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Apr 17
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Coconut Protein Pancakes

By Nutrition

When I was real young, me and my family went on a holiday to Marius. I don’t really remember that much about the trip. On our first day, my sister (who was about 4 at the time) managed to swim out of depth in the resort pool. My poor mum had to dive in, fully clothed to rescue her. A few days later we went to play (maybe not play) with the giant tortois which were on the beach. While feeding the a tortois coconut, Hannah managed to stick her finger in its mouth, clearly the tortuous didn’t know the difference between finger and coconut and munched down on poor Han’s hand. I have never heard a scream quite so loud in my life.

Despite Hannah’s traumatic experience with coconut. She is now a coconut lover, and managed to create this fantastic coconut protein pancake recipe which I am absolutely obsessed with!

LOVE YOU HAN!

Coconut is a definite ‘superfood‘.. The word superfood is kind of thrown around with no meaning now. But if your going to have any superfoods in your life. Make it coconut

Coconut oil is a saturated fat. It is made of medium chain fatty acids, which are digested and go straight to the liver to be used as energy

Eating medium chain fatty acids can help increase the metabolism, causing the body to burn more calories throughout the day, resulting in weight loss!

People who have coconut oil in their diet, have been said to have a smaller appetite. This could be due to the fact that it is an awesome supply of fuel for the body which reduces hunger.

Coconut oil is high in good cholesterol (HDL), which helps to reduce bad cholesterol (LDL) in the body. This means means a healthier heart and reduced chance of heart disease.

Coconut oil can help fight obesity. The fat which builds up around the belly is the worst kind of fat. It clogs the organs and significantly increases chances of ill health and disease. A number of studies have been done to prove adding coconut oil to the diet can help to reduce fat which builds up around the abdomen. 1 2

So Its the weekend. Make these amazing pancakes and feel brilliant while you melt away that belly fat!

Coconut Protein Pancakes

Pancake Ingredients:

30g coconut flour

25g vanilla whey protein powder (I use sweetened with stevia, natural)

1/4tsp xantham gum

1/2 tsp baking powder

50g coconut yogurt (can sub with greek yogurt)

2x egg whites

50ml coconut milk (can sub with water)

(1 tbsp stevia optional)

ghee or coconut oil for the pan 🙂

Topping Ingredients:

25g vanilla whey protein powder (I use sweetened with stevia, natural)

50g coconut yogurt

10g desiccated coconut

Directions:

In a mixing bowl combine all pancake ingredients other than the coconut milk. Mix until combined and slowly add the coconut milk until a REALLY thick paste (you might not need all of it). Heat a good quality, non stick pan on the hob and add a little coconut oil or ghee for frying the pancakes. Turn the heat to super low. Using a 1/4 cup size scoop, add the pancake mix to the pan in small blobs (yes they should be really thick little blobs). Allow the pancakes to cook on for a few minutes checking regularly so they don’t burn. Flip the pancakes and cook for a few minutes on the other side.

For the topping mix the protein and the yogurt together and pour over the pancakes. Top with the desiccated coconut and enjoy

Notes:

I LOVE cashew butter so also added melted cashew butter here which was AMAZING!

Apr 12
Love0

Mint Chocolate Protein Smoothie

By Nutrition

A lot of people don’t understand the importance of protein in the diet, or understand the health benefits of having a high protein diet to supplement training. Protein is an ESSENTIAL nutrient for the body, made up of branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s), responsible for growth and repair of muscle.

Protein is super filling so having a high protein diet will allow you to reduce calories without constantly feeling hungry

Protein has a high thermic effect which means it takes a lot of energy to digest in the stomach. This means you burn more calories actually digesting the protein you eat, than you do carbs or fat 🙂

Research has proven that a high protein diet can increase bone density and prevent bone diseases.

Not only is protein responsible for growth and development, it also prevents muscle breakdown when on a reduced calorie diet. BCAA’s prevent the muscle breakdown for fuel allowing the body to burn body fat. This results in fat loss from FAT instead of just weight loss from MUSCLE AND FAT!

Many of my clients first starting out really struggle with their protein intake. They struggle to actually include the amount of protein they need in their diets to gain some lean muscle mass while dropping body fat. Chomping down chicken breasts all day can become a little boring, which is why I love using protein powder to make super food shakes. They are so yummy and filling and a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth.

