Reflex Nutrition Chocolate 3D Protein & Mug Cake Recipe (CNSport)

I've been gradually getting to grips with the different types and brands of protein powders on the market. There's one brand than I feel I can undoubtedly trust to deliver high quality, and that is Reflex Nutrition. For those of you who aren't convinced, hopefully the knowledge that their powders are made at their dedicated Science Park facility here in the U.K and that every batch is tested might go some may to persuade you that nutritional excellence is at the very heart of Reflex's ethos.

 This time I'm reviewing their 3D protein, which is 'the only time-release protein powder to contain Native Whey Protein, Micellar Casein and Egg White Protein in the world' in a 45:45:10 ratio. It's designed to deliver a comprehensive combination of protein to aid both during a workout and in recovery. Reflex's 3D protein contains 360kcal, 80g of protein, 6.5g of carbs (just 0.4g sugars) and 1.6g of fat per 100g. Technically it sounded wonderful, but let's be frank: it's got to taste good too. 

And it does. It doesn't have a super rich chocolate flavour, but it's pretty damn tasty. Given the graduated release of the protein in this powder, I tend to use it in my proats before a workout. 

I've also mixed with it skyr and enjoyed it semi-frozen on hot days and used it to make cakes to munch before bed too. In fact, I've had many people asking how I make my mug cakes, so here's the recipe -which is a slight amendment to the one that Nat gave me (thanks Nat).

Protein Mug Cake Recipe

• 25g Reflex 3D protein
• 10g Coconut Flour
• 1 egg white
• 1/2tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp Xantham gum
• 50ml milk (I use dairy but I imagine that almond would also work)
• A splash of chocolate salted caramel Jordan's skinny syrups.

Simply mix all of the above in a mug/bowl and microwave for 70ish seconds (I have to do it by eye as my microwave doesn't have a digital timer). Then top it with whatever you heart desires... or your macros allow!

9/10

A huge thank you to Reflex for the protein! 3D protein is available from Reflex's website, CNSport and most good sports nutrition retailers.

NEW! Reflex Amino Fusion® (CNSport)

Have you seen Reflex's new packaging yet? The company announced last year that they were overhauling their exhausting branding, and it's "look for the future" is starting to roll out. Reflex have restructured their product categories from 5 to 3, making it easier to choose products depending on your goals. All existing products are staying but will come under either: strength & performance, high protein or vitality (previously weight management).

It's not just the labels that are experiencing change either, there's a few new products on their way too. The first of which is Reflex's Amino Fusion - an extension of their successful BCAA intra fusion. Now I don't claim to be a body building expert, but I certainly enjoy lifting and so I didn't really know what to expect when offered the chance to try the new Aminos. Apparently my other half did though: "eurgh, BCAAs are disgusting, they'll make you sick" I think we're his exact words. That was before I reminded him that the last ones he tried weren't made by Reflex, and he was talking 10 years ago. Given how much protein products have come along in the last few years I took his thoughts with a pinch of salt. More importantly I wanted to know what BCCAs were, and what they could or would do for me.

Well, according to research:

"BCAAs (branched- chain Amino acids) are made up of three essential amino acids that the body is unable to produce on its own: leucine, isoleucine and valine. These three amino acids have a branched side chain of carbon molecules that simplifies the energy conversion during intense exercise. Muscle tissues in the body are about 35 percent BCAAs and—here’s the key—the more BCAAs present in the muscle tissue, the more they will be used for energy; thus, slowing the breakdown of muscle cells and preventing muscle loss.
BCAA supplementation provides two avenues aimed towards improving endurance performance—both by providing our bodies with additional energy source and by altering the mental perception of fatigue." 

-active.com

So the key is, if you're working out, they help you prevent muscle loss. Sounds good to me. But what's Reflex's Amino Fusion all about?

"Amino Fusion® is formulated to be the market leading amino energy formula; it provides up to 40% more amino acids than some other formulas, tastes amazing, contains zero sugars and provides great caffeine kick.
Amino Fusion® only contains research supported amino acids along with science based dosages of citrulline malate, beta alanine and l-carnitine tartrate."

