Strange But Good Vegan Bacon Bits

April 26, 2013 By Laura

Bacon is good.

And a huge part of why I didn’t make it as a vegetarian.

Long ago Heather hipped me to the fact that Bacon Bits are vegan… but I have never cared for them. They taste like what I imagine dog food to be.

When Kat posted a recipe for vegan TVP Bacon Bits, I couldn’t WAIT to try my own recipe. Since I can’t have bacon this close to my competition (too much fat and sodium), this was the perfect time to make my own bits! I took Kat’s idea to use nutritional yeast and cumin, but I cut the sodium, sugar, and the oil. That does NOT mean I cut the taste though!

These smokey, spicy little bites are crunchy and packed with flavor. For the longest time I had only regular paprika in my cabinet… let me be the first to admit that was WRONG. Smoked paprika is the way to go. It makes a massive difference; I was shocked at the amount of smoke it lends to dishes.

I used stevia for a hint of sweetness and I added maple extract because… who doesn’t like maple bacon? I also like my bacon peppered, so that went into this mix as well.

In case none of this is strange to you, I created a #strangebutgood breakfast salad using these Smoked TVP Bacon Bits. It’s a simple mix of heirloom tomato, pear, cilantro…. and raspberries. Don’t be scared – tomatoes pair really well with fruit! The coolness of the fruit and the smokey, slightly spicy Bits are a fantastic contrast party in your mouth.

Eaten with cinnamon oatmeal and turkey “sausages” (that recipe is coming next week).

Smoked TVP Bacon Bits

1/4 C Texturized Vegetable Protein (TVP)
1/4 C hot water
1 T nutritional yeast
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp maple extract
5-6 drops liquid smoke
3-4 drops liquid Stevia

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Stir the TVP into the water and allow to soak. Meanwhile, mix the dry ingredients together in a small bowl.

Once TVP has (mostly) absorbed the water, stir in the dry ingredients and add extract, smoke, and sweetener.

Squeeze out excess moisture and spread mixture across a lined baking sheet. This is important – you need to really spread it out so that moisture doesn’t gather.

Place in oven and bake for 20 mins, stirring half way through. When crispy and golden, remove from oven and allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

How have you enjoyed making co-workers, friends, or family stare with strange but good creations this week?

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above. In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends!

Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

Remember to use #strangebutgood in any Tweets and Instagrams of your creations. 🙂

***

This time next week I’ll be with my trainer on the road to my 2nd figure competition to check in and get spray tanned!!!

Do you like bacon bits?

What one thing would you find most difficult to cut out of your diet? Healthy fats are the hardest for me right now!

Blood Orange Avocado Scones

April 1, 2013 By Laura

Baking is one of my favorite things to do.

Any opportunity to create something #strangebugood!

This marks the start of round 2 of Heather’s MMAZ link up. She changed up the format, making week 1 a creation opportunity and week 2 a time experiment with someone’s recipe from week 1. I love the new twist!!!

Today we start with A. A is for Avocado.

Baking with avocado may seem odd, but no, this isn’t an April Fool’s joke. Don’t be scared – #strangebutgood flavor twists are fun!

Avocados add an incredible texture to baked goods. A little silky, a little rich, it takes this slightly sweet, crumbly scone to a new level. You don’t taste it in the least! Avocados are also a great, healthy option to replace fats in sweets. It makes creating a vegan recipe even easier, as you can use them to replace butter or other animal fats.

My favorite part about these scones is the bright citrus from the blood orange. They are is season right now and not to be missed. Blood oranges are less sweet than a navel, but are more complex. They also have more Iron than a regular orange. An orange amplified, if you will. That said, you could sub in a regular orange and be just fine.

Using a mix of almond meal and chickpea flour, I also made these scones gluten-free! The chickpea flour leaves just a hint of nuttiness, which perfectly compliments the almond meal. These two flours also provide a TON of protein. Each scone has almost 8 grams!

