Saturday, December 29, 2012

Turkey Sausage


1lb lean ground turkey (93/7)
3/4 tsp ground ginger
2 tsp ground sage
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Combine all ingredients, form into approximately 2 inch (2 oz.) patties and fry.

Nutrition facts:

Servings: 8

Calories 81 gm
Protein 11 gm
Carbohydrates 0.1 gm
Fat 4 gm

Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Peanut Butter Protein Pancakes


Need I say more?  Peanut Butter + Pancake= Pure bliss.  I top these with Walden Farms calorie free syrup, and breakfast is my favorite meal :)  Here's my recipe!  

Serves: 1
Calories: 252 (with 1/3 C oat flour) 

Ingredients:
1/3 or 1/2 C oat flour (depending on your meal plan and nutritional goals-they turn out great either way)
1/2 scoop Isopure zero carb vanilla whey (or protein powder of your choice)
3 Tbsp PB2 (I order mine from netrition.com)
2 Tbsp Stevia in the Raw
1 tsp Truvia
approx. 1 tsp baking powder 
1/4 tsp salt (do not omit)
2 egg whites
Enough water to make your batter pour into the pan, but not too runny. Add, stir, add stir, until it's right.

Directions:

Heat a medium sized frying pan to medium heat.  Combine dry ingredients in a medium size bowl, and mix well.  Add the egg whites, stir, and then add some water.  I just put my bowl under the running water for a sec, stir, add more if needed until I get the consistency right.  You'll get really good at it.   Once your batter is ready to go, spray your pan with cooking spray (I use homemade coconut oil spray, works great!).  Pour half the batter in the pan.  Let it cook until it bubbles and starts to almost lift on the edges.  Flip and repeat (my batter makes two medium size pancakes).  Easy enough?  Try these!  You won't be sorry.  

P.S.  Who says these have to be stuck in the breakfast category??  I often make them for an additional meal in the day somewhere.  For my husband, I use weight gainer or more protein powder and a whole egg vs. egg whites, because his nutritional goals are different than mine. These are so versatile!  Try adding chocolate chips if you want an extra sweet touch, or if you're eating them on the go without syrup!  Mmm..

Monday, October 22, 2012

Beef and Broccoli

Made this for dinner tonight, and it was so YUM!  My husband and I both seriously dropped our  jaws over it and added it to our "definitely make again" category.  Even better, it didn't take me more than about 30 minutes to make!  Boom.  (Adapted from Muscle and Fitness Hers recipe).

Serves: 2
Calories per serving: ~385 (depending on the leanness of the meat you use)

Ingredients:

1 tsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 tsp ginger, chopped (I buy this fresh and freeze it for when I need it :) )
1/2 cup yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 small bunch broccoli florets in small pieces
12 oz flank or skirt steak (I used filet mignon, so it was a bit less calories), thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced (or about 2 tsp bottled lime juice)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 tsp low sodium soy sauce or Braggs
2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:


1. Heat a large saute pan or wok to medium heat. Add olive oil and beef and cook for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown. Scoop meat out of the pan and keep warm. I put mine in a bowl with a paper towel to soak up the extra oil.

2. Add garlic and ginger to pan. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until golden brown. Add yellow onion, broccoli, 1/4 cup of water, sesame oil, soy sauce. Cook 6-8 minutes or until broccoli is bright green.

3. Add cooked beef back to pan and season with soy sauce.

4. Mix 1/2 cup of water with cornstarch and add to pan. Bring to a boil. Add lime juice. Serve with brown rice and hot sauce if desired.  I just added extra Braggs to mine.  Yum!!

Thursday, September 27, 2012

Protein Packed Ranch Dressing

Sometimes you just need that creamy fix.  Whether you use this as a dressing or a dip, it's up to you.  I've tried both, and it's yummy either way.  It's such a great alternative to the other options out there, and it comes with far superior nutrition facts.  Plus, it's SO EASY to make!

Serves: 4
Calories per 1/4 C serving: 55 

Ingredients:
1 C Low fat (or I haven't tried it yet, but fat free?) cottage cheese
3 Tsp Ranch dressing mix
1/4 C water (add more to make it into more of a salad dressing vs. a dip)

Directions:
Blend all the ingredients together, and devour!

