Protein Balls

One of my favorite Insta people to follow for healthy recipes is instagramfitnessmeals, and they are at it again with their Protein Balls!  If you are on Instagram, and aren't following them, you need to check it out!

Ingredients:
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup cottage cheese
1 tbsp. maple syrup
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 c unsweetened coconut
1/4c dried cherries, chopped

Directions...
In a food processor grind the almonds until a coarse powder forms. 
Add the cottage cheese, maple syrup, and cinnamon.
Mix until a paste forms.
In a separate bowl combine rolled oats, coconut, and cherries.
Add the wet ingredients to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix well.
For into 18 balls and place on a wooden cutting board lined with parchment paper.
Place in freezer for at least 30 minutes.
Allow to thaw for 5 minutes before eating.

***I mixed in a scoop of Shakeology as another way to get in my "daily dose of nutrition."  The chocolate tasted really good as an addition!

Until Next Time...

Shakeology Pumpkin Protein Bars

I'm always looking for some new and interesting HEALTHY recipe ideas - and we all know my LOVE of pumpkin!  So I found a recipe for these pumpkin bars, and shook up the recipe a bit to better suit my likings and came up with these Shakeology Pumpkin Protein Bars!

These bars have 94 calories, 2 grams of sugar, 7 grams of protein and only 14 grams of carbs.


Ingredients...
3 egg whites
1.5 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats
2 scoops Vanilla Shakeology
tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp baking powder
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 cup pumpkin

What to Do...
Mix all ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
Pour batter into a greased 8x8 baking square.
Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Once they cool, cut into 9 squares.

Voila!  Matty was my tester for these bars.  And he really liked the crust, but said that he would have preferred if there was "more in it" for more taste.  Next time, I'm going to add dried cranberries and possibly walnuts too!


Until Next Time...

Iron in Pregnancy - with Recipe Links!

Yesterday we spoke about Iron within a child's diet.  Today I'm going to discuss iron in terms of a pregnant woman.  Iron is an incredibly important mineral within your diet.  Unfortunately, for many women within the United States, this important mineral is often lacking.  And while important vitamins and minerals like iron are missing, too much sodium and saturated fat is being consumed in their place.

Iron is vital in one's diet.  When a person is deficient in iron, issues such as anemia can result.  During pregnancy, on top of issues with anemia, the side effects of low iron can be poor fetal growth and even premature birth.  But there are ways that one can add iron into her diet to help increase the level of this mineral during pregnancy, and eating these foods alongside a vitamin-C rich food can help one's body absorb it even more.

Pregnant women need 27mg of iron per day.  And although a prenatal vitamin can help with this, it is important to make conscious food choices that will help add additional iron into one's diet as well.  Finding iron rich foods and incorporating them into one's daily meal plan is not difficult, and finding tasty recipes in which to incorporate them is now easier then ever thanks to the internet.  Below one can find three iron rich food choices chosen from a long list of options, along with recipe titles connected with hyperlinks to easily access these ideas.

One food that will help with the increase of iron is beef.  In 3 ounces of beef one consumes 3mg of iron.   Grilled Sirloin Skewers with Peaches and Peppers are a delicious way to incorporate beef into your diet as well as incorporate iron into your diet along side a food with moderate vitamin C - the peaches.  Orange Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry also incorporates a solid amount of iron alongside vitamin-c for better absorption.

Garbanzo beans are rich in iron, having 4.7mg in 1 cup.  And for those preferring to use less meat in their diet, using beans as a focus to a dish can still be an option.  Garbanzo Black Bean Medley and Sausage with Beans and Escarole  are two meals that have a significant amount of garbanzo beans in their recipe, one meatless, and one not.

Also, tofu has 6.6mg of iron in 1/2 cup.  Orange-Glazed Tofu Triangles with Sesame Rice again allows for some vitamin C alongside the iron rich food, tofu, to help with absorption and is a great meatless meal.  Lastly, Tofu Steaks with a Red-Pepper Walnut Sauce is a delicious variation on tofu, and again has a high dose of iron due to the tofu in it.

 

Until Next Time...

