Protein Cakes

Protein Cakes | Foods of April: "Protein Cakes
Thanks to reader Julia for the recipe!

Makes 1 @ 90 calories, 18 grams of protein, and 2 net carbs

Ingredients:

15 grams of protein powder (half a scoop) (whey works best, but I use unflavored soy many times to save money-I buy it in bulk!)
1 tbsp 100% cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 packets stevia (or whatever sweetneer you prefer)
1 tbsp pumpkin or applesauce (your choice!)
3 tbsp liquid egg whites (or 1 egg white)
Directions:

1. In a microwavable cup, place the protein powder, cocoa powder, baking powder, and stevia. Mix well.



2. Stir in the egg whites and pumpkin so that you end up with a thick batter.



3. Microwave for 1 minute. The result will look something like this:



4. Use a knife to gently loosen it from the mug. Place the mug upside down on a plate and let the cake come out.

5. Cut in half and fill with desired toppings- peanut butter, yogurt, cream cheese, laughing cow, etc!



6. Once they are cool, you can wrap them in saran wrap and take them on the go!"

Grain Free Granola

From Girl Gone Primal


So I present to you - Grain-Free Granola (or, as I call it, 'Nola', since there's no 'Gra' in my mix!): Theme & Variations.

Core Ingredients:

1kg raw almonds (soaked if possible)
500g raw walnuts (same)
150g coconut flakes or grated coconut
3 egg whites
Optional - 2T sweetener (either maple syrup, or xylitol & a pinch of stevia)


Method:

1. Preheat oven to moderate, and line metal trays with foil or paper. I have Xtrema ceramic bakeware, so I use them as is - nothing sticks too firmly, and there's no liner waste.

2. Using about a cup of nuts at a time, depending on blender size, process nuts in a deep or sealed bowl until chunks are at the desired size. You can also chop the nuts by hand if you're keen for a long, steady workout.

3. Place prepared nuts in a large bowl, and add coconut. 

4. In a small, dry bowl, beat egg whites until smooth, glossy peaks form. Add sweetener, and stir thoroughly.

5. Add egg mixture to nuts & coconut, and stir thoroughly until no egg foam is visible and everything has been coated. If you feel the egg didn't stretch far enough, whip up another white and add that to your bowl. 

6. Spoon nut mixture onto bakeware, keeping the layers no thicker than an inch high. 


7. Bake in oven for around 10 minutes, or until the top layer starts to become golden. 

8. Remove from oven and stir mixture to bring uncooked nuts to the surface and to break apart any lumps. Replace in oven and bake for another 10 or so minutes, watching for burning. You may need to repeat this step if your batch is cooking unevenly (if you're oven is anything like mine, you'll be in this situation for an extra 20 minutes or so of stirring and replacing).


9. When cooked to your liking, remove from oven and allow to cool thoroughly before storing in an air-tight container. Don't worry if your cereal pouring container is adulterated with gratuitous corn flake imagery:


Serve with berries & cream (or coconut cream) for best results, but is also good with straight raw milk, or so I'm told. Personally, I could eat it like trail mix, by itself, so long as there's no sweetener added to the batch!

(NB: If the SAD's portion distortion has you thinking that a normal serve of such foods is upwards of two cups, I'd like to point out that just half a cup of Nola will satisfy you, especially if served with cream. The beau, being a tall boy, tends towards a full cup serving, with his milk. Eat slowly, enjoy, and listen to your leptin receptors.)


Variations

Sunny Nola - After baking, add dried fruit such as sultanas, chopped apricot, goji berries, and even dried apple slices. Good for those with a sweet tooth or those who use carbs after a workout.

Seedy Nola - add sunflower or pumpkin seeds to the chopped nuts before adding the egg whites. 

Norridge (Nola Porridge) - after baking, put batch through the food processor to create a semi-fine meal. Fantastic served with warmed milk, cream or coconut cream, or just add hot water and cooked fruit.

PumpkiNola - warm and add canned or previously roasted and pureed pumpkin to your bowlful of Nola, and stir thoroughly. Top with cream, and enjoy a hearty treat!

