Recipes
Peanut Butter Vanilla Protein Pancakes
I work with clients all of the time on how to add more protein to their diets. Protein builds muscles, keeps you full and is so good for you! So I tweaked my original protein pancake recipe to make this new one which is higher in protein and lower in fat. 11g of protein per pancake. Boooooom! Thank you egg whites and protein powder!
These pancakes are great served warm or cold, and they freeze very well. This recipe made 17, so save half in the freezer for a rainy day.
A few recipe notes:
Do not leave the lemon juice out of this recipe. The purpose of it is not to add flavor. When heated, baking soda also produces sodium carbonate, which doesn’t taste so great. It leaves an unpleasant, alkaline flavor behind. But if you mix baking soda with an acid (like lemon juice or another citric acid carrier) then the sodium carbonate is partially neutralized and leaves behind less aftertaste. This acid also helps the carbon dioxide gas release more quickly.
I have made this recipe with and without the coconut palm sugar, and I do think it adds a lot of extra flavor, so I would recommend keeping it, unless you are really finicky about added sugar. Coconut sugar is definitely a better option than cane sugar.
If you do not like blueberries, I would recommend adding a different berry that you enjoy. They really act as a syrup when heated, eliminating the need for an added sugar, and they keep the pancakes moist.
I hope you enjoy these little treats as much as we do in the Davis household!
Peanut Butter Vanilla Protein Pancakes
macros (per pancake, makes 17): 102 calories, 0.7g fat, 13.1g carbs, 1.9g fiber, 7.6g sugar, 11.1g protein
Ingredients:
500g very ripe bananas (about 4 large)
2c. liquid egg whites (36T.)
8T. powdered peanut butter (recommend organic Just Great Stuff brand)
4 scoops (4.8 ounces) Vega Sport Vanilla protein powder
2t. baking powder
1t. baking soda
1T. lemon juice
2t. vanilla extract
2T. coconut flour (recommend Bob’s Red Mill)
2T. coconut palm sugar
1T. ground cinnamon
1t. sea salt
200g blueberries
Directions:
- Using an electric mixer. Blend the bananas and egg whites until frothy. Continue adding the remaining ingredients (except blueberries), one at a time, blending between each addition. Fold in berries.
- Heat a non-stick pan over medium-low heat. Lightly oil the surface with coconut oil and/or cooking spray.
- Once the surface of the pan is hot enough that a drop of water sizzles on it, pour ¼ cup of batter onto the pan. Let the pancake cook for about 3 minutes.
- Once the underside of the pancake is lightly golden, flip it with a spatula and cook for another 90 seconds or so, until golden brown on both sides. You may need to adjust the heat up or down at this point.
- Serve the pancakes immediately or allow to cool and refrigerate or freeze.
Peanut Butter Banana Protein Muffins with Shredded Coconut Topping
In an attempt to create a recipe that did not produce a food that was brown (chocolatey), I spent some time in the kitchen last week on a new sweet protein treat using Vanilla protein powder. The result was a moist, delicious, decadent new muffin that I am totally obsessed with.
Because of the low fat and fiber content, this would work well as a pre or post workout snack. Try to limit your fat and fiber pre and immediate post workout to less than 5g when possible.
I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!
Peanut Butter Banana Protein Muffins with Shredded Coconut Topping
macros per muffin (makes 15): 123 calories, 5.6g fat, 14.3g carbs, 6.8g protein, 4g fiber, 5.4g sugar
Ingredients:
4 large bananas (475g), mashed
1 egg
1/2c. unsweetened apple sauce
2 scoops (2.6 ounces) Vanilla Protein Powder, recommend Vega Sport
4T. peanut butter (I used crunchy and like the random nut crunch I get in some of my bites!)
1c. wheat bran
1/2c. almond meal/flour, recommend Bob’s Red Mill
1T. ground cinnamon
1t. baking soda
1t. vanilla extract
1t. salt
8 ounces unsweetened almond milk
Topping:
7T. reduced fat coconut flakes
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray.
