Lower-Fat Satay Curry 🍛

I started off with every intention to make a stir-fry but the can of coconut milk lurking in the cupboard wanted otherwise.

This recipe is an amended version of this Chicken Satay, the difference would be in the marinating of the chicken and addition of red peppers (which was a sublime addition by the way).

Ingredients:
500g Chicken Breast (sliced thinly or cubed)
1 Tbsp Garam Masala
1 Tbsp Turmeric
1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
Drizzle of olive oil
1 Chicken stock cube
Large red pepper
1 Can of light coconut milk
3/4 Cup peanut powder
Salt to taste

Method:
In a bowl add chicken, garam, turmeric, garlic, olive oil, 1/2 crumbled stock cube and a sprinkle of salt and massage it all into the chicken pieces using your hands. Set aside.

Prepare two pans with a drizzle of olive oil, one will be for chicken which will need to be large and the other is to make your red peppers separately.

Slice the red pepper into thin strips and cook in a pan on medium-high heat with the other half of the stock cube.

Heat up larger pan until hot and cook chicken on medium-high heat until chicken has cooked over (and you can’t see any pink bits), pour in coconut milk and peanut powder and reduce heat to a simmer.

Once your red peppers have softened (I let them brown a bit, until they were a bit chargrilled) you can fold them into chicken curry.

Leave simmering for approx 10 mins.

Serve with rice, quinoa or some salad – delicious either way! The sauce is to die for and we even grabbed some bread to dip in the sauce… mmmm.

Hope you enjoy it! Don’t forget to share it with me, I love to see you making these recipes 🙂

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Easy Chia Pudding

Chia seeds are jam packed with nutrients so imma add them to everything and nobody is gonna tell me otherwise.

Seriously though, chia seeds are the powerhouse of the seed family: packed with antioxidants, fibre, protein and omega-3’s… you really can’t go wrong by adding them to your diet. For me, they really help with regulating my digestion and I won’t go a day without having them – mostly adding them to porridge and yoghurt.

Chia seeds are one of the most fibre dense foods available, specifically soluble fibre. What does this mean? In the same way that chia seeds create a gel when mixed with water, the same process happens in your digestive system; they absorb water to form a gel and in turn soften stools for easier passage.

Anyway, heres the recipe – give your body the love it deserves:

Ingredients:
160g Non-fat greek yoghurt (I used Fage brand)
2 Tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1 Tbsp chia seeds
Flavour drops of choice or vanilla extract
+ toppings of choice

Method:
Not much to it, just mix it all together until combined (without toppings), pour into a glass or bowl and refrigerate for an hour (or until you can turn the bowl/glass upside down without it falling out).

Then, top with what you like 🙂

I topped mine with some Malt-ish crumbles, sugar-free chocolate hazelnut spread and strawberries 😍

Hope you enjoyed this recipe, don’t forget to follow the blog to receive updates directly to your inbox or you can follow me on Instagram for all things foodie.

Cheesecake-filled Easter eggs 🐣

Easter eggs but make them macro-friendly.

Easter eggs isn’t the problem, eating them in moderation is. I just want the whole egg. You know? So, with these homemade ones i can at least eat the whole egg and its still within ‘moderation’ hehe plus they look super cute AND a higher in protein.

Heres how:
100g Chocolate of choice
1/4 Tsp coconut oil
200g Light soft cheese*
10g Low-Sugar chocolate hazelnut spread
20g Whey protein powder – choc flavour
4 Drops of hazelnut flavdrops
2 Drops of white choc flavdrops
+ toppings of choice

*The lightest option available is Philadelphia brand ‘lightest’ however I used generic supermarket branded soft cheese.

To make a vegan egg alternative, use vegan cheese spread (any brand will work) and the best protein powder I would recommend is choc soy protein, like this one.

Note: if you don’t have the flavdrops don’t worry it won’t change the texture of this recipe just the taste. You can add more hazelnut spread for authentic ‘bueno’ taste or you can just add any essence/ flavouring drops to sweeten.