 

Peanut Butter Protein Muffins

I LOVE baking - and I've got to say I've found some amazing recipes on Instagram - one of my favorite Insta people to follow for healthy recipes is instagramfitnessmeals.  If you are on Instagram, and aren't following them, you need to check it out!

Today I'm sharing their Peanut Butter Protein Muffins with a few changes that I made to the recipe...

Ingredients...
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 c old-fashioned oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp fine salt
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup peanut butter (I used Skippy PB with dark chocolate)
1/4 c honey
2 tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 egg
2 tsp vanilla
1/2 c fat free Greek yogurt

Directions...
Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl.  Set aside.
In another bowl, stir together the applesauce and the peanut butter.
Mix in the honey, sugar, egg, and vanilla, and then stir in the yogurt.
Slowly add in the dry ingredients to the wet ones.
Drop into 12 lined and greased muffin tin spots.
Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes, or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Allow to completely cool.
Store in an air tight container!

My muffins came out to be 160 calories with 6g fat, 5g, protein, and 23g carbs.

Until Next Time...

Pumpkin Flavored Yumminess!

What a wonderful autumn Friday!  The leaves are changing colors, pumpkin picking and hayrides seem to be the topic of conversation, and all the wonderful autumn flavors and aromas are filling the air.  Which leads me to my one issue with this time of the year, my love of all those fall foods.  Pumpkin and apple flavored everything - from pies to fancy coffee drinks - it's a flavor bonanza!

I was really in the mood for something pumpkin yesterday, like seriously couldn't stop thinking about how much I wanted pumpkin.  And so I started adding some pumpkin to my Shake-O after finding this wonderful recipe I'm sharing with you today.  This was delish and a total must try!  Talk about thick and filling!

But that wasn't enough for me.  I wanted more (so what else is new).  So I went on the hunt for a pumpkin soufflé that wasn't awful for me, and at 86 calories for one, you might agree!







Ingredients:
2 egg whites
tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp pumpkin pie spice
packet of splenda
1/2 cup pumpkin puree

Directions:
Mix first 4 ingredients together until frothy.
Fold in pumpkin puree
Spray a mug with PAM and pour in mixture
Microwave for 3 minutes or until slightly firm.
Enjoy!

I hope you enjoy these two little yummy treats!  I know I sure do!

Until Next Time...

Tropical Shakeology Power Balls

Everyone knows that I'm a HUGE fan of Shakeology!  I love the fact that I get so many of the vitamins, minerals, probiotics, prebiotics, digestive enzymes, and so many other healthy nutrients that help our bodies run like a well oiled machine.  And I know I've said it before, but it's helped me almost completely eliminate caffeine from my diet!  No longer do I drink 3 Monster Rehabs on top of multiple cups of coffee every day.  Nope, they're no longer needed. 

But I know there are people out there who aren't a fan of shakes.  And as much as I can't imagine not having a shake somewhere in my day, if your not a shake person, that's your call.  But did you know there are other ways to incorporate Shakeology into your diet?  Today, I thought I'd share with you a Tropical Shakeology Power Ball recipe that I came across the other day - and I seriously LOVE it... and my boys do too... they actually ate 2 a piece as soon as they saw them.  (They knew what they were since I had recently purchased them something similar at a local health food store, which is what made me think that there was probably a recipe out there for something similar!)

This is a very easy, no bake recipe!  And I can tell you, I had 2 of these for breakfast this morning and they kept me full (and because of the peanut butter) very satisfied for several hours!

You take all the ingredients listed in the picture that I've posted and mix them together in a large bowl.  Then, roll the ingredients into golf ball sized balls until you have 14 of them.

Stick them into the freezer, and keep them there until you are ready to eat them!

So easy, and so good!

I'm going to continue to test out some non-shake Shakeology recipes and I'll continue to give you the lowdown!

And don't forget, my next "Nutrition with Shakeology" Challenge group will be starting up on the 21st.  I only have a few spots left - if your interested make sure you contact me at Kimmie0270@gmail.com!

Until the Next Time...

Noodles...

Okay so for some reason I had a serious craving for pasta.  But pasta isn't exactly on my meal plan and I was sorta at a loss - especially because I'm still not really eating any meat.  HOWEVER, while I was looking at the vegetarian versions of "meat" at the supermarket last night I came across Pasta Zero Plus by Nasoya and figured for 15 calories in 2/3 of a cup (or 30 calories for the whole bag) what the heck.

