The Green Monster

Sounds disgusting but actually tastes great! I have been reading all over blogs about how good these “green” drinks are and the magical ingredient? Fresh Spinach! Even though I love spinach I heard that you could not taste it at all when it is added to smoothies or other drinks, making it a powerhouse of nutrition. So experimenting began yesterday when I made my first green smoothie, read about how I did it. As always, I mixed and combined other peoples recipes to fit my needs and my taste buds. Now I share my personalized version with you!

Emily’s Monster Smoothie (so thick I ate with a spoon)
2 giant handfuls of FRESH spinach (fresh is KEY, I heard this does not work with frozen)
½ cup water
½ cup soymilk or other milk
½ cut up banana
Blend like crazy. Will be VERY green

Once you have blended the spinach into oblivion, it will be a bright green liquid you are left with. Then add:
1 scoop NutriBiotic Vanilla Bean Protein Powder*
¼ cup cottage cheese (I tried Nancy’s Dairy brand, made it very creamy)
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
A handful of ice cubes
Blend again! If it is not to the consistency that you want feel free to play with it. I like things thick, eating them rather than drinking them. Mine was so thick that I ate it with a spoon but I achieved this by adding Xanthan Gum (you only need a TINY bit) and blending again.

* NutriBiotic ProZone Nutritionally Balanced Drink Mix has a nutrient ratio of 30-30-40 (protein- fat- carbohydrates) for maximum enhancement of healthy living, fat burning and creating balance in the body. This specific formula is the naturally flavored vanilla bean one which is great for just mixing simply with water or milk and works perfectly in recipes like the one above.

Enhance Your Performance

We all know about the pros of using a Whey Protein powder supplement but how about using Creatine to enhance your performance and energy levels? Well Life Extension makes a combo formula that is a Creatine Whey Glutamine Powder. It is a great mixture—I am not sure how this supplement combination has not crossed my path sooner but doing my research it looks like Life Extension are the leaders in this market. Their Vanilla flavored power has Whey to help you build up your muscles and prevent the loss of muscle tissue. Glutamine is an amino acid that “generates energy and helps increase strength, quicker recovery, and exercise endurance” (can’t beat that). And finally, Creatine which occurs naturally in the body but when used as a supplement by athletes it helps maximize power and performance therefore helping you in the gym or even you day to day activities.

Serving Size= 1 level scoop
Calories= 60
Protein= 13 grams
Calcium= 70 mg
Creatine= 2 grams
L-Glutamine= 3 grams
Flavor= Vanilla
Taste= For me the taste was decent, would like to see a chocolate flavor.
My take= I think this combination is excellent. I am drinking this pre-workout and have noticed increased strength and less soreness. Would recommend.

Good morning!

Check out my breakfast – mmmmmm! This is the way to say good morning! Here is the recipe for you to make it yourself. Then sit down with your computer and read up on Goji Berries and the powerhouse that Oats are!

Good morning Gojimeal
1 pack Legacy Oatmeal
1 cup water
½ cup almond, soy or whatever milk
½ cup liquid egg white
½ scoop TwinLab vanilla protein powder
Goji Berries
Bring water to a boil, add oats until almost all water is absorbed. Add milk and leave boil a bit longer- add egg whites and allow to cook until thick consistency. Stir in protein powder and Gogi berries. Let sit for a minute and enjoy!
*Legacy Oatmeal is thick, hearty and can be used as quick rolled oats or on the stovetop. Yum!
*Nativas Naturals makes a whole boat-load of natural products and rare items to spice up your pantry!

