts + The Muscle Bakery… and we get Chocolate Protein Hearts. Macro-friendly, delicious and easy to make! *thumbs up* Recipe going live tonite on GYMversus.

PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

Cheesecake made with a rich pistachio butter base, high protein yoghurt based filling and topped with Raspberry coulis, so good… you’ll be up for seconds… and thirds… and…

Waffles, on a stick, coated with chocolate and topped with chopped oreos…. if that isn’t love, I don’t know what is…

Don’t fancy sweet recipes, why not try these savoury ones:

LOW CARB SPAG BOL

Low-Carb spaghetti bolognese made with a delicious tomato sauce and low-calorie noodles, perfect for anyone who in prep mode but also wants to enjoy some good food with their loved one.

TOAD IN THE HOLE (Dairy-Free & Vegetarian)

Admittedly, Toad-in-the-hole is hardly a romantic meal, but trust us… it tastes REALLYYYY good! (plus you can see the red linen in the image so it counts as a Valentine meal). Made with Sorghum flour, almond milk and egg whites… a simple recipe, which is easily adaptable and perfect all year round.

Hope you enjoyed these recipes and remember unless otherwise stated, all of our recipes are Gluten & Wheat-Free! Check out our recipe index for a selection of all our recipes across our site and our sponsors.

We love seeing your creations, so don’t forget to show us!

We are on all social media platforms @themusclebakery and now you can find us on Snapchat too!

Love & treats

The Muscle Baker <3

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

For the love of Peanut Butter!

We heard along the grapevine (aka social media) that it was National Peanut Butter Day yesterday which we completely missed! HOW DID NO ONE TELL US?! *insert sad faces here* But, even if it IS a day (fashionably) late… we owe it to Peanut Butter to re-live our bestest nutty recipe moments.

Here are our Top 10 bestest creations with the nut butter itself…

1. VEGAN MANTECADOS (PB Cookies)

These are a re-creation of a popular local recipe, traditional to Southern Spain. Its traditional counterpart is laden with butter and sugar, but these… not at all! See for yourself.

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Dairy, Egg, Refined Sugar & Vegan-Friendly.

2. PEANUT BUTTER ICE-CREAM

PEANUT BUTTER… ICE-CREAM… Do we really need to add any more words? Don’t think so. Go feast your eyes on this recipe.

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Egg & Refined Sugars.

3. MUD PIE BALLS

Using one of Hognuts signature nut butters, these simple protein balls are quick to knock up (and eat). You have been warned.

Free from Wheat, Egg & Sugar.

4. SUPERSIZED DONUT

Whats better than a donut? A super-sized one… Topped with nut butter. Go on…

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Egg & Refined Sugars.

5. PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (Low-Carb)

Proving to be one of the most popular recipes to date, this easy to make fudge is super tasty and easily adaptable to suit your favourite tastes. Time to get creative!

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Egg & Refined Sugars.

6. CHICKEN SATAY

No actual peanut butter is used in this recipe, but instead it’s far more macro-friendly sibling… peanut flour! A great recipe which is a staple in our weekly meal prep. Not only does it taste great, but has awesome macros to match. No doubt you’ll love it.

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Dairy & Egg.

7. CREAMY BBQ CHICKEN

Using Bulkpowders high protein Smoky BBQ Nuts About Whey to make the most delectable creamy sauce. Use on chicken, meat or even veggies! Whatever tickles your fancy.

Free from Gluten, Wheat & Egg.

8. BBQ BEEF BURGERS

Burgers containing nut butter? YEP! Try it, they won’t disappoint!

Free from Gluten & Wheat.

9. PEANUT BUTTER CHIA BARS

Soft peanut butter filling with a luxurious Dark Chocolate coat and chia seeds sprinkles, perfect protein bar treat. Perfect to prep in advance… or eat all at once. Your call.

Free from Gluten, Wheat, Egg & Refined Sugars.

10. SWEET PB CHOC PIZZA

Last but not least, sweet protein pizza… topped with delicious chocolatey peanut buttery goodness. All the words we like to hear…

Free from Gluten & Wheat.

