Tag: snacks

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Sweet Peach Overnight Oats

Sweet Peach Overnight Oats

This sweet peach overnight oats recipe jars up the flavorful combination of peaches, vanilla, cinnamon, into satisfying treat or quick breakfast. 25 g of protein per serving, with lower carbs than traditional overnight oats.

Eating to improve athletic performance, shed fat, or build strength doesn’t mean boring food. Let’s work together to fuel your goals. Contact me.

I love the convenience of overnight oats for a grab-and-go breakfast. Naturally, most recipes tend to be heavy on the carbs due to high oat content. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but often we’re looking for a more nutrient- balanced meal or snack that will better contribute to daily protein intake.

8 oz. wide-mouth mason jars are the perfect size to make 3 or 4 servings from this recipe, and easier to eat from than standard diameter mason or jelly jars. If you want to make larger portions or scale up the recipe, jump to the 16 oz. size.

Reducing carbs

In this recipe I substituted half of the oats with fully cooked riced cauliflower to reduce total carbohydrates. The cauli provides excellent texture, increases volume, and has no taste…..it’s totally overwhelmed by the delicious peach, cinnamon, and vanilla flavors. I have a number of clients who have difficulty incorporating vegetables into their diet, and this recipe is a simple example of how to incorporate a “hidden” minimally processed veggie. Between the oats, almond, and cauliflower, these sweet peach overnight oats provide 7 g of fiber per serving. It’s very filling!

Almond Modifications and Substitutions

To create a deeper texture, I’ve used a combination of almond meal (ground almonds) as well as slivered and crushed almonds – it’s nice to get a periodic crunchy bite with the almond pieces. I mean, check out that spoonful! If you prefer no crunch, substitute for 100% almond meal.

Nut allergy? A tasty substitution is flax meal + flax seeds.

Protein Source

For the protein power, I used Vanilla Bean Trutein. It’s a blend of whey, egg, and casein protein. It’s a product I’ve been using for years, and found to provide the best texture and taste. The recipe is forgiving if you want to use a different type of protein power, you’ll likely need less water for pure whey, and more water for pure casein or plant-based.

The quantity of water added dictates the final texture and thickness, and the oats will become thicker after refrigeration. 1 cup of water will make very thick oats using Trutein. Add in 2 tbsp. increments beyond this to get to where you think you want it.

It’s simple to adjust these sweet peach vanilla overnight oats for your needs. A few examples:

  • For higher carbs, add additional oats or diced peaches
  • For lower carbs, double the riced cauliflower and eliminate the oats – aka overnight “n’oats”
  • Adjust the fat by using less almonds
  • For a vegan option, utilize vanilla flavored soy protein or plant-protein blend

This higher protein, lower carb sweet peach overnight oats recipe combines delicious peach, almond, vanilla, and cinnamon flavors into a satisfying treat. 25 g of protein per serving and lower in carbs vs. traditional overnight oats.

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Peanut Butter Parfait (Vegan)

Vegan Peanut Butter Parfait
Vegan Peanut Butter Breakfast Parfait

Peanut butter lovers rejoice! This vegan peanut butter breakfast parfait is a convenient higher protein and lower carb breakfast or make-ahead snack. 25g of protein per serving and lower in carbs vs. traditional overnight oats.

Eating to improve athletic performance, shed fat, or build strength doesn’t mean boring food. Let’s work together to fuel your goals. Contact me.

I love the convenience of overnight oats and parfaits for a grab-and-go breakfast. Naturally, most recipes tend to be heavy on the carbs due to high oat content. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, but often we’re looking for a more nutrient- balanced meal or snack that will better contribute to daily protein intake.

8 oz. wide-mouth mason jars are the perfect size to make 3 or 4 servings from this recipe, and easier to eat from than regular mason or jelly jars. If you want to make larger portions or scale up the recipe, jump to the 16 oz. size.