If you like Pina Coladas read this (recipe included)

Let me just say this Coconuts are the BOMB! So many people are scared off because of the fat and calories in coconuts but they are good fat and calories! Luckily, I have been seeing coconuts mentioned more and more in the media praising their health benefits. Even Jillian Michael’s interviews she talks about how she incorporates coconuts into her diet and uses coconut milk, eats coconut ice cream (I LOVE Luna & Larry’s Coconut Bliss). The hard thing about buying coconut juice is that it is usually highly sweetened. Not Amy & Brians! Amy & Brian have come up with a natural coconut beverage that is high in potassium and electrolytes and just plain easy to work with. I love it. It is made from the water of young coconuts and fits perfectly into an active lifestyle. So what to do with it? Well—you can drink it straight from the can, it is quite delicious. OR you can make a high protein morning smoothie like I did! I am going to share my recipe:

AM Coconut Juice Smoothie
1 can Amy & Brian’s Coconut Beverage
2 scoops Twin Lab Vanilla Protein Powder
1 banana
Sweetener of choice
Ice
Blend until a creamy smoothie consistency. Two servings.

Double Dutch Chocolate

Every single day I enjoy a protein brownie in the afternoon. It is my "shake" but made into a brownie instead because I prefer to drink than eat! Duh! So usually I take my protein powder and even if it is already chocolate flavored it is never chocolately enough for me! I always have to add cocoa powder to it... The other day I got some Double Dutch Chocolate Whey Protein Isolate from Integrated Supplements and since the name sounded so appealing and it smelled so rich, I made my brownie without the cocoa powder and it was perfect! You will see in the pictures below how great it looks! But besides tasting amazing- their whey protein isolate is a high quality protein and the only patented CFM Whey Isolate made by ceramic filtering the protein to make the cleanest whey possible. Why CFM Whey:
-No Lactose
-No Cholesterol
-No Whey Protein Concentrate
-Not a Protein "Blend"
-No Artificial Sweeteners
-No Artificial Flavors
-No Artificial Colors
-99% Undenatured Protein
Integrated Supplements makes many other Supplements in their line. Check out their website!

Saying good morning with a mocha!

This morning I made a delicious mocha without an outragous price tag ($$ & calories). Here is the recipe and in my favorite kitty mug (note it looks just like my baby Dexter):
1 scoop Click espresso protein
1/2 tablespoon cacao powder
couple packets sweetner
COFFEE
Enjoy!

And the prize goes to...

Designer Whey! They have a big selection of superlative products that are simply said- top of the line. Protein powders for weight control, convenient packets with only 60 calories, protein waters-- its all so convenient. You have NO excuse to grab fast food while you are on the go! I love, love, love their Weight Control Protein Supplement in Chocolate. It is very low in calories and makes a superb protein brownie (my afternoon pick me up). If you are watching calorie intake I recommend giving the Weight Control powders a try.

Unflavored Possibilities

If you are searching for a protein powder that is all natural, isolate with no fillers, sweeteners, fillers or bulking agents you are probably lost. Its not easy but BiPro has your solution. Their all natural, unflavored blend is such high quality, digests quickly (which is often a protein problem), unflavored, no fat, no carbs, no sugars and no lactose. What is there not to like? It is the highest quality protein I have seen on the market yet. You can look at its being unflavored as a door to many opportunities, they have recipes on their website or you can prepare it adding only the ingredients that you would want like juices, natural cocoa powder, millk or to make protein brownies, pancakes... Like I said endless possibilities! Another great thing about BioPro is that their website is very informative-- they have a protein calculator on there to take all the guesswork out of how much protein you should be consuming daily. Check out the blender bottle that I got from them as well and get your own!

Coffee House in House

I love fancy coffee drinks-- hate the fancy prices and most of all the poor nutritionals. Most of the coffee houses pack their drinks with creams and sugary syrups to make it taste good. This drink rivals any of those and has awesome stats. Here is what I did:
I cup of black coffee
1 scoop Javanu protein creamer
2 tablespoons Monin Sugar Free Vanilla Syrup
Mix and enjoy!

What is Javanu?"Javanu Premium Protein Creamer is the first of its kind. This protein supplement is scientifically designed for hot coffee (usable in other hot beverages) and formulated for discerning coffee drinkers. It tastes great, mixes easily, and provides nutrition and satiation while enhancing your coffee experience . With Javanu you get nutrition, energy and satiety in a delicious, convenient, all natural product."
I highly suggest visiting their website. There is a ton of information about protein supplementation, calorie control and product usage ideas. Javanu is right for many people but I fit into the category of wanting to add flavor to my coffee without empty or sugar laden calories.

