Chocolate Chunk Protein Muffins

I’ve been making muffins every week lately for work week snacks. I invented these today after having to pass up Costco muffins at church…these might give those chocolate muffins a run for their money. If you don’t want to add protein powder, just substitute an extra half cup of oats. Enjoy!

• 1 1/2 cup Old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup Chocolate or vanilla protein powder
• 1/4 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 Banana, mashed
• 4 Egg whites
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened apple sauce
• 3/4 cup Stevia (or sweetened of choice)
• 1/3 cup Milk (I used Almond milk)
• 1 tsp. Baking powder
• 1 tsp. Baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. Salt
• 2 TBS. Mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix all ingredients but the chocolate chips in a blender until batter is smooth. Pour batter in cupcake liners (use foil or silicon) until 3/4 full. Bake for 12-15 minutes. Store in the fridge. Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrition Stats:

Cals: 89

Protein: 6 grams

Fat: 2 grams

Carbs: 13 grams

Sugar: 4 grams

Chocolate Chip Cookie Protein Bars

A snack that tastes like an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie with perfect amounts of protein, slow digesting carbs, and healthy fats? Sign me up! These are great for a snack or breakfast on the go. I use Cashew Butter because it has more of a mild flavor and makes these taste more like a cookie, but any nut butter will do.

• 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
• 1 large Banana, mashed
• 2 Egg whites
• 1/2 cup Cashew Butter (or nut butter of choice)
• 1/2 cup Vanilla protein powder (or an extra half cup of oats)
• 1/2 cup Stevia
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened almond milk (or skim)
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Butter extract (or vanilla extract)
• 1/4 tsp Salt
• 2 TBS Mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Soften nut butter in the microwave fr 10-15 seconds if needed. Mix all of the ingredients except for chocolate chips until well blended. Pour into a 9×9 inch baking pan sprayed with cooking spray. Sprinkled chocolate chips on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes.

Let cool completely before cutting into 8 bars. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days (if they last that long).

Nutrition Stats: (per bar)

181 Cals

Protein: 8 grams

Carbs: 18 grams

Fat: 10 grams

Sugar: 5 grams

Healthy Chocolate Zucchini Bread

I had a ton of zucchini to use up from my mom’s garden and got inspired to make a healthy chocolate treat. For those who have never had chocolate zucchini bread or cake, don’t worry, you’ll never be able to tell it has vegetables in it and the texture is amazing. In fact, I think these taste better than regular chocolate chip muffins or bread. This recipe tastes exactly like regular chocolate zucchini bread but it doesn’t have a whole cup of refined sugar and vegetable oil in it. These can be eaten as a snack or dessert and won’t cause a sugar crash. The oat flour and low glycemic advantage of maple syrup gives this treat some staying power too. This recipe can be made into muffins or loaves. 

• 1 1/4 cup Oat flour (I ground about 1 1/2 cup of old fashioned oats in my blender)
• 1 1/4 cup Shredded zucchini, squeezed dry
• 1/2 cup Applesauce (No Sugar Added)
• 1/2 cup Cocao powder
• 1/3 cup Pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup Milk (I used Unsweetened almond milk)
• 1 Egg, beaten
• 1 Egg white
• 1 tbs Coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp Baking soda
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/3 cup Mini chocolate chips
• 1 tsp Cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk wet ingredients together and slowly add dry ingredients. Pour into two mini loaf pans and add a few more chocolate chips on top if desired. Bake 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. For muffins, bake 22-25 minutes. If making muffins, use foil liners or a silicon pan as oat flour has a tendency to stick to paper liners.

Makes 12 muffins or two mini loaves. (I haven’t tried a large loaf but I’m sure it would work baked for 52-60 minutes)

Nutrition Stats: For 1 muffin or 1/6 of a mini loaf

Calories: 132

Carbs: 21 grams

Fat: 5 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Sugar: 10 grams

Fiber: 3 grams

Brownie Batter Pancakes

Chocolate and pancakes are two of the best things in life so why not combine the two? The problem with a lot of protein or healthy pancake recipes is that they turn out dry and spongy. These are light and fluffy. If you want to up the protein content, just add a 1/2 scoop protein powder to the batter. Now, I just need to figure out how to make a healthy version of Dairy Queen’s brownie batter blizzard.