Using a an electric mixer, mash the bananas, egg and apple sauce together in a large bowl. Add remaining ingredients, and mix well until thoroughly combined. Divide batter into 15 muffin cups, and top with coconut.
Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out almost clean. Muffins will continue to cook once you remove them from the oven, so I always under cook them a little to keep them moist.
After muffins have cooled, store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
Recently, I have been finding myself in the Whole Foods bakery…A LOT.
I am completely hooked on their Vegan Gingersnaps. They are big, chewy and delicious, and I love ginger. Since I track my macros (carbs-protein-fats), I try to build them into my day so that I can treat myself to them a couple of times a week. I found in My Fitness Pal that the “Lg. Vegan Gingerbread Cookie (Whole Foods)” had only 70 calories, was low in sugar and low in fat. Score, right?! Well, I am starting to think that this is too good to be true, and unfortunately, when things are too good to be true, they are not true.
So, I took it upon myself to create my own recipe, using a few different recipes and a lot of trial and error, and here’s what I came up with.
And no, they don’t have 70 calories each, more like 129 calories each, but they are damn delicious.
I hope you enjoy them as much as I do (and am, right now)!
Vegan Chocolate Chip Gingersnaps
macros per cookie, makes 12: 129 calories, 9.8g fat, 8.6 carbs, 3.1g protein, 1.9g fiber, 5.5g sugar
Ingredients (recommend organic when possible):
1 1/2 c. almond meal flour (recommend Bob’s Red Mill)
2T. coconut oil, melted
3T. unsulphured blackstrap molasses
1T. pure maple syrup
1/4t. ground cloves
1T. ground cinnamon
1t. baking powder
1T. semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (use Enjoy Life for vegan)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
- Add the dry ingredients to a bowl and mix together.
- Pour in the molasses and oil and mix well.
- Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes to allow to harden.
- Use a spoon to scoop out mounds of cookie dough. Form the dough into balls and place them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Use a fork to press them down and form a cookie shape.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes or until browned around the edges.
- Allow cookies to cool at least 10 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet and enjoying.
Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins
One of the most requested recipes is for my protein muffins. I make these muffins a few times a month, and I always double the recipe and freeze all but 4 at a time in quart-sized freezer bags. That way, I can easily pull out 4 more from the freezer and always have fresh muffins on hand.
You can use any protein powder for this recipe, but I always recommend Vega because it tastes great, is plant-based (I eat meat but prefer it in the burger form in moderation), and is non-GMO (no weird, fake ingredients).
These muffins are the perfect on-the-go snack pre or post workout or for dessert. They are dense, versatile and healthy! Enjoy!
Chocolate Banana Protein Muffins
macros per muffin (makes 15): 170 calories, 5.6g fat, 24.1 carbs, 8.1g protein, 7.1g sugar, 6.2g fiber
Mix the following in a high-powered blender or Vitamix:
3 medium bananas (275g)
1 1/2 cups of pitted medjool dates (150g)
8T. nut butter (peanut, almond or cashew)
1 cup unsweetened vanilla (or regular) almond milk
Pour into a bowl and add the following:
2 scoops (2.6 oz) Vega Sport Chocolate protein powder
1.5 cups of wheat bran (recommend Bob’s Red Mill)
1.5 cups high fiber oat bran cereal (recommend Bob’s Red Mill), or quick oats (not instant)
2T. unsweetened coco powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
Divide into 15 greased muffin tins, and bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes until a toothpick comes out almost clear. It’s okay if they are a little undercooked, because they will cook more when you pull them out of the oven, and they are more moist this way. When cool, leave a few out, and freeze the rest for a rainy day.
Chocolate Protein Amazeballs
These bites should come with a warning label. They are the perfect on-the-go snack pre or post workout or late night after dinner.
Be mindful and don’t sit down and eat 4-5 at once. This is very easy to do, and I speak from experience. While they are small, they are nutrient-dense. Enjoy!
