Low fat angel food cake

It's the Fourth of July weekend. Time to eat, enjoy family and blow some stuff up.  But if you don't want to be blowing the button off your jeans, you're going to need to pace yourself or swap out some healthier choices for unhealthy comfort foods.  

Increasing lean meats, vegetables and fruits are a good start. Limit the quantity of the processed foods you eat. Generally speaking these holiday weekend meals are filled with carbs AND fat.  I usually try to pick one or the other.  So I baked this lovely flag themed LOW FAT cake to enjoy guilt free. 

It's not low carb, but it's really not a diet killer, even for a pretty generous portion (1/12 of a 13x9 cake) 2 ingredients doesn't get much easier either!

Let's get to the Ingredients:

For the cake:

Box of Angel Food Cake Mix

20 oz can of crushed pineapple in juice

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix the pineapple (un-drained) with the cake mix until fully incorporated.

        Mixture will be very foamy and fluffy.

Pour the mixture in a 13x9 ungreased pan 

Bake for 30-40 minutes (mine was done at 30 minutes)

Cool completely.. scroll down for topping

IF you wanted to enjoy the cake as is, the macros for 1/12 of the cake are as follows:

Calories: 167

Fat: 0g (yes ZERO) 

Carbs: 37.5g

Fiber: 0.7g 

Protein: 3g

This would be a pretty awesome post workout recovery meal... 

If you want to go all out topping and decorating you'll need the following:

Small box of dream whip

Milk of choice (I used 1% good old cows milk) 

Extract of choice *Optional*

Fruit of choice (I used blue berries and strawberries)  

Keep scrolling for directions 

Mix the Dream whip per the box directions.  I used both envelopes and 1 cup of 1% milk. I used a cherry flavor I had to give it just a hint of sweetness. 

The box recommends vanilla extract.

Whip until peaks form

Spread on top of the cake (I left mine in the pan)

Decorate with fruit if desired and ENJOY! 

Macros for cake and topping (I left the fruit off, but I only ended up with about 1 strawberry on my piece so it wouldn't drastically change the macros.

1/12 of cake w/ topping

Calories: 196

Fat: 1g

Carbs: 43g

Fiber: 1g

Protein: 4g

This comes in at about 1/2 the calories of a traditional cake with buttercream and with SO much less fat.

Hope you have a safe 4th of July and remember, you don't have to ruin your goals to enjoy your life.

Carb Quik banana muffins

I've decided in order to stay motivated and watch my macros, I will start posting some healthy recipes so I have less excuses to eat healthy food.  After all, If I making it for my blog.. it's there and I don't need to go out for some convenient junk food.  

I bought some carbquik mix a while ago on Amazon (my favorite lazy girl website).  I didn't really have anything in particular in mind when I ordered it.  I am NOT against carbs at all.  For me personally, I found lower fat, high protein and moderate carbs is best for losing weight. Also I LOVE carbs.  I am always looking for ways to enjoy my favorite carb heavy foods in a healthier way. 

I hadn't even opened the mix. I've been kind of slacking off diet (and exercise) wise lately. But I found a relatively easy recipe for banana nut muffins and I modified it based on what I had in my kitchen. 

So.. without further delay.. lets get to the recipe!

Ingredients:

2 cups Carbquik

1 ripe banana

1 egg

2/3 cup unsweet almond milk (can sub in whatever kind of milk you drink)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

8 packets of Truvia

1 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl until moist. (up to 1/4 cup water can be added if needed) I didn't need to add any extra water. 

The batter is very light and airy.

scoop the batter in to 12 regular size muffin tins. 

Bake for 8-13 minutes.  (I checked at 10 min and ended up baking all 13 minutes)  

They are very light and fluffy! Makes a great pairing with a protein shake or some eggs or egg whites. 

Macros for the muffins (based on my ingredients) 

PER 1 MUFFIN

Calories:  71

Fat:         4.8g

Carbs:     9.9g

Fiber:      7.3g

Protein:   3.7g

Show Day Sweet Potato Pancake

For breakfast the day of my show I had a sweet potato pancake with a tablespoon of peanut butter, a small apple  and 5 hard boiled egg whites.