It's available in four flavours: green apple, pink lemonade, fruit punch and watermelon. I received the green apple to try, and boy did it smell strong. I felt like I'd walked into an old fashioned sweet shop -it was that potent!

The serving suggestion is 3 mini scoops (9g) of Amino Fusion with 300ml of water. The drink is designed to be taken before or during exercise so I decided to take it to the gym with me instead of my usual squash.

Ha! In your face Bert! I knew I could trust Reflex to deliver the goods. The Amino Fusion blended easily in my state-of-the-art water bottle 😉 and tasted incredible! Like, seriously good and much better than Robinson's fruit and barley. I drunk it yesterday alongside my first training in a week (I've had a chest infection, boo) and don't even ache too badly today (day after leg day, you know what I mean). Perhaps I didn't work hard enough, or perhaps it's the Amino Fusion, who knows? In any case I'm not risking it and it will become my new gym staple - every bit as important as headphones!

9/10

Amino Fusion is available to buy direct from Reflex's website, or through reputable sports retailers such as CNSport. Don't forget to enter my instagram competition before midnight tomorrow (21st March) to be in with a chance of winning 12 cans of Reflex's Protein coffee too!

Thank you to Reflex Nutrition for the samples.

Double Choc Brownie R Bar Review (Reflex Nutrition)

It's been a while since I reviewed any of Reflex's protein bars The last one I tried was the white chocolate and raspberry ripple R Bar, which I was impressed with primarily due to its softness. I've continued to munch the bars on a regular basis and find them to be just the ticket on the train home from uni.

I was fortunate to receive a package of treats from Reflex just before I went away which included the double Choc Brownie R Bar as well as their Banana & Custard Casein (review coming soon). I wanted to make the most of our trip and knew I'd be up to all sorts of energetic activities (get your mind out of the gutter now please) so packed a few for those "just in case I get hungry" moments.

For those of you who aren't au fait with Reflex or their philosophy, then you need to know that their sole objective is to create quality sports nutrition products. Whilst taste is important, they aim to deliver the very best supplements and as such the bars are made in their very own factory here in Blighty using the "highest quality whey protein", almond or peanut butter and natural sweetener gluco-fibre (as opposed to IMO, dextrose or glucose syrups which cause spikes in blood sugar levels).

I found the RBar to be more enjoyable than their flapjack based bars and so was looking forward to trying their double chocolate brownie flavour.

It turned out that taking a few bars with me was a cracking idea. On only our second day we visited Batu Caves -home to the gold statue of Lord Morugun, the largest religious statue in the world- and hiked the 272 steps in the heat to visit the monkey ridden temple cave at the top. Breakfast suddenly felt like a long time away and we weren't sure how long it would take to get back to Kuala Lumpur, so out came my first R Bar of the trip.

*

I regularly eat Quest's chocolate brownie bar so it was easy to draw comparison between the two. The first thing I noticed was the softness of the bar, which could be easily bent. The second I noticed was the cubes of chocolate that were embedded throughout. Quest's chocolate brownie is one of their non-chunky bars and so I found Reflex's addition to be a welcome treat.

Biting into the bar rendered a pleasant surprised. Whilst it didn't taste exactly like a non-protein, full fat brownie, I didn't expect it to. The chocolate fused with the undertones of almond well to provide a well balanced flavour that was sweet despite containing only 1g of sugar. It tasted less of whey than I thought it would too, and the sweetener was also less apparent. Even my protein supplement avoiding other half asked to try a bite and then promptly asked if he could nab a bar. 

*

As with the white chocolate & raspberry R Bar, the malleability is remarkable. There's nothing worse than chewing a bar until it makes your jaw or having to retrieve bits of one from between your teeth - and that's thankfully never going to be an issue with these bars.

If you want a high quality, chocolatey, soft protein bar with excellent macros then you can't go far wrong with a Double Choc Brownie R Bar. For me, it's far superior to Quest's version. 

Macros per bar: Kcal: 209 P20/C9/F9

R Bars are available to buy from Reflex's website. As always, a huge thank you to Reflex for the samples. 

8/10

*Can you tell the rest of the photos taken in my garden instead?

