Protein Muffins- No flour!

Do you ever get a harsh craving for muffins or pancakes in the morning? I do!!! Unfortunately it's not always best for our waistlines to eat like that every morning.. This is a much healthier alternative to regular, sugary carby muffins. This is something you can feel good about!! So I adapted this recipe from "kneadtocook", she has her very own blog and I enjoy reviewing her original recipes!
 So here are the ingredients that I used to make these delicious protein muffins (you can make them into pancakes as well!)

Mine turned out really well and rose in the oven just like a normal muffin would, and the texture is great, they are nice and moist !

Also I don't have a camera so you will just have to trust me on this one . :P




You will need:

2 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 scoop vanilla or plain protein powder (whey is best, as it is the most easily absorbed into your body. But if you cannot have whey protein, hemp, rice or soy will do as well.)
1 pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla extract (artificial is fine.)
1 mashed banana
2 tbsp maple syrup or raw honey




Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Combine eggs, mashed banana, peanut butter, maple syrup, and vanilla in a bowl.

Pour in the protein powder and salt, and mix well.

Spray or grease a muffin tin, pour in the mixture into each section until halfway- three quarters full. It probably will not make a dozen muffins unless you make them mini sized. My batter only made 7 muffins, so it might be better to make them in a mini muffin tin.

Bake for 12-15 minutes, remove from oven when golden brown.


Once cooled, place in an airtight container and store them in the fridge or freezer.



Now you can enjoy a lower calorie, low carbohydrate breakfast or snack on the go!

Whole Wheat Chocolate Chunk Muffins

Two days ago I made these muffins as a request from my boyfriend. They were supposed to last the whole week for him to take to work.. and guess what? They are ALL gone! Over the course of 48 hours he devoured these muffins..( Okay I MAY have helped him a bit..)Which isn't so bad since they are pretty healthy!

You will need:

1/3 cup honey
2/3 cup apple sauce
2 tbsp plain cream cheese
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 pinch nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla
1 bag of semi sweet chocolate chunks/chips
1/2 cup chopped walnut or pecans



Preheat oven to 350 degrees, grease muffin pan or line with muffin cups.

In a bowl, combine whole wheat flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg, then add in honey, apple sauce, cream cheese, pumpkin puree and vanilla. Blend well.


Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, a little bit at a time. Once it is combined, then add in the chocolate chunks and the chopped nuts.


Spoon the mixture into each muffin tin until 3/4 full.


Place in the oven and bake for 10-15 minutes.


Once finished, place on a cooling rack, then store in an air tight container.

Jalapeno Steak

I love spicy food, and jalapeno peppers are my number one favourite flavour for spice. Must be the bit of mexican in me ;) .

Here is another simple recipe for a lazy Sunday.


You will need:

2 large tenderloin steaks
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp cracked black pepper
pinch of salt
1 large jalapeno, minced
1/2 bottle of Clubhouse Montreal Steak Spice Marinade



First off! You will need to let your steak marinade in the steak spice for at least 30 minutes. As with all meats, the longer the better. So if you are going to work,  I suggest placing the steaks in a zip lock bag with the marinade in the fridge before you head off !


Step 1:

Prepare all vegetables, then  pour some olive oil into a sauce pan over medium heat. Place vegetables in the pan.


Step 2:

Slice the marinated steaks thinly as if you are going to make a stir fry. Add to pan with the vegetables.



Once the steaks are cooked the tenderness that you like, remove from heat.  Serve with rice and steamed vegetables, or any side dish you please. This spicy steak really hit the spot for me, I hope it does for you too!

Green Pesto Chicken Pasta

I am back! Here I have a simple yummy recipe for those nights when you just feel like giving up. On dinner. I totally winged it and didn't even copy this one from anywhere. So here you go, it is healthy and leaves some leftovers for lunch as well!


Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 1 bag of fresh spinach
• 1/2 bag of frozen green bean & carrot mix
• 2 tbsp pesto
• 1 tbsp margarine
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp herb and garlic cream cheese 
• 5 fresh kale leaves, torn into pieces

Directions:

1. Place a saucepan on the stove and put in the olive oil, turn heat on medium.
2. Mince the garlic, dice the chicken then add to saucepan.
3. While the chicken begins to cook, place a medium sized pot of water on the stove on high, for the pasta.
4. Add in spinach, green beans, and torn pieces of kale into the chicken garlic mixture.
5. Once the water has boiled in the pot, add in your favorite kind of pasta.
6. When the chicken is done cooking turn the burner off and place a lid on top until the pasta is finished.
7. Drain pasta, place back into the pot, then add margarine, garlic cream cheese and pesto.
8. Dump the chicken mixture into the pot of pasta, and mix well.
9. Serve hot with fresh grated parmesan!

