Pumpkin Pancakes and Greek Quinoa Recipes :)

It’s the weekend! And it’s fall! That means two things:

1. It is menu planning and meal prep time, and
2. Pumpkin flavored everything is everywhere... including my pancakes J

In terms of weekend food prep, I’ve got a pretty good Saturday routine down. Sleep in, eat, gym with my mom, eat, grocery shop, eat, food prep, and then, obviously, eat again. This weekend, however, I switched it up a bit and included a couple new recipes in my menu, so it required a little extra shopping time. I also had to prep all my food around a kitchen window renovation, so things were a little slower than usual. I had to leave a couple things until today, but finally have got it all prepped and packed, and done! Whoot whoot! All ready for the week.

This weekend I also made two different kinds of post-workout pumpkin pancakes. And both were yummy! Pumpkin puree just has a way of making baking rich, lush and delicious. And, even though it's available all year, it just seems to fit the best with fall.

The first was based on my basic Cinnamon Zucchini Protein Pancake with Vanilla Icing, but with a ¼ cup of canned pumpkin puree added to the batter, and a tablespoon of pumpkin added to the icing. The second creation was adding a ¼ cup of canned pumpkin puree to my Chocolate Zucchini Protein Pancake with Chocolate Icing. Mmmmm, the additional moisture added from the pumpkin made the pancake very dense, and in the absence of cinnamon, the pumpkin flavor really came out, and paired well with the peanut butter and bananas on top. What a delicious way to get in those post-workout carbs and protein!

After opening up a big can of pumpkin and only using ¼ cup at a time, it lasts awhile, so I have been trying it out in different things. Pumpkin works really well in yogurt with some oats, walnuts, bananas, cinnamon and maple syrup. Pretty much autumn in a bowl J This has been my new bedtime snack for the past week. I also tried it out in an oatmeal cookie. While the execution of baking the cookie went a little awry (I tried frying it like a pancake because I didn’t want to wait for it to bake in the oven), it still tasted really good- especially with some chunky peanut butter on top! I based this creation on this recipe from the Powercakes website, but I used a chopped up Brownie Questbar as chocolate chips instead. It all came together quite nicely.

 

I am always looking for new ways to use pumpkin in baking or recipes, so let me know if you have other ideas J

I have also been using the fall weekends to build and experiment with other recipes as well. One of my new go-tos for a weekday meal has been a spanakopita/ Greek inspired quinoa bake. I based this recipe off of a side dish my girlfriend Leanna used to make, but made a couple changes to make sure that it included the right amount of carbs and protein I needed for a mid-morning snack. I also started baking it as a casserole so I could easily slice and package up individual servings to heat and eat at work. It’s a pretty simple recipe with only a few ingredients, but is full of flavor and can be adapted to suit any macros or particular tastes. Enjoy!

Spanakopita Quinoa Bake

Ingredients (for 6 servings):

·         240g uncooked quinoa

·         1 bunch (about 6) green onions

·         3-4 cloves of raw garlic (or to taste- I like a little bit more)

·         300g raw spinach (about one of the big boxes)

·         ½ bunch of fresh dill

·         ½-1 lemon, juiced

·         1 ½ cups egg whites

·         To taste- black pepper and garlic powder

·         1 ½ cup dry cottage cheese

Instructions:

1. Cook quinoa according to package directions.
2. Dice up green onions and garlic. Sautee in a pan sprayed with Pam.
3. Once onions and green onions are soft, add in spinach to wilt. Remove from heat.
4. Stir fresh dill and lemon juice into onion, garlic and spinach mixture. Set aside.
5. In a large bowl, mix egg whites, pepper, and garlic powder together.
6. Add cooked quinoa to egg mixture. Mix well.
7. Add spinach mixture to quinoa and egg mixture.
8. Pour into sprayed baking dish.
9. Sprinkle cottage cheese on top.
10. Cover with foil and bake at 375 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Uncover and bake another 5-10 minutes or until egg is set and cottage cheese is melted.
11. Remove from oven. Let cool. Slice and serve or slice and store for an easy, re-heatable meal later.