Reflex Nutrition Strawberries & Cream 100% Native Whey & Chocolate Peanut Butter 100% Whey

Who knew that there was so many differences in whey protein powder? I realised that there's a million and one different flavours out there, but within that there's also a plethora of types of whey. I'm certainly no expert on the ins and outs of the different proteins, but I know that Reflex is a name I can trust thanks to their precision and expertise - I mean they built their own factory to produce their own powders here in UK and rigorously test every batch, even publishing the results online.

I was very lucky to receive a number of their products to review last year (including their flapjacks, white chocolate & Raspberry R-Bars, protein coffee, diet protein and instant whey). During December I was fortunate to receive another big parcel of goodies from the sports nutrition Kings; including two huge tubs of native whey and 100% whey. 

Strawberries & Cream 100% Native Whey
So what is Native Whey exactly? Reflex say...

"100% Native Whey is a protein shake with a proven 80% protein content, utilising the purest and most natural form of whey protein currently produced.
Reflex Nutrition’s native whey is made from fresh milk, sourced in the EU, from grass-fed cattle. This is the most pure and natural form of whey protein, and it is collected in its native form, created by nature.
Native whey protein contains more branched chain amino acids (BCAAs), up to 16% more L-leucine, more essential amino acids, and nearly 40% more cystine than cheese derived whey.
We’ve gone to great lengths to ensure 100% Native Whey delivers an incredible flavour and mixes easily and instantly. By not using cheese-based whey, our products hit the spot with no strange aftertaste, across a range of flavours."

The smell was really good, reminding me of Strawberry Nesquik -always a good thing! As a shake it mixed easily, and was especially tasty with milk. It's on the sweet side, but that's a bonus for me. Reflex's 100% Native Whey delivers 28g of protein per 35g serving and over 6gs of BCAAs, making it the perfect go-to for post-workout. It even gets the thumbs up from Bert, who now regularly drinks it too -having originally turned his nose up, believing that all whey shakes were grainy and nasty. That's certainly not the case with any of Reflex's powders I've tried.

The only trouble for me, is that it does not take kindly to being heated -which means that proats and variations of beltsander blondies are off the menu (unless you enjoy eating rubber). I have found an alternative to the shakes that does work well though, and I'm slightly addicted to it: protein fluff. If you've never made it, it's the perfect high-volume snack, and a great low calorie, low fat, low sugar and high protein alternative to mousse or ice cream. Simply take:

• 30g Strawberries & Cream 100% Native Whey
• 50ml milk
• 100g frozen fruit (I loved it with frozen raspberries or cherries)
• 10ml Jordans skinny white chocolate syrup.

Pop all the ingredients into a jug/blender and pulse until smooth. Whisk (using an electric mixer on high speed) for 4-5 minutes until fluffy. Like something from Chemistry class at school the mixture grows in size to an unbelievable amount! A great filling and delicious snack.  

9/10

Chocolate Peanut Butter 100% Whey
This whey is available in a wide variety of flavours in both 875g and 2kg tubs, but what is it exactly?

"With 100% Whey Protein, the clue is in the name; it’s a protein shake that delivers 100% of its protein from whey. Only the finest undenatured whey is used, with no added sugars, no amino spiking, and no soy protein, giving you the finest protein to supplement your fitness and sporting efforts.
100% Whey Protein contains over 5g of branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs) per 24g of protein, which are arguably the most crucial amino acids for athletes. The three BCAAs are balanced at a 2:1:1 ratio of L-Leucine, L-Isoleucine and L-Valine, giving you the perfect equilibrium in every shake. Our whey protein is extracted during the cheese-making process, made with quality fresh milk under EU regulations, from cattle that are free from banned antibiotics and growth hormones."

This didn't smell as great as the fab strawberries and cream Native Whey, but it still smelt rather good with a more potent chocolate flavour. Once again, the whey makes a lovely smooth and sweet shake, which tastes exponentially better when made with milk.

This was another powder that didn't make great proats, as I found that the mixture split slightly, resulting in lumpy porridge -not great. This powder survived being turned into a beltsander brownie though (recipe here) and I found that it tasted best when slightly undercooked (60 seconds instead of the normal 90).

