Chocolate Coconut Protein Muffins

I've had a lot of requests to get this posted, so here it is!  These are chocolaty and so delicious!  They do not seem legal, but I assure you they are ;)

Serves: 12

Calories per muffin: 72

Ingredients:

1 C oat flour

2 Tbsp Bob's Red Mill Organic High Fiber Coconut Flour

3 scoops unflavored Any Whey protein powder (or the protein powder of your choice)

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 C stevia (or baking sweetener of your choice)

3 Tbsp unsweetened baking cocoa 

4 Tbsp Reduced Fat Unsweetened shredded coconut (Found this at Whole Foods)

4 egg whites or 8 Tbsp liquid egg whites

1 C unsweetened applesauce

1/2 C water

2 tsp coconut extract (adjust to your liking :) )

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Whisk dry ingredients together, then add remaining ingredients, and whisk together again.  Spray a muffin tin thoroughly with cooking spray.  Evenly pour the batter into each of the 12 muffin cups.  Bake for 16-24 minutes, depending on your oven and desired consistency.  I like mine on the doughy side, but they hold together and are a bit more portable when cooked longer.  My mom likes to eat these muffins in a bowl with a sugar free pudding on top (so yum!), so if you're feeling the need to frost them, maybe you'll like them that way!  Let me know what you think!

A Pink Lady and Two Dollops

Disclaimer:  This is not rocket science.

Though this snack is uncomplicated, and you could think of this on your own, often times we just need to have ideas presented to us, and it can open up a thousand possibilities we never considered.  Here is one I've been obsessed with lately and literally have to have everyday.

Calories: 200

Ingredients:

1 medium Pink Lady apple (my personal favorite)

1 light Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese Wedge

1 Tbsp Almond Butter (fresh ground from Whole Foods.. just do it, you won't regret it ;) )

Simple as that.  Slice your apple and join all the yumminess together in a bowl.  Legal and beyond delicious ;)

 

Baked Mexican Fish

Okay, don't change the channel!  I know this may sound odd.  It wasn't the most appetizing thing I could think of either, but boy was I wrong!  I will be making this often.  It has tons of flavor, with more than decent nutrition facts.  It's easy to make a "lean" portion for me and a "manly" portion for my husband, without a lot of extra work or food envy!  haha (This happens to me a lot when I am forced to watch my husband eat whatever he wants, whenever he wants).  I got the idea from sixsistersstuff.com and made it Legalicious with a few changes.

Serves: 3

Calories per serving: 225 (without optional items)

Ingredients:

3  4oz fillets tilapia, cod, or halibut

1 C salsa (Herdez is my favorite for this)

1/3 C low fat shredded cheddar cheese (I used Sargento)

9 Santitas (or equivalent) corn chips, crushed

lettuce

1/2 avocado (optional)

1/4 C plain greek yogurt (optional)

black beans (optional)

warm tortillas (optional)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  

Spray a glass baking dish lightly with cooking spray.  Pat the fish fillets dry, and lay them down in the pan.  Then lay on the salsa!  Use as much as you want, really.  It gives the fish a lot of flavor and moisture with a negligible amount of added calories.  Sprinkle the cheese evenly over each fillet.  Then for the corn chips.  Crush three chips over each fillet.  These give the fish a light, but addicting crunch!  Then slide your pan in the oven (uncovered), and bake fore 15-20 minutes.  Serve over a bed of lettuce with some extra salsa and maybe even a little Kernel Season's Ranch seasoning :) (Available in the spice aisle at most grocery stores).  If you feel like really going for it, throw the fish in a warm tortilla, add the avocado, Greek yogurt (in place of sour cream), and black beans to really get your taste buds going.  I didn't think this needed anything extra and enjoyed mine "low carb" style.  Up to you! 

Fresh Raspberry Lemon Protein Muffins

This recipe is adapted from fitness model Jamie Eason's homemade protein bar recipe.  She has a variety of protein bar recipes available online at bodybuilding.com that are delicious.  I made these "Legalicious" with a few yummy tweaks.  Enjoy!

Serves: 12
Calories: 63 per muffin

1 C oat flour (I blend mine from the Old Fashioned Quaker Oats I buy at Costco.. much cheaper :) )
3 scoops unflavored (or vanilla) Any Whey protein powder (I buy mine on netrition.com)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 qt Crystal Light Lemonade mix
1/2 C stevia
1 tsp raspberry extract (optional)
4 egg whites or 8 Tbsp liquid egg whites
1 C unsweetened applesauce
1/2 C water
36 fresh raspberries (3 per muffin)

Preheat your oven to 350°.  
Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.  Add remaining wet ingredients and mix 
again.  Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray, making sure to thoroughly coat each muffin 
cup.  Carefully pour mixture into muffin cups, evenly distributing the batter between the 
cups the best you can.  Bake for 2 minutes, remove muffin tin, add 3 raspberries per muffin
cup, and return pan to the oven for 14-18 more minutes.  I do 14, but I like mine on the 
doughier side ;).  Remove from oven, let cool, and eat within 5 days.  These are so 
portable, good warm or cold.  Yum!  

Piña Colada Protein Shake

If you like you some coconut and pineapple, this shake is for you!  I'm a bit obsessed.  I actually don't think I've ever had a yummier protein shake... yet anyway ;)  I adapted this recipe from one I found in the August 2012 issue of Oxygen Magazine.  The first time I tried it, it was just "eh", but I think the small tweaks I made really made a big difference.  It's bursting with flavor now!  Enjoy :)

                                                     photo credit

Serves: 1
Calories: 190

Ingredients:
1/2 C low fat cottage cheese
1/2 C crushed pineapple, drained
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce or 1/4 medium banana
1/4 C unsweetened, vanilla Almond Breeze
1/4 C Water
1 Tbsp reduced fat, unsweetened shredded coconut (found this at Whole Foods)
1/4 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (I use MRM Natural Vanilla Whey-- so yummy and clean!)
1 heaping cup of ice
1/2 Tbsp each of stevia and Truvia (adjust to your desired level of sweetness)
8 Piña Colada Capella drops (I order mine from netrition.com)
4 Coconut Capella drops

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 it ;)