Protein Mug Cake

Hey Guys back with another one of my popular recipes that i'm always been asked about. The Mug Cake 🍵🍰 The plus side of this is its basically fool proof 💁All you need is a mug and a microwave, 2 mins prep and 2 mins to cook! I normally use this recipe for breakfast but its a great macro cap as anything goes and it can be adjusted to suit any macro needs! Every time I make one of these I change it up slightly, depending on what flavor I fancy and what toppings i'm planning 😉 Like I said I normally have these at breakfast, which for me is post training so I keep it high carb and protein with minimal fat! The base of this recipe is an egg/egg whites, mashed banana, 1/2 tsp of baking powder and oats, whatever you add after that is up to your taste buds! I'll give you a few of my favourite combos and note which ones are best around your training window

This was one of my nightly flexbowls - i'm guessing Christmas time looking at the Cadburys Heros - not ideal straight after training as this one would of been higher in Fats but so yum and perfect to send you off to the land of Nod 😪

Chocolate Mugcake -
Ideal for pre/post workout

Basic Chocolate Mugcake PWO topped with Greek Yogurt
for added Protein along with PB2. Berries and Coco Pops for
Extra Carbs

40g Oats

1/2 mashed banana (60g)

80g egg whites

5g cacao powder

10g chocolate whey

1/2 tsp of baking powder

Sweet Mugcake - Perfect dessert or snack anytime of the day
40g oats
1/2 mashed banana 60g
1 whole egg
tsp cinnamon
Handful of berries
1/2 tsp of baking powder

Chocolate PBJ Mugcake - Pre/Post workout
40g oats
1/2 Mashed Banana (60g)
80g egg whites
Handful of Berries
1/2 tsp baking powder
Tblsp PB2
5g raw cacao powder

Cookie Dough Mugcake - Dessert/Snack
40g oats
1/2 mashed banana (60g)
10g chocolate cookies whey
Handful of chocoloate chips
5g raw cacao powder
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 whole egg

Blueberry & Banana Combo, PWO so topped with loads of extra Carbs and
Protein.
Greek Yogurt, PB2. Blueberries, Granola and even some Bon Bons 

Bluberry & Banana Mugcake - Pre/Post Workout
60g Mashed Banana
40g Oats
80g Egg Whites
1/2 tsp baking powder
handful bluberries
10g Banana Whey
Banana Flavour Drops















For each of the above it just a matter of mashing the banana and adding it into your mug along with everything else! stir it up really well and bang in the microwave for 1 minute, have a peep, back in then for 20/30second intervals to keep a close eye on it, mine usually take 2 mins max!!






When making these in the past I've used s little as 20g of oats right up to 60g, no protein powder up to 30g. 1 egg or 50g of egg whites, even 100g of egg whites. Anywhere from 40g plus of mashed Banana, the more the better really as it keeps the cake moist. The choices you make on all of these will just depends on what macros you want to get from the mugcake.

Remember the more you add in the bigger the mug you need, they rise a lot!!!And they will explode - yes I learned this the hard way 🙈Toppings and flavours really are endless! Play around with the recipe, every time you make it you will want to try something new! They are super versatile, so filling and most importantly taste amaze!! I've yet to make one without either oats, banana or an egg/egg white so i'm not sure what result you would get if you subbed out one of these but do let me know if anyone does. Although id imagine apple/any fruit puree would be a good replacement for the banana if you wanted to cut the cabs without losing the moisture! Also don't forget to add stevia, sweeteners to your taste! sometimes I do sometimes I don't, usually depends how brown my banana is 🍌

Basic Chocolate Mugcake awaiting toppings

For extra gooeyness (that's a word now right?) under cook by a couple of
seconds - messy but worth it!

This was Coffee flavored using an Iced Latte Protein Coffee
Shake - Its under there somewhere 🤔

Inside shot of the Banana and Blueberry Creation - Berries work
so well cooked inside as you can see 😍

Cant wait to see what you all create - as always drop me a DM with any questions!