Too lazy too knock up recipes? Cannot find the time to make your own treats? Or would rather buy some delicious home-made peanut butter goodness? Why not try some of our bars? Sold exclusively at these local outlets.

This is our selection for the PB lovers… but there is a whole lot more, whatever your preference is.

Don’t forget to tag us, we love to see all of your creations.

Catch us on all social media platforms @themusclebakery

Lots of love and treats,

The Muscle Baker <3

BCAA’s, what are they and do you need them?

Very often I get asked questions related to supplements, in this case it was… ‘What are BCAA’s?’

Admittedly, it caught us by surprise and although I knew the answer I didn’t really know how to explain myself, so, for a more thorough answer, we sought the advice of GYMversus creator and online coaching genius, Thomas Hartnett.

What are BCAAs?
Amino acids are the building blocks of protein of which, nine are considered essential. Essential amino acids cannot be manufactured within our bodies and as such, must come from food.

Of the essential amino acids, three account for as much as 33% of our muscle tissue – leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They can be found in many whole food protein sources, such as eggs, meat/poultry, nuts and legumes, whilst also as a supplement in either powder or table form.

What is their role?
BCAA’s have been found to increase immune system support, protect against muscle atrophy, increase absorption of protein, speed up recovery during training and decrease mental fatigue. A longer-term deficiency in any one of these three will attribute to muscle loss and unlike other amino acids, BCAA’s are metabolised within muscle tissue and not the liver.

So how does the above translate? The acute stress of training – increased cortisol and muscle breakdown – can be effectively combatted with the use of BCAAs. Further to that, they will help drive muscle repair, reducing DOMS and giving us the opportunity to train more frequently – speeding up your progress toward goal attainment.

Are BCAAs important?
BCAA’s can help prevent protein breakdown and muscle loss, which is significantly more important to those who are in pre-contest diets. During these times of low caloric intake, the use of BCAAs is strongly recommended because there is a greater risk of muscle loss due to a decrease in the rate of protein synthesis and an increase of proteolysis, which is the hydrolytic breakdown of proteins into simpler, soluble substances such as peptides and amino acids, as occurs during digestion.

When to take BCAAs?

BCAAs are free-form and competition for uptake in your G.I. tract can inhibit their effectiveness and digestion if taken with other foods or on a full stomach. So we recommend you take around or during your workout (such as with pre-workout drinks). If you are training fasted in the morning, they can be a great addition to protecting muscle breakdown from low glycogen during a low-carb phase of competition prep.

How much do I need to take?
Take one serving as recommended by the supplement guidelines for the product you are using

Who can take BCAAs?
BCAA’s are suitable for everyone including Vegans. In fact BCAAs are an excellent form of amino acids for those with a Vegan diet struggle to source complete proteins from food or Vegan proteins.

What should I look out for when buying?

Ratio of Leucine (e.g. 2:1:1)
Flavour
Added Ingredients
Reliable Brands

Recommended Products:

Bulkpowders BCAAs – Cola Flavour

Scivation Xtend

Gaspari Aminolast

Top BCAA recipes:

BCAA SLUSHIE by The Beltsander

Most undedicated swoldiers grab a few beers when having a barbecue but if you want to save your gains, make a BCAA Slushie instead.

BCAA GUMMIES by The Muscle Baker

Guilt-Free Cola sweeties which are good for you? Move over Haribo, WE GOT THIS!

BCAA Squares by If The Sneaker Fits

Easy Gello Squares as shown to us by If The Sneaker Fits, simple and easy recipe. No mind blowing kitchen skills required!

RASPBERRY LEMON MOJITO by The Muscle Baker

Bring Club Tropicana to your very own home with this delicious Vegan Friendly (alcohol-free) Mojito!

Special thanks to Thomas Hartnett (@shakeofdoom).

For more info on tailored online coaching packages and e-books, visit gymversus.com

Any question we missed out? Comment below and we’ll be happy to answer.

Lots of love,

The Muscle Baker <3

References:
– Bodybuilding.com
– Breakingmuscle.com
– Gymversus.com
– enkiVillage.com

FREEZE! Top 8 Recipes to help you BEAT THE MELTDOWN!

The temperatures are soaring, doing anything has you resembling a wet dog and you are actually looking forward to getting to the gym today, for no other reason than there is air conditioning there… We feel ya!