A bit about Monin Sugar Free syrups. First off, they taste just like the coffee house syrups without all the sugar! Perfect! They have tons off flavors too (Almond, Amaretto, Blackberry, Caramel , Chocolate, Hazelnut, Irish Cream, Peach, Raspberry, Strawberry, Vanilla and White Chocolate)-- I can see these being used in much more than just drinks... Check back for more recipes coming soon!

Perfected: Deep Chocolate Brownie

So I have perfected the microwave protein brownie, now I can not stop myself from making these all day long! You have to try this.
2 scoops chocolate protein powder of choice
2 tablespoons dark chocolate cocoa powder
sweetner
just a little water to make a very thick batter

Microwave until it is cooked through. It tastes just like a fresh from the oven brownie. I am not kidding!

Mix Batter:

Strawberry High Protein Frozen Yogurt

1 single serving container of your favorite strawberry yogurt (I used Stonyfield Farms Greek)

1 serving strawberry protein powder (Jay Robb's Strawberry Whey)
1/4 cup milk (Hood's Carb Countown)
3 packets sweetner of choice

Mix all ingredients and freeze for 1-2 hours. ENJOY! (Perfect for your pre-bed meal or any other time)

+

Blondie Brownie

1 packet Jay Robb vanilla whey protein powder

1 tablespoon SF/FF vanilla pudding mix

3 drops clear Stevia drops

Dump packet into microwave safe bowl

Add SF/FF pudding mix

Add water until batter consistency is formed. Only a tiny bit needed. Then stir in Stevia drops.

Microwave until firm like brownie 30-45 seconds. I left mine a bit runny in the center but that is just my preference.

Stonyfield Farms yogurt is consistently thick, rich and delicious. This vanilla, organic greek variety was no different. One single serve container has 110 claories, 0 grams of fat and a whopping 15 grams of protein.

Throw Jay Robb’s Chocolate Egg White Protein handy single serve pack, a tiny bit of NuNatural’s NuStevia No Carb Blend and you have a creamy chocolate pudding!

A little bit about Jay Robb’s protein powders—they taste great but also are free of refined sugar, corn syrup, artificial flavors, sweetners, colors, fat, cholesterol, gluten, wheat and chemicals.

Visit Jay’s site and find a plethora of great information.

The NuStevia is great because you only need a TINY bit to get your desired amount of sweetness and I like it SWEET! The No Carb blend is great when you are watching your carbs because even with the average no-calorie sweeteners the carbs do add up if you are looking.

Finished Product:

Sport Protein Egg White Protein Powder by Rose Acre Farms

I have never worked with egg white protein in a powder form before now. The benefits of using a powder are HUGE. For me, the convenience factor alone is worth giving this product a shot. But on top of that, by using the powder there is no waste (throwing away the yoke), can be stored for a very long time, removes the risk of contamination (salmonella and bacteria), is more cost effective and you get all the benefits of consuming fresh egg whites.
The egg white protein powder by Rose Acre Farms has NO ADDITIVES yet is fresh and USDA inspected.

Now-- What do you do with egg whites in powder form? I had to do a bit of research myself but found out that it is used by bakers to make meringues, frostings, cakes etc... But for us who are consuming egg whites for the nutritional, lean muscle building benefits there are MANY other ways to use this product!

Visit the website for recipes and read my trials below:

Protein Shake made using the egg whites:
1 cup Hood Carb Countdown Milk
4 tablespoons powdered egg whites
4 tablespoons Chocolate Fudge FF/SF pudding mix
2 packets sweetner
few ice cubes

Taste: WOW. It was rich and creamy with NO eggy taste! I always read where people consumed raw egg whites in shakes and could never get myself to do this so from now on this is my solution-- plus for me it kept the calories really low. I have so many combos in mind now-- swap out the pudding and add some peanut butter and cocoa powder, different extracts -- endless possiblities.

