Fierce Gourmet: A Fit Foodie’s Cookbook

I discovered my passion for cooking right around the same time as I discovered my love for fitness. Nothing makes you feel more alive and in the moment as a new PR and an amazing meal. Quickly realizing that my love for gourmet food and my love for fitness can’t coexist, I had to do something.

For years I studied, read, and practiced various preparation methods and techniques, took cooking classes, and searched for places to procure clean, organic meat and produce. As a result of my obsession with flavor and the need to maintain a lean and strong physique, I have developed hundreds of recipes that were beneficial for my health and for my abs, not to mention supported a number of local farmers.

Last year, when I started Fierce Miles, I had a bright idea: why not write an actual cookbook? The majority of the work was already done, all I had to do was test, photograph, write, edit, format, market, and sell the book! Not a big deal, right? Right. After a few months of writing, re-writing, editing, and writing some more, I am just a few short months away from the big day. I am excited and yet a bit nervous.

When I first decided to do this, I had no idea how much work I am going to have to put into this project for it to be what I really want it to become — the absolute go to for every fit food lover. So far, we are right on track. Our Kickstarter page goes live next week, our graphic designer is working on a fabulous book cover that’ll be ready around the same time, and I am almost done organizing the content and the recipes into chapters.

I know, this is an unusual Monday post for me, but I’ve had this on my mind for so long, that it was time to share it with you guys. Stay tuned for more information on Fierce Gourmet: A Fit Foodie’s Cookbook.

Spud Muffins

A lot of us made New Year’s resolutions and some of us are determined to keep them come hell or high water. If one of your resolutions was to eat better and make smarter food choices, I’d like to dedicate this post to you.

I know all too well how it feels to wake up before dawn and realize that you barely have enough time to take a shower before you have to be out of the door. Breakfast? What breakfast!  Then I got to thinking, breakfast is one of the most important meals of the day, it sets the tone for the day. I find that if I had a decent meal in the morning I feel energized, I feel unstoppable, I am on my game. Best of all, having breakfast prevents you from being, what I call, hangry. Hangry is a sad combination of hungry and angry that causes one to make bad decisions and have virtually zero patience.

So, what’s the answer to having a healthy, well balanced breakfast that hits all your macros on the go? Portable food! Below is the recipe for the most awesome muffin that is easy to eat, has a low glycemic index, loads of protein, very little fat, and you can make them in advance! What?! Yes, your week just got that much easier!

I usually make these on Sunday evening at the end of my food prep because they tend to take a bit longer than the usual blend and go variety. Why? Because I make my Spud Muffins with meringue to insure nice and fluffy consistency. I tested other recipes of healthy, protein muffins and I noticed that all of them are dense, chewy, and taste like cardboard. I refused to have this happen to my food, this is fit gourmet, after all!

Let’s dive in! First and foremost, make sure that your eggs are at room temp. Room temperature eggs make better meringue. Also, older eggs are better suited for meringue purposes, but who has old eggs lying around?! I set my eggs out just as I am getting ready to do the rest of my food prep, that way by the time I get around to the muffins, they are nice and ready to go.

Since I pre-make my sweet potatoes for the week, having a cup of mashed sweet potato isn’t a problem. If, however, you don’t pre make yours, here’s the deal:

Peel and cut up your sweet potatoes, put them in a pot of boiling water, boil until tender. Strain the water, mash the potatoes with a potato masher or a fork.

I don’t add seasoning to my sweet potato ahead of time, because I refuse to commit to one single flavor in my mash for the rest of the week. I like a good variety.

Back to the eggs and the trick of the meringue… You will need to separate egg whites from egg yolks. Make sure that you take great care not to get any of the yolk into your egg whites. I recommend breaking the eggs over a separate dish, separating the whites and then adding them to the mixer bowl one at a time. That way, if you do end up with the yolks in your whites, you won’t have to scrap the whole batch and waste eggs. No, I wouldn’t recommend using egg beaters. They do not meringue well.