If you don’t have chickpea flour, you could sub in brown rice flour or another gluten-free flour. If you don’t care about the gluten free feature, you can use whole wheat pastry flour; however, you should also leave out the vinegar and xantham if you do so.

I’m also linking these up to Katie’s Marvelous Monday… because how is starting out the week with a homemade scone and coffee not marvelous?

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Blood Orange Avocado Scones

1 C almond meal
1 C chickpea flour
1/3 C tagatose (or other sweetener)
1 tsp no-sodium baking powder
1 tsp xantham gum
1 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Zest of 1 blood orange
3 T unsweetened almond milk
Juice from 1/2 blood orange
6 T (2 oz) avocado
1 tsp apple cider vinegar
1 tsp butter vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper dusted with GF or rice flour.

In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients and zest.

Place milk, avocado, vinegar, and extract blender or mini food processor. Purée until well-combined. Add purée to flour mixture.

Combine with a spoon and then fold together with your hands to form a ball. Dough will be sticky at first but will come together.

Move dough to cookie sheet and flatten into a 1 inch thick disk. Cut disk into 6 pieces with a sharp knife. Do not separate.

Bake for about 15 minutes, until lightly browned.

Note: I baked these in a convection oven. I’ve adjusted the instructions for a regular bake, but if the middle doesn’t cook as well, pull the scones apart and bake an additional 3-5 mins.

Approximate nutritionals: 198 calories, 11.8g fat, 14.7mg sodium, 23.1 carbohydrates, 4.4g fiber, 2.9g sugar, 7.7g protein.

***

Quick weekend highlight reel: I took a “Rockstar Yoga” class with 150 people, PR’d standing lunges and front squats with 135lbs, learned how to wear a corset, and got a cat. None of this is an April Fool’s joke.

Have you ever baked with avocado? ~~Do you think I’m nuts?~~

What is on your weekend highlight reel?

Strange But Good Gluttony: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

March 22, 2013 By Laura

Gluttony is controversial in blog-land.

I’m a firm believer that you should have everything in moderation. ~~Including moderation.~~

When my softball team requested these cupcakes after our game last weekend, I had to oblige. I’d made the ‘cakes for them 3 or 4 years ago, and they’ve been requested every year since.

These are not your ordinary cupcakes. They are called Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes. A reader pointed out the negative connotation of that name… I’m sorry if it offends anyone. These cupcakes are referring to the popular shooter. Many of you may have taken seen the shot in college. You take a 1/2 pint of Guinness and drop a shot of Irish cream and whiskey in it. Then you chug (you have to drink it fast of it will curdle).

It tastes like chocolate milk, or so I’m told. 😉

Turning a shooter into a cupcake may be strange, but it most certainly is good. In fact, I think these cupcakes are better than the shooter. Not better for you – hence the gluttony. But the booze (mostly) cooks out, so at least they won’t give you a hangover. 😉

Oddly, they don’t taste particularly boozy. The cake portion is a chocolate-Guinness combo. The carbonation from the Guinness makes the cake light and fluffy, and amplifies the chocolate taste without adding too much sweetness. The center of the cupcake is scooped out and filled with Irish whiskey ganache. It is also not terribly sweet, and the whiskey only deepens the chocolate taste.

The booziest part is the icing. That Irish cream isn’t cooked out, so you get a little of liqueur taste. However, if you’ve ever had Irish cream you know it’s sweet and creamy, so it works well as an icing component. I whipped this up the same time I made the hazelnut icing for Kat’s cake. I topped it with lucky charms marshmallows (thank you again for that gift, Heather!) to be more “festive.”

The combination makes for a fluffy, moist, decadent cupcake. You will promise yourself you will only take a bite of… then look down and realize it’s GONE. Not to be made every weekend, but once a year I think it’s worth a little gluttonous indulgence.

Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes

For the Cupcakes:

1 C stout (I used Guinness)
1 C (2 sticks) salted butter
3/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
2 C all-purpose flour
1 3/4 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
2 eggs
2/3 C sour cream

For the Ganache:

8 ounces bittersweet chocolate
2/3 C heavy cream
2 T salted butter, room temperature
1 T Irish whiskey (I used Jameson)

For the Frosting:

3 C powdered sugar
1 stick (1/2 C) salted butter, softened
4 T Irish cream (I used Bailey’s)
Food coloring (optional)

To make the Cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350. Line 24 cupcake cups with liners.

Bring the beer and butter to simmer in medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Cool slightly.

Whisk together flour, sugar, and baking soda in a medium bowl.

In a large bowl and, using electric (or hand) mixer, beat eggs and yogurt. Add the chocolate beer mix to the egg bowl and beat just to combine.

Add flour mixture and slowly beat. Just before it’s completely mixed, use rubber spatula to fold batter until completely combined.

Pour batter into the cupcake liners, ~3/4 full. Bake ~15-17 mins. Allow cupcakes to cool completely.

To make the filling:

Break up the chocolate and place in a glass (heat-proof) bowl.

Place cream in a small bowl and bring to a simmer. Pour the hot cream over the chocolate, allowing it to sit for a minute before stirring until smooth. If your chocolate isn’t melted completely, you can pop it in the microwave in 15-20 second increments until melted.

Lastly, add the softened butter and whiskey. Stir until combined.

To fill the cupcakes:

Let the ganache cool and thicken. If you’re impatient like me you can place it in the fridge to firm up; however, it shouldn’t be hard.

Using a cupcake corer, knife, or an apple corer, remove centers from the cupcakes. Take care to not cut through to the bottom. About 3/4 deep is perfect. (Note: save the centers and mix it with leftover ganache and/or icing to make fudgy cake balls.)

Spoon the ganache into the holes, filling to the top. (This could also be done with a piping bag, but I don’t have one.)

To make the frosting:

Whip the butter at a med-high speed using an electric (or hand) mixer until light and fluffy. Slowly add the powdered sugar – just a few tablespoons at a time.

When the frosting thickens, drizzle in the Irish cream and whip until combined. Add food coloring, if using, until desired color is reached. In the event that the frosting becomes too thin, simply add more powdered sugar until its think enough to spread.

Now that my gluttony is out of the way, what’s strange but good creations have you been concocting? Someone post a healthy recipe to balance me out… 😉

The link up rules can be found here or by clicking on “Strange But Good” in the menu bar above.

In short, I want to see what concoctions have earned you weird looks from co-workers, family and friends! Post your Strange But Good creations, grab the logo below for your blog, and link up here.

***

No need to wait until next St. Paddy’s to make these cupcakes. I’ve done them for birthdays, 4th of July, NYE… Easter… break those Lenten alcohol and sugar bans in style! 😉

Spill it: Have you ever done an Irish Carb Bomb?

What strange but goodness have you been eating this week?

Mexican Spaghetti Squash Pie + WIAW

March 20, 2013 By Laura

People will eat anything.

I know I’m all #strangebutgood, but some take it way to far. To the point of #strangebutnasty.

Pizza seems to be the most common canvas for strangeness. Sometimes it works – I love a runny egg on my socca (it’s also delish on my cauliflower pizza crust).

However, some things just shouldn’t happen. Like insane stuffed crusts. I ran across this article listing the “12 Craziest Things Mankind Has Stuffed Into Pizza Crusts.”

That is a cheese burger crust. A.K.A. Heart attack waiting to happen.

This next one I must admit is creative. But come on. Do you reallllly need buffalo wings in your crust?

Moving on to something less nauseating… it’s another green WIAW! Eating a high protein diet doesn’t mean sacrificing veggies! I have a fruit or veggie with every meal, so I’m especially glad Jenn decided to rock out with her green out this month.

