Protein Lessons + WIAW

April 9, 2014 By Laura

Learning lessons is a theme in my life lately.

Some I’d rather not learn, but that’s another story.

Despite having done this cleanse 3 times before, I’m learning a whole new lesson with this one. It’s about protein. I had NO idea how much energy and strength I was getting from all the protein I took in! The first 10 days of the cleanse are meat-free. It also eliminates common allergens, so I can’t even replace that protein with soy, dairy or eggs.

I have a delicious, clean pea protein powder from Growing Naturals that accounts for most of my intake. I also have some from quinoa, lentils, and seeds… but that’s really not much. With the “rules” of the cleanse, I end up eating about half my normal amount of protein and twice the carbs. Carbs give energy, right? Notsomuch. I’m tired. I’m sleeping more and having to lift lighter. Apparently carbs give energy when you have enough protein.

I did get through my back and tri workout. Fueled by dates and tahini, I took a moment to twerk in the empty squat rack for Arman and Lucie. Refueled with a protein smoothie made with strawberries, raspberries, basil, coconut, and spinach.

Lesson two is hunger. I’m a bottomless veggie pit. I eat stacks of vegetables (and fruit), but they don’t have the same staying power that protein does. Kudos to the vegan body builders out there… I have no idea how they do it!

Curious about protein? Click here for a piece I wrote for Growing Naturals on the importance of protein before and after a workout. And then check out these 30 High Protein Breakfasts from many of my FitFluential friends!

This WIAW is the end of my first week on the 21 day cleanse. I’m definitely in a good groove, but anxious to add some lean protein in on Friday!

Read on for my eats, and then check out Jenn’s blog for everyone else’s delicious creations!…

Kabocha and Black Bean Frittata

March 10, 2014 By Laura

There’s something special about a hot breakfast.

Forget Folger’s in my cup – I want eggs!

As someone who is continually unable to get out of the door on time, hot breakfasts aren’t exactly practical. This means food prep is especially important. And it has to be high protein – I need stay-power!

I bring you the Kabocha and Black Bean Frittata.

…

Strange But Good: Sriracha Veggie Muffins

January 17, 2014 By Laura

Sriracha and I have a long relationship.

Second only to my relationship with my hair stylist.

Spicy is a food group all its own in my house. I put Sriracha or some sort of heat source on nearly everything. Even my chocolate sauce is “Mexican” with the addition of cayenne. Why should muffins be any different?

If adding Sriracha to muffins isn’t strange enough, I also added veggies. I choose red peppers, zucchini, and shiitake mushrooms to compliment the Vietnamese feels of the Sriracha. You can easily change it up with your favorites.

This spicy little number is also low carb thanks to coconut flour. I also added stay-powder with healthy amount of cottage cheese and eggs to amp up the protein.

Heat up your morning (or your evening) with a spicy little number. They’re good from the freezer too – just pop it in the microwave ~30 seconds to thaw.

It may sound strange, but it’s good.

[Tweet “Sriracha and veggies… in a muffin?! These are #strangebutgood!”]

Sriracha Veggie Muffins

by Laura Hall

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20-25 mins

Keywords: bake saute snack bread gluten-free low-carb low-sodium low-sugar nut-free soy-free sugar-free vegetarian coconut flour cottage cheese egg egg whites Asian

Ingredients (12 muffins)

1 small red pepper, diced
1 C cauliflower, chopped
1 C shiitake mushrooms, sliced
1/2 C zucchini, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 C spelt flour
1/4 C coconut flour
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp sodium-free baking powder
1/2 C no-salt cottage cheese
2 eggs
1.5 C egg whites
1 T sriracha

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375. Coat a muffin tin with cooking spray.

Heat pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Saute veggies until tender. Set aside.

Meanwhile, mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl. Stir in wet ingredients. Lastly, fold in sautéed veggies.

Divide evenly into muffin tins. Bake 20-25 mins, until toothpick come out clean.

Can be stored 5-6 days in the refrigerator, or 3 months in the freezer.

Approximate nutrition (per muffin): 81 calories, 1.6g fat, 88.8mg sodium, 8.5g carbohydrates, 2.2g fiber, 1.3g sugar, 7.3g protein

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. 🙂

***

It’s finally going to be sunny all weekend here! Perfect timing for a long weekend.

What is your favorite hot sauce or spice?

