Tag Archives: protein snack

High protein (Gluten free) low fat OR low carb chocolate ginger muffins! Banana & Oat based

High protein, gluten free, low fat OR low carb chocolate ginger muffins !

Hi gang. Long time no see… apologies for neglecting this blog. A previous slow job gave me the time to write up my recipes and share my other sporadic and often nonsensical but entertaining ramblings (fine line between genius and lunacy and all that) – recent work, family life and other (usually unfruitful) projects simply hasn’t provided the time for me to continue.

Along came Covid-19; the little bar***d. So many negatives, but trying to focusing on the positives only – so many people have had more spare time to do other things. Many of those things have been very productive; more family time; time to spend on initiatives, time to help raise money for key workers etc. Myself? Well, I’m not a key worker as such but work as an IT contractor, currently for a company providing key services, so I’ve had plenty to do. I normally only see my daughter at certain times but working from home I’ve helped out more – but home schooling AND working at the same time?? Jeez.

Nonetheless, I’ve still had a little extra spare time, what with not needing to commute and not going ‘out out’ (read: drinking too much with my buddies). So! I will finally document my BEST creation (aside from my daughter; and that’s not one to document – read up on ‘the birds and the bees’ if need be): my banana and oat chocolate and ginger protein muffins!!!

I’ve found so many ‘tasty’ recipes online for so called ‘protein bars’, ‘protein cakes’, ‘protein muffins’ etc. only for them to be FULL of sugar, saturated fats, and only a smattering of protein.

A lot of the really high protein recipes that I’ve found on the more fitness and body building related sites have been the no-bake versions where you freeze them; they’re usually sticky, messy, or taste so dry you’d rather eat your cats hair dipped in sand.

I experimented.

I extrapolated.

I combined.

I failed.

I tried again…

and again…

And NAILED IT!

Tasty and health chocolate & ginger protein muffins
Tasty and health chocolate & ginger protein muffins

I actually came up with two recipes: a higher carb, low fat and high protein recipe, and a higher fat, lower carb and high protein version. That gives me some flexibility depending what else I’d eaten in the day and whether it was the fat or the carbs I needed to keep down. Being on a particularly high protein vs low fat diet (read: nutritious macro based eating & exercise plan tailored to my specific requirements – REMEMBER: Everyone’s different!) at the moment I’m struggling to get the protein without exceeding the fat intake, so I’m making the higher carb one more often, but some will prefer the lower carb higher fat version.

Note: I’ve tried to increase the protein content further; more protein powder can be added but it starts getting pretty dry and dense. You may not mind – I’d recommend trying the recipes below, and, if you need more protein, add more protein powder plus a little more liquid (milk or dairy free equivalent, or even water or juice). You could also add eggs (fat and protein) or egg while (protein).

Below is the recipe for the HIGH CARB, LOW FAT version.

1 cup oats*
1/3 cup almonds (or cashews or other nut of your choice**)
1/4 cup sunflower seeds (or pumpkin seeds)
2/3 cup dates
2-3 ripe small/medium bananas
1/2 cup crystallised ginger cubes
Half a teaspoon each of ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg powder to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
3.5-4 scoops chocolate protein powder***
20-50ml milk****

*Whilst oats are naturally gluten free, they are often processed alongside wheat and you may need to ensure you use certified gluten free oats if you need this to be gluten free
**If you are allergic to nuts, skip these and add some more seeds or more banana/oat
***I actually use 1 scoop of rice protein powder and 3 scoops of dark chocolate protein powder
****This really depends on the ripeness of your bananas and moisture content on your dates; you want a wet but thick ‘dough’ that doesn’t really drip off the spoon and only falls off under it’s own weight. You may not need milk at all – also: diary intolerance; substitute for almond or coconut milk; even a little water should be ok

Add all the ingredients (except the milk) to a food blender and add the milk if the consistency is too dry. Scoop the thick dough into a muffin tray (or suitable cupcake holders) and bake in a pre-heated oven at 170C for 20-25 mins. The thinner ‘flakes’ on top (i.e. it’s hard to get smooth and there should be ‘peaks’ in the dough) should be getting almost black. There should be some ‘spongyness’ if you poke the muffins but they must also have some firmness to ensure they’ve cooked in the middle.

Leave to cool before removing from tray.

Tasty and health chocolate & ginger protein muffins
Yummy!

To make the LOW CARB, HIGHER FAT version:

Replace the dates with peanut butter (or suitable nut butter/nut free alternative). You may need to adjust the volume of milk accordingly.

-that’s the only difference!

What this gives you from a macro nutrients angle is (according to my measurements and the use of the MyFitnessPal app):

Per muffin (usually makes 10):

HIGH CARB, LOW FAT version

Carbs: 52% (25.2g)
Fat: 22% (4.8g)
Protein: 26% (12.2g)

(% value is the % of calories rather than weight – i.e. fat is more calorific per gram)
182 calories per muffin
LOW CARB, HIGHER FAT version

Carbs: 38% (20.9g)
Fat: 37% (9g)
Protein: 25% (14g)

(% value is the % of calories rather than weight – i.e. fat is more calorific per gram)
205 calories per muffin

Note that this also depends on your peanut butter – some are higher fat or may have added sugar which will increase the carb content.

Enjoy!!

I will also post the Strawberry cream coconut and blueberry protein muffins recipe shortly.

NOW POSTED!!! Check out the recipe here