A lovely, luxe breakfast for those mornings where you just can't face eggs and bacon. I clearly don't understand your mind-set, but I hear there are such people out there... :)

Chocolate Cherry Bomb Ice Cream

From the Fitnessista

Chocolate Cherry Bomb Ice Cream

(a hybrid of the Chocolate Cherry Bomb and Protein Ice cream)

*2* servings or one hungry Gina serving

Into the Vita-mixalicious:

-1 C almond milk

-1 scoop Sun Warrior

-3/4 t xanthan gum

-1 T raw cacao powder

-1 T hemp seeds

-1/2 C frozen organic black cherries

-Stevia (I used about 10 drops of vanilla Stevia)

-1/2 T maca (optional)

-pinch of sea salt

-1/2 t vanilla

-2 handfuls of ice

-water as needed to thin it out while blending

Strawberry, Rhubarb applesauce

From Super Healthy Kids

The Sauce was super easy.  We used:

• 2 apples, peeled and diced
• 2 stalks rhubarb, sliced

Boiled in water about 10-15 minutes until apples and rhubarb were soft enough to easily slide a fork into.

Then Put the apples and rhubarb in a blender, along with

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 4 strawberries
• 1/3 cup of the water from boiling the fruit

Then we blended for like just a second.  Just pulsed it until it looked blended because I like applesauce a bit chunky.  If your kids were raised on store bought applesauce, you may want to blend longer so it’s thinner and smoother.

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

from Girl Gone Primal

Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

Ingredients:

3 small zucchini, grated finely
6 eggs
1 cup coconut flour or almond flour
1T baking powder (although the slice works well without it)
1T cinnamon
1/2 cup raw cacao powder (or unsweetened cocoa)
1/2 cup coconut oil or melted butter
Some chopped nuts and coconut flakes for topping

Optional - stevia or maple syrup to taste (or make available to add later upon serving, if desired)


Method:

1. Preheat oven to moderate - around 175 deg C.

2. Line and grease a muffin tray

3. Separate eggs, placing yolks in a large mixing bowl, and whites in a medium bowl for whipping. Whip whites until fluffy.

3. In the large bowl, combine zucchini, egg yolks, spices, and oil.

4. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder. Add flour mixture to zucchini mixture, and stir until combined.

5. Fold egg whites into batter carefully, then pour everything into prepared pans.

6. Sprinkle with nuts/flakes, and bake for at around 50 minutes, watching carefully for burning. The mixture's density means that it will cook quite slowly, but if you see burning happening before the muffins bounce back when prodded with a finger, turn the heat down to 100 deg C and allow the centre to cook slowly.

Serve warm or cold with cream, fruit, and maple syrup if desired. I enjoy them alone, although coconut flour can be quite drying in the mouth.

Homemade York Peppermint Patties

From  Joyful Abode

Homemade York Peppermint Patties Recipe

• 1 cup coconut butter
• few drops peppermint oil
• small amount of honey – optional
• 2/3 cup – 1 cup dark chocolate

This recipe makes about 16 peppermint patties, if yours are the same size mine were.

1. Combine the first 3 ingredients thoroughly. Then shape into 1.5” patties with your hands and place on a parchment-covered baking sheet. Refrigerate or freeze.
2. Meanwhile, melt your chocolate however you like to do it.
3. Dip the mint patties into the chocolate, covering thoroughly. Then place back onto the baking sheet.
4. Refrigerate or freeze until set, then remove from parchment.
5. Eat!

Coconut Flour Pizza Crust

coconut flour pizza crust  from Eat the Cookie

ingredients

3 eggs

1 cup full fat milk or coconut milk

1 clove crushed garlic

1 tsp garlic powder

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

method: preheat oven to 375f. place racks in center of oven. prep your favorite pizza pan by cutting parchment paper to fit the bottom of it. brush paper with olive oil.

it’s important to have your sauce, cheese, and toppings prepped and ready to go before you start your crust. caramelize your veg, season your sauce, whatever you gotta do.

lightly beat eggs, milk, and garlic (both) together in a bowl until smooth. no egg boogies.

sift remaining ingredients together in a large bowl.

mix wet ingredients with dry with a whisk until well combined. batter will be quite thin, then thicken up after a few minutes. it will be more like batter than dough.

spread batter evenly over prepped pan and bake for 20 minutes, or until golden brown. remove from oven. carefully flip (bottom up)- i did this by placing a different baking sheet on top of it and flipping.

peel the parchment paper off of the crust.