The recipe for my sweet potato pancake is below

Ingredients:
56 g (2 oz) Baked, mashed sweet potato
46 g (3 Tablespoons) egg whites
15g (1/2 Tablespoon) coconut flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Procedure:
Mix all the above ingredients in a blender, mixer or by hand until a batter forms.
Pour on to a heated skillet.

I made 1 large pancake, you could make a couple smaller ones.

Macros for entire recipe
Calories: 97
Fat: 0.6 g
Carbs: 14.2 g
Fiber: 4.1 g
Sugar: 3.9 g
Protein: 6.1

3 ingredient protein pancakes

1 week post figure competition. My trainer ordered a week of rest. I've been going a little crazy. But I've complied. I have however, also allowed myself to indulge in goodies over the past week. Most were ok, but others were no where near as satisfying as I hoped. And yesterday's Pizza Hut lunch is really making me regret it! 

So this morning I wanted to eat something clean. Nothing "bad" even sounds good. But pancakes.. Who doesn't love pancakes on Saturday morning? 

If I can get off track real quick, I hate to reference "bad" or "good" foods. Of course there are foods that should be limited while living a healthy lifestyle. But I am a firm believer in "everything in moderation." I think it's unrealistic to stop all sugars or carbs or fats or anything for the rest of your life. So unless you have a legitimate reason to remove a food group or allergen, I recommend limiting but not removing completely. 

So.. Back to breakfast. 

I always have egg whites, they're a quick easy, healthy protein.  I of course also have protein powder. I had some baked sweet potato too. And there you have it. Easy peasy gluten free protein pancakes. 

The worst part of making pancakes is the waiting!! So I'm not going to lie. A few got eaten during the cooking process. 

So what's the process? 

First in a blender, food processor or magic bullet (or mix by hand if you want) 

Mix 

2 servings egg whites (92g)

About 6oz sweet potato (150g) 

1 scoop of protein. I used core fit cinnamon bun. 

You can get it at www.livecorefit.com discount code: Jennibean 

Blend that all together until a smooth batter forms. If it's a little thick you can add a table spoon or 2 of almond milk (or your choice of milk) 

The batter is very moist and very delicate. So don't rush the cooking process. 

Pour a little batter on to a heated skillet or griddle.

Wait to flip until the bubbles form and stay hollow. 

Once you flip it, the pancake will puff up a bit. Leave it until it collapses flat. Then it should be cooked through. 

Repeat and stack them up! 

The macros for the entire recipe are

Calories: 284

Fat: 3g

Carbs: 30g

Fiber: 3.8g

Sugar: 10.6g

Protein: 34g

You can divide as you see fit or eat the whole stack yourself. 

I wanted to add some more fats to my breakfast so I drizzled a couple tablespoons of almond butter on mine. Don't forget to include your choice of topping in your food log. 

Orange cream protein pancakes

You never realize how much you love to eat something until you're told you can have it. But let's get real.. I've always loved my carbs. So while I do okay on Keto. I love my Sunday carb up. I was planning out my day and I was determined to make some protein pancakes. I searched tons of recipes and settled on one from proteinpow.com  As usual I adapted the recipe a bit. She almost always measures protein in cups and I prefer to measure in scoops so I think it leads to slight variances but I haven't had any failures yet. I would call these a success too! 

So here's the base recipe from proteinpow.com 

Ingredients

3/4 cup oats

1/4 cup egg whites 

1 scoop whey (I used orange creamsicle) 

1 scoop vanilla pea protein 

1 cup almond milk 

 

I added:

1 tablespoon coconut flour 

I found the original recipe was a bit funny for my taste. The few pancakes I made before adding the coconut flour were fine, just a bit thin. 

The directions are simple.. Throw all the ingredients in to a blender, blend until smooth, cook on a hot skillet. I spray a little olive oil spray between every other pancake or so and use a non stick skillet. 

