Whole-Wheat Zucchini Chocolate Chip Bread

So one of my clients gave me a RIDICULOUSLY big zucchini. Enormous. Like an elephant trunk. I wish I took a picture of it. So what to do with this unholy piece of vegetable? At first I would cut it up and roast or fry it…but then I was still left with half of the zucchini (I would probably measure it at 2 feet). So I say to myself…why not bake something you’ve tried before? Whole-wheat chocolate chip zucchini bread, of course! I got the recipe from here and tweaked it. And I may have added a few dashes of things to make it more Fall–like. This is one delicious and healthy recipe! Let’s get to it.

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Baking Time: 60 minutes

Ingredients

2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups shredded zucchini
1 cup mini-chocolate chips
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and grease a bread pan
First off, let’s peel and shred that darn zucchini. Remember you only need 2 cups worth, so don’t get too crazy

Mix all the wet stuff (honey, oil, sugar, vanilla, and eggs) until nice and smooth

Whisk away

Now add the flour, salt, baking powder and soda, cinnamon, and nutmeg! Mix it well
Now stir in the zucchini, nuts, and chocolate chips!

Could eat this batter allllll day

Now scoop this batter into that greased up bread pan and make even

Now let’s put it in the oven for 55-60 minutes. Test it by sticking a fork or toothpick in it.

Nom nom nom

And that’s really it! The zucchini adds a wonderful texture to the bread. This is one great way of tricking your kids into eating zucchini by hiding it in this beautiful bread! Make sure to let cool for a little bit before serving, I know, it’s hard. Pretty simple recipe and instructions, perfect for leftover zucchini. After the first day, put in the fridge to keep the zucchini from going bad. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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Sep112013

Chocolate Protein Rounds [No Baking Required]

My friend made me a batch of these for my birthday last week and I devoured way too many. Like wayyyy too many. But who cares, you only have a birthday once a year, right? Luckily, these things are pretty healthy and help me get my daily protein intake, so I wasn’t too worried. She had given me the recipe a long time ago, but I just never got around to making them. The original recipe doesn’t necessarily call for chocolate protein powder, but it’s all we have so I decided to give it a go. Really glad I did–super easy. And it’s nice not to bake when it’s 80 degrees out! I altered it somewhat and it turned out well!

My own version of a Hershey’s Kiss…without the slave labor!

Ingredients

1 cup oats
1 cup chunky peanut butter
2 cups chocolate protein powder (you could do vanilla, though)
1 tbsp honey
2/3 cup Silk Vanilla Unsweetened Almondmilk (you can use regular)
1 tbsp dried cherries (you can use any dried fruit)
1 tbsp raisins
2 tbsp walnuts
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions

Mix all dry ingredients together in a large bowl

Dry ingredients mixed together

Mix the wet ingredients in a smaller bowl. It’s tough at first because of the peanut butter, but I just whisked it down until it was well-mixed and of one mixture
Slowly mix the wet into the dry ingredient bowl. First I used a whisk, but in the end I had to use a wooden spoon to really mix it well.

Take out a cookie sheet and place wax paper on top. Then scoop out bite-sized pieces of the mixture and line it up on the wax paper.

Put into the freezer for 30 minutes. Remove from the freezer and then wrap them individually with wax paper, otherwise it’s a sticky mess. Place in fridge until ready to eat!

Ready to go in the fridge

I am so glad the chocolate protein powder worked out. This is such a good snack before or after a workout. Gives you a bit of energy, but doesn’t weigh you down and has a good amount of protein to keep your muscles happy. It’s an unbelievably easy recipe and a great way to stay hungry and fit!

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Sajah caught sleeping on the job

Sep092013

Happy 23rd Birthday, Alana!

Yay! Happy Birthday to me! Chris and I had a great “birthday weekend” (his birthday is this coming Thursday—yes, a pair of Virgos) involving lots of good food and good company. Though I am peeved at myself for not taking more group photos, oh well! ABC Family obviously knew that it was my birthday weekend because it was a Harry Potter Weekend (yessss). So besides home We decided on our “group birthday dinner” (meaning more than just Chris and I) we would do on the Saturday. We couldn’t decide on a place…from Korea House to Efrain’s and we finally decided on one of our favorite spots, Tibet Kitchen. But before that, Saturday morning, we went with friends to go play Frisbee Golf on a hot morning. But the view was incredible.

