Healthy Lifestyle Update- Power on with Protein Balls

I'm happy to share with you that I went to the Wharton Clinic over the weekend and was down 3lbs and 2 inches since last month! This is a total loss of 72 lbs since I started my journey/blog!

It's definitively progress.... but slower than I would like. My goal is to lose about  1.5lbs a week... so I ran through the past month to see what some of the issues that may have slowed my progress down a bit:

• Stress (makes you hold on to fat for some reason)
• Less sweat inducing exercise this month. For various reasons, I missed about half of my 1 hour zumba/aerobics classes this month.
• Eating close to 1700 calories, rather than the 1600 calorie range I like to stick to
• Eating more simple carbs and less protein than I would like

Thanks to myfitnesspal.com,, I was able to analyze that the quality of my food choices, on a nutrient, clean eating scale value, was not where I wanted to be. The amazing BR I met with at the clinic suggested ensuring that I meet my protein goals at every meal and snack to help me achieve my weight loss goals and suggested making these Protein Balls for quick energy snacking after working out.

Here's the breakdown she suggested:

• 10-15g protein for breakfast
• minimum of 20g of protein with lunch and dinner
• always have protein with every snack

So, I went on a search for a good recipe for these illusive protein balls and found this really easy to make recipe.

The recipe suggests that it makes 20-24 balls, but I ended making 28 smaller balls, at about 70 calories and 4g of protein per ball.


Protein Energy Balls 
(adapted from http://www.thehealthymaven.com/2015/08/no-bake-oatmeal-protein-energy-balls.html)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/2 cup vanilla whey protein powder (about 2 scoops)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 T chia seeds
• 1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter (or any nut butter)*
• 3 T natural honey
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup raisins, chocolate chips, craisins or preferred add-in
• 2-4 T liquid (almond milk, milk, water etc...)

Instructions

Add oats, protein powder, cinnamon and chia seeds to a large bowl.

Add in peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract. Stir to combine.

Add in raisins (or preferred add-in). Mixture should be slightly sticky but still crumbly.

Slowly add in liquid 1 tablespoon at a time and using hands (get dirty!) combine until it comes together in a sticky ball that holds together. If mixture is too dry, add in more liquid but not so much that it won't hold shape.

Roll into balls using hands.

Place in a container to set in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Store in fridge until ready to eat.

Oatmeal Cups a Healthy Breakfast Muffin reinvented

Let me share with you a wonderful recipe I stumbled upon on Facebook for some healthy, NO SUGAR, NO FAT muffins. These are great for your quick on the go mornings.

These are my little version with walnuts, dark chocolate chips, craisins and raisins.  The best is there is no flour, no added sugar and no fat.

Oatmeal Cups (adapted from www.fb.com/FitfabulousLife)

Ingredients:
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cups applesauce, unsweetened
• 1 banana, mashed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 2 1/2 cups, Old Fashioned rolled oats
• 1/8 cup chai seeds (optional)
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups milk
• Optional toppings: blueberries, raisins, walnuts, chocolate chips, pomegranate seeds.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix eggs, vanilla, applesauce, banana and honey together in a bowl. Add in oats, cinnamon, baking powder, salt and mix well with wet ingredients. Finally pour in milk and combine. Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper liners.
Divide mixture evenly into muffin tin cups. I used a 1/4 measuring cup, measure just a tad under 1/4 cup to make 12 servings. Add the toppings. 

Bake 25-30 minutes until a toothpick in center comes out clean. Cool and enjoy or freeze them in gallon freezer bags

Unbelievably Delicious Oatmeal Peanut Butter Brownies

Sometimes a girl needs to bake for her family. Sometime a girl needs sometimes that feels decadent, but making something healthier is a better choice. So let me introduce me to you a great no flour alternative, backed with peanut butter and oatmeal... Yes, it is a healthy brownie!

