Chocolate & Banana Protein Pancake Recipe

Most of you will have seen this creation on Instagram yesterday, so I thought I'd post the recipe in case anyone wanted to make it for themselves!

 Since I've started my weight-loss journey, I find it so difficult not to eat unhealthy foods such as chocolate and sweets. After I started going to the gym, I've been taking protein shakes to aid my muscle recovery after heavy workouts and never knew the extent of amazing foods that can be made using whey protein powder. 

The powder that I use is part of Sci Mx's Weight Management Range. Diet Pro Protein is full of weight loss enhancing ingredients and contains 21g of protein per 30g serving. Packed with green tea extract, this powder claims to boost energy, help control cholesterol, improve thyroid health, support your metabolism and support muscle growth which otherwise may deteriorate when dieting.

Knowing that you can make pancakes from protein powder,  I was adamant on creating the best protein pancake stack imaginable. And I hope you'd agree that we succeeded!

So what're we waiting for? Here's the recipe:

Makes 18 mini pancakes or 9 normal sized pancakes. 

Ingredients:

3 scoops protein powder

4 Egg Whites

2 whole Bananas

1 tsp Baking Powder

100-200ml Almond Milk

Flavouring (vanilla pods/ cinnamon/ cocoa powder)

Method:

Use a blender or electric whisk to mix the banana and egg whites until fluffy, then slowly add in the protein powder of choice (I used SciMx Diet Pro Protein).

Add in the Almond Milk until the desired consistency is achieved. If you've used flavoured protein powder, you may not want to add extra flavouring. But you can add what ever flavourings you want, for example vanilla, cinnamon or cocoa powder. 

To make the circular mini pancakes, I used an egg ring. Ensure that the pan is well oiled, for this I used 1 calorie cooking spray. Turn the hob up to a high heat to ensure the pan is hot enough, then lower to a medium heat.

Use a dessert spoon and fill the egg ring with a spoonful of batter and spread it round. These pancakes will fluff up quite a bit, so only a small amount is needed. Cook for 30 seconds and then remove the egg ring. Flip the pancake and cook until both sides are browned. Keeping the pancake fluffy in the middle will stop it tasting dry. 

Once you've used up all the batter, set the pancakes aside and prepare your choice of topping. For me, this was sliced strawberries, bananas and sugar free toffee sauce. Other options could be different fruits, low fat yoghurt, zero cal syrups or low calorie sweeteners. Stacking them with alternating fruits, I created my protein tower of deliciousness. 

Nutritional Information (Per stack of 9 without topping)

Calories: 306kcal

Protein: 41g

Carbs: 31.45g

Sugar: 18.7g

Different protein powders will have different nutritional information. If you have any allergies, check the label for more information.

The protein I used has a trace amount of gluten in, so would not be suitable for coeliacs or gluten intolerances. However, I have a mild intolerance to gluten, and these did not have any repercussions after consumption! Happy Days!

Do you have any healthy cheat recipes under your belt? What would you use as a topping?

DIY Dead Sea Mud Mask Slimming Wrap*

So I've been on a health kick for quite a while and have so far lost around 11lbs. Measurement-wise that's 6cm off my waist, 6.5cm off my hips and 1.5cm off my arms and thighs.
But I'm still fighting to get another few centimetres off. I've been off ill for the past 5 day, for which I am still awaiting test results to diagnose. With one of the symptoms being bloating, I'm hating life right now as I look like an elephant! 
Having googled things to get rid of bloat, I came across mud wraps and was intrigued by their slimming benefits. Further research got me to the brand Ahava. Located in Israel, they study the many minerals that are found in the Dead Sea. Since their founding, they have become a Dead Sea mineral expert.  
The Dead Sea is well-known for it's mineral-rich mud. It is high in magnesium, calcium, potassium, and iron which is crucial to achieving and maintaining healthy, smooth skin. The natural properties within mud have been scientifically proven to restore elasticity and moisture in dry skin while helping  relieve symptoms such as soreness, redness, roughness, and cracking.
eBay isn't for everyone, but I swear by it. It's one of the cheapest ways to get hold of products and has everything you could possibly need all in one place. A lot of beauty and skincare stores now have their own eBay store where you can browse their entire range. Usually with free shipping, this means its now easier to get hold of the products you want.  eBay is how I found Ahava's store. Separated in easy to navigate categories, I was browsing the Dead Sea Mud range and saw my ideal product. The 100% Dead Sea Mud Exfoliant was perfect for the slimming mud wrap I was looking for. You even get a free gift of two samples to enhance the results of the mud mask. I received the Dead Sea Osmotic Concentrate and an Essential Day Moisturiser for Normal to Dry Skin.
What I love about eBay is how quick and easy the checkout is. If you're a long-time eBay-er, you simply have to log in and click Buy it now and go through PayPal, otherwise, you are able to process the purchase as a guest. Overall, my experience using Ahava's eBay store was very quick and simple, it took around 3 minutes for the whole payment process. My delivery came within a few days, which is great considering it's shipped all the way from Israel!   

