Chocolate Protein Cakes

I basically took the same base of my carrot cake recipe and switched it up a bit to make chocolate cake (my weakness!) These are sugar and butter free and protein packed. You would never know they are good for you!

There is roughly 90 grams of protein in this recipe :)

Ingredients

Dry-

1/2 cup oat flour (i make my own by grinding quick oats in a food processor - my ninja!)

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup ground flax seed

4 tbsp cocoa powder

3 tbsp PB2 (optional - you can usually find it near the peanut butter...i get it at the commissary)

2 scoops chocolate protein powder

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt 

Wet-

1 tbsp vanilla

1 egg

1/4 cup cottage cheese

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

1/4 cup 0% vanilla greek yogurt

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or skim milk)

1/4 cup light agave nectar

1/4 cup truvia (or sweetened of choice)

1 tbsp coconut oil (or olive oil, or you can omit the oil all together)

Mini chocolate chips (optional)

dark chocolate almond butter (optional)

Preheat oven to 375. In one bowl mix all dry ingredients and in another mix the wet. Slowly combine the dry mixture into the wet until thoroughly mixed. Spray a baking pan (i used a mini muffin tin) and pour batter. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips (optional) and bake for about 10-15minutes depending on the size of your pan. Remove from oven and cool. Spread with dark chocolate almond butter and enjoy! 

Easy lunch & dinners!

Turkey burgers

Normally i would buy lean ground turkey and make my own burgers but on a night when your tight on time these are a super easy alternative!  You can cook them on the stove top or on the grill. 

We cooked our on the grill then served them on whole wheat sandwich thins (100 calories), provolone cheese, avocado slices, tomato, red onion, jalapeno mustard, bacon, and a fried egg! They are a family fav and we eat them about once a week. Served with sweet potato tots :)

Fish Tacos

You can buy a bag of about 10 tilapia fillets for about $7. This last us 2-3 meals! I love cooking with this fish because its cheap and so versatile. 

Marinade 

1/4 cup olive oil

juice of one lime

1/4 cup honey 

1 tbsp white vinegar

1 tbsp minced garlic

2 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

Mrs. Dash fiesta lime seasoning, salt & pepper, onion powder

Place all of those ingredients in a large zip lock bag and shake. Put thawed tilapia fillets into the bag and marinate for 30min-2 hours. Remove fillets from back and cook on med heat for about 4 minutes on each side. We used corn tortillas and cabbage ^^pictured above^^ but they taste even better with hard shelled tacos and lettuce :) Also topped with tomato, onion, cheese, and avocado. 

Pita Pizza

 Ingredients

whole what pita bread (or i like to use Joseph's whole wheat and flax pitas, very low in carbs if you're watching your carb intake - im not, but they're tasty!)

Pizza sauce

part skim mozzerela cheese

toppings of your choice - we did buffalo chicken!

Preheat oven to 375. Add all of your topping and bake for about 10 minutes. Sometime i put it on broil for a minute to make the cheese bubbly. 

One Pot beef skillet

This recipe is from bodybuilding.com. I used lean ground turkey instead of lean ground beef. Also added some avocado :) I think next time i will add a can of black beans as well for added carbs, since i need lots! 

Ingredients

1lb lean ground beef - i used turkey

1/2 cup water

1 cup salsa - i used medium

1 can low sodium tomato soup

1 can of whole kernel corn

1 cup carrots sliced

1 cup onion sliced

1 cup mushrooms sliced

1/2 cup low fat cheddar cheese

1 tbsp garlic

LOTS of spices - i used cilantro, parsley, salt&pepper, Mrs. Dash fiesta lime, etc.

Brown ground beef or turkey over medium heat. Once its cooked add the remaining ingredients EXCEPT for cheese and simmer for 10-15 min. Top with cheese and avocado and enjoy!  

Spinach ravioli with pesto chicken

I cheated and bought Bertolli pesto basil sauce for this. Next time i am going to attempt to make my own pesto sauce to help cut down on the fat. The store bought pesto is usually made with canola oil instead of olive oil and when you make your own you can control how much you use :) So if you're watching your fat, use the store bought stuff in moderation.