I topped mine off with Waldon farms calorie free pancake syrup. They were sooooo moist and delicious though and probably could be eaten solo.

Macros for the entire recipe (easily could split and serve 2 .. If you're the sharing type) 

Calories: 543

Fat: 12g

Carbs: 61g

Fiber: 11g

Sugar: 5g

Protein: 51g

Avocado fudge

After my accidental avocado fat bomb incident. See previous post 

I decided to try again to make the avocado fudge I intended to make. I got the idea from chocolatecoveredkatie.com  

The original recipe called for coconut butter.. I usually try to sub out things I dot have with things I do.. So I just used regular butter. And they came out SO GOOD! 

They are way more delish than the fat bombs and they are a little bit less calories too! 

Fudge Ingredients:

6 tablespoons of butter

1/4 cup (about 56g) of mashed avocado 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

2 Tablespoons Waldon farms syrup (or honey or agave but this will add more cal and carbs) 

Pinch of salt

1-2 packets of stevia 

Optional chocolate layer 

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa 

2 tablespoons Waldon farms chocolate syrup (or honey or agave) 

Directions below this yummy picture

Directions: 

Melt the butter, mix the fudge ingredients in a blender until smooth and creamy. Pour into a small pan or container. Put in the freezer at least 3 hours. 

Once the fudge is in the freezer you can mix the chocolate layer now or later. I did mine right away and as you see it stayed right on top. 

Melt the coconut oil and mix together with the cocoa powder and syrup of choice. Pour over the avocado layer and let set. I left mine overnight. 

Macros for 1/8 of the recipe 

Calories 119

Fat 13g

Carbs 2g

Fiber 1g

Protein 0.1g 

Accidental avocado coconut fat bomb

Just over 2 weeks to go and I'm doing a Keto diet for the remainder of prep. For those who don't know that's a low carb high fat diet. So looking for recipes I found an avocado fudge recipe. The problem was 1. I can't read I guess. And 2. I didn't have coconut butter. 

These 2 factors led to the creation of avocado coconut fat bomb. They're still delicious. But not very fudgey.

Ingredients :

1/4 cup mashed avocado 

6 tablespoons coconut oil

2 tablespoons Waldon farms syrup (or agave or honey) 

1 tsp vanilla extract 

Stevia to taste. (I used about a tablespoon ) 

Mix it all in a small blender, pour into a container and set in the freezer 3 hours or until set. 

If you want to add the chocolate swirl 

2 tablespoons Waldon farms

2 tablespoons cocoa

2 tablespoons coconut oil 

Pour on top and swirl through with a knife 

Macros per 1/8 

Calories 134

Fat 15g

Carb 2g

Fiber 1g

Protein .4g

Low carb Oopsie rolls attempt 1

3 weeks to go and we are doing Keto for the remainder of my prep. It's always tough adjusting diets. I starting looking in to some low carb recipes and found oopsie bread. 

I read some horror stories about how difficult these were and although it takes some care, I didn't have too much problem.  I found several recipes and though the one I used came out well, I think I will cut out one ounce of cream cheese cause I found a lot that only called for 3 instead of 4.  So, lets get to it..

Ingredients

3 eggs

4 oz of cream cheese (or 3)

1/4 tsp cream of tartar

optional: spices/seasonings to taste

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit 

Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites

Mix the egg whites and cream of tartar until the whites form peaks

Mix the yolks and cream cheese and any seasoning. For this first run I opted for just 1 packet of splenda.  You can use italian herbs, splenda and cinnamon or any combo of spices you choose. 

Gently fold the yolk mixture back into the whites mixture, take care not to break down the whites.

Gently scoop 6 dollops of the mixture on a baking sheet, I used parchment paper to ensure they didn't stick.  You should use all the mixture making the 6.

Bake for 35 minutes.  Let cool, can be stored on the counter for several days or in the fridge, though the fridge will keep them SUPER moist so I recommend pulling them out and letting them sit before you want to use them.  Mine are still on the counter and I made them 5 days ago.. Still fine.

