Pumpkin Protein Pancakes

Happy Weekend!

This morning, I decided I'd take one of the 500 pumpkin recipes I've saved over the past 6 months and actually bring it to fruition. There's just something about pumpkin!

This particular recipe is from my favorite blog ever - carrotsncake.com
I follow this blog daily and feel like Tina is my friend in some weird, internet kind of way. Don't judge.

Pumpkin Protein Pancakes
Adapted from Carrots 'n Cake

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp Canned Pumpkin
• 1/2 Medium Banana
• 1 Egg
• 1/2 Scoop Pro5 Vanilla Protein Powder
• 3/4 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor until smooth

2. Heat pan or griddle over medium heat and coat with Pam (or another non-stick cooking spray)

3. Pour batter into pan (as either 2 or 3 pancakes)

4. Cook each pancake for about 2-3 minutes, then flip. Cook on the alternate side for about one minute

5. Serve with your toppings of choice

Basic Nutritional Information (without toppings):

Calories 211, Fat 5g, Carbs 19.5g, Protein 23g

The CNC original version called for ground flax, so I was going to use Chia seeds (1/2 tbsp) BUT I forgot :( I'm pretty bummed since I'm trying to incorporate Chia wherever I can, but I left them out of this recipe since I knew I'd be living a lie! Not really, but I want to make sure they absorb the liquid/add a nice texture, so I'll give them a try next time.

I added 1 teaspoon of light butter spread and about 1/8 cup sugar free maple syrup to my pancakes and I liked the flavor a lot. I think the banana shines through a bit more than I'd like - I'm all about the pumpkin after all, so I may add some more pumpkin and 1/4 of a banana in the future.

All in all, this is a healthy, delightful breakfast for a weekend day (or if you're a superhuman who gets up to make breakfast on weekdays).

Have a lovely weekend!!

Pistachio Protein Shake

I do realize that I have posted 3 blended drink recipes in the last week, but 1. I bought a new blender at Costco and it actually blends ice, so my world is changed and 2. I made this shake tonight and I decided that it's probably going to be my dessert every night for the rest of my life. It would be a travesty if I didn't share it with you.


I love Pistachio ice cream with every fiber of my being. It was my go-to as a child. I don't even know if they make it anymore, but I do know that this tastes EXACTLY like it and it's healthy!


Without further build-up, I present to you the...


Pistachio Protein Shake

• 1/4 cup Low Fat Cottage Cheese (I used Fiber One)
• 1/4 Scoop Pro5 Vanilla Protein Powder (one scoop has 145 calories and 32g Protein, so 1/4 was plenty for me. Use more if you have a lower cal/protein powder)
• 1 packet Stevia
• 1 cup Ice
• 1/2 cup water
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Pistachio Pudding Mix

Directions

1. Add cottage cheese, protein powder, ice, water and pudding mix to your blender

(You can alter the ice/water amounts depending on your desired thickness)

2. Use the pulse function on your blender to break up the ice cubes

3. Use the blend function for about a minute until the shake is free of ice clumps

4. Pour into a glass and enjoy!

General Nutrition Information:

Calories 106, Fat 1.25g, Carbs 10.5g, Protein 13g

Holy amazingness. I am stoked to try this same recipe with every other Sugar Free pudding flavor ever created. I already purchased the Cheesecake flavor which I will probably add frozen strawberries to... Wake me up if I'm dreaming!

If you think the cottage cheese part is weird, don't. It adds a lot of protein/calcium and it blends up with the drink so you don't even realize it's there. Plus, it acts as a thickener for a real shake-like texture. Trust me on this one.

In general, I love this blended bev eternally. I might add more ice/water to it next time since it was pretty sweet/rich, but I highly recommend this as a dessert or snack.

Broccoli Salad - Lightened Up

My mom makes the best salads ever. Well, she makes the best everything, really, but when it comes to family functions, I'm always scooping up 3 helpings of whatever immaculate side dish she decides to make. One of my all-time favorites is her Broccoli Salad. I'm pretty sure a lot of moms make this as a side dish, but I assure you, my mom makes it better. Just sayin'.


As much as I yearn for this salad, I know it's not the healthiest in the world. I was really craving it earlier this week, so I set forth on a mission to make it as a lighter version. Don't get me wrong, I will be eating my 3 helpings the next time Mom makes it the classic way.


Broccoli Salad - Lightened Up
Adapted from Mom

4 cups Cleaned/Chopped Broccoli

2 tbsp Light Mayo

1 tbsp Aged Balsamic (I used Lucero's classic balsamic - anything thick/sweet will do)

2 tbsp Bacon Bits

1/4 cup Red Onion

1 tbsp Almond Accents

1/2 Box Raisins

Directions

1. Rinse broccoli and chop into bite sized pieces

2. Cut two large slices of red onion, mince into small pieces

3. Mix light mayo and aged balsamic until they form a dressing

4. Microwave bacon bits for 15 seconds in microwave

5. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl

Makes 4, 1 cup servings

Basic Nutritional Information

Calories 96, Fat 4.13g, Carbs 11g, Protein 5g

It turned out to be pretty tasty. I could have added some additional mayo and balsamic dressing to coat the broccoli a bit more (that stuff absorbs, I tell you!). All in all, it satisfied my craving and was a nice side dish for a week-night dinner. It was also boyfriend approved.

Post-Workout Raspberry Chip Protein Smoothie

Whilst on the elliptical this afternoon, I found myself dreaming of some kind of protein dream creation... I knew it had to involve chocolate but that I also had to justify the chocolate with other, more healthy ingredients. I set forth on a mission to my local Raley's to acquire any ingredients not already in my fridge/pantry to concoct said dream creation. In my mind, I NEEDED frozen cherries to make this work. Raley's had no such cherries, so I cried a little bit inside and decided to settle for raspberries since they're also pretty good friends with chocolate. I  had almost everything else on hand, but I picked up cacao chips since I see them frequently used in "healthy" recipes and they are a pure form of chocolate. 

To make this shake you will need:

Frozen Raspberries (or cherries!), Cacao Chips (dark chocolate chips would work too), Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk (or any kind of milk... chocolate would be better but I didn't have it on hand), Vanilla Protein powder (again with the chocolate would be better comment and same reasoning for not using it), Plain non-fat Greek Yogurt & Ice

Directions:

1. Add the following ingredients into a blender -

1/2 cup Frozen Raspberries
1 Tablespoon Cacao Chips
1/2 cup Unsweetened Almond Breeze (Almond Milk)
1/2 scoop Pro5 Protein Powder (a whole scoop is fine depending on the powder you choose)
1/4 cup Non-fat Plain Greek Yogurt
1 cup Ice

2. Use the ice crushing or pulse setting on your blender to break down the ice cubes

3. Once the ice is well crushed, use the smoothie or regular blend setting, letting the mixture incorporate for about a minute

4. Pour and enjoy!

Stats (with the exact ingredients/amounts I used) -
Calories: 192.5, Fat: 4.5g, Carbs: 14.5g, Protein: 23g

Hot Pink Bendy straw: REQUIRED.