Check out my 7 veggie-laced, protein-filled meals below, and then click here to head over to Jenn @ Peas and Crayons to get to see how everyone else is green-ing up their food this month!

Meal 1:

Predictably, I began my day with a cocktail (apple cider vinegar, water, Glutamine, and Fitmixer Aminos).

This morning I went savory. Remember this Spaghetti Squash Pie? Today I made it Mexican and ate it for breakfast. I prepped the meat and squash the night before, so it was easy to compose and throw in the oven first thing in the morning. #strangebutgood

I LOVE this combo. It’s not so weird to have eggs, cheese, and salsa in the morning… so why not add some ground chicken and squash and call it a pie?

I used salsa in this version and added bulk using black beans. After it cooked, I added fresh avocado to the top – I wouldn’t recommend skipping this step.

Recipe at the bottom.

Meal 2:

Spicy baked chicken had become something of an addiction. I baked this with a TON of Indian spices – ginger, dry mustard, cinnamon, garlic, onion, coriander, cumin, garam masala, turmeric, cayenne, and fenugreek.

Eaten with perfectly ripe mango. Sweet + Spicy = Addiction Strange but good?

Meal 3:

Lunch was a post-leg workout meal. Let’s pretend I was more creative… but no. I brought my old favorite to the gym. Carrot Cake Protein Batter. Made with french vanilla Designer Whey and topped with brown rice crispies. After 100 hack squats, I would have eaten my first. But this probably tasted better. 😉

Meal 4:

The salt-free deli turkey addiction continues. Today I made little cucumber open-face sandwiches and topped them with avocado, red pepper flakes, and freshly ground pepper.

I mayyyyy have also done a little quality control for a cake I was baking. This is my first attempt at gluten-free baking, so it had to be tested. I made a mini confetti cake:

Meal 5:

You guys know my friend Kat who guest posts here every Thursday? It was Kat’s birthday yesterday! She had a potluck dinner at her place, so I enjoyed everyone’s home cooked dishes at dinner. We had kale salad, roasted sweet potatoes, beet and orange salad, nuts, hummus, GF chips, and peanut M&Ms. All the basic food groups. And wine… heart health is important, you know. 😉

Plus cake. Kat is gluten-free and requested a GF confetti cake. I happily obliged and made a cake based on this recipe, plus some boozy hazelnut icing.

The flavor of the cake was awesome; it was just enough vanilla to have a distinct flavor. I was especially happy that it remained moist. However, the texture was a bit gummy. Anyone know how to fix that? Or is that just common in a GF cake?

The icing was a win. Nutty and creamy, it was just the thing against the vanilla cake.

Frangelico (Hazelnut) Frosting

3 C confections sugar
1 stick (1/2 cup) salted butter, room temperature
4 T Frangelico (hazelnut liqueur)

Whip butter with electric (or hand) mixer until light and fluffy (~3-4 mins). Slowly add powdered sugar, a few tablespoons at a time (adding slowly means it’s less grainy and requires less sugar to thicken).

When the frosting looks thick enough to spread, drizzle in the Frangelico and whip it until combined. If this makes frosting too thin, add another tablespoon of powdered sugar.

Meal 6:

Ha! There were no more meals. I ate 5-7 at the party, and enjoyed celebrating with Kat!

How awesome are the photo bombers?!

Kat is guest posting again tomorrow – don’t forget to come back by and wish her a happy belated! Teaser: I think her post is going to be related to the Ultra Marathon she ran last weekend!

Mexican Spaghetti Squash Pie

1 small spaghetti squash, pre-cooked (about 3.5 cups, easy microwave instructions here)
1/2 C egg whites
1/2 C fat-free ricotta cheese
1 tsp dried cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp garlic powder
8 oz. ground chicken
1/4 C red onion, chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 C salsa
1/2 C black beans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare a pie dish.

Stir together the spaghetti squash and egg whites. Pour evenly into the pie dish as the crust (note: this will look too runny, but it isn’t – the egg will solidify in the oven).