Pops

x

Cake For Breakfast

Yes it is possible to have Cake for Breakfast 🍰 Remember you can have absolutely anything you want to have! But if cake is what you fancy then i'm about to show you how - with a little imagination you can make your go to 'healthy' Breakfast of Oats into a Fancy Pimped out Cake - that I promise legit tastes like sitting down to Dessert 🐷

People always message me 'how do you eat this, is that not bad for you, etc etc' there is no hidden secret to any of my meals, its just imagination, which thankfully I love to use when it comes to my food ❤ Tweaking meals and like I said pimping them out 😉Exactly why I love the IIFYM lifestyle - nothing is off limits, no restrictions. I still keep it 80/20, even 90/10, as i'm all about that balanced life and love my meat oats and veggies just as much as my Reeses 👌This is what works for me but you need to remember everyone is different, you cant just copy one persons way of eating and expect to get the results they are getting, IIFYM is very individual and everyone is following completely different macros! You need to discover what works for you !

Anyway on with this cake - there is so many variations of this little beauty!! My favourite is my Chocolate and Banana one (pictured above) so ill start with that one but will leave some notes at the end of other flavours, ingredients, substitutes , how to change macros etc.

That inside shot 😍😍😍

What you need.....

• 60g Oats
• 60g Mashed Banana (browner the better as always)
• 60-100g grated courgette (the more courgette the more volume and greens 😉) 
• 40ml egg whites or one large egg white
• 40ml almond milk
• Tsp of baking powder
• Tsp of cacao powder
• 25g chocolate whey

I don't normally add sweeteners as my bananas are always extra brown and naturally sweet but of course add what you wish, stevia, flav drops, honey etc. 

Basically just mix the whole lot up really well in a bowl and transfer into an oven safe dish. I normally line my dish as it kills me if any of the mix sticks to the sides - therefor i'm missing out on some 😂 Place into a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees for 25-30 mins.
You want it firm enough to lift out of the tin just like a cake but still moist inside 👌
Eat immediately or leave cool and in the fridge for the following morning. I normally make a few of these at a time as they freeze and defrost so well! Very handy to have in your freezer just to pull out the night before and ready to go the next morning!

Topping ideas are endless, as you have probably seen from my Instagram! Greek yogurt for an extra protein hit, berries, popcorn, peanut butter, i've tried them all and anything goes! Just depends which flavours im feeling at the time ;)

Perfect meal post workout as it's on the higher Carb and Protein Side with minimal Fats, but again this can be adjusted to suit you.

Below is an Apple and Berry Crumble style Cake I made, I used  Apple puree in place of mashed banana, vanilla whey instead of chocolate, left out the cacao and baked some mixed berries inside!

                                             

**Notes**

To lower the carb content just use less Oats or replace the mashed banana with another fruit like apple or berry puree. I've made this cake with as little as 40g Oats and it works perfectly! 

Up the protein by using extra whey or else another egg white.

If you want to add in some fats then peanut butter works really well baked inside or add some chopped nuts.

Don't be afraid of the courgette, it adds so much volume, you cant even taste it with all the other ingredients and its a great way of getting in extra greens!

This recipe works perfect as muffins too! Which might actually suit some people better for a breakfast on the go. Cant wait to see what everyone creates, as always just shout if you have any questions about the recipe or need some help in tweaking it...☺

Oh just before I head, here is some snippets of the chocolate coffee cake version I made this morning! Exactly the same as the Chocolate Banana Recipe but instead of Whey and Almond Milk I used an Iced Latte Protein Coffee Shake (Ufit Shakes)! Id been asked to review the Shake (it gets a 9/10 from me they are so good!) but I hate to drink my calories it feels like such a waste 😂 Personally id rather have a meal 🐷 So anytime I do get my hands on shakes I prefer to experiment with different bakes instead and they always work really well especially if they have a good creamy texture like the Ufit range!  

Hope you all enjoy 

Pops 

x

Protein Oat Bread

Another great one for meal prep as this bread freezes and defrosts perfectly, as always like all my recipes its gluten/wheat free. Last year I made Oat bread weekly and had it for my lunch in work nearly every single day. This bread is similar but with the addition of protein powder to give it a protein boost 💪 This also makes it great for a snack with whatever toppings you like, anything goes - Pb,banana,jam or keep it savory with cheese, relish etc without having to worry about getting in another protein source. The higher Carb, Mid Protein and low fat macros make it great for pre or post workout also! 