 Once heated and applied to skin, the mud absorbs deep into the skin, cleansing the pores and softening the skin. With the help of a wrap, the moisture is locked in and encourages detox and the removal of fat stores and cellulite.

I cut open a corner of the sachet and heated in the microwave for 2 minutes, as per the rear of the packet. That was probably a bit too long, as the packet burnt and some of the mud overcooked. I would probably suggest maybe a minute instead. Scraping the remnants into a plastic bowl, I used a spoon to apply it to my body. Again, I suggest a minute of heating time, rather than 2, as the first application almost burnt me! On the other hand, applying this to my back was heaven, as I suffer from back problems too, so the heat was a-mazing.

Even though I felt so silly wrapping cling film round my self, I knew that this would be an interesting experiment, should it be successful. I wrapped it quite tight for around 3-4 layers to make sure it didn't squidge out.

Wearing an old sports bra and some old shorts, I smoothed the hot mask over my 'problem areas;' my stomach and my thighs. It was a bit awkward at times and I had to use a mirror to cover areas I couldn't see, but it smoothed on perfectly and the coverage was amazing. Assuming I could cover my whole body with the mask, I lathered on quite thick. By the time I got to my second thigh, it had all run out, so I'd definitely recommend 2 or 3 packets. 
My plan was to wrap my tummy and thighs and wash off the rest after half an hour or so. But I suppose just the wrapped parts made it possible to sit down.
The research I'd done told me that the wrap should be on for at least 6 hours for maximum results, or better yet, worn over night. However, as I had a prior engagement only 4 hours later, I knew I only had a short amount of time to really test this wrapping experiment.  Wearing the mud wrap was okay, it put a little pressure on my stomach and thighs as it tightened when I sat down, but at least I could sit and watch Netflix for a while! about 3 episodes of Pretty Little Liars later and I began clock watching, trying to estimate how long it would take me to get ready to leave the house. 
I had the wrap on for about 3.25 hours, which is just over half the recommended time, but I was eager to see the results. Once I'd showered it off, I applied the two lotions that came as free gifts. One was a pre-moisturising lotion to enhance the results of the mud and the second was a smoothing moisturiser to hydrate the skin further. After this, my legs were silky smooth! And so supple and hydrated, I think I'm definitely going to look into purchasing the full size of these. Unfortunately, due to their sample size, there was only enough to cover my thighs, so my tummy missed out on the smoothness. 
Taking out the tape measure again, I was careful to measure the exact places where I'd measured beforehand. Sceptical that the wrap wouldn't work, I was actually surprised when I saw that I had lost 2cm on both my waist and my thighs!! Most of my research showed that longer application shows better results, often 6cm after the first 6 hour wrap. So I'm definitely going to try this again and wear for the proper recommended time and see if I can achieve that amazing 6cm loss. 
Another outcome that I mentioned briefly above was a reduction in cellulite! The minerals cleanse deep into the tissue and plump it out, whilst the compression of the wrap helps with lymphatic drainage. Both of these work together to help smooth out the appearance of cellulite and I tell you, It actually worked. My 'orange-peel' areas on the backs of my thighs has really reduced and made me feel a bit more confident about myself! Result! Overall, I think that a DIY mud wrap is worth doing, even if it's not to slim your waist and get off those annoying couple of inches, but to get your skin in good condition and maybe smooth out those annoying skin dimples we all suffer from and hate. Especially if you suffer from dry skin, the minerals in the mud help rejuvenate the skin and bring it back to life.  I can't stop noticing how smooth my legs are!
Have you tried an at-home mud wrap before? What do you think of Ahava's products?

