There's something about the warm, long, summer nights that makes me yearn for some delicious, chilly ice cream. Unfortunately, summer also ='s bathing suits, so devouring a pint of ice cream every evening would be a dangerous pursuit. I wish I could say I'm one of those people who could have a bite or two of ice cream and be done... but let's be honest, that's just not happening! I'm thrilled to announce that I've found the answer to my longing for an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's... Arctic Zero!
These nifty little pints of "frozen dessert" (as they are labeled), satisfy my urge for a chilly, tasty treat with only 150 calories, 0 grams of fat, and a whopping 14 grams of protein and 8 grams of fiber! If you were to eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream (a personal favorite), you'd be consuming 1000 calories and wait for it... 60 grams of FAT! So say, you had some self control and only at one 1/2 cup serving, that's still 250 calories and 15 grams of fat. Personally, I'll take Arctic Zero!
My favorite flavor is Cookies and Cream and a close second is Vanilla Maple. I like the flavor of Cookies and Cream best, but the consistency is more icy than creamy. The Vanilla Maple has a creamier consistency and the flavor is great as well. They also make a Chocolate, Chocolate Peanut Butter, Mint Chocolate Cookie, Coffee, Pumpkin Spice, and Strawberry (which I've been searching for!). I highly recommend tasting a few flavors this summer! Keep in mind that these are in fact frozen whey protein, if you're expecting the rich creaminess of ice cream you'll most likely be disappointed. I personally love the lighter taste and LOVE how my jeans still fit. :) I pick mine up at Smith's Marketplace where they are conveniently located right next to the Ben and Jerry's pints. Here's a helpful store locator: http://www.myarcticzero.com/locations.php
Lesson Learned: There is such a thing as a bathing suit friendly ice cream!
Put cinnamon and sugar in a baked good, and there's a 99% chance I'm going to love it. Coffee cakes, struesels, crumb cakes... you name it, I like it. In addition, nothing goes better with a morning cup of joe than a cinnamon sugar baked delight. If you share my passion, run (not walk) to the grocery store now and buy all the ingredients for these delicious AND nutritious, protein muffins. You won't be disappointed!
My recipe was adapted from Jamie Eason's Cinnamon Swirl Protein Bread. I first made her version and while it was very good, it seemed like it was missing a little something... and I've found what it was :)
You can see the original recipe here: http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-easons-livefit-recipes-cinnamon-swirl-protein-bread.html?mcid=youtube
Ingredients
DRY:
1 3/4 cups oat flour (Bob's Red Mill has a great one)
3 1/2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use Vital Plex Revolution brand)
1/2 tsp salt
1 TBSP baking powder
3 TBSP stevia (I use Stevia in the Raw, Truvia would work too)
1 tsp cinnamon
A few dashes nutmeg
WET:
3/4 cup almond milk (regular will work too, I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla)
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup plain greek yogurt (I use Fage 0%)
3 TBSP maple syrup (If you're a food purist, go for the real stuff and reduce to 2 TBSP if desired, if you don't mind some artificial sweeteners, you can use a sugar free variety. I used Mrs. Butter Worth's Sugar Free)
TOPPING:
4 individual packets Truvia (or about 2 TBSP)
3 tsp cinnamon
Directions
Preheat oven to 350F. Spray one muffin tin thoroughly with non-stick cooking spray. Mix dry ingredients together in one bowl. Mix wet ingredients together in another bowl. Once both are fully mixed, combine dry and wet bowls. Pour into individual muffin holders. Once all muffin holders are evenly filled, sprinkle each with cinnamon/Truvia topping. Bake for 11-14 minutes (depending on your individual oven). I put half of the muffins in glass Tupperware to be eaten for the next couple of days, and put the rest in glass Tupperware in the fridge to extend freshness. ENJOY!
Nutritional Info
If you seperate the batter into 12 muffin tins and use a sugar free maple syrup, each muffin has approximately 100 calories, 9 grams of protein, and a heaping serving of deliciousness.
