French Thins

After looking at someone's Instagram photo of delicious french toast I really wanted, no, I needed, some french toast for breakfast! Lol!  So, after my cardio sesh this morning I scoured my kitchen in search of a few basic ingredients to make a healthy and delicious batter.  As for the bread, I used one whole Flax & Fiber Arnold Sandwich Thin, which, if you're counting calories, is only 100 cal per roll.  Also, they are high in fiber and pack 5g of protein, score!  Any who, this batter recipe below actually makes enough for two servings, meaning, it is more than enough to dredge 2 whole sandwich thins (4 slices) in!  You can make this breakfast for you and your boo, or do what I did and prepare the other French Thins for a tasty mid-day treat!

French Thins!

Banana Cinnamon Raisin Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate French Thins! (say that 5 times fast) lol!

Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup Egg Whites
- 1/4 scoop VPX SRO Zero Carb Chocolate Protein Powder
- 1/8 tsp Cinnamon
- Splash of VPX Chocolate Protein Rush
- 2 Flax & Fiber Arnold Sandwich Thins

If you're not a chocoholic like me *gasp!* then you can always sub it for vanilla protein and add some pure vanilla extract to the mix ;)

Instructions:
- Whisk the first four ingredients together in a bowl.
- Spray pan with non-stick cooking spray and heat on Low.
- Soak slices in batter.
- Cook covered until golden brown (about 1-2 minutes) on each side.

As you can see from the above picture I topped mine with two of my favorite foods, banana and peanut butter!  I sliced up half of a small banana and used 1 tbsp of Peanut Butter & Co. Cinnamon Raisin spread.  Amazeballz!  I also sprinkled some sunflower seeds on top for an added *crunch* :)

You can add your own toppings/stuffings to meet your nutritional needs and suit your taste buds.  Below I listed some suggestions I may have to try myself!

Stuffing Suggestions
- Apples
- Pears
- Peaches
- Berries
- Nuts
- Greek Yogurt
- Honey/Agave
- PB2

Nutritional Info (per serving): without toppings
140.3 calories, 1.1g fat, 259.8mg sodium, 92mg potassium, 21.3g carbohydrates (5.2g fiber, 2g sugar), 13.3g protein.

With the toppings it came out to about 285 calories and 18g protein.
Caloric Breakdown:
French Thins Batter - 40 cal per serving
Flax & Fiber Arnold's Sandwich Thins - 100 cal per roll
Cinnamon Raisin Swirl Peanut Butter - 80 cal per tbsp
Banana - 45 cal for 1/2
Sunflower Seeds - 20 cal

Hope this helps :)

And as always... I hope you ENJOY!

Easy Open Faced Egg White Omelette

I wanted to make a quick and easy breakfast this morning, and I did, so I thought I'd share it with you!  With just 5 healthy ingredients and only 5 steps, this recipe is super simple for my busy but health conscious fit fam.  Packed with 26.3g protein and only 158.3 calories, this high protein, low calorie, and low carb meal is the perfect way to start a healthy day!

Easy Open Faced Egg White Omelette

Ingredients:
- 3/4 cup egg whites
- 1/2 cup chopped baby spinach
- 0.5 oz low sodium turkey breast
- 1 oz low fat shredded mozzarella
- a dash of Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb seasoning

Instructions:
- Spray small pan with olive oil and heat on medium.
- Add chopped spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Pour in egg whites and cook for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add turkey breast and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Sprinkle mozzarella and Mrs. Dash on top and cover with lid for 1-2 minutes.

And that is it!  You can always incorporate additional veggies such as; onions, peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, the list can go on and on!

Serving Size: 1
Nutritional Info:
158.3 calories, 3.4g fat, 11.2mg cholesterol, 378.3mg potassium, 1.7g carbohydrates, 26.3g protein.

Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pudding Cake

If you haven't noticed already, I am quite a fan of peanut butter!  I could probably put peanut butter on almost anything and enjoy it :) 

Not too long ago, I purchased PB2 after hearing so much buzz about this amazing powdered peanut butter.  PB2 has the same consistency as full fat peanut butter with all of the natural roasted peanut flavor, but with nearly 85% less fat calories.  PB2 is made with high quality peanuts that are slow-roasted and pressed to remove the oil.  It is all natural with no artificial flavors or sweeteners, and no preservatives.  PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter is mixed with water to create a traditional peanut butter mixture.  It also works wonderfully in recipes that call for the use of peanut butter.

Since purchasing PB2, I have been looking for different ways to use it in my recipes!

And this folks, is an absolutely AMAZINGLY delicious recipe!

My Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pudding Cake is so moist and delicious, I seriously had to calculate all the ingredients and measurements several times to actually make sure it really was UNDER 150 CALORIES!!!  It is SO good I have eaten it for breakfast, before my workouts, and at night for dessert.  Yup, I may be slightly addicted to PB, but that's fine with me :)  

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Pudding Cake

Ingredients:

- 1/4 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

- 1/4 cup Pumpkin Puree

- 1/4 cup Egg Whites

- 1/4 small Banana

- 1/2 tsp PB2 Powdered Peanut Butter

- 1/8 tsp Vanilla Extract

- 1/8 tsp Cinnamon

- 1/3 Stevia Packet

- Pinch of Nutmeg

Topping:

- 1 tsp Sunbutter Natural Sunflower Seed Spread

Instructions:

Blend all of the ingredients together (I used my Magic Bullet) and pour into a small microwave safe dish.

Microwave on high for about 3 minutes depending on your microwave wattage.

*Tip* For more of a pudding consistency heat for less time, for more of a cake consistency, heat for longer.

While warm, top with Sunbutter.

Super easy!

Serving Size: 1

Nutritional Information:

136 calories, 4g fat, 15mg cholesterol, 130mg sodium, 319mg potassium, 15g carbs (4g fiber, 7g sugar), 13g protein

I KNOW you will enjoy!

Cinnamon Chocolate Protein Pancakes with PB & Banana Topping

If you follow me on any of the social media networks (which I suggest you should) ;) You probably know by now I'm all about pursing progress.  Personally, I feel as if there is always room for improvement when it comes to almost anything in life.  I'm striving to be the best me I can possibly be, persistently trying to better myself every day.

This is relative to my cooking as well.  I'm constantly questioning; How can I make this recipe healthier? Can I substitute any ingredients to make this meal a clean eating choice? Is it possible to reduce the calorie content? What can I do to make this recipe even more delicious?  I can go on and on, but I think you get the point! Lol!

So, in seeking to make my protein pancakes even better, I came up with this wonderful recipe!  Cinnamon Chocolate Protein Pancakes with PB & Banana Topping!

Cinnamon Chocolate Protein Pancakes with PB & Banana Topping

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop Chocolate Whey Protein (VPX SRO Zero Carb)
- 1/4 cup Quick Cooking Oatmeal
- 1/4 cup Egg Whites
- 1/8 cup Fat Free Cottage Cheese
- 1/8 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
- 1/2 tsp Cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract

Topping:
- 1 tbsp Natural Peanut Butter
- 1/2 Banana (sliced)

Instructions:
1) Blend all ingredients together (I use my Magic Bullet).
2) Cook pancakes on Low heat on a pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
3) Spread half tbsp Natural PB on first pancake while warm.
4) Place second pancake on top and spread remaining Natural PB on top.
5) Top with Banana slices.

Serving Size: 2 medium sized Protein Pancakes
Nutrition (includes the topping!): 370 calories, 33g protein, 9g fat, 282.5mg sodium, 36g carbs, 6g fiber

These came out great!  They were thicker and much more moist than the original recipe.  I really like the addition of cinnamon as it boosts metabolic rate and flavor.  Also, I'm very happy I was able to reduce the calories from 467 to 370!  Tastier and healthier for the win!

 Enjoy! :)

Turkey Muffins

In preparation for upcoming photoshoots and fashion shows, I decided to alter my eating and become more strict with my meals.  Therefor, I decided to make fitness model (and my personal role model) Jamie Eason's Turkey Meatloaf Muffins (click for her recipe) which I found on one of my favorite websites, Bodybuilding.com.

