Coconut Caramel Cake! #Cakeaday

Alright people! This will be short and sweet........sweet just like this cake!!

This cake is just small tweak to the original Brownie cake recipe, but achieves a huge flavor and texture difference!

What you will need!

1 Tin drained chick peas (250g)
25g Vanilla whey protein
20g Coconut flour
75ml Egg whites
100ml Unsweetened coconut milk
1 Tsp baking soda
1 Tbsp Waldens caramel dip (or similar)
1/2 Tspn cinnamon & dash of Peppermint essence
Liquid stevia/sweetener to taste

MACROS - 580 Calories - 22F/45C/43P

Method.

Step 1. Drain and rinse the chick peas. Combine all ingredients and mix with a spoon, add the chickpeas and blend using a stick mixer until smooth thick batter is achieved.

Step 2. Transfer to a oiled or lined 20cm cake tin. Bake at 160 degrees for 25-30min.

Step 3. Cool on a rack and either remove and serve or enjoy straight out of the tin!

I use 100g of 5% fat cream cheese and mix it with cocoa or waldens choc and use that as a topping!

Told you it would be quick and easy! Be sure to enjoy and feel free to request a recipe through Instagram!!

Jelly Oat Cake - High Volume Oats

Alright! This shit is going to knock your socks off if you love eating large amounts of food, and not to mention for great macros and amazing taste and texture.

Here is what you'll need.

1 Large ceramic/baking dish
80g Rolled oats (Can be more if you're not on shit macros)
1 teaspoon Psyllium husk - not critical but does help with the texture
250ml almond milk/coconut milk
300ml water
60-100ml egg whites
200g Fat free Greek yogurt
1 Packet sugar free jelly - whatever flavor you want
15g Cocoa powder
Liquid stevia
Vanilla essence + flavor drops or anything you want to add to give it a kick

Let's do this!

Step 1: Add oats and psyllium husk to the dish and add the milk and water and stir well, add in the stevia and vanilla essence and give it another stir and let sit for a few minutes.

Step 2: Chuck it in the microwave for up to 10minutes on  a moderate power (if you can adjust it, then say around 70-80%, if not then just keep an eye on it) that's why the large dish is important, in a normal bowl this will boil over leaving a bloody mess.

Step 3: Take it out and give it a mix and add the egg whites and stir in thoroughly, add some more water (up to 100ml) if required and chuck back in microwave for another 10min, keeping an eye on it.

Step 4: Take out of microwave and set to the side until it has cooled down quite a bit and firmed up, once happy with that chuck in 100g of Greek yogurt and mix it all around and flatten it out again, put in fridge to totally cool.

Step 5: Mix the packet of jelly as per normal and then add the cocoa and remaining 100g of Greek yogurt, here I use a stick blender and use that to blitz the shit out of it and also to add some air to the mixture. Once happy it is all combined take oats out of fridge and pour the jelly on top and back in the fridge it goes to set completely overnight!

Step 6: Fight the urge to eat it before it sets!!!!

Step 7: Whack whatever toppings and sauces on top and enjoy. The consistency should be thick and as you can see I could even cut the bloody thing with a nice and call it a cake, since I'm all about that #Cakeaday lifestyle!!

Hope you enjoy this as much as I do guys! Once you nail it, play around with it and reduce the oats and add some tapioca pearls (sago) and create new exciting ways to make it! I have tried it that way and it adds a whole different texture and sweetness to the dish!

Macros for the whole damn tray are - 645cals 15F/73C/48P

Hearty shepherds pie!

Shepherds pie, cottage pie...whatever the hell you want to call it they taste bloody great! and with this version and macros like these why the hell not enjoy it!!

Here's what you'll need!!

2 Kangaroo patties (260g) or whatever mince or meat source you want
200g onion
200g celery
200g carrot - keep it simple and easy, if you want different stuff then go for it!
1 reducked salt stock
1 and half tablespoons gravy mix
600g pumpkin
50g cream cheese/ricotta cheese
1 table spoon wisticher sauce
mixed herbs, salt, pepper, spices....

Largeeee baking tray!!  This thing is seriously huge and filling!!

1. Firstly dice all the vegatables, I use one of them easy slap chop style things to make it quick and easy. Then place them and brown in a hot pan for 5 minutes and add a table spoon mixed herbs and wisticher sauce.

