Chocolate Protein Cake

Oh, why hello there blog world!  I haven’t forgotten about you, even though it may appear that way.  Life has been rather busy as of late.  Between working full-time and planning a wedding, I have very little time (or brain power) for blogging.  But I’m happy to report that my efforts dedicated towards wedding planning have proved fruitful.  We’ve picked out the florist and cake designer we want to help us with our big day.  I’m thrilled with how the planning is going!

If you remember, in my last post I mentioned that I’m going to tackle the Insanity 60-day challenge.  I’m two weeks into it and I have to say I’m really enjoying it.  Now don’t get me wrong, the workouts are tough but I’ve found that my body is adapting rather quickly.  Each week I’ve completed each workout before work.  I expected to be tired throughout the day but the opposite has happened.  I actually have more energy!

Along with the workouts, I’ve been watching my diet closely.  I’m striving for a clean diet composed of vegetables, fruit, lean protein, and whole grain carbs.  So far it’s been easier than I thought.  It helps that I’ve been able to create some tasty afternoon treats.

This protein cake turned out much better than expected.  Seriously, each time I eat a piece I wonder how something so healthy could taste so good.  The cake is moist with a light crumb and the smallest amount of crunch from the chia seeds.  I love adding chia seeds to different recipes because of their numerous health benefits but if you don’t have any, then you can easily leave them out. 

Before I get to the recipe, I have to show you the stats.  You won’t believe it until you see it!

How awesome is that?!  If you’re looking for a tasty, yet filling and healthy treat, this “cake” is a great choice.

Chocolate Protein Cake
(makes 8 pieces)

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw protein powder
• 1/3 cup pea protein powder
• 2 Tbsp turbinado sugar
• 2 Tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder
• 6 Tbsp chocolate almond butter (I used Justin’s.)
• 1/4 cup applesauce
• 2/3 cup egg whites
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 Tbsp chia seeds

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine protein powders, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking soda.  Mix throughly with a fork to remove all lumps.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk egg whites until foamy; about 2 to 3 minutes.
4. Add almond butter, applesauce, and vanilla to protein powder mixture.  Mix until all ingredients are incorporated and the mixture forms a thick paste.
5. Using a spatula, fold in egg whites.  The mixture should become runny and resemble brownie batter.  Fold in chia seeds until just combined.
6. In a greased 8×8 pan, pour the mixture and spread it out so that it forms an even layer.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Allow to cool before cutting into bars or squares.

What’s your favorite afternoon snack?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Smoothie

Good morning friends!  We’re heading to Winston-Salem this morning.  Our flight was due to leave at 9:30 but it is now delayed to 10:30.  Bummer, but I guess you have to expect these things with air travel.  At least it gives me a chance to blog about breakfast!

Today I was in the mood for something cold and sweet.  A smoothie it is!  This morning’s smoothie included:

• 1 cup skim milk
• 1 scoop chocolate peanut butter protein powder
• 1 very ripe, frozen banana
• 1 cup of fresh, organic spinach

Blend, blend, blend and breakfast was served.

This smoothie was much better than Tuesday’s.  The chocolate peanut butter protein powder and the banana made for a really sweet smoothie!  The banana also added a nice creaminess factor!

I try not to use the BSN Syntha-6 Chocolate Peanut Butter too often because of it’s extensive ingredient list but the flavor is pretty spot on.  It’s a pretty good option while I shop around for other powders.

Well, that’s about all I’ve got to chat about!  I promise the next time you hear from me, I’ll be in North Carolina 🙂

Dessert for Breakfast

I started the day off on the right foot; I had dessert for breakfast.

Looks like a brownie sundae, right?  Well, it’s probably the healthiest sundae I’ve ever eaten.  For the “brownie” part, I made a chocolate protein muffin a la Smoothie Girl Eats Too.  This recipe is seriously great.  The “brownie” always comes out moist and chocolatey!  The only change I made was to add a boatload of cinnamon.  I love that stuff.

Now, the “ice cream” part was none other than greek yogurt ice cream.  I mixed 3/4 cup of plain greek yogurt with about 1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk and 10 drops of vanilla stevia.  Then, I poured the whole mixture over my “brownie”, dressed it with some fresh organic blueberries, and dug in.  This breakfast sure made for a sweet morning.

On the way into work, Alex and I passed a group of Jamba Juice employees passing out new samples of their natural energy drinks.  I ended up with the Pomegranate Blueberry flavor.  The nutrition facts aren’t too bad as the ingredients appear to be real food.  What I don’t love about the stats is the high sugar content.  Most fruit juices have a large amount of sugar.  I usually don’t drink anything besides water, herbal teas, and the occasional glass of wine for that reason.