Reducing carbs

Vegan Peanut Butter Breakfast Parfait

In this vegan peanut butter breakfast parfait, I substituted some of the oats for cooked riced cauliflower to reduce total carbohydrates. The cauli provides excellent texture, increases volume, and the flavor is overwhelmed by the peanut butter. I have a number of clients who have difficulty incorporating more minimally processed veggies into their diets. Between the oats and the cauliflower, these peanut butter overnight oats provide 9 g of fiber per serving. It’s very filling!

Protein Source

Blended Tofu

The ideal protein source for this parfait is soy – it’s a complete protein and well digested. So, in this recipe we’re utilizing tofu as the base. If you’ve never tried blending tofu before, it’s an amazing “batter” for overnight oats and parfaits, as well as baked recipes!

For blending, make sure that the tofu is smooth and can flow in the blender (see picture). Add water as necessary and pause to scrape down the sides and move the tofu around when you’re starting out.

If you have a soy allergy or aren’t into tofu, instead follow this recipe and substitute dairy protein powder a plant-based blend.

The amount of sweetener is personal preference. 1 tbsp. will be lightly sweet, whereas 3 tbsp. will be very sweet. I recommend tasting the tofu batter after adding the cinnamon + 1 tbsp. of sweetener to decide if you want to add more.

NOTE: The quantity of water added dictates the final texture and thickness, and the parfait will become thicker after refrigeration. The recipe as shown will make a very thick parfait after refrigeration. Mix in additional water, 1 tbsp. at a time to the final batter before pouring into the jars if you prefer it thinner.

It’s simple to adjust this peanut butter parfait for your needs. A few examples:

  • For higher carbs, add more oats or mix in some fresh or frozen fruit – tart cherries or blueberries would be AMAZING!
  • For lower carbs, double the riced cauliflower and eliminate the oats – aka overnight “n’oats”
  • Adjust the fat by using more or less peanut butter.
Peanut butter love! This satisfying vegan peanut butter breakfast parfait is a convenient high protein lower carb breakfast or snack.  25g of protein per serving,  lower in carbs vs. overnight oats.

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Associate and earn from qualifying purchases. This helps keep the website ad-free.

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Blueberry Burst Breakfast Muffins

Blueberry Power Breakfast Muffins
Blueberry Power Breakfast Muffins

Need a portable breakfast to jam out of the house quick in the morning? These vegan high protein blueberry burst breakfast muffins are filling and wholesome, with delicious berry sweetness. 8g of protein per muffin, with low sugar.

I created this recipe for my athletes who follow a vegan diet (or do not tolerate dairy). Ensuring adequate high quality protein intake is critical. Instead of milk or other dairy, these muffins use tofu (yes, tofu!) in the base. Soy is an all-star source of plant protein. It’s lean, contains adequate concentrations of all essential amino acids, and is relatively well digested and absorbed. Even if you don’t care for tofu, you will like these muffins. The tofu is blended down, and then combined with flavorful almond flour, oats, pancake mix, banana, and juicy blueberries to create the batter.

Notes about the recipe

A high power blender is required for this recipe (I use a Vitamix). Make sure the tofu is extra firm variety, and add any water in the tofu package into the blender.

Blended Tofu

Blending down the tofu takes a bit of patience at first. Crumble it as much as possible as you add it to the blender. Start on low power and gradually increase speed; scrape down the sides and mix with a spoon as many times as necessary until it blends uniformly. If needed, add 1 tbsp. water to help the process. Once able to blend smoothly for 30 seconds on high speed, add banana, cinnamon, and baking powder. An additional 1 tbsp. of water may be needed after adding these ingredients to be able to mix on high again. The mixture should look like the picture at left – it’s very thick, but pourable.

The banana and blueberries provide very light sweetness to the muffins. If you prefer sweeter, add monkfruit or other sweetener to the blender mixture when you add the baking powder. Be sure to save some blueberries to place on top of each muffin for some extra sweet bursts! Optionally, sprinkle on a few oats (or chopped nuts) for a little bit of crunch.

For baking, I used a metal 12-well muffin pan lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Baking time may vary if you use a silicone muffin pan. The muffins popped out easily after cooling for a few minutes.