But, there is something that can help… These refreshing selection of recipes we have created will help take you from wet dog to cooled down kitty cat IN NO TIME!

Have a go…

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA ICE-CREAM //

Frozen bananas + peanut butter + whey = DELICIOUSNESS!

Recipe here //

COCO PRO ICE POPS //

CocoPro High Protein Coconut Water in Pineapple flavour makes for the perfect protein ice-pops!

Recipe here //

RASPBERRY FLUFF ICE-CREAM //

Who knew frozen raspberries and whey would make such a delicious treat! Make fluff or ice-cream with the very same recipe!

Recipe here //

GREEN MACA SMOOTHIE //

Add some ice to this nutritious refreshment for a light, low-fat, vegan-friendly summer drink!

Recipe here //

PROTEIN JELLIES //

Jelly is great no matter the occasion! Try this one for a supped up protein version!

Recipe here //

TOP TIP // WE LOVE ADDING LOADS OF ICE TO OUR COLA BCAA’S FOR A QUICK (EASY) REFRESHMENT! TRY IT WITH YOUR FAVOURITE FLAVOURS!

OATMEAL COOKIE WHEYHEY SANDWICH //

This is the most decadent of them all! No baking required, you will however need some decent amount of will power to avoid eating more than one!

Recipe here //

BLUEBERRY LEMON ICE POPS //

This combination of flavours is truly sublime and so damn refreshing! Perfect to consume pre AND post freezing! YUM!

Recipe here //

RAZZLE DAZZLE SMOOTHIE //

Want something a bit easier to make? Add these ingredients to your blender and PERFECTO! Add ice to help with cooling down!

Recipe here //

MOST IMPORTANTLY…

Keep your skin safe, wear sunscreen, keep hydrated, use a portable battery operated fan if need be. (They are cool promise) or find your nearest pond or fountain and bathe yourself silly.

Our buddies at BULK POWDERS™ have some sound advice on how to survive a heatwave if you need it…

Otherwise, enjoy! Summer’s only come round once a year! 😛

Lots of love,

The Muscle Baker <3

Why Nutritional Yeast is so (fricking) awesome!

We cannot really remember the time when Nutritional Yeast didn’t form part of our pantry, or do we want to! All we DO remember is being recommended it by a foodie friend who swore by it, and that was it… the beginning of a beautiful love affair with Nutritional Yeast. *insert love hearts here*

The name does not really help sell it, most people make the automatic connection to mainstream yeast, which is used in bread and beer ie the foods most people avoid when eating ‘healthy’. And I loosely say the term ‘healthy’ ( but, thats a post for another day).

Anyhow, we can confirm that this is NOT that same yeast, just its long lost distant cousing (at best) and this is a proclamation as to why you need it in your life. ASAP.

How is it made?
Nutritional yeast is produced by culturing a yeast in a nutrient medium for several days. The primary ingredient in the growth medium is glucose, often from either sugarcane or beet molasses. When the yeast is ready, it is killed (deactivated) with heat and then harvested, washed, dried and packaged.^

What does it look like?
We prefer using Nutritional Yeast Flakes, but it also comes in a powder form and is a yellowy colour, with a light ‘nutty and ‘cheesy’ smell to it.

What does it taste like?
The taste is hard to describe, mainly because you won’t believe it tastes cheesy without it being ACTUAL cheese. But it does, it gives a rich flavour to a lot of dishes and is used a lot in Vegan cooking. The savoury taste of nutritional yeast comes from glutamic acid, an amino acid that is formed during the drying process. Glutamic acid is a naturally occurring amino acid found in many fruits and vegetables and is not the same as the commercial additive monosodium glutamate. We LOVE it sprinkled in soup, to make Kale chips AND to make Cheesy Nachos ofc.

What are the benefits?
On average, two tablespoons provides 60 calories with 5 g of carbohydrates (of which 4 g is fiber).

A serving also provides 9 g of protein and is actually a complete protein, providing all nine amino acids the human body cannot produce. That’s more than in 1 cup of whole milk (8g), a large egg (6g), or one oz. of beef (7g).