These ingredients I had on hand, but you really can substitute any vegetables. Same with the pasta, you can use gluten free noodles or whole grain ones, it still tastes delicious! Today I felt like I didn't eat enough veggies so I made sure to add lots of greens to my dinner.


Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!

Sourdough Starter (from Allrecipes)

Have you ever wondered where the heck do you buy sourdough starter? Or any "unusual" baking ingredients? A lot of these items you cannot buy in your regular grocery store. Many things you can make from scratch, right in your own kitchen. If you want to make your own sourdough at home, here is the most simple, handy recipe for you to use for sourdough starter. I will keep posting cheaper and healthier alternatives for baking ingredients for everyone, as much as I can. All credit for this recipe goes to Esther Nelson, here is the link : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/sourdough-starter/


And here is the recipe!

Ingredients:

1. 1 pkg dry active yeast (.25 ounce)
2. 2 cups warm water
3. 2 cups all purpose flour

1. In large non-metallic bowl, mix together dry yeast, 2 cups warm water, and 2 cups all purpose flour and cover loosely.
2. Leave in a warm place to ferment, 4 to 8 days. Depending on temperature and humidity of kitchen, times may vary. Place on cookie sheet in case of overflow. Check on occasionally.
3. When mixture is bubbly and has a pleasant sour smell, it is ready to use. If mixture has a pink, orange, or any other strange color tinge to it, THROW IT OUT! and start over. Keep it in the refrigerator, covered until ready to bake.
4. When you use starter to bake, always replace with equal amounts of a flour and water mixture with a pinch of sugar. So, if you remove 1 cup starter, replace with 1 cup water and 1 cup flour. Mix well and leave out on the counter until bubbly again, then refrigerate. If a clear to light brown liquid has accumulated on top, don't worry, this is an alcohol base liquid that occurs with fermentation. Just stir this back into the starter, the alcohol bakes off and that wonderful sourdough flavor remains! Sourdough starters improve with age, they used to be passed down generation to generation!

Overnight Apple Oatmeal

If you know you have a crazy busy morning ahead of you, this is great and super easy to prepare the night before. It saved me so many days that I almost ran late for work. I hope you enjoy this recipe, I didn't copy it off of anywhere,  I just guessed out the measurements at the time and it happened to turn out perfectly , which like, never happens. Anyways here you go!

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup dry oats
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1 cup almond/soy milk
• 1 chopped apple
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp hemp hearts
• 1/4 cup chopped pecans

Stir all of the above ingredients in a to go container, or in a decent sized breakfast bowl, and set in the fridge.
When you are ready to eat in the morning, pop it in the microwave for about 2-3 minutes , then stir until well mixed. Top with brown sugar or honey. Shovel into mouth. Yum.  Oh , don't forget your keys. Or phone. Have a good day!

Creamy Mango Protein Smoothie...With a kick!

When I work in the mornings, I usually get up at around 5:00 a.m. At that time, I never really feel like eating a big meal , and I find that protein smoothies will do the trick and curb my hunger until around 10:00-11:00 a.m. (Or I drink one at 5, and bring an extra, and drink another at work when it isn't busy!)

This is basically just a mish-mash of whatever I had on hand, and it blended quite well together, I really enjoyed it- it tastes sinful but is actually healthy! Enjoy, here is the recipe:

Ingredients

• 1 cup frozen mango chunks
• 1/2 cup frozen or fresh cranberries (can use raspberries or blackberries too!)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• dash of cayenne pepper

Optional: 1 tbsp chia seeds, 1 tbsp matcha



FuN fAcTs! :

The cinnamon in this smoothie will help stabilize your blood sugar throughout the morning, the protein will curb your hunger, the cayenne pepper is a great metabolism booster, along with the lemon which is very high in vitamin C, which helps you burn fat . Cranberries add a slight tartness to even out the sweet, and are also great for cleansing the urinary tract. The matcha is a great antioxidant, and pick-me-up! It is much more concentrated than steeped green tea, since it is actual green tea leaves ground up, no waste there! I subbed out real milk for the almond, because I am a "lactard". Haha. Also, it is a much lower calorie alternative to milk and is good for your skin and hair! The chia seeds (if you chose to add them) are very high in omega 3's, and dietary fiber.