#meal replacement shake recipe

[eviegetsfit]

Banana Oat Milk Protein Shake

1-2 cups oat milk

2 tablespoons peanut butter , or almond butter

2 tablespoons ground flax seed

1 banana, sliced and frozen

1/4-1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1 scoops vanilla protein powder of choice

 ice, optional

Add all ingredients into a blender and mix until smooth. You can add more milk for a thinner consistency or more ice for a thicker consistency.

For the oat milk I used Oat-ly Barista Edition and for the protein powder I used Dymatize ISO-100 in Gourmet Vanilla but any brand of each will do!

[rootedinrevisions]

Enough for You: Part 3

SUMMARY: After he showed up unexpectedly at your door trying to make amends, you and Tyler spend a cozy evening together, starting with making dinner in the kitchen as light banter fills the space. After a fun and easygoing meal, the two of you curl up on the couch to watch TV, enjoying each other's presence and sharing quiet moments. As the night winds down, you ask Tyler to stay the night, feeling comforted by his warmth and company. Tyler, happy to stay, holds you close as you both drift off into a peaceful sleep, deepening the bond that has grown between you.

WARNINGS: Fluff.

WORD COUNT: 2.5k

OTHER PARTS: PART 1 I PART 2

NOTE: There will be a PART 3! I have it mostly written and just need to finish editing it. Part 2 got away from me so I decided to break it up as to not have one crazy long fic.

TAG LIST: @omgbrianab I @shanimallina87 I @callsign-diva I @starshinegrl I @willowpains I @beltzboys2015-blog I @fanficmom94 I @smoothdogsgirl I @djs8891

Later you and Tyler had settled into the comfort of your couch as the world outside seems to fade away. The warmth of his presence next to you, the way his hand rests on your knee, and the steady rhythm of his breathing create a bubble of serenity around you. Time feels like it’s slowing down as you both get lost in the closeness and talk. The tension from the past week melts away as you slowly lean your head on his shoulder. You hadn’t planned to spend the past few hours on the couch with him, but it’s as though neither of you can bear to let go of the other.

It isn’t until the soft grumble of a stomach fills the silence that you both freeze, then exchange an amused look. 

"Was that you or me?" Tyler teases with a chuckle, his hand giving your knee a playful squeeze. 

You can’t help but laugh, realizing how long you’ve been so engrossed in each other that dinner slipped both your minds. “I guess we kind of forgot to eat,” you say, grinning up at him. 

"Guess it's time to get out of this cocoon and figure out dinner, huh?" Tyler jokes, but neither of you seem quite ready to move.

Tyler glances around your apartment and then nods toward the kitchen. “How about we cook something here? I’m no chef, but I think I can handle pasta this time.”

You raise an eyebrow, the memory of his past cooking adventures making you smirk. “Are you sure you’re up for the challenge? Last time you tried to make pasta, we almost had to call the fire department”

He laughs, shaking his head. You bite back a smile, feeling a sense of ease wash over you as you both drift toward the kitchen, the earlier tension between you replaced with a playful energy. It feels natural—like slipping back into a rhythm you didn’t realize you missed. Together, you start pulling out ingredients, ready to tackle dinner as a team, side by side.

“You’re actually going to follow the recipe this time, right?” you tease, referencing that one infamous night with the team when his attempt at cooking had been… less than successful.

He rolls his eyes dramatically but grins, a mock-serious tone in his voice. “I promise, no improvising tonight. We’re sticking to the directions like my life depends on it.”

You laugh, stepping up beside him as he starts boiling the water. Together, you work on the sauce—chopping garlic, stirring in tomatoes, and adding the perfect amount of seasoning. The kitchen fills with the rich, savory aroma, and the easy banter between you feels as natural as breathing. You catch him stealing glances at you now and then, the soft kind of looks that make your heart skip a beat.

At one point, you’re standing close, both concentrating on the sauce. Tyler hands you a spoon and nods toward the pan. “Go on, taste test. Let’s see if we nailed it.”

You take a bite, humming in approval, but before you can respond, Tyler’s gaze sharpens. His lips twitch into a grin. 

“You’ve got a little… right there,” he says, gesturing to your lower lip where some of the sauce must have landed.

Before you can wipe it away, Tyler steps closer, his eyes fixed on yours as his hand reaches up. His thumb brushes gently against your lip, lingering for just a second too long. There’s a charged silence, the air between you suddenly thick with tension.

Then, in one smooth motion, Tyler’s lips hover over yours. Instead of wiping the sauce away, he closes the distance and gently kisses it off, his lips brushing yours in a brief, heated moment. His mouth lingers for a beat, as if considering whether to deepen the kiss, but he pulls back just enough to meet your eyes.

You feel your heart race as his thumb traces a light line across your lip, and you both let out soft laughs to ease the tension, though neither of you moves far away from each other.

“Well, I’d say that’s pretty good,” Tyler says, his voice low, and the double meaning doesn’t escape you.

After a second, you step back, breaking the tension with a smile. “Let’s see if the rest of the meal lives up to that standard.”

You sit down together at your small dining table, a cozy space that feels perfect for the two of you. The pasta is simple, but delicious, and you both dig in, the conversation flowing effortlessly.

Tyler leans back, twirling his fork in the pasta. “So, be honest… was the sauce better than last time?” he asks with a grin, clearly referring to his past kitchen disasters.

You smirk and tilt your head. “It was way better. This time, I didn’t feel like I was risking my life.”

He laughs, shaking his head. “I’m never living that down, am I?”

“Nope,” you say with a grin, taking another bite. The warmth between you isn’t just from the food—it’s from the way you feel sitting across from him, sharing something simple, yet meaningful.

The conversation meanders from lighthearted memories of the team to more personal things. Tyler shares a little about his week, and you talk about yours. Every now and then, he’ll throw in a joke that makes you laugh, and each time, his smile grows wider, like your laughter is exactly what he needed to hear.

At some point, the meal slows down, and the pauses between words become longer. But the silences aren’t awkward—they’re comfortable, filled with the sound of utensils against plates and the occasional soft smile exchanged between you both.

Tyler leans back in his chair, watching you for a moment before speaking. 

“This feels good,” he says quietly, almost to himself. His eyes linger on yours, and you know he’s talking about more than just the dinner.

You nod, your heart swelling with a quiet happiness. “Yeah,” you agree softly. “It does.”

With dinner finished and the dishes stacked in the sink, the atmosphere between you and Tyler has settled into something soft and warm, like an easy current pulling you both along. The quiet hum of the street outside your apartment window is a gentle backdrop as you both make your way to the couch, the leftovers tucked away and the weight of the evening hanging in the air like a comfortable blanket.

You grab a couple of throw pillows and settle into your usual corner of the couch, feeling the softness beneath you as Tyler sits next to you, his arm casually resting along the back. His presence feels different tonight—not distant, not guarded—just close. Like the space between you both has finally disappeared, leaving only a warmth that feels entirely new but somehow familiar.

“You know,” Tyler says, leaning back, ���this is probably the most relaxed I’ve felt in a while.” He tilts his head toward you, a small smile tugging at his lips. “Though that might be the carbs talking.”

You laugh, the sound light and effortless. “I guess a successful meal can do that.”

His eyes twinkle. “I told you I’d follow the recipe this time.”

There’s a pause, the kind where neither of you feels the need to fill it. The quiet hum of your living room lamp and the distant sounds of life beyond your apartment windows make the world feel small, like it's just the two of you in this cozy bubble. You pull your legs up underneath you, feeling the comfort of the moment settle in.

Tyler glances over at the TV remote sitting on the coffee table. “Movie?” he suggests, though there’s an undertone in his voice that says he’s just as content to keep talking, to keep soaking in this rare and quiet space you’ve found together.

“Yeah,” you nod, reaching for the remote. “Something light.”

As you scroll through your options, you feel Tyler shift closer to you, his knee gently brushing against yours. It’s subtle but enough to send a pleasant warmth coursing through you. You glance over and catch him looking at you, his expression soft, almost thoughtful, as though he’s savoring every second of this moment.

“You pick,” he says softly. “I’ll watch whatever you want.”

You smirk and raise an eyebrow. “Even if it’s a rom-com?”

He chuckles, leaning back. “Even if it’s a rom-com. I’m trying to earn brownie points here.”

You laugh, and before long, you settle on a movie—a lighthearted one neither of you has seen before. But as it begins to play, you find that you’re more aware of Tyler’s presence next to you than anything happening on the screen. 

His arm eventually slides down from the back of the couch, wrapping around your shoulders, pulling you gently into his side. The contact is natural, easy, like he’s done it a thousand times before. And maybe, in some alternate version of your life, he has.

For a while, neither of you speaks. You just sit there, wrapped in each other’s warmth, the glow of the TV casting soft shadows around the room. At some point, your head naturally leans into his shoulder, and his fingers trace light, absentminded circles on your arm. You feel his steady breathing, his heart beating in rhythm with yours.

Tyler’s voice breaks the quiet after a while, soft and almost hesitant. You tilt your head slightly to look up at him. “I’m really glad I came tonight.”

His words are simple, but the weight of them lingers. You feel a swell of warmth in your chest, and you nod, a smile spreading across your face.

“Me too.”

He holds your gaze for a moment longer before pressing a gentle kiss to the top of your head. It’s tender, full of unspoken promises that neither of you are rushing to put into words just yet.

The movie drones on in the background, but for the rest of the night, the only thing that matters is the quiet, cozy space the two of you have built together—one that feels like it’s always been waiting for this moment.

As the credits roll on the movie, the soft hum of the television is the only sound in the room. You glance over at Tyler, who’s been quiet for the last few minutes, his arm still wrapped comfortably around you. The warmth of his body feels like an anchor, keeping you grounded in this perfect, simple moment.

Tyler shifts slightly, and with a gentle touch, he reaches up and brushes a strand of hair behind your ear. His fingers linger there for a moment longer than necessary, his eyes searching yours. “You okay?” he asks softly, his voice barely above a whisper, as if he’s afraid to disturb the peace you’ve found together.