Frisbee golf view

Sample of a Tibet Kitchen plate

Really should’ve taken pictures of the group as a whole, but it included co-workers, friends, and family–a great bunch. We all had a ton of food and felt pretty full…but not full enough to not get ice cream! We finished the night off well with plenty of ice cream to celebrate. It was a great time. The next morning (on my actual birthday) we went to breakfast at Lucille’s, a southern, New Orleans-style breakfast joint. I always hear how popular it is and we got there at the right time. No wait, and we got a seat outside on an absolutely beautiful morning. We obviously got some beignets to share and some dishes for ourselves. It was absolutely delicious and neither of us could finish it (hellooo leftovers!).

I could eat wayyyy too many beignets

After we stuffed ourselves, we ran over to Flatirons Mall AMC (which has the most comfy recliner chairs, it’s ridiculous) and caught a double feature of The Butler and Riddick (both reviews to come). We enjoyed both, but came out starving because it was about 4 hours of movie time with no snacks in between (I forgot the popcorn!). After a long debate about what to eat, we decided on trying Protos Pizza up in North Boulder. And we loved it. We ordered 4 small pies (don’t worry, it was 4-slice, small slice pizzas, not real expensive) to try everything out. The ingredients were fresh, crust cooked to perfection, and a wonderful blend of flavors.

This is a piece from each pie

After that, Chris went to give a private swim lesson. We did a laid-back workout, and then headed to Ras Kassa’s Ethiopian Restaurant. It was open late and we had never tried it. We ordered a “vegetarian passport meal for two” which ended up being a ton of food plus two drinks and dessert! Let’s just say there’s a good amount of leftovers in the fridge. It was an absolutely lovely night, we sat outside next to a creek and beautiful little lights. We enjoyed some drink and a lot of food and had a great time.

Those rolled up parts are injera (Ethiopian “bread”) to use to eat the rest of the meal

Honey Wine and Papaya Margarita

So I had a great great birthday, and I was lucky enough to get cards from loved ones and presents too. My parents sent me great gifts plus a boat load of Trader Joe’s goodies. Chris got me a wonderful collection of presents that was perfectly catered to who I am. Overall, I had a lovely birthday and look forward to celebrating Chris’ coming up soon. As always…stay hungry and fit!

Trader Joe’s yummies

Yes that’s a bento box on top (and Game of Thrones graphic novel)

Chris got me crocs!! I know my friends will be so happy (not

Miyazaki play on Wizard of Oz hoodie (from Chris, of course)

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Nymeria on her back

Aug282013

Sweetie-Pie Peach Cobbler

Sweetie-Pie? Huh? I say that because this recipe is sweet. Very sweet. So much so that I’m not a huge fan of it, but those who I made it for loved it (and that’s what matters, right?). At first, I thought I had done something wrong, and I was ready to angrily toss it in the bin, but I left it in the fridge overnight and it turned out great! Anyhow, this is a peach cobbler from this blog. I didn’t change much out of the recipe because I’m kind of new to cobblers. Alright, let’s take a look.

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes
Baking TIme: 20-25 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup white flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1 cup milk
pinch of salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
4 peaches
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup oats
2 tsp cinnamon
1/3 cup brown sugar (yes, it’s on the ingredient list twice)
1/4 tsp nutmeg

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees F. Put the stick of butter in a few-inch-deep pan, like a casserole dish and let it melt in the oven.
Let’s start with the batter. I’m not a huge fan of the batter–it’s very typical white cake type stuff. But again, other people liked this! Combine the flour, white sugar, baking powder, and salt.

Add the milk and vanilla to that dry mix and stir. Set it aside
Get out a pot and put in the peaches (they should be chopped up in little chunks), brown sugar, lemon juice, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and then let it boil for 5 minutes.

Pretty peaches

Cinnamon added

Gettin’ juicy!

Pour the white batter into the casserole with the butter in it, but do not stir! Make a nice layer and then pour the hot peach mixture on top too, for a delicious, beautiful layer

Ready to bake!