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

(Adapted from http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2012/06/10/skinny-peanut-butter-swirl-brownies/)

Ingredients:

•         3/4 cup (185 grams) creamy peanut butter (do not use natural, runny peanut butter or powdered "peanut butter")

•         6 oz. low fat or fat free vanilla greek yogurt

•         1/4 cup (60 ml) skim milk (or almond milk)

•         1 large egg (or 2 egg whites)

•         1/4 teaspoon salt

•         1 teaspoon baking powder

•         1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar  (see note above in post about substitutions)

•         1/2 cup (64 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder

•         1/2 cup (40 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats

Some peanut butter...

...oatmeal....

Directions:

1.        Preheat oven to 350F. Spray a 8×8 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Set aside.

2.        Place all of the ingredients except for the peanut butter into a blender or food processor. (Yes, a blender!) For easier blending, place the liquid ingredients into the blender first. Blend until mix is smooth and oats are ground up. You will have to stop the blender and scrape down the sides a few times.

3.        Pour batter into prepared baking dish. Batter will be thin.

5.  Microwave peanut butter for about 30 seconds. Drop melted peanut butter by spoonfuls onto the batter, swirling gently with a knife to create a marbled effect. (Try not to overmix!)
 

4.        Bake for 20-25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from the sides of the pan. Brownies will be extra fudgy, so be sure to wait until COMPLETELY cooled - I stuck mine in the refrigerator for 2 hours, which allowed them to be cut very easily. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Red is the new Black!

That's right, I am back in love with Red... Red food that is. (and my new red hot air popper). Red foods are just so good for you- red peppers, berries, tomatoes... and yes... I am back to the delightfully amazingly nutritious pomegranate!

I thought I would share with you a healthy alternative to some of the 'too sweet and fat laden' apple crisps out there... Yes, I am talking to you Jamie Oliver- your Apple Cranberry crisp at Sobey's was really delicious but everyone in my family thought it was way too sweet. OMG, what a proud moment for a mom/wife when her family recognizes that something is 'unhealthy'.

 Here are my seeded and drained pomegranates.

Next, peel, core and chop 4 apples, toss them with the juice of half a lemon, a tsp of cinnamon and a tsp of brown sugar. Scoop the apples into 3-4 individual ramekins.  Sprinkles with about 1 Tbsp of pomegranates.

For the topping, I use the 1/3 cup rule. So 1/3 cup of flour, brown sugar and melted butter. Mix that to about 3/4 cup of oatmeal. Add a tsp of cinnamon and a dash of salt.  Mix it all together and sprinkle on top of your ramekins with some chopped pecans and more pomegranates.

Pop them in a 375 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes, depending on how soft you like your baked apples! Amazing desert to share with the ones you love- Happy New Year!

Apple-Raspberry Oatmeal Crisp

Here's another.... 'I promised' recipe. This one was really delicious and a little decadent. Sorry, no nutritional details, but do enjoy and eat in 'moderation'.  It's awesome with the raspberries! And with the lack of apples we have this year, you need to fill up your apple crisp with other fruits this year.

Apple Oatmeal Crisp

Courtesy of : Michael Smith

http://www.foodnetwork.ca/recipes/print.html?dishid=12878

Yield : 6-8

Ingredients:

Filling

•unit 6-large or 10-medium apples, un-peeled, cored and chunked

•1 pint raspberries

•1/2 unit lemon, juiced

•1/4 cup flour

•1/2 cup sugar

•1 teaspoon baking spice

Topping

•1 cup flour

•1 cup rolled oats

•1 cup brown sugar

•1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

•1/2 cup melted butter

Directions

Filling

1.Preheat your oven to 375ºF. Turn on your convection fan if you have one. Lightly oil a 9 by 13-inch pan.

2.In a large bowl toss the apples, raspberries, sugar, flour and lemon juice together. Toss in the baking spice of your choice. Transfer to your baking pan.

Topping

1.Whisk the flour, oats, sugar and nutmeg together, then add the melted butter and crumble together with your fingers. Sprinkle evenly over the fruit. Bake until golden brown and bubbly, 45 to 60 minutes.

