Blog Changes & A Strawberry Cream Cheese Rollup!!

Happy Monday everyone! 

I bet the blog title got your attention since it's not the normal Monday Challenge for the Week. Right now I have a lot of cake on my plate so while I plan on continuing to blog, I have decided to cut myself a break from the schedule of it. I am going to blog when I can instead of Monday, Wednesday, Friday & on the weekend. Having it so scheduled really makes me feel pressured & we all know that pressure can suck the enjoyment right out of things you love! I am trying to get some things done at my house & also trying to find some time to start crafting again. I love to write & I love to blog..... but I love a lot of things which is my problem! lol.... & after last night's post about taking "me" time, I realized I need to subtract a couple of things from my busy schedule. 

Now how about a quick, figure friendly snack idea?

 I threw this together in about 3 minutes the other day when I was craving something sweet that I could put in a wrap for something different.  I also need to start eating the Laughing Cow cream cheese in my fridge! I love those little wedges but I am guilty of buying them & never eating them! What's the point in that?! They are far to yummy to let go to waste!

It's only 4 ingredients!

 And you may possibly already have them in your fridge like I did! 

See?! 4 simple ingredients!

 Strawberry Cream Cheese Roll Up

You need:

1 low carb tortilla

1 wedge of laughing cow strawberry cream cheese

1 Tbsp of sugar free strawberry preserves

 A few real strawberries sliced kinda thin (optional)

Strawberry Cream Cheese Roll Up

*Mash cream cheese & preserves together with  a fork in a small bowl & spread over tortilla with a spatula. Add sliced strawberries down the middle (I didn't think of this yum factor until I had already made mine so that's why you don't see them in the picture but rest assured I will be adding them next time I make one!), roll up & indulge! It is soooo good! Just enough to satisfy a sweet tooth without feeling guilty 'cause this snack is totally figure friendly! It would also be yummy with a regular cream cheese wedge  & SINFULLY DELICIOUS with the new chocolate cream cheese they have out now! I haven't tried it yet cause I don't know if it's safe for my diet to have chocolate cream cheese around 'cause I imagine it's rather wonderful!  

This would be super easy to pack for a lunch snack & I bet kids would love it too! Let me know if you try it & especially if you try any other variations of it!

Wednesday is Operation: Smoothie

Better late than never right?! It seems like I am a day late & a dollar short lately! Although I did show up for yoga class at 9 on Tuesday (like I was told) & it didn't start until 10:30 so on Tuesday I was actually ahead of the game! Haha! So this edition of Operation: Smoothie comes to you the day before everyone's favorite day of the week..... FRIDAY!!!!!!! And I gotta tell ya...... this is a good one! Totally worth the wait! It will satisfy the sweet & the sour in you! It's totally different from any smoothie I have ever made but one I will now be making OFTEN & in all kinds of flavors! Actually, it's not really even a a smoothie though.....it's different. I am going to call this one...... a "smuffy"! I just coined a word! Because it's a fluffy smoothie! How cool is that?! I LOVE the texture of this!!!! The carbonated H20  mixed with the Stevia & protein powder makes it soft & foamy & just really fun for your mouth! Kinda like how you can't eat pop rocks without smiling.... Remember that?!

And you can't beat the fact that it's made with carbonated H20! 

I love this stuff! I used to drink this stuff tall the time & I have no idea why I ever stopped! But you can find it cheap & it's everywhere & in soooo many different flavors! And, it's WATER!!!!! NO CALORIES!!!! HELLO?! What are you waiting for?! 

Read the recipe &  go make yourself a smuffy! 

(& watch the clip below cause I HAD to post! If you have seen the movie Despicable Me, you'll know why I couldn't resist!)

Kiwi Strawberry Smuffy

1 Cup of Kiwi Strawberry flavored carbonated H20

1 packet of Strawberry Crystal Light

2 Tbsp Strawberry flavored protein powder (or vanilla would work)

1 Tbsp Stevia

3/4 C of ice

*Blend in mixer until it's all fluffy! Garnish with a strawberry & a small dab of fat free redi whip (optional) or a slice of kiwi would be pretty too!

*This satisfies the low calorie, evening, sweet n sour protein tooth for a tiny 45 calories, 2 carbs & 10 grams of protein!