Please, do not attempt to be a hero and whisk the meringue by hand. It’ll take you forever!

Ok, I think I covered the important basics of the meringue. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me through our Facebook Page, Twitter, or just leave me a comment here!

Ingredients: 

4 large eggs at room temperature
¼ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup Splenda or Stevia
1 cup almond meal flour
2 scoops vanilla whey
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp coco powder
2 ½ cups of mashed sweet potato

 

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Separate egg yolks from egg whites. Place the egg whites into a large bowl and mix on medium-high speed until the eggs are frothy. When your eggs are frothy add cream of tartar. Continue mixing on medium-high speed until the eggs are white and nearly doubled in size. At this point add Splenda or Stevia one tablespoon at a time. Continue mixing the meringue until the mixture begins to form stiff peaks in the mixing bowl.

In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients. Gradually fold the sweet potatoes into the dry ingredients until well incorporated. Make sure that there are no clumps of flour or protein powder.

Gently fold the sweet potato mixture into the meringue. Fold from the sides towards the center until the mixture is well incorporated. Be careful not to over mix and deflate your meringue.

Divide the batter between muffin cups. Bake for approximately 35-40 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean.

Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrition Info (1 muffin): 

Calories 119
Fat 5g
Carbs 8g
Protein 10g

3 Easy Steps to Get Fit in 2014

If you have been anywhere around a TV set, a radio, or a computer, you have noticed the great abundance of “get fit now”. It is that time of the year again. The time when supplement companies and larger than though trainers are pushing their miracle cure all product on the unsuspecting consumers with low self-esteem. Do these products work? Some of them. Do they work safely and for a prolonged period of time? No.

We live in a society that is largely driven by instant gratification and impulse. No one wants to work to be fit, but everyone wants to have a fit body of a fitness model. After all, it is much easier to pop a pill and eat a pizza while watching football, than working out and eating clean. Does anyone think about the consequences of taking these drugs? Does anyone stop to ask why they work so quickly and so effectively? No. Why? Because blissful ignorance with a skinny fat body is significantly safer than a challenging and at times difficult reality in which one has to find information, process it, and work to get the results that they want. In short, half-baked approaches breed half-baked results and a lot of disappointed, misinformed consumers. So, what can you do to get lasting weight loss results? Read on.

What I have to say right now may not be what you want to hear, but I am not in the business of cuddling and propagating fitness myths. I am here to give you the hard truth and save you the time you’ll spend doing research on your own. Here’s the deal. Most “magic” weight loss pills, shakes, and powders are unsafe. If you have to order your food premade, you’ll gain all of your weight back after you stop eating “out of the box”. There is no such thing as getting “toned and fit” without changing your daily lives.

The only way to get true and lasting results is by keeping a clean and sustainable diet, maintaining a healthy attitude, and exercising daily.

Keeping a Clean and Sustainable Diet:

Let’s face it, if you drastically cut calories, completely cut out certain food groups or expect perfect rigid compliance to a dietary plan, you will eventually slip. In fact, when you slip you will binge, feel guilty, get down on yourself, and try to maintain the same diet with even more restrictions than before to make up for your pitfall. Does that sound like a healthy relationship with food? No. To me, that sounds more like an eating disorder and we all know that eating disorders are very unhealthy.

A sustainable diet should revolve around a lifestyle. When you decide to get in shape, you have to realize that you are on a journey and just like any journey, this one will have peaks and valleys. The secret to sustainable, healthy weight loss is realizing that a valley isn’t going to undo everything you worked for. So, if you make it a priority to eat healthy 90% of the time, that one piece of cake on your birthday, a plate full of delicious food on Thanksgiving, and a bowl of macaroni and cheese every other month aren’t going to send you on an express train to fat town.