But, my curiosity got the best of me and I decided to try it.  In truth, I didn’t really like it.  The first sip wasn’t so bad but by the third or fourth sip all I could taste was the sugar.  The drink had a very strong berry flavor and left a strange aftertaste.  I highly doubt I’ll drink it again, even if it’s another free sample.

Moving right along to lunch.  Today I ordered another salad!

Shocking, I know, but seriously salads are such a great way to eat lots of veggies.  And since I’m going away for a few days, I’m not sure how many veggies I’ll be consuming in the near future.  Today’s salad included:

• Spinach
• Broccoli
• Carrots
• Green peas
• Red and green bell peppers
• Grilled chicken
• Egg whites
• Low fat tex mex ranch dressing

It was delicious and protein packed 🙂

When snack time rolled around, I had one thing on my mind.  Another protein muffin.

Seriously.  So good.  Have I mentioned that?!

And I also had some fruit salad…

After work I headed to the gym for another Chisel class.  Tonight’s class was taught by a great instructor.  She’s only a sub so I’m never sure when I’ll get to see her but I’m glad I made her class tonight.  She made us work!

For dinner, I knew I needed something protein packed to refuel and it also had to be quick.  So I made pasta with meat sauce.  It’s the easiest thing to make since PB&J.

First up, I chopped up half an onion and sautéed it over medium heat for about five minutes.  Then I added 1lb organic grass-fed beef and cooked it until the beef browned.  After draining the fat, I added about 1 to 2 cups of tomato sauce and cooked it on low until it was heated all the way through.  Meanwhile I prepared some whole wheat pasta and steamed broccoli.  It was ready in less than 20 minutes and it was darn tasty!

Now I’m snacking on a small bowl of Kashi GoLean, almond milk, and blueberries.  I’m heading to bed very soon since we’ve got an extra early wake up call tomorrow!  See you from North Carolina!

Have you ever had dessert for breakfast?

Cookies and Cream Granola

I am so excited to share this recipe with you. 

This granola turned out so well that I had a hard time not eating it all before snapping some pictures.  But I knew I couldn’t do that to my readers.  I had to share!

If you do one thing today, you must make this granola.  Can you promise me that?  Pretty please?

Okay, I promise to stop begging.  It must be all the chocolate I consumed.  It’s making me do crazy things.  Like daydream about what this would taste like sprinkled over vanilla bean ice cream, or in a bowl with a little bit of milk, or just poured into my mouth straight.  I’m serious.  It’s that good.

I guess I shouldn’t be surprised because when there is chocolate involved you usually can’t go wrong.  But this recipe far surpassed my expectations.  The granola tastes like it was baked in chocolate pudding.  Some pieces turned out slightly chewy, some had a little bit more crunch.  My favorite pieces were the large clumps of chocolatey granola goodness.  Oh and the cookie pieces.  I can’t forget to mention the cookie pieces.

I used the vanilla bean sandwich cookies from Late July.  I’d never tried them before but the nutrition stats and ingredient list couldn’t be beat.  You know, because, when mixing crumbled cookies into chocolate granola, nutrition is of the utmost importance 🙂 

By including organic cookies in this decadent granola, I was able to rationalize the five two bowls I ate last night.  Whatever allows me to consume more chocolate, am I right?

Cookies and Cream Granola

Ingredients:
(loosely adapted from Jessica’s Chocolate Gingerbread Granola)

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 2 Tbsp flaxmeal
• 2 Tbsp chia seeds
• dash of salt
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 2 Tbsp melted butter
• 1/3 cup applesauce
• 1/3 cup brown rice syrup
• 2 Tbsp dark cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup chopped dark chocolate
• 1/2 cup crushed cookies

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, combine rolled oats, wheat germ, flaxmeal, chia seeds and salt.
3. In a separate bowl, combine vanilla, butter, applesauce, brown rice syrup, and cocoa powder.
4. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.  Fold in chocolate.
5. Spread onto a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Bake for about 20 minutes stirring every few minutes to make sure the granola doesn’t burn.
6. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.  Once granola is cooled, add crushed cookies.

Have you ever made homemade granola?  If so, what flavor(s)?

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

These chocolate chip cookie dough truffles taste so much like cookie dough that you’ll be surprised to read the ingredient list.  Trust me, that really is all you’ll need to make these.

You might also be surprised at just how simple they are to make.  The dough comes together in a matter of minutes.  So the real test is how patient can you be while they chill out in the fridge?  Trust me, I know it’s hard to wait.

