Category Archives: What’s On the Menu

Blueberry Protein Muffins

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Not feeling summer ready yet?  I am sure the recent long weekend full of drinking beer and BBQ hopping did not Blueberry Protein Muffinshelp.  I definitely took a couple of steps back this weekend but I find that having food prepared ahead of time allows me to get back on track quickly.  Otherwise I will fall into the “I am still hungover from the weekend and too tired to cook food so I’ll just get a bagel, oh and since I got a bagel this morning I might as well get takeout for lunch because I already started my day off on the wrong foot” routine.  Anyways, my point is that muffins are easy to take on the go and I have a new “healthified” recipe so I am sharing it.  I have been on a blueberry kick lately and am thrilled that I finally figured out how to bake healthy muffins that don’t taste dry!  These are only 60 calories per muffin and super low in fat.  Exact nutrition per muffin includes 1g Fat, 8g Carbs, 5g Protein.  So a couple of these are a perfect snack on the go…because I can’t just eat one 😉

You will need:

1/2 banana

1 egg, 2 whites

3/4 cup oat flour (blend oats until they are flour consistency)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce

1/2 cup vanilla Greek yogurt (I use Dannon Light&Fit)

Dash of baking soda

Dash of cinnamon

1/2 cup blueberries

Directions:

Preheat oven 350F

Blend wet ingredients then mix with dry to make batter– don’t add blueberries yet

Spray muffin pan and fill each slot 2/3

Add blueberries on top

Bake for 12 mins

The batch makes 11 muffins.  And no I don’t like that it makes an odd number either.

Enjoy!

Black Bean Chocolate Protein Brownies

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When I posted this photo of these brownies a couple of months ago I got a lot of requests for the recipe and have been meaning to share.  Anyways, two months later here it is!  I have tried a lot of different “black bean brownie” recipes and it seriously took me months to finally get it right.  Believe it or not these are just as good, if not better, after being refrigerated for several hours!  These actually have the consistency of brownies and a true chocolatey flavor!  This also uses minimal ingredients which is always ideal for me.  If a recipe has too many components I am bound to mess it up 🙂  These may be a fun weekend experiment if you are trying to stay on track through the Easter holidays and want to still get your chocolate fix without devouring 50 cadbury eggs!  Here is what you need:

1 can black beans

1 scoop chocolate protein powder

3 tbs dark chocolate chips

2 tbs Peanutbutter & Co Dark Chocolate Dreams

3 packets Stevia

Directions:

Preheat oven 350F

Drain beans and fill can halfway with water then blend

Pour mixture in mixing bowl and add protein powder, chocolate chips, and stevia

Mix well and pour into small baking pan

Bake for 20-25 minutes

Cool for 5 minutes and then top with Dark Chocolate Dreams Peanutbutter as frosting.

Also make sure to refrigerate for at least a few hours after making them so that the flavors blend.  While you can barely tastes the beans to begin with, the longer they refrigerate the less beany/more chocolately they taste!  I usually will refrigerate overnight.

This makes 8 servings

Nutrition per serving: 115 calories, 3.6g fat/ 14.5g carbohydrates/ 8g protein.

Enjoy!

Stuffed Eggplant Boats

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Stuffed eggplant boats= life changing.  Personally, you could probably put cheese and tomatoes on anything and I would love it.  These were super delicious and extremely filling (like most of my meals).  One boat is a meal on its own.  This also did not take long to prep.  Admittedly, I thought it would take forever which is why I have avoided trying to make these for so long.  It probably took me about 10-15 minutes to prep and 25 minutes to cook!

Stuffed Eggplant

 

Ingredients:

1 eggplant

1/2 bell pepper

1 cup mushrooms

4 oz chicken (raw)

1 cup diced tomato

1/2 cup fat free mozzarella

1 tbs garlic

 

Directions:

Half and hallow eggplant

Preheat oven 400F

Cut chicken into 1 or 1/2 inch cubes

Place skillet on medium-high and toss chicken so that it partially cooks

Spread garlic on insides of eggplant

Dice peppers

Place chicken, peppers, mushrooms, tomato, and cheese inside halves

Bake in oven for 30 minutes or until eggplant is soft

 

Other options are to use the extra eggplant with the veggies.  I just decided to mix things up and save the eggplant for a side the next day!