I'll be trying these again and will post up any other variations I come up with. 

Macros per the 4 oz recipe are, Per 1 of 6

Calories 102

Fat 8.5g

Carbs 2.2g

Fiber 0  (I'm toying with adding fiber powder to this next time)

Protein 4.3g

Peanut butter Marshmallow French toast

Hello fitfam!  I'm about to start 3 weeks of keto. Which means I'm saying goodbye to carbs for a few weeks until I carb load for my show. So I decided to make myself some french toast as a farewell to carbs.  I'm not going to lie.. it was AMAZING. 

I'm going to share the basic recipe as well as the toppings I chose to use so the macros will be for exactly what you see pictured: 

Ingredients:

1 whole egg (large)

1/4 cup egg whites

1 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

2 slices whole wheat bread (I used Sara Lee, you can substitute any bread you like but the macros will change)

Toppings:

2 tablespoons natural peanut butter

2 tablespoons Waldon Farms marshmallow fruit dip

1 tablespoon Waldon Farms strawberry syrup

Directions:

Mix the first 4 ingredients together in a wide shallow bowl. Preheat a skillet to medium/medium high heat. Lay one piece of bread in the egg mixture letting it soak it up, flip it letting the other side soak up some mixture. Place the bread in the skillet, flip after about 1-2 minutes (once the egg mixture is cooked on that side)  While piece 1 is cooking, start soaking piece #2 in the egg mixture, it should soak up pretty much all the egg mixture. (So you're getting ALL the protein from the eggs) 

Once piece #1 is cooked transfer it to your plate and layer 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of marshmallow dip.  Cook the second piece like the first.  And lay it on top of the first piece.  Add your layers of peanut butter and marshmallow dip. Drizzle a tablespoon of Waldon farms strawberry syrup on top and ENJOY!

Macros for my recipe:

Calories:426

Fat: 22g

Carbs: 34

Fiber: 8

Sugar: 7

Protein: 27

Protein Fluff Recipe

Here is a yummy post workout treat that would be especially refreshing on a hot summer day and is super easy to make protein fluff.  It's a protein packed low carb ice creamy marshmallow-y fluffy treat.

Ingredients:
1 cup frozen fruit (I used raspberries for this one)
1/4 cup almond milk (or milk of choice)
1 scoop of whey protein.

So let's get to the directions and pictures shall we? :)


1. measure out 1 cup of frozen fruit (berries or banana will work for this. I have done pineapple but it's really hard to break it down when it's frozen)

2. Add 1/4 cup of milk of choice to the berries.

3.  Add your protein.  I used Core Fit protein. I love the handy prepackaged scoops and the flavors are delish!!  You can buy it here and you can save 20% with coupon code Jennibean

4. Smash it all up.  I used this attachment to my hand mixer. I usually smash it all a bit before I turn the mixer on and smash it some more. 

5. Smash it all until it looks like the pic below.  Basically until it's well blended and no large pieces of the fruit remain.

6. Then switch to a whisk attachment and fluff it. You want to try to add a bit of air and make it a frozen-y fluffy yummy treat.  It should look like the pic below.

7. Enjoy your delicious healthy treat.

Macros below are for 1 recipe. It pretty much makes 1 serving so you don't have to share :)

Calories: 201
Fat: 4 g
Carbs: 20 g
Fiber: 9 g
Sugar: 8 g
Protein: 24 g

Sweet Potato Protein Cupcakes

So I have a little something to celebrate. I just accepted a new job. I'm super excited to be taking my career to the next step.  Unfortunately, 4 weeks out from my debut show isn't the greatest time to have a celebratory meal or treat.  Fear Not!  Here's a healthy treat that tastes so naughty but is actually packed with protein and good complex carbs!

I adapted this recipe from one I found at www.proteinpow.com  I usually don't have everything on hand or the exact ingredients but I've been pretty successful at getting some amazing recipes from there.  It's a go-to site when I need a protein packed recipe.

