Simple and Delicious Sunday Breakfast (#SimpleSunday) – By Shannon

Apple Cinnamon Protein Pancakes 
Try these healthy, moist and delicious pancakes packed with a punch of protein.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

- 1 scoop of vanilla casein protein 
- 1 whole egg 
- 1 egg white 
- 1/2 cup oats 
- 1/3 cup 1% cottage cheese (my favorite is Friendship in the pink container) 
- 1/4 cup of water  
- Cinnamon 
- 1 Rome Apple
-  1/2 tbsp Coconut Oil 
- 1 tbsp Whipped, organic sweet butter
 
Recipe:
1) Put oats in blender and turn into oat flour. 
2) Add in protein powder, eggs and cottage cheese.  Blend.  
3) Add in water to make the batter a little less thick.  
4) Turn on 2 skillets to low to medium heat.  
5) Slice up Rome apple.  
6) Add 1/2 tbsp of coconut oil to one skillet (for pancakes) and 1 tbsp of butter for the apples.  
7) Add apple slices to buttered skillet and sprinkle with cinnamon.  
8) Once apples start to soften, pour pancake batter into the skillet with coconut oil.    
9) Flip pancake after a few minutes (once browned).  
10) Each serving is typically 3-4 small to medium sized pancakes, so batter makes 6 to 8 pancakes.  
11) Once the pancakes are done, top with apples and sprinkle with cinnamon.

Nutritional Info:
Calories    326.5  
Fat            12.5 grams  
Protein     25.7 grams  
Carbs        33.7 grams  
Sugars      8.5 grams  
Fiber:       6.6 grams

If you have any questions, please contact me at TeamFitini@gmail.com.

www.teamfitini.com

www.teamfitini.blogspot.com

Supplementing with Shakes – by Morgan

When it comes to shakes, it can be confusing to know where to start.  Here is an overview of how I supplement with shakes.  It is a guide to help you understand the optimal time to have them and what ingredients you can add.

I usually have one shake in the morning immediately after my workout. If I am having a chocolate Shakeology that day, then I will mix it with my whey protein. If I am having a tropical strawberry, then I will have that separately, because mixing tropical strawberry with chocolate whey tastes a little funky :)  

I then usually have one more protein shake in the evening after dinner. This is the perfect time for having a Casein Protein shake as it is a much slower digesting protein. This keeps your metabolism working hot as you are sleeping. 

I like to stack my supplements together, so I mix my Whey Protein with my Micronized Creatine, L-Glutamine and depending on the Shakeology flavor of the day.

Shakeology – This is how I make sure I am getting all of the nutrients I need, it’s not meant to be a protein shake, although it does have 14g in each serving, but rather a really healthy shake that happens to taste better than all my other supplements (chocolate specifically). Since eating a lean diet, makes eating a lot of veges and fruits difficult, or near impossible (think sugar and carb content), this is the best way to get the nutrients without all of the baggage that comes along with it normally.

Whey Protein - Whey is a fast digesting protein, so it is great in the morning or during the day.  I have cycled through many brands of whey protein powder, some taste ok, some taste really good and some taste like they belong under the sink with the rest of the poisons. My favorite Whey Protein by far is Optimum Nutrition Hydro Whey - Turbo Chocolate. I will add one scoop of this which has 30g of protein.  If i need to boost my protein for the day (I will sometimes use two scoops, but not that often).

Creatine - It helps draw fluid into your muscles which expands the cells and helps them grow.  It doesn't really have any taste at all, and the size of the scoop is so small it makes sense to throw it in with your protein. My favorite brand is bodybuilding.com Micronized Creatine; it's also one of the more affordable ones.  I will add 1 scoop (5g), unless I am trying to load my creatine stores when I use 2 scoops (usually done for the first week when starting up creatine usage).

Casein Protein - This protein is a lot thicker than Whey protein so I usually use about twice as much water they I would with a straight whey shake.  Casein is slower burning, so great to take at night.  My favorite Casein is also made by Optimum Nutrition, the creamy vanilla is pretty good. 

L-Glutamine - L-Glutamine is the most prominent amino acid in the body and is needed for the maintenance of muscle tissue.  This helps in both muscle growth and recovery.  My favorite brand is AST Sports Science Micronized GL3 L-Glutamine.  It also doesn't have any taste, but it does have a bit of a gritty texture to it. I would recommend using a micronized version (the same goes for creatine), it absorbs faster and has less texture to it. 

These are three places that I buy all of my supplements from:

1) For Shakeology - http://myshakeology.com/MrFitini (you log into your account when prompted).

2) For general supplements - www.bodybuilding.com - This is the largest supplement site around, they have a great selection and good prices (much better than any GNC type store). They also have really good customer service.

 3) For general supplements - www.dpsnutrition.net - This site is a little more unrefined, but they still have a good selection and sometimes their prices are slightly better than bodybuilding.com.

 If you have any other questions about supplements or shakes, comment below or send me a message at TeamFitini@gmail.com.

www.teamfitini.com