Nutritional yeast is a source of B vitamins, including thiamine, folate, B-6 and niacin. Just 1/2 tablespoon of some brands will provide you with a day’s worth of B vitamins, while other brands offer between 30 and 100 percent of the B vitamins.

^ Sourced from Wikipedia.

STILL NOT CONVINCED?
Check these recipes out, if the above didnt sway you, no doubt these will!

CHEESY KALE CRISPS //

If you’re a sucker for crisps, then look no further. In no less than 3 ingredients, these crunchy Kale crisps alternative will conquer them cravings!

VEGAN CHEESY NACHOS //

Doritos better move over, theres competition in town.

PROTEIN FLAT ROLLS //

Struggle to find Gluten-Free breads which taste good? Try these! Added nutritional yeast for extra (awesome) flavour!

VEGAN CHEESY SAUCE //

Although we dipped our chicken skewers in it, the sauce is Vegan friendly, wahey! Go check out for yourself.

DID YOU KNOW

HEART PROTEIN BARS

BANOFFEE CRUMBLE (Dairy-Free)

DOUBLE CHOC COOKIES (Dairy-Free)

PROTEIN HEARTS

HEALTHY PROTEIN MAGNUMS

RASPBERRY PROTEIN HEARTS (OR BUMS)

VEGAN BLUEBERRY SLICES

CHOCOLATE PROTEIN HEARTS

PISTACHIO CHEESECAKE

Don’t fancy sweet recipes, why not try these savoury ones:

LOW CARB SPAG BOL

TOAD IN THE HOLE (Dairy-Free & Vegetarian)

We love seeing your creations, so don’t forget to show us!

Love & treats

Now, what is a pancake?

1. Vegan Pancakes

2. Easy Lemon Pancakes

3. Spinach & Blueberry Pancakes

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

5. Chocolate Pancakes (Low-Carb)

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

7. Banoffee Pancakes

8. Cookie Protein Waffles (more pancakes with abs)

9. Pancake Cake

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

1. VEGAN MANTECADOS (PB Cookies)

2. PEANUT BUTTER ICE-CREAM

3. MUD PIE BALLS

4. SUPERSIZED DONUT

5. PEANUT BUTTER FUDGE (Low-Carb)

6. CHICKEN SATAY

7. CREAMY BBQ CHICKEN

8. BBQ BEEF BURGERS

9. PEANUT BUTTER CHIA BARS

10. SWEET PB CHOC PIZZA

Don’t forget to tag us, we love to see all of your creations.

Catch us on all social media platforms @themusclebakery

Lots of love and treats,

The Muscle Baker <3

Top BCAA recipes:

BCAA SLUSHIE by The Beltsander

BCAA GUMMIES by The Muscle Baker

BCAA Squares by If The Sneaker Fits

RASPBERRY LEMON MOJITO by The Muscle Baker

Lots of love, The Muscle Baker <3

PEANUT BUTTER BANANA ICE-CREAM //

COCO PRO ICE POPS //

RASPBERRY FLUFF ICE-CREAM //

GREEN MACA SMOOTHIE //

PROTEIN JELLIES //

TOP TIP // WE LOVE ADDING LOADS OF ICE TO OUR COLA BCAA’S FOR A QUICK (EASY) REFRESHMENT! TRY IT WITH YOUR FAVOURITE FLAVOURS!

OATMEAL COOKIE WHEYHEY SANDWICH //

BLUEBERRY LEMON ICE POPS //

RAZZLE DAZZLE SMOOTHIE //

A serving also provides 9 g of protein and is actually a complete protein, providing all nine amino acids the human body cannot produce. That’s more than in 1 cup of whole milk (8g), a large egg (6g), or one oz. of beef (7g).

CHEESY KALE CRISPS //

VEGAN CHEESY NACHOS //

PROTEIN FLAT ROLLS //

VEGAN CHEESY SAUCE //

Hope you enjoyed this article and selection of recipes, we hope to be doing more like this in future.

If there is anything you’d like to see us talk about, just comment below, we are happy to hear from you!

Lots of love,

The Muscle Baker <3

Lots of love & Pancakes
The Muscle Baker <3

Lots of love,

The Muscle Baker <3