These really hit the spot!  I didn't even feel like I was eating something healthy.. it was totally delicious and tasted like a naughty treat, but without the guilt.  I actually got to eat 2 and will have the other 2 tomorrow.. I can't wait!

So let's get to the recipe, then we can get to a couple more pictures!

Ingredients for cake:
212 g Sweet potato (cooked and peeled) this is about 7.5 oz
1/3 cup whey protein (this is about 1 scoop)
1/3 cup egg whites
1 Tablespoon coconut flour

Ingredients for frosting:
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1 scoop protein powder (I used core fit cinnamon bun you can get it at www.livecorefit.com save 20% with the coupon code JenniBean )
2 Tablespoons coconut flour
1/4 cup almond milk (add this 1-2 tablespoons at a time as needed until the desired consistency is reached)

Directions for Cake:
Preheat your oven to 325 F.
Mix all the cake ingredients together into a thick batter
Scoop into a pre-sprayed cupcake pan  (recipe makes 4 cupcakes)
Bake about 40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean

Allow the cupcakes to cool before frosting.  I kept mine in the refrigerator overnight.

Directions for Icing:
Mix the first three ingredients together, slowly add almond milk until the desired consistency in reached.  Put the icing into a ziplock back and cut a corner and pipe on to the cooled cupcakes.

I garnished with a dusting of cinnamon.

Macros for 1 cake (out of 4)
Calories:  173
Fat: 2g
Carbs: 19g
Fiber: 4g
Sugar: 6g
Protein: 19g

They are also kid approved. Note the tiny toddler finger photobomb 

BCAA gummy recipe

Happy Monday everyone. 

So I'll post this update with more details in another post but we've switched shows and I am just under 11 weeks out from the stage! That means 11 more weeks of prep and reduced calories.. actually 13.. but again that's another post.  So last week I messed with my meal times.. It was a horrible idea! I was saving carbs for post workout (I had been carb loading in the morning previously).  So I stretched out the time between my meals earlier in the day and there were a few days were I was STARVING between meals.  

One day I ate a handful of giant mints.. which turned out to be about 30g of carbs total! yikes! So I decided to look around for some alternatives for snacking between meals. (besides gum which also has sugars and piece after piece can add up during the day) 

So I had seen a few posts about BCAA gummies. So I looked into them a little more. I really had no idea they had no added sugar and it was just gelatin which is protein.  I used watermelon flavored BCAA powder and they are yummy! They were pretty easy to make too. I have plastic molds so I dusted them with cornstarch but still had to fight a bit to get the gummies out. I think I will use silicone next time as I think it's a little easier.  I don't have small silicone molds but I think I can just dice up the gummies into pieces once they have set.  So here's the recipe

Ingredients:
1 scoop BCAAs ( I used watermelon Rescue)

1/2 cup water

3 envelopes unflavored gelatin (3 tablespoons)

Procedures:

Mix the above ingredients together and let sit a few minutes

Heat mixture until gelatin is dissolved.

Pour into molds 

Freeze for 20 minutes

This made a lot of gummies. I didn't do a macro breakdown per gummy cause they weren't the same size (because my molds were different) but for the entire recipe the macros are:

Fat: Zero

Carbs: Zero

Protein: 24g 

Casein protein truffles

Hi Everyone,

I am seriously the worst at keeping up with things! Really I am an accountant first (that's what pays the bills) and we are in the midst of busy season. Meaning I Work, Eat, Train, Sleep. I am having trouble finding time for much else. Of course EAT is one of the things I MUST do.. And I really enjoy that too. :)  So of course with eating comes cooking/preparing.  So I have a couple recipes I've tried that I want to share.  The one today is Casein protein truffles.  

If you are like me, you love chocolate.  Does anyone not love chocolate?! But clearly having a box of Russell Stovers or a bag of mini Reece's PB cups is not in the plan right now. Sooooooooooo.. I improvise.  Luckily there are some genious people in the world who create and share recipes for those of us that are a bit challenged in the kitchen. And this one is adapted from Proteinpow.com is already a favorite.  I've made them twice this week.  (and drooled over her website for days and days)  

So first these are a snap to make.. if you can mix, and roll "dough" you've got the necessary skills. Did I mention I am challenged in the kitchen? :) If I can make it, a 5 year old can.. but seriously, you could make the kids make these for you.. if you trust they won't eat them. 