A clean sustainable diet should involve all of the major food groups (unless you have a medical condition that prevents you from eating certain things) in moderation. Eating for weight loss is an art form that will take time to master fully, there is no diet that perfectly fits all, and there are no shortcuts. A clean, healthy diet with proper caloric intake (you can’t starve yourself!!!) takes time to develop and perfect.

I encourage you to do your research, look at various food plans, study strategic eating, and custom design your own eating plan. It will take time, but in the end you will be rewarded with energy, better health, and a lean, strong body.

Healthy Attitude:

We briefly touched on this subject in the previous section when we discussed a healthy relationship with food. You can’t punish yourself for slip-ups and deviations of off the plan, but you also have to hold yourself accountable for what you do in daily basis. Having a support group helps, but at the end of the day it is between you and your refrigerator, or between you and your bed.

You have to make a plan and stick to it regardless of what the world around you wants. If you know that what you are doing is right for you, then no one else has the right to keep you away from your goals and your dreams. Not even you. You have to push yourself every day. I wish I could tell you that it gets to a point where going to the gym or out on a run is automatic. No. I still have days when I question why I am up at 5 am on a cold winter morning. There are days when the last thing that I want to do is drive to the gym and lift a bunch of weights when the laundry is piled up, dinner needs to be cooked, and I still have a mound of paperwork to get through. However, I don’t make excuses. I put on my big girl pants, lace up my shoes, and I tell myself that it is better that way. I can say with full confidence,  I am yet to regret a workout that I did.

However, healthy attitude goes far beyond building a healthy relationship with food and regular, hard workouts. A healthy attitude also encompasses how you view the world. It is easy to be mad and sad about your circumstances, but when you make a decision to take control and change, you become empowered. Feeling strong and in control is what gets people in the gym initially, but most quickly get discouraged because the results didn’t come fast enough. Here’s the hard part: you have to remain positive and have faith in the fact that the results will come if you actually follow a program that you set for yourself. You have to force yourself to become an optimist on those days when you just want to quit because the pudgy feeling isn’t going away fast enough.

Again, I wish I could tell you that feeling discouraged goes away with time – it doesn’t. But if you keep at it long enough, you will learn that the voice inside your head that tells you “it’s not working”, “you don’t have the body for this”, “you are too old” etc. is a total liar. With time, you learn to ignore your own little critic and you learn that when the voice rears its ugly head, you are closer than you ever were before to achieving that one goal that you set for yourself.

Exercising Daily:

A good diet and a great attitude aren’t going to get you far without exercise. Consistent, challenging, daily exercise paired with a great diet is a sure recipe for a fabulous body. Now, let me clarify, I am not telling you to go out and do Zumba (although it is a fun way to initially lose some extra weight). The exercise that I am talking about involves 3-4 heavy weight training sessions and 3 cardio sessions a week. You can’t be a cardio queen and expect a toned body of a fitness model. You have to lift HEAVY weights. Let me say this right now: there is no way that you are going to end up looking like a she Hulk unless you are SPECIFICALLY working to attain that aesthetic. So, no, don’t tell me that lifting heavy turns women into men. It is a total myths that is propagated by men who are scared of strong women, women who are scared of hard work, and skinny fat models who would be out of a job if the rest of us woke up and realized that having the ability to pick up more than 5 lbs at a time makes you more attractive and gives you the lean, toned look you actually want. Yes, I’m talking to you ladies.

Gentlemen, I have to caution you against trying to show off. Heavy training means lifting the weight you can ACTUALLY lift with PROPER form. Allow me to elaborate: that means that you shouldn’t be squirming under a barbell during your bench press like a deranged worm because you loaded the bar too heavy. You are not a hero if you get hurt, so why set yourself up for failure? Take it easy, maintain proper tension throughout your exercises and watch your body bulge with awesome rippliness faster than the guy who has been trying to “out lift” you all alone and has been doing it wrong.

