Pineapple Creamsicle Whey Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 c. Orange Vanilla seltzer
3/8 c. plain 2% Greek yogurt
1/2 t. vanilla extract
3/4 c. frozen pineapple
1 T. good quality thick chocolate caramel sauce
1-2 scoops whey protein powder, enough to add 20g protein

Directions
Blend and enjoy!

DIY Smoothie Pack Directions
Blend everything except the pineapple, seltzer, and protein powder and freeze silicon 1 oz. ice cube trays. 6 cubes + frozen fruit + protein powder in a zipper bag.  Freeze.  Empty the bag into a blender.  Add 1/2 c. seltzer and you have frozen yogurt / soft serve you have to eat with a spoon!  Let the smoothie pack contents thaw before blending if you have an older blender, or want a less thick smoothie.  Adding the protein powder thickens and "bulks" the smoothie and I haven't measured how it changes the volume in my DIY smoothie cubes. 

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 284
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 5 g	7 %
Saturated Fat 2 g	9 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 11 mg	4 %
Sodium 57 mg	2 %
Potassium 244 mg	7 %
Total Carbohydrate 30 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	7 %
Sugars 15 g
Protein 27 g	53 %
Vitamin A	5 %
Vitamin C	59 %
Calcium	34 %
Iron	0 %

Chocolate High-Protein Breakfast Cookies: (Hopefully) The Last Word

Adapted from Chocolate Chocolate Chunk High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients
2 c. uncooked quick oats (NOT instant)
3-6 scoops unflavored whey protein powder, enough to add 60g protein
4 T. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. instant espresso powder
1/16 t. cayenne
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
3 oz. melted dark chocolate
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 t. stevia powder
2 T. wild honey
1 t. vanilla extract
few drops orange extract
2 oz. finely chopped dark chocolate

Directions
Set oven to 350˚F.

Sift and mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss in any dried fruit or dark chocolate and mix together.

Evenly divide the batter using a spoon or ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat, then gently mash down on each circle since the cookies will not rise too much in the oven.

Bake for 8 minutes, then allow them to cool on a towel or a cooling rack. They will harden and become chewy as they cool.  

Makes 40 cookies using a 1 T. disher.

Notes: Version 6
Untested.  Swapped almond flour out for more protein powder, so now the 40 cookies make ten 4-cookie servings with 10g protein per serving.


Nutrition Facts

Servings 10.0              4 cookies
Amount Per Serving
calories 201
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 8 g	12 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	20 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 20 mg	7 %
Sodium 159 mg	7 %
Potassium 49 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 24 g	8 %
Dietary Fiber 5 g	19 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 10 g	20 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	4 %
Iron	26 %

Chocolate Chocolate Chunk High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Adapted from Double Chocolate High-Protein Breakfast Cookies


Ingredients
2 c. uncooked quick oats (NOT instant)
2-4 scoops unflavored whey protein powder, enough to add 40g protein
1/4 c. almond flour
4 T. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. instant espresso powder
1/16 t. cayenne
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
3 oz. melted dark chocolate
1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1/4 t. stevia powder
2 T. wild honey
1/2 t. vanilla extract
few drops orange extract
2 oz. finely chopped dark chocolate

Directions
Set oven to 350˚F.

Sift and mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.

Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.

Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss in any dried fruit or dark chocolate and mix together.

Evenly divide the batter using a spoon or ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat, then gently mash down on each circle since the cookies will not rise too much in the oven.

Bake for 8 minutes, then allow them to cool on a towel or a cooling rack. They will harden and become chewy as they cool.  

Makes 40 cookies using a 1 T. disher.

Notes: Version 4
The best yet!  Didn't mash them and they're nice and moist but still chewy.  Can't taste the stevia.  Might try to add a little more.  Increase the protein powder a bit next time; may swap it out for the almond flour entirely as that doesn't add much protein.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8.0               5 cookies
Amount Per Serving
calories 246
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 10 g	16 %
Saturated Fat 5 g	25 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 25 mg	8 %
Sodium 195 mg	8 %
Potassium 52 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 30 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 6 g	23 %
Sugars 10 g
Protein 10 g	21 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	4 %
Iron	32 %

Double Chocolate Chunk High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Adapted from Double Chocolate High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients
2 c. uncooked quick rolled oats (NOT instant)
2-4 scoops unflavored whey protein powder, enough to add 40g protein
1/4 c. almond flour
4 T. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1 t. instant espresso powder
1/16 t. cayenne
1/4 t. salt
1 egg
2 oz. melted dark chocolate (Trader Joe's 72% Pound Plus)
1/2 c. applesauce and/or pumpkin puree
2 T. wild honey
1 t. vanilla extract
few drops orange extract
4 T. skim milk
2 oz. finely chopped dark chocolate (Trader Joe's 72% Pound Plus), or nuts or dried fruit

Directions
Set oven to 350˚F.
Measure oats into a medium bowl.  Sift remaining dry ingredients on top of oats and mix together.
Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl with an immersion blender, and carefully stream in melted chocolate to blend.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly.  Add stir-ins and mix together.
Evenly divide the batter using a spoon or ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat, then gently mash down on each circle since the cookies will not rise too much in the oven.
Bake for no more than 8 minutes, then allow them to cool on a towel or a cooling rack. They will harden and become chewy as they cool. 

