Bana - Nutty Almond Protein Waffles

So, ok.......I have been wanting to try baking with almond flour for a long 

time but the stuff ain't cheap! 

Thanks to my friend Kim, I finally got some & I just made my first recipe with it this week! She brought me some fresh ground almond meal & it is sooooo flippin' GOOD!!! I mean it! It was so totally worth the wait! So, naturally I wanted to make something that would be worthy of it's total awesome-ness! What could be more worthy that pancakes or waffles?! To me, since they are both my weakness - I have to respond with, "Is that even a question?!"  I love that it was fresh ground because it's a little chunky! Not too chunk or big chunky.....just right chunky! And not all of it is chunky, but there are tiny chunks of almonds all in it & I LOVE that! Just like I love crunchy natural peanut butter!  

YUM!

Anywho, since I have started this Body Earned program, I am really concentrating on making sure m body stays properly fueled & nourished & that includes keeping my body properly fueled while I sleep too. Did you know that an important part of staying healthy & maintaining muscle is eating before bed? This is something I learned only in the last year. Prior to that, even though I had been training for a long time, I always played it safe & refrained from eating before bed out of fear that it would make me gain weight. Now I know that exactly the opposite is true & that our body needs fuel while it is at rest too! But not just ANY kind of fuel..... the RIGHT fuel! It's not a free pass to go eat a bowl of ice cream or a plate of french fries (in a world of my own maybe..... ) but it is important to put something HEALTHY, such as- healthy fats like nut butters or nuts (watch portions of course!), low fat cottage cheese, egg whites or a protein shake are just a few good pre - bed time food choices! To me, what I eat before I go to bed is the most important meal of the day because you want to make sure you eat something that is going to HELP your progress, not UNDO & HURT all the hard work you have just done that day through your training & healthy eating! Now, I ate mine as my side for dinner since I had breakfast for dinner the night I made them. (Not that I don't have breakfast for dinner most every night....) I had 4 egg whites, 2 turkey sausage patties & 2 waffles..... yes, I was hungry! So, I topped my waffles with 1Tbps of PB2 (whoever invented that is a genious!) & 1 Tbsp Sugar Free, low sugar alcohol & carb content syrup. Mix those 2 together & it's nothing short of DIVINE!!
*For more info on why you shouldn't go to bed hungry, smart  & yummy ideas for pre - bedtime foods to eat & WHY (most importantly) you should eat them, check out this great article from BodyBuilding.com! READ ME!

 

Bana - nutty Almond Protein Waffles

1/2 C Almond Flour

1/4 C Unsweetened Almond Milk

1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder

2 Egg Whites

1Tbsp Natural Applesauce

1 tsp Banana Extract

1/2 Tbsp Vanilla

1 Tbsp Stevia

1/4 tsp Salt

1tsp Baking Powder

*I blend all my stuff together in my Ninja normally but this time I didn't want to lose the nutty-ness of my Almond Flour so I just whisked it altogether in a big bowl! Pour into waffle iron & let it cook! Makes 4 waffles.

My waffle iron needs replacing obviously.... see how my waffles are pretty & golden on one side but the other side is kinda pale? 

It's still cooked, but not evenly. 

Hmmmm, 

I think that justifies a trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond in my near future 

for a new waffle iron! 

Ooooh, I have coupons too! ;) 

*Nutritional content (per waffle): 114 calories, 7.5 grams of fat (healthy fat), 2 carbs, 7.5 grams of sugar & 7.5 grams of protein!

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! 

Protein Packed Brunch!

Happy Thursday! I had a great Leap Year yesterday & I hope you did too! I didn't post this yesterday but.........I officially have a fitness partner to work out with & I am so excited! I have pretty much always worked out by myself so I am looking forward to having someone that can keep me motivated &  try new things with! I have to say that I haven't had the most intense work outs these last 2 days because there's a lot of talking & laughing going on but it's been great! We'll have to get used to working out together & try to keep our gym faces on!  It's going to be hard because we are both cut ups but we also both have fitness goals in mind so that will keep us focused! And who said workouts can't be fun anyway?! ;) We are both going to jump into phase 2 of the Jamie Eason Live Fit Trainer on Monday & I can't wait!!!!
So, ok.........I got up an hour earlier this morning & ate my oatmeal w 1/2 scoop of protein powder (nothing jazzy about em today!) so by the time I got to the gym at 9:15 I was already hungry & by the time we were done I was STARVING!!!!! So,  when I got home form the gym, I popped a whole grain protein waffle (from the recipe I made earlier in the week) in the toaster & whipped up an egg & 3 whites, poured em on top of the waffle & melted a slice of 2% colby jack cheese on top! A sprinkle of salt substitute & pepper  & a protein shake on the side & WOOP.....there it is! A protein packed brunch that is sure to keep me full for awhile! It was so good too! The cinnamon-y - vanilla flavored waffle w the eggs & cheese tasted so yummy together! (I am definitely going to have to try it with cinnamon & Stevia sweetened eggs sometime too!) This brunch (minus the shake) rang the breakfast bell at 250 calories, 7 carbs &  25 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!