Ultimately, they are well worth the wait.  Once you sink your teeth in their rich, doughy texture and the chocolate melts in your mouth, you’ll be scrambling for another.  And trust me, it’s impossible to eat just one.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Truffles

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 2 Tbsp maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp vanilla
• dash of salt and cinnamon
• 1/2 cup and 2 Tbsp dark chocolate chips, divided
  *This recipe could easily be made vegan friendly by using dairy free chocolate chips.*

Directions:

1. Place cashews, maple syrup, nutritional yeast, vanilla, salt and cinnamon into a food processor or high-speed blender.
2. Blend until mixture comes together into a thick paste, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Add chocolate and pulse about 10 times, until chips are chopped into smaller pieces.
3. Remove mixture from the food processor and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
4. Once your “dough” is chilled, melt chocolate chips in the microwave on 30 second intervals or over a double boiler.
5. Measure dough into one tablespoon increments and roll into balls.
6. Roll the balls in melted chocolate and place on a baking sheet.  Once all the truffles have been covered, place the sheet in the refrigerator to chill for another 30 minutes.

For any of you that don’t like nuts, go ahead and try this recipe anyway (unless you have a nut allergy; that’d just be silly).  The only nut Alex (thinks) he likes is the peanut.  But he gobbled these up with a grin on his face.  And before I told him what they were made of, he truly believed it was cookie dough.

Have I said enough to convince you to try these?  If not, leave a comment letting me know what else I could possibly say to persuade you 🙂

The Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group Concert

source

Omar Rodriguez Lopez is one of Alex’s favorite musicians.  He’s best known for his work as a composer, guitarist and producer of The Mars Volta, a progressive rock band.  According to wikipedia, “he has cited Crimson’s Robert Fripp as an influence, as well as jazz fusion guitarists John McLaughlin and Jimi Hendrix.”  In addition to his work with The Mars Volta, he’s released several solo albums as the Omar Rodriguez Lopez Group.

We were lucky enough to get tickets to their show last night at the Highline Ballroom.

Highline ballroom is on the westside of Manhattan, in Chelsea.  It is a small, intimate space without being too crowded or loud.  They also have several tables along each side of the stage and in the balcony.  We got there with plenty of time to snag a table right at the end of the balcony. 

Please forgive my photos.  I only had my iPhone with me and as you can imagine, the lighting was very low.  At least the shot above gives you an idea of our view for the night.

Since we got inside almost an hour before the show started, we had time to order some dinner.

I went with a classic; grilled cheese and tomato soup.  Perfect comfort food for this spring weather bitter cold that New York hasn’t been able to shake (ps… for all you New Yorkers out there, they’re calling for snow on Friday.  Yes, snow!).

This meal really hit the spot!  The tomato soup was so rich and creamy.  It was so much more satisfying than regular old Campbells.  And the grilled cheese was perfect.  The bread was lightly buttered and toasted just right.  The melty cheese and toasted bread paired nicely with the rich tomato sauce.  I definitely dunked my sandwich in the soup more than once!

And done!

Alex had the Kobe skirt steak.  He was also very happy with his dish.

Around the time we finished our entrees, the opener, Zechs Marquise, started.  Omar’s brother is the bassist of Zechs Marquise.  You can check out their music here.  Their set had a great beat.  Alex put it best when he said that their music is very “accessible”, meaning it is appealing even to those who don’t know it.  I certainly fall in that category as last night was the first time I’d heard them. 

As the show went on, we decided to get a few small bites to share. 

We choose the assorted cheese plate, the spring rolls, and fried mozzarella sticks.  I only nibbled on a each since I had my eye on the ultimate prize; flourless dark chocolate cake with cappuccino crunch ice cream.

Wow, this cake was decadent!  It was so moist and instantly melted in your mouth.  The cool cappuccino crunch ice cream was a great compliment to the warm, velvety chocolate cake.  The flavors came together so well!  Needless to say, between the two of us, this lasted less than five minutes 🙂

After we demolished dessert, the group came on!  The show focused mainly on the latest work of the group along with the accompaniment of Cedric Bixler-Zavala, also from The Mars Volta.

 

We had such a good time.  I love going to concerts because it’s nice to be exposed to new music and I LOVE to people watch.  The crowd at a concert is like no else!   Last night was no exception.  Not only was the music enjoyable but the food was delicious and the Highline Ballroom was the perfect venue.  If you ever get the chance to go, I highly recommend you do.

What was the last concert you went to? 

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Happy St. Patrick‘s Day!