Bake for 10 minutes.
While it’s baking, combine the oats, the (other) brown sugar, and nutmeg in a small bowl
Take the cobbler out and sprinkle the oat mixture on top. Put back in the oven for 10-15 minutes until it’s nice and brown on top and cooked through

Hot from the oven

You can serve hot with ice cream or chill it in the fridge for a nice cool cobbler. I would go for the latter. The more I kept trying it over time, the better it became. And it was perfect by the time I brought it to work. Two people had birthdays within the next two days so we decided to do a little birthday bash for them. One of them is picky about desserts (doesn’t like sweets), but mentioned that she loves peach cobbler so I gave it a go! I also made these muffins. And as always… stay hungry and fit!

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Aug272013

The How-To Guide to Smart Snacking

I’m pretty sure all of us have fallen into the trap of mindless snacking. It’s one of the biggest road blocks in achieving our goals. We get home from a long day of work, our stomachs grumbling, but our feet are tired and so our minds. Instead of whipping up a snack, we go into the fridge or pantry and just mindlessly stuff our gobs until we somehow feel full. But usually we go past the point of being full, to where the point of not eating a good dinner because of that. And what does that lead to? MORE mindless snacking after “dinner.” If you can’t tell, this is a bad cycle. So how do we stop it?

Fruit protein smoothies: stopping mindless snacking since its creation

Snack with a purpose. I can’t emphasize this enough so I’m writing a whole post about it. This is the best defense against the mindless zombie eating that can plague us all. It’s so easy to fall into the trap of “oh, I’ll just snack on a few crackers while I think of a food plan—oops there goes the entire package.” I can’t count the number of times I’ve done this (yikes), but I’ve learned now, how to beat that back with a stick. A well-planned and satisfying stick.

Popcorn, cheese & crackers,

What exactly is snacking with a purpose? It’s the opposite of mindless eating and I can’t tell you how much more satisfying it is than just stuffing your face. If you snack with a purpose, you have a plan. A plan to satisfy your hunger without going overboard and getting some nutrients to boot! It may take a LITTLE more time (and I mean little), but that is also a way that makes it that much more satisfying. Just like growing your own vegetables, when you snack with a purpose, you feel good.

Egg on top of avocado

Snacking with a purpose means you don’t go straight for the chip bag. Instead, you have something in mind for a snack. Yesterday, I was craving something cold and refreshing. I wanted to go grab an iced mocha latte or something, but didn’t want to spend money and drink a bunch of sugar. So I bit the bullet, went home, had some chocolate milk beside a Van’s waffle topped with greek yogurt. Perfect snack for after work or after school. You have some sugar in the waffle and milk to pick you up, the protein in the greek yogurt to keep you going, and the cold chocolate milk to refresh you. It’s well-rounded, simple, and took less than 5 minutes to make.

A little more extravagant version of my example

Starting to get it now? Snacking with a purpose means sitting down and eating something to keep that body and mind of yours going. It means slowing down for 10-15 minutes, making yourself some cheese, apples, and crackers or popcorn or an egg on toast to satisfy hunger and give the body what it needs. And the mind. You think your mind is happy when you shovel crap down your throat? Absolutely not. One of the reasons why we love eating is because it is pleasurable. So why skimp out on that just because it’s a snack? Make something nice for yourself, sit down, and enjoy a snack. Your body, your weight, your fitness, and your mind will thank you. Snack with a purpose to stay hungry and fit!

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Sajah trying to blend in

Aug182013

Green Protein Smoothie

This may surprise you, but I’ve never really done “juicing” or used spinach in my smoothies. Sure I’ve had carrot/apple juices, but it’s just not something I’m into (nor am I against it–just don’t have a juicer). However, when I saw this recipe from one of my favorite bloggers, I had to try it immediately! Yes, it has spinach in it, but don’t let that deter you! It also has peanut butter, banana, and greek yogurt in it! Those are the ingredients that pulled me in. I actually wanted to make this a few days ago, but we had everything except bananas (I had just made these muffins). I was heartbroken. So the next day, we went and got bananas so I could make this first thing. I changed this recipe a little: went from smooth to chunky peanut butter, used almond milk instead of regular, and, of course, threw some protein powder in there.