You smile, a soft, genuine smile, and nod. “Yeah,” you whisper back, the word carrying more meaning than its simplicity suggests. Everything feels right in this moment—more right than anything has in a long time.

Tyler’s eyes flicker with something deeper as he leans in, brushing his lips gently against yours. The kiss is slow, tender, as if he’s savoring it, committing every second to memory. When he pulls back, his forehead rests against yours, and he asks again, quieter this time, “You sure?”

You look up into his eyes, feeling a rush of emotion well up inside you. You could pretend to be calm, but the truth is, this moment feels like a turning point, like everything you’ve been waiting for is finally within reach. “I don’t want you to leave,” you confess, your voice soft but filled with vulnerability. The words hang in the air, delicate and full of meaning.

Tyler pauses for a beat, his thumb brushing gently along your cheek. His gaze holds yours, as though he’s searching for any hint of uncertainty. “I can stay,” he says, his voice low and careful, “if you want me to.”

You feel your chest tighten at the tenderness in his words, and you nod, your heart racing. “I want you to stay,” you murmur, the vulnerability in your voice now mirrored by the warmth in his eyes. 

You smile, and without saying anything more, you take his hand, leading him down the short hallway to your bedroom. Once inside, the atmosphere shifts slightly—more intimate, more real. You reach for a pair of soft pajamas while Tyler tugs off his shirt, the sound of fabric falling to the floor barely registering as you change. When you turn around, you find him standing there, stripped down to his boxers, watching you with that same look in his eyes—like he’s seeing you for the first time.

You both climb into bed, the sheets cool and inviting. Tyler lies back, his arm automatically reaching out for you, an open invitation. Without hesitation, you curl up into his side, your head resting on his chest as his arm wraps around you, holding you close. His heartbeat is steady beneath your ear, a calming rhythm that makes you feel completely safe.

For a few moments, the two of you just lie there, the silence between you filled with the kind of comfort that doesn’t need words. But eventually, Tyler’s fingers start tracing lazy patterns on your back, and his voice breaks the quiet.

“This feels good,” he says softly, his breath warm against the top of your head.

You nod, your eyes half-closed, the weight of the day finally catching up with you. “It does,” you agree, your voice thick with sleep.

There’s a brief pause before Tyler speaks again, quieter this time. “I’ve missed you.” His fingers continue their gentle path along your back, his voice carrying the weight of everything unspoken between you.

You tilt your head slightly, just enough to look up at him. His expression is soft, and in the dim light of the room, you can see the tenderness in his eyes. “I’ve missed you too,” you admit, the words coming out in a sleepy murmur as you feel yourself beginning to drift off.

Tyler’s hand stills on your back, and you feel him press a gentle kiss to the top of your head, the warmth of his lips lingering against your skin. “Get some sleep,” he whispers, his voice barely audible now. “I’ll be right here.”

And with that, you let the last of your worries fade away. You’re safe, comfortable, wrapped up in Tyler’s arms. The world outside can wait—right now, all that matters is this moment, the steady rise and fall of his chest beneath you, and the warmth of his body next to yours.

Tyler stays awake for a few minutes longer, watching as your breathing evens out and your body relaxes against his. A small smile tugs at his lips as he presses another kiss to your forehead, his heart full. “Sweet dreams, beautiful,” he whispers, though he knows you’ve already fallen asleep. He closes his eyes then, pulling you even closer as he finally allows himself to drift off too, knowing that when morning comes, you’ll still be right there, next to him.

[elizabebabe]

𝐛𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐡𝐝𝐚𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐟𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐨 ও 𝐜𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐬 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐨𝐥𝐨

𝐢𝐧 𝐰𝐡𝐢𝐜𝐡: y/n is unsure of what to do for chris's birthday but he suggests a home cooked meal.

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: use of y/n, kissing, not proofread.

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐧𝐭: 800

𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬: happy birthday chris <3, embarrassingly enough i have 'fantasized' about feeding him a home cooked meal but specifically his favorite meal, alfredo...something short while i continue to work on love island.

your boyfriend of two year’s birthday is today and you spent the whole day thinking of what to do. last year felt so lackluster as you only went out to dinner and dessert…

you had planned a surprise party but the day before canceled after he shared his wishes of “a chill day with you.”, you learned your lesson after that, asking him more incognito questions about what’d he’d want to do for his twenty-first.

“chill day.” you mock, your face twists into a pout.

“it’s true.” he yawned, the light of his phone illuminated his tired eyes as you both were sprawled out on his bed.

“you don’t want to go clubbing?” i giggle , which is rewarded with a head shake.

“what if you made me dinner?” he questioned, your fingers stopped doodling on his arm that dawned your neck.

“we had dinner last year.” you lift your head up allowing you to get a better look at his face you couldn’t though once you noticed his brown locks rested where you were looking.

“but you didn’t make it.” he paused as you moved his soft hair around his face.

“your alfredo pasta is soo good.” he continued once your hands rested back to your sides, you thought he was exaggerating when you made it last time since it was only a quick recipe you found online.

“that’s all you want?” you ask. 

“well…” his eyes linger on yours resulting in a playful and painless punch to his arm.

⋆˚｡⋆୨୧˚

you clicked a remote which lit your apartment’s faux fireplace giving your living room and open kitchen more of a cozy vibe, you adorned your dining table with plating and candles, the birthday gifts you secretly got chris laid by your couch and a few balloons perked near the front door, your final touch was a bouquet set with the blooms of august.

you tied your apron around your waist knowing your boyfriend would arrive in 20 minutes or so, just enough time to make the pasta.

while the butter melted in the pan you made sure everything looked perfect, you even bought a bottle of wine if he wanted to give it a try, you planned this night to a ‘t’, prepared for every possible occasion well except one thing, a cake, you pushed the over thought idea out of your brain a new thought replacing it, you assumed he's had enough cake after hanging out with his family today.

heavy cream and seasonings added it was about time to shred the cheese, your head bob from your different cabinets grabbing your grater and a block of parmesan cheese from the fridge.

the cheese was melting into the perfect sauce and the pasta was almost done boiling, in the meanwhile you finely chopped a bit of parsley for garnish.

‘beep’, ‘beep’

your intercom went off, you didn’t know why you were so nervous, maybe because the success of his birthday dinner weighed on your shoulders instead of a random chef, he already boasted to you about his morning with his brothers, lunch with his family, you didn’t want to mess up the final stretch to a good day.

you pressed the button on your console before returning to the stove, mixing the pasta with the sauce waiting before plating.

‘knock’, ‘knock’, ‘knock’, ‘knock’

the knocks you heard were rapid which echoed through your apartment, raising your heartbeat to an extreme amount before quickly settling once you thought of who was at the door, your boyfriend chris.

you opened the door to see his cheesy smile, he wasted no time picking you up, dragging you to the hall the delicious fumes now clouding this space instead of your own, he twirled you in the hall.

“put me down!” you snickered, his giggles only making you laugh harder.

he eventually complied, sniffing the air around him a huge grin plastered on his face.

“i missed you, haven’t– seen you all day.” he cooed, finishing his sentence between deep breaths and giving you a tight squeeze at the waist, having your bodies flooding together.

“i missed you too, ready to eat?” you smiled.

“more than ready.” his lips hovered over your own for a while, coasting before connecting, they were imperfect kisses, sloppy but not rushed, he must’ve really missed you.

a soft grunt slipped past his plump and plush lips as you deepened the kiss, your hand finding its way to his neck, massaging the area.

you patted his neck before pulling away, “we can’t stay out here.” you shivered at the idea of someone else walking in the hall and witnessing the makeout. 

he smirked deviously which made a heat warm your cheeks, belly and ….

“cmon.” you cupped his jaw which pouted his soft lips before grabbing his palm and dragging him inside, not knowing why you even worried in the first place.

thank you for reading, mwah.

tag list: @fratbrochrisgf @3lizaluvs @lily-strnlo @sigmatoiletrizz @i-love-ptv @mattsturnshleuttt @venusjaynie @jetaimevous @lizzysmith110

[disastermages]

All The Best, All for You

[read it on ao3]

Xie Lian can’t help but shift from side to side in his seat, eyes scanning the room round and round hoping to see Hua Cheng rounding some corner or gliding out of some doorway, cool and collected as ever. He’d personally shown Xie Lian to this private table, his hand at the small of Xie Lian’s back as he ushered him through the busy and crowded restaurant. Xie Lian hadn’t felt out of place until Hua Cheng had left his side. 

Heads had turned to watch him walk with Hua Cheng, the expressions gobsmacked and the eyes wide. Xie Lian hadn’t noticed because he’d been focused on what Hua Cheng was telling him, his voice deep and quiet and only for Xie Lian’s ears, but now, Xie Lian can hear the soft whispers of the patrons, some of them murmuring over their own extravagant meals, others wondering who he was to deserve such treatment from their Chengzhu. 

“Gege,” Hua Cheng’s voice rings out, clear and indulgent, as he reappears from some hidden doorway. Anyone else would’ve buckled under the weight of the tray, but Hua Cheng carries it with one hand, refusing to let it wobble even once before he sets it down in front of Xie Lian. Dozens of small bowls and plates steam in front of him, their smells wrapping around Xie Lian like a lover’s hands as he marvels at each and every one of them. It doesn’t seem possible, Hua Cheng hadn’t been gone that long. “All my best recipes, just for you.”

Hua Cheng had cooked for Xie Lian before, but never here, never so many dishes at once, Xie Lian doesn’t know where to start. Instead, he looks up at Hua Cheng. “San Lang! Did you really make all of this yourself? I thought you weren’t in the kitchen today.” The dark red chef’s coat was nowhere to be seen, leaving Hua Cheng sitting across from Xie Lian in a dark suit with silver accents that couldn’t even be dulled by the low lighting of the private section, long legs crossed and his hand propping his chin up.

“I wouldn’t dream of letting anyone else cook for gege.” Hua Cheng says simply, plucking up a pair of chopsticks, but holding them out to Xie Lian. Their fingers brush as Xie Lian takes the chopsticks and Xie Lian can’t make himself pull back right away, not when he catches the way Hua Cheng is watching him, with a kind of smile that makes him feel as if he’s burning up from the inside out. 