What have you done to celebrate?  The extent of my celebration includes these cookies (I’ll take any reason to bake!) and to wear green.    Have you ever heard of the tradition that you’re allowed to pinch someone who isn’t wearing green on St. Patty’s day?  I’d never heard this before I met Alex.  When he first told me, I thought he was using it as an excuse to flirt with me (which was totally okay by me :-)).  But then over the past few years, I started hearing it from other people.  It’s a strange tradition, no?  At any rate, since that year onward, I’ve made sure to wear green!

Now, let’s talk cookies.  These cookies are tasty and so festive!  I followed a chocolate chip recipe from Janetha (at meals & moves <– LOVE her site!).  She claims this is the best chocolate chip recipe ever and I’d have to agree.  These cookies always turn out soft and chewy in the center.  They seriously melt in your mouth!  I made a few changes and added some green food coloring to make them more festive 🙂

Mint Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup butter, softened to room temperature
• 1/4 cup and 2 Tbsp granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, packed
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 to 3/4 tsp peppermint extract
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour
• 1/4 and 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 and 1/8 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 rounded tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp green food coloring (optional)
• 1 cup mint chocolate chips (I used Andes mint baking chips)

Directions:

1. Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, cream together butter, sugars, egg, vanilla and peppermint extracts.
3. In a separate bowl, measure flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.  Mix thoroughly.
4. Slowly add your dry ingredients to the wet and mix until just combined.
5. Mix in green food coloring, if using.
6. Slowly fold in the mint chocolate chips.
7. Using a tablespoon, roll dough into balls and place onto baking sheets.
8. Bake for 10 minutes.
9. Let them cool and enjoy!

Tell me one thing you like to do every St. Patrick’s Day!

Toasted Coconut Peanut Butter Cups

Over the past year or two, I’ve become a much more adventurous eater.  I spent about 13 years of my life as a vegetarian so that usually meant my options were limited (especially as a poor college student).  However, when I slowly started incorporating meat back into my diet, I also broadened my horizons to several new foods.  I’ve developed a liking for sushi, I gladly eat chia seeds in my oatmeal, and I even have taken a liking to quinoa.

One food that I’d always avoided was coconut.  I never had much exposure to it beyond the sickly sweet filling in Almond Joys (yuck).  But then I started cooking and baking with several coconut based items; coconut oil, coconut flour, coconut butter.

I like all things coconut so much that I tend to daydream about how I can incorporate it into some of my favorite foods.  That’s where these come in.

For the longest time, I’ve wanted to make my own peanut butter cups because while I love the combination of peanut butter and chocolate, I don’t love the artificial ingredients in most commercial brands.  So, I got creative and added one of my new favorite foods to an all-time classic.

Toasted Coconut Peanut Butter Cups
(makes 16 cups)

Ingredients:

• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (preferably organic or all-natural)
• 1/4 cup coconut butter (I used Artisana)
• 10 drops of stevia, optional
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup unsweetened, organic coconut flakes

Directions:

1. Prepare a mini-muffin pan with cupcake liners.
2. Place chocolate and coconut butter in a microwave safe bowl.  Microwave on 30 second intervals, until the chocolate and coconut butter come together smoothly.  Stir in stevia, if using.
3. Pour 1 to 1 1/2 tsp of melted chocolate into each cupcake liner.
4. Place muffin pan into the fridge for 10 minutes, to let the chocolate set.
5. Meanwhile, toast your unsweetened coconut on the stove top over medium heat.  Watch the coconut carefully as it will burn easily!
6. Mix the peanut butter and toasted coconut.
7. Once the first round of chocolate is set, measure 1/2 Tbsp of peanut butter mixture and place it in each cupcake liner.
8. Pour another tsp of chocolate on top of cup.
9. Place the muffin pan back in the refrigerator and let the chocolate set for about 15 to 20 minutes.

To be honest, even though these were great, I could not taste the coconut at all.  I think the next time I make these I’ll use coconut oil in place of coconut butter.  Or I could mix coconut butter with the peanut butter and the toasted coconut.  Mmmm… let the coconut daydreaming continue 🙂

How do you feel about coconut?  Any suggestions on how I can increase the coconut flavor?

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Alex’s favorite food of all time is chocolate chip cookies.  He typically eats them on a daily basis with a tall glass of milk.  I can’t bake him fresh cookies daily but when I do have time, I like to make them special.  I like for them to stand out against his everyday cookies.

Needless to say, in the four years we’ve been together, I’ve baked countless cookies.  Followed countless recipes.  And had countless results.  Some good, some not so good, but only a few great.  So, I continue searching.  Each time I come across another chocolate chip recipe, I bookmark it; adding it to my on-going list of “things to bake.”

