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Author: llrnfitness
Chocolate Banana Protein Pancakes
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I have another protein pancake recipe for you guys! And these ones are chocolate!
Recipe
- 1/2 scoop chocolate whey
- 1T coconut flour
- 2T rolled oats
- 1/4 cup egg whites
- 1/4 cup almond milk
- 0.5T cocoa powder
- 1T banana melted in the microwave
- 1/2t baking powder
- 1/4t cinnamon
Directions
- Blend all ingredients together well, cook on lightly greased pan (medium heat)
- Top with favourite pancake toppings (I liked greek yogurt, banana, cacao nibs and peanut butter)
Macros (pancakes only)
Calories: 194
Fat: 3g
Carbs: 19g
Protein: 26g
Chocolate Coconut Protein Balls
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For this recipe specifically: http://www.llrnfitness.com/chocolate-coconut-protein-balls.html
I LOVE quest bars, but my wallet doesn’t, so I resolve to making my own protein bars (as you’ve seen here, here and here)
So I was pretty excited when these guys turned out to be the closest I’ve been able to get to matching the flavour of chocolate quest bars, without using vitafiber (a liquid low calorie sweetener and dietary fibre that’s used in quest bars)
Ingredients (makes 12 balls)
- 3 scoops protein powder (I used vanilla whey because that was all I had, but I’m sure that chocolate would make them even more delicious!)
- 2T coconut oil
- 1.5T cocoa powder
- 1T cacao nibs
- 1.5 pack stevia
- 1T coconut flour
- ~1/8 cup water
- ~1/8 cup toasted coconut flakes (optional, for coating)
Directions
- If it’s cold in your house, or you keep your coconut oil in the fridge, heat it for a few seconds in the microwave to liquify
- Mix rest of the dry ingredients together well
- Slowly add the water, mixing well (you may need to add more/less water depending on your protein powder – you want the texture to be fairly firm but a little stick)
- Roll into balls
- If you’re coating with toasted coconut, place the coconut on a plate and roll the balls in it to coat.
Macros (per ball without toasted coconut)
Calories: 69
Carbs: 1.3g
Protein: 9.1g
Fat: 3.1g
Freekeh – A Delicious High Fiber, High Protein Grain
Hi everyone! I hope your March is going well! Here in Ontario we’re finally starting to see some warmer weather, which is fantastic. Recently I was introduced to a new grain called freekeh, and I love the texture, taste and nutritional info, so I thought I’d go over it with you all!
Freekeh (or Farik) is an ancient grain from the Middle East made from roasted green wheat. Compared to white rice, freekeh has up to eight times more dietary fibre, and up to twice as much protein. It kind of reminds me of a combination of bulgur and quinoa. Here in Canada, the only place I’ve found it is Bulk Barn. I also know that Bob’s Red Mill sells it, I’ve heard that Trader Joe’s carries it, and you can find it in some Middle Eastern Markets Here is a nutritional comparison to quinoa, bulgur, white rice and brown rice. 
Note: It is not gluten free. Like bulgur, freekeh is a form of wheat, so if you’re gluten sensitive I’d go with quinoa or rice
Taste
I find it has a similar texture to quinoa and bulgur, but tastes a little nuttier.I personally prefer the taste of freekeh to bulgur
Recently, I’ve been enjoying it on top of a salad:
Or mixed with tuna, onions and spices:
I imagine it would be great in any casserole as a rice or quinoa substitution as well!
Preparation
I cook my freekeh in a rice cooker, with 1 cup freekeh to 2.5 cups water, and a little salt and pepper.
You could also prepare it stove top with the same ratio, just watch until all the liquid is absorbed.
Summary
So there you have an overview of my new favorite grain! I hope you can find it and enjoy it too!
Strawberry Vanilla Protein Truffles
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These are such a delicious, easy to make snack! They taste like a mixture of cookie dough and icing!
Ingredients (makes 12 balls)
- 5 frozen strawberries
- 2T almond butter (I used Maranatha)
- 3 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used whey)
- 1.5 pack stevia
- 2T coconut flour
- ~1/8 cup water
Directions
- Melt strawberries in the microwave for ~1 minute
- Add almond butter and dry ingredients, mix well
- Slowly add water (you may need to add more/less water depending on your protein powder/strawberries), you want the mixture to be relatively sticky, but firm.
- Form into balls and store in the fridge or freezer.
Enjoy!!
Macros (per ball)
Calories: 59
Fat: 1.6g
Carbs: 1.9g
Protein: 9.5g
Homemade Veggie Burgers
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I’ve always loved the veggie burgers that I’ve ordered from restaurants in the past, but have never tried to recreate them at home. This was my first attempt at a chickpea-based burger, and it was a success! Delicious and full of fiber and nutrients.
Chickpea-Cauliflower Burgers
Ingredients
- 1 can chickpeas (thoroughly rinsed)
- 1.5 cup steamed cauliflower
- 1/4 large onion, chopped
- 1 egg
- 1/2T coconut flour
- 1T ground flax
- 1t Mrs. Dash
- 1/2t steak seasoning
- 1/4t salt
- 1/2t ground pepper
- 2T pumpkin seeds
- 2T sunflower seeds
Directions
- Blend chickpeas and egg together, leaving a few chunks.