Strawberry Cream Protein Muffins

Sundays I usually wake up with pancakes on the brain...... but this morning, I opted for muffins instead since it has been awhile since I have made any. I wanted to make a healthy, crumbly topping for them but that's going to take some looking into & I was ready to eat so I whipped up a creamy spreadable topping instead! I ate 1 of these scrumptious muffins with my eggs this morning & it was really, really moist & good! A perfect carb option for breakfast that anybody you cook for in your house will love! ......I know my mom did! Here is the recipe!

Strawberry Cream Protein Muffins

muffin batter:

2 c oat flour

1 c stevia

1 c fresh or frozen (but de-thawed) strawberries

1/2 c unsweetened almond milk

1/2 c applesauce

3 egg whites

1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder

 1 tsp baking soda 

1/4 tsp salt

cream topping:

3 tbsp plain nonfat Greek yogurt

1 tbsp fat free strawberry cream cheese

1 tbsp stevia

*Preheat oven to 350.

*Blend dry ingredients - oat flour (grind first if you make them homemade like I do), stevia, protein powder, baking powder & salt together. Then add wet ingredients - applesauce, egg whites, almond milk strawberries to the dry ingredients & blend well. Batter is kinda pink.

Pour into 12 regular sized muffin tray that has been sprayed with butter cooking spray. Bake until toothpick comes out clean! Do not overbake! Cooking with appleasauce & stevia is tricky! It is crucial to take your stuff out before it overbakes so your food isn't dry!

*For cream topping - In a small bowl mix all ingredients with a fork until well blended. Spread a tad on top of each muffin then granish with a slice of strawberry to make em pretty-ful & more yummy-ful! 

*Each sweet little strawberry muffin taps the breakfast bell at 70 calories, 11.25 carbs & 4.5 grams of protein!

(Remember that the nutritional contents posted are accurate for the specific ingredients I use. Using different protein powder, milk or anything else you use that is different will require adjusting the nutritional contents!)

A Decadently Sweet Dinner

 

Whew! I had a busy last couple of days! I have to confess that I did great on preparing my lunch & having my protein bars made but I was not prepared on my dinners this week! And..... I am in need of a Kroger run.......so, when I got done with work tonight I wanted something with some substance to it & something tasty! I had peanut butter on the brain & though about just having a pb protein smoothie but I know how I am & sometimes a protein smoothie can leave me feeling unsatisfied...... even if it was filling...... because when I am hungry, I want something I can sink my teeth into & actually CHEW! I'm weird I guess. Anyway, I popped a whole grain protein waffle (these are always a life saver to have in the fridge!) in the toaster & topped it with 1 tbsp of pb & 1 tbsp of sugar free grape jelly & made a strawberry protein smoothie with 1/2 c plain nonfat greek yogurt, water, ice, stevia & a dash of a strawberry crystal light pack! I gotta say.......it was really good &  totally hit the spot! It's not something I would eat every night since it was a heavier dinner than I am used to eating, but I had a hard workout earlier & didn't get in my calories during the day today so that's ok! It was still low carb & packed with protein!  It's nice to know when faced with the challenge of not having a lot in my pantry or fridge that I can still find something HEALTHY  & FAST to throw together! It's proof that eating healthy doesn't have to be complicated or a lot of work! 