Method:
Melt chocolate with the tiny bit of coconut oil – I do this in microwave but if you don’t have a microwave place chocolate and coconut oil in a glass bowl over a saucepan with boiling water. Some chocolate brands won’t require using coconut oil, but others might be thicker and need a bit of oil for it to spread easier.

Using an easter silicone mold, spread a layer of chocolate into each cavity and freeze a couple of minutes until solidified.

In a bowl, mix together remaining ingredients and whisk until well combined. Pour into your chocolate egg shells (still in mold) and refrigerate 15-20minutes.

Lastly, top with whatever you like – I used Malt-ish crumbles, strawberries and a cheeky white choko bon. Like having an easter egg and delicious dessert rolled into one, with the added bonus of each egg coming to approx 260 cals (inc toppings).

Hope you enjoyed this recipe and don’t forget to follow this blog to receive updates directly to your inbox or follow me on Instagram for all things foodie 😊

Get discounts on IHerb with my code (multiple use) : JCB887

World Vegan Day 🌼

Today is World Vegan Day, an annual event celebrated by Vegans all over the world. The event was established in 1994 by Louise Wallis, then Chair of The Vegan Society in the United Kingdom, to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the founding of the organisation and the coining of the terms “vegan” and “veganism”.

In the beginning, The Muscle Bakery wasn’t a reaction to any culinary changes but more of a personal development in the way I saw food. However, as my clientele developed and my skills improved, the demand began evolving and I was catering to the needs of my customers as well as developing my own cooking/ baking style.

The request for Vegan food has grown incredibly over the past few years, and even more so in the last year. When I began, my Vegan customers were a very select amount. But now it seems to be the other way around which is actually surreal to see; the way our culinary culture has changed.

With the growth of knowledge, we are all becoming more conscious of the world around us and it’s up to us to change that. So in contrast to when we began, we have developed with these changes, becoming an exclusively veggie friendly bakery.

We have also completely removed plastic bags and looking into veggie friendly packaging and labels.

We also offer a discount to all customers when they return their plastic containers or bring their own bags.

Everyone’s little efforts, make a big difference.

DID YOU KNOW:

A person showering for 2 months uses up the same amount of water that it takes to produce enough livestock for one beef burger.

Broccoli has a higher protein content per calorie than beef.

Every minute, 7 million pounds of excrement are produced by animals raised for food in the US.

Plastic is the only existing material that CANNOT break down naturally.

There is officially so much plastic in the world that any fish we eat, by default also contains plastic.

If every human skipped just ONE meal of chicken per week, environmental effects would be like removing 500,000 cars off the road.

82% of starving children live in countries where food is grown to feed animals in the west.

Brad Pitt, Beyoncé, Ellen Degeneres, Liam Hemsworth, Alicia Silverstone, Jennifer Lopez, Pamela Anderson, Alec Baldwin and Bill Clinton are vegans.

To celebrate this day, we have put together a collection of our best Vegan recipes to inspire you guys; to show that eating Vegan (& veggie) is also super fun and tasty (and not just about eating leaves and carrot sticks).

VANILLA WAFFLES

Say yes to waffles with this tasty vanilla flavour waffle, topped with soy yoghurt, cookies, fresh berries and zero syrup.

BLUEBERRY SLICES

Imagine if you married up a cookie, a scone and a cake… this is what our Blueberry Slices are like.

COFFEE COCONUT TRUFFLES

Coffee and coconut? imma go and say yes my friends. Soft truffle centre made w/ coconut flour, infused with instant coffee and coated in luxurious dark chocolate.

CHOC BROWNIES

Fudgey brownies to brighten the day. Using Soy yogurt as a secret ingredient, a recipe to make over and over again.

CHEESY NACHOS

Cheesy nachos without the cheese? C’est pas posible. Thanks to the use of nutritional yeast, make any tortilla your b**tch and make them into badass nachos.

