Chocolate Cherry Protein Muffins - Low Carb, High Flavour
I don't know about you guys but I used haaate cottage cheese. On it's own, its absolutely vile stuff, but, my parents would trick me into eating it by hiding it in lasagna and such. When I began body building, I realized I would have to learn to love cottage cheese---and quick if I wanted to see any results from all of my hard work.
Baked goods made with cottage cheese are legendary in the bodybuilding world because it contains casein, a protein that is considered to have the easiest absorption, and as such is best way to repair muscles after tearing the crap out of them. I have all sorts of cottage cheese recipes and even won a friendly Iron Chef competition (secret ingredient: cheese) with my own invention of rosemary and lemon rind cottage cheese canapes....
If there is a way to make muffins lower carb and higher in protein, you're damn right I'll figure out a way to do it. And you're damn right it will probably include cottage cheese somewhere in the recipe. I first discovered a variation on this recipe when I was doing the bodybuilding thing and when I made them, I was horrified by how ugly they were: much like most fitness-food, they bore little resemblance to the fluffy muffins we all love. They were flat. They tasted ...well, like fitness-food. They were a TRAVESTY, I tell you. A mockery of all that is good and wonderous about the glorious morsel that is a muffin. They were an embarrassment to the entire world of baked goods.
So, the first thing I did was develop my own flavours and improve upon the fluff. Because the base recipe is so versatile, EVERYTHING goes: over time, I've made peanut butter banana muffins (excellent source of good fats for a build), blueberry-lemon-zest, cranberry-orange... but my absolute favourite flavour, hands-down is chocolate cherry. Every time I eat one of these, I marvel at how something that tastes so good could actually BE good for me. Since I don't sweeten my batter, I recommend using dried fruit if you add fruit as fresh fruit doesn't make the muffins sweet enough (for my liking, anyway). Dried cherries can be a bit 'spensive, but they are oh-so-worth it.
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, blended into flour.
3 scoops chocolate protein powder (change to vanilla if you're making a 'white batter')
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fat-free cottage cheese.
9 egg whites or 3 eggs + 6 egg whites if you're building and need the extra fats.
to make it 'chocolate cherry' flavoured:
3 tbsp good quality dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup dried cherries.
Blend the cottage cheese and egg whites until smooth.
Mix up the dry ingredients:
Combine the two into one glorious mess of batter!
Place into muffin tray. Last Supper Jesus Spoon Caddy is all like "yo, don't forget to grease that tray!"
Baked at 350F for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Per Muffin (makes 12):
Calories: 102*
Fat: 1.1
Carbs: 9.5
Fibre: 1
Protein: 14g
*not including cocoa and cherries.
These muffins are FANTASTIC to pack as a snack when you're on the go; so much better than a protein bar loaded with sugar (and generally leaving you starving after), or paired with a nice cup of coffee when you're craving a pastry. I take two of them for an excellent lunch while doing shows on a busy day. They seriously kick major butt. But just remember to keep them refrigerated.... since they are loaded with protein they will go bad after a few days out on the counter... trust me, I learned THAT one the hard way. Ha.
Oh, and the best part? Just cause they're "bodybuilder food" doesn't mean you'll suddenly bulk up from eating them. In fact, these suckers can help svelte you down during a lean-out.
So eat up! ;)
Baked goods made with cottage cheese are legendary in the bodybuilding world because it contains casein, a protein that is considered to have the easiest absorption, and as such is best way to repair muscles after tearing the crap out of them. I have all sorts of cottage cheese recipes and even won a friendly Iron Chef competition (secret ingredient: cheese) with my own invention of rosemary and lemon rind cottage cheese canapes....
If there is a way to make muffins lower carb and higher in protein, you're damn right I'll figure out a way to do it. And you're damn right it will probably include cottage cheese somewhere in the recipe. I first discovered a variation on this recipe when I was doing the bodybuilding thing and when I made them, I was horrified by how ugly they were: much like most fitness-food, they bore little resemblance to the fluffy muffins we all love. They were flat. They tasted ...well, like fitness-food. They were a TRAVESTY, I tell you. A mockery of all that is good and wonderous about the glorious morsel that is a muffin. They were an embarrassment to the entire world of baked goods.
So, the first thing I did was develop my own flavours and improve upon the fluff. Because the base recipe is so versatile, EVERYTHING goes: over time, I've made peanut butter banana muffins (excellent source of good fats for a build), blueberry-lemon-zest, cranberry-orange... but my absolute favourite flavour, hands-down is chocolate cherry. Every time I eat one of these, I marvel at how something that tastes so good could actually BE good for me. Since I don't sweeten my batter, I recommend using dried fruit if you add fruit as fresh fruit doesn't make the muffins sweet enough (for my liking, anyway). Dried cherries can be a bit 'spensive, but they are oh-so-worth it.
1 1/2 cups rolled oats, blended into flour.
3 scoops chocolate protein powder (change to vanilla if you're making a 'white batter')
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups fat-free cottage cheese.
9 egg whites or 3 eggs + 6 egg whites if you're building and need the extra fats.
to make it 'chocolate cherry' flavoured:
3 tbsp good quality dark cocoa powder
1/2 cup dried cherries.
Blend the cottage cheese and egg whites until smooth.
Mix up the dry ingredients:
Combine the two into one glorious mess of batter!
Place into muffin tray. Last Supper Jesus Spoon Caddy is all like "yo, don't forget to grease that tray!"
Baked at 350F for 20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean.
Per Muffin (makes 12):
Calories: 102*
Fat: 1.1
Carbs: 9.5
Fibre: 1
Protein: 14g
*not including cocoa and cherries.
These muffins are FANTASTIC to pack as a snack when you're on the go; so much better than a protein bar loaded with sugar (and generally leaving you starving after), or paired with a nice cup of coffee when you're craving a pastry. I take two of them for an excellent lunch while doing shows on a busy day. They seriously kick major butt. But just remember to keep them refrigerated.... since they are loaded with protein they will go bad after a few days out on the counter... trust me, I learned THAT one the hard way. Ha.
Oh, and the best part? Just cause they're "bodybuilder food" doesn't mean you'll suddenly bulk up from eating them. In fact, these suckers can help svelte you down during a lean-out.
So eat up! ;)