I’m not sure when it happened, but in my ongoing attempts to make “healthy living” a little more fun—and a little more delicious—I transformed my cooking taste within my home from Foreman grill to fine cuisine. I won’t lie and profess myself as one of the world’s greatest cooks. In fact, my variations of fine cuisine are usually meals that you can make within 20 minutes. And I’ve certainly ruined meals at about the same rate as I failed at asking out women in my early 20s. (For the record, that’s a lot of swings, and an almost equal number of misses.)
As a result of all those failures, I learned how to cook. And then I started to really learn how to cook. I took cooking classes, read cookbooks, and interviewed top chefs. Once I had my base, I combined those cooking lessons with what I know about nutrition and found a way to make healthy food taste awesome. It almost felt like cheating; healthy food isn’t supposed to taste good—but it can and it should.
Food should be shared. What good is a kitchen full of healthy goodness if everyone can’t enjoy? With that in mind, I’ll be sharing a wide variety of recipes on this site. Some will have a specific purpose (like building muscle or losing fat), some will put a new spin on an old recipe, and others will have no specific intention other than the fact that the food tastes really good.
After all, I truly believe that everyone should find a way to make food an enjoyable part of life.
I’ll call my recipes on my blog “Born in the Kitchen.” Was I actually “born” in a kitchen? Of course not. But my name goes so well with everything that it makes me look much more clever than I actually am.
I hope that you enjoy these recipes, and if you ever have a request please feel free to leave them in the comments. I’m always listening.
Today’s item: Cinnamon-Vanilla Protein Cake Batter
I typically enjoy this recipe as a protein smoothie. But when I use BioTrust LowCarb protein—as it’s become my top protein choice—the protein blend creates a thick, dare-I-say batter-type consistency that you can eat and enjoy with a spoon. When I gave it to my wife for the first time, she called it vanilla cake batter. And since that sounds much better than Vanilla protein shake, the title stuck.
This recipe is simple, it’s fast, and it’s very tasty. Oh yeah, and it’s definitely #BornApproved. Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Ingredients:
- 5 ice cubes
- 10 oz almond milk
- 2-3 scoops of BioTrust LowCarb Vanilla protein
- 1 frozen banana
- 1 tbsp Justin’s maple almond butter
- 1 tbsp cinnamon
- 1.5 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 tbsp chia seeds
Directions (For the record, I do think the order matters)
- Place the ice cubes in a blender and top with the almond milk.
- Then add the protein powder and banana.
- Blend for 10-15 seconds.
- Add in the almond butter, vanilla extract and chia seeds. Blend for another 5 seconds.
- Add in the cinnamon and blend for 5-10 more seconds. Serve in a glass or drink out of a blender. (It’s what I do; don’t judge)
Adam Bornstein is a New York Times bestselling author and the author of You Can’t Screw This Up. He is the founder of Born Fitness, and the co-founder of Arnold’s Pump Club (with Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Pen Name Consulting. An award-winning writer and editor, Bornstein was previously the Chief Nutrition Officer for Ladder, the Fitness and Nutrition editor for Men’s Health, Editorial Director at LIVESTRONG.com, and a columnist for SHAPE, Men’s Fitness, and Muscle & Fitness. He’s also a nutrition and fitness advisor for LeBron James, Cindy Crawford, Lindsey Vonn, and Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to The Huffington Post, Bornstein is “one of the most inspiring sources in all of health and fitness.” His work has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New York Times, Fast Company, ESPN, and GQ, and he’s appeared on Good Morning America, The Today Show, and E! News.