Author of this guest post is Jenny Baker. A bad ass muscle chick with a food obsession!

 

 

 

Swole-gurl Fluff

 

I learned a lot during the process of prepping for my first Figure contest, #GF2Crew!. I learned that the term “hangry” is a diplomatic way of saying, “I’m so #$#%^& hungry that if I don’t eat $%^&* now I am likely to rip your !#$%^& head off!”

I learned that those homeless animal commercials with Sarah Mclachlan don’t hold a candle to the heartache I feel when even something as benign as a Lean Cuisine ad interrupts my television programming.

And I learned that when it comes to eating, the more I can shovel into my mouth, the happier I am.

So in other words, I wasn’t very happy by the time I reached the final weeks of prep.

However, I also discovered that desperation motivates one to find creative ways to maximize portions while staying within macro limitations.

There is a common recipe in many bodybuilding circles known as “Protein Fluff” – a high volume snack that boasts very low calories and is a popular meal solution during contest prep. It is extremely basic, consisting of protein powder mixed with water and xanthum gum. Whip that stuff together and you have a huge bowl of…Fluff.

I would not consider myself a picky eater; if it tastes good, then I’m on board with whatever it is. Spaghetti squash marinara? Yes! Mashed banana mixed on top of jello? Sounds delicious! Muffins made with cricket powder? Why not? However, Protein Fluff is one snack that gives my loose palate pause. How to describe what I mean? Well, head on over to your bathroom medicine cabinet and pull out a can of shaving cream. Hold out your hand, squeeze some cream into it, and then shove it in your mouth. You can pretend to chew it if you want, but otherwise you can just stir it around with your tongue until it makes its way down your gullet.

That’s what Protein Fluff is like.

I will admit that The Fluff definitely fills you up. Or in my case, gives me a terrible stomach ache followed by rapid-fire-glass-pack gas. It certainly makes me less hungry, but I don’t know that feeling like I swallowed mouthfuls of oxygen is a very satisfying alternative. And I know my husband doesn’t appreciate the constant crop dusting.

I hated to give up on The Fluff since it seemed like an answer to my “must feel like I’m eating a lot of food” requirements. So I decided to put on my apron (yes, I really do wear an apron) and do some experimenting. And while I’m no Betty Crocker, after many different attempts at modifications, I finally came upon a solution.

I call it “Swole-gurt Fluff.”

It’s higher in calories than traditional Fluff, but still low enough that it fit my restricted contest prep macros. The addition of yogurt decreases the overall portion size, but it provides a much thicker consistency that doesn’t make you feel like you are in the final weeks of pregnancy.

In other words, it’s pretty damn good.

So give it a try and let me know what you think!

 

Swole-gurt Fluff

Ingredients:

15-20g vanilla protein powder (casein works best, though you can use a protein blend like Trutein).

2g Xanthum gum

4oz Almond milk (or whatever milk you prefer)

4oz Water (you can use 8oz of carbonated water or soda instead and remove the milk all together)

75g-225g plain or vanilla Greek yogurt

 

Directions:

Place all ingredients except the yogurt in a medium to large mixing bowl or stand mixer.

Blend for 1-5 minutes using a hand mixer with a whisk attachment (or your stand mixer)

The mixture should thicken to a foamy-like consistency. This is traditional Protein Fluff. You can stop here if you want and give it a try. Or you can just grab a can of Barbasol Thick and Rich. Same thing really.

However, for Swole-gurt Fluff, you will now add in Greek yogurt. I find that anything less than 75g of yogurt doesn’t result in enough thickness, so the more yogurt you add, the thicker it gets. Just use whatever fits your macros best.

If you are using flavored protein powder, you don’t need to add any additional flavor. However, I have a sweet tooth, so I like to add something extra to make it feel like I’m having a special treat. You can do this using extracts (banana extract, almond extract, etc), SF jello powder, or Walden Farms syrup. However, I found that the strongest and best flavor was when I used “Flex Flavors” by Devotion Nutrition. These little packets of goodness are only 2g of carbs (and zero everything else), but have a flavor punch like Mohammed Ali (may he rest in peace). They are a bit on the expensive side, but during prep when I’m desperate for a sweet treat, they are totally worth it. They have a variety of flavors to choose from (you can check them out at: http://devotionnutrition.com/store/flex-flavors/ and no, I have no affiliation with their company).

Now start blending again for a minute or two.

And voila! Swole-gurt Fluff! This recipe made approximately two cups of fluff. However, if you increase the amount of protein powder, this will give you a larger serving (though make sure to increase your xanthum gum by a gram or two to accommodate the extra protein powder).

Recipes like this make contest prep so easy!

Just kidding. Contest prep sucks regardless.

Enjoy!

Here a printable version of the recipe:  Protein Fluff Text Only