I don’t know about you, but for me, a fit strong body is a status symbol. You can’t buy it, you can pay someone to surgically make it. You have to invest the time, the sweat, the tears and the doubts to achieve it. There are challenges to achieving your perfect physique at any age and in any circumstance, so don’t discount the efforts of the younger crowd just because of their age or the older crowd just because of their experience. We all face different struggles, have different body types, and respond to different things better than others. Building a body you want takes time, it takes trial and error and you have to be willing to invest in your journey fully in order to rip the perfect results.

Salmon Frittata

When I cook salmon, I always make sure that I make an extra portion just so I can make this recipe for breakfast (or brunch). It is so easy and delicious and makes such a huge portion that there are time when I feel bad for eating the whole thing! This protein packed recipe comes together with minimal effort and in no time at all. Serve this frittata with an arugula salad, a side of fresh veggies, salsa, or all of the above for an extra punch of flavor.

Ingredients:

200 g of Cooked Salmon (shredded)
3 Large Eggs
2 tbsp. 2% milk
½ Tomato (diced)
¼ cup Parsley (chopped)
1 tsp. Olive Oil

Directions:

Preheat the broiler. Shred the salmon, chop the parsley, and dice the tomato. In a separate bowl, beat the eggs and milk, combine with salmon, parsley, and tomato. Whisk all of the ingredients together until incorporated.  Pour out the mixture into a nonstick, oven safe pan. Cook on the stove top until the eggs are set on the bottom. Transfer the pan into the broiler until the eggs are set on the top as well.  Serve with an arugula salad, salsa, or fresh veggies.

Cabbage Salad

I am a big fan of cabbage which is why I am constantly looking for new, easy, runner diet friendly ways to make my favorite dishes. Blow is my take on a coleslaw salad. For this recipe you can use any cabbage you like. My preference is savoy or white, but red cabbage works well too and adds a nice touch of color.  This salad is a perfect side dish for a nice, juicy turkey burger or veggie burger.

Ingredients:

4 cups Shredded Cabbage
1 cup Sliced Cucumber
1 Cup Sliced Radish

Dressing:
2 tbsp Fresh Dill (optional)
2 tbsp Light Mayo
1/2 Cup Buttermilk
1/2 tsp Black Pepper
1/4 tsp Salt

Directions:

Combine cabbage, cucumbers, and radishes in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine mayo, buttermilk, black pepper, salt, and chopped dill. Mix well and pour over the veggie mixture. Give it a good  toss and enjoy!

Fierce Thanksgiving Menu

Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away and some of you might be biting your nails trying to figure out how to cut the calories, fats, and sugar out of the traditional meal without sacrificing flavor, color, texture and general appeal of your dishes. Although it is nearly impossible to make every traditional Thanksgiving dish light, here are a few recipes and tips that’ll help you and your family cut the unnecessary decadence without making your dinner bland.

Tips:

I try to cook using as little fat as possible which is why I invested in some incredible nonstick pans. If you don’t have a good nonstick pan, do not worry. The recipes below have measures of olive oil that are labeled “optional”. Those “optional” measures of olive oil are for those who don’t have access to a set of good nonstick pans.

If you are watching your sodium intake, you can cut the salt ratio in half for the dishes that are using lemon juice and lemon zest. Chances are you won’t miss it much. However, I would not alter the turkey brine.

If you absolutely have to use something sweet in one of your recipes, try honey or agave syrup. If your recipes call for candied nuts, try substituting toasted nuts lightly coated in honey instead or omit the honey all together. 🙂

Succulent Turkey Breast:

Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without the star of every dinner—the turkey. Here is my fabulously simple recipe for the most delicious and moist turkey you’ll ever eat! I have to put a disclaimer here, give yourself at least 24 hours after the turkey is fully defrosted to properly prepare and treat the bird.