Tuesday Treat- Strawberry Lemonade Protein Bars

Today was a great Tuesday! My first leg workout of the week was fierce! (I thought i was going to fall out at one point!) I have been working on getting my new MacBook Pro set up which is a lot of work & gives me a headache but I love it so I enjoy it! I got my new Scentsy Catalogs for Spring along with all the new testers & I am really excited about all their new products! I made plans to hang out with a good friend of mine on St. Patty's Day (yay!) before she moves FAR away (sad sigh) & then that got me thinking about planning something to do for my upcoming birthday in April (YAY!)..........I ate a piece of my deep dish pizza for dinner tonight & the season finale of one my favorite shows, Parenthood is coming on at 9! .........there was a lot of other stuff in between but I'll stop there.
On with the good stuff!...... I know you want to the recipe for these bars so I'll get on with it.......
Let me just say that experimenting with protein bars has become an obsession! I am always trying to come up with something new! Jamie Eason's lemon protein bars have always been one of my favorites & I was craving those so i came up with these based off of that recipe. I cut the calories  & carbs down from her recipe & bumped the protein up! They came out perfect! Tart yet sweet like a good lemonade! They were really cake - like  with a rich, thick & moist taste! I think I am going to have to try one warmed up & crumbled over a vanilla carb smart yogurt!! Mmmmmm.........Try em for yourself! Here is the recipe!   
*1 c oat flour (I make my own out of old fashioned oats)
*2 scoops vanilla whey protein powder (depending on the brand, the nutritional content will be different. I use MRM)
*1-2 qt lemonade crystal light packet
*2 egg  whites
*1/2 c stevia
*1 container of strawberry carb smart yogurt form Kroger
*4 oz water
*1/4 tsp salt & 1/2 tsp baking soda
-Grind oats and add all dry ingredients together. Add all your wet ingredients & mix until well blended. Bake at 350 in a 9 x 9 pan. Let cool (if you can stand it) & cut into 16 squares!
Each square has 39.25 calories, 3.8 carbs & 5.13 grams of protein!

Berry Sweet Protein Waffles

Happy Saturday!! Well, breakfast in bed never happened because by the time I got done cooking my sweet Saturday morning breakfast & then cleaning up (I'm a messy cook! ;)) i was ready to start my day!! Then I got sidetracked as I often do & now I'm posting what should have been a breakfast blog at what is now mid-day! Oh well, it's the weekend right?!
So, ok...... I've been craving these protein waffles lately so I went ahead & doubled the batch so I'd have enough for 3 servings of 2 each. You can pair them w eggs & low fat cheese, natural pb & sugar free jelly, a tbsp of strawberry or plain fat free cream cheese.... I could go on & on but you get the idea! Be creative! .... Just keep it clean & healthy! Today I chose a berry yogurt topping (since I've been on a berry kick this week)..... & here's the berry sweet recipe!
Waffle batter:
1/2 c whole wheat flour
1 tbsp vanilla protein powder
4 egg whites
1/2 c unsweetened almond milk
1 tbsp vanilla
2 slightly rounded tbsp natural no sugar added applesauce
1/4 tsp salt & 1 tsp baking powder
Berry yogurt topping:
1 strawberry flavored carb smart yogurt from Kroger
2 tbsp unsweetened almond milk
1 tbs stevia
Whip it together in a blender to thin to thick but drizzly consistency
*pour batter into waffle iron (fill just enough to cover squares so batter doesn't run all over the sides!) & cook til tops are a little golden then spread berry yogurt topping! I nuked mine to warm the topping too because I'm not big on mixing hot & cold foods but this is totally optional! Eat it how you like it!

Makes 6 waffles
*per 2 waffles w no topping - 156 calories, 13.6 carbs & 14 grams of protein. The yogurt topping alone is 65 calories, 4 carbs & 8 grams of protein. Altogether using ALL the yogurt topping (i was hungry but you can use less if you like) ..... It rings the breakfast bell at 221 calories, 17.6 carbs & 22 grams of protein! I think that's berry sweet enough for me!

TGIFriday morning nosh- Strawberry Punch Oats

Everyone's favorite day of the week is here!! This morning I was in a sweet , strawberry kinda mood so I jazzed up my regular bowl of oats (as I love to do!) & turned it into a protein, vitamin & energy packed breakfast!!
Take 1/2 cup oats prepared & heat about 3 regular sized frozen strawberries (or use 1/3 c fresh) to dethaw in microwave. Stir in 1/2 scoop vanilla whey protein powder, then top hot oatmeal w strawberries & sprinkle w 1/2 tbsp unsalted, natural crushed almonds & 1/2 tbs stevia!!! Mmmm!!! I call it Strawberry Punch because adding the half scoop of protein powder punches the protein content of this energy filled breakfast to 15 grams, the strawberries add a kick of vitamin c (which we all need this time of year especially) & the dab of crushed almonds is a tiny bit of healthy fat!! Its a heart healthy breakfast too!! The calories are right at 200 & the carbs are around 32!! Fuel up & have a fabulous Vendredi!! (that's French for Friday!! ;))