Vanilla + Peanut Butter Post-workout Protein Shake

Got miiiiilk? This little beauty is a firm favourite of mine at the moment; it's so creamy and thick it feels like a pudding, but the macronutrients of the ingredients make this an ideal post-workout shake.

To make this, you'll need:

1 ripe banana
1 scoop vanilla protein (I'm using Sunwarrior's vegan vanilla flavour at the mo)
1 tablespoon runny honey
Handful of ice
200ml unsweetened almond milk
1 tablespoon peanut butter (Meridian, Pip + Nut and Whole Earth are my preferred brands)

You know the score, chuck everything in a blender and whiz until smooth, then pour into an edgy, instagrammable glass / jar, and enjoy.

Protein and carbs are needed to aid muscle tissue growth and repair, and having protein with carbs after a workout is essential as when you're working hard, your body becomes starved of stored energy (glycogen) and usable energy (glucose). To compensate, with no more energy available for your muscles, your body secreted cortisol (the stress hormone), which essentially converts muscle tissue for protein into glucose - meaning you can actually lose muscle tissue.

More on that topic here, on the Body Building website, althougggh these guys do say that fruit isn't the best source of carbs here, and recommend something called waxy maize but, I love the taste of banana and it seems a little less processed.

Have a good one!

British Military Fitness Cookbook

It might not be an Amazon best seller, but I'm in a book! A recipe book, to be precise, crafted and made possible by British Military Fitness. They asked a handful of foodie, fitness and healthy lifestyle bloggers to share a recipe for either breakfast, lunch or tea as part of their #FitFoodBMF campaign.

I do circuits outdoors three times a week, and the bootcamp element to British Military Fitness classes has always (weirdly perhaps) appealed to me, so I was honoured to be asked to take part in this..

I chose to make a slow cooked lamb dish; to me it's something I look forward to tucking into after having battled with the elements (and kettlebells) at circuits, and it seemed a good fit given that we're in the middle of winter.

The recipe for this slow cooked paprika lamb with pomegranate quinoa can be found below, and if you want to download the e-book, the link is here!

You can't really make lamb stew look too pretty, so sorry about the picture...!

Slow cooked paprika lamb with pomegranate quinoa

Serves 4

400g lamb shoulder
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 can chopped tomatoes
2 celery sticks, chopped
4 carrots, diced
1 sprig fresh rosemary (or 1 tbsp dried)
2 tbsp hot paprika
1 tbsp cumin
3 garlic gloves, chopped
1 onion, diced
Salt and pepper to season

For the quinoa:

100g quinoa
Seeds from one large pomegranate

I served mine with Greek yoghurt and a couple of handfuls of spinach.

I always remove the majority of excess fat from the lamb before putting in the slow cooker. Once I've done this, I throw it all in the slow cooker and let it do its thing for around eight hours. If you don't have a slow cooker, you can do this in a large, deep pan, and keep things cooking on a really low heat - just make sure you keep your eye on it every hour or so.

As well as being one of my fave comfort meals, BMF also asked nutritionist Ben Coomber to look at each recipe from a nutritional perspective to sound them out. Ben reckons the dish is a great recovery option as it's full of proteins and carbs, which is good enough for me! Personally, I like using quinoa rather than rice in this - it's lighter and contains more protein. Plus, the dish as a whole is so easy to make - chuck everything in the slow cooker and voila. Freeze what you don't need and whip it out when you're stuck for making time to cook.

One of the best things about the campaign was discovering a load of new like-minded bloggers, as well as featuring along side my good pal Vicki :)

The variety of recipes everyone created in the book is diverse, and as well as sounding really tasty, none of them look too complicated to make! Each one has a nutritionally sound profile too so ideal if you're looking for a bit of healthy cuisine inspiration.

As a thank you, British Military Fitness have given me a free pass at one of their classes, so if I give it a whirl I'll be sure to let you know how it is..!

Easy Vegan Protein Shake

I have this protein shake almost every day if I'm exercising, usually after my workout. I'm going to be straight with you; no, it isn't as sweet as sticky toffee pudding flavoured whey, but that's because this shake doesn't have any nasty added ingredients.

Not that I'm preaching - I'm more than partial to vanilla / double chocolate flavoured whey, but sometimes it's nice to know exactly what it is you're putting into your body. And, because I do eat meat, eggs and so on and so forth, I figured it would probably do my body good to go vegan on this one as often as I can.

Pea protein is around 80% protein, it's a great source of amino acids and it's low in carbs and fat. It's not that pea protein tastes bad or anything, it just tastes a bit like hay, which can be an odd taste to get used to. The maple syrup in this offers sweetness, and the cacao is really rich, bringing it all together to taste a lot like a thick chocolate milkshake.

