3 Ingredient Protein Pancakes

These are the easiest and healthiest pancakes I have ever made! They are my go-to when just plain old eggs don't sound appealing. Sometimes I have a hard time eating the protein I need in the morning because that usually means something heavy, and honestly, that doesn't always sound appetizing. These are perfect to satisfy your sweet tooth but are guilt free and super easy to make! :)

Ingredients:

• 2 eggs
• 1 small ripe banana
• 1 TBSP flax meal (not the seeds, make sure its the meal so the seeds are broken down!)
• Optional: 1/2 tsp vanilla, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice

First mash up the banana in a bowl. Next, add the eggs to the bowl and whip together. Finally add the flax meal and let sit while your pan heats up. I like to use coconut oil to grease the pan. Add a small amount of the oil to the pan once it's warm and pour the batter into whatever size pancakes you would like. The batter will be thinner than normal pancakes.

Don't undo all the good you just did by pouring on syrup and slathering on butter!! I like to sprinkle berries on the pancakes, the sweetness is just right!

Goodbye Christmas, Hello Resolutions!

Its hard to believe another Christmas is behind us! We build up to this one day for so many months, and yet it FLIES by each year! We had a beautiful Christmas! Having a 3 1/2 year old made it so special. To see the wonder and awe in his eyes at this time of year has been priceless!

Although it's sad that the holiday is over, I find something magical in the week ahead. I have always found this time to be one of reflection and hope. The day after Christmas my bank account is low from shopping, my body feels gross from all the eating and drinking, and my spirits are on the decline as I know we have a long and gray winter ahead of us. But this is the time to IMPLEMENT CHANGE!! Its time to start thinking ahead and putting a plan in place to make the changes you need to create the life you want! I have always been a big fan of resolutions, and this year is no exception. My New Years resolution list is long and detailed because I have a big year planned for myself! It gives me something to look forward to and hope for!

The secret to feeling better about yourself before your goals are reached is noticing the little changes you are making every day to get you closer to your goal. So often we bypass this vital step in change! We want to plant the seed (start a fitness program) and harvest right away (have the body we dreamed of)! We forget to CULTIVATE our dreams! And this cultivation process is where most of us give up. But we need to push through it! This is where the change happens!!

If you are thinking that you would like a change in your health and fitness, but don't know where to begin, or don't feel you have the time/motivation/support/accountability to be successful, I can help you! Just fill out the quick application below to get the ball rolling and I will be in touch with you within 48 hours to talk more about your goals!

 LiveFitRN Challenge Group Application
 

Breakfast Oatmeal Bake

We are having a lazy morning here! Fridays are our day to relax together and we usually stay in our jammies until the afternoon! I was in the mood to do some baking and since I haven't gone shopping in awhile, I was left with frozen food and pantry staples to work with. I've been eyeing this baked oatmeal recipe for awhile and luckily I could use all frozen fruits!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of old fashioned oats
• 1/4 c chopped walnuts, divided
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp cinnamon
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (use the real stuff!!)
• 1 egg lightly beaten
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp melted and slightly cooled butter (I used Earth Balance)
• 2-3 bananas (mine were frozen since I peel and freeze all my ripe bananas that I won't eat in time, and they worked just great!)
• 1 cup of frozen berries, I used blueberries

Preheat oven to 375 and grease a 1 1/2 or 2 qt baking dish.

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl (cute mini helper optional). Then combine the wet ingredients in a large measuring cup. Line the bottom of the baking dish with the bananas and sprinkle with half the berries.

Next, layer on half the nuts and the dry ingredients. Pour the wet mixture over the dry.

Finally, sprinkle on the remaining berries and walnuts. Bake for 25-30 minutes, although mine took 35 minutes since I used a 1 1/2 qt baking dish. Makes 6 servings. And it is AWESOME!! This recipe came from sohowsittaste.com.

No-Bake Shakeology Cookies

These cookies are really good. Like really, really good. Don't say you weren't warned. ;)

• 1 cup of raw nut butter
• 1 cup of oatmeal (quick or old fashioned works)
• 1/3 to 1/2 cup of honey
• 1 cup of Chocolate Shakeology, (you can scale this down to 1/2 C, still delicious but not as nutritious)
• Combine in bowl and mix well. Roll into balls.
• Optional: Roll balls in crushed nuts or unsweetened coconut flakes.
• Store them in a closed container in the fridge. Or just eat them all in 24 hours like I did. Whoops. 

Quinoa Veggie Burgers

I grew up a vegetarian so I wasn't exposed to beef until I was in my twenties. I found it to be delicious, but it just never sat with my stomach. So although I don't have anything against beef (raised humanely), I personally don't eat it.  Veggie burgers have come a long way in the past 20 years, but unfortunately like most convenience foods, they are filled with chemicals and garbage that just isn't necessary to consume. So I've been on a mission to find an easy to make veggie burger and this guy is my winner! It's quick, easy, nutritious, filling, and kid friendly!! I stumbled across it on Pinterest and it was linked to eatingwelllivingthin.wordpress.com.