Bellow is a super high protein recipe which is gluten free, virtually fat free, and can be made dairy free. It contains a number of health benefits from the added raw cacao and sprulina, which are both powerful antioxidants and supply the body with essential nutrients.

Mint Chocolate Protein Smoothie

Ingredients:

  • 50g fat free Greek OR coconut yogurt
  • 30g natural vanilla protein powder
  • 150ml water
  • 1/4 tsp xantham gum
  • 10 ice cubes
  • 1 tbsp  raw cacao
  • 2 tbsp stevia (more or less to taste)
  • 5 drops peppermint extract
  • 1/2 tsp spirulina

Directions:

Add the yogurt, protein powder, water, xantham gum and the ice to a high speed blender and blend into a thick shake consistency. Remove half the mixture from the blender and add 1 tbsp stevia, peppermint extract and spirulina to the blender. Re blend this half of the mixture until all smoothly mixed. Pour this half of the mixture into a glass and put the other half of the mixture back into the blender. Now add cacao and stevia to this half of the mix and blend until combined. Carefully spoon the chocolate mixture over the mint layer of smoothie into the glass…. Tadddddahhh!! Beautiful high protein minty chocolate goodness.

Notes:

I can recommend the protein from The Protein Works called Naked Whey Protein 80. It is sweetened with stevia meaning its not full of artificial RUBBISH…. http://www.theproteinworks.com/referral-program/MTgwMzAzajJ0/

Top with nuts, seeds, bee pollen or which ever super foods you wish for added vital minerals and vitamins

Apr 07
Love0

Carrot Cake Batter Protein Oatmeal

By Nutrition

When In India I was introduced to Ghee. I swear ghee is like the cure to every problem in life in India. Its like super-food butter. I was a lover of butter when I was younger, although we all know that spreading big chucks of the dairy goodness on your toast is not the key to optimum health! Ghee is clarified butter which has been heated to remove the dairy. This removes the lactose and casein meaning people who are usually suffer with negative effects from dairy, can eat ghee!

Ghee is a pure fat made up of medium chain fatty acids. These are absorbed directly to the liver to be burnt as energy instead of going into the adipose tissue to be stored! It contains significant levels of antioxidants, vitamin A E and D which reduce free radicals in the body and boost the immune system.

Ghee is rich in Butyric acid and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) which together are essential for a healthy digestion system, and also help improve the immune system. They increase the metabolism supporting fat loss goals, and are said to enhance muscle growth! Ghee also contains Omega 3 helps reduce the bad cholesterol level in the body.

Basically eat GHEE..

It can be added to foods where butter or other oils would be used. In cooking or on bread. Even as a salad dressing. Here is a recipe which is a super yummy way to add ghee into your diet

 Carrot Cake Batter Protein Oatmeal

Ingredients:

Serves 1

  • 1 cup water
  • 100g grated carrot
  • 50g oats
  • 1tsp ghee
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4tsp ginger
  • 1tsp stevia
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 scoop natural vanilla whey (I use My Protein)
  • 3 tbsp water
  • 1 egg white
  • 1/4 tsp xantham gum (optional, makes the egg whites thicker)

Toppings:

  • Bee Pollen
  • Sunflower Seeds
  • Cashew Butter
  • Walnuts
  • Greek Yogurt
  • Desiccated Coconut

Directions:

Add the 1 cup of water and the grated carrot to a saucepan and heat until the carrot is soft (approx 3 minutes).. Add the oats, ghee, cinnamon, ginger, baking powder and stevia and continue to heat stirring regularly. While the oatmeal thickens, in a separate bowl, mix the protein powder with 3tbsp of water so it makes a thin paste. In another separate bowl, with an electric whisk, whisk the egg whites (and the xantham gum if using) until stiff peaks form. Once the oatmeal looks nice and thick, add the protein paste mix and stir until combined. Now add the whipped egg whites to the oatmeal and stir quickly until no lumps are left. Turn off the heat and allow the oats to stand for around 2 minutes.

