Oatmeal Protein Pancakes

The biggest "problem" for most people in the morning is not allowing themselves enough time to make breakfast. We say allowing, since not having is not an excuse in our book. You hear that all the time: "I don't have enough time to make breakfast in the morning"
That's just bullshit, just get up 10 mins earlier, problem solved. Anyway, with this recipe you seriously have no excuse anymore, since it really only takes less than 10 minutes to make.

This was made with Trutein Pumpkin flavor

Ingredients: (makes 2 pancakes)

1/2 cup of rolled oats (40 grams)
1 scoop of whey protein (47 grams) tip --> Syntha-6 Peanut Butter Cookie
1 egg
1 scoop of water or milk (use the protein scoop)

In a bowl, mix the oats and water (or milk) together and zap in the microwave for about 90 seconds. In the meantime, heat a bit of coconut oil in a pan.
When the oats are cooked, mix in the egg and whey protein. Stir it well, and then scoop some of the batter in the pan. Cook until brown, then flip over and brown on the other side. Repeat for the second pancake.

You can add any extras to it you like: chocolate chips, fruit, nuts, peanut butter, etc.

Cracked Nut Butter, Brownie Batter - $14.99 12 grams of protein per serving!

Product Review: FormulX Recovery Whey

Sometimes you read a company bio in which states something like "for athletes, by athletes" and you'll always have to wonder a bit if that's true. Well, looking at the company info of FormulX, you won't have to question that for one second. You won't find any suits here!


FormulX was founded in 2008, with the aim to create sports supplements with no artificial ingredients or sweeteners. The result was a line of 3 products:

- Creatine Monohydrate
- L-Glutamine
- Whey Protein

We were able to get our hands on the whey protein, and put it through the test for you.
As usual, the test will cover 4 elements:

- Ingredients
- Mixability
- Taste with water and/or (almond) milk.
- Macros

Ingredients

Grass-fed whey is always a winner, and so is the MCT oil for some healthy fats. We got a little worried when we read stevia in the mix, since stevia is high on our dislike list.

In any case, the list is relatively short, and that's always a good thing. It's nice to see the use of sunflower lecithin instead of soy lecithin.

Mixability

The powder mixes easily, both in the shaker bottle and in the blender. We also tried it in the Vortex.

Taste

The tricky part. Like said before, the blend contains stevia, and apparently some people are more sensitve to the taste than others. Guess our receptors are as well. The licorice-like aftertaste is especially dominant when mixing it with water, but if you mix the powder with milk, the milk absorbs the stevia taste more, and makes it less overpowering. So to conclude: we didn't like it with water, but it tasted pretty good mixed with milk.

The macros

One scoop (35g) will get you 22 grams of protein, 2.5g of fat & 3g of carbs. The label lists also 4g of sugar alcohols, so that's a little confusing. With a total of 130 calories, these numbers match up with most mainstream proteins out there.

The Verdict

It's a solid product, you can tell a lot of thought and effort has gone into the development.
If you don't mind the stevia taste, it's a good, clean whey protein to supplement your diet.

The only pitfall for some could be the price: a tub with 26 servings will cost you $54.95

www.formulx.com

Product Review: Vortex Portable Mixer

Most of the time, we don't really care about how we shake our proteins up; right after the workout we just dump it into a shaker bottle, give it a few good shakes and we're good to go.
However, there is a difference in taste and texture when you use a blender, with most proteins it becomes more creamy and foamy and simply tastes a bit nicer.

So what if you use a battery operated, portable blender? Is it a step-up from the good Ol' Shaker Bottle with his side-kick Metal Ball? Let's find out, shall we?

The plastic is very solid and seems like it's quite durable. The blender operates on 2 AAA batteries (included)

You can fill it up until 450 ML (16 oz.) but if you use the blender, only fill it up until 300 ML (12 oz.)

First pour in the liquid, then add the protein powder.
Below, we shot a little video on how it works: (sorry for the vertical position of the video, but this was the best way to film it)



The verdict?

As you can see, the shake doesn't really come out all creamy like in a regular blender. In comparison, we think there isn't much difference form using the regular shaker bottle.

