Goo & Protein Bars

Looks gross right? Haven't you learned to not judge a book by it's cover? ;-)  This is a recipe I got last spring at a Figure Building/Body Building contest I attended with my friend Tasha. She did awesome btw! It will satisfy your sweet tooth but isn't empty calories like most sweets.

Beverly Goo
2 scoops protein powder
1/4 cup Peanut Butter (natural or almond butter)
1/4 cup Honey
Handful of candy pieces. (opt)

Mix all of the above ingredients together. I usually have to add water. Just enough to help it mix properly.  I eat it with a spoon right outta the bowl, as I crave something sweet!



I also sampled a similar recipe recently from my friend who is an Arbonne Consultant. This one is a larger quantity but the same basic concept. With the addition of the oatmeal you can ideally cut these into protein bars.

Protein Bars
2 cups or 1 16-oz jar natural peanut butter
1 3/4 cups honey
2 1/4 cups protein powder
3 cups dry uncooked oatmeal

In a microwave safe bowl combine PB and  honey. Heat in micro until it easily stirs.
Add protein powder and oatmeal and mix thoroughly. It will be very thick. Press it into a 9x13" pan. Refridgerate for 1 hour or until solid enough to cut into bars. Wrap each bar in foil or plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.
For extra fiber use 1/4 cup fiber and 2 cups protein powder.

Makes 24 servings.

Goo recipe originally from Beverly International.
Please visit Renee's Arbonne page if you'd like to order anything!

Shake Creations 101

Hey guys! This is another one of my thrown together shakes. Just sharing the base details in case your mind is in a rut! Don't worry about the brown flecks in the shake, those are just the almond butter goodness! :)

Ingredients: (this will make a large serving, you can half them if needed)
1 scoop vanilla whey protein
1 heaping teaspoon of almond butter
1/2 frozen banana
8 oz skim milk
2 scoops Energy Booster

Place all in blender and push "blend".

Appx:
*using 1 scoop energy booster for small, 2 scoops for large size.
Large Serving: 380 cals
Half Serving (small): 191 cals

Pom Power!

How many of you out there just adore pomegranates? Come on don't be shy..yell out ME ME!! For very good reason you should love this little guy! He's packed with all sorts of antioxidants that will punch out the competition. To name a few contenders in the ring this includes red wine, blueberry juice, green tea and cranberry juice. I know right.. amazing! Check out this graph that demonstrates it's superiority in the antioxidant fruit fight.

Antioxidants are like cops.. they will fight crime in your body. What crimes am I speaking of? I am speaking of the toll free radicals play on our health and well being. Free radicals are the bad guys. They are unstable molecules that can damage the cells in your body causing disease and increase the signs of aging (gasp!)

First let me show you all the ways Pom Wonderful makes it easy for us to enjoy these benefits. Below I have pictures of the Pom section at my local grocery. Pom Wonderful comes in all sorts of flavors such 100% Pomegranate Juice or a variety of options that are about 80/20 mix. Let your taste buds delight over Pom Blueberry or Pom Mango. Those are some of my favorites besides straight up 100% Pom on the rocks! It also comes in a array of other products such as Pomx Iced Coffee. I admit that was extremely yummy!

I have a tendency to drink this stuff right outta the bottle but it can also be useful and delightful in many recipes. Today I made a Pomegranate Blueberry Shake packed with protein and yep you guessed it--> antioxidants!! (blueberries also pack a kick of antioxidants)

Pomegranate Blueberry Power Shake

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Pom Wonderful 100% Pomegranite Juice.
3 oz skim milk (that is just over 1/3 cup)
2 ice cubes
1/2 frozen banana
handful of frozen blueberries
1 TB almonds: ground
2 TB vanilla whey protein powder (that was about half a serving or scoop)
1/2 tsp honey

First I put whole almonds in the blender and ground them up. I have a selection on my blender called "grate".