Mix together the ricotta cheese, cilantro, cumin, and garlic powder. Arrange evenly over the spaghetti mixture, leaving ~1/4 in space around the edge to preserve the “pie” look.

In a large pan, brown ground chicken with onion, jalapeno and garlic (can also use olive oil). Add salsa and beans, allowing to cook over medium until warmed (~6-7 mins).

Evenly pour the chicken and sauce mixture on top of the ricotta layer in your pie dish.

Bake uncovered for ~45 mins, or until most of the “jiggle” is gone.

***

The protein count for the day: I don’t know… I definitely did well but I wasn’t about to measure everything at a birthday party. Let’s just say my leg day was fueled.

We all like brinner (breakfast for dinner), but do you ever eat dinner for breakfast?

Do you ever make a “tester” when you try new recipes?

Marvelous Monday Meals

March 18, 2013 By Laura

Rainy Mondays can be hard.

Ok, always. Rainy Mondays are always hard…

A few weeks ago I committed to making an effort to be more positive on this most glorious day of the week and joined the diva-licious Katie in her Marvelous in My Monday link up. This week I need to get back on that train.

What a better way to do it than recap some tasty food? I’ve been eating good this past week, and I have a LOT to share. This is a long one. ~~That’s what shai said.~~ Sorry… but not really. 😉

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To start it off, last Sunday my friend Kathleen and I went to an underground supper club hosted by Souper Jenny. she does these once or twice a year; the secret location and chef is announced the day before the event.

Our surprise chef was Omar Powell! He is the Chef de Cuisine at my favorite Indian Restaurant, Cardamom Hill (a James Beard nominee!), yet he is Jamaican with a French culinary training. I was beyond excited to see what he came up with!

We arrived at the secret location (a local pasta shop, Storico Fresco) and were immediately blown away by the stunning table setting!

Before the meal, we had the chance to walk around a bit and I ~~got in the professional photographer’s way~~ snuck behind the counter to grab a shot of Chef Powell and Chef-Owner Asha Gomez discussing a dish.

The first course was a small treat that left me ~~way too~~ excited for the rest of the evening. Soft farm eggs with ackee, cod, scallions, and bacon. The flavors could have easily over-taken the egg, but they were perfectly balanced in the delicate shell. There is nothing more fabulous than a perfectly cooked egg.

Next we were presented with a brown stewed chicken served over tun cornmeal, pickled onions, and fin herbs.

We questioned whether it was really chicken – I’ve never had a more rich, flavorful piece of chicken in my life. This could have easily passed as a tender piece of red meat. It doesn’t even look like chicken, does it?

I almost asked for seconds… and I did ask for the recipe!

The third dish was a Jerked Pork served with yellow yam augratin, mango, papaya jam, and all spice oil.

The flavor combination in this dish was perfection. The jerk was just the right amount of heat against the sweet fruit, and the creamy augratin. Augratin can often be too rich for me, but this yam was restrained and didn’t take away from the other components.

This next dish was my favorite of the night. I think… it’s hard to choose! It was a oxtail agnolotii (agnolotii is a stuffed pasta, like ravioli) in a pumpkin soup laced with all spice and black pepper tulie.

I’m a huge oxtail fan, and the agnolotii did not disappoint. However, what made this dish for me was the soup. I admired his use of all spice here because it is one I’m timid with. A little bit can go a long way. The burst of it here gave a depth of flavor to the soup, allowing it to stand out against a big flavor like oxtail.

Lastly, we enjoyed a sweet and savory dessert. This was a cornmeal pone with comte cheese, “drops,” and thyme honey.

I had not heard of drops before. Apparently they are a Jamaican street food candy. It’s a sugar-glazed, chewy piece of coconut. That sweetness with the thyme honey and the more savory pone and cheese was a storybook end to a memorable meal. I’d like to say I was too stuffed to eat it all… but I ate mine and half of Kathleen’s.