Xie Lian can only look away when he remembers the food going cold in front of him. “Aren’t you going to eat too?” Hua Cheng had made no move to pick up a pair of chopsticks nor a spoon for himself. Looking over the food, Xie Lian can pick out simple dishes made extravagant along with extravagant dishes dragged up to the heavens by Hua Cheng’s own hands. With Hua Cheng’s eye still watching him, Xie Lian picks out something Hua Cheng has pressed into his hands before, in his own kitchen, his voice urging Xie Lian to eat. 

Now, as Hua Cheng shakes his head, his smile still in place, is no different, “Everything here is for gege, no one else. Eat as much as you like.” Xie Lian almost argues, but the growling of his stomach stops him. There’d been a time when his stomach had given up on growling, sullen in the knowledge that there wouldn’t be anything to fill it until Xie Lian either worked for it or found it on his own, but Hua Cheng has spoiled him rotten. Before that, Xie Lian could’ve had anything he craved, wanting for nothing. Nothing from Xie Lian’s memory tastes nearly as good as Hua Cheng’s cooking, though. His chopsticks scrape the bottom of the bowl before Xie Lian realizes he’s finished, heat creeping across his face.

Gently, Hua Cheng reaches over and plucks the bowl from Xie Lian’s grip with one hand, replacing it with something else with the other. Xie Lian dips his head just a little as he accepts the plate, eggplant fried to perfection singing across his tongue. “Is San Lang still having trouble finding a sous chef?” Xie Lian asks, remembering how he’d snuck into the alleyway behind the restaurant the other day on the off chance that he might find Hua Cheng. He had, but he hadn’t missed the murderous look in Hua Cheng’s eye before it landed on him and dissipated completely. Hua Cheng had insisted on folding his coat to make a cushion for the milk crate he offered to Xie Lian as a seat.

They’d sat like that for as long as they could, their knees touching, until Hua Cheng truly couldn’t avoid going back into the kitchen. Xie Lian had taken his leave before Hua Cheng could push food into his arms. 

“Is gege finally taking me up on the offer to come work here?” Hua Cheng raises a single eyebrow, his fingertips drumming against the table and Xie Lian doesn’t know whether to laugh or to cry. Working for Hua Cheng would pay more than odd jobs, scrap collecting, or dumpster diving combined, that much is certain, but Xie Lian still shakes his head.

“I’d drive away all your guests!” It’s an old argument, but a true one. Xie Lian cooks just like his mother did, the only one who could stomach it is Hua Cheng. “I wouldn’t get much done, either…” It’s another fact. He would try his best, but he would let himself get distracted by Hua Cheng too easily. It doesn’t matter how much Xie Lian would enjoy working with Hua Cheng, he would only make messes. 

Hua Cheng spares one disdainful glance behind himself into the main dining room before turning his attention back to Xie Lian. “I would have gege here even if all he did was sit where he is now and smile at me when I walk by.” This time, as his plate empties, Xie Lian is the one who stacks it underneath the bowl from earlier, heaving a sigh in the face of Hua Cheng’s grin. 

“Then you wouldn’t get anything done!” Xie Lian wishes he could pretend to be more frustrated with Hua Cheng, but as it stands, he’s more flustered than anything else. With nothing else in his grasp, Xie Lian bites the edge off of a dumpling and lets the soup flood his mouth before he blows into the hole. He scalds his mouth, but it’s worth it, and only gets better as Hua Cheng offers a smaller dish of chili oil, keeping it held in his palm rather than handing it over.

Chewing, Xie Lian watches as Hua Cheng twists the dish of chili oil back and forth in his grasp, the smile fading a little while he works something in his mind. 

“Gege,” Hua Cheng starts, but a crash from the main dining room and shouts from the kitchen stop him short, the both of them standing up. “Stay here and finish, go to my office when you’re done.” The order isn’t unkind, but Xie Lian can’t even begin to argue before Hua Cheng stands up and walks away, pulling at the tie against his throat. For a moment, all Xie Lian can do is stand and watch, unable to even sit as Hua Cheng doesn’t waver on which direction to go for even a second. 

Without Hua Cheng in front of him, Xie Lian’s cheeks are free to burn as bright and as red as they wish. He makes a point of savoring each bite, even if Hua Cheng isn’t here to watch him enjoy the food, no matter how unfair it feels. 

Xie Lian wants to shake himself at the thought. Just how spoiled has he really become? Hua Cheng must have better things to do than sit around chatting with him. He doesn’t even realize he’s failed to pick up anything with his chopsticks until his teeth sink into them and nothing else. If Hua Cheng had seen that, he would’ve laughed, Xie Lian knows that much without having to think about it. 

Hua Cheng hadn’t managed to reappear by the time Xie Lian had finished, though Xie Lian hadn’t expected him to, he still makes his way through the kitchen to Hua Cheng’s office, waving to the familiar faces of the kitchen staff as he walks through. He only stops when he catches sight of Hua Cheng, his back turned to Xie Lian, but his movements sure, even as flames lick at the bottom of the pan as he tosses the contents of it. He says something and the cook next to him goes running in the opposite direction before coming back with a collection of different things held in their arms. If he weren’t in the way, Xie Lian could stand there and watch Hua Cheng all night, never looking away, but Hua Cheng’s staff was already dodging and weaving around him.

Xie Lian forces himself to move into Hua Cheng’s office, out of the way and tucked onto the soft, black couch. Occasionally, he would find Yin Yu in here, on some errand for Hua Cheng or tying up some loose end for the restaurant, but tonight, Xie Lian is left alone and Hua Cheng’s office is too warm and smells too much like Hua Cheng. Something fluttery and even warmer rises up in Xie Lian as he settles against the couch, his hands between his knees. 

Eventually the dinner rush would have to end, it always did, and whether or not Hua Cheng made his way back here depended on how much needed taking care of, in the kitchen, out front, Hua Cheng did it all himself and an arrow of guilt wedges itself into Xie Lian’s heart as he stifles a yawn. He should have come up with some sort of excuse to stop intruding on Hua Cheng after he ate, he shouldn’t have even accepted Hua Cheng’s offer to come to the restaurant today. He just… He wanted to see Hua Cheng so badly. He wanted to hear Hua Cheng’s voice, even if that voice was laughing at him. Even if that voice was scolding him.

Gathering himself up onto the couch, Xie Lian lets his cheek rest against the back of it, the soft upholstery absorbing the warmth from one cheek. His arms are tight around his legs, his blunt nails digging into his own knees. It doesn’t feel fair how much time he gets to spend with Hua Cheng, how often he gets to come visit him. Hua Cheng never seems sick of him, either. Xie Lian doesn’t claim to understand it, heat gathering behind his eyes as he squeezes them shut. 

Hua Cheng was the first person he thought of whenever anything good happened. He was always the first person Xie Lian texted or called whenever he found a treasure among the scraps, whenever some little thing made him happy. Hua Cheng never responded with the canned indulgence everyone else seemed to hold for him. Hua Cheng laughed or teased him, but he was always so devastatingly sincere.

Blinking slowly, Xie Lian doesn’t realize he’s falling asleep until sometime later, when Hua Cheng’s cool hand on his cheek stirs him from his rest, Hua Cheng’s suit jacket already draped over his front. 

“San Lang?” Xie Lian calls softly, his voice slurred by sleep, the whole of him feeling too soft to move.

“This San Lang kept gege waiting too long,” Hua Cheng says, an apology in his tone and worry in his eye as he kneels in front of the couch, in front of Xie Lian. Careful not to step on Hua Cheng, Xie Lian puts his feet down slowly, only for Hua Cheng to place both hands on his knees. He should, but Xie Lian can’t bring himself to brush Hua Cheng’s hands away. He can’t even bring himself to return Hua Cheng’s suit jacket, hugging it closer to his chest instead. “What were you dreaming about?”

Hua Cheng had been brushing something from Xie Lian’s cheek when Xie Lian had woken up, and now Hua Cheng was on one knee in front of Xie Lian as if he’d been the one who did something wrong. Sitting up straight, Xie Lian lifts one hand to his own cheek, finding only remnants of something wet and catching sight of a bigger, darker blotch on the back of the couch. 

“I was just thinking how lucky I am to have San Lang.” Xie Lian says, trying his best to smile. It isn’t a lie, he is lucky to have Hua Cheng in his life. He’s lucky to have Hua Cheng’s eye solely focused on him as often as it is. 

“I’m the one who’s lucky to have gege.” Hua Cheng answers with a shake of his head, both hands lifting Xie Lian’s foot onto his leg before pulling the knots of his shoe laces loose and pulling the shoe off altogether. He does the same for the other one before standing up, his hand reaching for Xie Lian’s cheek again. Xie Lian doesn’t dare back away from that hand, leaning into it like a cat deprived of affection. “If gege is tired, he should sleep, this San Lang will wait for him to wake up.”

The words make Xie Lian’s chest feel as if it's caving in, his tongue suddenly feeling clumsy and numb as Hua Cheng starts to stand. Where words fail him, Xie Lian lets himself reach out and grab onto Hua Cheng’s wrist to keep him from going any further. “Gege?” Hua Cheng looks at Xie Lian when he holds onto him, but says nothing. Xie Lian half expects his fingers to peeled off one by one when Hua Cheng reaches for his wrist, but instead, those cool fingers curl around him in reply. 

“San Lang, could you sit with me? Just for a little while?” Xie Lian asks carefully, peering up at Hua Cheng but looking away just as quickly. He’s already taken up so much of Hua Cheng’s time, there are things he needs to do, Xie Lian is sure of it. He doesn’t expect Hua Cheng to sit down next to him so easily, their knees brushing again. 