Ingredients:

6lb turkey breast
60ml Water
15g of Salt
3 Lemons (juiced)
¼ cup Soy Sauce
1tsp Chili Powder
1 Tangerine Orange
1 Bunch of Lemon Thyme
2 Rosemary Sprigs

Directions:

Wash and clean the turkey breast. Take care not to cut or puncture the skin. Set the bird on a wire rack of a regular roasting pan to drain. In the meantime, combine water, salt, and lemon juice and stir until the salt is completely dissolved. Fill a marinade injector with the brine. Find a few places on the breast that do not have skin and inject the brine. Usually, one 30 ml injector full of brine is enough for a 6 lb. turkey breast. Discard the leftover brine.

Combine soy sauce and chili powder. Mix well. Using a basting brush, brush the soy sauce mixture on your turkey. Set the turkey in the refrigerator, uncovered for 12-24 hours.

After the turkey spent at least 12 hours in the refrigerator, preheat your oven to 325 °F.  Stuff the cavity of your turkey with rosemary sprigs, thyme, and a halved tangerine. Cook your turkey uncovered for 2.5 hours or until the meat thermometer reads 170 degrees. You shouldn’t have to baste or treat your bird in any other way. The skin is going to be golden brown and the inside extremely juicy. After the turkey is done, cover the bird with foil and let it rest for 10-20 minutes before serving.

 Healthy Stuffing

 Ingredients:

12 slices of Whole Wheat Bread
1 tbsp olive oil + ½ tbsp. for cooking the veggies (optional)
½ tsp of salt
1 tbsp Italian Seasoning
½ tsp Sage
½ Sweet Onion (diced)
3 Celery sticks (diced)
½ cup Fresh Cranberries (whole)
2 cups Baby Bella Mushrooms (diced)
¼ cup Dried Cranberries
2 cups of Chicken Broth

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Cut the bread into ½ inch squares and set aside. In a large bowl combine olive oil, salt, Italian seasoning, sage, and the bread. With your hands, gently toss the bread in the mixture until all cubes are evenly coated. Place the bread on a cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes or until the croutons are crispy. Allow to cool, pulse in a blender or a kitchen processor until the bread is about pea sized.

In a nonstick pan combine diced onion, celery and mushrooms. Cook until the mixture has reduced by about a quarter or until the mushrooms are gold and onions are lightly caramelized. Add the Chicken Broth and bring it to a gentle boil, add in the cranberries, wait until the broth mixture is boiling again and add in the bread. Stir gently to incorporate all of the ingredients, turn of the heat and let the mixture rest for a minute or two before serving.

Green Beans

Ingredients: 

1 lb. of Green Beans (cleaned)
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 garlic cloves (minced)
1/4 tsp sea salt (optional)
½ tsp olive oil (optional)
Freshly ground pepper

 Directions:

Combine green beans, lemon juice, pepper (optional), salt (optional), and minced garlic. Cook stirring occasionally until green beans are tender. Garnish with lemon zest and serve.

Roasted Acorn Squash

Ingredients:

1 Acorn Squash (cleaned and cut into wedges)
1 tbsp olive oil
1tbsp rosemary (minced)
1tbsp Chives (minced)
Zest of ½ Lemon
Sea salt

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 °F. Wash, clean, and cut the squash into wedges. In a small bowl combine the oil, rosemary, chives, and lemon zest. Arrange your squash wedges  in a baking dish and brush them with the herb mixture, add salt. Bake for 30 minutes or until tender.

The Faux Pho

The temperatures are beginning to drop and the cravings for comfort food are stronger and higher than ever. I am no stranger to the cold weather cravings phenomenon, however, I absolutely refuse to allow my body to freak out and gain weight right before the holidays. I am always looking for a healthy and delicious way to warm myself up after a cold, long run which is how this recipe was born.

