Protein House

Hey local (and visiting) Las Vegas health nuts! There’s a unique restaurant in town you should try out.

Protein House is a fairly new restaurant in town catering to bodybuilders, fitness competitors, and athletes. It’s cool to see they don’t have a soda machine in this place! Just a water dispenser and assorted juices.

The employees are all very fit! Don’t piss off the cook, he could probably crush you. The menus are printed on cards for you to customize.

I pulled a breakfast card. I love that breakfast is served all day!

Colby went for the burger card. Check out the Muscle Boy burger! 12 oz of bison!?

While waiting for our order, we discreetly checked out the ultra fit clientele and flipped through some of the fitness and nutrition magazines stacked in the lounge area. I was really excited to get our food! This restaurant is such a neat place.

The longer we waited, the more cool stuff I started to notice. Bottles and bottles of sriracha? That must be a sign of good taste. They also have homemade reduced sugar ketchup, sugar free syrup, Truvia, and other “guiltless”condiments out. The walks are lined with signed photos of fitness competitors.

When our food came out, it didn’t disappoint! We both loved our meals. I had the PH hash (bison, sweet potato, egg whites, and veggies).

Colby had the delicious PH Burger (bison, fat free cheddar, egg whites, tomato, and lettuce on a whole wheat bun).

The bison was very juicy and flavorful.. and how did they get the fat free cheese to melt so well? I’d definitely come back here for a healthy, tasty meal! I was impressed that Protein House doesn’t sacrifice flavor for nutrition. Check it out if you’re in the area.

July 27, 2013breakfast, recipe

Apple Protein Pancakes

KarolinaGF, pancakes 1 Comment

When we were younger, my sister and I used to visit our family in Poland during summer vacation. My grandmas would buy us ice cream bars at the zoo, chocolate and candy at the store, and bacon flavored chips on road trips. They compensated for the junk food by cooking wholesome, healthy meals for us. I wrote down a lot of my grandmas’ recipes back then. This version of apple pancakes is my gluten free, high protein adaptation of the breakfast she sometimes made for us as kids to make sure we were eating fruit. These little pancakes are really just apple slices in disguise!

Ingredients:
2 Granny Smith apples
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
2 tbs coconut flour
1/3 c milk
1/4 c plain greek yogurt
1 egg (or 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp baking powder

1. Slice the apples horizontally into 1/4″ thick slices.

2. Combine all remaining ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk together to make the pancake batter. If it seems too thick, add a little bit more milk.

3. Pat each apple slice dry before dunking in the batter and frying on a lightly greased pan or griddle.

These pancakes are tasty served plain or with a sprinkle of powdered sugar!

The nutrition info is based on 1/2 the recipe- one whole apple with 1/2 the batter. I used egg whites, nonfat greek yogurt, and skim milk for the calculation.

July 26, 2013recipe, starch

Sweet Potato Curly Fries

KarolinaGF, Paleo, Sweet potato 28 Comments

Remember the awesome Spiralizer I used to make zucchini noodles? It has a different blade you can use to make curly fries! I decided to try it out on sweet potato. Here’s a great recipe you can use to get crispy oven fried sweet potato fries instead of mushy or burnt ones.

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, scrubbed
2 tbs canola or olive oil
Seasonings (about 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, and 1/2 tsp garlic powder)

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Spiralize the sweet potato or cut into uniform slender wedges.

2. In a large ziplock bag, toss the sweet potato pieces with oil and seasonings to coat well.

3. Spread the fries in a single layer on a large baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Keep them as spread out as possible, or else they may steam instead of baking which will result in mushy fries.

4. Bake in the top rack of the oven (any lower and the fries may burn) for 20-25 minutes, flipping once.

July 25, 2013recipe, snacks, treats

Plantain Chips: Sweet and Salty Style

KarolinaGF, Paleo Leave a comment

I started out making regular plantain chips, but the plantain I used was a little too ripe. What a fortunate mistake! I ended up thinking of this delicious twist on the salty snack.

Ingredients:
1 plantain, preferably yellow
Salt
Peanut butter
Chocolate chips
Coconut oil cooking spray (Trader Joe’s)

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and thinly slice plantain. Place slices on a baking sheet lined aluminum foil and sprayed with coconut oil cooking spray.