Portugal | Vale do Lobo | Day 2

Following on from my last post, I wrote these blogs whilst I was there and have only just managed to sync them onto my laptop, despite being a few months since I was there, so apologies!! I hope you like this series of holiday blogs, we're trying to do more travel blogging, seeing as we go to so many different places! My holiday was beautiful and now have a lovely tan that I'm slowly exfoliating away :'(, but it's a holiday I can look back on with the help of some beaut photos I was able to take! Photos are a mixture from my camera and my phone. (phone ones were mostly square)
Hope you enjoy!   Day 2
Sun, Sea, Sand and Sunburn
Woke up at 7am. Stupid body clock! Forced myself to back to sleep for 2 more hours - a well needed sleep after the kerfuffle yesterday and its a holiday.. its for relaxation and rest ;)! 
Our hire car arrived this morning, meaning we can go out exploring today! Had a nice fruit salad for breakfast from the fruit we bought in the supermarket yesterday... the fruit over here is incredible! So fresh and tasty! Then we got ready to go on an adventure.. Not that there's much to do, but there's so much to see!

We drove down past the Quinta Do Lago resort, towards the lake to Casa Do Lago seafood restaurant and bar that overlooked the beach that had massive luxury villas at the water's edge, all owned by famous footballers no doubt! I wore my favourite maxi dress tied up above the knee and tan sandals today, at least my back burns from yesterday were covered! So painful! Can't say the same for my front though, my dress had rope style cut outs on the chest which left me with some truly awful tan lines! Great.. More to even out! Feel like a patchwork right now!! At least I have the rest of the week to try and fix it.

Venturing round the back of the lakeside restaurant, we discovered a water sports cabin that offered a whole range of activities, from sailing to kayaking, and bike riding to hiring pedalos. Definitely going to come back as I haven't been sailing in years! Got to put my RYA Sailing Certificate I got when I was 14 to good use at some point!

On the way back to the resort we stopped at Quinta Shopping Centre for lunch and a browse of the shops. It was a Sunday, bare in mind, so you can imagine that not much was open. 

By this point, we had spent all €70 we took in cash, so it was time to empty that Euro Cash card we have! Lunch consisted of a ham and cheese sandwich with a side of chips and mint chocolate chip ice cream for dessert. I can tell my PT isn't going to be happy with me when I get back! Must go look at the resort's gym, I really can't afford to lapse whilst on this holiday!

Having only brought one bikini top to 6 bikini bottoms with me on this holiday, I've decided I need to buy another. Unfortunately, all the shops that sold bikinis either only sold teeny tiny ones or were closed. Damn Sundays! It's definitely going to be some task to find a bikini in my size! I am of the larger breasted group of women who have disproportionate small waists so usually have to buy the biggest women's sizes to ensure everything is covered, and then alter the back so it doesn't just fall down or ride up! Please tell me I'm not alone in this annoying affliction. Nothing ever fits!. Most of the matching bikini sets I have, I've grown out of in the chest, so left them at home in the hope that one day they shrink!


As the weather was still really hot and the sun was burning down on us, we decided to find that beach we went to yesterday and test out the sand and the waves. As you can see from the pictures, the beach was amazing! It was quite empty so we were able to sunbathe without the typical annoying children running round and splashing. But most of all, it was basically a private beach due to its location in the middle of two five star resorts. The sun loungers had to be rented so we set up camp with out beach towels beneath us on the sand. I could feel my awful tan lines evening out.. thank god!

At around 5pm, we packed up and went back to our villa to have a dip in the pool and to get our bbq started for our dinner of chicken and salad. All bought fresh from a local market. Being the master of the flame (aka I'm good at making fires) I started the barbecue to cook dinner. I ended up stinking of fire, a shower was definitely needed!

After dinner we went to sign up for the gym, but unfortunately, it was closed. So we went down to the Praça (full of restaurants and entertainment) and Praia (the beach) to watch the sunset and to watch the evening entertainment. The sunset was actually stunning. I'd bought new sunglasses that had purple lenses, so made the sky look incredible! After a romantic stroll down the beach and watch the sun set on the horizon, we went back to the Praça to La Crêperie Cafe, which did the BEST waffles and milkshakes I've ever had! They were quite reasonably priced too, so didn't break the bank too much. We spent the rest of the evening watching two "entertainers" sing murder songs such as Amy Winehouse's Rehab and Pharrell's Happy. We ended up leaving after they began their second set, we just couldn't bare the cheesiness of this weird couple! So we headed home, in the hope tomorrow, we would find a new adventure.
Keep checking back for the next day :)

Name Change

In case you had not already noticed, we've had a bit of a makeover! Gone are the days of Beauty is Perfection and Berry Luxe, now we blog as Soeurs de Luxe (Sisters of Luxury in English). We felt like we had outgrown our last name and wanted something fresh and relevant that tied in better with the direction we hope to take the blog in this Summer. Please let us know what you think and don't forget our URL is now www.soeursdeluxe.com