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Protein Peanut Butter Cup

HEAVENLY! ~ Protein + Peanut Butter and OF COURSE, Dark Chocolate! AHHHH

My Husband and I are addicted to a few things... to include PB and Dark chocolate. So one day after he sneaked Reeses peanut butter cup  I realized this was time for me to get on my game.... could I possibly make a healthy Reeses PB cup... an imposter? and Wala!

 Ingredients:

1 scoop (1/3c.) vanilla whey protein powder,
2 tbsp. peanut butter - crunchy, unsalted
2 tbsp. PB2 - Powdered Peanut Butter
1 tbsp. organic whole ground flax seed
1/4c 60-70% dark chocolate chips

I used silicone cupcake molds coated them in coconut oil. Meanwhile melt the chocolate in a bowl.
Use 1/2 the chocolate to coat the bottom of each cup.
-Freeze for 10min
Blend peanut butter, PB2, protein powder and flax seed.
Spoon PB mixture in each mold of hardened chocolate, bang on counter to even.
-Freeze for 10min
Melt the rest of the chocolate and coat on top of PB mixture.
 -Freeze for 10min
Gently peel out your tasty Protein PB Cups!

Nutrition Facts:

Per Cup, 4 servings
Calories:  164
Carbs:      11
Fat:          11
Protein:    10
Sugar:       6  (the darker the chocolate the less sugar per serving)
Fiber:        2

Food Cravings

When Your Body Craves Certain Foods, It Actually Is Looking For Nutrients

I don't know about you all but I crave things all the time... well, my usual craving is chocolate & nuts which according to this chart I found on NatureWorksBest, means I have a  magnesium deficiency. Sure enough my daily vitamins have none! So I thought I would share this helpful information so we can all make better choices.

 

If you crave this…	What you really need is…	And here are healthy foods that have it:
Chocolate	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits, dried seaweed
Sweets	Chromium	Broccoli, grapes, cheese, dried beans, calves liver, chicken
	Carbon	Fresh fruits
	Phosphorus	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes, grains
	Sulfur	Cranberries, horseradish, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli/cauliflower), kale, cabbage
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
Bread, toast	Nitrogen	High protein foods: fish, meat, nuts, beans
Oily snacks, fatty foods	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Coffee or tea	Phosphorous	Chicken, beef, liver, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy, nuts, legumes
	Sulfur	Egg yolks, red peppers, muscle protein, garlic, onion, cruciferous vegetables (broccoli/cauliflower)
	NaCl (salt)	Sea salt, apple cider vinegar (on salad)
	Iron	Meat, fish and poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Alcohol, recreational drugs	Protein	Meat, poultry, seafood, dairy, nuts
	Avenin	Granola, oatmeal
	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
	Glutamine	Supplement glutamine powder for withdrawal, raw cabbage juice
	Potassium	Sun-dried black olives, potato peel broth, seaweed, bitter greens
Chewing ice	Iron	Meat, fish, poultry, seaweed, greens, black cherries
Burned food	Carbon	Fresh fruits
Soda and other carbonated drinks	Calcium	Mustard and turnip greens, broccoli, kale, legumes, cheese, sesame
Salty foods	Chloride	Raw goat milk, fish, unrefined sea salt
Acid foods	Magnesium	Raw nuts and seeds, legumes, fruits
Preference for liquids rather than solids	Water	Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Preference for solids rather than liquids	Water	You have been so dehydrated for so long that you have lost your thirst. Flavor water with lemon or lime. You need 8 to 10 glasses per day.
Cool drinks	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
Pre-menstrual cravings	Zinc	Red meats (especially organ meats), seafood, leafy vegetables, root vegetables
General overeating	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tryptophan	Cheese, liver, lamb, raisins, sweet potato, spinach
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green, red fruits and vegetables
Lack of appetite	Vitamin B1	Nuts, seeds, beans, liver and other organ meats
	Vitamin B3	Tuna, halibut, beef, chicken, turkey, pork, seeds and legumes
	Manganese	Walnuts, almonds, pecans, pineapple, blueberries
	Chloride	Raw goat milk, unrefined sea salt
Tobacco	Silicon	Nuts, seeds; avoid refined starches
	Tyrosine	Vitamin C supplements or orange, green and red fruits and vegetables

Hummus

I really love hummus but its one of those specialty things in the grocery store with a crazy price, for no reason! Hummus is so easy and cheap to make the only reason to get it at the store is convenience. When I'm lazy I buy it too but always knock myself since to make it at home is less than 1/2 the store price. 