Then I added all the other ingredients to the blender and pushed Blend!
Check out the little chunks of blueberry goodness in that glass!

It was delightfully refreshing!

Information and recipe adapted from  Pom Wonderful

Breakfast Egg Roll

Just a quick post today.  Making fast healthy meals can be challenging. Especially thinking of new ideas to keep your taste buds engaged! Here's a really quick idea you can toss together in a matter of minutes. Minimal ingredients and fits within healthy in my book ;-)

Ingredients:
3 egg whites
1 whole egg
1 Lt. Italian Flatout bread
baby spinach
sprinkle of cheddar cheese
salt and pepper to taste
non-stick spray

First separate you eggs into a bowl (I missed taking pics of that) I do the half shell method. I do usually do this over a bowl though in case one of those buggers slips outta the shell into the bowl on me!

I use a 3/1 ratio as I like to get a little fat in the mix. I also like some of the flavor of the whole egg in there. It's totally up to you. If you use all egg whites try eating a few almonds with your meal. Those are a great source of healthy fat.

Spray your pan with non-stick spray (like Pam) and scramble up your eggs. Shake, shake a little salt and pepper. I sprinkled on a little shredded cheese too. Whatever type I had in the freezer (not sure it was cheddar honestly). About a teaspoon. Let it melt.

While all that was happening I got out the following:

One flat bread. Flavor: Light Italian Herb. Ammmmaaaazing!!!!  They have 90 cals a a piece, 6 carbs, no sugar, and 9 g of fiber! I know right! :o I've been eating these for years and I just love them for wraps and flat bread pizza.

Again with the baby spinach. I seriously love this stuff. It's so good for you. And a bag goes so far!

Slide your melty cheezed eggs right on top of that healthy baby spinach.

Roll the flatbread up.. cut.. and it's a wrap! (just like the movies, lol)
Yes.. I see the paper plate.. today I add to my carbon footprint in a big way.

Green Monster

As you all know I am quite fond of tossing a few items in the blender, swirling them around and swirling myself right out the door with a nutritious, on-the-go breakfast.  One version of these breakfast blend-sations includes spinach and I've become accustomed to calling these wonderful little morning creations Green Monsters. Yesterday I hauled my hiney off to kickboxing for a 6:15 (please note this next part) AM class. I was home by 7:30 ready to put some protein in my tummy to save those screaming lil muscles I'd woken up so early. Out came the blender.. in went the following ingredients!

Green Monster (Mango-Coconut)

1/2 cup fresh apple juice
3.5 oz Greek Yogurt (2% Fage is what I used)
1 TB Flaxseed
1 TB Wheatgerm
2 TB Fiber
1/8 cup frozen coconut shavings
1/4 cup frozen mango chunks (Dole)
2-3 oz cold water if needed
Baby spinach to the top!

I found this brand of Apple Juice at Hy-Vee.  I feel like it's as close to fresh apple juice as I can come with out having a juicer of my own. As you can see in the label.. "not from concentrate" They squeezed every single apple into this fun little jar! Doesn't it have a certain 50's -esque feel to it!

If you couldn't see before.. here's a closer view!

I've recently discovered that all yogurts are basically bad for you. They are sugar in a cup. I became very sad at this moment. It's like all these years of thinking I was eating something good for me and suddenly my favorite toy was smashed to pieces. Fortunately I only "try" to eat healthy ;-).  I can allow myself to use good yogurt in recipes and I'll still sneak that yummy Chobani I love so much as a treat when I'm feeling naughty! Consider it the lesser of two evils.. straight out cheesecake or Chobani.
This Greek yogurt has good stats with:
130 cals
4 g fat
65 mg sodium
8 g carbs
8 g sugars
17 protein

 Flax and wheatgerm. I put these in every breakfast shake I make.. standards in my book. You can't tell they are in there and they provide so much benefit! I'm super excited because I just found out my friend will be selling organic flax from her family farm! It will be fresher and organic! Yay for my body!