- Mix remaining ingredients together, and form into 6 patties
- Bake for 25 minutes at 350
- Fry in olive oil for ~2 minutes per side before serving
I recommend serving with rutabaga fries 🙂
Macros (per patty)
Calories: 157
Carbs: 22.4g
Fat: 5.0g
Protein: 7.8g
Blueberry Egg-White Omelette
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Recently, I haven’t really been into oatmeal, or pancakes for breakfast, so I’ve been making these blueberry omelettes instead! I’ve made a few different versions, but here is the one I had this morning – super easy and delicious 
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1T mashed banana
- 1T oat flour
- 1/2t cinnamon
- 1T vanilla greek yogurt
- 1/2t coconut oil
- 1/4 cup blueberries
Directions
- Heat coconut oil in a skillet on medium heat
- Mix mashed banana with greek yogurt well
- Add egg whites oat flour, cinnamon and syrup
- Pour mixture onto heated pan, and cook until almost set
- Place blueberries on one side of the omelette, and cook for ~2 more minutes
- Flip the side without the blueberries onto the other side, cook for ~ 30s
- Fold in half again (to make a triangle)
Top with favourite breakfast toppings (I used a chocolate-chia-peanut sauce (for which I will post the recipe later this week – it’s delicious!), banana slices, and goji berries. Macros: (Omelette only) Calores: 144 Fat: 2.7g Carbs: 13.2g Protein:15.0g
Peanut Butter and Jelly Homemade Protein Bars
I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I am a HUGE protein bar fan. They’re basically candy bars (but with more protein and less fat/carbs – hopefully) I few brands that I really enjoy are:
Detour Bars (the Smart bars and the low-sugar ones)
Power Bars (the vanilla yogurt ones)
One day I would also like to try Krush bars and Bupbars, but haven’t been able to find them in Canada yet, and don’t want to pay duties 🙂
Fortunately for my wallet, I also enjoy making my own bars
These ones are Peanut butter and Jelly Flavoured! They also lower in calories than your typical packaged protein bar.
Ingredients (Makes 8 Bars)
- 1 cup white beans
- 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
- 2T natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup vanilla greek yogurt
- 1T egg whites
- 1/2T agave (or 1 T honey)
- 1/2T low sugar jam (i used strawberry rhubarb) mixed with ~1T water
Directions
- Blend all ingredients except jam mixture together
- Mix and pour into lightly greased pan
- Swirl jam mixture into the top
- Bake at 350 for ~15 minutes
Calories per bar: 89
Macros
Fat: 2.1g
Carbs: 8.0g
Protein: 9.0g
Sprints – 30s Versus 60s
Hello!
Today I will be summarizing a recent study that evaluated sprint interval training on rate of perceived exertion on 20 healthy participants, entitled “Exertional Responsese to Sprint Interval Training: A Comparison of 30-sec. and 60-sec. Conditions”
I’m a huge fan of sprints (versus steady state cardio) – you can read more about my experiences with long distance running on my about page. I usually switch up the length of my sprint intervals (anywhere between 30 to 90s), so this article was interesting to me.
Usain Bolt – the sprint master
Methods
20 students (average age 23.4) were recruited from a university in the US. They were all screened for prior/existing health conditions (orthopaedic, cardiovascular or pulmonary). They were instructed to avoid alcohol, caffeine, and tobacco for three hours prior to testing.
Two groups were established, both consisted on 20 minutes (2 min warm up, 16 min intervals, 2 min cool down) on a stationary cycle, one with 60s intervals, one with 30s intervals, with a 1:1 rest period (i.e.60s on, 60s off vs. 30s on, 30s off)
The investigators tested each participant for peak workload capacity by determining the point at which they couldn’t maintain a cadence of 30rpm. They were then given 3-5 minutes of active recovery.
After recovery, each participant began the interval trial. The intensity used for sprint intervals was 90% peak power achieved on the first test.
The outcome of interest was a valid and reliable rate of perceived exertion (RPE) scale,i.e. how hard did the participant think they were working, on a scale of 0-10. This is a standard scale that trainers use to assess how hard they think their clients are working. (0 is nothing at all, 3 is moderate, 5 is hard, and 10 is very, very hard or maximal.
Results
Both trials showed a significant increase in RPE from before the trial to after the trial. RPE for the 60s trial was significantly higher both after, and during exercise.
Conclusion
Shorter intervals are perceived as less work than longer intervals, even though the participants were sprinting and resting for the exact same time!
Unfortunately the only variable the authors evaluated was the RPE, I would be interested to see the effect of interval duration on VO2 max, heart rate, calorie expenditure etc. There might be a trial out there that already evaluated this though, I’ll have to check!
Citation
Kilpatrick, M.W., Greely, S.J. Exertional responses to sprint interval training: A comparison of 30-sec. and 60-sec. conditions. 2014 Psychological Reports. 144 (3) 854-865.