It all feels too easy. The way he touches Hua Cheng, the way Hua Cheng touches him, even the warmth that builds so quickly between them no matter how cold Hua Cheng’s hands feel when Xie Lian holds onto them to warm them up. Carefully, Xie Lian surrenders his grip on Hua Cheng’s wrist, all for the sake of pressing his hand against Hua Cheng’s cheek, just like Hua Cheng had done for him, but something holds him back, something that threatens to choke him, a lump building up in his throat.

The next time Xie Lian dares to sneak a glance at Hua Cheng, the only thing he finds is amusement, rather than irritation or confusion, the corners of Hua Cheng’s mouth tipping upwards. The suit jacket puddles around Xie Lian’s lap now, even as Xie Lian pulls his knees underneath himself and turns towards Hua Cheng, embarrassment already burning underneath his skin. “What would it take for San Lang to be angry with me?” Xie Lian asks the question carefully, idly playing with Hua Cheng’s fingers, hoping against everything that Hua Cheng might stop him just so he’ll know where they stand. 

Hua Cheng is the one who laces their fingers together, splaying his fingers wide and making Xie Lian’s do the same for his own amusement, humming while he thinks. “Gege already knows the answer to his question.” Hua Cheng answers thoughtfully, loosening his grip on Xie Lian’s wrist to reach for his other hand, though he only holds it, nothing else. 

“Then San Lang wouldn’t be angry with me if I did something to him right now?” Xie Lian asks carefully.

“I trust gege.” Hua Cheng answers, his eye molten soft when he looks at Xie Lian, his thumb stroking over his knuckles exactly one time. Nodding his head, Xie Lian swallows thickly before licking his lips. Hua Cheng trusts him. Hua Cheng trusts him and what Xie Lian is about to do will either break that trust completely or… Xie Lian doesn’t have an answer. 

Before he can stop himself, Xie Lian leans in and brushes his lips against the center of Hua Cheng’s mouth as softly as he dares before pressing himself to the corner of the couch, watching for his reaction. For a long, long moment, Hua Cheng’s hands still. He doesn’t release Xie Lian from his grasp, his grip doesn’t even slacken. 

“San Lang, I-”

Whatever excuse he’d had to offer for his behavior dies in the meeting of their lips. Hua Cheng had pulled him back in by their hands and now both of their hands are crushed between their bodies while Hua Cheng kisses him, hungry but trying hard not to push too far. Xie Lian can’t stop himself from moaning into Hua Cheng’s mouth, his hands twisting away from Hua Cheng’s fingers just to press against Hua Cheng’s chest, searching for and finding his heartbeat. He hadn’t known what he expected, but he hadn’t expected to feel Hua Cheng’s heart hammering against his ribcage, as if it were trying to break through the bones keeping it contained. With nothing to hold their attention, Hua Cheng’s hands find places at the back of Xie Lian’s head and at the small of his back respectively, keeping him crushed as close as they both need to be more than they need air in their lungs. 

Only when his lungs start to ache does Xie Lian begin to pull away from Hua Cheng, refusing to go far when he does pull back, his hands sliding up to Hua Cheng’s shoulders. He doesn’t stop Hua Cheng from littering his face and neck with a thousand smaller kisses, nor does he stop himself from sighing softly. “I thought… I thought you would’ve been upset with me.” Xie Lian says it quietly, as if it could pass between them as a secret. He doesn’t expect to be pulled tighter against Hua Cheng’s chest before he’s laid down on the couch, his legs spread to make room for Hua Cheng to kneel between them. 

Hua Cheng’s hair falls over one shoulder, tickling Xie Lian’s nose before Hua Cheng has a chance to shake it out of the way, the look in his eye serious enough to make Xie Lian shiver. “Are you sure you want this, gege?” The softness of Hua Cheng’s voice breaks Xie Lian’s heart in two. Hua Cheng’s fingertips brush against a gap of skin left exposed between Xie Lian’s shirt and jeans, sliding further and further under his shirt until only Hua Cheng’s thumbs brush against the fabric. 

Xie Lian’s skin catches fire under Hua Cheng’s touch, making him gasp softly as his body innately seeks out more of that feeling. “I want this, San Lang. I want you.” He’d tried to be unselfish, he’d tried to share, he’d tried so hard to not keep Hua Cheng for himself, but Xie Lian can’t make himself do it anymore, even as he covers his own face. He can’t look at Hua Cheng and say all of this. 

“I’m sorry, San Lang, I really thought I could just be your friend,” Xie Lian babbles, hiding behind his own hands even when Hua Cheng starts to pull at his wrists, his grip gentle but firm. “I shouldn’t want to keep you all to myself, but I do.” Distantly, Xie Lian registers Hua Cheng calling him, calling him gege first, and then resorting to his name when that fails, until his voice trails off and Xie Lian feels Hua Cheng leaning forward, pinning Xie Lian to the couch with his weight before he kisses him again, still holding onto his wrists as he sweeps his tongue over Xie Lian’s lips.

“Look at me, gege, look at me and see how much your San Lang wants you too.” There’s a raggedness to Hua Cheng’s voice that Xie Lian hasn’t heard before. He peeks through the cracks of his fingers to start with, but lowers them slowly, until Hua Cheng can trap them against Xie Lian’s own collarbones. Hua Cheng switches both wrists to one hand with ease, brushing Xie Lian’s bangs away from his face and then letting himself caress his cheek, thumb stroking back and forth underneath Xie Lian’s eye. Xie Lian doesn’t even notice when Hua Cheng releases his wrists entirely, trusting that they’d say right where he left them laying.  

Hua Cheng’s name is on Xie Lian’s lips, but whether or not sound follows after it, Xie Lian doesn’t know. “Gege is all I’ve ever wanted.” Hua Cheng sighs reverently, rolling his hips and making Xie Lian gasp, even through the layers of Xie Lian’s jeans and Hua Cheng’s pants. Something soft, something almost like a grunt pushes itself out of Xie Lian’s throat when Hua Cheng does that, and does it again again when Hua Cheng slides his hand further up Xie Lian’s shirt. His thumb rubbing against Xie Lian’s nipple, stroking back and forth over. 

More and more of those little noises from before rise up like smoke in Xie Lian’s lungs and he tries so hard to bite them back, turning his head to the side just to muffle one of them against the couch. That kind of escape only lasts for a moment, though, before Hua Cheng decides that he won’t allow it. He’d kept his hand on Xie Lian’s cheek just for this purpose, Xie Lian is almost sure of it. 

“San Lang!” Xie Lian starts, but the tone of his own voice makes him stop, embarrassment blooming anew in his chest. It sounded more like a whine than an actual protest. It sounded pitiful and Xie Lian doesn’t even get the chance to dwell on it because Hua Cheng is pressing his thumb against the swell of his bottom lip, the heat of his gaze keeping Xie Lian pinned down against the couch. 

“I don’t like it when gege hides from me, I like it best when I can see him just like this.” Hua Cheng looms closer, his voice going deep and dark enough to make Xie Lian shiver, only to drive away the cold in the same breath as he kisses Xie Lian again, his tongue slipping into Xie Lian’s mouth without invitation or resistance. It takes a moment too long for Xie Lian to catch up, his brain freezing as Hua Cheng’s tongue strokes up alongside his own, twisting and making Xie Lian moan. There was no hope of catching himself right then, Xie Lian couldn’t even try. 

The grinding of Hua Cheng’s hips is constant and maddening, making Xie Lian gasp for breath as he feels something hard and thick rutting against him. He’s not much better, he’s already straining at the front of his jeans, aching for Hua Cheng in ways that he’s never let himself give in to, no matter how much relief it would’ve given him. “Is gege hard?” Hua Cheng asks and Xie Lian wishes he could hide again, but there’s no hope for it. Hua Cheng is too close and Xie Lian is too far gone, too tightly wrapped around Hua Cheng’s finger. “Does gege want me to touch him?”

There was power in Hua Cheng’s hands, immense strength that Xie Lian himself has seen before, only to feel those same hands press against him with impossible gentility seconds later. He wants those hands on him now so badly it makes his muscles ache and burn. 

“Don’t-” Xie Lian starts, only for Hua Cheng to pinch his nipple between his thumb and forefinger, rolling it cruelly while dragging his tongue over Xie Lian’s lower lip. “Don’t tease me, San Lang, please. I can’t take it, I haven’t done this before.” Desperation has made him too honest, but Xie Lian can’t stop himself. His legs try to snap shut, only to be kept open by Hua Cheng’s body. 

The next time Xie Lian looks up, Hua Cheng is watching him, something dark and possessive overtaking his eye, both of his hands moving to hold Xie Lian by the waist, thumbs pressing hard into the soft skin of his belly. The next round of kisses land against his cheeks, each of them lingering and gentle until they begin to trail down his neck, dripping heavily like sweat on a too hot day. Those hard kisses give way to teeth, sharp enough to make Xie Lian jolt and cry out as Hua Cheng bites him. Skilled but impatient hands yank the button of his jeans and drag down the zipper, parting the fabric before those same hands catch the waistband. 

Xie Lian’s jeans are pushed down to his knees, the denim catching and tangling around his legs as Hua Cheng wraps his hand around Xie Lian’s cock, his teeth moving onto a new, unblemished part of Xie Lian’s neck. Xie Lian’s fingers twist and pull at the back of Hua Cheng’s shirt, wrinkling the fabric hopelessly. 

He hears himself calling Hua Cheng’s name, he hears himself being too loud, but he can’t stop himself. He can’t even stop himself from coming too soon, the worst of it dripping down Hua Cheng’s fist and onto the pants of his suit as he sits back to look at Xie Lian. Mortification sets in faster than anything, making Xie Lian scramble to sit up and grab for Hua Cheng’s wrist, stopping the come from dripping onto his pants. Xie Lian knows he’s ruined them, but Hua Cheng doesn’t even look angry.

“I… I didn’t mean to… I’m sorry, San Lang.” He’s still holding onto Hua Cheng’s wrist as he looks for something to wipe his mess up with, his head still feeling fuzzy. He purposefully hadn’t let himself sit in whatever amazing feelings Hua Cheng had just set into his skin, it felt too nice after what he just did.