#sorryimnotsorry

Yes, I ate the flower too.

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I had another awesome meal with my mom last friday night. We went to a family favorite, Everybody’s Pizza.

This place is one that will forever have a place in my heart. They have been open since 1971 and this coming Tuesday is their last day in business. My parents used to go on dates there in college, and later my dad would take me as a treat on Friday nights.

He’d tell me stories about what it was like “back on the day” when then had communal seating and tables of strangers would share pies and pitchers of beers. We would eat an entire pizza and then polish off a giant order of bread pudding. There are staving kids in Africa, right?

In honor of my dad, my mom and I had one last meal there. We toasted my dad’s memory with beers and shared a giant pizza. Half cheeseless veggie, and half with extra feta cheese, portabello mushrooms, jalapenos, and meatballs. And then a bread pudding. We were only going to eat half… ~~but you know that didn’t happen~~. 🙂

It was a great night sharing stories and eating one last meal at a local haunt. Everybody’s, you will be sorely missed.

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What do you do the morning after carb-loading? You take a trip up Stone Mountain! Mom and I met up with my friend Kathleen the next morning for a hike up the mountain in the gorgeous spring weather.

They were great sports, cheering me on as I ran my sprints up the steep part. They even joined in for a couple of rounds!

Where’s Waldo?

The refuel was classic. Fro-yo from Yoforia for lunch! Fruit, dairy, protein… I got chocolate and Irish cream flavors with kiwi, strawberries, pretzels and a Reese’s egg. Is that not the BEST topping offering?!

This deliciousness fueled my trip to the gym for a killer shoulder and glute workout. Sprints + glutes in the gym = one tired butt.

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Finally, on Sunday, I rounded out the marvelous with a day of softball. My women’s softball team beat both male teams we played!

I think it was the lucky socks.

After the game we had a social, and I brough a St. Patrick’s Day treat for the team: Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes!! These cupcakes are an annual request… they don’t have to twist my arm too hard to oblige. 😉

This is a fantastically indulgent cupcake. The base is Guinness chocolate cake. I fill them with Irish whiskey ganache and then ice them with an Irish cream frosting.

I’m too late to post a recipe for the holiday… but if you’re interested I may do a post later this week. Let me know!

***

It was a bit of a gluttonous weekend, but coupled with a LOT of activity. No regrets, but I’m really looking forward to getting back to normalcy this week!

Does your family have a nostalgia restaurant? Is it still there?

What is making YOUR Monday marvelous today?

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

March 14, 2013 By Laura

There is a saying I’m sure you’ve heard: “Never trust a skinny cook.”

I must call BS. Look at Giada – she resembles a bobble head and she makes a killer cheesecake!

Despite my best efforts, I’m probably not the largest cook around. But you can trust me. If you don’t trust me, you can certainly trust Lauren and Alicia, who both trusted my Spaghetti Squash Pie this week:

I’m especially excited to make a Mexican version of this one. I bought all of the stuff, but then went for Indian food last night. Whoops! It was tasty though. Maybe I should make a curry version…

In case you’re wondering what spaghetti pie has to do with the title of this post… well, I forgot… Skinny cooks… trusting me… tasty healthy oatmeal bars! Ok, I’m back with you.

Today’s Oatmeal Cookie Bars started out as cookies, hence the name. Months ago my trainer requested a protein oatmeal cookie. Unfortunately, the hard part about baking with protein powder is that is make the batter quite thin unless you add a lot of flour, which make them really high in carbs. This lesson presented itself to me ~~again~~ as I went to scoop my batter onto the baking sheet. Souper-runny.

No matter, that’s why I bought a bar baking pan. If you don’t have a bar pan a muffin tin will work just fine, or you can make one big cookie cake!

I added a little more flour, mixed the thing up again, and poured it into the pan. And by some pope-tacular miracle of God, it worked. And it was good.