 Notes:

Try subbing the Carrot for other vegetables like beetroot or courgette

Jan 11
Love0

Peanut Butter ‘QUEST’ Bar Recipe

By Nutrition

After the Christmas and New Years antics are over,  the cold weather seems to really kick in. The Christmas decorations are pulled down and the left over alcohol stashed away.. ‘Dry January’ They all say.. It’s like the fun police came in and really fucked shit up. No more parties, no more naughty food, and defiantly no more fun…

This however, should not be the case. A new year is really time for new fun, new goals, new ambitions.. blah blah blah, sounds so cheesy but life really is what you make of it. If you allow life to become boring it will. There is this thing we all have. It’s like our safety bubble. I believe life gets fun and exciting when we push outside this safety bubble. This could be by trying new things, pushing yourself to achieve your new goals or purely doing something which scares you. If you plod along doing the same thing your whole life, guess what?… You will get bored. It’s inevitable. And what stories will you have to tell your kids…. grandkids… I wrote a super detailed post on my blog a few weeks back about goal setting for the new year. Please take a peak for some help on setting those new year’s goals, to push yourself to your limits and achieve great things!!!

In saying this, while you’re making your new goals, please take time to remember the things in life which are great. Every day I like to think of a few things I am grateful of. Today.. Right now.. I am grateful for bacon. MMMMMM bacon..  I am currently on a plane to India and just got served what looked like vomit in a bowl. To be fair, it didn’t taste…. toooo bad. But I want bacon. Today I am also grateful for my fabulous family I have who support me in everything I do. And finally I am grateful for cuddles. Because cuddles are great!!!! 😀

For many people weight loss is a goal this new year. Don’t hate the body you have now.. I hear so many people say ‘I hate my body. I will be happy when I’m slim’. Okay, your body may need some TLC and you may be a little over weight. But love your body, love the fact you have damn legs to go to the gym and train, and that you are capable of losing weight. Love that you can afford to buy healthy food to fuel your power house body, and love the game. Weight loss is just a silly game we play in life. If you live life a little less seriously you WILL be healthier and happier and you will lose weight quicker too!!

So remember to push your boundaries. Do crazy shit but don’t forget all the wonderful things you already have in life.

I am heading to Goa, India, to complete a 500hr yoga instructor course. Follow my time on Instagram @charliefrancisfitness

And for now… WHO LOVES QUEST BARS. Here is my super easy peasy protein bar recipe which is low in carbs, super high in protein, and is peanut butter flavour!! It don’t get much better than that.

Peanut Butter ‘Quest’ Bars

Ingredients:

Makes 9

3 scoops of vanilla casein

8tsp/120g(ish) vita fiber (order from musclefood.com)

12g/1tbsp PPB (powdered peanut butter)

40g 100% peanut butter

1tsp melted coconut oil

Directions:

Firstly, combine casein and PPB in a small blender/nutribullet. Add the peanut butter and the coconut oil and blend until combined. You should kind of have a slightly lumpy powdery consistency at this stage. Now the tricky bit. Add around half the vita fiber to the mix and blend until combined. From this point you must only add very small amounts of viter fiber at a time, blending imbetween. When the mixture reaches a stage where you can just form it into little balls that stay together. Stop adding vita fiber. Too much will cause the bars to flop into a blob after forming them into shape. Add a little PPB to your work top to act as flour and roll the stiff mixture out, as if making cookies. Roll to approximately 2cm thick then cut into bars. Store in a container in the fridge to help maintain the shape of the bars and try not to eat them all at once.

Notes: Try adding a tsp of peanut butter on top of one. DEVINE!!

Peace, Happy New Year.

Dec 13
Love0

Gingerbread, Protein, Pumpkin Pancakes

By Nutrition

My family are all very healthy, with diet and in fitness. This makes life very easy for me being constantly surrounded by health and exercise freaks!! The house is always full of fabulous healthy food which keeps me on track. BUTTT.. Christmas.. Now thats another story. We all do relax on the diet a little over Christmas, but during the festive season, shit really hits the fan in the Francis family.. When the ‘pigs in blanket‘ duties are passed on to you, and your uncle says.. ‘Hey Charlie. You and your sister are making the sausages wrapped in bacon this year. We need 600!’ SIX HUNDRED PIGS IN MOTHER FUCKING BLANKETS. Now pork is one of my fave meats. but dammmn is it fatty.. 

Now ladies and gentlemen.. Lets not forget that a single day of eating healthy, will not make you slim and sexy. The same as one (or two) days of eating unhealthy food, will not make you an obese cow.

