Did somebody say Quest bars?

I've just got some small delivery from Predator Nutrition (British official re-seller of Quest Nutrition products) with lots of protein Quest bars. 

It was my first experience with Internet shopping in UK and I was a little shock that Predator Nutrition asked me to prove my identity and show my previous invoices I had on my debit card. I was also a little disappointed by the shipping, because all that formal stuff took some time and I didn't get my pack on the other day, but actually after a few one. But at least customer service was nice and politely ;)

What are these treats? 

For first, as I already mentioned, these are treats - even though they contains protein I perceive them more like a candy, something sweet rather than a food from daily diet. However, there are places where I don't have chance to eat my 'real food' or have a sweet tooth and taking a bar like that is convenient. 

Any why Quest bars? 

Because as far as I know these are the healthiest options within protein bars. They contain little carbs, lots of fibre, no strange additives (just to mention: no, I am not sponsored by Quest hehe, but I would really like to be though!) and 20g of protein. And what is more, they have wonderful taste and can be find in very different flavors.

good macros: 170 kcal, 6g fat, 24g carbs (17g fiber), 20g protein

I've got mine Quest bars in flavors:
* cinnamon roll
* chocolate cookie dough
* strawberry cheescake
* apple pie 
* banana muffin
* berry
* almond

I've already tried one - Cinnamon Roll and it tastes like cinnamon cakes I found in Norway, yay! :)

Cinnamon cake

cinnamon cake topped with apples

Previous weekend was rich in desserts! ;) Beside french fruit cake, I made cinnamon one, perfect treat for coffee.

For 8 portions of cake I used:
* half cup of almound flour
* half cup of whole grain flour
* half a cup of Sukrin/sugar
* 3 eggs
* cup of milk
* 2 spoons of baking powder
* 1 dl of liquid butter/margarine
* gingerbread spices, cinnamon and vanilla 
* apple and Sukrin Melis for decoration

Preparation:
* Preheat oven to 220 degrees. Mix dry ingredients all together.  Add eggs, butter and milk. Use kitchen robot to have a smooth dough. 
* Spread liquid butter/margarine in a baking pan. 
* Put dough into pan and put it into oven for 10 minutes. In a meantime chop apple. You can put it on the top of the cake after 10 minutes of pre-baking it (then you're sure that apple won't fall into dough). 
*Bake cake for next 20 minutes.
* After that time, let the cake cool down in room temperature. 
* Spread a little Sukrin Melis/ sugar powder on top.

3 minutes cake

We had a guest this weekend and I wanted to prepare some quick and tasty dessert. I made french fruit cake, which was not necessarily light, but very tasty and almost effort less.

It takes only 3 minutes to prepare it! (and another 3 to eat it!;) )

You will need:
* a pack of french dough (if you can buy light one use it, unfortunately in Norway we have only regular one)
* fruits of choice: I used plums and apple
* 1 egg
* brown sugar/ Sukrin Gold
* regular sugar/ Sukrin

it is just that simple: put a dough on a baking pan, and then fruit on it

then spread sugar/Sukrin on fruits, and brush egg on the edges of dough

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 220 degrees. On a baking pan, put a baking paper and squares or rectangles from french dough. 
Wash fruits and halve them. Put them on dough and lightly press them into dough. Spread 1 spoon of sugar and 1 spoon of brown sugar on top. You can also spread cinnamon and vanilla.
Break the egg and brush it on the edges of dough.
Bake cake for approximately 20 minutes. 

Spring cheesecake

Birthday cheesecake: lemon bottom, jelly top :)

For my birthday I prepared light, fresh and fruity cheesecake. With lemon bottom and jelly top! :)

For lemon bottom I used:
* 2 boxex of vanilla quark (Kesam Vanilje)
* Stevia SweetLeaf Lemon Drop
* gelatin powder
* juice from fresh lemon 

Mix quark with Stevia Lemon. Dissolve gelatin powder (1 spoon) in water with lemon juice and add it to quark.

Fill the first layer of cake into baking pan and put it into fridge for at least 1 hour (the longer, the better).

For jelly layer I used:
* 2 packages of jelly 
* 200g fresh strawberries
 
While waiting for lemon layer, prepare jelly. 
I used normal jelly and I made it with instructions from package. I used 2 packages of berry and strawberry flavour jelly. You can also pick some fresh fruits which you could use on jelly layer.

When lemon layer has a good consistency, you can spill (very delicate!) jelly on it. Put fresh berries in jelly layer. Leave the cake for the night at the fridge. 
Enjoy :)

Saturday's banana cake

dry and muggy banana cake

Saturday is a good day for splurge, cheating and letting yourself go a little back from diet track.
However, your Saturday treat doesn't have to be full of sugar and with no nutrition value.