Ingredients

1 pkg ravioli - they sell reduced fat and organic so look for those :)

2-3 chicken breasts

3-4 cups of fresh spinach leaves (or about half the bag)

1 container of basil pesto sauce

2 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

salt & pepper

parmigiana cheese

Cut chicken breasts in half long ways, making them thinner. Sprinkle both sides with salt and pepper. Bring water to a boil for the ravioli and follow directions on package. Heat olive oil and 1 tbsp garlic in a pan over med heat and cook chicken thoroughly. Then brush one side of the chicken with the pesto basil sauce, flip and cook for about a minute. Do the same to the other side of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the pan and add spinach and 1 tbsp garlic, cook for a minute or two. Serve on top of ravioli :) Also sprinkled mine with parmigiana cheese! 

I found this for a home made pesto sauce 

• 2 cups packed fresh basil leaves, (2-3 bunches)
• 1/4 cup walnut pieces, toasted (see Tip)
• 1/4 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons water
• 1 large clove garlic, quartered
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Paninis

Who needs to buy a $60 panini press when you have a George Foreman?! This thing is my new best friend :) There are TONS of different ways to make your sandwich and this is one of my favorites.

Chicken Pesto Panini

Ingredients

2 slices whole wheat bakery bread

1 slice provolone cheese

1 tbsp pesto

deli chicken

tomato

spray butter

Heat your George Foreman on Medium. Spray your bread with spray butter. Spread on the pesto and add the remaining ingredients. Press George Foreman down and cook for about 3-4 minutes. There you have yourself a homemade panini! 

Chicken Parm!

Boneless skinless chicken breasts

whole wheat breadcrumbs

garlic powder, pepper, oregano, parsley, etc

1 egg

1 tbsp water

whole wheat spaghetti noodles

pasta sauce (less sodium - the better!)

Cut chicken breasts in half to make them thinner (they will stay moist and cook fast). Scramble the egg and water. Put breadcrumbs on a plate with whatever seasoning you'd like. Did the chicken breasts in the egg was then cover with breadcrumbs. Place on a foil lined baking dish and cook at 375 for 15-25min depending on thickness of chicken. In the last few minutes of baking you can top the chicken with provolone cheese, or the cheese of your choice. Serve over noodles and top with sauce! Tastes like it does in the restaurants but MUCH healthier for :) I used bagel thins as our garlic bread, just brushed with olive oil, minced garlic, and parsley. 

Bruschetta Chicken Pasta

Ok ok, i do cheat sometimes. This isn't totally homemade but its an overall healthy dinner (other than the amount of sodium the packet has) and it tastes SO good. Leftovers taste even better! 

Just follow the recipe on the back of this packet. Instead of using fresh tomatoes i picked up a large can of whole tomatoes, reserved the sauce and baked the tomatoes with the chicken. When the chickens done, slice the meat and tomatoes and mix in a large bowl with whole wheat pasta and reserved tomato sauce. 

Wraps 

Wraps are awesome! They are quick and great for on the go! I like to use "Flatout" wraps. You can usually find them near your deli section or the bread area. They are low in calories, carbs, and fat but loaded with nutrients and yumminess :) You can put whatever you want in them....try to stay away from stuff like mayo and high in fat dressings. 

In this one i used a multi grain flat out wrap. Spread it with roasted red pepper hummus and topped with chicken breast, tomato, red onion, spinach leaves, and avocado. 

Pepper Steak

1.5-2 lbs top round or bottom round steak cut thin and into strips 

1 can low sodium beef stock/broth

1 tbsp minced garlic

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion - sliced

1/2 bag of frozen mixed peppers

1/4 cup corn starch

pepper

Heat oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Add steak, onions, and pepper and cook for  3-4 minutes. Add peppers and cook for 2 more minutes. Add 1/2 cup beef stock and bring to slight boil. Mix 1/2 cup broth and 1/4 cup corn starch and add to pan. Stir for 2 minutes and reduce to low simmer. Cover and let simmer for 10 minutes and serve over brown rice! 

Protein Carrot Cake

Thats right...HEALTHY protein carrot cake with NO butter or sugar. This is probably the best "protein" recipe I've come up with yet!

Ingredients

Filling- 

8oz fat free cream cheese softened 
2 tbsp truvia
2 egg whites

Batter- 

 (dry)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cup oat flour (i make my own by placing about 1 1/2 cup quick oats in my ninja)
1/2 cup truvia (or sweetener of your choice)
3 scoops vanilla protein powder
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
2 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ginger
1 1/2 tsp salt

 (wet)
2 eggs
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/4 low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (or skim milk)
1/4 cup light agave nectar
1 tbsp melted coconut oil
1 1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 8oz can crushed pineapple

Heat oven to 375. In two separate bowls mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients. Then slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet. In your blender or with a hand mixer blend the ingredients for the "filling". Spray your pan with cooking spray or line with cupcake liners and fill a quarter of the way with batter, put a small amount of "filling" then more batter. Cook for about 10-15 minutes depending on the pan used.

