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Chocolate & Cinnamon coated Coffee beans

by Nutrition 4 Fighters, posted in Uncategorized

Here’s a tasty little pre workout treat/pick-me-up for you. There’s some great evidence behind caffeine as a performance enhancer and it’s one of the few supplements that the science is pretty much unanimous on.

If you want to find out more on the how and the why behind caffeine as a performance enhancer, read this previous post for more information; https://nutrition4fighters.co/2020/08/31/caffeine-the-athletic-performance-enhancer/

Try these chocolate coated coffee beans between 40 and 20 minutes before you workout. 

Dosage:

Performance enhancing effects are seen from caffeine at a dosage of 3-9mg per kg of body weight. Your average single coffee bean reportedly contains around 6mg of caffeine in it. To support you doing the calculations, 35 coffee beans weigh 4g which equals 210mg of caffeine. 

Let’s take a 70kg fighter. To workout the caffeine dose I’ll take a midway recommend dosage of 6mg per kg of body weight – 6 x 70kg = 420mg needed. I weighed 35 beans with 6 x 35 being 210mg. 35 beans weighed 4g so double that to 70 beans at 8g and you you have roughly 420mg of caffeine.

Ingredients: 

  • Unground coffee beans
  • Dark chocolate (70% plus)
  • 1 tsp of Ceylon cinnamon

Method:

  • Melt dark chocolate in the microwave until it’s liquid
  • Add coffee beans and stir
  • Empty coffee beans onto a non stick surface of plate or tray, (try using small piece of butter, margarine or grease proof paper).
  • Dust over with cinnamon
  • Leave in fridge over night
  • Break up and enjoy

Warning:

In honesty it’s extremely difficult to predict exactly the caffeine content in a coffee bean. I’ve read it can be potentially half or even double the 6g proposed. Therefore, if you’re really looking at tracking and serious on dosages, in reality the best option is to go with a caffeine supplement, (it just won’t taste so good!).

High Protein Chocolate Cheeseless Cheesecake

by Nutrition 4 Fighters, posted in Uncategorized

Looking for a high protein breakfast option outside of your standard omelette? Maybe you’re needing a pre or post workout snack? Looking no further! This is a perfect morning breakfast treat or pre/post workout snack you can take on the move. 

Ingredients – 

  • 2 wheetabix
  • 100ml of semi skimmed milk
  • 100g fat free Greek yogurt
  • 1 tsp of honey
  • 1 tbsp of cacoa powder
  • 20g whey protein
  • 1 tsp of cacoa nibs (optional)

Method

  • Crush the wheetabix up and place in a jar or similar container.
  • Add the milk and ensure it’s fully mixed up evenly. Pat down flat
  • Combine yogurt, honey and cacoa, mixing thoroughly and evenly
  • Add protein powder to the yogurt mixture and fold in, mixing till even consistency
  • Add to the wheetabix and top with cacoa nibs. Leave in the fridge overnight and you’re away.

Total calories: 410

Performance Chocolate Protein Pancakes

by Nutrition 4 Fighters, posted in Uncategorized

These little beauties are a super simple one to cook up and take on the move with you. They’re a great pre or post workout snack with decent macronutrient split of carbohydrate, fat and protein all included.

Ingredients:

1 x medium banana 

 1 x medium eggs 

2 x tsp of cacoa or coco powder

1 x tsp of honey

1 x scoop / 30g whey protein 

1/4 spoon of baking powder

1 x tsp coconut oil (for cooking)

Method:

  • Blend eggs, honey & banana in food processor (or mash with fork)
  • Add cacoa, protein and baking powder, again blending or stirring in
  • Melt coconut oil in frying pan and scoop out around a palm size of mixture
  • Cool on low heat around 1/2 minutes each side
  • Serve hot or cold for a pre or post gym snack

Total calories: 445kcal

Banging Baked Oats

by Nutrition 4 Fighters, posted in Recipes

This is a super tasty breakfast option that brings a little variety to the standard porridge. We’ve got all your macronutrient needs covered with adequate amounts protein, carbohydrates and fats. 

Adding an additional source of carbohydrates makes it a great pre workout meal also if you have a more strenuous training session planned. I’ll include calorie calculations with and without the banana. 

If you’re not having to be too regimented with your calories, I’d also recommend getting a little creative and try including different berries, seeds and nuts for example. 

Ingredients:

  • 45g plain unprocessed oats
  • 90ml of semi skimmed milk
  • 25g scoop of whey protein (or protein source of choice, note possible variations in calories)
  • 1 tbsp of unsweetened peanut butter
  • 1 medium banana (optional)
  • Pinch of sea salt

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 170 degrees
  • If using banana, mash it using fork or processor and combine it with oats in an oven proof bowl
  • Add milk, protein & salt. Stir ingredients till there’s an even consistency
  • Make small well in the middle of the mixture and add peanut but before covering back over with the oats mixture
  • Allow to heat for 15 minutes, allow to stand, cool down and enjoy!

Calories (without banana) 417kcal

Calories (with medium banana) 522kcal