When Xie Lian comes up empty, guilt building and building in his throat as he turns to face Hua Cheng, only to catch him licking at a thick line of come that was threatening to drip into the cuff of his shirt. Mischief sparkles in Hua Cheng’s eye as he grins at Xie Lian before he turns his head to clean off the rest of the come. “Gege tastes so sweet, I couldn’t help myself.”

Xie Lian isn’t sure whether to laugh or to cry as Hua Cheng leans in and kisses him again, his clean hand catching Xie Lian by the throat to keep him from pulling away. Xie Lian feels his cock twitch with interest, but tries hard to push it down. “I ruined your suit, San Lang, aren’t you upset?” Earlier, he’d been scrabbling at Hua Cheng’s back, needing something to hold onto as he was dragged over the edge by someone else for the first time, but now, his hands twitch nervously, catching Hua Cheng’s collar and pretending to fix it while Hua Cheng’s lips brush against his forehead. “San Lang didn’t even get to come.” Xie Lian scolds himself, eyeing the still hard shape of Hua Cheng’s cock through his ruined pants. 

“Gege doesn’t have to worry about that.” Hua Cheng says, tipping Xie Lian’s face up with his forefinger, a smile making Hua Cheng’s delicate features look even softer, “If one suit gets ruined, I have a hundred more. Ruin as many as you like.” Xie Lian has seen the expanse of Hua Cheng’s wardrobe, all the different suits for different occasions, but that still didn’t make it right. Xie Lian can’t even afford to try and get it cleaned for him. 

“San Lang,” Xie Lian says suddenly, trying hard not to talk himself out of it before he’s even started, “do you think you could stand up?” Xie Lian explains nothing and Hua Cheng raises an eyebrow, but stands without argument, looming over Xie Lian as he stands just long enough to step out of his jeans and drop down to his knees in front of him. He couldn’t pay to replace or clean Hua Cheng’s suit, so that’s something he’ll have to live with, but Xie Lian can solve one problem for Hua Cheng just like this. “I haven’t done this before either, so I hope San Lang can be patient with me.”

If the things hecklers used to yell at him when he used to swallow swords were true, Xie Lian should be good at this, shouldn’t he?

Carefully, Xie Lian palms Hua Cheng through his pants, his thumb rolling over the head of his cock before he leans in, licking his lips, only to be stopped by Hua Cheng’s hand on his shoulder, thumb pressing hard into the place where Xie Lian’s neck and shoulder met. 

“Gege, don’t do this because you feel like you have to make something up to me, please.” Hua Cheng begs quietly, his eye and voice turning desperate as he looks down at Xie Lian. His hand squeezes Xie Lian’s shoulder tight, but not painfully so. All Xie Lian can do is smile and shake his head before he turns his face to rest his forehead against Hua Cheng’s inner wrist. 

“I’m not.” Xie Lian answers honestly, with a smile still on his face even as heat creeps up his neck, “I’ve thought about doing this with San Lang for some time now, I just didn’t know if he would want it too.” Xie Lian works hard not to look up at Hua Cheng as he says it, leaning in all over again but refusing to be stopped by Hua Cheng’s hand at his shoulder. 

He makes a show of licking his own come off of Hua Cheng’s pants, his nose scrunching up when he finds he doesn’t taste anywhere as sweet as Hua Cheng led him to believe. “Gege,” Hua Cheng calls, his voice sounding different from how Xie Lian has ever heard it before as he licks and licks until the traces of him are gone. 

Only after that does Xie Lian even begin struggling with Hua Cheng’s button and zipper, his fingers clumsy and unpracticed in the echoes of Hua Cheng’s skill and urgency. “San Lang is so big.” Xie Lian murmurs, more to himself once he’s finally managed to pull Hua Cheng free. Experimentally, Xie Lian lets himself lick the pearling precome off the tip of Hua Cheng’s cock, feeling Hua Cheng twitch against the tip of his tongue before he hears a muffled sound make it past Hua Cheng’s lips.

He catches Hua Cheng with his hand over his mouth when he glances up, but Xie Lian won’t be cruel, he’ll let his Hua Cheng keep his hand there if he likes, even as he picks a vein and follows the length of it with his tongue. When he reaches the base of Hua Cheng’s cock, he picks another, following it backwards, to Hua Cheng’s cockhead. Another muffled sound comes from above him and Hua Cheng looks as if he’s ready to cry, his eye locked onto Xie Lian. That’s what makes Xie Lian finally give up his teasing, taking the head into his mouth and sucking hard. His eyes flutter shut and Xie Lian takes more of Hua Cheng into his mouth, minding his teeth as he stands up on his knees, both his hands pressing against Hua Cheng’s exposed thighs. Xie Lian’s own cock is hard again, tipping backwards against his stomach, but Xie Lian pays himself no mind and presses his tongue hard against the underside of Hua Cheng’s cock. His lack of a gag reflex makes it easier and easier for him to take more and more of Hua Cheng into his mouth.

He should take the rest of Hua Cheng into his throat now, he should swallow around him and make Hua Cheng moan just for him, but instead, Xie Lian pulls back, saliva dripping off the length of Hua Cheng’s cock and clinging to his lips like gloss. The whine Hua Cheng lets out is high and desperate, but Xie Lian only smiles up at him. His hands leave Hua Cheng’s thighs to wrap around his cock, one at the base, and one stroking from length to head. 

Xie Lian knows it’s no comparison to the heat of his mouth, but that’s why he offers no warning before he leans in even closer and drags the broad flat of his tongue over one side of Hua Cheng’s balls. He can feel Hua Cheng throbbing and twitching in his hands as he turns his attention to the other side, sucking just to see what might happen before Xie Lian pulls away entirely. He hadn’t expected to make Hua Cheng lurch forward, but he doesn’t regret it. How could he? Hua Cheng finally pulled his hand away from his mouth just to catch himself by the edge of his desk because of it. Xie Lian presses his smile against the curve of Hua Cheng’s cock to show his appreciation. 

“Gege, have some mercy for this San Lang, won’t you?” Hua Cheng gasps, his voice sounding rough and ragged, as if Xie Lian himself had ripped him to shreds.The only mercy Xie Lian grants is pressing a kiss to Hua Cheng’s belly before going back to work. His tongue works round and round the head of Hua Cheng’s cock as if Hua Cheng were made of candy, lapping up every last drop of precome before it can form that perfect pearl from before. 

“San Lang likes to bully others, but can’t take it when someone bullies him right back.” Xie Lian lets his lips move against Hua Cheng’s length as he speaks between kitten licks, “He even begs for mercy from his gege.” In the middle of his lecture, Xie Lian takes half of Hua Cheng into his mouth in one go, his fingers creeping up and down the backsides of Hua Cheng’s thighs before pulling away again. “What kind of lesson would I be teaching San Lang if I spoiled him and let him do whatever he wanted?” 

Hua Cheng whines again, but that whine turns into something much, much louder as Xie Lian takes him all the way to the back of his throat without preamble or warm up. There’s no gagging or coughing, only Xie Lian’s throat swallowing hard around Hua Cheng’s cock. The hand at his shoulder tightens its grip, nails digging into Xie Lian’s skin before that hand leaves entirely, flying to the back of Xie Lian’s head to keep him where he is as Hua Cheng comes, hips and cock jerking as he fills Xie Lian’s throat. Xie Lian struggles to keep up, listening to Hua Cheng’s breathing turn hard and breathless, redness gathering under that pale skin.

Xie Lian keeps himself in place, swallowing down every last drop until nothing more comes and he feels Hua Cheng start to soften in his mouth, his fingers going limp in Xie Lian’s hair. When Xie Lian finally lets himself stand, he pulls Hua Cheng against himself, cradling him in his arms and leading him back to the couch. He doesn’t settle himself into Hua Cheng’s lap, no matter how badly he wants to, but he does let himself flutter kisses against the side of Hua Cheng’s face, his hand pressed against Hua Cheng’s heart once more. “San Lang did so well.” Xie Lian praises, letting himself be pulled when Hua Cheng decides to hold him in his lap, the look in his eye still hazy and listless, but trying hard to focus on Xie Lian’s face. From his new vantage point, Xie Lian can fix kisses to Hua Cheng’s entire face, both of his cheeks, his nose, his forehead, his chin, all of it. Xie Lian gets to kiss all of Hua Cheng and Hua Cheng just lets him. 

“Did gege have fun?” Hua Cheng asks, voice sounding thick with something. Both of Hua Cheng’s arms lock tight around Xie Lian’s waist, as if Hua Cheng worried about Xie Lian making even a single move to leave him. 

Working his fingers through Hua Cheng’s hair, Xie Lian smiles sheepishly down at him, “I did.” He should be more embarrassed, behaving the way he did, but the smile on Hua Cheng’s face dissipates anything like embarrassment or guilt before it can take root in Xie Lian’s chest. Without anything else to do, Xie Lian doesn’t stop himself from unbuttoning and rebuttoning Hua Cheng’s shirt, never going further than the top three.

“I hope gege doesn’t think he’s done, I still plan on taking him home with me tonight.” Xie Lian blinks at Hua Cheng with wide eyes as he leans back against the couch, chin resting on the back of one hand while the other arm stays right where it had been before, keeping Xie Lian from moving more than an inch away from him.

That something from before, Xie Lian knows what it is now, and it makes him swallow, his throat feeling thick and swollen. 

Xie Lian should’ve known what he was getting himself into.

[donniesexceptionalmind]

A recipe guide for "when food just doesn't appeal to you, but you know you have to eat because your body needs energy to stay alive, YET your brain is too stupid to understand that & of course you also haven't hydrated enough"-™️

The most convenient food shakes are full of added sugar & fats to make them rich in calories, which isn't very healthy at all. Sure, fats are important, yet they must be the right ones. For them to be satiating, proteins do a much better job than fats & they play important roles in our body.

And, like my psychiatrist & doctor said: Fresubin is a free pass for cleaning your bowels aka it's bad. (I laughed when they told me, like, what??? Hearing this from a professional??)