Next comes adding fiber. Does anyone know how many grams of fiber you are to eat in a day? (guessing, guessing...) You all might be right.. as the range is 20-35 grams!! (ADA recommends 25-35g) I used the Sprinkle fiber on the left that I bought at the local nutrition store Campbells but I put a picture of a common brand name on the right: Benefiber. These powders are great because you can toss them into just about anything: regular food, sauces, soups, beverages. They are flavorless and don't change the consistency of the food items. Benefiber even has convenient single serve packs for on the go.

 I tossed in a smidge of fresh frozen coconut that I picked up at the Indian grocery. I'm sure regular coconut would work. Or try dried, hydrate it, then freeze.

Dole makes these great pre-packaged frozen fruits. At first I thought they were too pricy for my taste. But if you watch the sales and use coupons they are well worth the price! Especially for the unique fruits like mango. Since you only need a few cubes at a time they last forever and convenience wise its fabulous. Plus we all know most of us are more likely to eat healthy if its easy. Plus I thought it was fun to know my mango came from Peru!

Fill the blender to the top with spinach. Push blend and away we go! I usually have to use a rubber spatula to gently push the spinach down abit. I also needed to add just 2-3 oz of cold water this time to make it blend up nice. It always depends. Just eyeball it.

Finally here's the little Green Monster himself. This will totally fill up your gas tank- promise!

Jazz Up Your Cottage Cheese

I read in People magazine today Kate Gosselin (formerly of Jon & Kate Plus Eight television series) has a new focus on eating healthy and one of her fav's includes cottage cheese sprinkled with sunflower nuts. I've always been a fan of mixing my cottage cheese with some odd things, but that was one I hadn't heard! I came home and tried it for lunch and loved it! Yum Yum!!

Here are some other cottage cheese mixers:

• I like to add tuna to mine. Everyone I tell this to turns up their nose but.. they always come back surprised at how good it was! I grab those one serving packets of albacore tuna (Sunkist brand I think) and mix it right in with a half cup cottage cheese. I prefer Anderson Erickson brand- it taste the best to me!
• A friend of mine adds yogurt. I wasn't as fond of this variation but it was edible lol.
• Chop up some fresh veggies (peppers, green onions, etc) and toss 'um in!

What other foods do you add to cottage cheese to change it up? Write a comment below to share with everyone! The healthy masses want to know :)

Cereal Treats with a Twist

Quick Tip:  Try making rice krispy treats with dates instead of marshmallows.
The dates will provide the stickiness for holding it all together. Dates are full of fiber and they are also a natural sugar vs. the white processed sugar that is in the marshmallows. Plus these are halal and you can use up your dates post Ramadan! :)

Combine 1/4 cup of "butter"
1 cup "sugar"  (Who out there totally exclaimed "Yay-Truvia!")
1.5 cups of chopped pitted dates

Cook the above over low heat, stir until paste like.

Add:
1 tsp of vanilla
2 cups of your choice of cereal.  (Fiber One is the Bomb! When I first started eating it I joked that it looked like dog food. But I dispute that it tastes great! And there are so many uses for it if you're eating a healthy lifestyle!)

You can even add in some yummy extra's like shredded coconut, chocolate chips or anything you like. SIMPLY AMAZING!

Servings:
About two dozen bars

Nutritional Info:
Only around 105 calories per serving, depending on what cereal you use.

Popeye the Sailer Man

Spinach- Will this leafy green do as much for you as it did for cartoon character Popeye? Perhaps.. but not because of the iron content it was once thought to have. Spinach provides an array of nutritional benefits as it's packed with carotenoids, antioxidants, vitamin K, coenzyme Q10, B vitamins, minerals, chlorophyll, polyphenols, betaine and plant-derived omega-3 fatty acids. To name a few!