FLAPJACKS

Flapjacks are usually laden with butter, not these tho. With added peanut butter… theres nothing to not love!

GOJI HOB NOBS

Hob Nobs minus the gluten and the buttah + added health from the goji berries. Give them a whirl.

PROTEIN PANCAKES

These pancakes are so tasty, it fooled all our non-vegan friends.

BBQ TOFU

The easiest way to make tasty tofu, using bbq sauce and not much else! Pair it up in a salad or a spud for maximum taste bud party.

TOFU NUGGETS

Chicken nuggets is so last year, try these tofu nuggets instead.

VEGAN BANANA BREAD

Would you believe us if we said a can of pop can replace an egg? This recipe shows you how.

BASIC VEGAN PANCAKES

The simplest and tastiest pancakes you’re ever gonna make! A firm favourite amongst our followers.

We hope these recipes inspire you and remember: even if you swap ONE meal a day to a Vegan meal… you ARE making a difference.

Join us with your feedback #WorldVeganDay \ @themusclebakery \ @themusclebaker

For 20% off Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY20
For 5% off iHerb use code: JCB887

HAPPY VEGAN DAY 🌱

Treat or Treat? 👻

We made a post last year about Halloween, so this year we are gonna skip all that mumbo jumbo and head straight to the treats… no tricks. Its the best part of this holiday anyway, right?

Showcasing our favourite Halloween-ey treats that we’ve rustled up to date:

SPIDERWEB SMOOTHIE BOWL

Get in the Halloween mood with this easy to make smoothie bowl, decorated with yoghurt spiderweb!

FRANKENSTEIN PROTEIN POPS

These Frankenstein Pops are a firm favourite with the kiddos! Laced with peanut butter, decorated with chocolate and coloured in green… fun to make… and EAT!

VEGAN WITCH FINGERS

These Witch Fingers are made with all the healthiest ingredients, but full of all the scare!

FRANKENWEENY CUPCAKES

Try these Frankenweeny cupcakes…The cutest Halloween cupcakes you ever did see.

PROTEIN WORMS

Snack on these protein worms today. Lucky for you they are choc orange flavour!

WORMY MATCHA CAKE

Dont be spooked out by this Matcha cake, what you see ain’t really worms… but walnuts!

HOPE YOU ENJOYED OUR HALLOWEEN THEME RECIPES!

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

For 20% off Bulkpowders use code: MUSCLEBAKERY20
For 5% off iHerb use code: JCB887

HAPPY (HALLOWEENY) BAKING!

GUEST POST // Eating Vegan in Amsterdam

Eating Vegan in Amsterdam, By Darian Galloway.

Amsterdam… what a beautiful city. Clean, amazing food, endless shopping and sightseeing a plenty! We follow Darian as she shows us what are the tastiest Vegan spots in Amsterdam!

VEGABOND

On my first day of arriving in Amsterdam, I visited a small cafe/shop called Vegabond, if you love quirky little cafes, then you will not want to leave this place. The first thing I noticed was the vintage decor, relaxed atmosphere and welcoming staff. They have a variety of vegan meals, snacks and desserts and they even have a shop inside where you can buy lots of goodies including: vegan foods, sweets, snacks, chocolate, gifts, cookery books, natural beauty products and vegan protein powders. I visited this cafe 3 times out of the 4 days I was staying in Amsterdam; I couldn’t get enough of the vegan treats!

If you are looking for a light lunch, with amazing desserts, I would definitely pop into Vegabond. Out of the 3 times I visited Vegabond, I ate a selection of different tasty foods including: Spelt sandwich made up of spelt bread with handmade cashew ‘ricotta’, pesto, cherry tomatoes and rucola, Fresh wrap with home-made hummus, sun-dried tomato, spinach and cucumber.

And (the best part) the dessert selection they had to choose from! I consumed many a doughnut, in strawberry, chocolate, oreo and caramelised apple flavours. Not to mention the amazing cake variety they had to choose from too; I tried Raw Snickers and Gluten-free brownie with hazelnuts… honestly I could not possibly pick my favourite as I loved them all.