This dish turned out really good! The combo of the garlic, onions, fresh dill and lemon really gives it that Greek-inspired flavor, while the quinoa and cottage cheese provide the carbs and protein to make it a satisfying meal. Options to switch it up a bit include using feta with (or instead of) the cottage cheese, swapping the quinoa with another grain for variety (I’m sure rice would work well!), add different vegetables (like peppers or sundried tomatoes) or change the herb (maybe some oregano?). Endless clean possibilities. Try it out and lemme know what you come up with!

 

XOXO

Jen

Plums, Pancakes and Pizza Recipes (No, Not All Together)

If you have been following my (currently non-existent) WIAW posts over the past few months, you would have noticed that I have been keeping it pretty basic with minimal changes week to week. While I usually love mixing it up, because the summer was so busy, I just didn’t have time to think about it and kept it simple by doing what I already knew. From week to week I knew what I needed to buy, how to prep it and what all the macro (fats, carbs and protein) counts would be. It didn’t require much thinking which is how I needed it to be.

But finally (finally!!) things are slowing down a bit and I was inspired to try something new in the kitchen. This week it resulted in two really yummy recipes J Both provide a good balance between protein and carbs, and both can be modified to fit different macros, tastes and preferences. One is sweet and one is more savoury. Enjoy!

Plum and Zucchini Protein Pancake with Vanilla Icing

This recipe is a small twist in my basic Cinnamon Zucchini Protein Pancake. My parents have a plum tree in their backyard. It grows those delicious sweet and sour prune plums. At this time of year, my mom often makes a plum cake, which I love, so I wanted to find a way to recreate those flavours in a cleaner cake. The answer was a plum pancake J

Ingredients (for 1 large pancake):

Pancake:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 20g vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
• ¼ cup egg whites
• 40g (about ¼ cup) shredded zucchini
• 60g (about 2) soft prune plums
• 5g walnut pieces

Icing:

• 2 TBSP fat free Greek yogurt
• 1 TBSP vanilla protein powder

Directions:

1. Pit and chop up plums. Pre-heat and spray small frying pan. Add plums and sauté on low heat until soft and slightly caramelized.
2. In a small bowl, mix the oats, protein powder and cinnamon together.
3. Add in egg whites. Mix well. Add in zucchini, plum and walnuts.
4. Pour into the pre-heated, (re)sprayed frying pan. Cook for about 3 minutes, flip, and cook other side for 2 minutes (or until done).
5. To make the icing, stir together yogurt and protein powder.
6. Ice the protein pancake with the icing and serve warm.

 

 

 

I also topped mine with some chia prune jam. It turned out exactly as I expected. The pieces of plum in the cake really tart it up, which goes well with the sweet yogurt icing. I’m thinking of tripling this recipe and trying it out in a loaf pan to see how it slices up. A perfect portable, pre-portioned and prepped high protein and carb snack! It could even be used as a pre- or quick post-gym meal.

 

Quinoa Pizza Bites/ Casserole

This recipe started out as a way to satisfy a pizza craving (while meeting my carb and protein counts for the day). While sometimes nothing but a slice will do, other times, it’s really just the flavors I want. This recipe was a way to combine those flavors (tomato sauce, cheese, garlic and oregano) in an easy to prepare and package way for one of my meals during the week.

Ingredients (for 6 servings):

• 180g (1 cup) uncooked quinoa
• 300g spinach
• 6 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 ½ cup egg whites
• 125g (about ½ cup) dry cottage cheese curds
• garlic powder, oregano and black pepper (to taste)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Cook quinoa according to package directions. When in doubt, I follow these instructions for quinoa.
3. Wilt spinach in a pan and set aside.
4. In a bowl, mix the egg whites, tomato paste and seasoning together.
5. Add in cottage cheese, cooked quinoa and spinach. Mix well.
6. Drop mixture into sprayed muffin tins or pour into sprayed 9X9 pan.
7. If making muffins, bake for 20-25. If baking in a pan, bake, covered, for about 20-25, then remove cover and bake for another 10 minutes.
8. Let cool and individually portion and package for an easy grab-and-go protein and carb filled meal.