Read some of the disease prevention benefits these little green leaves pack:

• Cardiovascular disease including stroke and coronary artery disease
• Cancer including colon, lung, skin, oral, stomach, ovarian, prostate and breast cancer
• Age related macular degeneration (AMD) (a disease related to the eyes, usually in the elderly)
• Cataracts

Researchers believe it's the supply of vitamins, minerals, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants and phytonutrients that help prevent age related issues such as cancers, eye health disorders or cognitive decline.  So not only was Popeye strong.. he was pretty darn smart too! ;-)
Need more reasons to eat your spinach? Vitamin C, beta-carotene and a few other nutrients join together to prevent cholesterol from building up in the vessel walls. Folate, B6 and betaine lower serum levels of the amino acid homocysteine. It also contains potassium and magnesium. All in all what this means for you.. a happy heart!

In the recipe below I also included fresh oranges. The outside of an orange is called the peel and is made of two distinct parts. The zest or the 'orange part' and the pith or 'the white bitter interior'. I removed the zest of the orange but not the pith. I did this by taking a sharp knife and carefully slicing just under the zest at an angle to remove all the 'orange' of the peel. (Place the zest in your garbage disposal. You''ll instantly have a fresh citrus scent in your kitchen!) One of the main nutritional aspects of using these outer coverings is that they contain the phytonutrient herperidin. This flavanone has shown to decrease blood pressure, lower cholesterol and has strong anti-inflammatory properties. All of these items increase your cardiovascular health.

Check out my creation this morning. It was green. It looked yucky. But it tasted oh so delish! (you couldn't even taste the spinach) And based on the above information it seems to indicate your mom was right- eat your fruits and veggies. Try taking this smoothie to the office. It will certainly provoke immediate attention and conversation!

Spinach Smoothie
Serves 2

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vanilla yogurt (plain would be more ideal if you are wanting to cut out sugars)
1 tsp+ vanilla flavoring
1 tsp flaxseed
1 tsp wheat germ
1 scoop orange whey protein
2 whole oranges roughly chopped, remove the zest but keep the pith remaining
2/3 cup water (or so)
Organic baby spinach- two to three handfuls (fill blender to 3/4 full appx)
5-6 ice cubes
*I also included a couple teaspoons magnesium powder. You can purchase this at your local natural and organic market/section. It provides tons of benefits.

Add all ingredients to a blender. Blend on high speed to liquify. Pour in a BIG cup and enjoy!

Servings:

This made appx 36 oz. Waaay more than I could finish- super filling!

Breakfast Smoothie 1

This is my stand-by clean eating breakfast smoothie. I usually eat oatmeal for breakfast. Yep, the old fashioned- steel cut, simmer for a half hour- kind your grandma would have made. And I like it..with a little  bit of Truvia or brown sugar of course ;-)  .. love it with blueberries, and heaven forbid strawberries tossed in! But once and awhile I get wild and make myself a smoothie in the morning. I know.. I'm sure there are earthquake tremors somewhere because of this ;-)
It's pretty basic and since I am not the most early bird riser, I dump all the dry ingredients into the blender the night prior. This save's on time and get's me out the door just a smidge faster. :) Plus you can eat breakfast in the car or at your desk. I'm not above spilling so I bought these great cups from Tupperware that come with lids with a hole in the top for a straw. Makes my 'gotta have' list!

Eat Clean Breakfast Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients:
1/4 scoop whey protein powder. (I use vanilla on this one)
4 tsp dry oatmeal
3 TB water (or milk)
1 tsp almond butter (or nut butter of your choice)
1/4 frozen banana (opt)
1/2 TB unsweetened applesauce
3/4 tsp flax seed
3/4 tsp wheat germ
4 ice cubes

Combine all above ingredients into a blender and enjoy!

Nutritional Info:
Calories 275
Calories from fat 31
Protein 8 g
Carbs 55 g
Fiber 6 g
Sugar 28 g
Sodium 37 g


Special thanks to Tosca Reno. Recipe adapted from her Eat Clean-Diet Cookbook 2007.