These aren’t overly sweet, which was my goal. It is a deep oatmeal and cinnamon flavored bar, with bites of earthy chocolate from the carob chips.

Despite wanting cookies, I appreciated the moist, cake-like quality of these bars. It worked well with the oatmeal texture and at just 128 calories, you can slather a generous amount of nut butter on top of a warm bar as “icing.”

Not that I’ve been doing that. 😉

Pre-workout snack

The best part came when I took the fresh batch to the gym. Lee Haney (8x Mr. Olympia!) was there finishiing up a session and he took a bar to try… and he said they were DELICIOUS! I die.

In conclusion: If you don’t trust this cook, trust an 8x Mr Olympia and try these. 😉

Protein Oatmeal Cookie Bars

1/4 C (1/2 stick) butter or Earth Balance, softened
1/4 C unsweetened applesauce
2/3 C tagatose (or other sweetener)
1 flax egg (1 T ground flax + 3 T water), or 1 regular egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp brown sugar extract (optional)
1/4 C whole wheat flour
1/2 C protein powder (I used 1.5 scoops of Designer Whey White Chocolate)
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 C rolled oats
1/2 C Scottish oats
1/4 C carob chips (or chocolate chips)
1/2 C walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, cream together butter, applesauce, sugar, egg, and extracts until smooth. In a separate bowl, whisk flour, protein powder, baking soda, and cinnamon together. Stir this into the butter/sugar mixture. Stir in the oats, carob chips, and walnuts.

Scoop batter onto grease square tine (or muffin tin). Bake them for 10-12 mins, until golden. Let sit on baking sheet for ~5 mins before transferring to a rack to cool.

Makes 12 bars.

Approximate nutrition: 128 calories, 6.6g fat, 14.3g carbohydrates, 2.7g fiber, 2.2g sugar, 6.8g protein.

Note: These can easily be made vegan by using a vegan protein powder.

***

I am especially grateful to Lauren and Alicia because they gave me a pie to post about on Pi Day! 😉

Are you celebrating Pi Day?

Skinny cooks. Can you trust ’em?

Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

March 11, 2013 By Laura

My Mam Maw made the best carrot cake.

I know we all say this, but I’m not kidding. I think it could have won awards.

It’s probably her I have to blame for my carrot obsession. Oatmeals, shakes, protein batters, overnight oats… I put carrot in EVERYTHING.

I’ve even been making my own cake. Healthy and with protein, of course. ~~Mam Maw is turning in her grave.~~

The traditional cake is loaded with oil and sugar. It’s iced with cream cheese and more sugar. ~~How could it NOT be good?~~

Anyway, this isn’t one of those cakes. This cake won’t make you feel like you need to run a marathon the morning after AND it still tastes good! 2g of fat and 6g of sugar, plus a whopping 24.5g of protein. That’s without the “icing.” I have been whipping these up with my Designer Whey protein powder post-workout.

Carrot Cake you can feel good about in under 10 mins. That wins in my book! This cake has all the spice of a traditional cake, and is incredibly moist!

It took me a few tries to make this. It kept exploding in the microwave! ~~Did I mention I hate cleaning the microwave?~~

Making it in a cereal bowl vs. a mug really helped. I did that and adjusted some measurements to finally get a cake in one piece. The first explosions still tasted good though:

I really liked having the icing on there too. It’s a simple cottage cheese mix, but that creaminess takes the cake. Hee hee.

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Microwave Protein Carrot Cake

Based on my Chocolate 150 Calorie Protein Cake recipe.

1/2 C grated carrot
1 scoop white chocolate Designer Whey protein powder (28g scoop)
1/4 tsp no sodium baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 egg white
2 T water (or other liquid)
1 T applesauce (no sugar added, can also use pumpkin puree)
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/8 tsp butter extract (optional)
~5-6 drops NuNaturals vanilla liquid stevia
Optional toppings: “Icing” (see below), cinnamon, cacao nibs

Grate carrot and set aside.