MOAZ

Another place was Moaz, which had the best falafel pitta EVER! After spending a full day shopping and sightseeing, I definitely worked up an appetite… walking down the high streets I stumbled across this little vegetarian food shop on a street corner. It was booming with people enjoying the food and a lively busy crowd is always a good sign when deciding where to eat. So, I stepped inside, joined the queue and opted for the falafel pitta bread. (You could choose between the regular size or the small… of course I chose the regular… the bigger the better.)

You had the option of white or brown pitta, they filled it with falafel and hummus and then the control was in your hands, they handed you the pitta, where you could fill it with all sorts of sides such as: vegetables, salads, sauces, cous cous, and olives… oh and the best grilled peppers ever!

Of course my pitta bread was jam packed, if I am given the control to fill my plate, then the food has got to be over flowing. The service was quick, the staff were friendly, all customers were happy and I was definitely full. Honestly, this was one of the best falafels I have ever tasted.

I was really satisfied with the amount of food I had, but you had the option of adding a side of chips too. There were other options on the menu where you could choose from falafel salads, meal deals and smaller portion options for snacks or young children.

You could also choose from freshly squeezed juices, coffee or water. The prices were fair and you received a lot of food for the money paid.

ALBERT HEINZ

As we was staying in an Air BnB, we had our own little kitchen with cooking facilities and utensils. So in between meals or for breakfast before stepping out into the city again, I relied on snacks from the local supermarkets/shops and Albert Heinz was one of our favourites. As a vegan, finding a good selection of suitable food is hard but this is a great supermarket which has a huge selection of fresh food, meals, fresh juices, snacks, cereals and frozen goods. The prices were reasonable, staff were very friendly and helpful and not to mention…their falafel wraps were amazing, I consumed one every single day I stayed in Amsterdam.

SLA

On my last day staying in Haarlem, we had to leave our BNB at 12:00pm and the flight was not due until late afternoon. We decided to venture around Haarlem, visit the shops and locate some tasty vegan food. SLA caught my eye and was open on a Monday… I noticed on Monday’s quite a few food places are actually shut in, so be careful when planning your days out in Amsterdam.

There is a great selection of different foods on the menu, raw fresh vegan foods and there are non-vegan options too. I chose the white bean falafel bowl. My boyfriend chose their Moroccan Chickpea Soup, which they serve cold with freshly made delicious oat bread… do not knock cold soup until you try it, honestly it is so refreshing.

The food was fresh, tasty, wholesome and nutritious… I felt amazing after eating it. I finished the meal with a dessert (obviously). Dessert > Starter any day! I chose the raw cacao chia cake which really inspired me to create my own selection of raw desserts. Although the cake was small, it is definitely deceiving as it was so rich, you would not need a larger portion and that is coming from Miss Greedy Piggy over here.

VEGAN ICE-CREAM

I finished the trip with one last sweet treat… Near the airport there was a vegan ice cream van, they had a great selection of ice creams which included cookie dough, granola jam, honeycomb, chocolate mint, turmeric and chocolate. They served it in a tub or in a vegan ice cream cone and there were many toppings for the ice cream. You wouldn’t have ever guessed this ice cream was dairy free and it made me want to buy an ice cream maker and make a life-time supply of dairy free ice cream… serious heaven.

So to summarise, after consuming lots of amazing food in Amsterdam, I would definitely visit again and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves food, shopping, sightseeing and plenty of walking/bike rides to visit as soon as possible!

Muscle Bakery tip: Want to keep on a lower cal diet but still eat delicious food in Amsterdam? Stick to loads of leafy greens and veggies! Don’t miss out on dessert either, just skip on the bread and extras, have cake instead! Plus, Amsterdam is filled with lots of walking and cycling so you will no doubt burn it all off anyway 🙂

I am a 22 year old vegan foodie with a keen interest in baking (and maybe eating and force-feeding my treats to everyone)… sharing is caring! Instead of permanently driving those around me insane with my loved topic of conversation, I decided to create a blog to showcase all my recipes, food reviews and vegan lifestyle tips.

