“No” Bread Pudding to fall-proof your body

Well, I did it again.

Faithful readers might recall my story of falling on my head after hitting a slick wood ramp in my socks at a temporary rental house, and how being in shape saved me from being seriously hurt. Now I live out far enough that heating comes from an underground propane tank that I must fill periodically. The gauge was starting to get low and my delivery had been delayed by the snow last week. I checked the level every day, and busy with work one morning, I rushed out to check not thinking about the icy rain that had coated the steps outside my front door.

Suddenly my feet occupied the space I normally reserve for my head, and my back, elbows and butt all did a very poor job of taking on the responsibility my legs had suddenly vacated. I came crashing down and slid all the way to the bottom, bouncing off of bricks that are widely known for their decidedly non-bouncing properties. No one in history has ever played a pick-up game of basketball with a brick, and for good reason.

As much as my elbows hurt and my backside smarted, I suffered no other injuries. Why? My core was strong enough to keep my head from striking the bricks, and my lean muscle mass was strong enough to brace my body for the impact. My bone density is high and shatter proof from the load bearing lifts like squats, deadlifts, and standing presses.

I’m fifty now, and without my strength and mobility training, a fall like that could have been a hospital stay. Instead, after a few hours, it was like nothing had ever happened. It’s due to both my fitness routine and prioritizing lean protein with every meal to build lean muscle and overall strength.

Which brings me around to the recipe for this week. I bet most of you would never consider bread pudding to be a power packed muscle building meal, and you would be right. Unless…you overhaul it and make it be just that, and why not. Bread pudding is a delicious treat, but now it can be so much more so. Plus we are making this one out of fruit, apples and pears to be specific, so now we are getting fiber, minerals, and all the good stuff that goes along with those particular items.

I like to cut a slice and sear each side in a hot skillet for a crispy crust and hot, gooey insides, and hit it with a scoop of Breyers low carb vanilla ice cream, plus a sprinkle of Simple Mills cinnamon crisp crackers. Who said eating for lifting weights had to be boring? Not around here.

The one warning I would give is to pick your protein powder carefully. They are not made equally at all, and most local options at the mega-mart are full of terrible ingredients and taste horrible. Your best bet is to shop online, and pick a high quality grass fed whey protein with minimal ingredients. I prefer the Promix brand, but I only had chocolate on hand for that brand, so I used my son’s much sweeter but still healthy Levels brand for this recipe.

The sweeter tasting protein is probably better suited for this application anyway, so that would be a good choice. For those of you that have tried store brand powder or ate one of the many disgusting bars lining the shelves, not to worry. This dessert will not taste like that.

My wife hates protein powder to the point that she reacts to it much like she would a half dead rat hiding in the bed covers. However, she ate this bread pudding and asked for more, and said she would never know it had protein powder in it.

So, make your protein intake fun, lift weights, and make your body fall-proof in the process. Your non-broken hips and skull will thank you.

Protein No Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

2 organic Honeycrisp apples, peel on and sliced thin

1 organic pear, peel on and sliced thin

30 grams coconut flour

80 grams vanilla protein powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg and allspice

1 1/2 cups unsweetened vanilla nut milk (almond or other nut varieties)

Pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions:

Wash and dry your apples and pear, then slice thin using a mandolin slicer. I highly recommend using a kevlar glove so you have finish with the same amount of fingers that you started with:

Toss the sliced fruit with the spices until well covered:

Combine the coconut flour, protein powder, pinch of salt, vanilla extract, and nut milk in a separate bowl and whisk hard until smooth, then pour onto the apples and stir:

Line a bread loaf pan with parchment paper and pour the mix in. Bake at 375 degrees for around an hour, checking at 45 minutes to make sure it’s not burning on top. If it still looks too wet, bake another 10 to 15 minutes:

Let the cake cool for 30 minutes in the pan, and then pull out using the parchment paper and let cool completely. Store in the fridge overnight to set and let the flavors come together. Slice and brown in a pan with a pat of grass fed butter until golden brown and delicious on all sides. Serve with low carb vanilla ice cream and crumbled Simple Mills brand cinnamon crisps:

See the list of all Jason Murphy’s recipes at www.mysaline.com/jason-murphy.

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“No” Bread Pudding to fall-proof your body

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