This recipe contains good source of carbohydrates (bananas), protein (whey protein powder) and fats (fro egg yolk). 
*I have already made cake/bread like that before, but then I used milk instead of water.

For 6 big pieces of banana cake you will need:
* 2 big mature bananas
* 2 scoops of protein powder (Reflex's Instand Whey Deluxe Banofee flavour would be perfect)
* 2 tea spoons of Sukrin Gold (or other sweetener which can be use in high temperature)
* 2 tea spoons of baking powder
* 1 whole egg and 1 white egg 
* 1 scoop of sesame flour (or almond flour)
* water

For preparation: Mash bananas with fork, add dry ingredients and mix all together with water.
Take a bread pan and put baking paper inside. Spill mix in the pan and bake for 30 minutes in 220 degrees.

After 30 minutes take cake from the oven and let it cool down in room temperature for next 15 minutes. 

Serve with fresh fruits :)

A spoon of superfood

a jar with monthly dose of product

Today I've got a new product which I am thrilled to prove! :)
Flavon Max is a product which contains extracts from organic superfruits and vegetables:

• ginseng
• blackcurrant
• black elderberry
• red grape
• beetroot
• sea buckhorn

variety of Flavan products: Flavan Green, Max, Kids, Max+

It is a form of a jelly and one/two spoons are providing  big dose of antioxidants and vitamins.
It taste good and I hope it will works same good :) 
It can support your healthy diet and provides you with essentials vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. It is important to take care of that, especially when you are dieting and consuming high protein foods.

The only thing which I don't like is amway-way channel of selling it, but I hope that product will speak of itself.

This product is actally about to buy at my workplace in Oslo, if somebody would be interested :)

And on days when my body really need detox (after unhealthy food, alcohol and so on), I am taking a shot of.. wheat grass ;)
 

Green Superfood with super properties :)

This product is in a form of powder full of cocentrated vitamins, minerals, antioxidants,  chlorophyll, green cereal grasses which all improve digestion and gives a boost of energy. 

Beside that wheatgrass is a complete food that contains 98 of the 102 earth elements.
Ingredients concentration in this product is 20 times more than in regular fruit/vegetables!

Unlike Flavon Max, Green Superfood doesn't taste so good.. So if you are taste-sensitive, you migh considering choosing capsules version of this product :)


I am happily stuffed with those two valuable product :) Now I have to only waits for the first effects!

Seriuos gym workout!

Travelling and Easters gave me little time for exercising this week. I manage to do some cardio, but my gym trainings from my Lean Body scheldue were neglected. 

not the best pic of me, just a quicky

I decided to combine 3 small split workouts in one full body training to keep on track with my schedule. This results in pretty hard gym workout and my muscles will definitely feel it tomorrow ;)

overhead dumbbell extensions

Today's full body workout contained of:
* (chest) bench press
* (chest) incline flyes
* (shoulders) bent over side laterals
* (shoulders) seated dumbbell press
* (triceps) dips
* (triceps) overhead dumbbell extensions
* (back) dumbbell row
* (back) underhand pulldown
* (back, harmstrings) barbell deadlift
* (biceps) alternate dumbell curl
* (legs) leg press
* (legs) leg extensions
* (harmstrings) seated leg curls
* (calfs) seated calf raise
* (calfs) standing calf raise
* (abs) ab crunch machine
* (abs) hanging leg raises



Yes, maaaany exercises BUT with little breaks between sets and each exercises, I managed to do it n 60 minutes! Not bad, isn't it? :)

vitamin bomb after workout - oranges, natural low fat quark, chia seeds and coconut chips on top

Have a nice Thursday!

Girlie shopping list

I am home alone for few days before my Poland trip. I have to do some food shopping and it came out very, very girly I guess ;) 

On my shopping list there was:

* organic broccoli&bean soup
* low fat vanilla quark (mager kesam vanilie)
* cottage cheese
* glutenfree oats
* feta cheese
* flavoured rice cakes
* Coca Cola Zero (my weekend weakness)
* cod
* portion of salmon
* Skyr (natural non fat quark)
* sweet potatoes
* fresh green beans
* little avocado (hidden somewhere)
* sprouts
* fresh blackberries (my favourite fruit together with raspberries!)

Now when I'm stored with good food, I am ready for the next part of the weekend :)

Banana bread

aromatic&sweet banana bread

Great Sunday solution - whether you want a bread for breakfast or piece of cake for later coffee - you can use this one!