This is a picture from my first time making her exact recipe!

*Tip*

I like my food caliente, but if you are not into fiery foods (or can't stomach spice).

I recommend cutting down on the chipotle pepper because they are pretty spicy!

Turkey Muffins make the perfect grab and go snack!

When I went to go make my turkey muffins for the week last night, I realized I did not have all of the same ingredients, but, I made it work!  So this is my recipe below.

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs lean ground turkey
• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/2 cup oats
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Original
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herb
• 1 tsp Mrs. Dash Extra Spicy
• 2 tsp yellow mustard
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp garlic 
• 2 celery stalks (chopped)

  

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Spray muffin pan with olive oil.
3. Mix all your ingredients together in one large bowl.
4. Roll the mixture into balls and place in muffin pan. Muffins should be about the size of a racquetball.
5. Bake for 50 minutes.

Makes 12 muffins.

Serving Size:

Women: 2 muffins

Men: 4 muffins

Enjoy! :)

Chocolate Protein Pancakes with Peanut Butter & Banana Topping

This is my FAVORITE meal to make! And for numerous reasons; 

It's quick, easy, uses minimal ingredients, healthy, and of course, delicious!

You can always experiment with different ingredients and toppings ;)

Recently, I added spinach and vanilla extract to the pancake batter and it was amazeballz!

Ingredients: Chocolate Protein Pancakes
- 1/4 cup Quick Cooking Oats
- 1/4 cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese
- 1/2 cup Egg Whites
- 1 scoop VPX SRO Chocolate Whey Protein

Ingredients: Peanut Butter & Banana Topping
- 2 tbsp All Natural Peanut Butter
- 1 medium Organic Banana

Instructions:
- Blend all protein pancake ingredients in a blender (I use my Magic Bullet) until mixture is of pancake batter consistency (this should take less than 30 seconds).
- Spray pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- Pour half of the mixture into pan and cook on Low heat for about 2 minutes on each side.

*Tip* When air bubbles form on top that is a good indicator that you should flip your protein pancake!

This recipe produces 2 medium sized protein pancakes.

*Tip*
Spread 1 tbsp of peanut butter on each protein pancake when warm for a gooey syrup consistency.

Slice banana and layer half on one protein pancake and half on top.

*Note*
If you are watching your sugar and carbohydrate intake be advised that peanut butter and bananas are high in both.

Enjoy! :)

Egg White Muffins & Cinnamon Peach Oatmeal

I saw several egg white muffin recipes on Pintrest and decided to try them this morning!  

I also spiced up my oatmeal with some diced peaches! Yum!

Ingredients: Egg White Muffins
Egg whites (I use Crystal Farms - All Whites 100% liquid egg whites)
Organic vegetables of choice (below are some great examples)
- Spinach
- Peppers
- Onions
- Garlic cloves
Seasoning
- Mrs. Dash (it contains zero sodium but lots of flavor!)
- Ground pepper

Ingredients: Cinnamon Peach Oatmeal
- Quick cooking oatmeal (I use Publix brand!)
- All natural cinnamon
- 1 ripe organic peach
- Almond milk


Instructions: Egg White Muffins
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2) Spray muffin pan with non stick cooking spray
3) Chop up vegetables and fill about halfway
4) Pour egg whites over vegetables to the top
5) Season to taste by sprinkling Mrs. Dash and pepper on top
6) Bake in the oven for 20-30 minutes (mine took closer to 30)
*Make sure you remove them from the muffin pan and place them on a rack to cool*

Instructions: Cinnamon Peach Oatmeal
1) Place 1/3 cup of quick cooking oats in microwave safe bowl
2) Sprinkle cinnamon over oats
3) Pour water to cover oats and mix cinnamon in
4) Microwave on high for 1 minute and 30 seconds
5) Take bowl out of microwave and mix in diced peaches
6) Pour almond milk over oatmeal

Enjoy!

Tip: You will have left over egg white muffins, my muffin pan allots for 6 muffins, so I saved 2 muffins each in plastic bags for a quick and healthy breakfast tomorrow! Hooray for planning ahead and saving time! :)