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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!

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