Banana bread is easy to prepare. You will need:
* 2 big smashed bananas (or 3 smaller ones) - use matures one, it will be easie to smashed them with fork
* 2 eggs
* 1/2 cup of milk 
* 2 spoons of sesame flour (or other flour of choice)
* 1 spoon of sweetener (I used SukrinMelis, but Sukrin Gold would be perfect)
* 2 portions of protein powder banana flavour, I used banana&toffee from Reflex (it is an additionally ingredient)

Dough should be watery, it it is too tense, add a little water.
Use baking pan (the same you use for making bread). Put a baking paper before (and spare yourself some time with taking the cake off).

Serving proposition: with cottage chesse and low sugar jam

Bake it for 40 minutes in 200 degrees in the middle of the oven. Then take it out and let it cool down in room temperature. Slice it into pieces and.. enjoy! :)

Banana bread is a low carb solution whether for bread and cake!

Winter desserts: sun-bringing tart with fresh berries

nothing better than strawberries, blueberries immersed in vanilla quark!

If you also miss sun and summer, you can try to bring it, at least to your kitchen.

For preparing this particular tart, I used package tart dough, but you can use one which you made yourself from biscuits. For filling I used three types of quark: light, regular and vanilla taste.

Kesam will be perfect here, but you can try to use any other homogenize cheese

Start with dough and pre-baking it in oven. Then I took care of filling: I used gelatin in plates, dissolved it in warm water and mix with three types of quark mentioned before. 

gelatin: you can use powdered gelatin, just follow instructions on a package about preparing it

I also used vanilla powder and Stevia English Toffee drops for better, sweeter taste.  

you can use any other sweetener or just simple sugar instead of Stevia drops

Let the filling coagulate first before putting it on a dough (if not, your dough might absorb the filling). I just simply took the filling out on the balcony for 5 minutes ;) (we have -15 degrees here in Norway, but you can also use freezer;).

decoration is the most enjoyable process ;)

Distribute filling on a dough and again freeze it a little. But remember about decoration with fruits first! When you are ready with you strawberries and berries, let tart stay in a cold place for about 2 hours. 

depends on your dough of choose, it can be really diet and healthy dessert :)

Protein pancakes!

I served pancakes with fruit, but yoghurt/creamy vanilla cheese/cottage cheese also would be perfect

I have already presented a recipe for protein pancakes, but this time I prepared them in a slight different way. I used spices which gives pancakes aromatic pre-winter taste and make my home smelling of cinnamon and nutmeg.

For 6 pancakes I used:

* half a cup og whole grain flout
* 1 big spoon of soya flour

whole grain flour, soya flourt and light coconut milk

I used MyoProtein MoccaChocolate flavour protein powder

* half a cup of protein powder (not neccesary, you can use flour instead of that)
* 1 big spoon of sukrin (sweetener)
* 1 white egg
* a cup of light coconut milk (you can use normal milk instead, but coconut milk is thicker)
* half a cup of milk
* pinch of salt

Sweetener, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla

* cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg for taste

First I mixed all dry ingredients, than I add egg white and a cup of coconut milk. I added milk/water just to have a proper consistency.

I fry each pancacke for 2-3 minutes on each side. 

Ready to eat :)

There are busy days waiting for me, so such a quick snack like this pancakes will be excellent! I can take it with mu lunchbox everywhere :)

Pomegranate

Thanks to my work colleague (thanks Istvan!) I have a chance to try another exotic fruit (right after sharon fruit). This time that was pomegranate.
Of course in the restaurant, I have try it many times, as well as drinking pomegranate juices and so on. However, I didn't eat it independently, always as a ingredient of bigger dish.

There are to types of pomegranate - brighter and darker version. This one is brighter and has seeds which are easier in consumption.

Pomegranate fruit is apple shape and size, but has a thick crust. Now there are more and more researches which says that pomegranate is a super-fruit - that mean that beside taste it provides many other benefits for our body. It is rich in vitamins, organic acids and iron. 

Pomegranate juice if rich in polyphenols - powerful antioxidants naturally occurs in plants. Consumption of polyphenols-rich products slows ageing process and increases body's immunity. What is more, consuming pomegranate reduce risk of atherosclerosis and helps keeping cholesterol level under control.

Pomegranate seeds - only 66 kcal in 100 grams

I have to admit that I was shocked how many benefits can bring consuming of pomegranate! For sure I will try to incorporate more pomegranate fruits into my daily life!

Pomegranate seeds looks amazing in every dish you serve them with :)

I started with delicious morning oats covered by pomegranate seeds. 

Sunday's breakfast - oats, protein powder, nuts mix and pomegranate seeds.

And some video-tip for all those who has problems with getting our pomegranate seeds ;)