 

This recipe turned out great! My first batch, made into muffins, were a little under seasoned, so I made sure to add more into my second batch, which I baked in a pan. This was delicious and very satisfying as a morning snack throughout the week. Depending on macros and personal tastes and preferences, parmesan cheese can be added to the mixture or melted on top for more flavor. Other “toppings” (like peppers and onions) can also be added into the mixture for different flavors and textures. The variations are endless! I might try a “Greek” inspired mix next time with feta and fresh dill!

And finally, even though I didn’t create this recipe, I had to share! I recently tried this protein and chocolate chip cookie dough brownie and almost died. It was amazing!! It uses a Quest bar, which I have heard a lot about, but haven’t tried out that much. This was a delicious way to eat it though! Mmmm.

XOXO

Jen

Flipping Pancakes and Packing Up

Hey-oh! It’s the weekend! Time for some rest and relaxation, the gym, and pancakes of course! For me, however, this weekend, I only get two out of those three things.

Next weekend I’m moving out of my condo, so this weekend has been spent making arrangements and packing. Ugh. Feels like a never ending process. In the span of a week, we went from spending our Saturday night living (and eating) the high life in the city to shopping at Walmart in Surrey. Ha. How things got real- fast. Oh moving, I hate you so much.
 
Despite all the packing, the organizing, the cleaning and doing everything else that goes into moving, I’m still making it to the gym, and even started a brand new training program this today (which, as a side note, was insane! During my leg work out I was seriously sweating through my eyeballs and am pretty sure I will not be able to walk tomorrow… or even tonight.  I can already feel the soreness/ stiffness coming on- which I love. I know I did something right). Whoot whoot! #makingithappen Operation Bigger, Better, Stronger is now into full effect. The countdown is on. I have 65 days (9 weeks) until Vegas and I will be using each and every one of those days, hours, and minutes building my body so I can bring my best.

Every second, minute, hour, bigger, better, stronger, power! #thatpower



 

Repping it out at (well, resting between sets when I took the picture)

on the Smith machine

Yes, I am now following the creed of Will.I.Am and Justin Bieber... not sure if that’s better or worse that Enrique. You tell me.

As of last night (after a final trip to Menchies), I am back into competition prep mode. No, I’m not training for a show, but am preparing for a photo shoot and the look I want to create will take my complete focus and dedication over the next two months. But that’s okay, I do well in crunch times. I will confess, I will be taking two breaks or ‘off times’ during this prep. The first break will be when I go to Napa at the end of month for my dear friend Katherine’s stagette. While I can keep up with my training and eat (fairly) clean while away, I simply cannot go to Napa and not do a wine tour, right? I am pretty sure I’d be banned from ever returning if I didn’t drink at least some wine while there J And then the second break will be when the hubs and I hit Chicago in the middle of July (one month out from Vegas). Again, I can’t go to Chicago and not eat pizza. I’d be run out of the town for sure!! Plus, we have already bought tickets for a pizza and cocktails tour which will undoubtedly be amazing!! I heart Chicago. It’s really one of the best cities. Here’s a pic from our last trip there.

Our reflection in the Bean

 

 

Other than that though, no excuses. I’ve already scoped out post-move gym options in the new ‘hood, I’ll be prepping all of my meals for the weekend of the move, and I will do what it takes to keep up with my training schedule. I’m making it happen.

Somehow within all the chaos going on because of the move, I created and tried out a new pancake recipe yesterday morning. After being phased out of my competition prep food plan in March, bananas are (temporarily) back on the menu. And, in homage to the Chunky Monkey cupcake I inhaled/ ate last weekend, I wanted to try to make a banana pancake. It turned out yummy. Here’s the recipe:

Chunky Monkey Banana Pancakes

Ingredients (for 1 serving)
 
Pancake:

• 1/3 cup/ 30g oats
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 17g vanilla protein powder (I used a whey based powder, but you can use whatever you like. Be aware, however, each powder and brand had different absorption so you may need to adjust the amount)
• 50g/ half a banana
• ¼ egg whites

