7 blueberry muffins on a plate dusted with icing sugarCategoriesNutrition

Spring Recipe: Blueberry Oat Muffins

Spring Recipe: Blueberry Oat Muffins 

Need something to satisfy your sweet tooth? These tasty homemade muffins recommended by our Nutritionist are a great balance of sweet and nutritious. They make for the perfect breakfast, snack or desert!

Serving: 12 muffins

Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 175ml full fat milk
  • 100ml vegetable oil
  • 75g honey
  • 1 egg
  • 200g plain flour
  • 50g rolled oats
  • 2.5 tsp. baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • Zest of an orange
  • 175g fresh blueberries
fresh blueberry muffins spaced out on a cooling rack

How to make your blueberry oat muffins

 

Step 1:

Preheat the oven to 180c (fan)

 

Step 2 :

Add all your wet ingredients (milk, honey, oil and egg) to a jug and whisk until combined

STEP 3:

Mix together the rest of the ingredients in a separate bowl

Step 4:

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk until they are fully combined and smooth

Step 5:

Put 12 muffin cases into a muffin tin and spoon the mixture into them equally.

Step 6:

Bake in the oven for 15 minutes until golden and springy to the touch

Blueberry muffin pulled apart to show the soft inner sponge

RECIPE BENEFITS 

 

MEAL PREP

These muffins are an excellent form of meal prep when made in bulk. Simply grab one on your way out the house or for on the go to keep you energised in your physical activities.

FUEL

This recipe provides good source of carbohydrates to resupply energy after a training session.

ADDITIONS

Want to bump up the nutritional value a little more? Add a protein source such as Greek yoghurt, or a handful of raspberries to really feel the benefits of this sweet treat.

PROTEIN PANCAKE RECIPE
Stack of 4 pancakes drizzled with maple syrup, and topped with blueberries and bananas on a red plate.CategoriesNutrition

Tasty Protein Pancakes with a Sprinkle of Nutrition

Tasty Protein Pancakes With a Sprinkle of Nutrition

Pancake day, also known as ‘Shrove Tuesday’, is a day where many of us indulge in a stack (or three) of tasty fried batter, with a generous drizzle of your favourite toppings.

 

It’s a given that pancake day isn’t usually a day focused around nutrition, however for some, you want may plan your toppings and ingredients around your personal fitness and intake goals. Here is a recipe recommended by our Lead Sport Performance Nutritionist!

Ingredients 

 

  • 200-250ml dairy or non-dairy milk
  • 50g oats
  • 1 egg (optional)
  • 1 banana
  • 1 scoop protein powder
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • Toppings of choice
Egg and flour in a mixing bowl with egg shells surrounding bowl

 

How to make your protein pancakes

 

Step 1:

Blend the oats, protein powder and baking powder together in a blender

 

Step 2 :

Add the milk and half the banana and blend the 5 ingredients together

STEP 3:

Heat a small amount of oil/oil spray in a pan and pour the mixture to the desired size

Step 4:

Check when the pancake is ready to flip by lifting the edges with a spatula to see where the pancake is stuck

Step 5:

One cooked through, flip the pancake and over cook it on the other side

Step 6:

Alternate the cooking between the sides until golden brown

Step 7:

Repeat temps 3-6 until all the mixture has been used

Toppings

Banana pancakes with caramel sauce
Nut butter in a jar
Pancakes drizzled in syrup and covered with strawberries and blueberries

This is where the fun really starts…choosing your pancake toppings! Toppings are both a great way to add extra flavours and textures to your pancakes, but also to incorporate more nutrient-rich foods into each bite. Depending on which nutrients you want to focus on, here are some tasty toppings to inspire your tastebuds and help you achieve your goals (especially if you develop the pancake bug and start craving them daily)!

Carbohydrates

 
Banana slices, jam or honey can provide some additional carbohydrates to help you fuel for, or refuel after a workout or run.
 

FATS

 
Nut butters are a great source of healthy fats and energy if you are looking to gain mass or increase your energy intake.
 

GENERAL HEALTH/WEIGHT LOSS

 

Generally, fresh or frozen berries help support overall health and are a good to include in all diets. They can also enhance weight loss efforts as they are fibre and nutrient rich to keep you satisfied and help meet daily micronutrient needs.

Enjoy your pancakes!

 

The key to pancake day is to fully enjoy them. If that means a healthy serving of Nutella, go for it! If you have a strict routine to support your sport performance, you can still enjoy the more indulgent toppings in moderation.

Pancakes drizzled in chocolate sauce and topped with strawberries
sunlight peaking through a plantCategoriesNutrition

How to boost your Vitamin D levels

How to boost your Vitamin D levels

Meet Rachel, our Lead Performance Nutritionist who supports our scholars and performance teams to ensure their diets are optimised for training and overall wellbeing.

 

Rachel got into Sports Nutrition after completing her undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition. She went on to complete a Master’s degree in Sports Nutrition having played competitive sports for most of her life and is currently completing her PhD in Energy Availability!

 

In this blog, Rachel provides her top tips on how to boost your vitamin D levels through food and supplements.

 

Why do we need Vitamin D?

 

Vitamin D is essential for bone health, muscle recovery and immunity and therefore for athletes to feel and perform optimally. Our primary source of Vitamin D is exposure to sunlight. However, during the winter months in the UK, sunlight is not strong enough for us to meet Vitamin D requirements. This leaves individuals at risk of deficiency and comprised muscle recovery, bone health and immunity.

Sources of vitamin d

 

Vitamin D can be found in small amounts in foods such as oily fish and eggs, however, the amounts are typically too small  to meet demands. Therefore, it is recommended that most individuals in the UK supplement Vitamin D during the winter months (between October and March).

 

 

Individuals, particularly those with health conditions, should check with their doctor or healthcare professional prior to supplementing. You can check out the NHS page here for more advice and information.

Egg yolks in a bowl

Considerations for Athletes

 

If you are an athlete that is supplementing, you need to be aware of Clean Sport and checking your supplements. You can be tested at any time, and if found to have anything in your system that goes against the World Anti-Doping Code (2021), it could potentially cost you your whole career! Find out more about how you can check your supplements here, and don’t take any risks. 

Find out more about our sport nutrition services and how we help our athletes build the best nutrition plans to help them perform.