Now I'm not going to lie, the noodles had a slightly odd smell when I was rinsing them off before cooking them up in a pan, but I still wanted to give them a go.  And so, now presenting:

Kim's Noodle and Veggie Creation...

Ingredients:
Bag (1 1/3 c) Pasta Zero Plus Spaghetti
1/2 tomato chopped
1 tbsp. pumpkin seeds
1/2 avocado - cut up into cubes

Directions:
Drain and rinse noodles
Throw into a pan (sprayed with PAM)
Cook up until the appearance of being slightly "crispy"
Add in pumpkin seeds and tomato
Take off heat and let sit for a few minutes
Add in avocado

I'm not going to say it was the best meal I've ever eaten - but it did satisfy my need for noodles.  BUT, next time I'mna make some kinda sauce outta my tomatoes to really give it the pasta feel!

Until Next Time...

Healthy, Yummy, Pumpkin Cake!

It's Pumpkin Season... Pumpkin coffee, fraps, pie muffins, donuts, cakes, etc. But let's be real, they're not exactly good for you.  That doesn't mean I don't start craving it the minute the leaves start changing colors.  So when I stumbled across this recipe at one of my minion's cooking classes I figured, why not give it a try.  And I am IN LOVE with it!  It's moist and delicious!

 

This Pumpkin Cake recipe has eliminated the eggs and oil making it a wonderful breakfast treat or healthier dessert option. 

 

Pumpkin Loaf Cake

 Ingredients:
1 package yellow cake mix (look for one without hydrogenated oils)
1 can (15 oz) pumpkin puree
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
dark chocolate chips as desired (for both in cake and on top)
Directions:
Prehead oven to 350 degrees.
Spray a loaf pan with non-stick spray.
In a large mixing bowl combine all ingredients until smooth.
Pour mixture into loaf pan.
Sprinkle top with additional dark chocolate chips.
Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

 

Go Ahead, bake it!  You'll want to thank me for this one, I'm sure!

Until Next Time...

 

The Ultimate Reset: 1 Week Down, 2 More to Go!

So I'm not going to lie, yesterday was a little rough - I was hungry!  But other then that I can't really say that I have much to complain about regarding this cleanse.  Actually it's quite the contrary, I'M STILL SLEEPING, have lots of energy, am pretty even tempered, and as of today I have lost 7 pounds in 7 days!!!  Holy Crapola!  And that includes the fact that last night, in my hunger, I wound up eating some frozen fruit that I shouldn't have really had!

I have to say, Beachbody does a great job with the support that they offer.  I found a group on Facebook for each Phase of the program that helps.  And some of the meals are sooooo delicious! 

This lentil-lime salad was absolutely amazing!!!  So I thought I'd share this one recipe with you that you could also enjoy!

Lentil-Lime Salad

1 cup cooked green lentils
1 medium carrot, chopped
1/4 cup finely chopped cilantro
1 1/2 tsp sesame oil
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice

Combine all ingredients and toss gently to blend.  Then refrigerate for 2 hours.


OMG!  I cannot stress how delicious it is!

Until Next Time...

 

Bell Pepper Slaw Salad

 

Are you looking for something super yummy, refreshing, AND healthy to bring with you to tomorrow's BBQ or picnic?  Well this is a super easy salad that is bright and colorful, tastes yummy, and is seriously so easy to make that even I could do it!


Ingredients:

• bag of green salad mix
• bag of slaw mix (just the shredded cabbage)
• red bell pepper
• green bell pepper
• orange bell pepper
• yellow bell pepper
• pint of cherry tomatoes
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
• tsp sea salt
• tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp dried basil
• 2 tsp oregano

Instructions:

• seed and thinly slice peppers
• slice cherry tomatoes
• combine slaw mix, peppers and tomatoes in a large bowl
• in a small bowl combine olive oil, vinegar, salt, pepper, basil, and oregano
• pour over vegetable mixture and let sit for a couple hours
• right before serving combine with bagged salad mix

See, so easy I didn't even have to make my husband make it for me!  And soooo yum!

Until Next Time...