Healthy ice cream – high protein, low fat

Here’s a recipe for ice cream made with protein powder. I used Kinetica Whey Protein Strawberry flavour. It is a much healthier version of standard ice cream, as it is low in fat, and high in protein, and has healthier carbs. Perfect as a post workout recovery snack, or just for something delicious on a hot day.

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Per serving:

  • 208kcal, 18g protein, 25g carbohydrate, 4g fat
  • Normal ice cream per 100g (3/4 cup): 200kcal, 3.3g protein, 23g carbohydrate, 11g fat

Why it’s better than standard ice cream:

  • cream replaced with whey protein powder, yoghurt and milk.
  • higher in protein – for muscle repair and muscle building, makes you feel full up for longer.
  • lower in fat – 17% calories from fat, compared to 50% in standard ice cream
  • healthier carbs – banana and milk replace sugar. Carbs used for muscle repair and building (helps to shuttle protein in to muscle), replaces glycogen used up during exercise.
  • banana provides vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and soluble fibre.
  • you can have a larger portion size than standard ice cream as it is lower in kcal.

You can use any flavour of protein powder that you like, I used strawberry. I don’t have an ice cream maker, but I’m sure the results would be even better using one!

And the recipe…..(makes 2 servings):

30g any whey protein powder 

250ml semi skimmed milk

1 banana

2 tablespoons natural yoghurt

Whizz the ingredients in a blender, and pour in to a bowl. Place bowl in the freezer.

After about an hour, take out of freezer and stir using a whisk or fork. This is to break up the ice crystals. Try to get a smooth consistency.

Repeat this every 30 minutes/1 hour until the ice cream has been in the freezer for approximately 4 hours. If it is left longer than this, it can become quite solid, and will need to be left out of the freezer for a while to defrost a little before serving.

Enjoy!

 

Fiery Noodles

This recipe is adapted from Jaime Oliver’s 30 Minute Meals book. As you can see from the photo, this particular page is well used! This part of the recipe only takes about 10 minutes if you use the ready cooked noodles.image

 I use rice noodles instead of egg noodles (for a gluten free option), and leave out the faff of carmellising cashew nuts. If a recipe isn’t easy, or it has too many complicated ingredients or stages, then I don’t have the time or patience. Especially when our 1 year old is clutchingimage on to my leg while I’m trying to cook!

Ingredients: ready to use rice noodles, 1 red pepper, 1/2 red onion, chilli flakes, handful coriander, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 lime, 1 teaspoon fish sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil.

  • Put the pepper, onion and coriander in a food processor and whizz up until chopped small. Or you can just chop everything up with a knife.
  • Make the dressing with the sesame oil, juice of the lime, soy sauce, fish sauce and chilli flakes (about 1/2 teaspoon, more or less depending on how fiery you like it!)
  • Mix dressing in to chopped pepper, onion and coriander.
  • Heat a frying pan, ideally non stick. If using a wok, add a little oil to imagestop noodles sticking.
  • Add the veg mixture to the pan.
  • Add the ready to use noodles.image
  • Heat through until noodles soft (about 3 minutes).
  • Eat immediately if you like it warm, or leave to cool for a cold salad.
  • Good served with chicken stir fried in a dash of soy sauce and honey. Or a salmon fillet flaked through it. Any other ideas welcomed!

Breakfast Omelette (sweet!)

Most of us have become used to having something sweet in the mornings, rather than savoury. Think breakfast cereal, porridge with raisins, muesli, toast and jam, fruit and yoghurt etc. All perfectly great breakfasts.

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Omelettes usually fall in to the savoury category, so I thought I’d change ingredients to make it sweet. It sounds a bit odd, but bear with me, and give it a go. All you need are eggs, oats and some honey. Cinnamon if you are feeling adventurous!

Why this omelette is great!

Eggs:

  • contrary to popular belief, cholesterol in eggs does not raise blood cholesterol
  • nutrient dense superfood, choca-block with vitamin and minerals
  • high in choline (neurological benefits) and leucine (for muscle building – found in many sports protein drinks)
  • High protein – help you to feel full up for longer and for muscle building
  • cheap!