I do have a lot of discipline and motivation, but it takes every little bit of willpower for me to not eat like a fat moose around Christmas. The NUMBER ONE RULE is appreciate your food. There is no need to go into Christmas day like a bull in a china shop.. Smashing every inch of food which comes in your way. You must must must appreciate every damn morsel of food which enters your mouth. Don’t sit there munching down chocolate pancakes for breakfast, while thinking about the box of celebrations you are going to woff down straight after. Don’t scoff your Christmas dinner while dreaming about the dessert your going to pretty much inhale down your throat later. APPRECIATE and SLOW DOWN! Savor every meal and don’t go over the top. I always think of those gross people you see in a breakfast buffet, who take 3 full plates of food back to their table to devour. They can’t just have one little spoon of everything they like. They must squeeze as much of everything they can onto their plates because its EAT ALL YOU CAN. This is just discussing and greedy. Whats wrong with appreciating one plate of food because really thats all you need!!

Of course you must enjoy your self. You don’t want to be the sad old sod sitting in the corner eating dry turkey and steamed greens. Skipping the fabulous dessert and turning down any alcohol. Lets face it. No one likes a boring party pooper! Get the balance right. Don’t eat so much that you want to vomit and don’t deprive your self of all the goodies. Just be sensible and eat until your satisfied.

Now I sound like the fun police. Organized fun is always the worst kind of fun.. So I will shut up now….here are my top rules for not becoming a greedy fat pig over Christmas:

  1. Appreciate your food
  2. Savor every flipping mouthful
  3. Your eyes are bigger than your stomach.. You are a human, not a hippo.
  4. Eat your food slowly. Its not a race
  5. Don’t let it become a cheat week. Allow a few ‘off’ meals on Christmas day and boxing day.
  6. Keep to your regular diet where possible on the days around Christmas
  7. Keep strictly on your fitness programme over the festive season
  8. Don’t attempt to be a skinny scrooge and not drink alcohol (we are all allowed a drink occasionally)
  9. Introduce your family to healthier alternatives where possible (try these pancakes for breakfast)
  10. Enjoy your self!!!!!

So these are the pancakes which I will be munching on Christmas morning. Healthy, christmassy and delicious. Who needs sugars fatty shit when you can whip these bad boys up on chrimbo morning for the fam!

Gingerbread, Protein, Pumpkin Pancakes

Ingredients

serves 2

  • 1 cup pumpkin puree
  • 3 eggs
  • 1/4 tsp xanthan gum
  • 5 drops vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup vanilla casein
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
  • 1/2 cup coconut flour
  • 1/2 tsp ground ginger
  • 1/4 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp stevia

Topping:

  • 2 heaped tsp PB2
  • 1 heaped tsp pumpkin puree
  • 1 heaped tsp casein
  • 1 heaped tsp stevia
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 4 tbsp greek yogurt

Directions:

Whisk eggs and xanthan gum in a bowl. When the eggs and xantham gum have combined, add all other ingredients and blend until smooth consistency is reached. Use the 1/4 as a size guide for the pancake mix. Make sure the pan is real hot. Add a little coconut oil to the pan, then add pancake mix using 1/4 size cup. Keep cooked pancakes in a low oven to keep warm while you cook the rest of the mixture.

While the pancakes cook. Mix together all the topping ingredients and blend until smooth. When all pancakes are cooked, stack up and top with sauce and any nuts and seeds you like.

Notes: Try topping with granola or raisins 🙂

Nov 27
Love0

Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie

By Nutrition

Vitamin D is seriously lacking in my system right now.. I miss the sun!! A lot of people often ask me about my supplementation with my training. When participating in intense exercise (weights or cardio).. The body is at risk of free radical damage. Antioxidants found in foods you eat will fight this free radical damage. A lot of people cannot physically pack enough superfood into their daily diets to get enough antioxidants in their systems. This is where supplements come in handy…

My Top 3

1. Spirulina

If your a veggie hater or purely need to up your intake of minerals and vitamins then spirulina is great! It will contain all the nutrients your regular multi vitamin will have along with very high iron and B-12 content (found in meats) so great for vegetarians. It also high in protein and contains essential amino acids which makes it a great addition to your diet when pregnant or when trying to increase immune system.

2. Wheatgrass powder

The powder form is great but if you can juice your own fresh thats the best!! It has twice the amount of vitamin A than carrots. Higher in vitamin C than oranges. It has all kinds of vitamin B, calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium, phosphorus…. and the list goes on. Similar to spirulina it contains all essential amino acids. It helps detox the liver and cleanse.