Please excuse the awful pictures, I've never claimed to be a photographer 😂I just snap as i go on my phone! 📸

Another reason behind this bread was to use up a huge bag of unflavored whey i ordered by mistake 😭 determined not to leave it go to waste it was a good excuse to create savory recipes like this one! 

So lets get baking!!

Ingredients

• 1 large courgette (180g once grated and drained of liquid)
• 280g Oats
• 300g Natural Yogurt
• 30g unflavoured whey
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda

Grate your Courgette and squeeze out excess water using some kitchen paper, add into a large mixing bowl along with the Oats, Whey, Baking powder and Soda and mix well.

Add in the Yogurt, pinch of sea salt and mix again until everything is coated and mixed really well.

Pour into a lined Bread Tin and press Mixture down well making sure all edges are full with the mixture and spread the top flat - this just ensures an even all round bake !

Pop your tin into a pre-heated oven at 200 degrees and bake for 40mins, after 40mins it should be a golden brown, you can then either flip over the bread in the tin to finish off the bottom of the loaf or else remove the bread from the loaf (but still in the baking paper) and leave on the oven shelf so the heat can reach the bottom of the loaf (this is what i normally do) and leave in oven for another 10-20mins, just keep checking on it. It will be done when the bottom is hollow when you give it a knock ✊ Remove from oven, wrap in a tea towel and leave to cool completely before slicing!

I normally portion a couple of slices and freeze as id never go through the whole loaf in a few days when its only me in this house that eats it 🤗 (not complaining 😋)

I get roughly 17 slices - 12C less than 1F and 3.5P per slice

*Notes*
Macros will vary depending on yogurt you use and also the whey. For this batch I used Dunnes own brand ff natural yogurt because that's what was in the fridge, I think its about 50cent for a tub! Aldi also do a version.
Unflavoured Whey is not essential - go for a flavored one if you don't have unflavored (do people really intentionally buy unflavoured? or only just end up with it stupidly like me 😂) , I reckon salted caramel, cinnamon or vanilla would be fab too! I've already got a few sweet ideas in mind for experimenting with this recipe!

If you follow my Instagram you will know I always always have this toasted!But I never have any bread, bap, bagel etc unless its been warmed, grilled, toasted or fresh from the oven! So that's just my opinion, everything is better toasted 😍 My favorite toppings are cream cheese or relish but like i said above anything goes!

 Happy baking and be sure to let me know if you make it 🍞

Pops x

Apple Slaw

Hey There Beauts, back with another one of my Fav's - My Apple Slaw 

 Anyone who follows my Instagram will already now how much I love this! I get so many messages asking for this recipe every time I post a fresh batch and to be honest I think some may be disappointed when I send it on - i'm guessing most people are expecting something fancy and complicated 🤣 So I am now officially apologizing in advance because this is as basic as it gets, but it tastes amazing and just look at those colours! So if something EASY, Fresh,Veggie Packed and seriously tasty is what your looking for then your in the right place 🙋 My batch normally makes 5 portions(could easily get 6/7) so it spends 5 days in the fridge and stays perfectly fresh, in fact it gets better as the week goes on sitting in all the juices 😋 So its a great one for meal prepping in advance! It makes a great base for Tupperware lunches and goes with almost everything! 

What You Need

• Quarter head of Red Cabbage - about 400g 
• 1 small onion 
• 1 pink lady apple
• 1 large carrot
• 15ml Apple Cider Vinegar
• 50ml Lighter than Light Mayo

Shred/grate up all the veggies and mix well in a large bowl, add in your Mayo and Apple Cider Vinegar and again mix well so its all evenly distributed. And that's it! Simples. I just cover the bowl in clingfilm and store in the fridge.

The two pictures above have red cabbage and white onion, the one below was this weeks batch of white cabbage and red onion - purely because Aldi had no red cabbage 😆 but you know what I actually think its nicer! 

So play around with veggies, more carrots, less onions, more apple etc there isn't any rules although I would recommend the cabbage to be the large base of it all!