Amazeballs
macros (per bite, without coconut flakes, makes 16): 78 calories, 4.8g fat, 7g carbs, 3.2g protein, 4.5g sugar, 1.9g fiber
Ingredients:
1c. (100g) pitted Medjool dates
3/4c. (84g) raw almonds
1T. finely ground flaxseed
1T. ground chia seed
1 scoop (1.3 ounces) chocolate protein powder
1T. unrefined coconut oil, melted
1/4c. (28g) organic raw cacao nibs
1/3c. unsweetened almond milk
optional: unsweetened coconut flakes
Pulverize all ingredients in a food processor. Form into 16 bites. Optional: Roll in unsweetened coconut flakes until covered. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator. Enjoy mindfully!
Egg White Oatmeal
If you’re looking for a new breakfast that will keep you full until lunch, try my Egg White Oatmeal. It’s my new favorite meal. Sometimes I even have it for dinner.
Why so special?
It has 40g of protein per bowl (that’s why you stay full).
Nutritional info in photo under “Total.” You can also see the number of carbs, fats and protein that I strive for each day because of my activity level under “Goal.”
Mix egg whites, quick oats, cinnamon and almond milk in a bowl and microwave for 3 minutes – stirring halfway.
Add your favorite toppings. I use blueberries and 1T. of Nuts ‘N More Toffee nut butter (14g of protein versus 7g in most other nut butters).
Pumpkin Overnight Oats
A delicious refreshing breakfast option. Tastes best when it sits overnight in the fridge, so it gets nice and chilly!
macros (per recipe, not including crushed almonds): 307 calories, 4.5g fat, 44.5g carbs, 19.5g protein, 6.5g sugar, 9.3g fiber
Ingredients:
1/2c quick oats
1c unsweetened almond milk
1/2c. unsweetened pumpkin
1/8t. cinnamon
1/8t. pumpkin pie spice
1/3c. vanilla protein powder (55g) – recommend Vega Protein and Greens or Vega Sport Vanilla
Topping: crushed almonds
Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl. Store in an airtight container overnight or for at least 4 hours. Enjoy!
Sausage and Egg Muffins
Makes 12 Muffins @ 75 calories, 2g fat, 0.8 carbs, 6.8g protein.
Ingredients:
6 ounces breakfast sausage – I love the Maple Sausage in the butcher case at Whole Foods.
10 egg whites
5 whole eggs
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup fresh chopped vegetables – I used red, yellow and green peppers along with green onions
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium skillet, brown the sausage on medium-high heat. Cook until sausage is brown all the way through. Drain. Place sausage in a bowl lined with paper towels to remove and excess grease. Cut sausage into 1/2 inch pieces. Set aside.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together egg whites and eggs. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
3. Grease 12 muffin tin cups with cooking spray or line cups with paper liners. Pour egg mixture evenly into the muffin cups.
4. Distribute the vegetables and sausage equally between each muffin cup. I filled my cups all of the way to the top.
5. Bake egg muffins for 20 minutes, or until the muffins are firm in the center. Remove from oven and gently go round each egg with a butter knife. Serve warm.
Note: you can store the egg muffins in the fridge for 3-4 days and reheat them in the microwave. Enjoy!
Protein Ice Cream
Last night I took a run at protein almond milk ice cream. Boom! Success. I will do anything in my power to get to eat “ice cream” every night, and I was tired of spending $6 for a pint at Whole Foods.
Here is the recipe:
Blend the following in a blender:
2 frozen bananas
3c unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1 scoop of your favorite protein powder (I always recommend Vega products)
2 dates
Pour into ice cream maker for 10-15 minutes. Distribute between 2 bowls and freeze for 5-10 minutes until firm. Top with dairy free chocolate chips & enjoy!
Sauteed Rainbow Chard with Maple Syrup
Here’s what you’ll need:
One bunch of rainbow chard, separated into leaves and chopped stems
1T. olive oil
1 cup of onion, chopped
1T. maple syrup
Dash of sea salt
Add the roughly chopped leafy parts of the chard to the onion mixture with a teaspoon of sea salt. It may look like a lot at first but it wilts down. Cook for 3 minutes until the leaves have softened but are still bright in color. Add one tablespoon of maple syrup and cook for 30 seconds more. Transfer to a plate and serve with a side of your favorite protein. Enjoy!