(Add.: They use Fresubin here as liquid food in medical care & YES, I was actively forced to drink it when I was in treatment for my anorexia & it was highly TRAUMATIC for me & I thought I could NEVER drink any food shakes again)

Nowadays, I sometimes buy a shake from a brand & it's hazelnut flavored & sweetened with dattes & uses protein from peas. It has also added vitamins & minerals, which is why I buy it, since I usually have deficits (get your blood once or twice a year checked by your doctor!)

Also, edit seconds before I posted this: I got so many ideas while writing & it turned out longer than I intended, so enjoy ✨️

✨️ My main recipe: ✨️

4 tb of oats

2 cups of (plant-) milk OR for extra protein 1 cup liquid, 1/2 pound of yoghurt (I also tried water, but it's not as satiating, obviously) (I assume protein powder would also help, but I don't use it)

200g of berries (any, feel free to experiment. My personal favourite are raspberries)

1 tsp of honey or whatever source of sweetness you prefer (dattes, maple syrup...)

1 tsp of grated coconut

What to do: Because I use frozen berries, I heat up the milk. Then I put everything together & blend for a few seconds. Finito~

Drink with a straw, straws do wonders ;]

Variations of this:

You don't have to add the coconut; you can also add peanut butter, blended nuts, seeds... for me, this is usually a source of fats, not flavour

Don't like berries? Use a different fruit with the same weight

Swap berries with a banana & use 2 tsp of cacao for a chocolate-y shake

I think blueberry & vanilla would work great together, haven't tried that yet

Cacao & cinnamon for a cristmas-y feel, maybe you can swap the fruits & crunch 3 or 4 cookies...? I'd raise the amount of oats to 5 tb (I want to try this now)

1 big Apple, caramel & cinnamon seems like a good combination as well

I do want to try out blending tofu instead of oats & see how that tastes (actually, I'll try that out next)

I've read you can replace oats with chickpeas (which are high in protein) & you CAN make chickpeas taste like cookiedough...

If you don't like oats, you can try amaranth, buckwheat, ... whatever appeals to you as long as you add a complex carbohydrate source

And if you are a coffee junkie like me, here's my fav coffee: (can be blended but also just shaken, depends on what you put in, DON'T FORGET THE LID)

1 cup of cold coffee OR 2 cups of espresso

1/2 cup of coconut cuisine OR other cuisine, it must have a creamy texture, creamier than milk

1/2 cup of (plant-) milk

1-2 tps of flavour: cacao, vanilla, honey, caramel... (Please keep in mind what you mix in if you used coconut cuisine because that adds flavour already, e.g., caramel & coconut are not good together)

I believe you can also add fruit to this for creaminess & flavour, I haven't tried that yet - half a banana seems like a nice idea

My next experiment: ADDING PEANUT BUTTER TO IT, I love it & I need a creamy coffee with it

The coffee thing is not a meal replacement, it's a "snack" kind of thing. A treat. I recommend eating your favourite cookie with it. Or two. Or three. Or- 😎

Vegetables are also important, Donnie!! I imagine Mikey say- BUT for consuming vegetables I always make myself a soup from scratch & that's working out very fine. It usually only takes 10 to 20 minutes (depends on the lentils I put in) & it's always nice.

~ 2 cups brooth of your choice (depends how watery you like it - more lentils & noodles, more water or you get what I call sludge - you either love it or not)

~ two hands of soup veggies (I use a frozen mix which is cubic-sized chopped, it needs to be QUICK, OKAY)

~ 2-3 oz of uncooked lentils (I use red lentils 95% of time since they only need ~10 minutes to be ready, but you can also use canned lentils & you don't have to cook them, especially if you want to use beans because uncooked beans need to sit in water for at least a few hours/ overnight is the safest way AND be cooked for ~1 hour)

~ a hand of noodles, like ramen, udon, glass, soba, instant noodles... (as you can see, I prefer asian noodles)

Preferred herbs/spices: garlic (fresh or powder), onion (fresh or powder) pepper, chili, cumin, caraway (whole seeds), nutmeg, cilantro & salt (just don't use too much, usually the brooth as enough in it; I rarely add salt)

Bonus: 1 tps of miso paste or soy sauce (if I do this, I cook ramen)

Add whatever you want if you're omnivorous: egg, meat, tofu, funghi, algae ... basically make yourself ramen

Bonus: eat it with a toast, slice of bread... It's not necessary, yet sometimes my brain needs a crunchy texture to be "happy"

✨️Friendly Reminder✨️:

You are not bad for struggling with eating regularly.

Edit: You probably noticed I always think about how to add the three macronutrients: complex carbohydrates, protein & fats - THIS IS BASIC NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE 😌💅🏻

[booksandchainmail]

Hand on the chisel, or Song Ren's rigid, brittle self-control

From Pale Lights book 2

Chapter 2:

Song’s lips thinned, but she held her tongue. You are stone shaped by the chisel of life, she recited. Will it be your hand wielding the tool, or theirs? If she gave her anger to others, she relinquished the chisel – and that was unacceptable.

Chapter 8:

It was one thing to hold a member of her cabal, another to beat them. That would not be tolerated. Hand on the chisel, Song reminded herself, but wrenched open the door harder than necessary.

Chapter 11:

She grit her teeth. To say this was to insult their very contract, since she had asked to – Song smoothed out the thought, the rising anger. He did it, she knew, to get a rise out of her. But she would not fall for it this time. Song had prepared herself, meditated on the matter. Her hand would remain on the chisel.

Chapter 13:

Song could see them creeping across the checkered, cracked floor of the entrance hall. The god was everywhere, blind hands tugging and pulling at the insides of Scholomance like a child at play – moving this and that, just itching to smash it all onto something that would scream. Hand on the chisel, she reminded herself. Fear would do her no good in this place. Fear never helped anywhere.

Chapter 16:

Song, instead, calmly rose and faced as much as the wall as she could. She blinked, once, and breathed out. The sheer number of details was… Hand on the chisel, the Tianxi reminded herself.

Chapter 16:

“Trade on your own time,” Colonel Cao told the students. “We move on.” Song almost flinched. Hand on the chisel.

Chapter 18:

It smelled burnt. Swallowing thickly, Song looked down and saw that in her fugue she had left the chicken unattended too long. The top was still pink, but when she flipped the cuts she saw they had charred stripes. The Tianxi swallowed. If she cut them out perhaps it wouldn’t show? No, they’ll still see I cut out parts. Perhaps if she sliced every piece in two, then – no, idiot, they would notice the quantity was too small. One of them would ask. They would know. Hands shaking, tearing up like a fucking child, Song did the only rational thing she could: she put the pot off the fire, went outside with a shovel and dug a hole in a corner of the garden. She emptied the burnt chicken into it – she’d have to buy another to replace it from her own funds – and filled the hole. She had to hurry, they could be back anytime now. Song opened the windows to get rid of the smell and cleaned the iron pot before doing the recipe properly this time. When her cabal began arriving one after the other, Song was ready. She welcomed them with a smile and a meal and her hand remained on the chisel as they all sat together and ate. Like a proper brigade, led by a proper captain.

Chapter 21:

And he was right, she realized. It would be their word against his, and though she was confident they would come out ahead in the hearing the incident would be added to her record. She had shot a watchman from behind. Every superior officer she could ever have would know she had crippled someone wearing the black. Who would trust her after that? Who would let her stand behind them? Song had already seen how bad it would be, fighting against the tide, and now mere minutes out of that place she was somehow making it all worse. She had learned nothing, made all that pain and grief pointless. Crack. “-of your life,” the man laughed. “You’re fucked, brat, you-” Her hand slipped. It was not the blow of a duelist or a soldier: her blade hacked into the man’s face like a butcher knife. “You trash,” she snarled, ripping her blade out and hacking down again. “You relic, you-” Song screamed and struck again. And again, and again and again. He had cornered her, ended her career. Only when her arm hurt and her breath was ragged did the silver-eyed girl fall to her knees, choking out a sob, fingers closed around the chisel she had used to make a ruin of the watchman.

[kitzenvoncatzen]

ok so i have a plan tomorrow, i am going to make a large amount of tea, with an even larger concentration of tea bags (if 1 cup is typically 1 tea bag, this will be 3 tea bags for 1 cup, and its like 2 cups) then, i am going to mix in some thai tea (this recipe seems to be more tea-based than i am intending) probably not a lot cause i dont have a lot left then, i am going to mix in 1 can of coke, yknow, for the spice or whatever it is (i will shake it up and make sure it is totally flat before i mix it) then, i am going to mix in a reasonable amount of meal replacement shake mix (specifically CTRL cinnamon crunch flavor or whatever it is (I really shouldve gotten strawberry that wouldve been so much better)) then, i am going to mix in 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (i'd add a cup but i dont have that much, so since i cant go big im just gonna go normal)

then, i am going to shake it for a good 5 minutes only then will i drink it and i will give it a name once i have tasted it

i will report back eventually

[tanuki-voice]

Meal Plan

You live in an apartment with a new roommate, and as it happens, they're an excellent cook.

You haven't made a meal for yourself in a long time now, whatever they make is miles ahead of what you're capable of. And it all tastes fantastic. Even things you'd had before, things you'd known the taste of, had taken on new, delectable flavors. They were always eager to make food for you, and enjoyed it even more when they could watch you eat. It must just be a thing chefs do, you'd assumed at the time. You hadn't had a problem with it either; you enjoyed their company, and they were definitely your type, though you would never directly tell them that.

It had started with meals, but eventually came to include snacks as well, replacing the granola bars and assorted nuts in your pantry with a world's worth of exotic foods to tempt you between meals. Before you'd known it, you had gained 10 pounds. Telling this to your roommate brought a smile to their face. "I guess my cooking is just that good, huh?" They replied. You were in no place to disagree.

One day, they called you into the kitchen to try a new milkshake recipe they had been testing. You sat down, took a glass, and drank. It was thick and rich, but in ways that complimented the flavor. It tasted like you were drinking a cake. Halfway through, you began to feel it in your stomach. It was very, very filling. In response, your roomie went around the kitchen counter, and hugged you from behind, with their hands resting on your stomach. They began to run it, easing the soreness, and working out pesky gas bubbles.