One of my favorite summertime dishes is Texas Caviar Dip. I could eat an entire bag of Tostitos if I had Texas Caviar for dipping. Hence, my cleaned up version omits the chips and adds grilled chicken. Even though the traditional version has a boat load of beans in it, I feel like it makes a better main dish for us carnivores if you throw some chicken in. If you simply want a side dish, it's great without the chicken!
Here's my recipe:
- 2 grilled chicken breasts, cooled and chopped (I marinate them in light Italian dressing before grilling)
- 2 cans black-eyes peas or black beans drained (I usually choose black beans)
- 1 can white corn drained
- 7 or 8 green onions, whites removed, finely chopped (I usually have a red onion laying around so I'll use 1/3 of a red instead)
- 2 bell peppers chopped (I like to use one orange and one yellow for the variety of color)
- 1 cucumber chopped
- 2-3 medium tomatoes chopped (or a carton of grape or cherry tomatoes, if it's winter I recommend using diced canned tomatoes because fresh ones are usually yucky)
- 1 or 2 jalapeno peppers slit and de-veined, finely chopped (I just use one per husband's request, 2 will pack a slight punch)
- 1/2 bunch parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 bunch cilantro finely chopped
- Dressing: I like to mix about 1/2 cup Wishbone Italian Dressing and 1/2 cup Light Kraft Zesty Italian Dressing and pour while stirring salad. Once it seems lightly coated I'll let it chill in refrigerator and add more later if needed.
- I've had this made with diced avocado people seem to really like it! I'm not a huge avocado fan so I usually omit them but if you like them, throw some in to get some healthy fats :)
* For optimal taste, this needs to chill at least a few hours. If I have a BBQ I'll either make it the morning of and let chill all day, or even make it the night before. The flavors will meld deliciously over time!
I think this one dish wonder could please even the pickiest of pallets. If you have kids that aren't too found of veggies, this is a great way to sneak them in!
I am a sucker for a great muffin. If today was my last day on earth, I'm sure I could devour an entire package of Costco muffins... the almond poppyseed ones should be especially scared. However, since today is not my last day on earth (knock on wood), I simply can't eat a batch of Costco muffins. In fact, a single almond poppyseed muffin packs an impressive 670 calories and a blueberry muffin comes just shy of that with 610 calories. If i'm going to eat over 600 calories in one baked goodie, you better believe that it is going to come in the form of something much more decadent than a Costco muffin!
So, since I can't stand the thought of never eating another muffin, my 'gray' thinking self went in search of a healthy muffin that still satisfies my tastebuds. I'm happy to say i've found one! I've used this recipe for Blueberry Lemon Protein Loaf from Little B's Healthy Habits and baked the batter in muffin tins. If you like lemon, these muffins are fabulous! I've also pumped up the protein factor on these by adding an additional scoop of vanilla protein powder and 6oz of greek yogurt (instead of just 1/2 cup).
My 'Pumped Up' version of Little B's recipe has approximate 110 calories and 10 grams of protein per muffin (if you divide the batter into 12 muffin cups). I'll grab one muffin for a great snack and two for breakfast on the go!
If you like the recipe, I highly suggest checking out some of Little B's Healthy Habits other recipes - they are all super healthy and oh so delicious! As you know, my nutrition philosophy is not as 'hard-core' as hers, but I really admire this young lady and LOVE many of her recipes!
Lesson Learned:There ARE such things as muffins that won't give you a muffin-top! :)
As innocent as it may sound, a McDonald's Sausage Biscuit has 430 calories, 27 grams of fat, and only 11 grams of protein. Step up to a Sausage Biscuit with Egg, and you'll get 510 calories, 33 grams of fat, and 18 grams of protein. And for a limited time only, you can get 2 greasy hands and a gut ache! While this doesn't sound too tempting to me, I get why McDonald's breakfast sandwiches are so extremely popular. They're super quick, fill you up, and (some would argue) they taste pretty decent.
Here's my personal criteria for breakfast:
1) Tastes good - I don't eat any food that I don't enjoy
2) Fills me up for at least a few hours - This usually means a decent amount of protein and carbs, healthy fat is a bonus but I usually get this from the Almond Milk I use in my coffee
3) Leaves me feeling light and fabulous - I do not enjoy the feeling of a heavy, greasy stomach at 10AM. If i'm going to eat heavier food I prefer it is at night when I can plant my tush on the couch.