2. Start to brown the mince in another pan, add the stock to the cooking veg and bring to boil and cook for a further 5 mintues and reduce to a simmer.

3. Transfer the browned mince to the pan with veg and add the gravy powder and mix all together and let simmer for 15min, stirring occasionally.

4. Chop pumpkin into chunky cubes and boil in salted water until tender. drain in strainer and return to pot and add the 50g ricotta cheese ad pepper, seasoning. blend with masher or stick blender until smooth.

5. Transfer meat mixture to a large ceramic baking dish and flatten, add pumpkin mash on top, spread and season.

6. Put into pre heated oven at 200 degrees and finish for 15min! Serve hot and ENJOYYYY!!!

Macros 680 calories - 9F/85C/65P

Macros, flexible dieting and living life!

Hellooooooo everyone.

On a daily basis through some form of social media I am asked what are my macros, do I track, do I eat clean and how to survive on poverty macros as well as a bunch of random crap!

So I'm going to take some time to answer a bunch of these questions and give my opinion on it all and how to incorporate it into your day to day life if you feel it is necessary .

Firstly what my macros are don't mean anything, because it is a totally personal thing depending on age, weight, gender, activity level and personal goals! So with that said I am not hugely strict at the moment with tracking as I am not currently prepping for a show/comp or meet.

For those who are just learning about tracking macros and understanding it all the best way to figure it out is honestly to use an online calculator to figure it out! (IIFYM.com is great) If you are old school and want to figure it out yourself then these are the number you need to crunch.

First thing you need is to know your BMR (base metabolic rate)

The old school way of calculating it is using the Harris Benedict Equation. Looks a bit full on but if you have a calculator then you'll be right!

• BMR Calculation for Women: 655 + (4.35 × weight in pounds) + (4.7 × height in inches) – (4.7 × age in years)
• BMR Calculation for Men: 66 + (6.23 × weight in pounds) + (12.7 × height in inches) – (6.76 × age in years)

After this activity level is then incorporated into the mix and use the multiplier below to figure it out!

  

Amount of Exercise	Daily Calories Needed
Little to no exercise	BMR x 1.2
Light exercise (1 to 3 days per week)	BMR x1.375
Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days per week)	BMR x 1.55
Heavy exercise (6 to 7 days per week)	BMR x 1.725
Very heavy exercise (intense workouts twice per day)	BMR x 1.9

Now that you have figured out your BMR/Maintenance calories next is whats your goal.If your goal is weight loss a rule of thumb is 3500cal reduction per week is the equivalent to weight loss of 1 pound per week, again this will depend on the individual and I ain't going to start preaching any special method or secrets because then I will just sound like a typical Bro!

There is no magical macros to start on, you need to pick the number you believe is right for you and from there CONSISTENCY is going to give you the results, I can not use this word enough, CONSISTENCY is going to be the driving factor whether you succeed or not. Also the macro break down percentage to start on (Protein/Carbs/Fats) will be something again a good online calculator or app will breakdown for you! (Myfitnesspal is the go to app for most people)

So now comes the first day. Get up, go to the toilet and weight yourself. This is what you should be doing every morning for the first 2 weeks, again being consistent with the time of day you weight yourself will give you a consistent reading day to day. The reason to do it for 2 weeks is so your body can adjust to it and along with training you can then monitor if you have overshot or undershot your macros and if you have lost weight/gained weight or maintained weight you will then from here adjust your macros according to your goals. From personal experience as I reverse dieted and was aiming to put on lean mass I would add 20C every time I maintained weight for about 4 days straight, and then 5F after each week of maintaining weight. So as you can imagine after 4 - 6 weeks of this I was able to add an additional 500cal to my daily diet with very minimal weight gain!

That sums up finding your macros and how to monitor and adjust them once your maintenance macros are achieved.

Actually tracking them is not hard, will take a week or so getting the hang of weighing your food and inputting it on your app. Again be consistent with what you enter, don't go crazy if things are a few grams over. Just make sure when scanning stuff the same stuff on label is reflected on the app correctly. If you are a basic eater during the week like myself, then it's easy because you can fill out your diary and make your meals in bulk and then when it comes to weekend just track as you eat and get creative and enjoy yourself :)

Tracking macros is one thing, but also monitor your micro nutrients. Pretty easy really, just make sure you eat enough veg and hit a healthy range of fiber each day too, this can also be aided by using things like psyllium husk or other forms of supplementation. As great as IIFYM and flexible dieting is, it's not your ticket to being a fat slob just for the sake of it. Like most things use an 80/20 rule! 80% good wholesome nutrient dense foods, 20% YOLO enjoy yourself foods.

