Perfectly Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

If you're trying to add more veggies into your day, but don't enjoy them raw or steamed, I HIGHLY recommend that you try roasting them. Roasting gives vegetables a totally different texture and flavor. Unlike any other cooking method, roasting caramelizes the vegetable which gives it a naturally sweet flavor. And who doesn't like sweet?

Serve to any veggie skeptic and watch them change their mind.

Perfectly Roasted Parmesan Broccoli

Ingredients:

1 head of broccoli
Sea salt
Pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
Lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 F.
2. Cut broccoli into florets, leaving about 3/4" of stem.
3. Coat a baking pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Add the broccoli and coat with cooking spray and salt and pepper to taste. Roast 25-30 minutes, or until tender and crisp.
4. Remove from pan and place in a large bowl. Add the cheese and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice and toss to combine. Serve while hot!

Serves: 1-2 veggie lovers

Veggie Crunch Salad

This can really be done with any veggies, but I definitely recommend using red cabbage as the base. For the rest of the veggies- feel free to mix it up. This bowl is full of fiber, antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, that are all needed for healthy bodies. Just serve with some protein and you have a great meal!

Veggie Crunch Salad 

Ingredients:

1handful chopped red cabbage

1/2 English cucumber, chopped

1 handful cherry tomatoes, chopped 

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped 

1/4 avocado, cut into chunks

Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped

Juice of half a lemon

1 teaspoon olive oil 

Salt 

Pepper 

Directions: 

1. Dump all ingredients into a large bowl, mix, and serve!

Lemon Cake PrOATein Bars

These came out SUPER moist and cake-like. Fresh lemon zest and lemon juice make these bars burst with clean, delicious, lemon flavor. Perfect to take on-the-go or to add to your protein fro-yo :)

Lemon Cake PrOATein Bars

Ingredients:

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder
1 tablespoon coconut flour
1/4 cup oatmeal
3 tablespoons powdered stevia (or to taste)
1 tablespoon sugar-free lemon pudding mix
Zest of one medium lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup egg whites
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/4 cup cottage cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Blend all ingredients together in a blender.
3. Pour batter into a loaf pan coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until knife comes out clean.
5. Let cool, then cut into four pieces.

If you'd like to add "frosting", just mix together 1 tablespoon greek yogurt with 1 tablespoon vanilla whey. If you want to get real fancy, throw some more zest on top.

Macros: 1 g Fat, 6.8 g CHO, 11.3 g Protein

*Macros will vary depending on the the protein powder you choose. I used MRM Vanilla for this recipe. 

Lemon Blueberry Protein Pancakes

These pancakes are moist and hearty, and the warm, juicy blueberries inside make them extra delicious. This recipe is actually long overdue, but I always like to do a second or third round of recipe testing before I post them. The problem is, I'm always making new recipes so it takes a long time to get back to all the ones I have to test! I decided that I'm going to stop being such a perfectionist and changing all my recipes two or three times . . . or just never posting them. If they taste amazing, they are just getting posted. Many people have been asking me where I get some of my ingredients. I linked some of the ingredients below to the website where I bought them. If you use the link provided, you'll receive a discount off your order :) . Also, there is a link on my homepage that brings you to the website that automatically applies the discount if you if you click on it.

Lemon Blueberry Protein Pancakes

Ingredients:

Pancakes:
3 tablespoons egg whites
2 tablespoons cottage cheese

2 tablespoons almond milk 
1/4 cup blueberries
15 drops lemon stevia (or regular stevia to taste)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/2 tablespoon psyllium husk
2 tablespoons coconut flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Filling:
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
Few drops lemon stevia (or regular)

Directions:

1. Heat a nonstick pan over medium hear. Coat with cooking spray. 

2. Blend together all ingredients in a food processor/blender. 
4. Cook your pancakes!
5. Layer with more blueberries and Greek yogurt mixed with stevia.

Lemon Cream Pie Protein Pancakes

HUGE thank you to @cleaneatingsurvivalguide for featuring my recipe yesterday!! I hadn't even planned on making pancakes, but my brother had been asking me to show his girlfriend how I put together some of my recipes. I decided to use this opportunity to experiment. My mom had bought wheat bran a while back and never used it. So, I thought - why not try it out in some pancakes? Well, this is what happened. So, as promised, I am posting the recipe. I wouldn't want to let my new followers down ; ) .

Lemon Cream Pie Protein Pancakes

Ingredients for Pancakes:

1/4 cup wheat bran (I used Bob's Red Mill)
1 scoop vanilla whey
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 teaspoons lemon sugar-free pudding mix
Stevia to taste
1 tablespoon yogurt
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons egg whites

Ingredients for filling:

Plain Greek yogurt + Stevia to taste

Directions:

1. Mix together dry ingredients in a small bowel. In a separate bowl, mix together the yogurt and the egg whites.
2. Gradually add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix until combined. DO NOT over mix!
3. Heat a skillet over medium-high heat. Add batter by the tablespoon.
4. Flip pancake when the outer edges are cooked and you start to see some bubbles. Cook for about a minute or two on the other side.
5. Combine filling ingredients and layer filling between pancakes.
6. EAT!

I bet lemon flavored liquid Stevia and freshly grated lemon rind would be great in these! I didn't have either : ( . But I will try it when I make these again!

Current Salad Obsession

I've been switching up my typical lunch of a protein "panini" and zucchini noodles with an absolutely delicious, easy, healthy, hearty, salad. So I wanted to share :). There's no oil in my salad dressing- it doesn't need any!! And since there isn't, it allows me to throw in a little more avocado than I normally would when there's other sources of fat in my meal :)!

Mixed Greens with Avocado, Feta, and Lemon Garlic Dressing

Ingredients:

1 garlic clove chopped
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Mix these three together at the bottom of the bowl you'll be making your salad in (I use a BIG one). That's it- dressing DONE! Now the salad:

2 cups mixed greens with herbs (I use an organic brand from Whole Foods
1/4 avocado, cubed
2 T corn
5 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cucumber, sliced
3 T fat free feta
1/2 t oregano
Cooked shrimp (I've also used steamed lobster and baked tofu!)

So, Add the lettuce to the bowl and toss it around a little. Add the rest of the ingredients and EAT!

NOTE: I keep a bag of frozen corn in the freezer, nuke what I need in the microwave or just let it defrost on a plate while I prepare the rest of the salad.

Also, you can also throw a few sliced black olives in there which would be tasty.

Here's my salad with shrimp:

Salt and pepper to taste

Here's my salad with Baked Tofu: