Life is Short: Eat pancakes!

I love pancakes, y'all.  I pretty much love all traditional, high-carb, sugary breakfast foods.  I've made the switch to high protein breakfasts featuring oatmeal, egg whites, and the like.  I quickly get bored with eggs and oatmeal, so I went on a hunt for high-protein versions of my favorite breakfast foods. 

I soon discovered... protein pancakes.  I didn't know that protein pancakes could taste so good.  When I first made this, I was expecting heavy, gritty bricks.  Instead, I ended up with a stack of buttery, light, fluffy cakes that rival the ones at my favorite local diner.  This recipe (adapted from this one) is my favorite by far.  And the best part is, they are all natural.

Pancakes (now, with Protein)
Servings:  1, makes 3 to 4 pancakes
Prep time:  5 min
Cooking time:  5 min

Ingredients:
1/2 c old fashioned oats
1/2 c low fat or fat free cottage cheese (if you're watching sodium, use reduced sodium or no salt added)
1/2 c egg whites (or egg beaters)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
dash of salt (optional)
water (optional)

Mix everything together in a blender or food processor.  I used my Ninja blender.  Funny story:  One time the Hubs was unloading the dishwasher, and the Ninja blades were in there.  He didn't see them and cut his hand pretty bad.  For at least a week after that, he told everyone he was attacked by a Ninja.

Anyway, we're mixing.. for about a minute.  Let the batter rest for 2 minutes. If your batter is a little too thick, add a bit of water until you get the consistency you want.  You will probably also end up with more pancakes. :) 

Spray nonstick spray on and heat up your griddle or pan on medium heat (300 degrees on an electric griddle).  Pour the batter from the blender into rounds on the pan/griddle.  When the edges start to bubble a little, flip and continue to cook for another minute or two.

Add your choice of fruit, some light butter, and a drizzle of syrup (I use sugar-free cuz I be lame). Double or triple the recipe and freeze these bad boys.  Just make sure to thaw them out before you are ready to eat them.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories:  326

Total Fat:  5.5g

Saturated Fat:  2g

Sodium:  290 mg (with no-salt cottage cheese)

Total Carbs:  34.5g

Dietary Fiber:  4g

Sugars:  6.5g

Protein:  32g

Percentage of Calories

Protein:  39%

Carbs:  42%

Fat:  14%

***Please note that nutritional info is estimated, and varies based on the ingredients you use.***

BANANA BREAD!!

I love bread.  I love bananas.  Banana bread is my boo.  I found a great recipe here and tweaked it a bit because I didn't have dates, and I wanted to use up a gigundo container of greek yogurt before it spoiled.  This bread is moist, dense, and downright delish.

So... moist... *drool*

Banana Bread
Serves:  1 (if you're greedy like me)
Prep time: 
Cooking time:  45-50 minutes

Ingredients:
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed (or 2 cups worth)
1 c oat flour
1 c whole wheat pastry flour (you could just pick one type of flour and use 2 cups;  I used what I had)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla or almond extract
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 c plain nonfat greek yogurt
1/2 c unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c honey
(optional:  chopped nuts, raisins, dates, chocolate chips, ground flax meal, or whatever you like)

Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a loaf pan or square baking dish

In a medium sized bowl, beat the egg, egg white, applesauce, honey, and vanilla until very well mixed.  Add bananas and combine thoroughly.  Set the mixture aside.

In a separate, larger bowl, mix your dry ingredients (flour, baking powder and soda, and salt).  Add in the wet stuff and stir until just moistened (don't over mix).  If you are adding stuff like nuts or chocolate chips, fold that mess in now.  Don't forget, cuz you'll be mad. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes in loaf pan, or 35-45 minutes in a square, shallow dish.  Do the toothpick test-- if it comes out of the center clean, you're good to go!  Let it cool for 15 minutes before transferring to a wire rack (or whatever you've got).  Once completely cool, wrap that bad boy up tight and stash it in the fridge.  Enjoy!

I called it "banana cake" so my kids would eat it.. but they're funny like that :)

My First Shepherd's Pie

Tonight, I made a shepherd's pie for dinner.  I had never tasted it, and thought it would be a good hearty winter meal.  I slaved over my stove for all of 40 minutes or so.  My daughter asked for hot dogs for dinner, and I obliged since I knew it would take me a while to make the shepherd's pie.  My son fell asleep before dinner, so I let him sleep.  That thang was a holy terror from the time I picked him up from daycare, and I knew he was exhausted.  But I'm sure he'll like the pie tomorrow, because I dumped cheese all over it.  He loves him some cheese, my little mouse.  The hubs is working late tonight, so I ate shepherd's pie all by my lonesome.  That's okay, because I made a whole pan full, and we'll have leftovers tomorrow.