Will this recipe work with other fruit? Absolutely! Some other suggestions are raspberries, blackberries, or strawberries (but in pieces).

For meal prep

Blueberry Power Breakfast Muffins

I recommend prepping these blueberry burst breakfast muffins on Sunday for busy weekday mornings. Cool the muffins completely before storing in an airtight container in the fridge. They will keep for 5-6 days. While they taste good cold, I prefer them zapped in the microwave or toaster oven. Pair with a portable plant yogurt cup, and you’re out the door with a delicious breakfast.

Need a portable breakfast to jam out of the house quick in the morning? These vegan high protein blueberry burst breakfast muffins are filling and wholesome, with delicious berry sweetness. 8g of protein per muffin, with low sugar.

Need a customized nutrition plan with support and accountability to meet your physique and performance goals? Contact me.

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Whole Grain Apple Bread

Whole Grain Apple Bread

Because who doesn’t love bread? Infused with almond and Fuji apple, this low-sugar whole grain apple bread is a satisfying afternoon snack or delicious treat on a weekend ruck. Skip the Starbucks and give this a go.

Notes about the recipe:

The combination of stone ground whole wheat plus almond flour provides the bread with a heartier, nuttier taste. However, white flour or a gluten-free flour will also work.

For the vanilla protein powder, utilize a blend of egg, whey, and casein (see recommendation in recipe). Pure whey and pure casein are more heat sensitive do not bake well. A plant-based protein blend will likely work.

Although the apples and applesauce provide a hint of sweetness, this bread has very low sugar. If you want this to taste more like a desert, add a tablespoon of dry sweetener such as Splenda, monkfruit, or Swerve. Regular sugar also works, but will change the nutrition.

For baking, I used a glass 9×5 loaf pan lined with parchment paper and lightly misted with coking spray. This allows the loaf to easily pop out of the pan. If your pan is metallic, cooking time may vary. Start checking at 30 minutes with a toothpick test.

After the loaf cools, it can be stored in the fridge covered for up to a week…..but it won’t last that long. 😉

Whole Grain Apple Bread

This bread can be re-heated in a toaster oven or warmed for a few seconds in the microwave. Highly recommend topping with a smear of almond butter or peanut butter, or have with some yogurt and more applesauce. Yum!

Infused with almond and Fuji apple, this whole grain apple bread is a satisfying afternoon pick-me-up or delicious snack for a hike.

Contact me to discuss a customized nutrition plan and coaching to meet your physique and performance goals.

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Salted Caramel Apple Donuts

Salted Caramel Apple Donuts

These salted caramel apple donuts are a higher protein sweet treat, with reduced fat and sugar. 150 Calories and 20 g of protein per donut!

  • Salted Caramel Apple Donuts
  • Salted Caramel Apple Donuts
  • Salted Caramel Apple Donuts

After many experiments, I finally created a baked donut recipe that balances the moist fluffy texture of a cake donut without the need for adding in a heap of butter and/or oil, and sugar. I used the oven to bake them, but suspect the air fryer would also work well.

The primary base of these salted caramel apple donuts is Salted Caramel flavor protein powder and unsweetened applesauce. Thy type of protein powder used is important for the texture. Whey makes too runny a batter, whereas casein does not heat well. Trutein (blend of whey, egg, and casein protein) always seems to work the best for any recipe requiring baking.

The donuts are sweet on their own and very tasty right out of the oven without any toppings. If you do ice these donuts, be sure to allow them to cool completely first!

Let me know if you enjoyed this recipe and what other donut flavors you are into!

These high protein donuts will cure any sweet tooth without the extra fat and sugar. Only about 150 calories per donut with 20g of protein.

Invest in yourself and create healthy balance with your nutrition. Contact me today to explore coaching.

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Sweet Treat Mango Creamsicles

Mango Creamsicles

These sweet treat mango creamsicles have only three ingredients. 65 Calories each with 5g of protein.

  • Mango Creamsicles
  • Mango Creamsicles

After purchasing a set of molds, I’ve been on a creamsicle making kick. All you need to make these sweet treat mango creamsicles are mangoes, yogurt, and vanilla extract.