Oats:

  • low GI, for slow energy release
  • high soluble fibre and B vitamins
  • lowers cholesterol, prevents heart disease
  • also cheap!

Honey:

  • balance of fructose and glucose sugars (similar to sports carbohydrate gels, but without the additives)
  • easily absorbed by the body, increasing energy levels quickly

Here’s what you do:

1) whisk 2 eggs, add to hot non-stick omelette/frying pan

2) sprinkle in a small handful of oats, with cinnamon if you are using

3) give the pan a shake every so often and just a few times give a stir (stir too often and you’ll have scrambled eggs, equally delicious I’m sure)

4) drizzle some honey over the omelette

5) plate up! Add some extra honey if you wish.

Nutrition info: 320kcal, 16g protein, 30g carbohydrate

Oat Gain Cookies

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These are much crunchier than the flapjack recipe, possibly due to the coconut oil in the Kinetica Oat Gain.

1 banana mashed

handful chopped sunflower/pumpkin seeds

handful chopped raisins

1.5 scoops Kinetica Oat Gain

2 handfuls oats

Using tablespoon put scoops of mixture on baking tray with greaseproof paper. Flatten each scoop into a cookie shape. Put in oven at 170 degrees C for about 20 minutes, or until browned.

Makes about 7 cookies, approx 150kcal, 6g protein, 20g carbs each (5 in the picture as two have been eaten!)

700kcal meal – Meatballs and Pasta

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 700kcal, 35g protein, 100g carbohydrate.

 

Most men need about 2500kcal/day, and ladies 2000kcal/day. Less to lose weight, more to gain. My husband Dec’s target intake per day is 3600kcal as he needs to put on a few kilos for the start of the rugby season in September. He tries to divide this evenly throughout the day.

Here is what tonight’s 700kcal meal looks like (it doesn’t look like that much does it?!):

Pasta – 3 (lady) handfuls dried penne, approximately 100kcal each = 300kcal

Meatballs – lean mince, 6 x 50kcal each = 300kcalimage

Tomato sauce – 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes, tomato puree, 1/2 onion, carrot grated, garlic = 50 kcal

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

Recovery shake

Post workout: providing the perfect balance of protein, carbs, vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and electrolytes.Photo on 2013-07-02 at 14.02

Put the following ingredients in a blender and whizz up!

200ml milk

2 tablespoon natural yoghurt

handful frozen berries

1 banana

tablespoon honey

pinch of salt

Tomato & Lentil soup/sauce

Here is a great recipe for a soup/sauce using tomatoes and lentils that is high in protein, slow release carbs, and full of antioxidants. Especially good for post workout recovery snack/meal! It has just four ingredients and takes about 20 minutes to make.

Photo on 25-09-2013 at 12.17 #7

Why’s it so great?

  • the whole pot is 400 kcal, 25g protein and 30g fibre
  • lentils are low GI, meaning the carbohydrate is released slowly, avoiding peaks and troughs in blood sugar levels. Lentils have some iron.
  • high protein makes it filling, so you’ll be less inclined to snack later on
  • tomatoes are high in lycopene, an antioxidant, which may reduce prostate, breast and stomach cancer risk and lower cholesterol. Tomatoes are also packed full of other vitamins e.g. vitamin C, which enhances the absorption of iron in the lentils!
  • it’s cheap……..approximately 80p for the batch
  • add more water for a more liquid soup, or less water for a sauce. Use the sauce as a base for bolognaise (you can use less mince than normal) or on its own as a pasta sauce
  • for those of you in strength training, super charge with protein by adding some chopped up chicken breast or tuna.

It is incredibly filling. I usually have about half for lunch and the other half as a snack in the afternoon. If I’m pushed for time, I leave out the onion.

Here’s the recipe:

tin chopped tomatoes

100g red lentils (dry)    

1 onion

Chicken/beef stock cube made up to approx 300ml with boiling water

Chop the onion, put in saucepan with lentils and stock. Bring to boil, turn heat down and simmer for about 20 minutes. Add more water if necessary. Add the tin of tomatoes. For extra flavour add a squirt of tomato ketchup, a dash of worcester sauce, and a sprinkle of cumin. For a smoother soup or sauce, use a blender.