Do you prefer savory or sweet muffins?

Easy Oat Flatbread

January 13, 2014 By Laura

Easy has been the name of the game lately.

Don’t worry, I have something more complex coming.

After a month of holiday party baking and creating, I’m appreciating the simple more and more. I was particularly glad when Heather brought back her Meatless Monday link up with the simplest of ingredients: oats. Simple doesn’t have to mean typical though!

Please ignore my janky nails.

…

Strange But Good: Creamy Blue Cheese & Wasabi

January 10, 2014 By Laura

I struggle with brevity in recipe-naming.

Funny, because I’m always telling my mom she uses too many words.

I really wanted to name this Wasabi-Avocado-Blue Cheese Massaged Kale and Broccoli Salad. Despite my restraint, the title is still too long. How does one communicate all of the delicious elements of a dish in 3-5 words?! I feel so trapped.

In writing out my original title, you probably already have an understanding of what this salad is. Wasabi and blue cheese dressing was a strange combo to me when I first had it in Portland, but it was so good that my sister and I couldn’t stop eating it.

Naturally, I had to recreate it at home. I used Lighthouse Blue Cheese (a Greek yogurt-based dressing). Maybe not the cleanest ingredient, but it’s good and not too bad for you as far as dressings go. I amped up the cream-factor (I can’t re-read that without laughing) by mashing avocado into it. The wasabi I used is a paste, but you could also use the powdered variety. Adjust it to your liking… I like it really hot.

What you are left with is a delicious tangy, spicy coating for your kale salad. You’ll also love the texture contrast between the sturdy kale and the creamy dressing. I added some broccoli and grapes in mine, and topped it with fish (you know I need my protein).

The best part is that, because kale is so hearty, you can make it a day or two in advance and take it to work!

________________________________________________________________________________________

Creamy Blue Cheese & Wasabi Kale Salad

2 T blue cheese dressing
1/4 fresh avocado, mashed
Wasabi paste, to taste
Black pepper, to taste
~2 C Kale

In a small bowl, mix together blue cheese, avocado, wasabi, and pepper.

Place kale in a large bowl and massage the dressing into the leaves.

Can be made 1-2 days in advance and stored in fridge.

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

***

Between the shock of being back in the office after the holidays and the insane weather, I couldn't be happier for this week to END.

What is your favorite salad dressing?

Are you on a greens kick? I can't get enough after Dessert December!

Strange But Good: Roasted Grape & Kabocha Kale Salad

January 3, 2014 By Laura

Luck and wealth are good things to start 2014 with.

We certainly ate like lucky wealthy people on New Years Eve.

This salad would be good at any time, but it’s ingredients make it especially good for NYE. Grapes for luck and greens for wealth. We also had the black-eyed pea hummus. This year should be extra lucky!

The part that may be strange is that I roasted the grapes in this salad. You know how blueberries warmed from oatmeal burst in your mouth? How decadent and sweet and juicy they are? Roasted grapes are like that, but better because they’re bigger. (Insert dirty joke here.)

When roasted, grapes become even more delicious. Their sugars caramelize a bit, the skin softens, and the native sweetness shines. The thick, savory balsamic and rosemary balances the sweetness perfectly. Make this once and you’ll never be satisfied with dried fruit on a salad again.

The thick, jammy juice that forms during roasting is the perfect thing to use as a dressing. Combined with olive oil, vinegar, and garlic, it makes a fabulous warm coat for the kale.

Salads are so easy to make larger or smaller, so below is hardly a recipe. There are no measurements for anything besides the dressing. Even that is just equal parts oil and vinegar, so you can adjust that up or down to suit your needs.

You don’t even have to bother with the salad if you aren’t feeling it. Just pop some grapes in the oven and you’ll have a simple, decadent snack in 15 mins or less.

Roasted Grape and Kabocha Kale Salad

Grapes
Fresh rosemary
Aged balsamic vinegar
Kabocha squash (or other winter squash)
Shallot, diced
Olive oil
Kale
1/4 C olive oil
1/4 C champagne vinegar
2 garlic cloves, minced
Reserved juices from roasted grapes
Salt & pepper, to toast
Grated Parmesan (optional)

Preheat oven to 450.

Toss grapes on a foil lined pan with vinegar and rosemary. On a second pan, toss kabocha with shallots and a bit of olive oil. Roast each for 15 mins, stirring occasionally. The skin of the grapes should be slightly crisp but the inside still soft. Note: the kabocha may take longer.