Ingredients: 

1 scoop Casein Protein (I used chocolate of course but any flavor would work)

1/2 tablespoon of coconut flour (I might have used a touch more)

2-4 tablespoons of almond milk (or milk of choice)  

about a tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa powder for coating the truffles

(at Proteinpow.com they dip these in dark chocolate.. so that's an option too)

I started with 2 tablespoons of milk, mixed and then added a bit more until you get a consistency which will form a ball but isn't TOO wet. (if you add too much milk, add a little more Casein or coconut flour) 

Procedure:

1. Add dry ingredients to a bowl

2. Add almond milk

3. Mix

4. Form into 4-5 balls. I did 4 as you can see below

5. Roll the balls in cocoa powder

6. Chill in the fridge 20 minutes or so.

7. Enjoy the deliciousness!

(if you wanted to dip these in chocolate, I would chill after step 4, melt the chocolate, then dip and chill again to set the chocolate)

I made these before work and brought them as my afternoon snack/pre-workout so my plating is phenomenal.   Ninja turtle containers, hell yeah!!  (Yay 80s kids!!) .. But for the record my husband bought these ok. :) 

Macros for the WHOLE recipe using cocoa powder

Calories: 160

Fat: 2.5g

Carbs: 10g (2.5g of fiber, 5g of sugar)

Protein: 25g

Lump of Coal treats

WARNING .. This is NOT a healthy recipe.

I love baking and making goodies. Even if I'm not going to be the one enjoying them.  So here's something I made for my daughters dance class party. I'm not going to lie. I tried one. It was AMAZING. These are also super simple and a fun project to make with your kids. They would make a fun stocking stuffer or treat for all those holiday parties. 

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons of butter 

10oz bag of marshmallows

1 container of Oreos (I bought family size and used most of them. But I think a typical sized package would also work) 

Procedure: 

Melt butter and marshmallows over medium heat, stir often, until all the marshmallows are melted 

2. While those are melting, crush your Oreos. You can do this by hand or with a food processer. (I used a food processer) 

3. When the butter marshmallow mixture is lump free, remove from heat and mix in the crushed Oreos. 

4. Pour mixture in to a greased pan, I used 8x8. And let cool. Then cut into desired number of bars.  Alternatively you could roll the mixture in to balls and shape like coal. 

Homemade protein bars

Yay. I'm finally posting about food.

A lot of the recipes I post are going to be based around the macros I follow during the various stages of my prep. These can be modified to fit various macros. 

So I'm not a big fan of oatmeal. I like it dry (not too runny) and I'm often in a rush in the morning so sitting down to enjoy a nice hot bowl of oatmeal isn't often in the cards. I also get a some protein with breakfast. I discovered a quick and convenient way to get both of these each morning. Below is my homemade protein breakfast bar (would also be great post workout) 

Ingredients: 

1/2 cup of oats 

Scoop of whey (I'm using 2/3 of a scoop of 1st phorm Level1)

Water (peanut butter or honey/agave could also be used if your macros allow) 

Process

1. Dump your oats and whey in a bowl. 

2. Add enough water (or peanut butter and/or honey) just for it to stick together. Stir it. I used a few tablespoons of water. Add just a little at a time cause you don't want to over do it. It should look like this when you're done. (You could also just stop here and eat this. It's delish!) 

3. Pack it into a container lined with parchment paper. (This could also be rolled into balls for little snacks) 

4. Put it in the fridge several hours. I do mine overnight. 

In the morning. Grab and enjoy

You could also double, triple the recipe and make a few days worth. Just bag them up so they dont get too dry. 

Macros for my recipe: 

Calories: 243

Fat: 5g

Carbs: 30g

Protein: 22g