To make this, you'll need:

• 30g unflavoured pea protein (I use Pulsin)
• 1 teaspoon organic cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon / teaspoon pure maple syrup (depending on how sweet you want it)
• 200ml almond milk (homemade or unsweetened)
• Water to mix to your desired consistency 

Place in shaker. Shake. Drink. 

Cinnamon & Nutmeg Protein Loaf

I'm not going to lie to you, I find baking with protein hard. Does anyone else think that it can make your tray bakes / cakes / loaves and cookies dry and a bit 'claggy' sometimes?

I've been wanting to post a protein bake recipe for a few weeks but the last two rounds haven't been up to scratch (apart from when smeared in butter.. oops!), however, I think I'm on the right tracks with this one though as I've added Greek yoghurt to make it more moist, and it definitely makes it taste a lot less dry, which is great!

The nutmeg, cinnamon and sweetness from the dates is 10 on 10 for flavour, and the size of these slices means you don't need too much before feeling satisfied.

This recipe makes 12 chunky loaf squares:

• 100g ground almonds
• 100g Impact whey vanilla (I'm using MyProtein)
• 60g chopped dates
• 30g coconut sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 tea spoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon ground nutmeg
• 100g Total Greek yoghurt

Simply; combine all the ingredients into a large mixing bowl, pour into a loaf tin and pop in the oven.

I'd initially set a timer for 15 minutes but it turns out this chunky loafer needed about 25 minutes, so keep your eye on it - if it looks soggy after fifteen minutes set another timer for 5 minutes and check it again, and so on.

They make a really good snack if you're craving something sweet in the evening or, (if you're anything like me) when you get home in the evening and *couldn't possibly* wait fifteen minutes for your tea to cook.

Macro wise, per loaf chunk:

131 calories
11g protein
8.2g carbs
5.8g fat

My Protein do clothes..!

A few weeks ago, My Protein got in touch and wanted to send me some goodies - which I (naturally) welcomed with excited arms. I was expecting to find just food stuffs on the website and gym accessories - so imagine my surprise upon finding their clothes category!

Cue, my willing, lovely boyfriend taking a few snaps of me in my new gear this weekend...

How cool are the leggings?!

They're now top of the gym attire list. I love the bright pattern - I have about 6 pairs of black leggings so these are a welcome addition. They also passed the squat jump test (see expert demo below), and did not come down when I was running in them, winner.

I'd been meaning on getting a workout top with a bold statement on it, and I think this one covers my attitude to fitness pretty well - it's a really light material too so perfect for the summer.

I chose the foam roller as it's something I know I need to do more of, and now I've got one at home I'm hoping it will spur me on to do ten minutes or so before bed.

I won't lie, stretching and cooling down are regularly skipped during my workouts due to time, tiredness, whatever, but I know how important it is for not only helping with soreness, but also releasing toxins, aiding recovery and preventing against injury. I'm determined to improve on this! Does anyone else struggle with it?

True to My Protein form, I also chose some protein (it would have been rude not to). Although I'm not vegan, my usual protein of choice is pea protein; I am conscious of the amount of animal protein I consume, and wanted a way to reduce this daily without affecting my 'optimum' macros. I'm also wary of the unnatural nastiness that can be added to some whey protein, but I was intrigued to try one of their more simple flavours, as I've never not had a vegan protein!

I opted for the vanilla whey with stevia. It's sweet! Definitely a shake with a taste that feels like a treat; in fact, the closest thing it reminds me of is those vanilla mini milk ice lollies? It took me back to being young. I think it's perfect for a post-workout sweet fix in the evenings (I crave them a LOT), and also for when having eggs for breakfast pre-gym is just too much at 6am.

Are there any other flavours you like and would recommend?

Let me know if you've ordered clothes from them too, I think it's going to be a new payday splurge site for me!

Paprika Salmon & Lime Swiss Chard

This is a great meal option if you're after a low carb, high protein lunch or light dinner. The salmon & hemp are full of essential fatty acids, omega 3 and protein, the pumpkin seeds offer magnesium & zinc, Swiss chard is packed with vitamin K, E and protein, plus the tomatoes give you loads of vitamin C and A.

It tastes so summery and if you leave the salmon to crisp up a bit too it goes perfectly with the sweet tomatoes.

To serve one you'll need;

1 salmon fillet
2 large handfuls Swiss chard
A dozen or so vine ripened tomatoes
1 tablespoon shelled hemp (I use Linwoods)
1 tablespoon pumpkin seeds
1/2 lime
Salt & pepper to season
Paprika

Dust your fillet with paprika and put in the oven at 180 degrees. I set a timer for 20 minutes as I wanted it to be really crispy. When there is about 5-7 minutes left on your timer, pop the tomatoes in the oven too. Wash two generously sized handfuls of Swiss chard and place in a steamer.

Once the chard is wilted, serve on your plate and squeeze the juice of half a lime over it.

Place the salmon over the chard with the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the hemp and pumpkin seeds on top. Voila!