Hot chocolate 'power' pudding.... power for body and mind!

Ok, so I reeled you in with the title of this post...chocolate! That'll make anyone glance twice ;-)

Don't worry I will give you a chocolate fix, but first a little post-training debrief and review of the foodie variety!

As many of you now (I promise this is the last time I talk about it to any degree!) I completed Tough Mudder last weekend and so therefore in the month or so leading up the event my meals and snacks had been more carefully thought out than usual, with higher protein and hydrating foods featuring more heavily, also higher on the complex carbs in the few days prior. I have a backlog of recipes to share so the posts over the coming weeks will showcase some of these- great for the active and non-active people alike since good hydration is great for summer recipes and my protein focussed meals and snacks were based around whole foods and not protein supplements, equally important for everybody following a predominantly plant based lifestyle. Saying that, I do have some protein cookie coming tomorrow that utilise protein powders- but that's all :-)

To keep it brief and not bore or overwhelm you, here is a little overview summary of my food profile for last week in the final run up to the event. Obviously this was a balance of food that worked well for me but every body is different, for example I know I don't react well to high quantities of dried fruits and nuts (bloat inducing) so beans and quinoa took centre stage. Many of the recipes quoted below (and shown in the montage) will feature over the next few days.

Typical Daily Food Dairy (approximated for the entire week)

Food:

• Green Smoothie upon waking- between 6-9am

• Quinoa oatmeal power bowl (similar to below but typically without choc)- between 9am-11am

• Protein cookies (tomorrow's post) after workouts, or choc protein mousse plus banana- whatever time during the day

• Quinoa salad/veg bowl, or lentil chilli soup with quinoa. Typically I made a large batch and had some for lunch/snack and then the rest for dinner. Depending on if/when I was working out that day depended on whether I had the larger portion for lunch or for dinner. 

• Tropical chia pudding prior to workouts of as dessert/snack. I made a enough to last me a couple of days and grabbed a spoonful whenever I fancied it. (I also ate this approx. 1 hour prior to the event happening- totally fuelled me up- quickly digested carbs and mega hydrating!)

Drinks:

I made up a litre of the watermelon coconut cooler which lasted me a couple of days at a time.  I also drank a lot of green tea (tropical green tea as I can't get my taste buds around the plain stuff) I drank 2-3 mugs a day, this was instead of the usual mint tea I drink. I also drank at least another 2 ltrs plain filtered water. In total a minimum of 3 ltrs fluids. I don't drink coffee or regular tea anyway so that didn't come into the equation for me.

I found the balance worked really well to hydrate and sustain me without bloating me out as a lot of seeds/nuts tend to.

So, now i'd like to hear from you- what are your favourite 'fit foods', and ways you find best hydrate and sustain you?

Oh yes, I promised you a recipe!  

Here you go...as ever a super versatile, breakfast, brunch, snack...whatever (omit the choc and add other flavours if you feel choc is a bit much for an everyday breakfast ;-)  This totally set me up for the day. Fitness, motivation, endurance and focus is as much built in the mind as it is in the body... I promise this 'power' bowl will kick both into touch!

Recipe: Hot choc power pudding:

Serves 2 

Ingredients:

2 cups cooked quinoa (I have precooked portions in the freezer at all times for speed)
2 cups non-dairy milk of choice
2 tbs peanut butter (or other- hazlenut butter is fab!!)
4 tbs chia seeds
a few drops vanilla stevia to taste (or maple syrup)
2 tsp maca powder
2 tbs raw cacao or carob (note carob is slightly sweeter)
2 tsp cinnamon
Toppings of choice (I used a handful of goji berries and mixed red/black currants plus extra chia)

Note: you could sub some of the quinoa with part oats.

Method:

Prepare the quinoa if uncooked.

Add the quinoa, milk, nut butter, chia and sweetener to a pan and simmer on the stove for a few minutes until well mixed and warmed through. Turn off the heat and add the remaining ingredients, stir to mix well.

Spoon into bowls and add the toppings of choice. Eat immediately or chill half for eating later!

For further guidance on making gluten free choices please see this post.

For tips and info on recipe measurement conversions, ingredients, substitutions and the methods behind how I do things.... check out my 'baking tips' tab at the top of the page.