7/10

Both of these Whey Protein Powders are available to buy directly from Reflex's website.

*Once again, a huge thank you to Reflex Nutrition for the samples -and my muscles say thank you too!*

Reflex Nutrition Chocolate Diet Protein & Banoffee Instant Whey™ PRO (Online)

When Reflex first contacted me at the beginning of the summer, I had only just returned to exercise after a lengthy period away from the gym but I realised that I would need to increase my protein intake inline with my new weight training regime to support muscle growth. I started off with bars and have gradually established a range of bars that are pretty damn good. I choose between them depending on my needs for the day, normally White Chocolate & Raspberry Ripple R-Bars if I require a soft, tasty & nutritious bar away from home and Mocha Carb Killas if I need a sweet protein hit. I've also found that pre-made shakes are a simple way to get protein in (especially in the morning or if I'm in a hurry) and you can't get better than Reflex's Protein Coffee.*

I've recently got to the point now where I wanted to check out the real deal, the Whey protein powders that kind of intimidated me when I started working out again. Luckily Reflex kindly sent me a tub of both their chocolate flavoured Diet Protein and Banoffee flavoured Instant Whey™ PRO to try.

Chocolate Flavoured Diet Protein

Now I'm not on a weight loss diet, but I am trying to tone up and build muscle, so I was interested in discovering the benefits of Reflex's Diet Protein. Their proud of this product, and rightly so, considering the intensity in which they believe in delivering only the very best in sports supplements. 
The benefits of Reflex's Diet Protein include:

• It's the only diet whey shake to contain 3,200mg of patented Clarinol® CLA per daily serving
• CLA dose in line with Double Blind Placebo Controlled Studies
• No Chinese unbranded CLA which is found in nearly all competitor products
• Lifetime Guarantee
• EU Sourced Grass Fed undenatured Milk and Whey Protein
• Free From Soy Protein
• Free from GMO ingredients
• No added sugars
• 50,000,000 friendly bacteria spores per 50g
• 150mg green tea extract per 50g
• 250mg L-Carnitine L-Tartrate amino acid per 50g

If you want to discover more about why Reflex's Diet Protein is so special, please read their blog here.

But does it taste good? Surely there's no point in having a premium product that tastes revolting. One of the reasons I put off trying powders for so long is that my other half used them when we first met (almost 9 years ago) and used to have to drink his shake with a banana because the taste was so bad. I really hoped I wouldn't have to suffer the same!

Thankfully not. Whilst the chocolate shake didn't taste like a Frijj milkshake, it was pretty damn good and had a better taste than most other pre-made protein shakes I've tried. 

I have become addicted to the diet protein though, just used in a different way -or should I say whey ;) ?

Proats

I now can't start my day without a bowl of porridge made with Reflex's chocolate diet protein, and this is how I make them:

• 45g oats 
• 300ml milk
• 25g Diet Protein
• 1x portion of fruit  (frozen cherries or fresh pears are my favourite).

Microwave the oats and milk for 2-3 mins until bubbling, add the fruit & microwave for another 30 secs. Top with the powder, a little boiling water, and give a good stir. It's heaven in a bowl, NOT GRAINY, and perfect before a morning workout. 

9/10

Banoffee Instant Whey™ PRO

Unlike the diet whey, the  Instant Whey™ PRO doesn't contain Micellar Casein. The Instant Whey is Reflex's leading high protein powder, and as always the company goes above and beyond to deliver the very best. The benefits include:

·         Use of Native Whey

·         No Soy

·         EU sourced

·         Grass fed

·         Instant Whey™ PRO delivers a high level of protein at 80% where the main ingredients include whey isolate which has an unchallenged reputation.  This isolate incorporates native whey, which is made using a process that keeps far more of the important amino acids in place.

·        Every single batch is tested to guarantee its protein content with the results published on our website.

Now, I'm a HUGE banoffee fan, so I really hoped the flavour would be on point. As soon as I peeled back the lid on the tub I was met with a delicious aroma that smelt like the beautiful baby of both Butterscotch and Banana Angel Delight (the two best flavours). 