Ive always had an interest in fitness and healthy eating, starting my foodie mission by searching the net for healthy recipe ideas. Initially, with simple bakes such as flapjacks, overnight oats, etc. But, once i adopted a vegan lifestyle, my interest peaked and changed my little world around! I began tailoring my baking around the new diet and was enjoying every minute. I still bake to cater all needs, interests and adapt the recipes where necessary, but my true passion lies within the Vegan lifestyle.

I create all kinds of plant-based meals, snacks and treats and no longer feel guilty for eating my body weight in cookies, cakes and all kinds of goodies! I always consciously try to use the healthiest ingredients which means no guilt, right?

My recipes are simple, easy to follow and fun to make as possible, so get in the kitchen bake someone happy and always leave room for dessert…

Blogpost created by Darian Galloway, the lady behind Darian Kay Bakes. if you have not checked her out… what are you waiting for?! You can find her on Instagram too!

We hope you enjoyed this post, get involved… tweet/ gram us @themusclebakery & @dkayxx and tell us your thoughts! And if you have any more recommendations, give us a shout 🙂

Photography by @illuminatus_photography.

GUEST POST // Vegan Salmorejo

Vegan Salmorejo, By Veggie Gib.

Salmorejo is a classic dish from the Cordoba region of southern Spain. It is a cold soup (similar to gazpacho) although it is much thicker in consistency because it is made with bread. Many traditional Spanish dishes use bread because it was cheap and a good filler. Salmorejo has become quite popular and trendy and can be found in most tapas restaurants.

I must say this now though, purists please look away! This version differs from the traditional version in that it does not contain bread, making it gluten free, and it is high in protein because it is made with tofu, but it does not interfere with the flavour and thickens the soup in the same way bread would! I suggest using a high-powered blender (like the ones for making smoothies) to make it smooth, and not to make it too far in advance as the garlic flavour will get more intense as time goes on and can become overpowering.

Traditionally Salmorejo is served with diced serrano ham and boiled egg, or even tuna. However, I like to keep it vegan and using raw diced fruits and vegetables gives it interesting textures and contrasting flavours. In winter-time I like to use cucumber, apples and even kiwi. In the summer-time melon works wonderfully as it has crunch and sweetness.

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:

750g (about 6) ripe plum tomatoes
250g extra firm tofu
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 clove of garlic
Salt to taste

Method

Place the plum tomatoes in a bowl and cover with water from a recently boiled kettle and allow to soak for about 1 minute. This should be enough time to enable them to be easily peeled. Discard the water, peel the tomatoes and roughly chop them into a blender.
Cut the tofu up and add to the tomatoes.
Cut and peel a clove of garlic and add to the tomatoes.
Add the apple cider vinegar the olive oil and a good pinch of olive oil.
Blend until smooth and then put through a fine sieve to remove any graininess from the tofu or seeds.
Finely dice cucumber, apple, kiwi, melon or any other fruit / vegetable of your choice and serve.

Serves 4 tapas (or 2 main)

Nutritional information:
Overall: 768kcal | 49F | 34C | 44P
Per serving: 192kcal | 12F | 8.5C | 11P

Muscle Bakery tip: Want to make it even higher in protein? Add some Nutritional Yeast! High in protein, fiber and loaded with B Vitamins!

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!

How to: Smoothie Bowl 🍧

Over-indulgence during the holidays is a natural thing, however it can leave us feeling quite sluggish and uncomfortable. Whenever we feel like this, we get an undeniable desire to ingest nutrient dense food *cue smoothie bowl*

The wonderful thing about making smoothie bowls is that you can make it as simple as you like or really go crazy with it. You can add extra protein, powdered greens, superfoods and more!