Macros (per serving)

Calories: 261
Fat: 5.7g
Carbs: 28g
Protein: 28.6g

Ingredients

1 cup raw spinach
1/3 cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup Silk Vanilla Unsweeted Almondmilk
1 tsp chunky peanut butter
1 tsp honey
1 scoop unflavored protein powder (but a vanilla flavor would do well too)
5 ice cubes

Directions

Throw the ice, milk, yogurt, banana, spinach, peanut butter, and honey into the blender. Press “ice crush” a few times to get that ice down to bits. Then blend.
Once it starts to become mixed, throw the protein powder in.
Serve!

Yum

Pretty easy directions and it serves well anytime of the day. I was a little cautious about trying it, with spinach being the main ingredient of the smoothie. However, I threw a straw in and went for it. I was so pleased and surprised–it was delicious! You could taste all the subtle flavors. The spinach didn’t overpower it at all but rather shared the palate well with the peanut butter and banana. I wish I had two servings because it was so tasty, but I was actually quite full and satisfied just after one. And I absolutely love the natural color the spinach brings out–a light fresh green. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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Aug132013

Whole-Wheat Churro Balls Recipe

Boy am I ecstatic to have found this recipe. And boy am I even happier to have not looked ahead and not have any regular flour on hand. What do I do when I don’t prepare properly (aka too busy drooling over the thought of churros)? I improvise! Would whole-wheat flour work with this recipe? Not so sure! Try it anyways? Sure! And guess what–I lucked out! Even though it wasn’t exactly a smooth recipe process for me, they turned out delicious and fuller with fiber without the processed flour. Yay for steps in a healthier direction! Anyone who knows me knows that I have a bad addiction to churros…and anything cinnamon. When I stumbled upon that recipe, I couldn’t contain my excitement. I finally finished my contest, so I jumped on the opportunity to do this.

Mmmm-mm!

Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
Cooking Time: 4-5 minutes

Macronutrients (per ball)

Makes: 10-15 balls (but it depends on the size you make them, mine came to 11)
Calories: 58
Fat: 1g
Carbs: 11g
Fiber: 2g
Protein: 1.5g

Ingredients

1 cup water
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 cup whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon oil
oil for frying
1/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions

Combine the water, tbsp sugar, and tbsp oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil
Stir in the flour until it forms into ball-like structures

Keep mixing!

There we go

Heat up oil in a deep pot to fry the churro balls in. Should be 190 degrees F and that’s when you need a thermometer (which I don’t have and consequently slightly burned them…only some!)
While the oil is heating up, mix together the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon in a bowl

I could just eat this plain

With your hands pick up the dough in the cooled saucepan and roll them into donut hole-like balls. Make them whatever size you want. Pop them into the hot oil and let cook for 4-5 minutes. I didn’t put enough oil in so I had to roll them around. Make sure the oil isn’t too hot so you don’t smoke the apartment out (oops)!
Take them out and drain or pat with paper towel. When cool to touch, roll them in the cinnamon-sugar mix. Get them nice and covered!

Serve as a pile or just eat them all yourself! I couldn’t help myself and had four as soon as they were done. Oops.

Mmmm-mm!

This is such a simple recipe–I mean look at the ingredients! If you want to follow the traditional recipe, you can use regular white flour, but why not go a little healthier? Add some more fiber and whole-grain into your diet through deliciousness! They are a perfect treat for after dinner or to serve to friends. This is a recipe I will continue to use and perfect upon. I think next time I might add some cinnamon-sugar to the filling…Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

Don’t mind if I take another…four!

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Nymeria being ridiculously cute…what’s new

Aug032013

Healthy Greek Yogurt Mini-Cheesecake Recipe

I’ve been wanting to make these for a loooong time. First, the problem was I couldn’t find one ingredient anywhere. Then, it was that I was prepping for the contest, so I stayed away from dairy. Finally FINALLY, both those problems are over. I found the ingredient (Green Mountain Farms Greek Cream Cheese) at Wal-Mart (unfortunately) and this past Monday, my contest was complete!

I can hear you saying, HEALTHY cheesecake?! Give me a break! Sure, it may not be better for you than a protein shake, but hear me out. This magical ingredient cuts half the normal fat of a cheesecake and deals twice the protein. Can you say SERVE ME ANOTHER?! I thought so. I got this recipe from here and cut it in half. It was very easy and so so good. Creamy, delicious, and light—and it doesn’t leave you feeling like you have a bowling ball in the tummy, which I appreciate. This is a recipe I will often go back to as Chris and I love cheesecake. You could do it with or without the lemon twist (we happen to like it).