Oatmeal Bowl
Ever since winter started my favorite lunch at work has been oatmeal! I love, love, love egg whites in my oatmeal and lugging egg whites around was seriously a pain so now its great with the powder. When making it I reconstituted the egg whites on the side and then added them to the oatmeal. Here is what I did step by step.
1. I usually use 5 whites so I had 10 level tablespoons of the white powder that I added an equal amount of warm water to and mixed, then let it sit while I prepared my oatmeal.

2. Took 1/2 cup oatmeal (old fashioned) 1 tablespoon dark chocolate cocoa powder and a few packets sweetner and mixed. Covered that with water and put in the microwave for three mintues or until done (depending on your microwave). Then I slowly stirred in the reconstituted whites and microwaved for 30 more seconds, then let it sit-- stirring often. It turned out just like I normally do it but now I can just store a tupperware of whites and oats here without carrying the whites daily. I used to crack the eggs in the AM, put in a tupperware, then wrap it so it didn't leak. Every second in the morning is PRECIOUS so this was so great.

Please watch for more recipes coming using these powdered egg whites. These are going to be a staple for me from now on. I love them and can not wait to try them making my oatmeal bars, protein bars etc.. Let me know what you come up with after ordering the whites. Here is the website again, they are very cost effective with great customer service plus your whites come directly from the farm.

Cyto-Sport Muscle Milk Protein Brownie

1 packet

Then add an 1/8 teaspoon of baking powder (not soda), couple packets of sweetner and enough water to make a thick paste. Place in microwave for about 45 seconds, check it and see if the mixture has turned into a brownie like texture, if not stick back in for another 15-30 seconds til done. I like mine a little on the wet side for an oozy chocolate treat. This is my favorite mid-morning snack here at work. I feel more satisfied when I eat something versus just drinking a protein shake. I might be the only person with a full set of measuring spoons, cups, baking powder, cocoa powder etc etc etc in my drawers!

Oatmeal Cookie Bars

2 cups Quaker Old Fashioned Style Oatmeal
1/2 cup oat flour (take 1 cup of oats and blend in blender until flour is made or buy oat flour)
1/2 cup PB2
1/2 cup Vanilla Protein Powder**
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce**
1/2 cup egg beaters
1/2 cup carb countdown milk
1/4 cup granulated sweetner
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix oatmeal, PB2, protein powder and sweetner well. Then add wet ingredients stirring until thick batter is formed. Place into sprayed glass pan and bake at 350 until knife comes out clean.

**You can substitute the applesauce with 2 mashed bananas and use chocolate protein powder for a chocolate banana peanut butter bar as well!

Cocoa-Oats

A spin off of the famous-- Cocoa Wheats!
1/2 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
sweetner

Cook oats with water as normal. Take out and stir in whites and sweetner. Cook a little longer either in the microwave or on the stovetop, then add your protein powder -- mix well.

New Food Find-- GG Bran Crispbreads

I discovered GG Bran Crispbreads. WOW! They are great. Each large cracker only 12 calories per slice, lots of fiber and a great taste. It doesnt get much better. So far I have spread them with natural peanut butter and that is my favorite. Some other great things to do with this versatile bread: spread a layer of cottage cheese then top with a tomato and sprinkle some pepper, lightly spread a laughing cow wedge and some spinach leaves, a light layer of sugar free caramel dip and some apples, protein frosting... Here is how to make a protein frosting:

1/2 scoop of protein powder (All the Whey cupcake batter is awesome for this)
1-2 packets of sweetner (depending how sweet you like it!)
couple drops of milk or water

MIX and eat. This works great for protein brownies, these crackers or just about anything to add some yummy flavor.

GIANT Oatmeal Bowl

1/2 cup Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
1/2 cup Kashi 7 grain puffed cereal
1/2 cup egg whites
1/2 cup water
1/2 scoop protein powder of choice
Cinnamon, sweetner or cocoa powder

Mix Old Fashioned oats with water and protein powder. Cook in microwave for 1.5 minutes. Take out and add other ingredients. Stir well and microwave another 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. This turns out to be a giant bowl of oats!