Here is our how to basics:

CHOOSE A FRUIT
Your choice of fruit will be the main component of your smoothie bowl. We’ve tried it with all sorts, this includes bananas, raspberries, blueberries, apples, cherries & mango! Bananas and any berries work the best in our opinion, but dont be afraid to try one that you prefer.

FREEZE IT
Whatever fruit you choose, chop em up, add to freezer bags and pop in freezer till they are completely frozen over. Most supermarkets sell frozen fruit and berries anyway, so if you tend to be short of time or are plain lazy head to the frozen section and grab a few bags.

Waitrose has a great variety of frozen fruit including Bramley apples, Cherries, Tropical Fruit & more!

GET SOME MILK
No matter your choice, any milk will work. We have tried this with Coconut Milk, Almond Milk, Hazelnut Milk and recently have favoured Vanilla Soy Milk.

The reason you need a dash of milk is so that the blender can blitz your frozen fruit with ease.

ADD SOME SPARKLE
Not actual sparkles, but you know… ingredients that add some life to it. At this point it is up to you to use your imagination! We always add some form of protein powder and greens, we have even added nut butter before and it was GOOOOD.

Or if you don’t fancy adding anything, just keep it simple instead.

BLITZ IT
Blitz together in a blender and voila, done! We favour doing this in a NutriBullet or similar as larger blenders won’t mix this as successfully unless you do a larger batch.

Tip: If you want your smoothie bowl to be thicker just add more frozen fruit, or vice versa if you want it less!

See video below for example of texture, this is how we love it.

CHERRY SMOOTHIE BOWL

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Milk of Choice
2 Cups Frozen Cherries
1 Scoop Vanilla Soy Protein
1 Tsp Powdered Kale
1 Tsp Vanilla Extract

Method:
All all ingredients into your NutriBullet and blitz!

Pour into a bowl, eat on its own or top with your favourite ingredients.

Nutritional Info: 290cals / 1.2F / 24C / 41.8P

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 SMOOTHIE MAKING!

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!

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

GUEST POST // Flexible Dieting. Just another diet?

Flexible Dieting. Just another Diet? By The Macro Wizard

You’ve probably read it or heard it somewhere, “Eat oreos. Get lean.”

Whilst this statement can be right I figured it was worth taking some snaps of what flexible dieting really is to avoid falling into one of these sexy-marketing claims too quickly.

When trying to explain flexible dieting we usually encounter all sorts of arguments and claims, these tend to be the most common:

Flexible dieting is just another fad. You can’t really eat whatever you like and you’re always restricted and obsessed about numbers.
It’s just a sexy title to allow people to eat crap all day and share it on Instagram.
People who follow it only care about aesthetics, if we were to look inside their bodies we’ll surely find disease developing and/or a serious lack of nutrients with adverse health effects.

These are all valid arguments of course so before trying to address them one by one and make this article an essay on how to waste your time trying to get people to think before spitting out words, let’s see what flexible dieting REALLY IS so you can judge for yourself. Ready?

Flexible dieting is nothing revolutionary but our human stupidity tells us that if something isn’t new, revolutionary and/or complicated –bonus points if it hits all three, it’s not worth even trying.

So, what is flexible dieting really?

*IT IS a way to apply what science tells us so far about nutrition in an easy, practical way, providing our bodies with the required nutrients and doing so without obsessing about “clean or dirty food”, the poison of sugar or whether saturated fat is going to kill you tomorrow. This means we should eat a ton of foods full of nutrients without forgetting that ice cream, pastries or pizza can be included in our daily diets without any side effect. EVERYTHING has nutrients and energy, and hey, your body is pretty awesome at using them.

*IT IS a way to help us become more conscious of what goes into our mouth. Knowing what you eat on a daily basis can give you the power to control your body and make adjustments where necessary. Wanna lose a bit of flab? Gain some muscle? You know will know what to do exactly without guessing or playing with some snake oil techniques.