Remove from oven and allow to cool slightly. Strain excess grape juice into a small bowl to reserve for dressing.

Add oil to small skillet and allow to warm over med heat. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant (about 1 min). Stir in grape juices and champagne vinegar, cooking 2-3 mins longer to allow dressing to thicken a bit.

Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly. Taste, adding salt and pepper to preference.

Place kale in large salad bowl. Pour warm dressing over the kale and massage the greens to soften. Add grapes, kabocha, and fresh parmesan (if using).

Enjoy!

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

***

I’m thinking I need to do these for breakfast on a biscuit or coffee cake thing…

What is your favorite salad topping?

Have you ever had roasted grapes?

Black-Eyed Pea & Roasted Garlic Hummus

December 31, 2013 By Laura

Black-eyed peas supposedly bring luck on New Year’s.

Don’t we all want to get lucky?

This year I could use a little extra luck, so I made sure to concoct a black-eyed pea dish to share with friends at our New Year’s Eve pairing dinner. I used traditional hummus ingredients, but replaced chickpeas with canned black-eyed peas. What resulted was a fantastic, black-eyed pea hummus.

…

Strange But Good: Mexican Chocolate Cake

December 20, 2013 By Laura

Dessert is my favorite part of a fiesta.

Christmas counts as a fiesta, no?

I made this for Thanksgiving, but it would be fantastic for a Christmas dinner, too. Or New Years. Or just for breakfast.

When you read the ingredients in this cake, you’ll see that it actually wouldn’t be so bad to have at breakfast. It’s full of healthy fats and protein, and sugar-free! This brings me to the strange. The healthy fat in this one is avocado. It’s good, I swear.

Between the avocado, eggs, and yogurt, this is one of the lightest, moist cakes you’ll ever have. It’s the perfect end to a heavier dinner. You could eat half of it without blinking an eye. ~~Not that I would know.~~

The almond, cinnamon, and cayenne are the Mexican part. If you’re concerned about the cayenne, you could leave it out. It’s not overwhelming; it simple gives the smallest hint of “hmmmm” at the end of a bite.

The icing on this cake was yet another healthy fat addition. I whipped coconut cream into a pillow-y spread for the cake. Don’t worry if it doesn’t seem stiff enough at first – it will firm up as it settles.

You can have fun with the flavors here. I added vanilla and cinnamon, but a liqueur like Frangelico or pie spice would be excellent as well.

I know several of you made these Chocolate Avocado Cookies or these (Vegan) Blood Orange Scones… vouch for me! You really can’t taste the avocado.

Mexican Chocolate Cake

1 small avocado
1 egg
2 egg whites
1 C xylitol (or other sugar substitute)
3/4 C Icelandic yogurt (or Greek)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 C all-purpose flour
1 C whole wheat flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne
1 C unsweetened vanilla almond milk
Coconut Icing

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a bundt pan.

In a small blender, mix the avocado and eggs until smoother. Stir in xylitol, yogurt, and extracts until combined.

Whisk together dry ingredients. Gradually add dry ingredients to the wet.

Once combined, add in milk and beat well.

Pour into bundt pan. Bake for 45 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes in pan and then transfer to wire rack to completely cool.

Eat as-is, or ice the cake with whipped coconut cream frosting. I used this recipe for the coconut cream whip, only I subbed more xylitol for the sugar, and added vanilla and cinnamon.

Note: Like most cakes, the flavors improve after that cake has a day to rest. Do wait to frost it until the day of.

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

***

My mom took home a couple of slices and called the next day (at breakfast) to tell me it had gotten even better! I think day 2 is the perfect storm for this one.

Avocado. Would you bake with it? Have you ever?

What is your favorite dessert for the holiday season?

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Protein Lessons + WIAW

Kabocha and Black Bean Frittata

Strange But Good: Sriracha Veggie Muffins

Easy Oat Flatbread

Strange But Good: Creamy Blue Cheese & Wasabi

Creamy Blue Cheese & Wasabi Kale Salad

Strange But Good: Roasted Grape & Kabocha Kale Salad

Roasted Grape and Kabocha Kale Salad

Black-Eyed Pea & Roasted Garlic Hummus

Strange But Good: Mexican Chocolate Cake

Mexican Chocolate Cake

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