Vanilla Icing:

• 2 TBSP non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 TBSP/ 7g vanilla casein

Directions

1. Mix the three dry pancake ingredients today until well blended.
2. Mush the banana into the egg whites (you can keep the banana chunky or puree it right in- your preference).
3. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients.
4. Pour batter into a pre-heated sprayed pan.
5. Cook for 4-5 minutes on one side. Flip. Cook 2-3 minutes on the other side.
6. While the pancake in cooking, make the icing by mixing the yogurt and casein together.
7. Once the pancake is cooked through, top with the icing while still warm.

 

I also added some chunky peanut butter (which I just rediscovered- OMG, amazing!) on the top of mine with the icing. While it was a little dry (next time I might add a couple of tablespoons of milk to the batter), it was still really yummy with the peanut butter and bananas- one of my favorite combos.

I also want to try it with a little chocolate next time. I thought about it for this recipe (and seriously spent way too long debating whether or not to add it in), but in the end wanted the vanilla flavoring more. If I were to add in the chocolate, I would either add a tablespoon of cocoa to the batter or make chocolate icing instead of the vanilla. Or, if your diet permits it, you could also add in a couple chocolate chips, or make a chocolate sauce. The possibilities are endless. See, I told you I thought about it for a long time).

 

Okay, enough about pancakes and back to the packing. Ugh. Seriously, how do I have so much junk??

XOXO

Jen

I'm Back! And, it's WIAW!!

I’m back and it’s already Wednesday. There is a lot to catch up on (like a recap of the show (and post-show treats), a quick trip to Vegas, the countdown to the next show, and potential plans for another show), but for now, it’s WIAW :)

With so much going on and little time to prep and prepare, my meal plan this week has been pretty simple, but really delicious! Here it is in pictures:

 

 

A description of each from left to right, top to bottom:

M1: Buckwheat and barley crockpot porridge topped with coconut butter

 

M2: Yam, oats and spinach baked with egg whites and topped with coconut butter

 

M3: Spinach salad with tilapia, yams, veggies and hemp hearts

 

M4: Broccoli slaw salad with avocado and sriracha sauce

 

M5: Chicken and brown rice with Greek salad and lemon dill yogurt sauce and Udo’s oil

 

M6: Greek yogurt mixed with chocolate casein and topped with raspberries and a “chocolate sauce” made of (pasteurized) egg whites and cocoa powder

 

The only thing not pictured are my pre-work out chocolate muffins which I eat out of my purse, on the bus, with my dirty bus fingers :(, on my way to the gym in between meals 4 and 5. Fine dining at it’s best.

 

Even though the overall components are quite basic, I tried to vary the proteins, carbs and healthy fats across the day while also balancing each macro within each meal (although some meals are more carb heavy while others are more protein heavy). What I eat and when is really dictated by my training schedule and needs. As I have only 18 more days before the next show (!!), and want to build and fill out my muscles, I am really focusing on getting the right amount of protein and carbs throughout the day, especially pre- and post-workout. I need these babies to grow!

And just because it is sooooo amazing, and raspberries are so delicious right now, here’s the recipe for the yogurt and raspberry snack:

 

Chocolate Covered Raspberries and Yogurt

 

Ingredients (for 1 serving):

• 15g (half a scoop) chocolate casein protein powder
• 1 TBSP cocoa powder
• 2 TBSP pasteurized egg whites 
• ½ cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• Raspberries (or any other fruit or nut topping)

Directions:

1. Combine the protein powder with the cocoa powder.
2. To make the chocolate sauce, mix 1 tablespoon of the protein powder and cocoa powder with the egg whites in a small bowl. Set aside.
3. In a serving bowl, combine the remaining protein powder and cocoa powder with the yogurt.
4. Top yogurt mixture with the raspberries and drizzle chocolate sauce on top. Note: If the chocolate sauce gets too thick, add a little bit of water to thin out.
5. Enjoy :)

 XOXO

J

It’s a new dawn, a new day and a new week!! For a Monday (and for a morning for that matter), I was feeling unusually good!