Saturday, September 22, 2012

Apple Cinnamon Protein Bars




These have to be my all time fav' for fall, when we crave everything cinnamon and pumpkin spice.  These are perfect as an on-the-go meal replacement. Or, if you're craving something desserty, smother a loaf with Jello brand sugar-free pudding, and it is unbelievably delicious, or should I say "Legalicious"?!

Serves: 8
1 loaf= 1 serving 

Calories: 94
Fats: 1.25 grams
Carbs: 10 grams
Protein: 10 gram


Ingredients:
  • 1 cup oat flour (throw 1 cup of rolled oats in your blender to make flour)
  • 3 scoops vanilla whey protein powder
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp allspice
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 4 egg whites
  • 3/4 cup Splenda, Stevia, or Ideal
  • 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1 small gala apple, coarsely grated
  • 3/4 cup of water
Directions:
1.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2.     Mix flour, protein powder, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.
3.     Mix egg whites, sweetener, applesauce, grated apple and water into the dry ingredients, using a whisk.
4.     Spray 8 mini-loaf pan generously with non-stick butter spray.
5.     Pour ingredients equally into each compartment.
6.     Bake 15-16 minutes.  

High Protein Oatmeal Pancakes


If you are sick of eating plain old oats and egg whites for breakfast, this will surely brighten your day.  Nothing will make you feel less like you're on a diet than having fluffy, syrupy pancakes for breakfast!  I make a large batch of the pancake mix and store it in a big ziploc bag, so I don't have to put together all the ingredients each time I want to make these.  Easy peasy ;)

Servings 10 (1 serving= rounded 1/2 C)

Dry Ingredients
5 C rolled oats that have been blended into flour (I just use Quaker Oats)
4 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use MRM vanilla or Any Whey, but use what you like)
3 tsp baking powder
1  tsp salt
1 cup Stevia, Xylitol, or Splenda (you can experiment with this and add more or less sweetener)

Preparation:
Add wet ingredients one serving at a time to a rounded ½ C of dry mix:

2-3 egg whites (I use liquid egg whites (4 Tbsp)--they are runnier and require me to use less water, which makes the consistency more "batter-like", and the pancakes come out fluffier :))
1 capful of almond extract or any extract of choice (optional)
Add water to desired consistency (a few Tbsp-- Add one by one until you achieve a batter consistency that isn't too runny or too chunky.  It should pour into your pan, but if it spreads to cover your entire skillet, your pancakes will be more like crepes.)


Stir dry and wet ingredients together well.  Pour ½ of batter into a medium size skillet that has been heated to medium, and cook until batter bubbles all over then flip and cook other side.  Repeat with the remainder of the batter.  Top with spray butter,  calorie free Walden Farms pancake syrup, cinnamon and truvia,  and/or whatever other topping you prefer. You can add strawberries, bananas, blueberries, etc. to the batter while cooking or just sprinkle on top when you are done cooking them.  

Cals/serving: 233
Fat 3.1 grams
Carbs 26.7
Protein 23.6

Yum!!

Saturday, September 8, 2012

Chocolate PB Protein Shake


Do you wish your protein shake tasted more like a milkshake?  Then look no further! This recipe will knock your socks off.  

Serves: 1
Calories: 270

Ingredients:
1/2 C fat free cottage cheese
1/2 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C unsweetened, vanilla Almond Breeze (almond milk)
1/2 C Water
2 Tbsp PB2 (or full fat peanut butter if you want to incorporate some healthy fat here)
1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (I use MRM Natural Vanilla Whey-- so yummy and clean!)
1 heaping cup of ice (more if you like it icy like me ;) )
1/2 Tbsp each of stevia and Truvia (adjust to your desired level of sweetness)

Directions:

Add all ingredients to your blender (make sure it can crush ice well), and blend to your desired consistency.  Feel free to add or substitute ingredients depending on what you have and what your nutritional goals are.  Chia seeds, flaxseed, BCAAs or glutamine powder are a few items that I add in every so often, just depending on my goals for the day and what time of the day I make the shake.  Be creative, and never be intimidated or discouraged my new ingredients you may not recognize.  Do your research.  Ask questions in the grocery store.  Request items that your favorite store may not yet carry.  This is how we expand our options and knowledge base with regard to nutrition.  (This shake is great pre or post workout).  Let me know what you think!  I have a feeling you're gonna love this thick and creamy shake ;)