2. Most the plantain slices with coconut oil spray and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 8 minutes, flip, and bake for 5-8 minutes more or until they are golden.

3. While still warm, place one chocolate chip on each plantain slice and smear a tiny bit of peanut butter to each one.

Oh.My.Goodness! These were an unexpectedly tasty treat. It’s hard to beat the flavor combination of chocolate, peanut butter, and salt on plantain!

July 24, 2013fitness, Weight Loss

Bikini Body Countdown

Karolinabody image, Weight loss Leave a comment

July is almost over, but there’s still time to rock a bikini this summer! Follow these tips to feel more confident in your bathing suit by next week:

Step 1: Buy a good quality, brightly colored bikini. Victoria’s Secret has a great selection of colorful and flattering suits. By sporting a bright color, you’ll instantly look more tan!

Step 2: Exfoliate! Get your skin looking silky smooth by using an exfoliating glove or sugar scrub in the shower.

Step 3: Increase the intensity of your workouts. If possible, workout in the morning and again at night for one week. Include a mix of high intensity cardio and strength training. Here’s what I’ll be doing:

Day 1: AM crossfit, PM cardio dance
Day 2: AM crossfit, PM high intensity interval cardio
Day 3: AM crossfit, PM trampoline fitness
Day 4: REST day
Day 5: AM rest, PM trampoline fitness and yoga
Day 6: AM crossfit, PM high intensity interval cardio
Day 7: AM crossfit, PM rest

Working out twice a day can be exhausting long term, but it’s totally doable and confidence boosting if you try it for a week! Remember to take a rest day.

Step 4: Eat clean. Cut back on carbs, focus on small, balanced meals every 3-4 hours. Including lots of produce and healthy fats will make your skin glow, while cutting back on starchy foods will flatten your stomach and show off the muscles you’re developing in your workouts. Here’s a sample of my plan:

8 am: breakfast sandwich on paleo bread, coffee
11 am: basic green smoothie
2 pm: 6 oz protein (fish, chicken, pork, beef, or turkey) and 2 cups of vegetables
5 pm: Plain Greek yogurt with 1 tbs lemon curd (SO GOOD!)
8 pm: 6 oz protein and 2 cups of vegetables
10 pm (if a craving strikes…): protein shake

This will add up to approximately 1600-1800 calories per day. The macronutrient breakdown is close to 35% carbs, 35% protein, and 30% fat. This distribution should keep you from feeling sluggish. If your energy dips down, add some more fruit, sweet potatoes, brown rice, or oatmeal to the meal plan. The goal isn’t necessarily to lose weight- instead, the workouts and meals are intended to make you feel toned, healthy, and comfortable with getting into your new bathing suit- fast!

July 23, 2013breakfast, protein, recipe

Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes

KarolinaGF, pancakes, Sweet potato Leave a comment

These pancakes are the BEST! They’re ridiculously easy to make, are super high in protein, and gluten free. The batter is just right for light, fluffy pancakes!

You see? Perfect!

Ingredients:
1 medium sweet potato (150 grams)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
3/4 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp nutmeg (optional)

1. Prick holes in the sweet potato and microwave until tender, about 3-5 mins.

2. Once the potato is cool, peel it and place it in a blender or food processor. A small one like the Magic Bullet works well.

3. Add the egg whites, protein powder, cinnamon,and baking powder. Pulse until a smooth batter forms.

4. Heat a lightly greased skillet or griddle. Make a test pancake by pouring about 2 tbs of the batter on the pan. Once bubbles start to form, flip the pancake.

*If it seems too runny, add more protein powder to the remaining batter. If it seems too thick, add more egg whites. If the bottom is too dark, turn down the heat. If it’s not golden, turn up the heat!

5. Make the rest of the pancakes. Serve them with maple syrup, almond butter, bananas, or whipped cream!

These pancakes are pretty legit! I thought all those egg whites would make them taste eggy, but that wasn’t the case at all. Only 340 calories and a whopping 44 grams of protein in the whole recipe! Share them or eat em all yourself :)

July 22, 2013food, restaurants

Due Forni Date Night

KarolinaDue Forni, pizza 1 Comment

I finally got Colby to take a break from studying for a date night! We had dinner at Due Forni and saw The Conjuring at the theater. It was a Groupon kind of night- $10 for $20 at the restaurant and $6 Fandango movie tickets. I love good deals! Both the movie and the restaurant were great. Go check them out!