Notes: Version 3
Too cakey and still not chocolatey enough.  Used half applesauce and half pumpkin puree.  Add back a little stevia to increase sweetness.  I added milk because the dough seemed to dry.  Add less next time.  Original recipe didn't call for cocoa powder, and the almond flour doesn't add much protein, so skip that next time.  Chop chocolate chunks more roughly and maybe reduce amount of melted chocolate?

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 227
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 9 g	13 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	20 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 24 mg	8 %
Sodium 252 mg	10 %
Potassium 50 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 24 g	8 %
Dietary Fiber 5 g	22 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 11 g	21 %
Vitamin A	36 %
Vitamin C	1 %
Calcium	12 %
Iron	29 %

Double Chocolate High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Adapted from Chocolate Chunk High-Protein Breakfast Cookies and Double Chocolate Protein Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients
2 c. uncooked quick oats (NOT instant)
2-4 scoops unflavored whey protein powder, enough to add 40g protein
1/4 c. almond flour
2 T. unsweetened dark cocoa powder
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. instant espresso powder
sprinkle cayenne
dash salt
1 egg
4 oz. melted dark chocolate
1/2 c. pumpkin puree
1-2 t. stevia powder
1 T. wild honey
1/2 t. vanilla extract
few drops orange extract
2 oz. finely chopped dark chocolate

Directions
Set oven to 350˚F.
Sift and mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss in any dried fruit or dark chocolate and mix together.
Evenly divide the batter using a spoon or ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat, then gently mash down on each circle since the cookies will not rise too much in the oven.
Bake for no more than 12 minutes, then allow them to cool on a towel or a cooling rack. They will harden and become chewy as they cool. 

Notes: Version 2
Too hard; more like bars.  Fairly chocolatey.  Can still taste the pumpkin and the stevia.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 253
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 11 g	17 %
Saturated Fat 6 g	28 %
Monounsaturated Fat 1 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 24 mg	8 %
Sodium 196 mg	8 %
Potassium 41 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 28 g	9 %
Dietary Fiber 7 g	26 %
Sugars 8 g
Protein 11 g	21 %
Vitamin A	36 %
Vitamin C	1 %
Calcium	5 %
Iron	32 %

Chocolate Chunk High-Protein Breakfast Cookies

Adapted from Pr-Oat-ein Breakfast Cookies

Ingredients
2 c. uncooked old-fashioned oats (NOT instant)
2-4 scoops unflavored whey protein powder, enough to add 40g protein
1/4 c. almond flour
2 T. unsweetened dark cocoa powder 
1 t. baking soda
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. instant espresso powder
sprinkle cayenne
dash salt
1 egg
4 oz. unsweetened applesauce
1/2 c. almond butter
2 T. wild honey
1/2 t. vanilla extract
few drops orange extract
3 oz. finely chopped dark chocolate


Directions
Set oven to 350˚F.
Sift and mix dry ingredients together in a bowl.
Mix wet ingredients together in a separate bowl.
Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Toss in any dried fruit or dark chocolate and mix together.
Evenly divide the batter using a spoon or ice cream scoop onto a baking sheet lined with parchment or Silpat, then gently mash down on each circle since the cookies will not rise too much in the oven.
Bake for no more than 8 minutes, then allow them to cool on a towel or a cooling rack. They will harden and become chewy as they cool. 

Notes: Version 1
Too dry and not chocolatey.  Almond butter adds a lot of protein, but is expensive.  Switching with melted chocolate.  Switching applesauce with pumpkin puree.  Adding stevia to sweeten instead of extra sugar.

Nutrition Facts

Servings 8.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 303
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 16 g	25 %
Saturated Fat 4 g	19 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 25 mg	8 %
Sodium 195 mg	8 %
Potassium 52 mg	1 %
Total Carbohydrate 29 g	10 %
Dietary Fiber 6 g	23 %
Sugars 9 g
Protein 13 g	25 %
Vitamin A	1 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	8 %
Iron	24 %

Cherry Whey Smoothie

Ingredients
1/2 c. tart cherry juice
3/8 c. plain 2% Greek yogurt
3/4 c. frozen pitted cherries
1-2 scoops whey protein powder, enough to add 20g protein

Directions
Blend and enjoy!