*IT IS a sustainable way to eat, meaning that you could eat like this for the rest of your life if you wanted to. You base your nutrition according to personal preference and knowing what the basics are for providing your body with what it needs. No more eating every 3 hours “because a book said so” or avoiding sugar at all costs because it raises insulin.

If done correctly, eating in a flexible manner means eating tons of foods rich in vitamins and minerals with no compromise to our personal preference or circumstances. Grandma was right; you can eat dessert if you have your vegetables first!

This last bit is key guys.

Most people pursuing health and fitness tend to demonise certain foods, claiming that they harm our bodies and that we should avoid them at all costs. This just creates a horrible relationship with food that could lead to ugly bits of human psychology that are not fun nor healthy.

I have been snapping my meals during these past few days to try and give you a visual idea of what this flexible dieting thing really is, let’s jump straight into it!

Day 1: Eating at home.

I made a huge chicken and veggie stir-fry with some noodles. Because I know how hungry I am on my first meal (yeah, I don’t eat breakfast usually), I tend to make a salad to fill up my belly and get in those nutrients.
Protein chocolate cake (The Muscle Bakery has ton of recipes for protein goodies) with casein chocolate “sauce”.
Some store-bought pizza bases topped with low fat cream cheese spread, canned tuna and spices. That big salad for lunch left me with most of my carbohydrates left for the night so I took advantage of it!

Day 2: Let’s see how we do when going out a bit

Another protein mug cake topped with low fat greek yogurt, chocolate pieces, M&M’s and walden farms chocolate syrup.
For lunch I made some chicken with veggies in tomato sauce, topped with two grilled eggs and served on a bed of couscous. A couple of small slices of bread to help push it in.
Dinner? We went out to grab some burgers, shared a small serving of fries with my partner in crime and opted for a double meat, extra egg and no sauce option from the menu. I had a pretty light lunch so this complemented my day perfectly.

Day 3: How about being out all day? No problem

Went to a pub for lunch where I opted for a simple steak and sweet potato fries with a side of grilled veggies.
Dinner was some sort of steak asian stir fry with noodles and veggies.
After dinner and before bed I prepared some simple protein pancakes accompanied by cottage cheese and berries. Meat portions at restaurants aren’t huge so depending on your goals you may have to complement your day with a pre-bed like this to hit protein and other nutrients.

Try for yourself!

Day 4: Let’s do another one with the majority of foods away from our kitchen.

Lunch was a huge plate of couscous with veggies, grilled eggs, serrano ham and double portion of chicken. Ask for the condiments to be served on the side to avoid adding a million grams of fat into your day.
On our way home we grabbed a small cone of delicious gelato. How to track gelato I hear you? Search once for “Gelato” on MyFitnessPal or your app of choice, add the generic serving of 50–65g and then add a waffle cone. It should come up to around 50g of carbs and 20g of fat including the cone.
This was a pretty early lunch so when 6pm rolled out I was a bit hungry. I knew we were planning to eat out later but did not know where so I took the opportunity to top up my protein for the day with 200g of quark, a spoon of peanut butter, some light jam and walden farms chocolate syrup.
Dinner happened to be a burger so again, I opted for double meat, no sauce no add ons. We shared some fried chicken with the rest of the table so no biggie.

Believe it or not this day ended up at around 2600kcal and hit my macros pretty much on the spot.

What can we learn from these images?

There is a clear steer towards the right portion of protein, fibre and veggies at almost every meal.
When eating something out of the ordinary, portions tend to be small and enough to satisfy our sweet tooth. Do you really need a kilo of gelato for dessert?
No day is perfect and that is totally fine! We’ve talked about this many times; perfection does not exist. I try to stay close to my goals as best as I can but I don’t stress it if life happens and I end up short on protein or exceeding my calories. Live your life.
I always eat according to my personal preferences. I absolutely refuse to eat anything I dislike just because someone said somewhere that it’s a superfood or that I will get Arnold’s body by eating pounds of it. There are no magics foods and you do not need to avoid anything in particular to reach your goals.