 

Total calories for entire eggplant= 345 calories

2g Fat

36 Carbohydrates

51 Protein

 

Enjoy!

 

Birthday Cake Protein Pancakes

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Birthday Cake Protein Pancakes

Birthday cake pancakes, because you probably don’t want to see another pumpkin spice pancake recipe.

My food does not always look perfect but I just had to share.  This was actually taken over the summer.  I did a lot of experimenting over the summer with protein pancakes and this recipe was one of my favorites. These take no time to prepare and have become a go to post- workout meal for me!  If you want to have a birthday party in your mouth every morning then you should definitely give these a try 🙂  This recipe makes 3 medium pancakes or 2 large pancakes.

 

Ingredients:

3 egg whites

1/4 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/2 cup quick oats

1/2 ripe banana

3/4 scoop vanilla protein powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 packet Stevia

Sprinkles

 

Directions:

Mix or blend everything except for the sprinkles and 1/4 scoop protein powder

Spray and heat pan to medium heat and cook cakes 1-2 minutes each side

Add a little bit of water to your leftover protein powder so that it makes an icing consistency

Top pancakes with icing and sprinkles

 

The entire batch is only 412 calories with 4g Fat, 51g Carbohydrates, and 43g Protein.

 

Healthy Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein

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I am a big pasta lover and one of my favorite meals is lo mein. I woke up Sunday morning craving something salty, specifically lo mein. Unfortunately your standard lo mein meal from a Chinese or Japanese restaurant is often really high in sodium and loaded with fat. I did not want to suffer that post Chinese take out sluggish feeling that I often do. This homemade meal completely satisfied my craving without the negative aftermath! The entire batch is 565 calories and makes enough for three people, or two really hungry people 🙂 Below are the ingredients, recipe, and nutritional information!

Ingredients:
3 oz whole wheat thin spaghetti
22 small-medium shrimp ( I used cooked frozen medium shrimp)
1 cup mushrooms
1 cup broccoli
Diced onion (about 1/5 medium onion)
2 tbs Minced garlic
3 tbs Kikkoman low sodium teriyaki marinade
1 tbs Kikkoman low sodium soy sauce

Directions:
Boil water in pot and place spaghetti in to cook.
Spray pan with cooking spray and add garlic, onion, mushroom and broccoli, cook on medium for 5 minutes.
Add shrimp and continue to cook for 5-10 minutes or until all veggies and shrimp is cooked through. If you are using raw shrimp instead of pre cooked this may be a little longer.
Once spaghetti is cooked, drain and add to pan.
Add teriyaki and soy sauce and mix together and let flavors blend on low for 2-3 minutes.

Nutrition per serving: (3 servings in entire batch)

188 Calories, 1g Fat, 26g Carbohydrates, 17g Protein

 

This all took under 30 minutes to prep and cook!  I am all about quick and easy when it comes to my food so this was the perfect healthy alternative to satisfy my lo mein craving and not to mention it was delicious!

Cinnamon Oatmeal Lava Cake

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OatMeal Lava Cake

Sometimes messing up your recipe is for the better!  I was attempting to make a simple mug cake here but I did not cook it for long enough so I ended up with a cake like crust and a warm oatmeal center.  Instead of continuing to cook the mug cake I just ate it as is and it was quite delicious!  Yes I am sometimes that lazy.  I used 2 egg whites, 1/2 cup oats, 3/4 scoop protein powder, 1 packet stevia, a splash of water, pumpkin spice, and cinnamon.  I mixed everything together in a microwave safe mug and placed in the microwave for about 1 minute.  I topped with 1 tbs of Walden Farms syrup before eating! The cake is just under 300 calories 3g Fat/ 29g Carbohydrates/ 34g Protein.  Makes for a great post-workout meal!

