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

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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)

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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)

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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

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

HEALTHY PROTEIN MAGNUMS

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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)

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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

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

CHOCOLATE PROTEIN HEARTS

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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

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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…

 

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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

SpagBol

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)

ToadInHole

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

 

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.

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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

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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

BCAA Cola Gummies

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

BCAA Squares by If The Sneaker Fits

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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

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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