Lastly I'll quickly touch on poverty macros/comp prep macros! This can be killer but at certain times for shorter periods of time it may be necessary to reach goals. After dieting and maintaining under 5% body fat for about 7 months to compete in multiple physique shows, I learnt very quickly that it had fatigued me physically but also mentally and with my physiology. So now I feel very strongly if you don't need to put yourself through it for no reason other then you 'want to cut' then just don't do it. But when it comes to comp, if you are relatively lean going into prep then you should really only need around 8 -12 weeks max on a cut, other wise there is metabolic and hormonal damage as potential side effects (and I know this personally unfortunately) Some people have no trouble eating normal bro foods for prep, and if this is the case for you, then great. If your like me and love food and lots of it then learn how to make protein fluff and become friends with sugarfree jelly and things like that which will fill you up for very little calories.

Anyway, that's enough out of me. Please feel free to contact me for any further questions as I'm more then happy to help and have trained many people who have loved using flexible dieting with great results. All the best and I'll be back!! :)  justin.d.donnelly@gmail.com

Justin.

#Cake-A-Day - Recipe of dreams!

Ok, so I know some of you would have been cursing my name for taking ohhhh so long to put this recipe up. But never fear, I'm true to my word and here it is! Prepare to have your freakin mind blown by this macro witchery!

Main Ingredients:

30g self raising flour

20g coconut flour

25g vanilla protein powder

60g egg whites

75ml milk (almond,coconut,normal)

1 tin Butter beans (230g drained)

1 tspn baking powder

1/2 tspn almond essence

1/2 - 1 tspn vanilla extract

100g (roughly) blueberries/raspberries

Stevia to taste

MACROS - 16F/65C/46P    ~610 calories

Method:

Step 1: Combine all dry ingredients and mix, then add egg whites, milk, essence, extract and mix into a thick batter.

Step 2: Add in rinsed and drained butter beans and using a stick mixer combine until nice and smooth. Add stevia now to make your level of desired sweetness.

Step 3: Pour half the mixture into a cake tin/baking dish and then chuck on some berries, add remaining mixture and add more berries on top to make it look all nice and prettyyyyyyy.

Step 4: Bake at 180 degrees for 25min, remove from oven and let cool in tin for 5min before taking it out and allowing to completely cool on a wire rack.

Step5: EAT IT!!!!!

Now how easy is that? Hope you all enjoy it as much as I did, and get creative with your combos!!


Justin.

Bread like NEVER before!!

Ok, firstly if you have an understanding of bread making then you may question the method involved but it works, if you don't know much, then do as I say and you will be shoving crusty dense bread in your face in the matter of hours!!

Ingredients:

100g Plain flour (+10g for coatinf/kneading)
60g Protein powder (I used a USN brand whey protein)
1.5 tea spoons dry yeast
125ml lukewarm water
1 heaped teaspoon cocoa
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Liquid stevia to taste

Macros for entire batch - 8F/90C/50P
(This includes the addiotional ~10g of flour for sprinkling, ~4/5g Olive oil spray)

So as you can see from above, there is no additional oils/fats except for the few sprays of oil you will give the loaf. And for under 100C it is well worth it!!

Method:

Step 1: Combine all dry ingredient and mix together, add the water and stevia and combine with a wooden spoon.

Step 2: From here you would traditionally work and knead the dough on a floured surface, but I believe due to the protein powder and no use of oil it creates a very sticky dough which I would not find suitable to battle it on a counter top. So from here sprinkle a small amount of flour on the dough and work/knead it in the bowl with back on spoon, once it becomes sticky again do this process 2 more times or for about 5min.

Step 3: Roll the dough into a ball shape by adding a bit of flour and spinning the dough around the bowl and believe it or not, it will roll itself into a ball. Give it a light coating with a spray of olive oil and cover bowl with glad wrap and let prove for 60min.

Step 4: Once dough has nearly doubled in size uncover and knock the dough back (punch it!) this releases the build up of carbon dioxide and removes the yeast taste if you were to bake it as is. From here work/knead the dough for a few minutes using same method above and spin it into a ball again.