This is my version of a re-imagined Pho that will keep you on track with about half the fat and calories. I substituted the traditional noodles in this soup with Shirataki Tofu Noodle to cut back on carbs and raise protein percentages. However, I would like to caution you against using these noodles right out of the package. If they are not well rinsed prior to use, they tend to have an extra “tofuey” (yes, I made that word up, but I have no idea how to describe the off flavor of this noodle) flavor that could disrupt the delicate balance of flavors that you have crated.  To rinse the noodles, drain the noodles, put them in a bowl or a strainer and run them through some cold water until the flavor is gone. I usually do it three times, that seems to do the trick for me, but you might want to do it a few more times depending on the brand of noodle you purchase.

Anyway, enough with the rambling. Enjoy the recipe below, let me know how what you think in the comments below, and if you have any questions, you can always send me a message through our Facebook page.

Faux Pho Soup

 

Ingredients:

Broth:

3 cups Vegetable Broth
1 pack of Pho Spice
6 Shitake Mushrooms Julienne

Garnish:

1 pack of Shirataki Tofu Noodles
6 Cooked Gulf Shrimp
1 Radish Thinly Sliced
1/8 cup Sprouts

2 tbs Cilantro Chopped
2 tbs Dill Chopped
1/2 cup Spinach
2 Mint Leaves Chopped
1 Lime Wedge

Directions:

Combine Vegetable Broth and Pho Spice and Shitake Mushrooms in a medium – small sized pot and bring to a rolling boil. Decrease the heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. In the meantime thoroughly rinse your noodles and prepare your garnish. Arrange the noodles and shrimp on the bottom of a soup bowl, ladle hot broth over the noodles and the shrimp, garnish with radish, sprouts, cilantro, dill, spinach, and mint leaves. Squeeze a lime wedge over the soup and serve immediately.

Chicken and Spinach Meatballs

Recently, we had a few unusually cold  evenings and I began craving comfort food like I do at the end of every warm season. Call it what you will, but I’d like to think that this is more of a cultural thing. I come from a cold country where you have to stock up on fat for the winter or you’ll freeze. Well, not really anymore, but you get the point. So, every year around the end of summer I struggle with my nutritional compliance because the only thing that I want to do is eat pork roast, mac and cheese, meatballs, and bread. Yes, my inner Russian is screaming for potatoes and other carb and fat heavy foods. Do I give in? No! Why? Because a bowl of mac and cheese is not worse throwing out a day at the gym. Not to mention after eating clean for a while, my system goes into shock and has no idea what to do with all the delicious, heavy, goodness I just gave it. So, naturally I stop feeling well and start feeling just slightly heavy, wobbly, and blah. Honestly, it is not a comfortable feeling and I’d rather stick to clean and amazingly delicious food.

One of my favorite winter comfort foods are meatballs. I love a good meatball and I love the versatility of it. You can putt a meatball over almost anything and make it taste amazing! Which is why I developed this wonderful green meatball recipe. It goes well on salads, in wraps, on sandwiches, as a soup garnish, and in the morning eggs… Short of dessert, I put these meatballs in almost every meal in my day and it works well! Well, I am not going to continue telling you how incredible they are and just let you make them for yourself. Here’s the recipe.

CHICKEN AND SPINACH MEATBALLS

Ingredients:

1lb Ground chicken
3 cups Fresh spinach
1 cup Reduced fat Feta Cheese
1/2 tsp Paprika
1tsp Yellow curry
2 Garlic Cloves
1/2 tsp Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup Chicken Broth
2 tbsp Olive Oil

Directions:

Combine spinach, feta cheese, paprika, curry, garlic, and black pepper in a kitchen processor. Pulse until the mixture is incorporated but not liquid. In a large bowl combine the spinach mixture with the ground chicken and mix until well incorporated.

Preheat a non stick pan, add olive oil. Using a tea spoon, scoop the meatball mix into the pan and brown on a couple of sides to lock in the moisture. This is a quick process and shouldn’t take more than a 1/2 a minutes on either side depending on the temperature of your pan and the size of your meatball.