The Ingredients

Before starting, make sure the mangoes are ripe or slightly overripe, or your creamsicles may taste sour. July seems to be the is ideal time of year to get ripe mango, but I’ve also had success in early spring fro mthe stock at Costco.

The vanilla extract provides a smooth undertone and combines well with the mango. Alcohol in the extract will boil off as you simmer the mango, leaving no bitter aftertaste. Let the mango reduction fully cool before preparing the creamsicles. Otherwise, ice crystals may form.

Strongly recommend using low-fat Greek yogurt for this recipe. Nonfat Greek yogurt or plant-based Greek-style yogurts also work, however they will be slightly less creamy tasting.

The scale of the recipe fills up the above mentioned 6-mold popsicle mold perfectly – each well is 3.3 oz. / 94 g. After you have filled each mold, gently tamp down to remove air gaps and re-fill to the brim of the mold as needed.

Nutrition

Each sweet mango creamsicle has 65 Calories, 5 g of protein, 10 g of carbs (8 g sugar), and 1 g of fat. For reference, a Halo Top Pop is 90 Cal, 5 g protein, 18 g of carbs (10 g sugar), and 2.5 g fat. As I’ve said before, sugar is not evil, but it’s important to be mindful of consumption within your overall nutrition balance. Moderation is the best advice, and a simple way to help mitigate over consumption is to seek out products that have minimal to no “added sugar”. These days it’s much easier to spot since “added sugar” is identified as separate line item on product nutrition labels.

Other creamsicle flavors I’ve made recently include blueberry, chocolate fudge, and peanut butter. I’ve also made with non-dairy, plant-based yogurt. It’s all the same principle, but if you want specific directions for those, shoot me a message.

Beat the summer heat with this refreshing treat. These creamsicles have only three ingredients, with no added sugar. 65 calories of natural mango bliss!

I hope you liked this recipe! Please share on socials or with a friend if you enjoyed it.

Let’s work together on your nutrition and performance goals. Contact me.

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Purple Sweet Potato Pretzels

Sweet Potato Pretzels

These simple-to-make colorful and chewy purple sweet potato pretzels have only four ingredients.

  • Headed into the oven!
  • Sprinkled with “everything but the bagel” seasoning
  • Perfect re-heat in the toaster oven.

I came across purple sweet potato powder and I wanted to see how it would work in a simple pretzel recipe. Why purple sweet potato? #1 because it’s colorful, and life is too short not to have fun healthy treats. At only 100 calories per pretzel it’s a good afternoon pick-me up snack.

Whether you make these savory or sweet, they are AMAZING hot out of the oven or re-heated in a toasted oven. My current go to is a sprinkle of everything but the bagel seasoning but I also love cinnamon & sugar.

Purple potato micronutrients

Purple sweet potato powder gives these pretzels an extra chewy interior texture with a light crisp on the outside. There’s also a very very subtle sweetness. A little bit goes a long way and I don’t recommend fully swapping out all of the regular flour for sweet potato powder.

Like most other naturally purple foods, purple sweet potatoes have their hue due to a class of natural plant pigments called anthocynanins. Anthocyanins transmit visible wavelengths of light under the right conditions. We visually see red, blue, and purple – you can clearly guess the foods contain a high concentration of them – blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, grapes, eggplant, etc.

Anthocynanins are beneficial antioxidants (inhibit the oxidation of other molecules in our bodies that lead to cell damage). A lot more research required to understand health benefits, however based on the studies available it certainly doesn’t hurt to add a little more color into your diet! The best way would be to eat whole purple potato (for example Okinawan), but the powder still provides these micronutrients.

Note: This recipe also works with gluten-free flour as a 1:1 sub for the regular flour. Because my flour wasn’t self-rising, I added baking powder – omit if you are using self-rising flour.

Powered by purple potato! These fast and simple to make chewy pretzels have only four ingredients. 

Look forward to getting your feedback on this recipe! Please share on socials or with a friend if you enjoyed it.

Let’s work together on your nutrition. Contact me to discuss your goals!

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