It took you by surprise. It certainly felt nice, but it was definitely more intimate than your roommate usually was. It was slightly embarrassing too, even attempting to stifle them, each bubble of gas would cause a small belch, which they would punctuate with a soft, whispered "there we go." or "good job!" After a couple minutes, they asked if you thought you could finish it. You answered that you still felt kinda full, to which they replied "Come on, it's only another 5,000 calories, you can do it."

5,000!? You looked at them in shock, what had they been feeding you? "It's not that big of a deal, you know. I've been making stuff like this ever since we started living together, and you'd been fine with it." They said with a devilish smile. So that's how you'd gained all that weight! They picked up the glass with what remained of the milkshake, and plucked out the wide straw. "You haven't got anything to worry about," They cooed, "You'll look *great* with some extra meat on your bones."

They put the glass to your mouth, and tilted it down your throat, forcing you to drink the rest as it cascaded into your maw. You could feel your stomach pack itself full. When you were finally finished, you let out a loud burp, and collapsed backward into your roomie. They rubbed your full belly, and used the other hand to caress your cheek. "There we go, not so bad, was it?" They asked rhetorically. It wasn't bad. It felt kind of good, even. You were enjoying the full feeling, and the rubbing.

They guided you over to the couch, where they laid you down, and took care of you (you were so full it hurt to move). Your roommate gushed about high calorie recipes, gaining shakes, goals weights and how excited they were to try a few things they'd been saving for later. They asked you, possibly a little too late "Do you want to keep going?" Good food for the rest of your life, and this feeling forever? You were in. Your roommate's face lit up with excitement. "Good." They replied, and punctuated it with a kiss on the cheek.

[acti-veg]

Hi do you have any recommendations for meal plans or websites with high protein income recipes? My friend who is an absolute gym nut wants to try out going vegan for 3 months but he is worried because of the lack of protein. I gave him some advice on what I usually cook, but I'm not really as sporty as he and don't really watch if what I eat is 100% healthy and balanced. Most of my vegan recipes are not suitable because they are "too high-carb" .

Do you have some resources?

Protein is seldom a problem for anyone who is getting enough calories, and that’s easy to do for vegans. I’d recommend he checks out The Game Changers on Netflix which is all about plant-based diets from an athletic perspective, and will challenge that often repeated notion of ‘high carb = bad.”

The conventional wisdom is that men need about 56 grams of protein per day, some recent studies say less and some say more. For context, a cup of oatmeal is 12 grams, lentils 18, cup of chickpeas 14.5. Some of the highest protein options include:

All beans

Lentils

Chickpeas

Oats

Quinoa/couscous

Tofu/Tempeh

Faux meats

Seitan

Spelt

Seeds and seeded bread

Nuts and nut butters

Brown and wild rice

Green peas and sweetcorn

Greens (particularly dark leafy greens like spinach, kale, broccoli etc.)

There are plenty of vegan shakes available too, as well as meal replacement/post work out options like Huel that is very popular. Again just for context, a Huel shake with a tablespoon of peanut butter blended in is 24 grams by itself, that’s without using plant milk instead of water.

As he will see in that documentary, there are athletes at the top of their fields, training at the highest level of intensity who eat a plant-based diet, and thrive on it, including one of the world’s strongest men. It is definitely sufficient for someone who just loves the gym. He’ll have to watch his nutrition levels but that will probably also be the case now for a regular gym-goer, it’ll just take a couple of weeks to adapt.

[ailurocide]

hello hello i heard your inbox is barren and i would like to converse (this is horrorpop from the grove for context) about your blorbos what are some silly facts about them you would like us to know

Hmmm… Let’s do just an assorted of very random fun facts >:3c

General Fun Facts:

Flowers are, naturally, immensely important to the Fealty. They’re utilized in almost every aspect of their lives; nests full of expectant dames or eggs are decorated with petals; new-blooms are (obviously) named after flowers to symbolize both their growth and fragility; flower symbolism is highly revered and always thought of; mates are often draped in veils of flowers and petals on their bonding day; on the day they receive their full names, sharpclaws wear the petals of their flower name to them shake off to symbolize their next step in life;

Magic exists… Sort of ;3 … It can be learned, it can be taught, but very rarely is it ever just a given talent.

Polydactylism is the most common within folk carrying Highpeak blood.

Gatherings are a time of sharing above all else. Trading of items occurs, news is swapped between mouths and paws, the Evergreens are updated on larger events, and the recipes for meals (as well as some meals, themselves!) are often presented to other Fealtyfolk. It’s a mixing pot of experiences.

An average outsider felfolk usually reaches about 4'5" (134.62 cm), while the average Fealtyfolk usually reaches 5°0" (152.4 cm). Haggardleg is currently 6'7" (200.66 cm), and the tallest felfolk in recorded Fealty "history" [read: one of their stories, it's up to y'all if it's true or not ;3] was 8'2" (248.92 cm).

The Highpeak’s territory features a number of stone forests, and hosts a single, dormant volcano.

The hollow in which the Tree of Lights grows (also known as “the Gathering Grounds”) is a sloping meadow absolutely covered in flowers. It’s bordered by several low, large trees, all flowering as well. Expectant folk and openhearts are known to climb up to lounge in the low-hanging branches during Gatherings, so they don’t get overwhelmed by the main crowds, chatting with one another to gossip, swap parenting tips, suggest new-bloom names, and offer advice to one another.

Character Fun Facts:

Shoebillbelly is the third largest folk within the Fealty. Lichenfang is second. Haggardleg is first.

Molefang is uncannily, almost scarily insightful - almost bordering straight up clairvoyance. She was almost made an Evergreen for it.

Lichenclaw was born beneath a meteor shower, specifically the Perseids. Meteor showers are rarely seen, especially within the Vale, due to the two layers of atmosphere, but that night, they were especially bright.

Spottednose loves to collect rocks and various other trinkets, most notably feathers and small animal bones, to hoard as well as decorate herself with. She’s almost considered “goth” by Fealtyfolk standards due to this, for her habits, her hobbies, and her fashion choices.

Goldentongue is the worst folk to fight- not because he’s skilled, or even necessarily good at it, but because she has no rules. He’s biting you. Kicking you in the stomach. Throwing sand in your eyes. The worst.

Mottletail and Spottednose have curled tails.

Castel has a fictitious autoimmune disorder that targets the amelanosis pigment in both the skin and fur, causing an imbalance that kills the pale coloring and replaces it with significantly darker pigments!

Laurel is immensely competitive and hellbent on constantly proving herself to be “the best”. The best of what? It doesn’t matter, she just has to be the best.

Robintoe is highly critical of others, especially those that don’t meet her personal standards or those she views as “not loyal enough”. She criticizes even her closest companions, tearing them down if she views them to be in the wrong, while fully approving strangers or even enemies if their case is reversed. Despite this, she doesn’t hold herself to these same standards, which often sparks murmurs of her being a hypocrite - which is true.

[lesbiannoel]

i'll be like 'im the most normalest girl alive and perfect also' and some weeks that's actually real. and then some weeks it comes to a head and i start wearing the same clothes for a deeply unfortunate amount of time and feeling nervous about the holidays because im gonna have to eat recipes (many flavors) instead of my favorite brand of meal replacement shakes (one flavor)

[anyroads]

I'm choosing not to link to the original article because I refuse to give this bullshit site traffic. If you're really curious you can google the headline.

Listen. This just isn't how food WORKS.

You can't replace meat with cabbage. Especially red meat. Red meat is a primary source of protein and iron. You want to replace it in a meal? Eggs (protein). Kale (iron). Beans or lentils (protein). Tomato sauce (iron).

Flavor... does not replace nutritional value???

You're saying topping a cabbage wedge with bacon, blue cheese, and ranch is HEALTHIER? What is the definition of healthy here? Is it more environmental, maybe? Well, that depends on where you're sourcing ingredients from and how local they are.

So look, I didn't just post this because I want to shake my fist at this particular corner of the internet. I see stuff like this all the time and I feel like it's important to remind people that a lot of "here's a great way to replace a thing you eat!" is clickbait and isn't actually healthy. Also just as a PSA, cabbage is great, it's full of nutrients and I think it's tasty af, but it also makes you hella gassy so the best way to eat it is in kimchi or sauerkraut where it's been lacto-fermented and it's gentler on your system. If you're eating it raw or cooking it, make sure you don't eat too much and prepare to inflate.

But yeah, a lot of food isn't interchangeable like this. Not nutritionally, not texturally, and not flavor-profile wise. Be careful with your diet when you change it and make sure you're still getting all the nutrients you need, especially if you decide to go vegetarian or vegan (which I fully support and am a vegetarian myself, but you need to understand what you're doing and how food affects your body).

In the simplest terms, a balanced meal is mostly protein and vegetable with a smaller portion of carbohydrates, because you need carbs to digest protein properly and you need vegetables to get the vitamins that protein-rich foods lack. Which is why replacing the protein in a meal (steak) with a vegetable (cabbage) doesn't work, because it throws off the nutritional balance and suddenly you're missing the integral part of the meal, which is the protein.

Humans may be omnivores, but our diet still relies heavily on protein. So when you see recipes like this that claim to switch out one food for another, the first question to ask is, am I swapping out the same food category for another from that category, and if not, how is it being replaced elsewhere in the meal?

[spicyoffspice]

the afore mentioned recipes for the protein shake and beet juice

the protein shake was very strawberry themed but didn't have a single strawberry in it🥰

Protein Shake:

750 ml Low Fat Lactose Free Milk

1½ tbsp. peanut butter

1 scoop strawberry protein powder

1 banana

25 grams of strawberry oats

3 tablespoons meal replacement powder

all blended up!

beet juice:

1 carrot

1 apple

1 beetroot

1½ tbsp. lemon juice

blendy blend!

if you want the brands for any of the products mentioned here, please do ask!🥰

pics not mine!