Still want one? Check:



Vortex Portable Mixer - Portable Mixer 18 fl oz - $14.99
Retail Price: $19.99
You Save: $5.00

Counting Macros - Week 2

Week 2 has turned around, and I've made a few estimates already (without weighing myself, this will happen next week) First of all, the average calorie intake per day in the last 14 days has been 2055.
 Second, I'm simply looking at calories only, not really paying attention yet to the macro intake.
The current setting I have:

Carbs: 35%
Protein: 35%
Fat: 30%

To be fair, for my weight and frame, 184 grams of protein is quite much (ok, way too much) so this week I'll tweak that and add more to my carbs and fats, making it like this:

The higher carb intake will be difficult, since I don't eat grains. Most of my carbs come from veggies, some fruit and the occasional potato.

Below, an example of how the average intake of macros has been going so far:

Weely calorie overview week 2

So the goal this week will be to increase carbs, lower protein a bit and maintain fat intake.

Product Review: P28 High Protein Peanut Butter

Peanut butter fans, pay attention! We were fortunate enough to be able to try out the protein peanut butter by P28 Foods.

Based in Syracuse, NY, they guys know how to make high protein breads & spreads.
We haven't tried the bread (yet) since we are a bit sensitive to gluten, but the protein spread we tested (Signature Blend) has been on the menu pretty much every day lately.

The product line has 6 spreads total:

Peanut Butter
Signature Blend
Almond Butter
White Chocolate
Banana Raisin
Gingerbread (seasonal)

So we tried the Signature Blend, and it's absolutely delicious. You can spread this on an old shoe and it makes it taste good. Plus, you can't go wrong with these macros!

One serving will get you 14 grams of protein, and if you take regular peanut butter as a comparison, you basically get double the amount of protein per serving.

The structure is crunchy, it's very spreadable and you'll run into a cranberry every now and then if you stir it often enough, since they tend to sink a bit to the bottom.

We absolutely love this peanut butter spread and can't wait to try the other flavors, highly recommended!

Almost empty. We are very sad.

Buy at:

P28 Foods
Bodybuilding.com 
Tigerfitness
Amazon

Choc Chip Protein Pancakes

If you are a chocolate addict and love pancakes for breakfast, then this is your lucky day. Spending quite
some time in the kitchen trying to create the best high protein, low carb & gluten free pancake recipe, we are quite convinced that this is it. And you only need 6 ingredients: (for 6 pancakes)



1/2 cup of coconut flour (80 grams)
2 scoops of Trutein Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup protein (60 grams)
6 eggs
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup of water
1/4 cup of dark chocolate chips (45 grams)
coconut oil for cooking

Get 2 bowls, one for the wet and one for the dry ingredients. Mix the coconut flour, protein powder & baking soda in one. In the other, mix the eggs and water with an electric hand mixer, until the eggs fluff up a bit. Next, mix it all together thoroughly with the hand mixer. Heat some oil in a pan scoop some batter in the pan, then sprinkle some chocolate chips on top. Cover with a lid, until it's brown on one side and then flip over to brown briefly on the other side.

Top it with some P28 peanut butter for even more protein, fruit or the Walden Farms calorie free pancake syrup (because that's the only product they have that doesn't taste disgusting)

To make it even more low carb, use sugar free chocolate chips.


(Disclaimer: If you order a product through any of the links provided, we'll earn a small commission. With that money, we can keep this blog going. Or buy more protein powder)

Product Review: AMRAP Refuel Bar

Another awesome addition to the paleo protein family, is AMRAP Nutrition. This company based in Boise, OH has created the Refuel bar, that is 100% paleo proof and contains only 8 ingredients:







All ingredients are raw and uncooked, and 100% paleo. So, let's take a bite!



Looking to the right on the nutrition panel, the numbers don't really add up:

Fat: 21g = 189 calories
Carbs: 22g = 88 calories
Protein: 14g = 56 calories

Total of 333 calories.
This might come across as picky, but we believe the label should always provide correct information.

The bar is very solid and dense, so this is perfect fuel for high intensity workouts. The one in the picture weighs in at 62 grams, so pretty close to the number on the label, 64 grams.




The taste is nice and sweet, with a strong coconut flavor, sort of like a compact Bounty bar without the chocolate coating and with nuts :-)

This bar will keep you full for a while, and definitely deserves the name "Refuel".
Again, this is a bar that packs a punch, so it's probably most suitable as a meal replacement when you're on the go, but if you don't mind the calories, a great snack as well.




Where to buy?

