Yum!

Now this was a delicious dinner!



Chicken breast cooked in a pan with a bit of coconut oil. Topped with fresh salsa.

Pumpkin Cranberry Oat Bars

Can you tell it's fall? I am all about the pumpkin now! Lucky this recipe turned out good on the first try - don't even think I need to change anything! These are dense and filling, very portable.

Pumpkin Cranberry Oat Bars

Ingredients:
28 grams of protein powder
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1/2 cup lowfat yogurt (any kind but fruit - I happened to have vanilla on hand)
2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 1/2 cups of rolled oats
40 grams of Craisins (or dried cranberries).

Preheat oven to 350. Line a 9x9 pan with parchment paper. This will really make it easier to get these out, trust me.

In a bowl, mix together the protein powder, pumpkin, eggs, yogurt, spices, brown sugar with a mixer. You want to make sure the protein powder is really well incorporated and the mixture is smooth. Chop the Craisins smaller and add to the mix. Then stir in the oats.
Press the mixture evenly into the 9x9 pan and bake for 35 minutes. These won't really get brown, they will just firm up - so don't over bake. Remove from the pan right away and cut into 9 squares. It's much easier to cut these when warm.
Store in the fridge.

Stats with my ingredients:
Per bar: 157 calories, 3 grams fat, 27 grams carbs, 3 grams fiber, 8 grams protein, 54 grams sodium.

1 minute almond/pumpkin muffin

Ready for yet another 1 minute muffin?

This one I did with the almond meal, as per the below post - but replaced the oil with pumpkin.

1/4 cup almond meal
1 egg
1 tbsp pumpkin
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix all ingredients together. Microwave in a small bowl or silicone muffin cup (large size) for 80 seconds.

Super moist and delicious. Definitely different than those made with flax meal.

1 minute almond muffin

Another spin on the 1 minute muffin. This one is a little fattier than I like to eat, but very tasty. Might try the pumpkin in place of the oil in this one as well.




1/4 cup almond meal
1 egg
1.5 tsp oil
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
ground nutmeg to taste

Mix all ingredients together. Microwave in a small bowl or silicone muffin cup (large size) for 80 seconds.

This looks a little like a corn muffin, and has a yummy flavor. A bit eggy, but good. Would also be yummy with some cocoa powder added, or almond extract!

Pumpkin Protein Muffins

These are really yummy! Obviously they take longer than the 1 minute muffin, but they have lower calories and are even more moist.



Please note that I do not use artificial sweeteners, so you could certainly sub that if you wish.

For 6 muffins:

3/4 cup oats - grind in a food processor.
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 scoops (2oz) protein powder of your choice
1 1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Mix these together and then add:

1 whole egg (or 2 egg whites)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (plain)
1/2 cup milk

Mix and divide equally into 6 muffin tins. Silicone liners are best, as paper liners won't come off the muffins!!
Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes.

1 Minute Muffin

Super, quick and easy breakfast or snack.

1/4 cup flax meal
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1-1/2 tsp oil

Mix and microwave for 1 minute. We used a silicon large muffin cup. This was just like a muffin!




Variation: Pumpkin 1 Minute muffin

Substitute 2 tablespoons of canned pumpkin for the oil, and pumpkin pie spice for the cinnamon. Microwave for 80 seconds. Top with cream cheese frosting. Yum! I think I liked this variation better than the original. More moist.

Protein bars

I will be posting recipes and such as I have a little more time to play. I found an interesting recipe at Healthy Indulgences, a website that creates healthy recipes without the use of splenda. I have been experimenting with some protein bars (I am addicted to Zone bars).

I adapted her recipe as follows:
1/4 cup natural peanut butter (any nut butter would work)
1 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons honey
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon stevia
pinch of sea salt
2 oz protein powder

Heat oven to 350 F. In a medium size microwave safe bowl, add the peanut butter, butter, and honey. Microwave for about a minute until warm and you can blend thoroughly. Add the vanilla, stevia, salt and cream and mix well. Mix in the protein powder. Really mash it to mix well. It will be kind of like shortbread dough.

Line a loaf pan with parchemnt paper. Press the mixture into the bottom of the loaf pan evenly. It is a very thin layer. Bake for about 10 minutes - you don't want it to brown. Remove from the loaf pan and cut into 4 pieces while it is still warm (that way they don't crumble).
Looks like this:


The texture is almost exactly like a shortbread cookie. I actually really like these. A little caloric, but would be a great sub if you want a cookie. Much healthier LOL!
I then melted a tablespoon of dark chocolate chips and spread over the top:


For an on-the-go meal, these are pretty good. With the chocolate, around 250 calories or so. YMMV depending on the brand of protein powder you use. I might replace the cream with milk next time. I also have a mind to try some PB2, should I get around to ordering any.