You can make this is a loaf pan, a 9x13, mini muffin pan, cupcake pan, etc :)

As you can see in the picture, some of them have "frosting". I mixed 1 scoop of vanilla protein powder with a small amount of water until it had a frosting consistency. Spread onto the cakes and sprinkled with pecans. However, after they sat for a few minutes the frosting became taffy-like and stuck to my teeth :/ so i would skip that next time! 

Chocolate Protein balls

Ingredients

1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup light agave nectar
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
shredded coconut
1-3 tbsp water

Add all ingredients EXCEPT coconut and water into a blender or food processor (if you cant already tell, i LOVE my Ninja. Everyone should have one:) 

Blend until thoroughly mixed. If the dough seems too crumby add 1 tbsp of water and mix again until its a good consistency to roll into balls without falling apart or being too sticky. After you form them into balls roll them in coconut flakes and store in the fridge! 

Egg Muffins

Egg Muffins?! Genius. 

I came up with this idea for my husband, who wakes up at 4am to hit the gym before work. He never used to eat breakfast because he was always short on time. NOT ANYMORE...thanks to his amazing wife :) 

I used a Texas sized muffin tin so my ingredients may a bit much if you're using a standard sized muffin tin. 

Ingredients

8 whole eggs 2 egg whites (if using standard sized maybe use 6 whole eggs and 2 whites?!)

Veggies, cheese, and meat of choice (i used bacon, green pepper, onion and colby jack cheese)

Preheat oven to 375. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Fill tins 1/4 of the way with meat, veggies, and cheese. And fill with eggs right under the rim...so they don't spill over while cooking. Cook for about 15-20min. cool and place in zip lock baggies in the fridge. Warm in microwave for about 30 seconds when ready to eat.

you can use ham, turkey, bacon, sausage, tuna, spam, onion, tomato, spinach, mushrooms, jalapenos, etc!!

Oatmeal Bars

Awesome way to eat oats and load up on carbs. They are perfect for an on the go breakfast or a snack in between meals, they will def fill you up! The best thing about this is you can switch up the fruits/nuts. etc to you liking and it will still turn out great!
I slice these up and pack them for my husband to bring to work :)


Ingredients


2 cups oats ( i used rolled old fashioned oats)
3 egg whites
1 3/4 cups unsweetened almond milk or skim milk
2 ripe mashed bananas
2 scoops protein powder (optional)
1/4 cup truvia (or your sweetener of choice)
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans
cinnamon


Preheat oven to 375 and spray a baking dish with cooking spray. Combine all ingredients EXCEPT for nuts in a bowl and mix well. Top with nuts and bake for about 30-45 min depending on the size of the pan you use. Let cool for about an hour and store in the fridge. Heat before eating :) 


This one pictured had one ripe mashed banana and 1 cup of fresh blueberries. Another one im going to try is strawberry banana! 

Why most of my recipes include FLAX SEED?!

Here is a link that explains this amazing seed:

http://lowcarbdiets.about.com/od/whattoeat/a/flaxinfo.htm

check it out and try incorporating it into your cooking! 

Peanut butter cup protein bars

Ingedients


3 scoops chocolate protein powder
1 1/2 cups oats
3 egg whites
1 egg
1/2 cup cottage cheese OR greek yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup truvia
1/4 cup ground flax seed
2 tbsp cocoa powder
4 tbsp whole wheat flour
6 tbsp natural peanut butter
a handful of mini chocolate chips


Heat oven to 350. Mix all ingredients EXCEPT for the peanut butter and chocolate chips in a blender or food processor (I use my beloved Ninja). Spray a baking pan and pour half of the batter into the pan. Microwave the peanut butter for about 30 seconds or until runny. Pour over the batter and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Pour remaining batter into pan. Cook for about 10-15 min or until slightly under done. DO NOT over cook. Store in the fridge and microwave before eating :) 

This entire batch has about 155 grams of protein. I cut mine into 15 small pieces giving them about 10 grams of protein each!

When baking with protein i like to use the lower quality "cheaper" whey protein. Such as Body Fortress - found at wal-mart for about $15. I like to save the better stuff for our protein shakes and milkshakes. Sometimes baking with protein is trial and error, id rather throw out the crappy protein than the good stuff ;)