Step 5: Tip into a loaf tin (i use a silicone one so you don't need to grease it) and form into a loaf shape, from here cover for 15-20min and allow it to rise slightly. sprinkle in cinnamon and put it into a preheated oven at 180 degrees Celsius  for 40-45 min.

Step 6: Remove from oven and tip onto a wire rack straight away  and give the base a knock with your knuckles, if it sounds hollow allow it to cool slightly before serving, if it does not sound hollow put back in oven for further 10min.

ENJOY!!!

Please leave comments on how it turns out for you, and tag me in your posts!! @love_lifting

Take care and talk soon!

Justin.

#cakeaday Protein brownie time!!!

Ok friends, here it is, Brownie cake recipe. It is very simple and basic and the great thing is so many things are interchangeable and the macros are super friendly which I know you all like!

Main Ingredients are as follows:

1 tin butter beans/cannellini (220g drained) - really any bean you want
25g Protein
25g flour
20g Cocoa powder
60ml egg whites
75-100ml milk (any kind - coconut/almond for better macros)
1 teaspoon baking powder
Stevia/Sweetener/Cinnamon to taste.

Combine all ingredients except the beans, which you need to rinse and drain.

Once all is mixed into a batter, add the beans and using a stick blender thoroughly combine everything into a luscious thick batter! At this stage be sure to taste and make any additions to reach your desired taste.

Transfer to a round/square oiled cake tin and bake in the oven at 160 degrees Celsius/320 Fahrenheit for around 16-20min. Do the old tooth pick test or touch the top to see how cooked it is. Really a bit under cooked is perfect as it still sets while it is on the cooling rack.

Take out oven and leave in tin for 5 min, then transfer to a cooling rack for another 15min. You can either shove it down your face while its nice and warm or refrigerate and serve later.

When it comes to toppings it's totally up to you and is simple, use low fat cream cheese/smooth ricotta/blended cottage - really anything you want. And then add fruit spreads/waldens/nutella or whatever flavor you are after then spread on top once cooled.

Macros for the whole cake as per instructions above are - 475 calories - 7F/60C/47P

That's like a whole damn cake for 1 slice of a cafe style brownie! WINNING!!

Feel free to share this guys because honestly I love cooking and sharing, so the more who can learn and enjoy this the better! So leave a comment on my Instagram about how they turn out and let me know what else you would like me to create! I'm a bit of a macro wizard and like coming up with new creations so let me know what you want to see next!

Take care and talk soon!

Justin

It's all bout that bake - Biscotti

Biscotti! Who doesn't like a flavorsome crunchy biscuit with their coffee....? I am munching away on one as I type this and the crunch on these is sensational!!

The italian word biscotti translated means simply 'twice cooked' and that's exactly what you do when making then delicious treats. And the recipe couldn't be easier.

For the biscotti base:
250g white flour (sifted)
250g caster sugar
1/2 tspn baking powder
2 large eggs beaten
grated zest of 1 lemon

Fillings (you can use any dried fruit and nut combination you like)
150g dried cranberries
150 chopped almonds and walnuts

Method:

Step 1. Pre-heat oven to 160 degrees (if your oven has the function not to include the fan then use it as static) and line a baking tray with baking paper.

Step 2. mix the flour, sugar and baking soda in a large bowl and slowly incorporate the beaten eggs in little by little. (I used a wooden spoon to mix, but you could you a kitchen-aid/mixer) Continue adding the egg until the dough is firm (dough should not be overly sticky at all)

Step 3. the fun part.......using your hands mix in the remaining ingredients and lemon zest and combine until it is evenly distributed throughout the whole mix.

Step 4. Once combined turn the dough onto a floured surface and give it a quick gentle knead and then split the mixture into two lots.

Step 5. Roll into long logs of about 4-5cm in diameter and put onto baking tray leaving 5+cm in between each as they will expand whilst baking. Cook in oven for 30-35min

(This is the colour and texture after the first bake)

Step 6. Remove and let cool on the tray for 10min then transfer to a chopping board and cut into diagonal lengths 2-3cm thick. Place back on baking tray  cut side up and cook for another 25min, ensuring you turn them over at the half way mark.

Step 6. Remove from oven and let them cool completely on a cooling rack. (they keep for a while in a airlock container)

ENJOY!!