Due Forni features two types of brick oven pizzas. The Neapolitan style is chewy, baked at 900 degrees for 90 seconds. The Roman is thin and crunchy, baked at 500 degrees for 3 minutes.

The cocktails sounded really tasty. I wanted something citrusy, refreshing, not too sweet. Our waiter recommended the Sicilian sunrise, made with blood orange foam and a shot of limoncello.

Last night was perfect for dinner on the patio. It’s rare to get such mild weather here in July! I think it was only 90 degrees out with a light breeze. The overcast 6pm lighting was perfect for pictures. My eye candy:

And me!

We split a creamy Caesar salad:

Then Colby had to finish this drink that I’m holding. I should have picked white wine instead- this pretty cocktail was too sugary for me.

The highlight of dinner was sharing the Due Forni Neapolitan pizza. The crust was nice and chewy with a bit of charred flavor from the oven. The sausage, roasted peppers, basil, and bufola mozzarella were great toppings!

I love pizza! It’s definitely my favorite food even though eating it makes my stomach puff up to six-months-pregnant-size for a few hours afterward. That’s why I wore a loose fitting shirt and looked forward to relaxing in the movie theater after dinner! Maybe I’ll get over the $4.75 up charge and try the gluten free crust next time.

The movie wasn’t exactly relaxing. The Conjuring was terrifying! I was clenching Colby’s arm the entire time because the suspense never died down! Great movie. I’m glad we trusted the ratings on Rotten Tomatoes and checked it out. 90% positive reviews can’t be wrong!

Now that the Nevada Bar Exam is less than 2 weeks away, Colby and I will probably have our next date after it’s over. This also means our beach vacation is coming up! Follow me the next two weeks to see how I get ready to feel confident in a bikini.

The preparation will consist of Crossfit for strength and conditioning, trampoline fitness for extra cardio, and 5-6 small, clean meals per day. Details soon :)

July 21, 2013recipe, vegetables

Baba Ghanoush

Karolinaeggplant, GF, Paleo Leave a comment

Baba ghanoush is an eggplant salad dish popular in Turkey, Isreal, Egypt,
Syria, Lebanon, and other Arabic countries. In some countries it is used as a dip for pita bread, while in others it is served as a salad with tomatoes, onions, and a dressing of olive oil and pomegranate concentrate. This recipe is a basic version- you can spice it up however you’d like!

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbs tahini paste
2 tbs lemon juice
1/4 c parsley, chopped
1/2 tsp salt

1. Bake the eggplant on a lined baking sheet at 450 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until the flesh is soft.

2. Slice the eggplant in half lengthwise and allow to cool. Scoop out the insides and purée in a food processor with all remaining ingredients.

3. Serve room temperature or cold with a drizzle of olive oil and vegetables for dipping.

Eat this as an appetizer, side dish, sandwich spread, or turn it into hummus by adding garbanzo beans to the food processor in step 2.

July 20, 2013breakfast, recipe, treats

Blackberry Crisp

KarolinaFruit, GF Leave a comment

Treat your family to a tasty blackberry crisp with greek yogurt this weekend!

Ingredients:
2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup gluten free oats
1/4 cup brown rice flour
2 tbs brown sugar
1 packet stevia
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
3 tbs butter or coconut oil

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place berries in a greased baking dish (9″x9″ or larger).

2. Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, stevia, cinnamon, and butter or oil in a bowl. Crumble together and sprinkle over the berries.

3. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the topping is crisp. Serve warm over cold yogurt.

Easy, right? Try using other berries and summer fruits for fun variations. I think apple and blackberry would be an awesome combination.

Karolina's Kitchen

from the dietitian to your kitchen

Author Archives: Karolina

Protein House

Apple Protein Pancakes

Sweet Potato Curly Fries

Plantain Chips: Sweet and Salty Style

Bikini Body Countdown

Sweet Potato Protein Pancakes

Due Forni Date Night

Baba Ghanoush

Blackberry Crisp

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