Mix together in a bowl:

• 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa 
• 1/2 cup mashed cooked chickpeas 
• 2 Tbsp water + 2 Tbsp ground chia seeds or egg replacer or 1 egg
• 1 Tbsp soy sauce OR Bragg's Liquid Aminos 
• 1 tsp dried basil leaf 
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme leaf 
• 1/2 tsp gr cumin seed 
• 1 tsp gr coriander seed 
• 1/2 tsp paprika 
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder 
• 4 Tbsp tapioca flour OR wheat flour 
• Salt & pepper to taste

Form patties by hand. Spray frying pan with oil and cook on medium heat until browned on both sides. I like my burgers on an Ezekiel bun with avocado, tomato, lettuce and onion or chopped up in a salad!

Pumpkin Protein Bars

These are my favorite homemade protein bars yet! They turned out fluffy, just sweet enough, and the BEST part....my three year old loved them!! I found the original recipe at melaniemitro.com, but I made a few changes based on what I had on hand.

Mix the following in a bowl:

• ½ C. Succinate (any natural sugar will do, but Succinate can be found in the natural foods section of most grocery stores)
• 1/4 C. applesauce
• 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1 ½ tsp. ground ginger
• ½ tsp. ground clove

(I didn't have cloves or ginger on hand so I used 1 tsp cinnamon and 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice in place of the spices above and it turned out great)

• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 4 large egg whites
• 1 - 15 oz. can of raw pumpkin
• 2 C. oat or whole wheat flour
• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• ½ cup almond milk
• ½ C. chopped walnuts (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray 9x13 pan with oil. Pour mixture into greased pan and bar for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick stuck in the middle comes out clean. If you'd like to add chocolate chips, it would probably be delicious! To keep it lower calorie, I would sprinkle on a handful of mini chips just before baking. Makes 24 squares. Perfect for an afternoon snack with coffee. :)

Overnight Oats

This is one of my favorite breakfast recipes. It was given to me by a fellow Beachbody Coach and I'm totally hooked on it. It's so easy to throw together and the ingredients are inexpensive!

In a bowl or jar with a lid, combine:

• 1/2 C. Old fashion oats
• 1/2 C. Almond, soy, etc milk

Let this sit overnight in your fridge.

In the morning when you are ready to eat, add to the mix:

• 1/2 C. Cottage cheese
• A big handful of fruit or berries
• 1/2-1 tsp natural sweetener (agave, honey, sugar) to taste
• Optional: sprinkle with chopped nuts for some extra crunch and a dash of cinnamon for some spice

I know, the cottage cheese is a bit of a surprise, right? But it's delicious in there! And it's a necessity to make this a complete meal with carbs AND protein. I don't always have time to cook eggs in the morning so this is a perfect way to get everything you need in one bowl.
I usually prep these at night in ball jars with some extra room, then in the morning I throw the rest of the ingredients in the jar and take my breakfast to go! I hope you enjoy this fast and easy breakfast as much as I do!

Chicken salad, all cleaned up

I don't know about you, but I struggle with lunch every day! I am usually so busy throughout the morning I don't have much time to think about lunch and before I know it, it's already 1 or 2 o'clock and I haven't eaten yet. Before I put much thought into my nutrition, I used to be a sub fanatic! Nothing was more comforting that a sub from the local deli, layered with greasy cheese and fattening mayo all loaded on a big white roll. I truly can't imagine the calorie count of one of those!! Now my lunches are much lighter and I no longer get a 2 PM food hangover!! Here's a great example of an easy, healthy lunch that you can prepare to stave off those pizza and sub temptations!

Chicken salad:

• Four chicken breasts, cooked and shredded 
•  Non fat Greek yogurt
• Green onions
• 1 avocado
• Salt and pepper
• Fresh lime juice
• Finely chopped cilantro (if you like that kind of thing ;))

  

Mix together the chicken and avocado first. Add a scoop of the yogurt at a time until it is creamy enough for your liking. Add the rest of the ingredients to taste! Super easy and very delicious! Try this on a piece of Ezekiel bread toast and you've got yourself a clean and quick lunch. :)

Turkey muffins

I'll be honest, I wish this awesome recipe had another name. But whatever, these guys are DELICIOUS! Filling, easy, and tasty. The whole family will enjoy this snack!

Ingredients:

• 2lbs ground turkey or chicken
• 3 egg whites
• 1 c. quick cooking oats
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp dried yellow mustard
• 2 tsp black pepper
• 2 tsp chipotle pepper
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 Tbsp garlic powder
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks finely chopped
• 1/2 small zucchini grated

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin tin well with olive or canola oil (have you invested in a mister yet?? It's one of my favorite kitchen tools!). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl, fill the muffin tin with scoops the size of racquet balls. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Makes 12 muffins. Dip in organic ketchup, because it's awesome!! I've modified this recipe from Jamie Eason's (one of my heroes!) 12 week Livefit program recipe.

Cookie Dough Greek Yogurt

This is one of my go to recipes when I'm craving something sweet, especially after dinner. It's a clean version of cookie dough that will leave you feeling satisfied and GUILTLESS!  I found this recipe at melaniemitro.blogspot.com :)

Combine the following in a bowl:

• 6 oz plain Greek yogurt (yes plain! Vanilla has added sugar, avoid it!)
• 1 Tbsp nut butter (have you tried cashew butter yet!? It's my personal favorite! But peanut or almond butter works just as well). The ingredients in your nut butter should only be the nuts and salt. No added sugar!
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp honey
• Small pinch of salt
• 1 Tbsp mini chocolate chips

Enjoy this awesome treat, and lick that spoon clean!! ;)