Sunrise on the way to work this morning!
Hopefully a sign of things to come this week
#shinebrightlikeadiamond today!

After feeling a little crazy/ overwhelmed last week, I am starting to feel back in control and excited for what the next two weeks will bring. Things are starting to fall into place.

 

For the photo shoot on Saturday, I have my hair, makeup, nail, threading and tanning appointments all booked. And, for the show next, next weekend, I have my hair, makeup, waxing and tanning appointments all booked as well. Yes, it actually takes that much work, and that many people to make me look presentable. In the weeks leading up to a show, things aren’t pretty (again, my poor husband). Preparing for a show is like planning a wedding! There are so many details to coordinate! I still need to figure out the timelines/ schedules for the days of the event, transportation, food options/ menu planning, purchase tickets for the show, pick out outfits and pack up my bag. Seriously, I didn’t put this much time or energy into my own wedding! But, while it is a lot to do (and a lot of expense!), it is all worth it. This is when it starts to all come together. This is when you start to see all the hard work, sacrifice and time and energy invested manifest into what you have been envisioning for months every time you pumped out one more set, or said no to a dinner invite, or passed out on the couch before 10pm. This is the fun part :)

 

A quick weekend wrap up: Sleep ins, protein pancakes, workouts, dinner with (both sets) of parents (and when I say dinner, I mean, I brought my own Tupperware filled with clean eats- which I eat out of off my grandma’s china), Sunday food prep and quality time with the hubby. What more can a girl ask for?

 

I tried a new protein pancake recipe this weekend. Out of zucchini, I subbed in shredded beets to make a chocolate beet pancake. Here’s the recipe:

  

Chocolate Beet Protein Pancake with Vanilla Icing

 

Ingredients (for 1 large pancake):

 

Pancake:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 20g chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 TBSP cocoa (or to taste)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• ¼ cup egg whites
• 50g shredded beets (zapped in the microwave for 45 secs)
• 2 TBSP skim milk
• 5g walnut pieces

Icing:

• 2 TBSP fat free Greek yogurt
• 7g vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp coconut oil

 

Directions:

1. Mix the oats, protein powder and cocoa together.
2. Add in egg whites and milk. Mix well. Add in beets and walnuts.
3. Pour into a pre-heated, frying pan coated with a non-stick spray. Cook for about 5 minutes, flip, and cook other side for 3 minutes (or until done).
4. To make the icing, stir together yogurt, protein powder, and coconut oil.
5. Ice the protein pancake with the icing and serve warm.

 

It was good! A little less sweet, and more “earthy” if you will, than the zucchini pancake, but still delicious- especially with a little prune chia jam on top. It is also carb and protein packed which I needed after a tough shoulder and tri workout!

 

Only 18 days out! The countdown is on!!

XOXO
J

Weekend Wrap Up and Protein Pancake Recipes

After a crazy busy long weekend last weekend (including a friend’s birthday dinner downtown, a bikini appointment, a massage therapy session, two Easter dinners, posing practice and a full day of food prep- on top on my regular training schedule), I was really looking forward to this weekend full of no plans J No plans = dreamy. No plans means I can sleep in, take my time at the gym, make my food when I want, and spend some time with the hubby.

Saturday went like this: Sleep in, eat, gym time (interspersed with eating), eat, Homeland marathon (interspersed with eating), bed.

Sunday went like this: Sleep in, eat, gym time (interspersed with eating), eat, Homeland, food prep, eat, final Homeland, bed.  

See a theme?

My weekend in pictures:

Vanilla and chocolate protein pancakes

At the gym refueling between workouts

My adorable husband- isn't he cute?

 

All my #favouritethings in life!

Both mornings (as all weekend mornings do) started with protein pancakes. I love me some protein pancakes, and this weekend both recipes were both soooo delicious. Each started with the same base (oats, protein powder, and egg whites), but different flavours, add-ins and toppings were used. There are soooo many protein pancake recipes out there, but these are the ones I have created to fit my nutritional requirements.