They come in a box of 8 for $23.95 at Amrap Nutrition

Product Review: OrganiGrowth Whey

This time, we're having a look at a whey protein by OrganiGrowth. This company makes certified 100% organic whey protein, with as little ingredients as possible.

We always test on 3 factors:

Ingredients - They certainly succeeded in that area, since it
only contains 4 ingredients:

- organic whey protein concentrate
- organic vanilla or cocoa
- organic cane sugar
- organic flavor
- organic stevia extract

Score: 5/5


Mixability - It mixes well, both with a shaker bottle and a blender, but when using a blender, something happens with the composition of the shake. It seems like the shake separates, with a foamy part and a liquid part. We actually think this is because of the absence of a "binder" in the shake. Usually companies use lecithin (mostly from soy, but it can also be made from sunflower) This can probably prevent the shake from separating.

Score: 3/5

Taste - We had 3 people taste-test it. All 3 had 1 thing in common; they found the taste a bit "weak". Even though the smell of vanilla is very evident and full, the taste falls behind.
Both mixed with water and milk, we rate the taste a 4/5.

The verdict?
OrganiGrowth is definitly on the right track! Their product is 100% organic and as pure as possible, you're not paying for fillers or any weird ingredients which names you can't pronounce.
The only thing that needs a bit of tweaking is perhaps a bolder taste, and the creaminess after mixing.
It's a perfect protein for athletes who are looking to add some quality protein to their diet.

Buy OrganiGrowth Whey online for $30 for 16 oz. resealable bags (which is better for the environment too!)

Disclaimer: We are not affiliated with this product, we weren't bribed, paid or even forced to place this review. This review is based 100% on our own opinions and experience. 

Counting Macros - Week 1

This years goal is to gain more weight, and not just a few extra kilos, but actual lean muscle.
In order to know how much to eat to gain muscle, you need to know what you're currently eating, and since I have basically been the same weight for over a year, I can conclude that I'm eating around my maintenance level in calories, with the obvious fluctuations of eating either a bit over or under.

The first week of counting my macros is done, and I must say, it's very interesting to see what you're consuming in actual numbers. You have to be really honest to yourself, and not be tempted to skimp on a glass of wine or 2. In addition, eating more food has proven to be quite hard.

No matter how you look at it, in order to gain weight, you need to eat more. But doing that in a responsible way (so not by eating pints of Ben & Jerry's every day, although I wish I could be like Rich Piana)
FYI: a whole pint of Ben & Jerry's: 1050 calories (and a total of 105 grams of sugar)
Sure, you can stuff your face with cakes, ice cream and fatty foods, but I don't think your body will thank you for that.
(CT Fletcher did it and ended up having open heart surgery)

So how do you know how much to eat? 
First of all, you need to calculate your basic metabolic rate (BMR) wich is basically the amount of calories you need to survive every day. There are many tools online you can use, I used this one and after doing several tests with other tools, my BMR came out at 1400 calories on average.
With exercise on top, the daily requirement came out at 2100 calories. This is called your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure)
An article I wrote on this topic can be found here.

How much do you eat now?
The only way to find out, is to keep track! Starting last week, I logged everything in MyFitnessPal, not necessarily with the aim to already start eating more, but to document how much I'm currently eating. After 4 weeks, I will evaluate (weight, calorie-intake) and make a nutrition-plan accordingly.
My starting weight is 60.2 kg. Below, the numbers of the first week:

For the full overview of my food-intake, check my MyFitnessPal profile.

Overnight Protein Oatmeal

If you're looking to switch things up a bit (in our case, the standard eggs & bacon) for breakfast, this might be a great high-protein alternative. You make it the night before, so it has time to set.

Ingredients:

It doesn't look it, but it's nice!

1/2 cup of rolled oats (50 grams)
1 scoop of whey protein, we used Trutein - Chocolate Peanut butter (40 grams)
1 tbsp cocoa power (8 grams)
1 cup of water (220 ml) --> for more calories, add milk, coconut milk or almond milk.
1 tsp of P28 Peanut Butter (15 grams)
Or try Nuts 'n More!
1 tsp chia seeds (8 grams)
1/2 a banana (75 grams)

In a blender, mix the protein, cocoa powder & water together. Put the oatmeal into a bowl and add the protein mix. Stir well and refrigerate overnight.
When it's time to eat, add the peanut butter and sliced banana on top. Of course, you could add these in beforehand as well.