Again, the shake tasted rather good -although I prefer the thickness created by adding milk instead of water. The whey is sweet enough to avoid adding syrups too -always a bonus. Proats are also easy to make with this whey, although I slightly prefer the texture achieved when using the Diet Protein.

I've been busy dabbling with a few recipes too, and here are my absolute favourites: 1 of which must be made and eaten at home, the other I can take to uni with me for an afternoon treat.

Single Serving 'Beltsander' Peanut butter and Banoffee Blondie
This recipe is an adaption of the Beltsander Brownie.

• 25g Banoffee Instant Whey PRO
• 50g milk (I use dairy)
• 5g Banana Nesquik
• 10ml Jordan's Skinny caramel syrup
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 heaped tsp peanut butter 

Mix the first five ingredients together until it forms a smooth batter. Add the dollop of peanut butter into the middle. Microwave on high for 90 seconds(ish). Ewat whilst still warm and enjoy! The peanut butter goes all gooey, and it'sabsofreakinglutely incredible. For info, the Diet Protein doesn't work with this recipe due to the casein. 

Chocolate Banoffee Protein Cupcakes

This recipe is an adaption of Nat's white chocolate and banana protein cake -her creations are genius, so give her a follow if you love a good protein creation (and food porn in general)! 

• 150g Skyr (I use a pot of Lidl's plain Milbona)
• 40g Reflex Banoffee Instant Whey PRO 
• 60g oat flour (I just blitz oats in the blender)
• 1 large banana (approx 150g)
• 2 egg whites
• 20ml Jordan's Skinny Caramel Syrup
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 40g Dr Zak's Chocolate Fudge Brownie Peanut Butter

heat oven to 200c/ 180 fan Whisk the first six ingredients together until smooth. Half fill 8 muffin cases with the batter. Dollop 1 tsp Dr Zak's into the middle of each, top with the remaining batter. Bake for approx 25 mins until golden brown. I love these, and at approximately 111kcal per cupcake (including the peanut butter) it means I can easily eat 2-3 in one sitting! 

I've also made the mix in a loaf tin without the hidden centre and sandwiched it with Dr Zak's instead. 

Macros per cupcake/ quarter cake mix sandwiched with 10g Dr Zak's:

Kcals 221 / P19.8 / C21.5 / F5.7 

Note: This recipe does work with the chocolate whey, but the cake is slightly more dense (but equally delicious when covered in Sweet Freedom's choc shot!).

10/10

All of Reflex's protein tubs are available to purchase on their website, and they've currently got some super savings as part of their November offer. Go check them out! 

As ever, a massive thank you to Reflex for the samples!

*Before you start thinking that Reflex are paying me to praise them, I'd just like to reassure you that they're not, and I'm always honest in my reviews (I wasn't overly keen on their Apple & Blackberry R-Bar for example). Reflex have just got exceptionally high standards!

White Chocolate & Raspberry Ripple R-Bars (CSN)

Ever since Reflex Nutrition contacted me in August and asked me if I'd like to review their awesome protein coffee (which I'm now slightly addicted to) I've had my beady eye on their R-Bars. Luckily for me, the lovely Nathan recently agreed to send me some. I reviewed Reflex's oaty flapjack style R-Bars last month, but I knew that these were more traditional style Protein Bars (sort of like Quest bars) and was eager to draw comparison. As far as Quests go, their white chocolate raspberry is my favourite, but I will only eat them at home because they're that much better when warmed up in the microwave.

As I've pointed out before, Reflex pride themselves on the top notch nutrition in all of their products and refuse to produce inferior goods. As such, their R-Bars are produced in their own state of the art factory here in the U.K, and include no palm oil, sugar, artificial colours, flavours or soy protein. The bars are made using E.U sourced milk protein, are sweetened with stevia, and apparently deliver Vitamin E through DeltaGold Tocatrinols (whatever they are).

"An amazing mix of real freeze dried raspberries and freshly roasted and ground almond nut butter blended with serious chunks of white chocolate. A wonderfully aromatic flavour which is simply irresistible."