Zucchini Protein Pancake with Vanilla Icing

Ingredients (for 1 large pancake):
Pancake:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 20g vanilla whey protein powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon (or to taste)
• ¼ cup egg whites
• 46g shredded zucchini
• 2 TBSP skim milk
• 5g walnut pieces

Icing:

• 2 TBSP fat free Greek yogurt
• 5g vanilla protein powder
• 1 tsp coconut oil

 

Directions:

1. Mix the oats, protein powder and cinnamon together.
2. Add in egg whites and milk. Mix well. Add in zucchini and walnuts.
3. Pour into a pre-heated, sprayed frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, flip, and cook other side for 3 minutes (or until done).
4. To make the icing, stir together yogurt, coconut oil and protein powder.
5. Ice the protein pancake with the icing and serve warm.

Per serving: 386 cals; 11g fat; 34g carb; 38g protein

Super simple, but utterly delicious! This was sooo good. The yogurt based vanilla icing was almost like cream cheese icing and it even started melting into the warm pancake. In addition to the icing, I also topped with a spoonful of homemade chia jam. It was like eating cake... without the guilt.

That was Saturday morning. Sunday morning, I made something similar, but chocolate-ed it up!

 

Chocolate Zucchini Protein Pancake with Chocolate Icing

Ingredients (for 1 large pancake):
Pancake:

• 1/3 cup oats
• 20g chocolate whey protein powder
• 2 tsp cocoa (or to taste)
• ¼ cup egg whites
• 46g shredded zucchini
• 2 TBSP skim milk
• 5g walnut pieces

Icing:

• 2 TBSP fat free Greek yogurt
• 5g chocolate protein powder
• 1 tsp coconut oil
• 1 tsp cocoa 

Directions:

1. Mix the oats, protein powder and cocoa together.
2. Add in egg whites and milk. Mix well. Add in zucchini and walnuts.
3. Pour into a pre-heated, sprayed frying pan. Cook for about 5 minutes, flip, and cook other side for 3 minutes (or until done).
4. To make the icing, stir together yogurt, protein powder, coconut oil and cocoa.
5. Ice the protein pancake with the icing and serve warm.

Per serving: 386 cals; 12g fat; 39.5g carb; 32.5 protein

Again, I ate this with chia jam on top (just to get in those chia seeds), but the icing mixes up so smooth and fudgy that it would be delicious without the jam.

I'm always looking for new ideas. Have any tried and true #proteinpancake recipes? What do you top your pancakes with? Please share!

XOXO
J

Good (ugh) Morning and Breakfast Recipe Review

I hate mornings. I hate, hate, HATE mornings. Getting up in the mornings has to be one of the lowest points of my day (on the flip side, getting into bed at night is usually one of the best parts of my day :)).  This morning was no exception. When my alarm went off at 5:40 am is was still dark out and I could hear the rain… if I can hear the rain, I know it’s bad. I live on the third floor of a four story building. If I can hear the rain, it’s coming down hard. Never the less, I know I have to get up, and pressing snooze to get those extra few minutes only prolongs the pain (I figured that out after years of trial and error and complaints from a husband who doesn’t have to get up as early J). Once I am up, I’m usually good (things can only go up from there). Today I was up, dressed and ready to go by 6:10 which was awesome, because I  knew I’d make it to work earlier than usual which would allow me to get more stuff done before the work day started at 8.

(Which, as a side note, this in my new MO- getting to work a half hour earlier than needed to have some quiet, dedicated time to organize my life. This includes scheduling my workouts for the week, planning the weekend, looking up new recipes, paying bills, etc. Anything that I can just get done and out of the way to help me stay on track and focus throughout the rest of the day. #keystosuccess).

Anyway, I was up and out and on the bus by 6:18. By 6:19, while passing the next stop, I realized I had forgotten my whole lunch bag (full of meals 1-4) at home. [Insert look of shock and horror here]. By 6:20 panic had struck (“OMG, what am I going to do??”), by 6:21 I flirted with the idea to not go get it (“Could I go a day without my pre-planned, prepped meals? The answer to that was a quick and firm “NO”), and by 6:22 I was frantically ringing the bell to get off the bus so I could walk all the way back, in the rain, (uphill and in bare feet- just kidding!) home to pick up my lunch- which was just sitting out on the counter all packed up and ready to go. How could I have forgotten it? (The coffee distracted me).