Replace the Mayo with Greek yogurt for a protein hit, add in spices etc... I've used white wine vinegar in place of acv before to and it worked perfectly.,. Oh and don't fear the acv, it doesn't taste how it does when your trying neck it first thing in the morning 🤣 Its only 15ml and its fab in it! Huge health benefits as we all know so its like a sneaky way of getting some into you without you even knowing 😜 Also the vinegar is what keeps it all fresh for the few days in the fridge so its a must. If you need ideas of what to eat this with just look on my Instagram there is weekly photos of it with my meals 😆 Or give me a shout 🤙

Hope your all having a fabulous Valentines Day 💓

Pops x

Nutri Muffins

Finally Sharing one of my Favorite Recipes - Another i'm always asked for, I came up with these last year while my house was under renovation and I was kitchen-less for weeks (don't even go there) Needed something easy to make with a hit of protein to snack on during the day and that were also portable 🏃. I had found myself relying on protein bars (which I love of course but every single day for weeks even I got sick of them 🙈) etc all the time over these few weeks so these were perfect to help up my protein without relying on bars and also spending a fortune on them 😆. The first experiment with them and BOOM they turned out to be little Gems with great Macros. All I needed was my nutribullet (hence the name) and an oven to bake them in - forever grateful to my brother for the use of his kitchen during this stressful time 😜 They keep perfectly for the best part of a week at room temperature

Perfect if you like to keep your treats 'clean' as they shall satisfy those Choco,Sweet,Cakey,Fudgey, Cravings 🍫🍬These Beauts have got it all 😜

So the original recipe is as follows

100g banana (brown brown brown!!)
140g courgette (look at me green police🥗👮)
45g oats
15g - 25g peanut butter (depending on how high/low you want the fats to be)
10g raw cacao powder
30g chocolate whey protein
80ml liquid egg whites (roughly 2/3 egg whites depending on egg size)
tsp of baking powder
50ml of liquid - almond milk,protein milk,protein shake, skimmed milk whatever you like, (again whichever one you use will alter the macros differently)
sweetners, flav drops etc if you please

Literally everything in the Nutribullet and Blend Blend Blend!

Bake at 180 for 25/30 mins, just keep a close eye on them after the first 20mins.. they rise a lot so when pouring into your muffin cases ensure to allow for this so they don't overflow!

This recipe made 9 muffins at 63cals each - 7C 2F 5P

The ones I posted on my Instagram this week were the above recipe with 50ml of grenade fudge brownie protein shake that needed using up - and they turned out UNBELIAVABLE - of course, who doesnt love all things Grenade 😍 I ended up getting 11 from the batch at only 6C 1F 5P each! But obviously i'm not gonna go spending money on shakes to add to Muffins😅 Like i said it just needed using up 😀

I can promise these wont disappoint and as always love to hear if you try them! If you have any questions on subs, how to up/lower macros,extras to add in etc just shout 🤙

Over and Out Beauts,

Pops x

White Chocolate and Coconut Goji Flapjacks

Starting my Recipe feed with My White Chocolate and Coconut Goji Flapjacks - Every time I post these I get asked for the recipe so now you can access it whenever you please :) I make these every week, honestly cant remember the last week that went by that I didn't make a batch, or some variation of them!

 I use them as my pre-workout snacks - and here's why 🠋 

1. I normally train between 6-7am so with a batch of these made I can grab one on the way out the door and not worry about making a meal at that time of the morning!

2. They have a good dose of carbs (quick energy boost) without having to eat a huge volume of food at that hour, some people are able to stomach a bowl of oats etc but 'im just not at that stage yet 😂

3. They are low in fat as I prefer to avoid high fat foods in my pre and post training meals. Its best to keep your fats for your other meals.

The protein content of these is really up to yourself, id advise adding more if your using these for a quick post workout snack, or even just for a healthy protein treat during the day 

So here is what you need 🠉The recipe below is exactly the amounts of everything I used for this mornings batch. Normally with this recipe i always made 5 flapjacks but have recently started portioning into 4 as i'm trying to up my carb intake preworkout, so portion as you please. Even at 5 their pretty big.

- 100g RIPE Banana - and yes the browner the banana the better!! It gives the flapjacks there real sweetness and perfect texture!

