Healthy Tandoori Malai Chicken

This delicious recipe has become a staple in my household. It's yet to fail the taste test from any guests or visitors who have come over and been treated to this family favourite!

Malai chicken is typically made by allowing chicken to sit over night in lots of cream. Here's how we make it in our household and cut half the calories that usually come along with this typical Indian favourite! It's so jam packed and bursting full of flavour- Nobody would ever guess it was healthy!

Ingredients:

3 large chicken breasts cut into cubes (500g packet)

2 small red onions sliced

1 handful freshly chopped coriander

1 Tbsp 0% fat greek yoghurt 

1/2 tsp melted coconut oil

2 cloves crushed

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp garam masala 

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

Juice of 1/2 lime 

1/2 tsp salt

1. Pre-heat fan oven to 250degress Celsius.

2. Mix all the ingredients together (except the chicken) in a bowl

3. Add the chicken and coat well with the marinade

4. If you have time, let the chicken sit in the marinade for as long as possible for super succulent, tender, flavoursome chicken (45mins - overnight would be ideal). If not- no need to worry, your chicken will still be bursting with flavour!

5. Pour the chicken & marinade into an oven-proof dish (preferably one where the chicken sits in nice and compactly!) and bake in the oven for 10-12mins or until tender and juices run clear when cut open!

Serves four.

Macro breakdown for 1 portion:

162 kcals, 3.2g fat, 30g protein, 3.3g carb

Meal ideas:

Plate up with some mixed vegetables & basmati rice/sweet potato, or put into a wholegrain wrap (or lettuce wraps for an even healthier low calori, low carb, low fat option!) with some fresh salad... Delicious!

Peanut Butter Protein Snow Balls

I recently went on a short trip out of the country for a hen do with 14 other girls. Given that I had a pretty important photo shoot coming up the following weekend, and knowing I'd definitely have to compromise most of my usual diet habits, I made sure I left my house fully prepared!

Containing over 10g protein each, these tasty little low carb treats not only kept my body physically in check, but also kept my outrageous appetite (I eat with my eyes when let loose) under tight wraps! From maintaining energy levels, to curbing those devilish hunger and/or sweet-tooth cravings, they turned out to be a complete saviour.

A crazy early morning rush to the airport (due to the bride sleeping in and being late to her own hen!), meant there was no time to search for a healthy breakfast before jumping on the aeroplane, so I popped one of my protein balls into the porridge pot that was available on board! 

These are so handy and perfect as a 'grab-and-go' for those early mornings when time is of an issue to get to work, or simply as a healthy tea-time snack or treat. The natural healthy fats and protein from the peanut butter and whey, provide the slow and sustained energy supply you need first thing in the morning. This combination ensures any sugar/energy crashes are kept at bay unlike the typical breakfast cereals and unhealthy tea-time treats are famously synonymous with! So overall, an all round great, versatile, and healthy go-to for any time of the day!

Ingredients:
5 scoops of Reflex Chocolate Peanut Butter whey*
5 scoops of Reflex Natural Vanilla whey
100g Natural Crunchy Peanut Butter*
Roughly 50ml water
5g Vanilla casein (for frosting/decoration)

1. Thoroughly combine the chocolate peanut butter and natural whey together
2. Stir the peanut butter into the whey with a wooden spoon (it will still be quite powdery at this point)
3. Gradually add around 5-10 drops of water at a time whilst combining the ingredients to form a big ball of 'dough' (I found using my hands to combine the mixture a lot easier and more effective at this point!). Be careful not to add too much water or else the mixture will become too sticky and difficult to store and mould. The dough ball should be quite dry and just hold together!
4. Once you have your ball of dough, equally divide them into 10 pieces and mould them with your hands into little balls (mine weighed around 30g each). You should notice that the moisture from the water and natural oils from the peanut butter start to seep out and help hold it together and allow the 'frosting' to stick.
5. Place your casein powder onto a plate or bowl, then roll the protein balls around in them until evenly coated to finish off prettifying your delicious peanutty snowball treats!

Makes 10 snowballs.

Macro breakdown per Peanut Butter Protein Snowball:

108 kcal, 13.2g Protein, 5.2g Fat, 2g Carb, 1.3g Fiber

Tips:
Add a teaspoon or two of Creative Nature Cacao powder for a deliciously richer and even more nutritious chocolatey treat! (Use my code GC15 to receive 15% off your order!)

*You don't have to use these flavours of whey, peanut butter, or even casein! Why not try almond butter or cashew butter, a different flavour whey, and a different frosting for variety or as an alternative healthy treat!

Storage: Best kept in the fridge.