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!

Review: Bosu Body Bar, Chorlton

I am not ashamed to say that when Bosu opened last month, I was told I was technically their first paying customer; running in after work on their opening day to grab a Chorlton Green juice. I know, keen much?? Anyway. Since then, I've been back a handful of times and loved it! 

If you haven't been yet, hopefully this post will inspire you to get involved, you won't regret it...

That's the chicken protein box. Soo filling - the chicken is sitting on an array of delicious sides, from memory they were: rocket, home made 'baked beans' (my favourite), quinoa salad, sweet potato mash, honey roast vegetables, hummus, home made slaw and tomatoes with a little bit of peri peri sauce...

The mixture of flavours is spot on and everything works really well together.

Juice wise, I went for the Chorlton Green (kale, spinach, broccoli, cucumber, apple, fennel, ginger & lemon), and James had an Indian Summer (fennel, carrot, orange, ruby grapefruit, ginger, pineapple, turmeric).

We also got some deelicious protein balls for pudding - nutty, chocolatey, goey, crunchy, they were just what we needed after a savoury feast.

A few weeks before that, I went with the lovely Pamela, and I devoured the halloumi protein box; same amazing sides, just swapped out chicken for halloumi:

and, ohmygod, the best smoothie - a Muscle Up (peanut butter, almond milk, flax seeds, honey, banana & vanilla). It was divine.

There's seating available inside or outside, and they're open till 8pm most nights so if you can't be bothered to cook dinner after work it's a great option!

(I love the addition of workouts on the table, such a nice touch!)

I'm so pleased Bosu has come to Chorlton, and I wish them every success..

Purple Protein Juice

 A few posts ago I mentioned that Indigo Herbs sent me a sports nutrition package to get creative in the kitchen with, so today I'm sharing a post-gym shake that tastes lush and delivers a huge hit of protein.

In this bad boy we have...
1 tablespoon of:

• Hemp protein powder 
• Spirulina powder 
• Beetroot powder
• Banana powder

And:

• 1 banana
• 2 huge handfuls spinach 
• 2g of cordyceps CS-4
• 1 handful frozen blueberries
• 1 handful frozen raspberries
• 200 ml unsweetened Soy milk 

I use spirulina in all my juices; it's a fab source of plant protein and antioxidants, and since Indigo Herbs delivered my hemp protein powder, I've had this in all my juices, bakes and porridge too. Everyone knows why bananas are the bomb (low GI carb, fibre and potassium) - same goes for the berries (antioxidants all the way!), but I'll admit, I was a little unsure of the beetroot, banana and cordyceps cs-4 powders. SO, I've done some research...

Beetroot powder is said to be a must-have for athletes due to the nitrates in the juice which provide energy, as well as being good for helping to manage blood pressure and detoxing. 

Banana powder is 100% freeze dried 'nana, so it's perfect if you've run out of the fruit but want a banana flavour in your porridge / juice / shake, and naturally retains all the nutritional goodness that the fruit possesses.

Cordyceps cs-4 powder is freeze dried mushrooms! But not just any old mushrooms, these are prized medicinal mushrooms that originate from China. The cordyceps is an extract from the mushrooms. They're supposed to help your metabolism, boost your immune and respiratory system as well as boasting antioxidant properties. 

It tastes sweet; the bananas and berries neutralise the beetroot and spirulina, so if you're not a fan of these flavours, this could be a good one to sneak them into! 

Baked Eggs in Pepper

This recipe is soo easy to make and offers an ideal solution for a quick brunch or light lunch.

You just need two eggs and either one large pepper, or two smaller ones.

Chop across the pepper in half, not down from top to bottom, but around the pepper, so that you have two bowl shapes. Deseed and get rid of the stalk.

Roast in the oven for 20 minutes until soft. Crack an egg into each pepper bowl, and pop back in the oven for 3 - 5 minutes, depending on how you like your eggs cooked.

I served mine with some watercress and tomato dressed in apple cider vinegar with feta, but it would work well on its own, or paired with a chicken breast too.

Chocolate Pancakes

These clean little babies are ideal to make for a leisurely weekend breakfast, or perfect with a cup of tea in the afternoon. They're so indulgent and filling - and more importantly for us, really easy to make.

You'll need;

30g oats
1 mashed banana
1 tea spoon organic cacao powder
1 free range egg

Toppings;

Fage Greek Yoghurt
Blueberries
Meridian Almond Butter
Cinnamon

Method:

First, combine the oats, cacao and egg into a large bowl and stir. Mash the ripe banana and fold into the mixture.

Heat a pan with some coconut oil and when really hot, ladle your pancake mixture into the pan - it's up to you how big / thin / small you decide to make each pancake, I've gone for three scoops in this particular recipe, cooking one at a time.

Flip each pancake a couple of times to ensure the egg is cooked all the way through.

Top with whatever you fancy - I've gone for blueberries, nut butter, Greek yoghurt and a cinnamon dusting, but I also love adding raspberries, dessicated coconut and chia seeds.