Tag: protein

Mmm...Food...

FlapJacked {Review}

megstermeter

Sometimes, I shop a tad bit impulsively online. It’s not always on clothes – it’s often on random fitness things or jewelry or whatever random thing I think is JUST SO CLEVER.

Recently, I did just such a thing on the website FlapJacked. As my husband can attest, I often am trying new muffin and bar recipes, trying to make them healthier and full of protein. They don’t usually taste very good…so when I stumbled on FlapJacked, I decided to try it! I bought the buttermilk pancake mix (which you can actually make a lot of recipes from) as well as a four-pack with their two types of protein muffins – apple cinnamon and chocolate.

THEY ARE SO GOOD. I mean, granted, if you are familiar with the flavor of protein powder, you can taste it a bit, but seriously these pack such a nutritional punch and seriously curb my muffin cravings.

IMG_8560 This weekend, I finally got around to trying the pancake mix. I added cinnamon, and sprinkled each pancake with unsweetened coconut and a few banana slices. Topped it all off with a few walnuts. I was seriously full for such a long time. And again, totally fulfilled my Sunday morning pancake craving. I highly recommend trying it – I certainly will try their other mixes down the road!IMG_8563

Health, Mmm...Food..., Whole30

Oysters

megstermeter

If there’s one thing I know about my husband, it is that he loves him some oysters on the half shell. One of our favorites restaurants in East Nashville has delicious oysters, and once a week goes 2-for-1. He never misses this when we are visiting Nashville. They don’t quite compare to that one time we ate oysters straight of the water in Boston. But still, we are fans.

That one time we ate oysters right out of the water in Boston.

So when we went to the grocery store this weekend, and they had oysters in the seafood department, we got ourselves a little treat. (One lesson learned though…if you’re buying oysters, make sure you have a shucker. A regular ol’ knife just won’t cut it.)

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Shuck your oysters, and load them up with horseradish and cocktail sauce. HELLO. This was indeed a Happy Sunday meal. Do you have any “treats” you like to stumble upon at the grocery? We love seafood, and just don’t get a lot of the good stuff living in Ohio. These seemed about as fresh as you can get around here!

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Mmm...Food...

Vitamix!

megstermeter

Christmas has come early for us this year! Mom went ahead and ordered us an early Christmas present, something I’ve been wanting for a long time…a beautiful, top of the line Vitamix blender.

IT’S AMAZING!

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I’ve only used it a few times so far, but it makes the smoothest smoothies of all time. I can’t wait to use it for soups and other goodies all winter long.

In honor of my new toy, I’m reposting my favorite Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake recipe for you. Enjoy!

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Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

Check out my recipe here: https://megoirs.com/2013/09/04/pumpkin-pie-protein-shake/

Daily Notes, Mmm...Food...

Healthy Egg Salad

megstermeter

Healthy Egg Salad

Sometimes you just need a little something delicious, and you don’t need the extra calories or fat! Reach for this five-minute recipe next time you’re wanting some old school lunch love.

Healthy Egg Salad (Serves 2)

You’ll need:

2 hard boiled eggs + 2 hard boiled egg whites

3 tablespoons plain greek yogurt

1 tablespoon mustard

red onion (to taste – some people like more or less!)

1/4 cup chopped celery

dash of celery salt

dash of garlip powder

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Chop it all up and mix it up! This seriously hits the spot when you are wanting something light but a little bit creamy. Play with the seasonings to make it how you like it. Greek yogurt makes a great substitute for anything with mayo or sour cream in it. Do not be afraid of the greek yogurt!!

Daily Notes, Health, Mmm...Food...

Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

megstermeter

My coworker and I have been talking a lot about pumpkin lately…and also about protein shakes. So I did a little experimenting and I think I’ve just about perfected the pumpkin pie protein shake. I know there are others out there, but I’m pretty partial to this one. Forgive the iPhone photo, and enjoy the healthy pie in your belly!!

