Try these 4 delicious protein-packed Christmas treats

Christmas is a time of indulgence and excess.

If you're anything like the JOE team you'll probably spend the next two weeks gorging your way through chocolate, sweets, mince pies and Christmas pudding. You'll probably find us underneath the Christmas tree come January 1 just coming out of a Christmassy food coma. We're piling on the pounds just thinking about it. But if you're militant about eating clean, you want to get a head start for the inevitable 'New Year, New You' purge or just don't fancy sticking on a good 2st in weight these next few days, then this is for you. MaxiNutrition's Becky Garvey has whipped up some festive food and drink recipes to keep that Christmassy gut at bay...

Cinnamon Roll Chocolate Protein Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 frozen banana
• 1 tablespoon raw cocoa
• 1 scoop MaxiNutrition Promax chocolate
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon of almond butter
• 1 cup of almond milk (or any milk you prefer)

Method

• Add all ingredients to blender and blend until smooth. Adapt the consistency of the smoothie by adding more milk or water to the blend

Lean Gingerbread Men

Ingredients

• 1.5 cups of buckwheat
• 2 scoops MaxiNutrition Promax Vanilla
• 2 cups of walnuts/pecans
• 1 cup of almonds
• ½ cup of milk/almond milk
• ½ cup of pure maple syrup/honey
• 4 tablespoons of ground ginger
• 2 tablespoons of coconut oil

Method

• Pre-heat the oven to 175 degrees (or Gas mark 4)
• Measure almonds and walnuts and blitz in a food processor until they are broken down and in a flour form. Add all the other ingredients until they form a sticky mixture
• Grease two baking trays
• Roll out your mixture using a rolling pin (put some of the buckwheat flour down first so it doesn’t stick to your worktop). Make sure it is quite thin and then use your cutter - or a knife if you do not have a gingerbread cutter - to make your biscuits
• Place on the baking tray and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden on top. Leave to cool and keep in an airtight container for five to seven days

Protein Snowballs

Ingredients

• 1 cup of Medjool dates
• 1 cup of cashews
• 1 tablespoon of desiccated coconut
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• 2 tablespoons cashew nut butter
• Dash of almond milk (or any milk you prefer)

Method

• Add the nuts to the blender and blend until they begin to look a bit like flour, small lumps of nuts are fine
• Add all the other ingredients to the nuts, except for the milk, and blend again for a minute or two until it all forms together
• Mix around with a spoon and then add a dash of almond milk, this is to make the mixture stick together easier. Be sure to only add a really small amount and blast one more time in the blender. Add more milk if you need but these should very dense in consistency
• Take your mixture and use your hands to roll into ball shapes. Dip in extra desiccated coconut and pop into an airtight container in the fridge, they will be ready to eat in 1.5 hours and keep in the fridge for up to 10 days

Protein Yule Log

Ingredients

• 1 can of chickpeas, drained and washed thoroughly
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 4 eggs
• 1 tablespoon of cocoa
• 1.5 scoops MaxiNutrition Promax Chocolate
• 1 tablespoon agave
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons melted coconut oil

Method

• Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees (or Gas mark 4)
• Put the chickpeas in your blender and blend until forms a paste
• Add the rest of the ingredients to the blender and mix together well
• Line a baking loaf tin with baking paper and add the mixture ensuring evenly distributed
• Pop in the oven for 30-35mins depending on strength of oven