3. Omega-3

Unless your eating fatty fish (salmon) every day then you need this in your life!!..Omega-3 can help improve cardiovascular health and control diseases which involve chronic inflammation such as atherosclerosis. It can help mental disorders like Alzheimer’s and depression. It improves brain function, improving intelligence and preventing memory loss. Some studies show it helps with fat loss in combination with exercise. I make sure I have 2g EPA and 1.5g DHA.. find this by looking at the back of your fish oil supplement.

 

Todays recipe is packed with superfoods and protein to aid muscle growth and increase metabolism to improve fat loss efficiency. Real easy to make and a great post workout meal!

Chocolate Beetroot Smoothie

Ingredients:

serves 1

  • 1 roasted beetroot
  • 1 scoop natural vanilla protein powder
  • 1/4 tsp xatham gum
  • 1 tsp maca powder
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 2 tsp raw cacao powder
  • 1 tsp stevia (to taste)
  • 200ml almond milk (more or less depending how thick you like it)
  • 5-10 ice cubes

Direction:

Put all the ingredients into a high speed blender and wizz up. Add more or less almond milk depending how thick you like it.

Note: add grated dark chocolate curls for decoration

 

Nov 22
Love0

Raw Salted Caramel Slice

By Nutrition

I must say.. England has really hit me hard. Rain. Wind. Cold…. Rain again. The weather is fucking shocking here. When the weather is shit, All I want to do is get my bake on. I have created so many wonderful treats in my 2 days since returning home. My kitchen in England is so well equipped by my wonderful mother with the best equipment and super foods, so I have gone rather crazy in the kitchen. 

My 3 months traveling have been the best 3 months of my life. Leaving Melbourne in September got me panicked about not having gym access when ever I wanted. And sometimes possibly not having a real choice of the food I had to eat.. (with 1 frying pan and a temperamental stove). Although to my surprise, we managed to fill the whole trip with wholesome healthy superfoody goodness and used the most bazaar equipment for exercise (please see my instagram for photos).

With January just around the corner I wanted to talk a little about new years goals. Goal setting in your fitness journey are essential for success. First thing i’m going to hit you with is SMART. Now your all like ‘fuck off Charlie thats what my school teacher nagged on about. BUT ITS TRUE! So many people come to me and say ‘make me skinny‘… By what date? How much weight do you want to loose? Is that realistic?… If you set that goal for when January comes around. You will fail. Also.. NEVER set your goal to get skinny. Skinny is not cool. And you won’t get skinny. You want to get fit and healthy and have a strong toned bosssss body!

Specific

‘I want to loose 8kgs of weight from fat and tone my shoulders to improve posture,while building muscle on my butt to give me a sexy as hour-glass figure’ THATS MORE LIKE IT.

Decide a plan which is specific and gives you focus to your training. This can help someone like my self (if you have a personal trainer) make you a specific, unique fitness and nutrition plan to help reach your goal.

Measurable

Put a number on it!! Take bodily measurements and look how many centimeters you want to loose from your waist. Look into how strong you are in a particular area, e.g. Squats. and increase the amount you can lift by 20kgs. Body weight goals are not so great as you may put on a heap of muscle, but they can be used for a guide.

Achievable

‘I want to loose 10kgs in a week’….Sorry NO! That ain’t gonna happen. Firstly if you loose weight mega quick. You will pile it all back on.. FACT. Slow and steady wins the race…. Check back in my posts on Metabolic Damage!!

Relevant

Okay this ones a little obvious. Your not going to set a goal of how many burgers your can eat in 1 hour are you!!

Time

If you have an event coming up. definitely make this event your goal. If your wedding is in 10 months. Make this the long term goal. Your must also set short term goals to hit on the way to keep your fitness journey super high of motivation. So often people will say….’Fuck it. Its 8 months till I have to put that bikini on. One large pizza won’t hurt’. If you set goals to achieve in 1 months time. This won’t happen!