Slow Cooker Stuffed Peppers

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Crockpot Stuffed Peppers

Since the nights are starting to get cooler I decided that it was time to dust off the old Crock pot.  Thanks to my wonderful mother for sharing this recipe!  These are not only extremely tasty and filling but also super easy to make!  Below are the ingredients and recipe:

Ingredients:

5 peppers

1.25 pounds extra lean (99%) ground turkey (allow 1/4lb per pepper)

1 1/2c instant brown rice

Diced quarter of an onion

Dash of Salt, pepper, garlic powder

1 can tomato soup

Couple squirts of ketchup(optional)

Recipe:

Mix ground turkey with diced onion, salt, pepper, garlic powder and one third can of tomato soup.

Cut off tops of peppers and clean out insides.

Stuff each pepper with turkey mixture.

Put another third of the can of soup into the bottom of Crock pot with 1/4 cup water.

Place peppers into Crock pot and add remaining soup on top.  I like to squirt ketchup on top also.

Cover and cook til peppers are soft (on low for 7 hours or on high for 4-5 hours).

You can use same recipe and cook in 350 oven covered for an hour-hour and half.

Another side note, if you own a slow cooker but do not own slow cooker liners(pictured above), go purchase them now!  Makes the clean up 10x faster.

Nutrition per pepper include:

227 Calories, 2.4g Fat, 26g Carbohydrates, 24g Protein

…Did I forget to mention this is super low in fat? 😉

Now go dig out your Crock pot and enjoy yourself these delicious peppers!

Zucchini Lasagna, The Guilt-Free Comfort Food of Choice

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Zucchini Lasagna

Lasagna is one of my favorite Italian meals but the calories can certainly add up and leave you feeling like a useless couch potato for hours.  Okay so that might have been a little aggressive but I know that I personally have a hard time with portion control when it comes to lasagna.  I mean, what is really a “slice” anyways?  I was lucky enough to grow up with the fabulous cooking of my mother and never actually cooked my own lasagna before because why mess with mama’s cooking!  With that said, I have been on a serious zucchini kick lately.  Zucchini wheels, zucchini pasta, zucchini oats, you name it.   With plenty of zucchini and lasagna essentials in the fridge, I decided to experiment in the kitchen!  The taste exceeded my expectations and kept my tummy full and happy!  1 serving (1/4 dish) is only 285 calories ( 7g f, 18g c, 40g p).  I would also like to mention that 1/4 of this dish is a VERY generous serving size.  Below are the ingredients and recipe:

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini

12 oz extra lean ground turkey

1 1/4 cup fat-free mozzarella cheese

3/4 cup skim ricotta cheese

1 can Del Monte diced tomatoes with zesty green chiles

1/2 can tomato paste

 

Recipe:

Cook the turkey on medium in a skillet and set aside.

As turkey is cooking, slice zucchini vertically to create thin zucchini strips as “noodles”.

Once turkey is cooked, add diced tomatoes and tomato paste and continue to cook on medium-low for 3-5 minutes or until consistency of bolognese sauce is created.

Preheat oven at 350F.

Layer baking dish starting with zucchini, then add sauce and cheese.  Repeat this layering until dish is almost full. (I like to add extra mozzarella on the top).

Bake at 350F for 28-30 minutes.  Let sit for at least 20 minutes to let juices settle.

 

Enjoy!

Everybody Loves a Good Buffalo Chicken Pizza

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Healthy Buffalo Chicken Pizza

I am a HUGE lover of pizza and buffalo chicken, so naturally buffalo chicken pizza is one of my favorite meals!  With football season right around the corner, I have been thinking about how I will get through my Sunday’s guilt free.  This pizza took less than 10 minutes to prep and less than 10 minutes to cook!  The entire pizza is only 250 calories, 5.5g fat, 18g carbohydrates, and 37g protein!

 

Recipe includes:

1 Flatout Light Italian flatbread

1/4 cup Hunt’s no salt added tomato sauce

1 tbs Walden Farms Ranch Dressing

1/4 cup fat free mozzarella cheese

2 oz grilled chicken (tossed in Frank’s Red Hot)

1 cup sliced mushrooms

1/4 cup diced tomatoes

Dash of oregano

 

Bake in the oven at 415F for 9 minutes (or desired crispiness) and enjoy!