Tag Archives: protein

breakfast, recipe, treats

Almond Cake Batter Protein Oatmeal

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I love dessert! I especially love dessert that tastes decadent but is healthy enough to eat for breakfast. This recipe is a winner because it balances the flavor of cake batter with fiber (from almonds and oats), healthy fats (almonds again!), and protein (vanilla protein powder). These oats are so delicious you’ll probably crave them every day. I still love them, and since I’ve perfected the recipe over the past 3 years, I’m excited to share it with you today!

  
Ingredients:

(Serves 1)

-1 serving of your favorite oatmeal, prepared with a little extra water (I love Coach’s Oats: 1/3 cup dry oats cooked with 1 1/4 cups of water for 4 mins in the microwave at 70% power)

-1 tablespoon chia seeds

-1 serving of vanilla protein powder (I use whey isolate or casein typically)

-2 tablespoons sliced almonds

-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional) or a pinch of dark brown sugar (optional)

Preparation:

1. Cook the oatmeal according to package instructions. 

2. Stir in chia seeds and allow to cool for about 5 minutes.

3. Stir in vanilla protein powder gradually until it is fully absorbed and not clumpy.

4. Serve sprinkled with sliced almonds. Top with cinnamon and/or dark brown sugar, if desired.

  
I like to keep all the ingredients at work for days that I don’t have time to pack a lunch or feel extra hungry in the afternoon. My coworkers always ask, “who made cinnamon rolls?” because it makes the office smell so good! If you have a favorite variation of protein oats, please share it in the comments! Be sure to check out the other Recipe Redux “nut” themed entries for October below:

protein, recipe, snacks, treats

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

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I should probably be studying… or writing an article that’s due Wednesday. I swear I’l get to all that, but I had to interrupt all that to bake muffins! Colby and I bought this pumpkin pecan waffles candle at Bath and Body Works yesterday,  and the decadent smell compelled me to make a pumpkin treat. It was definitely worth taking a break to make these pumpkin protein muffins– they’ll be a great study snack anyway. Each muffin has a balanced macronutrient ratio to power a study session or keep you focused at work or school between meals: 85 calories, 12 grams of carbohydrate,  2 grams of fat, and 5 grams of protein. 

  
Ingredients:

(Makes 24 muffins)

1 cup oat flour (Rolled oats crushed in a blender)

1 cup all purpose flour

2 scoops vanilla whey protein isolate (I used Quest brand)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1 can pumpkin puree (15 oz)

1/2 cup light brown sugar

1/2 cup egg whites

1/2 cup plain, nonfat greek yogurt

1 cup skim milk (or almond milk)

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

nonstick cooking spray

2/3 cup chopped walnuts

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk together all dry ingredients (starting with oat flour down to ground ginger) in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup. 

2. In a separate mixing bowl, stir together all wet ingredients (pumpkin puree to vanilla extract). Fold in the dry ingredients and stir until well incorporated.

3. Grease two muffin pans (24 muffins) with cooking spray and use a 1/4 cup measurng scoop to fill each cup about 2/3 of the way full. Sprinkle each with a few chopped walnuts and bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the fluffiest muffin comes out clean. 

4. Cool on a cooling rack and serve warm! These freeze well in zip top bags. They also keep well in a refrigerated airtight container for about 2 weeks. 

  
The pumpkin puree and greek yogurt make these muffins perfectly moist despite the omission of fat in the batter. That means you can slather these with some whipped butter knowing they aren’t aleady full of oil or fat! I hope you’ll enjoy them as much as I do. Have a great week, everyone! 

  

breakfast, protein, recipe

Protein Pancakes with Cranberry Grapefruit Sauce

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Like many of my recipes, this one is inspired by a single ingredient. In this case, I had about a cup of whole cranberries in the freezer that needed to be used up. The grapefruit and cranberries have a nice tart bitterness that is well balanced with rich brown sugar in this compote over protein pancakes.

There are dozens and dozens of recipes for protein pancakes available online. You can follow mine, choose another, or create your own! It’s amazing that almost anything can be turned into a pancake as long as you have something like egg to hold the batter together!  If you end up having extra cranberry grapefruit sauce after topping your pancakes, use the leftovers with Greek yogurt or swirled into oatmeal.