Since I'm timing my carbs and today was not a workout day, I topped off my shepherd's pie with mashed cauliflower in lieu of taters.  So, by default this is a low-carb recipe.  I have an aversion to anything labeled as "low-carb" but 'tis what it is.  It's also a great dinner for diabetics, and others who are watching (or should be watching) their blood sugar levels and/or waistlines.  I'm listing ingredients that I used, by the way.  My cooking style is primarily "semi-homemade" (ever watch Semi Homemade with Sandra Lee?  The blonde chick with the elaborate table decorations and themed cocktails? 




source


THAT'S my style.  Keep it simple sweetie).  So while I would prefer to pick up a container of Trader Joe's "Mirepoix" soup starter, you may apply a li'l elbow grease and dice your own carrots, celery, and onions.  To each his/her own.   Tweak as desired.

This pic does it no justice

A Simple Shepherd's Pie
Serves 6
Prep time:  As long as it takes
Cooking time:  20 minutes in the oven

96% lean ground beef
1 tb olive oil
1 head fresh cauliflower (or 2 bags frozen)
1 container of Trader Joe's Mirepoix (or 1.5 cups diced carrots, onion, and celery)
1 tb minced garlic
1/2 c shredded cheese (I used a cheddar-jack blend)
4 tb butter
1/2 c chicken broth/stock
2 tb tomato sauce/paste
worcestershire sauce
cumin
chili powder
salt
pepper

Boil the cauliflower in a large pot until it's kinda mushy (the cauliflower, not the pot).  Drain off the water.  Add butter and chicken broth to cauliflower. Add a li'l salt and pepper.  Dump all that in a food processor, stand mixer, or blender.  Blend until smooth and creamy like mashed taters. 

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.  Heat a large skillet to medium heat and heat olive oil.  Add the beef and cook until no longer pink.  Add veggies and garlic, cooking until translucent.  Add a li'l cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.  Douse with a little bit of worcestershire sauce. Stir well.  Add tomato sauce or paste and stir until combined.  Remove from heat.

Grab a baking dish (whatever size you have--I used a 9 x 13), and spread the meat mixture across the bottom.  Gently spread cauliflower on top.  Bake uncovered for 15 minutes.  Add cheese and bake for 5 more minutes, or until melty.  The sides of the pan should be bubbly too.  Enjoy that mess!  If you're super healthy, whip up an extra side of veggies to go with it.  Overachiever.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories:  222

Total Fat:  8g

Saturated Fat:  5g

Sodium:  332 mg

Total Carbs:  10g

Dietary Fiber:  4g

Sugars:  5g

Protein:  25g

Percentage of Calories

Protein:  44%

Carbs:  18%

Fat:  33%

***Please note that nutritional info is estimated, and varies based on the ingredients you use.***

FBB: 4-week Results!

So, I just finished the Base Phase of the Female Body Breakthrough.  Annnnd here are my results from the first 4 weeks:

Weight lost:  6 pounds

Chest:  -1 inch
Waist:  -0.5 inches
Hips:  nada (buildin up the booty, y'all)

Arms:  0
Thighs: + 1 inch??

Oh, and though I'm too shy to post progress pics just yet, I swear my tummy is much flatter.  I've got baby biceps trying to bust through my arm fat.  And, *drum roll please*......... I am now an early morning exerciser, y'all!  Say whaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?  Those are 3 words I would have NEVER used to describe myself four weeks ago.  I'm pretty freakin proud of myself!  I feel like I got a great start.  I cleaned up my eating tremendously, although I still allow for a "splurge meal" once or twice a week.  Don't worry, I imagine I will post my bikini progress at some point. ;) 

I am happy to have cardio back in my life--although, truth be told, the strength workouts provide plenty of cardio, as moving from circuit to circuit is great for getting that heart rate up.  I am now working out 4 times a week, which is totally manageable.  I do my strength workouts at the gym at work on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings.  On Saturday, I do my HIIT workout at home.  I am already excited to add in another HIIT workout at Week 9, but I'm only at Week 5 so I guess I need to slow my roll...  How bout, lemme figure out how to do some chin ups?  I was supposed to do like, 6 of them in today's workout.  But I got shy (as I was not alone in the gym) and wimped out by doing some lat pull-downs instead. Ha!

I haven't had my body fat professionally tested yet, which is something I really, REALLY need to do.  I don't go to a regular gym and I ain't gots a trainer, so I'll have to figure out how to get that done.

So, I started the next four-week phase, which means I'll be doing more intense exercises and lifting heavier for fewer reps in order to define my newfound muscles.  And it means learning how to do a motherlovin chin-up.  My focus will be on eating even cleaner,  timing my carbs around my workouts, and eating just 2 servings of fruit per day (as opposed to 3 or 4).  The nutrition aspect is always the hardest for me, since I luurrrrve food, like forreal.  Like, food is my BOO, y'all.  Deprivation is no bueno, and variety is key.  For instance, I had steak tacos for dinner on Friday.  I grilled some marinated sirloin.  Added some of my favorite veggies.  Instead of wrapping all that up in a low-carb tortilla (or 2), I cut the tortillas into quadrants, sprayed them, and baked them.  I topped the whole deal with cheese and... healthy NACHOS.  Twoulda been bangin, but apparently whole wheat low-carb tortillas get pretty chewy when baked.  Oh well--at least the flavors were still there *mwah*.  That reminds me, I am hoping to post some of the recipes I've tried along the way.  I've come across some good ones!  Except for this one...