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Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake (1 serving)
Ingredients
1/2 frozen banana (I pre-slice my bananas before freezing for easy blending)
1/2 cup pumpkin puree (NOT pumpkin pie filling – just plain pumpkin)
1 cup milk of your choice (I use plain almond milk to keep calories and sugar down)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1-inch piece of ginger, roughly chopped
Very generous dashes of cinnamon and pumpkin pie spice

Blend it all together and enjoy! This is not an overly sweet shake, because I don’t love too much sweetness in my protein shakes. If it’s not sweet enough for you though from the banana, you could definitely add a packet of stevia or other natural sweetener. The banana adds some sweetness and also thickness. Feel free to add ice too if you like a more “icey” shake.

Happy pumpkin season 🙂

Daily Notes, Health

Carrot Cake Protein Muffins

megstermeter

Protein Shakes not really your thing? Making low-sugar, high-protein muffins or bars are a great way to make snacks in advance, and avoid all the processed junk that store-bought protein bars give you.

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This recipe is from Jamie Eason, who has a lot of great recipes out there. I know that protein powder in and of itself is not the most “natural” thing, but I still feel like it’s a good source of protein when you use it right. Jamie makes hers in a square tin, but I went ahead and put mine into 12 muffin cups so that they are ready to grab each day.

Carrot Cake Protein Muffins

Ingredients
1 cup oat flour
2 scoops vanilla whey protein
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 Truvia (or other natural sweetener)
8 oz baby food carrots
4 oz water

Directions

1. To make oat flour, place 1 cup of old fashioned oats (NOT quick cooking) into your food processor and grind until they resemble a flour. It’s okay if you still have some pieces in there – it adds some texture to your muffins.

2. Mix oat flour, whey, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, allspice, and nutmeg in a bowl.

3. Combine egg whites, sugar substitute, baby food, and water in a separate bowl.

4. Add your wet ingredients to your dry, and mix well. Your batter will be pretty runny.

5. Pour your batter either into an 8×8 pan or into your muffin tins, and bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Test with a toothpick – if it comes out clean, your done!

It’s no carrot cake, but it’s a pretty clean, healthy way to get a sweet fix. If you make 12 servings, each will be just under 100 calories, with less than 1 gram of fat and about 10 grams of protein, depending on your whey powder. These make a great pre-workout snack! Enjoy!

Daily Notes, Mmm...Food...

“Primal” Lasagna

megstermeter

Yes yes, paleo is all the craze. But in all seriousness, I’ve been looking for ways to up my protein intake and cut down on my carbs (just a little bit). I found this great recipe over on What Runs Lori, and decided to test it out. Technically, it’s “primal,” not “paleo,” because it has dairy. But whatevs.

photo-1{forgive my crummy phone photo…it’s not the most photogenic meal!}

The result? A huge protein punch, albeit a little bit bland. It was pretty easy to make, too! I’ve made a few adaptations, as you will find below. This recipe makes 6 servings.

Ingredients

1 white onion, diced
1 pound of extra lean turkey or ground chicken
1 15oz can diced tomatoes, low sodium
3 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp Italian spice blend
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound of zucchini and/or yellow squash, cut into long thin strips
1/2 cup low fat ricotta or goat cheese
2 cups nonfat, plain Greek yogurt
1 head broccoli, roughly chopped
1 egg or 1/4 cup egg beater

Directions

In a large skillet or sauce pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the diced onions. Sautee on medium-high until softened, about 3-5 minutes. Add the ground turkey or chicken, canned tomato and tomato paste, spices, salt, pepper, and crushed garlic. Continue to cook all ingredients until the turkey is cooked through. Set aside when done.

In a medium bowl, combine the ricotta, Greek yogurt, broccoli pieces, and egg. Mix well.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of a 13 x 9 Pyrex glass baking dish. Place a layer of zucchini and squash rounds evenly across the bottom, making a sort of liner.

Add a layer of turkey-tomato sauce on top of the zucchini. Top that with some of the broccoli and yogurt mixture. Continue with this layering process until you have used all of your ingredients.

Bake for 45 to 60 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to sit for 10 minutes before serving.