 

Once these goals are set. Get your ass in the gym. Get your apron on in the kitchen and smash those goals.. I have great January deals coming up for online and personal programmes to help you hit those goals. Contact me for more details 🙂

In the mean while. Enjoy these taste raw goodies…

Raw Salted Caramel Slice

serves 12

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer

3tbsp desicated coconut

2tbsp walnuts

1tbsp powdered stevia

1.5 tbsp powdered stevia

1tbsp melted coconut oil

Caramel Layer

1 cup cashews

1 cup pitted dates

(4-7 tbsp hot water)

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1/2tsp salt

Chocolate 

6tbsp melted coconut oil

3 heaped tbsp raw cacao

3tbsp maple syrup

2 drops of vanilla extract

 

Directions:

Put the dates and the cashews into soak in some warm water and leave to one side.

Put all bottom layer ingredients in a blender and wizz up for around 3 minutes until all ingredients are combined. (you may have to scrape down the sides a few times).. Get your self a shallow dish. Press the bottom layer evenly into the bottom of the dish and place to one side.

Drain the cashews and dates and place in the blender with the vanilla and salt. Blend until a smooth consistency is reached (you may have to add the hot water while blending to get a less thick caramel).. Once the caramel is smooth and delicious. Pour over the first layer in the dish and leave to one side.

To make the chocolate. Combine the melted coconut oil, cacao, maple syrup and vanilla in a bowl and stir until combined. Pour over the caramel layer and place the dish into the freezer

If you are patient enough… Wait over night then take out and cut into squares. Store in the fridge 🙂

 

 

Aug 21
Love0

Pumpkin Protein Cake

By Nutrition

Alcohol and fitness are not really two things which go well together. Many people ask me how bad alcohol is and how much they can drink while still improving their bodies?! Alcohol consumption relating to fitness is generally not an area discussed. You will often see fitness fanatics stay home while their friends go out drinking to ‘save the gains‘… They seem to think having a few drinks will cause their muscles to fall off and give them a beer gut. This is really a load of crap..

People talk about the work/life balance and getting it right. People also should think about the fitness/life balance and getting that right. Yes drinking may not be optimal for the best physique. But when your old and frail looking back at your life. Do you want to be the person who stayed home and got an awesome body?!! Im going to explain simply how to keep a great body while being able to enjoy alcohol.

Alcohol has about 5.6 calories per gram. It is liquid form which does not fill you up meaning your left hungry. This is why you get in from a night out and eat a whole pizza and a bar of chocolate….

Alcohol effects testosterone levels very slightly after binge drinking, although not enough to take any negative effect on the body. Studies show that even drinking alcohol post workout won’t reduce muscle strength and gains. Alcohol will not increase muscle protein synthesis (using muscle as energy).. Which means your muscle will stay totally intact while doing a bar crawl.

Alcohol its self is not fattening. It cannot be stored as fat in the body. However. When consumed, it takes priority so fat oxidization from the body cells (using fat as energy) will not happen. It is the sugary crap in alcoholic drinks along with the consumption of drunk eating which will cause fat gain.

So.. How do you drink while preventing fat gains…

  • For that day, reduce fat and carb intake to allow for extra calories from the alcohol which will be consumed
  • Keep protein levels high to prevent muscle protein synthesis
  • Have sensible beverages.. a beer will have 12g of carbs in it, while cocktails will range between 10-20g of carbs. Stick to dry white wines which contain <1g of carbs and spirits (mixed with soda or diet drinks) contain almost no carbs.
  • Limit big nights out to once a week due to the increased risk of disease caused by alcohol…. We want to be happy and healthy. Not diseased alcoholics!
  • Finally.. Don’t come home and eat the whole fridge. This will cause fat gain!

Now.. Don’t use this an excuse to go out and get shit faced every weekend because thats not healthy.I strongly believe in everything in moderation. So what if you get absolutely smashed every once in a while. So what if you eat a pizza to your self occasionally… Having one healthy day will not make you slim and healthy. One day of drinking or one day of eating crap (make sure they are on separate days) 😀 will not make you fat and unhealthy. Don’t be a square meat head with no social life because thats not something to be proud of!