Today I finally had time to address my list and choose to make the Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies featured by the Brown Eyed Baker.  When I first found this recipe, I knew it had all the important aspects of a great chocolate chip cookie; a soft, chewy center, loads of chocolate, and they’re big enough to feed a small family.  I knew it would be love at first bite.

Let’s just say, the recipe did not disappoint.  The cookies turned out chewy, soft, and chock-full of chocolate.  Love.

The only thing I’ll change next time around (yes, I’ll definitely be using this recipe again) is the baking time.  The recipe calls for 15 to 18 minutes of baking.  I baked mine for 17 minutes but found that they were a little crispier than I’d hoped.  Next time I’ll bake them no longer than 15 so that they remain soft and chewy after they’ve cooled.

One last thing, before I share the recipe; please do read the original post by Michelle, the Brown Eyed Baker.  Michelle takes the time to emphasize the importance of measuring by weight, instead of by volume.  I couldn’t agree more.  In fact, I invested in a kitchen scale not too long ago and it’s been a life saver.  All my baked goods have been better as a result.

Thick and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies
(from the Brown Eyed Baker)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp (10 5/8 ounces) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature
• 1 cup packed (7 ounces) light or dark brown sugar*
• 1/2 cup (3 1/2 ounces) granulated sugar
• 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 to 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees. Line large baking sheet with parchment paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
2. Whisk the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Either by hand or with an electric mixer, mix the butter and sugars until thoroughly blended. Beat in the egg, yolk, and vanilla until combined. Add the dry ingredients and beat at low speed just until combined. Stir in the chips.
4. Measure 1/4 cup of the dough and roll into a ball. Hold the dough ball with the fingertips of both hands and pull into 2 equal halves. Rotate the halves 90 degrees and, with jagged surfaces facing up, join the halves together at their base, again forming a single ball, being careful not to smooth the dough’s uneven surface. Place the formed dough balls on the prepared baking sheet, jagged surface up, spacing them 2 1/2 inches apart.
5. Bake until the cookies are light golden grown and the outer edges start to harden yet the centers are still soft and puffy, 15 to 18 minutes, rotating the baking sheets front to back and top to bottom halfway through the baking time. Cool the cookies on the sheets. Remove the cooled cookies from the baking sheets with a side metal spatula.

*When I was gathering my ingredients, I realized that I was out of brown sugar!  I had my heart set on making these cookies so I decided to forge ahead and make my own brown sugar.  I followed these directions set out by none other than Martha Stewart herself.  It worked very well however I’m interested to see if the cookies will turn out differently with regular brown sugar.  I guess I’ll just have to make them again.  Darn.

What’s next on your “things to bake” list?

Five Favorites Friday – 2/18/11

Happy Friday!  How was your week?  I’ve had a great one!  It’s been so much fun talking about my engagement and thinking about wedding planning.  I’m incredibly excited.  There’s so much to do.  Have you ever planned a wedding?  Do you have any tips to share?  Even with all the excitement, I found time to uncover some great links.  Enjoy!

My five favorites for Friday, February 18th:

1. Whole Wheat Cottage Cheese Lemony Loaf (from The Fresh Loaf)
   One of my goals for 2011 is to make more yeast bread.  To me, fresh bread from scratch is one of the most satisfying things to bake.  I also love the idea of cottage cheese in a yeast bread (extra protein!).
2. Pretzel Bites with Cheese (from Sweet Pea’s Kitchen)
   Um, do these need further explanation?  Yum!
3. Peanut Butter Crispy Bars by Baked (from Crepes of Wrath) – Love, love, LOVE peanut butter and chocolate together however, I often shy away from recipes with both because Alex doesn’t like the combo.   Which means, I’d end up eating the entire recipe myself.  But for these bars, I’m willing to make an exception.  These look to-die-for.
4. Coconut Cinnamon Popcorn (from the edible perspective) – Coconut fever.  Ashley found a way to use coconut oil and coconut butter in one recipe!  Must. try. this. popcorn.
5. Last, but not least, I’m loving the clothing website, Stop Staring! The New York Times wrote this piece about the revival of women’s clothing from the 1940s and 50s.  The article echoed my desire to wear more vintage clothing and provided inspiration to do something about it!  So, I did a little shopping (advertising mission accomplished!).  I decided on these two dresses.

**As a side note, in some of my posts I’ve mentioned products or companies that I like.  I have not been paid for my thoughts.  These are just my opinions and I’m happy to share because I think others will enjoy them too.**

What links did you enjoy this week?