Once I had my lunch in hand, and order was restored to my world, I trudged back up to the bus stop (still in the pouring rain, but it was getting a little lighter out) and caught the 6:45 bus- so much for my earlier morning. As soon as I was settled on the bus, it was back to business as usual and I had my morning favs: coffee, music, news and celebrity gossip... I love me some Celebitchy!

These things make morning life much more tolerable. As does a stop at Starbucks for a second cup of coffee :)

So, finally at work, I was able to dig into my breakfast, which, I have really been enjoying this week. Made up of grains and grain-like seeds and cinnamon, this warm and yummy breakfast is full of some delicious starchy carbs that leave me feeling satiated for hours. The full recipe I used (adapted from here) and the nutritional information can be found here and on my Recipes page under Wheat and Bran Crockpot Porridge.

Wheat and Bran Crockpot Porridge

Ingredients (for 10 servings):

• ½ cup wheat bran
• 1 ½ cup (310g) barley
• ½ cup oat bran
• ½ cup (95g) buckwheat
• ¼ (45g) bulgar
• 6 ½ cups water
• 15 prunes
• 3 TBSP cinnamon (this may have been a little too much)
• 5 TBSP melted coconut oil
• 40g walnuts

Instructions:

1. Pour all ingredients into the crockpot. Mix together well to combine.
2. Place cover on crockpot and cook on high for 4 hours or until liquid absorbed and grains are tender.

Per serving: 300 calories; 11.25g fat; 47g carb; 8g protein

Easy peasy! I have been enjoying this every morning heated up with a 1/3 cup apple sauce stirred in to naturally sweeten, cut the excess of cinnamon and add a little creaminess to the mixture.

And, while it turned out great, I have a couple tweaks in mind for next time:

1. I don’t really smell or taste the added coconut oil. Next time, I think that I will omit that from the recipe and add in ½ - 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or butter when I heat up the individual serving.

2. I might omit the walnuts and top the individual servings with some other type of nut butter, like almond butter or hazelnut butter, to switch it up.

3. To boost the protein, I am also thinking of stirring in a ¼ - ½ scoop of vanilla protein powder after I warm it up.

4. I also may try to add the apple sauce to the crockpot to see if it turns out more moist.

5. And, in the vein of zucchini cake, I want to try adding some shredded zucchini and cocoa powder.

So many options! Let me know if you try it out! Send me your pics.

My other “new” meal this week was the quinoa pudding recipe I found on Chelle Stratford’s Recipe for Fitness blog. Here’s what I made with the nutritional information.

Chocolate Quinoa Protein Pudding

Ingredients (for 5 servings):

• 1 cup uncooked quinoa
• 2 scoops (60g) chocolate whey protein powder
• 1 ¼ cup almond milk
• 3 TBSP cocoa

Instructions:

1. Cook quinoa as normal.
2. Once quinoa is done and still warm, stir in the almond milk, protein powder and cocoa.

Per serving: 190 calories; 3.3g fat; 24g carb; 15.5g protein

This turned out great! A delicious chocolaty delight! On days that I weight train I use it as my pre-workout snack (consumed on the bus- much more convenient and less smelly than tuna or eggs :)) and on non-weight training days I eat it in the morning as my Meal 2 with an added tablespoon of almond butter. I even tried it heated up this morning. Just as yummy. Like a hot chocolate soup.

Next time, I may add in a little less liquid so it’s not as runny, but again, overall, good as is. A definite repeat. And, it could be made with any flavor of protein powder and mix-ins (like nuts, fresh fruit, chia seeds, etc).

In any case, the week of mornings are now over, which means some weekend sleep ins! Yay! And know what else weekend mornings mean?? Protein pancakes! Mmmm…

XOXO
J