Eggplant Fries

Anyone love french fries?? Anyone trying to watch what they eat?

I placed an order for Bountiful Baskets. The fun thing about it is that you don't know what you are going to get….kind of like the grab bags you can buy. The basket this week had an eggplant in it. I wondered what to do with it?! After looking at several recipes online, I came up with this one. Dipped in low sugar ketchup, it tastes like fries to me!!

1 eggplant, sliced into long chunks (like fries would)

Pam spray

Salt and pepper

Place on cookie sheet and lightly spray Pam over the top and roll so it coats all sides. Sprinkle salt and pepper to your liking. Bake at 450 degrees for about 20 minutes. DELISH!

Attention Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Lovers!

I was craving chocolate and peanut butter so I made this one up. Pretty simple and healthy breakfast!

1 c cottage cheese

1 tbsp PB2 powder (I bought it off Amazon)

1 tbsp chocolate whey protein powder

1-2 packet truvia

Mix all ingredients together.

Fake Fries

What you will need:

• 2 heads of cauliflower
  
• 1/4 cup of olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Wash and clean the cauliflower. Cut off and discard the stem. Cut the cauliflower up into small pieces.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper. Add the cauliflower pieces and thoroughly coat each piece.
4. Place cauliflower pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for one hour and turn 3 times during cooking until each piece has a nice brown coloring. The browner they are the better.
   
5. Remove from oven and enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Shake

Triple Chocolate Shake
1/2 cup Dark Chocolate Almond Milk
1 T cocoa powder
1/2 scoop chocolate protein powder
Optional throw ins: 1 T Natural/Organic Peanut Butter, 6 almonds, frozen raspberries, etc.
Scoop of ice (depending on how thick you want it)
Mix in blender, VitaMix, BlendTec, whatev.

DELISH!!!

Homemade Protein Bars

I made this one this morning.....LOVE IT! This is one of my favorite recipes. It tastes like No-Bake Cookies only its LOADED with protein!

2 1/2 c. peanut butter (I like the natural kind because its runnier- i.e. Adams brand)

2 c. honey (I like the raw kind taste better) or agave

2 c. protein powder or powdered milk (I like the chocolate protein powder-makes it taste like no-bake cookies)

3-4 c. oats (i ground up in blender)

1/4 c. wheat germ

2-4 Tbsp. ground flaxseed

chocolate chips (optional)

Mix in bowl. Press onto a cookie sheet. Stays together better if placed in the fridge. Great healthy snack for the kiddos too!! Enjoy!

Have you heard of this?

Am I the only one who has never heard of Capella flavoring? They can be used in protein shakes, baking, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc. They basically make any flavor you can think of! Check out their website at http://capellaflavordrops.com/. I think I am going to have to give it a whirl.

Here is a recipe, for exampIe, I found using these flavoring drops...

3 Creamy Swiss Laughing Cow cheese triangles (only 105 calories!)
3 drops New York Cheesecake Capella flavoring
1 drop Sweet Strawberry Capella flavoring
Any sweetener of your choice. (I like Truvia or Stevia.)
6-8 Strawberries (or berry of your choice)
Dip strawberries in the cheese mixture, but you could mash the strawberries and combine all the ingredients as well. Capella makes a Graham Cracker flavor drop as well and that could be yummy too! What a great way to eat well and have your treats too!!

Your Fit Treat

I subscribe to Oxygen Magazine and saw this recipe. I just HAD to try it! There is just something about peppermint around the holidays! This is a treat NOT to feel guilty about!

Peppermint Protein Ice Cream

1 c. almond milk

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

1/4 tsp peppermint extract

1/4 c. greek yogurtD

a few crushed peppermint candies

1 packet Truvia or Splenda (opt.)

1/2 c. table salt

Ice

Step 1: Put all ice and 1/2 cup salt into the Large bag. Mix up the ice and salt so the salt covers all the ice.

Step 2: Put all the remaining ingredients in the smaller ziplock bag (soy milk, protein powder of your choice, greek yogurt, extract, candies, optional splenda). Seal the smaller bag and then shake it up a bit to mix the ingredients up.

Step 3: Put the smaller bag (sealed) in the larger bag full of ice and salt. Seal the larger bag up. Now… Shake, shake, SHAKE!

Shake 5-10 Minutes

If you are not a big fan of peppermint try these variations......

CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER

1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1 Tbsp natural peanut butter.
Blend well, then prepare in either ice cream maker or ziploc method.

MINT CHOCOLATE (CHIP)
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
1/4 tsp mint extract
Blend well, then prepare in either ice cream maker or ziploc method.

STRAWBERRY
1 cup frozen strawberries (can use fresh)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder
1 cup vanilla unsweetened almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)
Blend well, then prepare in either ice cream maker or ziploc method.

CHOCOLATE FUDGE BROWNIE
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
1 cup chocolate unsweetened almond milk
8-10 drops Capella's Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavor drops (or other flavor drops)
**Optional 8-12 drops Stevia

ORANGE/VANILLA

1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1 tsp vanilla extract (pure), 1/4 tsp orange extract, 1 cup almond milk (vanilla, unsweetened).

Calories: 182; protein: 21 g; carbs: 7g; fat: 7g; sodium: 350 mg; sugars 2g; fiber 2g.