Place dry ingredients in bowl and stir to combine. Stir in wet ingredients. Mix in grated carrot.

Transfer to a greased (I use PAM) cereal bowl and microwave for 2-2.5 mins (mine took 2:15). Tip the cake out onto a plate and top as desired.

My cake was topped with a cheese cake icing made by combining cottage cheese with stevia and maple extract.

Makes 1 cake.

Approximate Nutritionals (will vary based on protein powder brand used): 154 calories, 2.1g fat, 183.7mg sodium, 13.4g carbohydrates, 0.7g fiber, 6g sugar, 24.5g protein.

***

As for Mam Maw’s cake… I have the recipe. It may make an appearance on here for some holiday… 😉

What is your favorite cake?

Did you have any odd names for your grandparents? I called my other grandmother “money” for a while. She worked at a bank. 😉

Happy Singles Awareness Day

February 14, 2013 By Laura

I like being ~~married to the gym~~ single.

I couldn’t even handle having a cat in my life.

What I can handle is eating red food. I’ve been traveling too much to make anything special, but if I make it to the grocery store today I may eat something red.

In the meantime, I did manage to round-up my favorites… and separate them into courses. ~~This is what happens when you blog on an airplane.~~

Then I couldn’t help myself – I made a new sugar-free, high protein microwave cake when I got home from the airport. It was late, the pics are dark… but this is what happens when you are without chocolate cake and Nuttzo for days. Cravings must be satisfied! Recipe at the end.

_______________________________________________________________________________________

Breakfast

Raspberry Baked Oatmeal (To-Go!)

♥

Strawberries and Cream Oatmeal

♥

Roasted Beet and Orange Smoothie

♥

Mains

Crabby Smoked Gazpacho

♥

Vegan Goat Cheese Stuffed Oven-Roasted Tomatoes

♥

Veggie Sushi with Beet Wasabi Sauce

♥

Dessert

Beet Protein Frozen Custard

♥

Strawberry Smoky Almond Tart

_______________________________________________________________________________________

This last dessert is the one I made upon arriving home last night. I had a fierce peanut butter and chocolate craving, and this sugar-less treat fit the bill. And did I mention it has 30g of protein???

If you stop the microwave while it still looks a tad jiggly on top, you’ll have a gooey, molten cake. Which is exactly when I did, and highly recommend. Then I topped it with a healthy serving of Nuttzo (which I am obsessed with), and a festive strawberry heart.

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Microwave Cake

2 T peanut flour
1 scoop (2T) chocolate protein powder
1 T cocoa powder
1/8 tsp baking powder
1 T pumpkin puree
1/4 C egg whites
1/4 unsweetened almond milk (or water)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
8 drops chocolate liquid stevia (I used NuNaturals)

Mix the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Add wet to dry and stir to combine.

Transfer to a small, greased bowl (I used coconut oil). Microwave until just done, ~ 45-60 secs.

Transfer to a plate, top as desired, and enjoy!

Approximate Nutritionals: 180 calories, 4g fat, 150.8mg sodium, 11.2g carbohydrates, 4.8g fiber, 1.5g sugar, 31.5g protein

I received this jar of NuttZo free of charge through participation in a FitFluential campaign. I was not otherwise compensated; all opinions on the product are my own (I already ate the stuff religiously). Check out NuttZo on Twitter and/or Facebook!

***

Happy Valentine’s Day!

I think this is the perfect night to curl up with a glass of red wine, some popcorn, and dark chocolate while watching Grey’s.

Do you have big Valentine’s plans?

What is your favorite Valentine-themed food? I dig those Reese’s hearts… the shapes have more PB!

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Meal 2:

Meal 3:

Meal 4:

Meal 5:

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Meal 6:

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Happy Singles Awareness Day

Breakfast

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Dessert

Peanut Butter-Chocolate Microwave Cake

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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