This is a homemade chocolate peanut butter protein bar, believe it or not.  It definitely tasted much better than it looks...
So yeah, stay tuned. ;)

Random Wednesday: Intrepidacious(ness)

I made up a word today.

I don't remember exactly how I tried to use it--you know how people talk about experiencing "fear and trepidation"?  I think I was thinking of that phrase.  Which would have been redundant anyway, because--wait for it--trepidation is just a schmancy word for fear.

As it would turn out, intrepidacious (which I was using wrong as the day is long because in-trepidation is pretty much the absence of fear) is not really recognized by dictionary.com as a word.

source

In other news, I had a seemingly 10-year-long conversation with a gentleman at work about why he paid $400 for a blender.  That's right.  He got himself a Vitamix.  His reason:  he was sold on the lifetme-lasting blades and the delicious smoothie demos.   Seriously though, I was jealous.  Not because I'm not ballin quite at the level where I can drop point-4 G's on a blender.  But because I have seen rave reviews and tons of recipes online that I have been dying to try.  For now, I'm content to try out recipes with my Ninja blender.


Why do I always forget that *one thing* whenever I pack my stuff the night before I need it?

The first time I packed myself up early to hit the gym first thing in the AM--I forgot my shower shoes.
No biggie...

The second time, I forgot my bra.
Plan B:  I MacGyvered one out of a bandana, toliet paper, and a couple of staples.  Don't ask.

This morning, I forgot to pack my daughter's snack for preschool.  Thankfully my amazing husband packed her a much better snack than I would have--celery and peanut butter.  Everybody happy.


One of the things I'm diggin about changing my diet is that I have better skin, hair, and nails.  One of the things I hate is the ridiculous egg-farts I get from veggies and dairy and anything that has tons of fiber in it.  What kind of trade off is that?  Sure, I look and feel better.  But now I smell worse??? 

Would you rather be out of shape and smell wonderful all the time (like, ALL the time)...

...or...

...be really fit and healthy, but always smell of egg-farts?

Creamy Seafood Soup

Serves 8-10

Prep time:  About 40 minutes

Cook time:  About 20 minutes

Total time:  About 1 hour (give or take--I didn't really time it)

Ingredients:

1 pound extra large or jumbo shrimp, cleaned and deveined (shells on)

1 tb extra virgin olive oil

5 cups water

1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 pound scallops (I used frozen jumbo sea scallops from Trader Joe's)

1 quart fat-free half & half

4 tb butter

4 tb flour (I used coconut flour)*

2 cups diced carrots, onion, and celery (or 1 container of Trader Joes's Mirepoix, which is diced carrots, onion, and celery)

2 tb garlic

salt

pepper

Old Bay seasoning

2 tsp fresh, chopped cilantro

Directions:

Steam shrimp until cooked, saving shells and broth.  Set the shrimp aside.  Add olive oil to a large skillet or saucepot on medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup of diced carrots, celery, and onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent.  Add shrimp shells and stir.  Add reserved broth and 5 cups of water.  Add salt and Old Bay to taste, and simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain stock and set aside, making sure all shells have been removed.

Heat a large soup pot to medium heat.  Melt butter and add celery and onions.  Stir and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add flour and stir to make a roux.  Carefully pour in half-and-half and let the mixture thicken.  Add shrimp and carrots.  Once the mixture thickens again, add shrimp stock and stir well.  Add clams, scallops, cilantro, and seasonings.  Cook until clams open, discarding any clams that did not open.  NOTE:  To save time and ensure that your clams won't be extra-tough, you may want to steam the clams separately and add after the scallops.

Enjoy with a salad (and a nice piece of crusty bread... *drool*).  I was thisclose to busting open a can of crescent rolls in a final act of desperation. This would also be *bangin* with a glass of white wine (or white grape juice), unless you're on a journey of total body sufferi--I mean transformation, like me.  In that case, water would do just fine.

*Additional notes:  I used coconut flour to make this gluten-free for no good reason, and because I am currently avoiding regular white flour.  But you could use whatever flour you have.  Probably even whole wheat white flour, which I once used in a pot of cream chipped beef, and no one was the wiser.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories:  223

Total Fat:  6g

Saturated Fat:  3g

Sodium:  380 mg

Total Carbs:  13g

Dietary Fiber:  3g

Sugars:  7g

Protein:  18g

Percentage of Calories

Protein:  32%

Carbs:  23%

Fat:  28%

***Please note that nutritional info is estimated, and varies based on the ingredients you use.***