You pretty thang

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes
Cooking Time: 25-30 minutes

Macros

Serves: 6 (you can always double it for a bigger party)
Calories: 182
Fat: 8.9g
Carbs: 19g
Protein: 6.8g

^_^

Ingredients

3 cinnamon graham crackers
1 tbsp butter
¼ cup sugar
zest of ½ lemon
1 egg
1 8-ounce package of Green Mountain Farms Greek Cream Cheese & Greek Yogurt
1/8 cup heavy whipping cream
½ tsp vanilla extract

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Line your muffin tin with cupcake liners (I used ones that were waaaaaaay too big)
Ground your graham crackers finely—I used the bottom of a glass and a bowl…and eventually my fingers

Mix in the butter with the graham cracker crumble
Put the crumble at the bottom of each cupcake liner, try to make it even

Bake for about 5 minutes and let cool
Grate some lemon zest
The recipe asks for a stand mixer, but we don’t have one of those. So I used a whisk! Mix all the rest of the ingredients together in a medium sized bowl. Make it smooth.

Pour into muffin liners about 2/3rds full. Mine definitely were not all even. Do what you can.

Put in the oven for about 20-25 minutes. Mine were good at 23. A little cracked, but after refrigeration, they smoothed out.

Make sure to let them cool. Then pop them into the refrigerator for about 3 hours before you serve.

Oh so goooood

That’s it! You can garnish it if you’re feeling fancy, but I like ’em plain. These are just so good and mini…it’s perfect. And the macros don’t leave you feeling bad. It’s easy to make, easy to eat–what’s better than that? Use this delicious recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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A hot Sajah just chillin’

Jul242013

5-Minute Protein Pancakes

So I’m still prepping for contest, so I’m upping my protein and lowering carbs somewhat. It’s about two hours before my second workout (just cardio) and my tummy is rumbling. Hmmm…what to eat? I don’t want to eat any straight-up carbs (during this LAST week of contest, I’ll get my carbohydrate grams from other sources like veggies and shakes) like cereal or oatmeal, I don’t feel like having tunafish or a salad, but I could always use more protein. Hmm…oh yes–protein pancakes! I had played around with a recipe before, didn’t quite get it how I wanted it, so I used this recipe and altered it a bit to fit my needs. It’s extremely easy and filled me up without feeling sluggish.

Oooooh yes!

Jul182013

Quinoa Chia Bowl

I always like saying quinoa the wrong way (“kih-no-ah”) just to bug Chris, so it’s always great when it’s in my life more frequently. This is an easy (PEASY) recipe that is perfect for breakfast, but will serve as a nice refreshing snack anytime of the day. I was inspired by Happy Fit Mama when she instagrammed a picture of this dish. I had to try! It fit my clean-eating perfectly. After all, I’m getting close to the end of contest prep! She gave me the ingredients she used, but I went ahead and created the recipe with measurements and all. Kinda winged it, but it worked! Enjoy this perfect recipe for summer living.

Mmmmmm!

Macros (for 1 serving)

Serves: 2
Calories: 208
Fat: 5g
Carbs: 33g
Sugars: 4g
Protein: 8.3g

Ingredients

3/8 cup uncooked quinoa
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp chia seeds
1/2 tsp drizzled honey
1/2 cup Silk Vanilla Unsweetened Almondmilk

Directions

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees F
Mix together the quinoa, cinnamon, chia seeds, and honey in a small dish that can be put in the oven

Mixed up and ready for bake-age!

Put in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (until well-bonded and kinda crisp)

THIS is the proper serving. If you eat the whole thing, double the macros at the top of the post

Pour 1/2 cup almond milk over and enjoy!

Mmmmmm!

Yeah it’s that easy. And I was able to have the other half for breakfast the next morning! Talk about a good deal. The texture of the chia seeds after baking and then drowned in almond milk is next to perfect. It feels like a truly wholesome meal whether you have it for breakfast or any other meal of the day. Use this recipe to stay hungry and fit!

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