Protein Cheesecake?  Does this mean chicken mixed with cheese and cake?…

You’ll be glad to know the answer to that question is a resounding no.  Although I’m a huge fan of not sticking to bland and boring dishes, even I think that chicken and cheesecake is a step too far.

Desserts can often be a bit of a taboo subject for a lot of people.

You start your diet and they’re one of the first things that has to go.  You throw away the contents of your freezer and make a solemn pact to yourself and those around you that you won’t be touching another dessert for the next 3 months.

No more ice cream, no more sticky toffee pudding, and definitely no double chocolate fudge brownies!

But by about week 3 you see everyone else still enjoying those tasty treats after dinner, which kicks off those cravings and desires inside of you.  Heck, your Instagram feed is awash with guys and girls that have perfect abs but are still seemingly working their way through treat after treat and dessert after dessert.

How do they do it?  And more importantly, why can’t you!?

First off, I’d question whether or not all those Instagram pics are genuine.  A picture of a guy with a huge spoon and a tub of ice cream, in reality might just mean that he’s serving it up for his girlfriend and he’s sticking to rice cakes for pudding.  Because they’re still classed as dessert, right?  They’ve got CAKE in the title!

Secondly, if they are genuine then he or she has good control of their macros (or they’re just having a massive calorie blow out that day).

Either way, it all comes down to fitting it in to your macros.  If you can find desserts that you love and are macro friendly, well that’s nirvana (and I don’t mean the rock band).

With this week’s Meal Prep Sunday blog, I’ve got a couple of great tasting recipes that you should have no problem weaving into your meal plans.  One dessert, and one main meal.

And what’s more, they don’t require a shed load of preparation and cooking skill.  You won’t need Gordon Ramsey on your shoulder for these ones.

First up we’ve got cheesecake! Mmmmmmmmm.  Now I’ll be honest here, this is not a recipe I’ve tried.  Anyone that knows mean will know that I have a strange dislike for any food with ‘berry’ in the title.  Yes, it sounds weird and it makes me sound weird, but we haven’t got enough time to delve into all that (drop me an email if you’re strangely intrigued).  What I do is vary the fruit in the cheesecake.  But blueberries are a common favourite amongst most people and they make a nice change to typical fruit choices.

Next up we, I’m delving into the world of vegetarian dishes.  Not something I write a lot about, because to be honest I’m a big meat lover.  But I’m conscious some of you out there are vegetarian and are looking for ways to add variety to your meal plans and hit your macro numbers.  Getting your protein intake high as a vegetarian can be tricky, so hopefully this Fried Rice Noodle dish with egg will go down well with you.

I’m sure you’ll love these two recipes, so……..

Let’s get cooking…

Quick Blueberry Protein Cheesecake

Recipe makes 4 servings

Nutritional values per serving

MACROS: Protein = 13g, Carbs = 20g, Fat = 7g

TOTAL CALORIES: 200 Kcal

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 0 mins

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WHAT YOU NEED:

• ½ cup (50g) pistachio nuts
• 2½ tbsp. honey
• 4 mint springs, leaves
• 2 cups (400g) quark, naturally fat free
• 1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1 ½ cup (150g) blueberries

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WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Heat a dry frying pan and toast the pistachios over medium heat for about 3min.

Add half the honey and cook for another 2 min. until caramelized. Add the cardamom to the quark and mix well and divide between 4 bowls.

Chop half the mint and sprinkle it over the quark then drizzle with the rest of the honey. 

Next divide the pistachio and blueberries between the 4 bowls and garnish with the remaining mint leaves. Serve straight away and enjoy.

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Vegetable Fried Rice Noodles

Recipe makes 4 servings

Nutritional values per serving

MACROS: Protein = 16g, Carbs = 55g, Fat = 16g

TOTAL CALORIES: 437 Kcal

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

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WHAT YOU NEED:

• 8 oz. (225g) rice noodles, or rice
• 1 onion
• 2 tbsp. sesame oil
• 1 inch fresh ginger
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 tbsp chili sauce
• 6.4 oz. (180g) tofu, chopped
• 14 oz. (400g) Chinese stir fry vegetable mix
• 3 tbsp. soy sauce
• 4 eggs, fried
• pickled vegetables (optional)

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WHAT YOU NEED TO DO:

Cook the rice noodles according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, finely chop the onion. Heat 1 tbsp. of the oil in a wok and fry the onion over medium heat for 5 minutes. Peel finely chop the ginger as well as the garlic.

Add the ginger, garlic and chili paste to the onion and cook for 3 minutes. Next add in the tofu and heat for another 3 minutes.Turn the heat to high, add the Chinese vegetable mix along with the soy sauce and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large frying pan and fry the eggs. Add the rice noodles to the vegetable and tofu mixture and toss. Serve the with a fried egg on top and pickled vegetables(optional).

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There you have it.  A dessert that will taste great AND fit your macros that can follow an equally great tasting vegetarian dish that still packs a protein punch.

I’d also love to see your own creations after you’ve given the recipes a try.  Tag me in your photos on Facebook and Instagram.  The best photo will get a 10% discount of a personalised training programme and one day meal plan.  

Get cooking and GET CREATIVE with those pics!

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To find out more about Iron Paradise Fitness and my coaching programme head over to www.ironparadisefitness/online-coaching and if you have any questions, then feel free to shoot me an email at simon@ironparadisefitness.com

I’m always happy to answer any questions you have about all things fitness, so don’t be shy.

Enjoy your meal prep and enjoy the recipes.

Simon – Iron Paradise Fitness