Inspired by above mentioned Sausage Biscuit, I've fallen in love with my slimmed up version. Thomas' Light Multi Grain Hearty Muffin with a Morning Star Maple* Flavored Veggie Sausage Pattie really hits the spot in the morning! If i'm running short on time, i'll throw a few pieces of fruit with it, and if i've got 5 minutes to spare i'll add an egg to the muffin. Simply toast the muffin, nuke the sausage, and you're good to go. A toasted english muffin with one veggie patty has 180 calories, 4 grams of fat, 15 grams of protein, and 9 grams of fiber.
As much as I would love to eat a breakfast made from scratch and admire all who have the time and patience to do so, "Gray" me realizes that this breakfast fulfills all 3 of my personal criteria, so it will just have to do. It's a different, fun breakfast that I enjoy a few times a week!
* I love maple. Period. I could drink maple syrup from the bottle. However, for those who don't share my infatuation, I know they also make a veggie sausage pattie that is not maple flavored. :)
Lesson Learned: Quick and convenient can still be healthy and delicious!
Nuts can be a delicious, nutritious, and satisfying snack. Almonds are my personal favorite. Old me, used to choke down (no pun intended) plain, boring, raw nuts because I knew that the added salt was a no-no in the diet world. Salt makes you retain water, salt can raise your blood pressure, salt makes your eyes puffy and fingers swollen.
Well, guess what? I like salt! In fact, I love salt. I have fairly low blood pressure, and I drink tons of water (to somewhat counteract the puffing), so I really don't see the big deal about choosing salted, delicious almonds over their boring, plain cousin - raw almonds. If i'm choosing a snack of an apple and a handful of salted almonds over say, a bag of Doritos, it's a healthy enough snack for me!
Just for those who argue how terrible roasted and salted nuts are, let's compare my favorite - Blue Diamond Oven Roasted Almonds to my husband's staple - Plain Old Bulk Food Raw Almonds. You'll see that they have approximately the same amount of calories, protein, fat, fiber, and carbohydrates. The Blue Diamond have 135 mg of sodium per serving. To put that in perspective, a can of Campbell's Select Harvest, Harvest Tomato with Basil soup has 820 mg of sodium. 3/4 cup of Kellogg's Special K, Vanilla Almond cereal has 170 mg of sodium.
Lesson Learned: If choosing roasted, salted nuts over raw ones make you pick them over something less healthy, dig in!
Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie dough has a special place in my heart. It would be silly for me to deny my love of milk chocolate chunks, savory cinnamon, and lingering vanilla, all brought together by buttery gooeyness. And as much as I love cookie dough, cookie dough loves my thighs. It seems to make it's way in my mouth, through my stomach, and right to the spot where my legs so graciously attach to my butt.
The old "perfectionist" me would try to avoid the aforementioned cookie dough. Avoiding, like the plague, worked some of the time. But usually, I would cave in and sneak bite after bite as if it didn't count if my head never left the inside of the refrigerator. Before I knew it, I had consumed enough dough to make a half batch of cookies, and felt guilty about every second of it! Along with the guilt came the promising that next time, I would just say no! And let's be honest, that rarely happened so the cycle just continued...
New me, has a new approach. I have come to terms with my love of cookie dough. I have also come to terms with the fact that my love for cookie dough does not magically make its calories disappear. So, I slimmed down the recipe to a version that satisfies me just as much. I'm not talking crazy substitutions that barely resemble a cookie, but simple swaps that the ultimate sweets critic (aka the husband) doesn't even notice. Then, when the cookie dough is complete I scoop myself a pretty little bowl, sit down at the table, and enjoy EVERY LAST BITE! Then... it's over. No feeling guilty, no sneaking extra bites, it's just over. In the end, new me consumes a lot less calories with no guilt. That's a win, win in my book!
Lesson Learned: "Deprivation" and it's ugly cousin "guilt" can destroy even the best of intentions.