Once the meatballs are browned, add the chicken broth, lower the heat, and cover with a lid. Allow to steam for 7-10 minutes depending on the size of your meatball. Remember, larger meatballs will cook slower. If you are not sure if your meatballs are done, pick the largest one and cut into it. If the center looks wet, you probably have a few more minutes to go.

After your meatballs are done, serve them with quinoa, veggies, beans, or atop of a refreshing Spring and Feta Salad (pictured).

Chicken Broth

CHICKEN BROTH

If you are busy, busy, busy just like we are, this recipe is a life saver! This broth can be added to a lot of dishes to enhance the flavor or to prevent proteins from drying out during the cooking process without sacrificing any of the flavor. The best part is, that you can portion this broth in 1 cup Tupperware containers and freeze it so when you need exactly one cup of broth for one dish or another, you always have some on hand!

Chicken Broth

Ingredients:
2.25 lbs Chicken Breast (3 large breasts)
10 Cups of water
1 Spanish Onion pealed
3 Celery Stalks cut in half
1 large Carrot Cleaned and cut in half
2 Parsnips cleaned and cut in half
4 Pepper Corns
4 Bay Leaves
1 tsp Onion Salt
10 Coriander Kernels
Dash of Nut Meg
Dash of Cumin
Fresh Thyme
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Dill
Salt to taste

Directions:
Clean and trim the chicken breasts, set aside. Clean your carrots, celery, parsnips, and herbs. Peel the onion without cutting it in half, it’ll be easier to fish it out of your broth later. Tie the herbs up with butchers twine and set aside. In a large broth pot, combine water, chicken, and veggies, add the spices, cover and set on medium heat. When the broth starts to boil, about 10-15 minutes, add your herb bunch and cut the heat to low. Allow the broth to simmer at low heat for another 35 minutes or until chicken is done. With a slotted spoon take out all of the veggies and chicken. Reserve the chicken for Chicken Mushroom Soup or other meals.

Notes:
At this point you can save the broth in order to use it in other meals or make Chicken Mushroom Soup. I usually allow the broth to cool and ladle it into 1 cup Tupperware containers and freeze for later use.

Quickly, Make This Pancake, There is No Time!

I have already had a somewhat stressful week, and I am a little anxious before the cleanse that I am starting on Monday (more on that later). I was going to save this post for later in the week and kick off my new weekly post tradition (I will  call it NOMturday) in which I will weekly post a healthy recipe  for you guys to enjoy, but I just couldn’t wait any longer. I had to have a treat this morning for a little “pick me up”.  So, here is a super delicious treat that is good for you, not to mention my go to comfort food: Pancakes. Now, I do have to caution you, just because this recipe doesn’t have the sugar, the flour, and all the crazy fat that comes with regular pancakes, you can’t overindulge. This is a treat, not food to be eaten every morning. Now go make some eggs and spinach, people!

OVEN BAKED CHERRY PANCAKE

1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 Splenda or stevia packet (or your favorite sweetener)
1/3 cup almond milk
1 whole egg
1/4 cup egg whites
1/2 tsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp coconut oil
10 cherries, sliced in half and pitted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Mix protein powder, flour, baking powder and sweetener in a bowl until evenly mixed. 

Add milk, eggs, lemon juice and vanilla extract. Whisk until well blended. Set aside.

Coat 8 inch or 9 inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add coconut oil and cherries.

Put in preheated oven for approximately 2 minutes until oil is melted and slightly browned.

Carefully remove pan from oven using mitt, and pour the batter over the top of the cherries.

Put back in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the entire pancake is puffy, golden brown, and crisp around the edges. Enjoy! 

Nutrition Info:

Per serving (serves 1): 350 calories, 28 grams protein, 34.2 grams carbohydrates, 11.3 gram fat 

Source: FitnessRX for Women http://www.fitnessrxwomen.com/nutrition/recipes/allis-slim-pickins/oven-baked-cherry-pancake/