This particular way of eating tends to be called ‘flexible dieting’ but in reality, it’s just eating.

Eating the foods you love and not stressing about the minutia, use your newly found free time to share moments with your loved ones, read a book or go get tanned at the beach. 😎

The freedom you get from knowing you can eat anything is liberating but it doesn’t mean you have to eat anything! If you enjoy eating chicken and veggies at almost every meal then by all means continue doing so, just know that a chicken sandwich with cheese is not going to instantly make you fat or kill you because of “OH MY GOD THERE’S CHEESE IN IT”.

How can I make this whole ‘flexible dieting’ thing work for me?

Great question!

You’ve probably seen or read about people who seem to live on cookies, ice cream and donuts whilst showing their rock hard abs and steel glutes to the world.

Don’t let it fool you though. I can guarantee that these guys don’t just live on sugar and processed (tasty) crap. They don’t have a ‘faster metabolism’ either. They just don’t show what they do the rest of their time (come on, photos of chicken and broccoli get boring quickly, Instagram the s**t out of a massive gelato please).

These people control their total calories in a way that works for them, working into their daily or weekly nutrition all those yummy treats without sacrificing essential nutrients or compromising their goals. They may also be 5 times more active than you without you knowing!

YOU can also make this work FOR YOU by following some simple steps:

Track what you eat every day for a week or two. Even if you don’t plan on tracking forever (good choice), an initial period of learning will give you the tools required for success in the long term. You will be surprised at the amount of fat that ‘healthy salad’ you get from work every day has or that innocent burrito that contains nearly 1000kcal.
Set up processes to eat enough protein. RDA’s are a joke. They were made with sedentary people in mind and with the MINIMUM amounts to survive as a general guideline. You want to thrive and live a healthier life, eat more protein and you’ll soon find yourself fuller, happier and leaner. Protein will not damage your kidneys and it’s not just for bodybuilders, give it the importance it deserves.
Manipulate carbs and fat as you prefer to stay within your calorie goal for the week. If you start restricting foods you’ll soon find yourself lacking energy and essential nutrients as well as being obsessed about food ALL THE TIME. Take advantage of the data you are going to accumulate with the diary and make room for your favourite foods! Completely eliminating an entire food group (i.e carbs) is just going to make things more complicated without any added benefits.
Give yourself a 20% room in your daily calories to eat all those foods you like but you still frown upon. There’s no evidence of any food that causes harm to the body (allergies, and other issues aside). Being flexible allows you to stop analysing if what you eat is “healthy enough” and helps to remove the guilt or any negative thoughts related to eating a donut for example. A 20% is safe enough because it leaves enough room for treats without forgetting about our protein, fruits and veggies.

My quality of life has improved immensely after more than 2 years of carrying food containers everywhere, eating every 3 hours and restricting everything that was off the list of “healthy foods” I was ready to give up on this “being healthy s**t”.

I can now go out to dinner with friends, attend a BBQ or eat some popcorn cinema with my girlfriend without a problem. You just have to be smart about managing your daily/weekly calorie budget.

Traveling is no longer an issue and I don’t need to carry protein with me wherever I go. Yes, it may be practical, but I also now that I can step into ANY restaurant in the world and get some meat, veggies and a dessert of my liking with the exact same effects on my body.

Enjoy your food guys, life is much more than nutrition and fitness!

Quality of life matters.

After losing about 65kgs (and succumbing to a period of obsession) Mr Macro Wizard decided to go about his diet the scientific way, leaving all the fads and nonsense behind him. Since then, he has earned himself a PHD, appeared on Mens Health, travelled the world, ate many a burger and most importantly, is reaching out to others to help them on their own journey.

Article written by The Macro Wizard, 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 may make you a bit jealous though with his travelling and epic foodscapades).

You can also find his previous blogpost ‘Eat More Protein’ here.

We hope you enjoyed reading this article, get involved… tweet us @themusclebakery & @themacrowizard #NotAnotherDiet and tell us your thoughts!