• 1/2 cup Oat Flour
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• Pinch of Salt
• 4 packets Stevia (or 3 tbs of a sweetener that measures like sugar)
• 2 tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3 tbs Applesauce (you could also sub 1/2 of a mashed banana)
• 2 Egg Whites
• 2 tbs Nonfat greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp Butter extract (or vanilla)
• Optional add ins: 1 tbs chopped Dark Chocolate, 1/2 scoop Protein Powder

To make a chocolate topping (optional): Mix 2 tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder, 2 tbs NF greek yogurt, 2 tbs Unsweetened almond milk, and 1 tbs or more Stevia.

Mix dry ingredients together in a bowl and create a well in the center. Add the wet ingredients and mix. Preheat skillet on medium heat. Spray with cooking spray and pour the batter depending on a desired size of a pancake (2-3 tbsp for a medium 1/4 cup for larger ones). Cook for a couple minutes until you see the edges turning brown and bubbles start to form on the top. Flip with a spatula and cook until browned on the other side. Serves 2

Nutrition Stats: (for 1 serving, with chocolate topping)

Cals: 169

Protein: 13 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Fat: 3

Sugar: 3

Fiber: 7

 

 

 

 

Healthy Peanut Butter Crispy Treats

Whoa Nelly, these are really good. These little treats are a little higher in sugar than what I normally make but they are great for pre or post workout. Hey, did you know that after a workout is quite possibly the best time to consume sugar? I usually add fruit in my post workout shake to restore that depleted glycogen (my husband sometimes consumes gummy worms with his but I really just think he uses that as an excuse to eat candy). Puffed millet can be found in most cereal/health food aisles of the grocery store. It’s not as crispy as puffed rice but I like its chewy texture. Feel free to substitute and get creative.

If you don’t want to add the protein powder just leave it out and you’ve got yourself some healthy rice crispy treats (but honestly, you can’t taste it at all). You can do this recipe two ways – make into bars or roll into balls (which I think were cuter).

• 4 cups Puffed Millet (or puffed rice or quinoa)
• 1/2 cup Crunchy peanut butter
• 1/2 cup Honey
• 1/2 cup Vanilla protein powder (this can be omitted)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt
• Optional: 1/2 Dark chocolate bar (I used 1 serving Green & Black 70% chocolate)

Add honey and peanut butter in a bowl and microwave 30-45 seconds until peanut butter is easier to work with. Pour into a larger dish with the rest of the ingredients (except for the chocolate). Mix well. To make bars: pour mixture into an 8×8 pan coated in non-stick spray. To make balls: coat your hands in a little cooking spray to avoid it sticking to your hands. Roll into 13-18 balls and place on a pan covered with wax paper or foil. For a chocolate drizzle topping, melt dark chocolate in the microwave stirring often. Drizzle with a spoon. Freeze for 20 minutes until they are firm then move them to the fridge. (You can cut the bars into 9 individually and wrap them so they’re ready to roll when you are. Serves 9.

Nutrition Stats:

Cals: 209

Protein: 9 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Fat: 10 grams

Sugar: 19 grams

 

 

Chocolate Chia Pudding

These little seeds are a nutritional powerhouse. I usually throw them in overnight oatmeal but once in awhile like to make pudding with them for a super good for you dessert. If you’ve never used chia seeds before, they absorb 10 times their weight in water, making a tapioca-like gel that can thicken sauces or jams, and even help you feel full longer. If you really need an excuse to eat dessert, check out how good these are for you:

• 1 1/2 tbs Chia seeds
• 1 tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbs sweetener (I used stevia, but you can sub maple syrup)
• 2/3 cup Milk of choice (I used almond)
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract

Mix all ingredients together and leave in the refrigerator 30 minutes or overnight. Leave as is or top with berries, coconut, or chopped dark chocolate. Serves 1. Enjoy!

Nutrition Stats:

Cals: 140

Protein: 7 grams

Carbs: 11 grams

Fat: 8 grams

Sugar: 0 grams

Fiber: 10 grams

Paleo Brownies

I don’t follow a paleo diet (although I tried it a few years ago to see if cutting dairy out would affect my allergies – it didn’t). I just love my oatmeal, greek yogurt, and all things with gluten in them too much to give it all up.

 

I like to try paleo baked goods once in a while and have been browsing recipes for paleo brownies. Most of what I found had combinations of almond butter, coconut oil, grass fed butter, and fancy ingredients that I didn’t have on hand. Additionally, the recipes had lots of healthy fats but you definitely would want to limit yourself to one brownie. These are free of refined sugar and flour, are super fudgy, and aren’t 300 calories a piece.

• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 cup Pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup Applesauce (no sugar added)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt
• 1 tsp Baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl and pour into an 8×8 greased pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Serves 9.

Nutrition Stats: (for 1 brownie)

Cals: 128

Protein: 4 grams

Carbs: 15 grams

Fat: 7 grams

Sugar: 11 grams

ProYo

I make this recipe when I either want frozen yogurt or I have one of those days where nothing seems to fill me up.  My go to toppings lately have been PB2 Crackers, Peanut Butter, Hersheys SF Syrup, Fruit, Mini Chocolate Chips within a reasonable portion.

The best thing about this is that there are endless options of flavors.

I just got Cellucor’s new Chocolate Chip Mint whey powder in the mail – I’m can’t wait to make a delicious bowl of proyo with that!

Recipe for Chocolate ProYo:

• 1 scoop Protein, casein or whey
• 2 tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 cup Unsweetened almond milk
• 2 packets (or 1 tbs) Stevia or sweetener of choice
• 3/4 cup Nonfat greek yogurt
• 1/2 tsp Xantham gum (this helps thicken it, if you don’t have it, cut down the almond milk to 1/2 cup)

Peanut Butter Flavor Option: Sub 1 tbs nut butter or 2 tbs peanut flour for cocoa powder.

Cheesecake Flavor Option: Sub 1-2 tbs Cheesecake pudding mix for cocoa powder.

Mix ingredients in a blender. Stick in the freezer for an hour (if you do longer, let it sit at room temp for about 15 minutes as it will be pretty hardened. Go crazy with toppings! This recipe makes a HUGE serving, so feel free to cut it in half for a snack size.

Nutrition Stats:

Cals: 255

Protein: 41 grams

Carbs: 15 grams

Fat: 6 grams

Sugar: 9 grams

Oatmeal Cookie Protein Pancakes

Yay for Saturday morning pancakes! My mom makes the most delicious oatmeal pancakes and I was thinking about them when I decided to get a little creative this morning. These would be a great post workout meal (or post couch and Netflix binge session, I won’t judge).

• 1/2 cup Old fashioned oats
• 1 Ripe banana, mashed
• 4 egg whites
• 1 tbs Stevia (or sweetener of choice)
• 1 scoop Vanilla protein powder (If you don’t want to use protein powder sub 1/4 cup oat flour and a little extra sweetener)
• 1 tsp Baking powder
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla extract
• Pinch of Salt and Cinnamon
• 2 tbs Mini chocolate chips

Mix mashed banana and liquid ingredients. Whisk in dry ingredients. Pour onto heated griddle sprayed with cooking spray, add chocolate chips to each pancake before flipping. Makes about 6 pancakes, Serves 3.

Nutrition Stats: (for 2 pancakes)

Cals: 208

Protein: 18 grams

Carbs: 26 grams

Fat: 4 grams

Sugar: 11 grams

 

 

Protein Peanut Butter Cups

I saw Reese’s Eggs in the store yesterday and couldn’t get them off my mind. Why are they so much better than regular Reese’s peanut butter cups? I think it’s probably the higher peanut butter to chocolate ratio. Anyways, I whipped these up to kill my craving. Hope you like them!

• 1 scoop Chocolate protein powder (I used BSN)
• 2 tbs Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 tbs Stevia (or honey)
• 1/4 cup Greek yogurt (If you don’t do dairy or have this on hand, you could probably skip this ingredient, I just added it for more volume)
• 1/3 cup Almond or skim milk
• 2 1/2 tbs Creamy peanut butter

Variations: If you want a lower calorie treat, substitute 4-5 tbs of peanut flour mixed with 2 tbs water for the regular peanut butter. You can also use a mini muffin tray to make smaller cups.

Whisk together everything but the peanut butter until you have a pudding consistency. Pour half of the chocolate mixture into muffin tins with paper liners (about 1 heaping tablespoon into each). Leave in the freezer about 20 minutes or until hardened. Spread 1/2 tablespoon of peanut butter into each cup then top with the rest of the chocolate mixture. Freeze 1-2 hours before eating. Store any uneaten treats in a zip lock in the freezer.

Makes 5 Peanut Butter Cups.

Nutrition Stats: (for 1 cup)

Cals: 94

Protein: 8 grams

Carbs: 5 grams

Fat: 5 grams

Sugar: 2 grams