#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!!

The Journey so far!!

If  I had to sum up the last 2 weeks in one word........HARD!

But I'm totally OK with that :)

It's only once you get out of your comfort zone and keep pushing through that you know you are developing yourself, not only in the the physical side of things, but definitely mentally as well. With huge changes in my diet being the first major hurdle. 4 weeks out from comp my trainer sent me my diet plan and even with its 9 meals and 3 shakes a day, most days are border line on 2000 calories, and being at around 84.5kg those numbers were low to maintain the lean muscle I have. Now 2 weeks on I am sitting at 82.2kg and approx 5-6% bodyfat. And with no change in sight for my diet I just have to keep pressing on as hard as I can at the gym everyday to stay lean and keep as much mass as possible.

Next struggle was the actual training, trying to maintain certain weights on various exercises for 4 sets and varying reps is becoming more of a struggle every session, and fatigue soon sets in. This is where the strongest part of you kicks in, your mind!! It's easy to say i'm struggling I'll call it a day and leave. But to stay and push through knowing that it's the right thing to do is what will make all the difference when it comes to getting up on stage, and being able to tell yourself that no matter where you place that you gave it your best and you walk off there without a doubt in your mind you gave it your all!

The next thing that has taken a bit of a toll on me without much initial consideration is the weather, going from being conditioned to sunny, humid Townsville then arriving in Victoria where everyday is at and above 40 degrees has really made everything a lot harder to do, from training and even sleeping at night when it is still around 30 degrees and all I have is a 12" pedestal fan to attempt to cool myself.

And lastly the mental strain of being on a mentally demanding course. I have not yet found it to difficult yet mixed with the low calories and intense training, but i'm sure as the final days draw closer I will start to have trouble concentrating and hopefully won't get to far off track. But so far so good, i'm keeping it all together and the finish line is in sight and I can't wait to stuff my face once it is all done! :P

If you set yourself a goal stick to it, nothing compares to the personal reward of knowing you challenged yourself and won, to often we hear peoples stories of 'I nearly did this' and stories full of if's and but's! Don't be that person!! Do it for yourself!

Progress update pic - Rear Back shot of Back double bicep! Slowly but surely getting there :)

Time to step up!!

So this last week has been quite busy with training, meal prep, rest and getting ready to go back to work, and I head off for 2 months to commence a work related course. It's still over a week away before I go but I have found myself already starting to pack and see how I can arrange my suitcase so I can fit most of my supplements, food and gym/training related items rather then things I should be worrying about taking :)

Not to mention now I am part of Team FlexR6 and am going to be stepping on stage to compete in my first novice comp in only 5 weeks time. So there are so many added stresses right now and starting next week a huge change to my training and nutrition program once my great trainer sends me the final product on Friday!

This has been a huge ambition for me and to see it all start taking place is a huge realization that you can do anything you put your mind to, at this stage I am only going to be competing in fitness and physique categories as there is not enough time to prep for the actual body building division, and with the added pressure of me on my military psychology course it would be to much to take on all at once.

I never thought I would see the day I would be on stage wanting to show my body off. I'll take a few steps back and talk about when I was younger, all my teenage years I was a big kid, the heaviest I tipped the scales at was 120+kg, but now to be able to comfortably sit at 84kg for me was an amazing achievement.

It all comes down to you and the dedication you put in to achieve the goals you have, I couldn't be happier that I took this lifestyle on all those years ago, nothing now feels like a chore, it's all just second nature. There is nothing wrong with wanting to see yourself succeed and better yourself not only physically but mentally! There is nothing tougher then pushing through some of those unbearable gym sessions, or sprinting up hills to get that burn and feel your heart trying to burst out your chest. But every time you finish something you set out to achieve or do something you NEVER thought you could do, you leave a little it prouder and stronger and from there you can only keep going up!

I'll keep you all posted with how my comp preparation is going and chuck in some photos along the way, remember to push yourself a little further each time and never give up, because one day you may find yourself doing something you never thought you would do in a million years!!

It's all about the pump!!! :) 

Get it done!!

I know everyone operates in their own ways, have their own ideas and systems in place to get stuff done.
Some need more time then others to get motivated to get out of bed, some enjoy pressing the snooze button 3 times before they get up, some are up before the alarm, we all have our own process and I respect this.

But excuses will never be a sufficient reason to justify not doing something you either said you would, or something you keep putting off! And by excuses I don't mean legit reasons, as bizarre as some may sound.

So this is going to be a little rant about motivation. Some require a lot whether it be from friends and family, or simply having a picture of the physique they wish to aspire to hanging up on the wall. Whatever you need put these means in place so you don't flunk out at the first hurdle! No one ever said achieving goals is easy, it is anything but a walk in the park. So if you spend all your time flicking through instagram pictures and fitness sites and motivational pictures wishing for what they have then you are never going to get there. Remember those people were once in your shoes wanting to achieve goals and they succeeded and now they are the ones sending out the positive motivation for others to get it done. Whether you see them as attention seeking, or all the selfies and gym pictures aren't necessary then you are approaching the whole thing with the wrong attitude!

Without rambling on to much about it I'll make it simple, the only reason you will fail will come down to YOU, not anyone else no matter how convincingly you can tell people the story of how you were going to do this and how you wanted to do that, end of the day the only reason you didn't will be YOU! So get on the right page, make a list, put up pictures, midnight phone calls to friends for reassurance -  do whatever you have to do to get on track and have a system in place so that if you do hit a hurdle it won't mean the end to your success.

Get it done and reap the rewards of your hard work!! :)