Following up from my last high carb post for re-feed days. This is a delicious, high protein, low fat (almost no fat) recipe using my faveeee veggie. PUMPKIN:)

Pumpkin Protein Cake

Ingredients:

Makes 16

  • 75g protein powder (I used vanilla flavor)
  • 4 egg whites (for lower fat) OR 2 whole eggs
  • 300g pumpkin puree OR roasted/microwaved pumpkin
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 150g oat bran OR oat flour
  • 100ml unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees and line a cake tin with a little coconut oil. Put all ingredients in a mixer/blender and mix until a smooth consistence is reached. Pour the mixture into the cake tin and bake for 20-25 minutes or until a knife comes out the cake clean. (everyones oven seems to cook faster than my shitty oven)

Tip:

For extra texture, try adding nuts, seeds of cacao nibs to the mix after blending 🙂

Aug 08
Love1

Low Fat, Pumpkin Risotto

By Nutrition

Do you ever hit major plateaus in fat loss? Keep eating a low calorie diet yet can’t seem to loose any fat, how ever much you bust your ass in the gym? You may be suffering from low levels of Leptin in your body and need a re-feed… Re-feed? To most fitness junkies this is a familiar word although most people don’t even have a general understanding of Leptin levels and shy away from re-feeds in the fear of putting on weight…. There are hundreds of amazing explanations online but most of them go all scientific and confusing on us… No body got time for that shit.. So i’m going to tryyyyyy to explain this as simply as possible so you can have worry free re-feeds and burn that fat away.. YIPPEE

So Leptin is a metabolic, anti starvation hormone found in the body. Leptin levels are reduced by a calorie defect of a reduce of body fat. When Leptin levels decrease, a message is send to the brain to pretty much say..don’t burn any body fat and eat more food.. This is why you can be dieting super strictly, training like mad and still loose no weight. Sucks right? On top of this you find your self super hungry all the time where the brain is telling you to eat more food. This makes dieting super hard! You may also find your workouts are slacking from a lack of muscle glycogen stores for energy…. Sound familiar?

So how do we increase leptin levels? We eat a shit ton of carbs?!?! CARBS CARBS CARBS. Yes thats right. And not just the slow GI ones either. You can go to town on carbs. This is what we call a re-feed. It is a process of eating over your daily calorie allowance with a high percentage of carbs to bounce your body back out of starvation mode by raising the leptin levels. Don’t get too excited. This is not just a blow out cheat meal. You can kind of look at is as a controlled cheat meal...

To carry out a perfect re-feed you must increase your daily calorie consumption with carbs. You will eat 50%-100% more carbs than on a normal day from any carb sources containing no sucrose or fructose. Sucrose and fructose have no effects on leptin levels so we dont need these. While doing this you will reduce your fat intake to a minimum. This means eating no fatty foods and grams of fat you do consume will be a miniscule amount from the other foods you are eating. Protein intake must be taken to 1g per lbs of body weight.

The re-feed will usually be done over a 24 hour window every 4-7 days. The lower the body fat levels are.. the lower the calorie consumption.. the more often you will need to re-feed. You will generally find each re-feed can be slightly higher in carbs every time as well. I have been known to have re-feed days rocketing up to 700g of carbs!!! Your muscle glycogen stores will also be replenished which will give you amazing energy levels and strength in your workouts :).. Your shouldn’t worry too much about veggies on re-feeds as they contain a high level of fiber which will make you feel super duper full and may prevent you from eating enough carbs.

Best Carb Sources:

  • Bread
  • Pancakes
  • Waffels
  • Fat free Icecream
  • Fat free Frozen yogurt
  • Oats
  • Rice
  • Pasta
  • Fat free Chips
  • Cereal (frosties are the bombbbb)

Bellow is one of my favorite hearty re-feed meals. I will usually have a portion of this, followed by a huge tub of frozen yogurt and maybe a stack of pancakes with frosties on! Doesn’t get much better than that!!!!

 

 

Low Fat, Pumpkin Risotto

Ingredients:

Serves 2

  • 1 onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 6 mushrooms
  • 2 handfuls of chopped green beans
  • 300g roast pumpkin
  • 200g arborio rice
  • 1 tsp turmeric
  • 1tsp paprika
  • 1tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups of vegetable stock
  • 400g cooked chicken breast
  • 400g low fat cottage cheese

Directions:

Chop the onion, mushroom and garlic and combine in a pan on low heat with the turmeric, cumin, paprika, salt pepper and a splash of vegetable stock. Fry for around 3 minutes until the onion is browned. Add the rice and stir allowing it to absorb the flavor. Add the first cup of stock and stir regularly until all the liquid has absorbed. Once all the stock has been absorbed add the second cup of stock and continue to stir on a low heat. When all the liquid has been absorbed, check the rice has been cooked all the way through then chop and add the roast pumpkin and the green beans along with the cottage cheese. Allow to simmer for 5 minutes then remove from the heat. Serve and top with sliced chicken breast. ENJOY

 

p.s don’t weight your self after re-feed day. You will be heavier!