The bar contained a good amount of white chocolate chunks, which were fairly evenly distributed. Raspberry flecks were also a prominent feature, although I couldn't detect any strong aroma.

The R-bar was softer than expected, much more so than a Quest, but still I decided not to beat around the bush and popped it in the microwave. I retrieved it as soon as the R-Bar started to swell and the chunks gave indication of melting (about 20-30secs). The now malleable bar tasted strongly of stevia wheras the raspberry was slightly lost in the background. The white chocolate had turned grainy, rather than silky, in the microwave -but despite my complaints the bar was still tasty.

Fortunately there was more than one R-Bar in the parcel, so I took the next one to uni with me to eat on the train home. I was unsure as to how I'd like it at ambient temperature, especially given that every bar I've tried thus far has tasted better warm. In actual fact, the cold R-Bar was a success! This time I could really taste the almond butter as well as the raspberry and the white chocolate. The non-melted chunks added extra texture, and I really enjoyed it. Hurrah! Finally, a protein bar that I can eat on the go without without wishing I had a microwave to hand.

I was kind (mad) enough to give one of the bars to a fellow gym goer at uni to see what he thought, and he couldn't even wait to finish his mouthful before proclaiming how much he loved it. If you're perhaps expecting a bar that tastes like Quests though -please don't. The R-Bar is less sweet, and tastes much more wholesome. If you're wanting your protein bar to deliver something more like a chocolate bar then opt for Quest, however if optimum nutrition is your game then you might want to try the R-Bars!

Other flavour R-Bars available: Cherry Bakewell, Chocolate Peanut Caramel, White Chocolate Apricot, Cookies & Cream and Double Chocolate Brownie. They are available to buy from most reputable sports nutrition retailers such as Cardiff Sports Nutrition, and I've also spotted them in Holland and Barrett!

White Chocolate & Raspberry Ripple R- Bar cals:211 Macros:P20/C10/F9.5

8/10

Again, a big thank you to Reflex for sending me the samples to review. 

NEW! Reflex Protein Coffee (Cardiff Sports Nutrition)

I prefer to work out in the mornings, and don't often fancy a protein bar afterwards. Given that I'm focusing on weight training and now work for a company who manage 18 leisure centres, I realise how important it is to ensure I consume enough protein to repair and aid my growing muscles. Protein milk/shakes are often my go-to snack of choice, particularly as they're cold and refreshing after a sweaty gym session. The trouble is, they can often taste heavily of whey, with a synthetic, metallic aftertaste. Even worse, they can be really lumpy -yes, I've even had to get my blender out on occasion to sort out a supposedly ready to drink shake. So when Reflex Nutrition contacted me to ask if I would like to try their new protein coffee, of course I said yes.

"Protein Coffee is the latest innovation from Reflex Nutrition which is the perfect combination of real Arabica Coffee and the finest milk protein in a can. Each 250ml ready to drink can provides 25 grams of pure milk protein with 75mg of naturally occurring caffeine from the rich flavoured Arabica coffee."

The caramel coloured coffee poured smoothly into my latte glass, without even the slightest lump to be found. I immediately recognised the rich, robust aroma -this was clearly the real deal and not some pathetic nod to coffee.

Wow, the flavour was impeccable. Like seriously good. If you drink -or have drunk- Starbucks' iced lattes, you'll have an idea of what to expect from Reflex's protein coffee. It wasn't as sweet as expected either, meaning that the robust Arabica beans could shine through. Don't get me wrong, I'm the kind of girl who'll opt for a Caramel Macchiato at Starbucks, and I wasn't reaching for the sugar/sweetener -it was that well balanced.

Sat in my sunny garden, sipping from my latte glass I completely forgot that I was drinking a protein milk -it tasted so convincingly creamy and delicious. Reflex, are you sure that these contain 25g of protein and are low in fat? They are absolutely the best protein enhanced milk drinks I have ever tasted. 

Reflex Protein coffee is available to buy in cases of 24 cans direct from their website, or individually from most good sports nutrition retailers. I highly recommend Cardiff Sports Nutrition -their prices are good and service is impeccable. 

10/10

Thank you Reflex for my samples -I'm now hooked!