[vegietribe]

A Vegan Guide to Dairy Alternatives

Dairy is one of the hardest and the best things to give up on. Milk and other dairy items are the top wellsprings of saturated fat adding to heart disease, type 2 diabetes, and Alzheimer's infection. Studies have likewise connected dairy to an expanded risk of breast, ovarian, and prostate cancers. If you’re ready to ditch dairy, then I have carved the best alternatives for you that will not only savor your taste buds but also bring warmth to your heart.

 

Say Hi to your new ultimate comfort foods.

Soy Milk

Soy Milk is enriched with protein. It is one of the most popular non-dairy milk of choice and is available at most grocery stores, coffee shops, and even restaurants around the country. It is perfect for people who are lactose intolerant. It is thick, creamy, and has a subtle flavor that makes it the perfect replacement. It is power-packed with Omega-3 fatty acids, which are healthy fats that the body can’t develop on its own. On top of it, it reduces the risk of dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Quick Tip: When mixed with vinegar, soy milk curdles into a delicious "buttermilk" alternative which is great for muffins, pancakes, and quick bread.

Cashew Milk

Next comes the cashew milk. Cashew milk has a fine, creamy texture, almost flavorless, making it more similar to cow’s milk. It is relatively harder to find in the stores but you can easily find it in large grocery stores or bakeries.

Quick Tip: It is great for the base of custards and ice creams as well as for drinking. You can also enjoy it with oatmeal or cereal.

Oat Milk

It is derived from oat grains making it one of the healthiest plant-based milk. It has a creamy texture and has an oatmeal-like flavor. You can taste a variety of them such as Sweetened, Unsweetened, Vanilla, or Chocolate. It is one of the leading allergy-friendly milk. It can easily be made at home with 4 ingredients in under five minutes. Thinking of wasting five minutes a day, try cooking.

Quick Tip: It blends well with cookies, oatmeal's. Hence, it is relatively less desirable to drink and cook.

Almond Milk

Almond milk is one of the best and most popular replacements. You can easily find it next to your home. If you are diet conscious, then almond milk is the best one to go. It has 50% lower calories than cow milk. Not only does it strengthen the bones, but it is also highly nutritious. It’s chock full of Vitamin E & D. You can easily make it at home with two ingredients. Only 2, Isn’t it crazy?

Quick Tip: Almond Milk is incredibly versatile. It can be used as a milk replacement in smoothies, ice-creams, and shakes. You can also use it in salad dressings, soups, sauces, and baked foods to make your meal delicious and super creamy.

Coconut Milk

Coconut Milk is the most versatile milk available in the market. It has two major varieties: Boxed & Canned. It is highly rich in antioxidants. It prevents anemia and strengthens the immune system. You can find it nearby in supermarkets. It has a strong flavor and tastes really good so it is best appropriate for the ones who love coconut.

Quick Tip: It is great for vegan ganache and homemade ice cream.

Other Milk Alternatives

Hazelnut Milk

It is creamy and profoundly used in chai lattes and chocolates. It is also a great alternative to hazelnut-based desserts.

Macadamia Milk

It is thick and creamy with a slightly nutty flavor. It works best in hot beverages such as matcha lattes.

Hemp Milk

It has tons of health benefits. It reveals a great flavor when used in smoothie bowls and creamy pasta.

Rice Milk

It can be used in various recipes and is the most common alternative for making chai tea. Rice is rich in Vitamin B, Magnesium, Phosphorus and is packed with carbohydrates, making it a higher source of energy.

Flax Milk

It is lightweight and relatively flavorless. It is enriched with alpha-linoleic acids, which are used to prevent and treat diseases of the heart and blood vessels.

Are you shocked after seeing these many alternatives? So was I, when I discovered it for the first time.

[ecrivainsolitaire]

I feel like this suffers from what I call "the tofu dilemma".

Tofu is a great element of traditional Asian food. There's Mapo dōfu, there's gimbap, there's tons of other meals, and for some groups of Buddhist monks it's literally The Protein because of how strict vegetarian diets get. There's hundreds of years of tofu gastronomy from everywhere east of Turkey, cooked in so many different ways that bring out its best properties.

Cue an American Whole Foods circa 1995. Some recently converted white vegan fresh out of college with no ancestral Asian cuisine knowledge of their own or personal culinary skills whatsoever, comes across it in the ethnic food aisle. They read the nutritional information, see that it's mostly protein and 100% vegetable, and makes a genius proclamation:

"I know pronounce thee a health food".

So they start blogging their recipes of tofu burgers and tofu ribs and tofu Caesar salad, the most "I only care for food because otherwise I would die" dish there is, and of course they're all terrible. Not because there's anything wrong with tofu in particular, but because it's being used wrong, and treated like fake beef. The blog blows up and more health nuts start to make their ungodly tofu dishes that have neither respect for Asian cuisine nor for the palates of their poor poor readers who are just trying to gaslight themselves into eating less junk food.

Naturally, because these recipes are obvious dogshit and fucking everywhere, a reactionary movement forms, spearheaded by the fans of the meal that tofu is replacing, in this case, beef. A mob forms, and it starts attacking tofu itself, because they have no idea of how it's actually supposed to be used either, all they know is that for some reason gym people are replacing beef with tofu and pretending it's good. The mob becomes a hate group and develops reactionaries of their own that live and die for tofu and would fuck tofu to completion if it had the structural integrity to take it. The tofu was never the problem, but now there's two groups of nutjobs arguing whether or not tofu is the literal antichrist because everyone on either side is completely ignorant of what tofu is for in the first place.

I predict the same will happen to insect food, because the first form I saw it used in American food is as protein powder for shakes. Shakes are the current Caesar salad, they're the dish for people who think food is a fuel and finding pleasure in it is as depraved as masturbating over the diesel pump at the gas station. So any traditional cuisine that uses bugs is outshined by the fact that the current status quo of bugs in pop cuisine is "gross powder only people with eating disorders put in their beverage". So bug recipes are always going to be stigmatized until people actually start making the traditional cuisine and sharing that instead of the horrifying Americanisation of a harmless ingredient. So if you care about insects being accepted in Western gastronomy then stop playing mystery box with them and actually make something humans have historically been known to enjoy.

Insects are literally just an easily replenishable and healthy source for protein additives but the move to incorporate them into the modern human diet has been politicized by both sides in the most ridiculous fucking ways??? The right wing frames it as “Treehugging Wokists” who want you to suffer by eating cockroaches as part of the Global Warming Lie while I’ve seen people on the left characterizing it as a “let them eat cake” dystopian capitalism thing. It is neither. It is literally just a great way to make protein. It can help feed more people with less land use and less water use and less waste. We aren’t talking about forcing you to eat a cold bowl of smelly worms instead of pizza or burgers or ice cream. We’re talking about a protein-packed alternative to the shitty empty corn filler already poured into like half of your food anyway.

[dignityhealth]

Rich Chocolate Whey Protein: A Delicious Way to Achieve Your Fitness Goals with My Dignity

When it comes to achieving fitness goals, protein plays an essential role. Among the varieties of protein available, whey protein stands out as a popular choice due to its high-quality protein content and fast absorption. And, if you’re looking for a delicious option, My Dignity’s Rich Chocolate Whey Protein is the perfect blend of taste and nutrition. It not only fuels your body but also satisfies your chocolate cravings, making it easier to stick to a healthy routine.

Why Choose Rich Chocolate Whey Protein?

Whey protein is derived from milk and contains essential amino acids that are quickly absorbed by the body. This makes it highly effective for muscle growth, repair, and overall recovery. The rich chocolate flavour adds an enjoyable twist to your daily protein intake, so you don’t have to compromise on taste while nourishing your body.

1. Muscle Growth and Recovery

Whether you’re a beginner or an experienced athlete, muscle recovery is crucial to prevent injury and maintain progress. Rich Chocolate Whey Protein from My Dignity offers a high amount of protein per serving, which helps repair muscle tissue after intense workouts. Additionally, its quick absorption rate means the protein reaches your muscles faster, aiding in effective muscle recovery and growth.

2. Weight Management

One of the benefits of whey protein is its ability to support weight management. Protein helps you feel fuller for longer, which can reduce hunger and prevent unhealthy snacking. The Rich Chocolate Whey Protein offers a satisfying taste and creamy texture, making it an ideal meal replacement or supplement to your diet. With fewer calories and sugars compared to other flavored protein options, it’s an excellent choice for those aiming to manage weight while enjoying a delicious treat.

3. High-Quality Protein Source

Not all protein powders are created equal. My Dignity’s Rich Chocolate Whey Protein is made from high-quality whey, which contains all essential amino acids. These amino acids are vital for maintaining lean muscle mass, boosting metabolism, and supporting overall health. My Dignity’s formulation is crafted with quality in mind, ensuring you get the best nutrition possible.

How to Incorporate Rich Chocolate Whey Protein into Your Routine

Using Rich Chocolate Whey Protein is easy and versatile. Here are some ways to make the most of this nutritious and tasty supplement:

Post-Workout Shake: Mix a scoop with water or milk for a smooth, chocolate-flavoured shake that helps your muscles recover after exercise.

Breakfast Smoothie: Blend it with fruits, almond milk, and a handful of oats for a nutrient-rich smoothie to kick-start your day.

Protein-Boosted Desserts: Use it in recipes like protein brownies or chocolate pancakes to add nutrition without compromising on flavour.

My Dignity: Quality You Can Trust

At My Dignity, quality and customer satisfaction are top priorities. The Rich Chocolate Whey Protein is designed for those who want to enjoy the benefits of whey protein without artificial ingredients or excess sugar. Each batch is rigorously tested to ensure that the final product meets high standards of quality, purity, and taste.

Conclusion

Rich Chocolate Whey Protein from My Dignity is more than just a supplement; it’s a delicious solution to achieving your fitness and health goals. Whether you’re aiming to build muscle, manage weight, or simply add more protein to your diet, this chocolate-flavoured whey protein makes it enjoyable and effective.

With its great taste, high-quality protein content, and multiple health benefits, Rich Chocolate Whey Protein from My Dignity is a perfect addition to your daily routine.