Quick Snack Ideas - For Rapid Muscle and Weight Gain

Feel free to grab something to eat immediatley after your workout. By immediatley I mean within 30 minutes. This replaces your bodies insulin levels to normal. If you do not eat or have a shake after your workout, you are losing a valuable opportunity to make the most out of your workout and get the best possible increase of muscle mass.

What you eat is almost as important as when you eat. The perfect post workout intake contains about 400 calories, with 20 to 30 grams of protein, and 50 to 65 grams of carbs (this is to repair old muscle). Things like high carb drinks after a workout are good, but you must still have something to eat high in protein, within an hour of finishing your workout.

Drive By Snacks

Incase you want to stop for food on the way home from the gym, you can try these options from some of the drive by menu's.

Homemade snacks

It's easy to whip up a postworkout snack at home, especially if that's where you're working out. Just make sure you've got all the ingredients in your fridge beforehand.

Wild Mountain Boar

It costs hardly anything for carbonated water and caffeine. Try this homemade energy drink instead. It's made with diet mountain dew and natural energy boosters for a healthy jump start to sports, workouts, even sex.

For starters, one 8oz glass provides your entire recommended daily intake of vitamin C. "A third of all men don't get enough C, and that can leave your fatigued", says Carol Johnston, Ph.D., a nutritionist at Arizona State University.

Then there's 7 grams of fibre in each serving. Add in the extra 15 grams of protein, plus 70 milligrams of caffeine to boost mental alertness, and your looking at liquid lightening. Taste loads better than the canned stuff. The cost is about $1.25 or 60p.

The ingredients: 1/3 cup finely ground oat bran, 1/2 cup frozen strawberries, 16oz diet mountain dew, 2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate, 8oz fat free strawberry yoghurt.

How to make: Pour the oat bran into a blender and process until the flakes become powder. Add the remaining ingredients, and blend until smooth. (reblend left over portions before drinking.)

Makes 3 serving - Per serving, 110cal, 5g pro, 23g carb, 1g fat

Banana Orange Smoothie

Banana's don't just fend off muscle cramp. They also fight hunger because the scent tricks your brain into thinking you've eaten a lot more than you really have, making you fuller faster. The frothy quality of this recipe has a hidden bonus, air! Men who drink yoghurt shakes that have been blended until they doubled in volume eat 96 fewer calories a day than men who drank skakes of normal thickness.

Ingredients: 1 banana, 1/2 a cup fat free vanilla yoghurt, 1/8 cup of frozen orange juice concentrate, 1/2 a cup 1% milk, 1/2 cup crushed ice

How to make: Blend the ingredients until the mixture begins to get frothy.

Makes 1 serving - Per serving, 330 cal, 12g pro, 68g carb, 2g fat

Chocolate Banana shake

This tastes extra delicious right after a workout.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup of fat free frozen chocolate yoghurt, 1/4 cup of egg substitute, 1 cup of fat free milk, 1 large banana, 1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder.

How to make: Just blend the ingredients and drink up!

Makes 1 serving - 418cal, 24g pro, 69g carb, 5g fat

Desserts With Protein

You can always have a piece of fruit or a sugar free treat. But sometimes you need a little something that's truly bad.

Raspberry Creme Brulee

This easy to make treat tastes decadent.

Ingredients: 2 cups of fat free milk, 3 eggs lightly beaten, 3 Tbsp of sugar, 1/2 Tbsp of corn starch, 2 cups of raspberries, 1 tsp of vanilla exract, 3 Tbsp of brown sugar.

How to make: In a medium saucepan, whisk together the milk, eggs, sugar, corn starch. Bring to a boil of medium high heat, whisking constantly. When the mixture begins to thicken, reduce the heat to low. Cook, whisking constantly, for another 2 to 4 minutes, or until thick and creamy.

Remove from the heat, and stir in the raspberries and vanilla extract. Spoon into 6 custard cups, cover, and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.

Pre heat the broiler or grill, place the custard cups on a tray. Spoon the brown sugar evenly over the tops. Heat about 4 inches from the flame for 1 minute or until the brown sugar is bubbling. Serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings - Per serving, 146 cal, 6g pro, 24g carb, 3g fat

Chocolate Souffle

This will tantalise your tastebuds and satisfy your bodies needs. Make sure you make the souffle batter the day before you plan to serve the dish, and put it into the fridge overnight.

Ingredients: 6 Tbsp of un-salted butter, 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, 1/2 cup of sugar, 1 1/2 Tbsp corn starch, 2 eggs plus 2 egg yolks, fresh raspberries are optional.

How to make: To make the batter, melt the butter and chocolate together in a saucepan, and set aside. Combine the sugar and corn starch in a mixing bowl, and set aside. In a third bowl, whisk the eggs and yolks together. Add the butter/chocolate mixture to the sugar mixture, and combine thoroughly with a wire whisk. Stir in the eggs, and whisk just until smooth. Refrigerate.

Line a 2 1/4 - quart round souffle dish with parchment paper, carefullt cut to fit snuggily into the dish. Trace a circle roughly double the size of the dish on the paper, cut it out, then tuck it inside the dish. This ensures that the souffle won't stick to the edges and the bottom of the dish and will be easier to serve. Lightly butter the dish and if you like paper too.

Pull the batter slowly and evenly into the dish, using a silicone spatula to gently coax all of it in. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Bake on the top oven rack for 18 minutes, do not over cook. You can take the souffle from the mould, but it's easiest to serve it directly from the dish onto individual desert plates. Garnish with a few fresh raspberries if desired. Serve immediately.

Makes 4 servings - Per serving, 470 cal, 7g pro, 44g carb, 31g fat