Western Bagel

I don’t know about you guys, but I love carbs.  I also like to watch my intake of them 80% of the time.  A few months back I discovered a brand called Western Bagel and they were kind enough to send me some free samples of their bagels, which are surprisingly quite low in net carbohydrates.  I really enjoyed their Perfect 10 bagels.  Not only were they delicious, but they only had 10 net carbs, yup that’s right only 10 net carbs!  These bagels contain 150 calories and a whopping 19 grams of protein.  If you are looking for a low carb, high protein option for a quick breakfast I highly suggest trying these out.  They can be purchased in healthy grain or everything.  The other type of bagels they carry are called Alternative Bagels.  These bagels are only 120 calories and contain 10 grams of fiber.  These are perfect for a snack or quick breakfast and the texture and taste were great.  These bagels come in plain, roasted onion, wheat, blueberry and cinnamon spice.  Go check them out! western bagel

Krave Bar Review

A few weeks ago Steven at Krave Protein Bars gave me the opportunity to sample one of their delicious protein bars in exchange for a review.  The bar that I was given to sample was Peanut Butter Chocolate Crunch. He read my mind on this one because anything that involves peanut butter and chocolate is my favorite. These bars are great because they are high in fiber and low in carbs, not to mention they are packed with 20 grams of protein.  They are made with all natural ingredients including whey protein, natural peanut butter and sweeteners.  Krave Protein Bars are soft and not too chewy or sweet.  The consistency is over all perfect and a great meal replacement or mid-day snack in between meals.  This bar kept me full for a very long  time and I thoroughly enjoyed every single bite! If you are looking for a protein bar that tastes great, is all natural and low in carbohydrates I highly recommend checking these out! For more information on Krave Protein Bars click this link–> http://www.purefitnessnutrition.com/

TVP Oatmeal

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup of TVP (textured vegetable protein)
• 1 tbsp rolled oats
• 2 tsp ground flax
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon, pumpkin or apple spice
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tsp stevia
• 1 egg white

1. Add all ingredients except egg white to a small pot and bring to a boil
2. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 10 min (usually less)
3. Add egg white and stir well
4. Let cook for another 2-3 min
5. Scoop into a bowl and add your favorite toppings

I usually add some kind of berries, banana, nuts, or sugar free syrup.

The Choice is yours!

 

Gingerbread Waffles

 

• 4 tbs ground flax seed
• 2 tbs vanilla protein powder
• 2 egg whites
• 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1 tsp molasses
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 cinnamon
• 1/4 all spice
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp stevia extract

1. Combine all dry ingredients in a small bowl
2. Add egg whites and milk to a separate bowl and beat well
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix well
4. Heat a waffle iron to med heat
5. Coat with cooking spray
6. Add batter to iron and cook and until done
7. Top with nuts, yogurt, syrup etc and eat up!

Peppermint Mocha Pancakes

 

• 2 tbs protein powder (sunwarrior is the best)
• 2 tbs dark cocoa powder
• 2 tbs coconut flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/8 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 tsp stevia extract

1. Combine first three ingredients plus baking powder and stevia in small bowl
2. Add egg whites and milk to separate bowl and mix well
3. Add wet ingredients to dry and stir well
4. Heat a non-stick pan to med heat
5. Add batter to pan and cook 4 min on each side
6. Plate them up and dig in.

I layered mine with non fat greek yogurt  sweetened with stevia and a drop of peppermint extract.  Perfect breakfast for the holidays! Enjoy 🙂

Innovation & Motivation

Everyone hits a rough patch in life at some point…and this past month I hit it.  Fortunately I’m hanging in there and trying to look on the bright side of things and stay true to what my Grandfather always said “keep smiling”.  Well it’s been a few days but Happy Thursday everyone! If you follow me on instragram you’ve probably noticed that I’ve been posting a few new recipe ideas so I will start with these delicious little concoctions..

Coconutty Peanut Chia Porridge 

This can be used as a low-carb alternative to oatmeal, a snack, dessert…whatever it’s damn good!

Ingredients 

• 2 tbs coconut flour
• 2 tbs PB2
• 1 tbs chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp stevia
• 1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk (may need more or less depending on the consistency you like)

1. Mix all ingredients in a bowl and let set in fridge overnight

After setting in the fridge overnight it should be creamy and resemble a custard. I popped mine in the freezer for about 20 min and topped it with some blueberries.. it was cold and kind of reminded me of ice cream..delicious!

Cookie Dough Coconut Butter

Beware this is highly addictive..

I didn’t really measure ingredients out on this one but I’ll give you my best shot.

Ingredients

• 1 bag of lets do organic shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 tbs coconut oil
• 1 cup of cocoa roasted almonds
• 1 tsp stevia

1. Add the coconut to a food processor and process until fine.
2. Add coconut oil, almonds, and stevia.
3. Processes until creamy and smooth
4. This may take a while depending on your food processor.. 10-20 minutes

Unfortunately I haven’t gotten a polar ft watch yet..but I have discovered some awesome apps that do the trick in a pinch.  Like this one.. gps + pedometer ultimate.. you enter your weight, height and measurements and it seems to be tracking pretty well but I still need that Polar watch!!

It’s happening within the next week!

And then there’s Nike Training Club which has a ton of awesome workouts..cardio, toning and strength. Perfect if you don’t have access to a gym or just want to get a good workout in at home.

 These workouts definitely work up a good sweat!

Only you have the power to make yourself the happiest you can be.

Have an awesome weekend everyone! 😀

Chocolate Protein Brownie Bites

Back in 2010 when I started becoming obsessed with all things health and fitness I wanted something to satisfy my chocolate craving minus the carbs, sugar and fat that came along with it so I came up with this extremely easy recipe…literally.

Ingredients

• 1 scoop of whey protein powder
• 1 egg white
• 2 tbsp unsweetened almond or coconut milk
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1-2 packets of stevia or splenda
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder

1. Combine egg white and milk in a small microwaveable bowl and mix well
2. Add the remaining ingredients to wet ingredients and mix well (should look like brownie batter)
3. Microwave on high for 2 minutes
4. Let cool for 5-10 min
5.  Remove from bowl and cut into bites

You can add chia seeds, nutbutter, coconut, dark chocolate or whatever you like to these!

Sometimes i just eat it straight out of the bowl with some greek yogurt..yum!

Tofu French Toast

Let me tell you me and tofu have never been the best of friends but yesterday morning we got pretty close.  I had a package of the lonely soy product sitting in my fridge and decided to give this recipe I see so many people on instagram posting a shot..and.. yeah it came out awesome!

Ingredients

• 1 small block of firm organic tofu
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp stevia or splenda
• 1 small banana
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

1. Drain excess water from tofu and wrap in paper towel (this may take awhile)
2. Slice tofu in cutlets about 1/4 inch thick
3. Sprinkle/dust each cutlet with equal amounts of cinnamon and stevia
4. Slice small banana
5. Heat 1 tbsp of coconut oil in non-stick pan and add tofu
6. Cook on each side for about 3 min on med-high heat
7. Remove tofu from pan and add banana slices
8. Cook until browned on both sides
9. Top with syrup and devour!

I topped mine with calorie free syrup and sunbutter. So get creative with it and don’t be afraid to add whatever you like!