Best Cookie for Breakfast

I was looking for a healthy, wholesome baked good I could prepare for our upcoming tea party and I stumbled upon this little recipe. Well let me tell you... it was Brent's favourite! He loved the hint of orange zest in these. After he finished the last cookie one morning he actually called me at work to tell me that this was the best cookie I had ever baked and could I please make some more. How sweet eh? Well they are good, they are very soft, I prefer a  harder cookie- but to all who enjoy soft cookies, these will be a delicious addtition to your repertoire.

Morning Glory Cookies (adapted from http://sogoodandtasty.blogspot.ca/2010/02/morning-glory-cookies.html)

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 1/2 cups rolled oats, not quick cooking

1/2 cup (one stick) unsalted butter at room temperature

1/2 cup cane sugar, or regular white sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 tablespoons flax meal

6 tablespoons water

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup grated peeled carrots (about 2 carrots)

3/4 cup grated peeled apple (1 apple)

1/2 cup shredded coconut

1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Grease or line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon into a medium bowl and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix the 2 tablespoons of flax meal with the 6 tablespoons water, set aside. In a large bowl, beat the butter, sugars, and orange zest until smoothly blended. Add the flax meal mixture and the vanilla and mix until blended. Mix in the carrots, apples, coconut, and walnuts. The batter will be very wet at this point. Add the flour and oatmeal, mixing just until incorporated. The dough will be soft and sticky.

Scoop 2 rounded tablespoons worth of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 2 inches apart. Bake until the cookies are set but still light in color, about 13-15 minutes. You don't want to over bake these! Allow them to cool on the pan for 5 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Store in a tightly covered container for up to 4 days. I made 28 cookies.  

Nutritional information for 1 cookie:

109 calories, 13g carbs,  6g fat, 2g protein, 1g fibre, 5g sugar

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies- most successful cookie recipe

Seriously, this is the best recipe of a baked good that I have made that has won accolades around my circle of family and friends. I actually posted this recipe months ago, but I altered it by adding some healthy dark organic chocolate chips. So I thought I would share a recipe that has been 'zinged' up by chocolate on Easter- instead of chocolate bunnies, I share with you a healthy way of enjoying chocolate.

Oatmeal Raisin Chocolate Chip Cookies (these are adapted from sunmaid.com)

These are low fat, low salt and low cholesterol. And as my sister concurred with me, they taste like our Oakville Trafalgar High School cafeteria oatmeal chocolate chip muffins- which we used to LOVE!!! It's the mix of oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon and chocolate chip, they are just so good when they come out of the oven all warm and gooey!

Ingredients:

    1 cup whole wheat flour 

    1 teaspoon baking powder

    1 teaspoon cinnamon

    1/2 teaspoon baking soda

    1/2 teaspoon salt

    1 cup packed brown sugar

    1/4 cup fat-free vanilla or plain yogurt

    2 tablespoons canola oil 

    1 large egg

    1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    1-1/3 cups uncooked old-fashioned oats or quick-cooking rolled oats

    1/2 cup Sun-Maid Natural Raisins

    1/2 cup semi-sweet organic chocolate chips

    Directions:

    HEAT oven to 350º F. Cover 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper.

    COMBINE flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl.

    COMBINE brown sugar, yogurt, oil, egg and vanilla in a large bowl. Add flour mixture to make a             blended dough.

    STIR in oats and raisins and chocolate chips.

    DROP mixture by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on prepared cookie sheets.

    BAKE for 10-12 minutes until very lightly browned. Do not over bake.

    SLIDE cookies from parchment paper onto countertop to cool.

    Makes 40 cookies.

Nutrients per serving (1 cookie): Calories 63; Protein 1g; Fat 1g (Sat. Fat 0.1g); Carbohydrate 13g; Dietary Fiber 1g; Cholesterol 5mg; Sodium 63mg

P.S.With the added chocolate chips, the calories would be a little more, and when I make them, I make about 30 cookies, so I would say each cookie would be about 100- Chantal Style... it's a great snack, and with the whole wheat flour, it really fills you up.