I made this dish over the weekend to recover from an evening of beer tasting and to lay a good foundation for a day of brewing our first beer with Colby! Our experienced home brewing friends came over to walk us through it, so I think the nut brown ale fermenting in our bathtub will turn out great! I’m excited to think of ways to use the spent grains in recipes too- maybe in cookies, blondies, or a hearty beer bread? …or pancakes!

Anyway, enjoy this recipe at your next summer brunch get together with your favorite people! 

 
Ingredients:

(Serves 2-3)

For the pancakes:

1/2 cup oats, crushed up in a blender

 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used whey protein isolate)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup egg whites

1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt

Milk of choice to thin the batter

Cooking spray

For the sauce:

1 cup fresh or frozen whole cranberries

1/2 cup grapefruit juice

1/4 cup brown sugar (or more, if a sweeter sauce is desired)

1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon cold water

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Pinch of salt

Preparation:

1. Prepare the pancake batter by combining all dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and stirring in the wet ingredients. Add milk as needed until a batter consistency is reached that will spread easily, but not thinner than 1/4 inch, when poured on a hot pan or griddle.

2. Heat a lightly greased pan or griddle over medium heat and pour 1/4 cup of batter per pancake. Flip when bubbles begin to form (approx. 3 minutes). Continue to cook until both sides are golden and the pancake batter is cooked through.

3. To make the sauce, combine cranberries, grapefruit juice, and sugar in a small saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce to heat to low and simmer for 5-7 minutes. 

4. Add the cornstarch dissolved in water and stir until it is translucent and the sauce thickens. Stir in lemon juice and pinch of salt.

5. Serve sauce over pancakes and top with whipped cream or yogurt, if desired.

Do you have a favorite protein pancake recipe? I’m thinking of trying one with cottage cheese next time! Thanks for reading, my friends!

breakfast, protein, recipe, treats

Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes with Greek Yogurt Cream Cheese Frosting

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How can something so healthy taste so decadent? I don’t understand it, but I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! I’m always looking for tasty ways to use up the leftover pulp from my juicer. This recipe is perfect for using up carrot or carrot/apple pulp! You can even freeze the pulp in a sandwich bag if you want to make this pancake recipe another time. 



For 5-6 pancakes (serves 2)

 Ingredients:
1 cup grated carrot (or 1 cup carrot pulp from a juicer)
1 cup skim or almond milk
1 egg or 2 egg whites
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon brown sugar Splenda blend
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ginger
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg Dash  ground cloves
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 scoop vanilla whey protein isolate 1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the Icing:
2 ounces Greek yogurt cream cheese
1-2 tablespoons milk
2-3 packets stevia
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon grated orange rind

Directions:
1. Combine all ingredients from grated carrot down to vanilla extract in a large mixing bowl. Whisk together and allow to sit for 5 minutes to absorb liquid.
2. In a separate bowl, stir together remaining dry ingredients (protein powder through salt).
3. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir together to incorporate.
4. Cook the pancakes on a lightly greased pan or griddle, flipping carefully when bubbles begin to form around the edges.
5. To make the icing, combine icing ingredients in a small bowl and mix well using a fork or whisk until smooth.
6. Serve pancakes topped with icing and chopped nuts.



Yes, they’re as tasty as they look! I hope you’ll try them out!



Half the recipe= 280 calories, 5 g fat, 24 g protein, 34 g carbs

protein shakes, recipe

Post Workout Protein Coffee

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After a failed attempt, I worked out the kinks in this simple recipe for post-workout protein coffee! It’s perfect for mornings when you wake up really early for a tough workout and come home exhausted, cold, and lacking appetite. Colby and I are finally starting to go to the gym together! I’ve been waiting for him to be my workout partner since he started law school. Unfortunately, the only Crossfit class we can make it to together is at 6am…. Ugh. By the time it’s over, I’m ready to crawl back into bed and have no desire to eat a recovery meal. And it’s cold out so I don’t want a cold protein shake. This coffee really hits the spot when you need a jolt of caffeine and some liquid protein for recovery on a cold day!

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Start by whisking 1 scoop of chocolate or vanilla whey protein isolate with 1/4 cup of milk. I like Dymatize Elite because it dissolves quickly. Be sure to do this first! If you add protein to hot coffee, you’ll end up with a chunky cup of brew.

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Add hot coffee to the milk mixture slowly. If you’re hand pouring, stir the liquid in the cup as you add the coffee.

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Add sweetener of choice, if desired, and serve! Now you’re ready to take on the day like a champ!

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