Protein Pumpkin Bread

                                                       

Love having a slice or two of this bread as a snack, or a few slices for breakfast (loaded with peanut butter, obviously). I'm working on keeping my recipes simple (i.e. no more crazy ingredients). Mostly because:

1. It's unnecessary

2. I don't have time

3. You don't have time

Here we go: 

                               

Protein Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut flour

1 scoop vanilla whey protein (I used Cellucor)

1/3 cup stevia for baking

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 cup canned pumpkin 

3/4 cup egg whites

1/2-3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

3 tablespoons creamy peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 F. 

2. Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Mix the wet ingredients in a separate bowl. Add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients (add more almond milk if necessary, but you want a nectar-thick batter). 

3. Spoon the batter into a bread loaf pan lined with parchment paper (for easy removal). Cook about one hour and 10 minutes or until knife comes out clean. 

4. Let cool and cut into 8 slices. I recommended refrigerating them (I like the texture better when they are chilled). 

Nutrition Information for 1 slice: 103 calories, 4 g Fat, 8 g Carbs, 8 g Protein

Crockpot Queso Chicken Chili

Everyone NEEDS to make this on Sunday. Buy the ingredients, throw them in your crockpot, run errands/go to the gym/go to brunch/etc., then come home to a delicious meal you can eat all week. This chili is a little spicy, a little creamy, and absolutely delicious!

This recipe is only slightly modified from Pinch of Yum:

Crock Pot Queso Chicken Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
3 cups salsa, divided
1 1/2 cups water
1 teaspoon cumin
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bell peppers, minced
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 14-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
4 ounces fat free cream cheese
4 ounces lite cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese
Cilantro for topping

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breasts, 1 1/2 cups salsa, water, cumin, chili powder, and salt in the crockpot. Cover and cook on high 3-4 hours or low 6-7 hours. When the chicken is done, shred the meat directly in the crockpot using two forks.

2. Pat the minced peppers dry with a paper towel. Place the bell peppers in a large nonstick skillet high heat WITHOUT oil. This creates the browned, roasted look on the outside of the peppers. Stir once and repeat until the peppers are nice and browned.

3. After the chicken has been shredded, add the peppers, corn, black beans, remaining salsa and cream cheese to the crockpot. Stir and replace cover, allowing the cream cheese to the crockpot. Let the soup simmer for another 15-20 minutes until everything is smooth and melted. Just before serving, stir in the cheddar or Pepper Jack cheese.

Serves 6

Nutrition Information Per Serving: 354 calories, 6 grams fat, 40 g carbohydrates, 6 grams fiber, 35 grams protein

Slow Cooker Bluberry Muffin Oats

Hi I've never really prepped a few days worth of breakfast before- if I needed something to grab and go, I'd just throw together some overnight oats like this or this. But, as my schedule has gotten busier and busier I decided it would be really convenient to just have everything ready to go.

I came across this recipe and decided to give it a try. It uses a mixture of steel coat oats and quinoa which adds some protein and omega-3 fatty acids to an otherwise carbohydrate based meal.

If you've never bought steel cut oats, you can find them right near the regular oatmeal. Both rolled oats and steel cut oats start as oat groats. The groats are roasted and can then be further processed and rolled into flakes (rolled oats) or cut into several pieces (steel cut oats). For this reason, steel cut oats take longer to cook, but provide a chewier texture and nuttier taste. As far as nutrition, they are pretty much identical.

The end result? Really delicious (and makes your kitchen smell amazing)! This is a really nourishing, filling breakfast that you can further customize with various toppings. I've topped mine with yogurt (for extra protein) and peanut butter (to add healthy fat).

You can find the original recipe here!

Slow Cooker Blueberry Muffin Oats 

Serves 6

Recipe by Jamie

Ingredients: 

1 cup steel cut oats
1/2 cup quinoa, rinsed
5 cups water
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest of 1 lemon (about 1-2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons flaxseed
1 tablespoon coconut oil
3-4 tablespoons stevia (or pure maple syrup or honey)
3/4-1 cup cup fresh or frozen blueberries (I used 3/4 cup frozen)

Directions:

1. Spray the inside of slow cooker with cooking spray. Add all ingredients and stir. Cook for 7-8 hours on low (overnight if you'd like).

2. Spoon oats into a bowl and add a splash of milk (optional) and other desired toppings. Store in the fridge.

*To reheat a serving, add 1/3 cup milk or water and cook for 1 minute on high in the microwave. Stir, then cook again another minute or so or until hot. It's also good cold- stir in some yogurt and it's just like overnight oats!

Nutrition Information per serving:  206 calories, 6 grams Fat, 32 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Lentils represent luck and prosperity in the New Year, so today is the perfect day to share this easy recipe!

Lentils are a great source of fiber, magnesium, iron, folate and protein. This is a warm, nutritious, hearty soup for a cold winter day!

You can add ground turkey, chicken, sirloin or vegetarian crumbles (I like Beyond Meat) to increase the protein of this meal.  I like to round it out with a salad as well.

Crock Pot Lentil Soup with Kale and Potatoes

Ingredients: 

2 cups carrots, chopped
2 cups celery, chopped
2 cups potatoes, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup lentils
6 cups vegetable broth
salt and pepper to taste
Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons olive oil 
3 cups kale, roughly chopped
1 cup parsley, chopped


Directions:

1. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, onion, garlic, lentils, vegetable broth and spices in your Crock Pot. Cook on high for 5 hours.

2. Remove 4 cups of soup from the Crock Pot and place in a blender along with the oil. Blend, then add back to the Crock Pot. Turn off the heat. Stir in the kale and parsley. Wait until the kale has wilted then serve!

Serves 6

Nutrition Information (1/6 of the recipe): 199 Calories, 7 grams Fat, 27 g Carbs, 6 grams Protein

3 Ingredient HEALTHY Chocolate Frosting

I'm a sucker for no-fuss recipes with as little ingredients as possible. I was skeptical of this recipe, but the flavor and texture is SPOT ON.

Ingredients are simple: honey, unsweetened cocoa powder, and milk of choice. Mix it up and your ready to slather it on cupcakes, brownies, cakes, donuts - anything really!

This frosting is perfect for getting that chocolate fix. Even my chocolate loving friend approves!

 I was looking for a frosting for my Beet Chocolate Brownies (Yes, beets. I will post the recipe when it's finalized! 

Need another reason to eat chocolate? Cocoa beans contain antioxidant-rich flavonoids. A high intake of flavonoids has been associated with reduced risk of cancer and cardiovascular disease. However, processing and adding sugar to chocolate decreases these benefits. Stick to unsweetened cocoa powder or small pieces of dark chocolate (at least 85%!).

Ok, now the frosting!! I only slightly modified Amy's recipe which you can find here.

3 Ingredient Chocolate Frosting

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 tablespoons pure honey
1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

Mix these ingredients together until thoroughly combined!