Nutrition Facts

Servings 1.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 211
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 2 g	3 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	6 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 17 mg	6 %
Sodium 63 mg	3 %
Potassium 349 mg	10 %
Total Carbohydrate 19 g	6 %
Dietary Fiber 2 g	8 %
Sugars 16 g
Protein 29 g	59 %
Vitamin A	3 %
Vitamin C	12 %
Calcium	109 %
Iron	2 %

Greek Yogurt Angelfood/Pound Cake

Adapted from Sour Cream Pound Cake

Ingredients
sunflower seed oil
4 c. sifted cake flour (about 1 lb.). plus enough to dust the pan
1/4 t. salt
1 1/2 c. 2% or whole milk Greek yogurt
1 t. baking soda
3/4 c. butter
2 3/4 c. sugar
2 t. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
2 T. fresh lemon juice


Directions
Brush a bundt pan with sunflower seed oil and coat with flour.

Mix flour and salt.

Combine yogurt and baking soda; stir well.

Place butter in large bowl and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.  Gradually add sugar and vanilla, beating until well blended. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Add juice; beat 30 seconds.

Add flour mixture alternately with sour cream mixture to sugar mixture, beating at low speed, beginning and ending with flour mixture.

Spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack.  Serve with fresh fruit topped with whipped cream.

Nutrition Facts

Baked Barbeque Country Style Pork Ribs

Adapted from Baked Barbecued Country-Style Ribs

Ingredients
2 lbs. country-style pork ribs (boneless)
1 T. salt
1 1/2 t. paprika
1 t. chipotle powder
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. fresh black pepper
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 medium onion (sliced)
1/2 c. barbecue sauce

Directions
Preheat oven to 325˚F. Line a shallow baking pan with foil; coat or spray with olive oil. Dry the ribs with a paper napkin. Mix the seasonings and rub over the ribs.
Arrange the ribs on the pan and top with onion. Cover with another piece of foil. Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes until ribs are tender.

Remove top piece of foil and brush ribs with sauce. Bake uncovered for about 15 minutes more or broil for 2-3 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

Crockpot Rotisserie Chicken

Adapted from Slow Cooker Whole Chicken

Ingredients

Vegetables
4 celery ribs cut into 1/2" pieces
8 small carrots cut into 1" pieces
1 small onion peeled and cut into 8 wedges
6 small yellow potatoes cut into 1" pieces
6 garlic cloves peeled and smashed
4 sprigs of rosemary, or equivalent dried
4 sprigs of thyme, or equivalent dried
½ t. salt
½ t. fresh ground black pepper
½ T. olive oil

Chicken
4-5 lb. chicken (small enough to fit in your crockpot without touching the lid
1 t. salt
1 ½ t. paprika
½ t. chipotle powder
½ t. fresh ground black pepper
½ t. dried thyme or 1 teaspoon chopped fresh
½ T. olive oil plus more for brushing

Gravy (optional)
2 T. unsalted butter
2 T. all-purpose flour

Directions

Chicken and Vegetables

Brush or spray a 6-quart crockpot with olive oil.  Toss vegetables with their seasonings and olive oil. 
Arrange seasoned vegetables in the slow cooker, creating a nest for the chicken.  Combine salt, paprika, chipotle powder, black pepper, dried thyme, and olive oil in a small bowl to make a seasoning paste.  Remove the giblets and neck from the chicken. Dry the outside and inside of the chicken with paper towels.  Spread the seasoning paste evenly over the chicken skin. Place the chicken breast side up on the vegetables.  Cover and cook on the “High” setting for 4 to 5 hours, or “Low” setting for 6 to 8 hours, or until the breasts reach an internal temperature of 160 to 165ºF, and thighs reach 170ºF.

For Crispy Skin (optional)

Carefully transfer chicken to a foil-lined baking tray with a rack on top. Brush the chicken with olive oil and broil 10-inches away from the top of the oven until the skin is browned and crisp, about 5 minutes.  To further brown the vegetables, transfer to a foil-lined baking tray and broil 10-inches away from the top of the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes.  Transfer chicken to a carving board and rest for 15 minutes before carving.  To serve, add vegetables to a platter and place carved chicken on top.

For Gravy (optional)

Transfer chicken drippings to a fat separator. Heat a medium sized pan over medium heat.
Melt 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in the pan and then whisk in 2 tablespoons flour. Once a pale roux is formed, turn the heat up to medium-high. Gradually whisk in 1 cup defatted chicken drippings. Stir continuously until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add more chicken drippings for a thinner sauce. Season gravy with salt and pepper.

Nutrition Facts