 

Jul 15
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Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

By Nutrition

So I took the morning off work today as i’m feeling sore as anything. I have been having Bowen Therapy which is amazing but makes you achy and tired the next day. Bowen is a non-manipulative, non-invasive, holistic massage treatment and soft tissue remedial therapy to facilitate healing of the whole body. Its almost like trigger point therapy. The muscle fascia is rolled over the muscle in certain areas to trigger the bodies natural healing process. This means any injuries or bad alignment kind of fix them selves…. What am I saying!!!  I have no idea about the science behind it but let me tell you its bloody fantastic! Why?! Well my mum had awful back problems for months due to a long term coccyx injury from when she was pregnant with me (sorry mum). She has seen osteopaths, physiotherapists, chiropractors, and all sorts of therapists for years and no one has been able to fix it. She then got recommended Bowen therapy when she was at absolute rock bottom… (she could barely walk at this stage). Anyway… This Bowen therapist has totally realigned her whole body and she is able to run again, go to the gym and go rowing again with absolutely no pain! WOO 🙂 I always get minor lower back pain and a sore knee which I generally ignore, so I thought I would make an appointment to see if this could be fixed. Turns out my right leg was shorter than my left due to my pelvis being out of line. My hamstrings were literally frozen trying to compensate for this which was arching my lower back causing pain. My right shoulder was also totally out of line which pulled my upper back muscles and caused my right pec to be inflamed! Shit.. And I was ignoring this for so long! Two sessions in and my legs are the same length 🙂 My shoulder is back inline and my lower back pain has gone!!! What I want to get onto is that just because your fit and healthy it doesn’t mean everything is always working how it should be. Having minor imbalances in the body can cause major injuries later on in life. It can effect form for exercises in the gym and cause other inuries where muscles try to compensate for imbalances. For example.. A bad squat form may be due to a pelvic tilt and tight hamstrings which can cause the glutes to not activate and make major muscle imbalances. This will also cause pain in the knees and can lead to extreme pain later on in life.. LOOK AFTER YOUR BODY!! I totally recommend this type of therapy to anyone who does weights training. It is so important to take care of your body. I don’t know about you but I don’t want to be in a wheel chair at the age of 40 with fucked knees and a bad back! We all bust our asses off in the gym to be ‘healthy’ and ‘fit’ while we ignore minor niggles and pain. You only get one body.. Don’t ruin it. Don’t buy that new dress.. get some bowen therapy. Invest in your health, it will last much longer than clothes or handbags 🙂

Speaking of being healthy and fit.. I have an ammmmmazing new recipe for you beauties. We DO NOT want to fill our bodies with crap which is why I try to healthify  high calorie, high sugar, high saturated fat goodies… because no body has time for that shit!!

So for those of you who read my posts. I am OBSESSED with peanut butter.. and chocolate. As a matter of fact, its in most of my recipes! Another thing I LOVVVE is cheese cake mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm…. So here we have peanut butter, chocolate cheese cake! Its gluten free and by omitting the cheese cake topping, it will no longer be cheese cake 🙁 but it will be dairy free. WOOO

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cheesecake

Ingredients:

makes 10

  • 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 50g gluten free oats
  • 100g mashed sweet potato
  • 40g raw cacao powder
  • 100g peanut butter
  • 50g honey
  • 50g raw sugar
  • 10 drops of caramel stevia
  • 1tsp baking powder
  • 50ml almond milk

Topping: (optional)

  • 150g cottage cheese
  • 50g raw sugar
  • 50g peanut butter
  • 1 scoop vanilla whey

Directions:

Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees. Place all cake ingredients into a blender and mix until a smooth consistency is reached. Pour the mix into a baking tray and make the topping. For the topping add all ingredients to a bowl and mix/blend together until smooth consistency is reached. Blob the mix over the cake mix and carefully swirl into the cake mix so it is partially combined. Put in the oven and bake for 50 minutes (its a long time, but its worth it) They should be a little gooey when you remove. Allow the cheesecake to cool and cut into slices.

Note:

To add some texture to this recipe, try mixing walnuts through the cake mixture after blending 🙂

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