-80g Oats

-As much or as little Goji Berries as you like, I just grab a handful which is roughly 6g

-Same applies for the dessicated coconut 2/3 tsps again roughly 6g

-tsp of honey 

-25g of White chocolate and Coconut protein pancake mix

Mix all the above really well -

I actually just mash the whole lot up with a fork 

until it looks like this 🠟

Decide how you want to portion and shape into whatever shape tickles your fancy 😜Circles are always a good choice 🤣. Place into a pre-heated oven at 180 degrees for 15mins, I flip them over for the last 3 mins, remove from oven, allow to cool fully and pop them into your cookie jar or any container at room temperature should work. 

    Et Viola - This batch I made this morning using 

    the above recipe came in at 24c 3f 5p each - scroll to end for 

extra notes and subs you can use

                                   
These ones on the bottom right are the same recipe I just made them in a bigger batch, sprinkled with extra coconut and waited until cooled and then cut into bars.

Hope you Enjoy and as always let me know if you give them a whirl! Love to see what variations you can come up with 😃


*NOTES*
-these will not work as well with green or still very yellow bananas!
-pancake mix is not a must, whey works just as well, whey will also lower the carb content and increase protein (depending on your brand of whey obv)
-add sweeteners, flavour drops etc if desired
-use zero, calorie free syrups etc in place of honey to lower carbs if you like, they work just as well
-experiment with different flavours whey/pancake mixes along with nuts,seeds,dried fruits,chocolate chips etc, anything goes once you have the oats, banana, whey and syrup base perfected!

Over and Out Beauts,
Pops x

Here it Goes

Hey Guys, so i'm finally getting round to this blogging world! Not really sure of exact content ill be sharing yet (depends what you want to see, please please let me know 🙋 ) but will be sure to use it as a spot to share all of my recipes with you at last. I've been dying to get this up and running for ages now just never had the time with my previous work commitments etc, but now that i'm loving life in my new job, stress free and with some spare time at last i can get cracking ✌
So as you know i'm Orla, aka pops_foodiekitchen 😉 I've a huge passion for all things food and fitness, as you all probably know if your here reading this! when i'm not in work i'm either at the gym, in my kitchen experimenting or online looking at something food or fitness related 😂

I'm 25, a qualified hairdresser, which was always my number 1 passion up until about 2 years ago when i discovered this world of health,food and fitness, so now I've got 2 passions and why not 😄 I started my 'foodie' Instagram just over a year ago now and i'm hooked 🙈 Sharing all my own food experiments and getting inspiration and ideas off everybody else... I've made so many new friends trough my page that I would of never known before, all like-minded people with the same passion for all things food and fitness!

So last year after a tough few months I packed in my hairdressing career after 9 years. I spent that whole 9 years in the one salon so this was a huge step for me and decision to make as it had been my life since school, same routine day in day out, i'm a creature of habit who loves routine in all aspects of my life so this was a huge change! I had no idea what to expect but I had to take the plunge. From been so so happy for over 8 years to miserable in the final few months, I knew I needed change before I started to hate hairdressing altogether. I had done a Diploma in Nutrition over the summer and absolutely loved it so figured the food/health/fitness industry was something id like to make a stab at career wise! I wont go to deep into it all but after a few short months of planning/decison making/ups/downs/all sorts of emotions 😭😂 things are finally falling into place. Ive gone back to hairdressing part time in a new salon (amaze) and the other half of my week is been spent studying an advanced nutrition course 😎 And come April ill be doing a fitness course with the National Sports College to qualify as a PT, Fitness Instructor and group Fitness Instructor. College, me? I never thought id see the day - especially sports college! Would you believe I failed P.E in school 😂

Finally feeling happy and excited for the future, with the perfect mixture of both my passions 🙌 Where all this will lead, who knows, but once i'm happy that's the main thing and i'm willing to give 2017 my best shot! My attitude and outlook on things is 100% better than it was this time last year and that's something i'm very proud of, still plenty of room for improvement but a good start has been made 😉

Finally a Major shout out to my other half ↑💑, parents and siblings 👪
for supporting me the whole way through these mad few months! Everyone says it and its so cliche but honestly none of this would of been possible without you all .

Anyway enough rambling for now, hope you enjoy whats to come, now to decide where to start with all these recipes 😆 And again - id love to hear what everyone would like to see me share with you here, anything at all just shout 😎

Over and out beauts,
Pops x