  

Ingredients

15oz can Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans

1/8c Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 Lemon

1 TBSP Tahini Paste

    (Sesame Seeds & Olive oil)

2 TBSP Minced Garlic

1 TBSP Parsley

2 TSP Coriander

Pepper

Optional herbs:

Basil

Cumin

Oregeno

 

 

TAHINI PASTE

Step 1: 

Pre-Heat the oven to 350 

On a baking sheet, pour apx 2 TBSP or more of sesame seeds and pop it in the oven until golden brown. Apx 10 mins. BUT WATCH IT! It burns easily.

 

Step 2:

In a food processor, blend toasted sesame seeds with extra virgin olive oil until it becomes a creamy paste. Wala! Tahini Paste it 15 mins!

 

 

HUMMUS 

 

Step 1: 

Make sure you rinse your garbanzo beans very well because some of the soul of if you don't care then don't rinse. Put them into your blender.

 

 

Step 2:

Squeeze half of your lemon in the garbanzo bean mixture. I like to use a little straighter to catch the seats cause you definitely don't want to be fishing seeds out later. Add in your tahini paste. As you can see my homemade pace is a lot darker than something you would buy in the store that's because I roast my sesame seeds until they're very brown. My husband and I decided that we like the flavor of the darker sesame seeds opposed to the lighter roasted seeds it just gives it a more robust flavor.

 

 

Step 3: 

Add in your spices, garlic and olive oil. And blend.

Slowly blend and stir to ensure it all gets incorporated. If it's too dry for your liking and a little more olive oil or lemon juice but be careful because a little goes a long way and it's not fun to have soupy hummus.

When you get it to your desired consistency put it into a container and enjoy!

Now dip your veggies and Enjoy!!

Packaged Muffins... Rant

 

I don't mean to rant... OK I do. I just wish people would be a little more observant on how they can easily cut junk out of their life.

So you're running late and you need a quick breakfast... I'm pretty sure packaged muffin is NOT the answer. That little 4 oz muffin will not satisfy you, fill your tummy or give you the proper nutrients to go about your day. Instead it's filled with CRAP and empty calories that will start your day off wrong. When you eat things without the proper nutrition you body needs, you will want to eat more... Why?... Because your body is actually starving for the nutrients it needs.



I makes me so sad to know people eat these things without realizing how bad it is.
By the way, in case you didn't know... Don't get me wrong here, I LOVE Starbucks (big coffee fan) but their muffins aren't any healthier, they are made by..... None other than Otis Spunkmeyer!  Yup is true. Just a different wrapper to make them look pretty. Ask the Barista next time where they come from. Next time I see them pulling them out of the box I'll snap a picture but for now trust me they are not healthy.

One muffin Otis Spunkmeyer muffin contains more calories (440) than I eat at one meal.
Lets compare... My favorite healthy breakfast is protein oatmeal with almond milk and about 2 hours later I have some egg whites with spinach and cheese. All of that yumminess is less than 400 calories and all kinds of good nutrients!

I understand you're moving fast on the go... Plan ahead make refrigerator oatmeal cups or homemade protein muffins, if you love those muffins  ;) 

My husband eats muffins as his 2nd breakfast post-workout everyday because he LOVES muffins. In comparison, the most calorie loaded muffin I make has:
227 Calories, 7g Sugar, 10g Fat, 23g Carbs & 15g Protein... Not too shabby. Lets see Otis again ...
440 Calories, 34g Sugar, 22g Fat, 58g Carbs & 6g Protein

Yikes... AGAIN, sorry. And people feed this stuff to their kids! 
When I make muffins at home if I leave them on the counter for 5 days they already have mold growing on them. It sucks but at least I know that they have real ingredients that fungus can grow on vs this packaged crap... Weird how not even fungus will grown on them and people still eat them! YUCK x100!

Ok I'm done with my rant. Chances are if your reading this you actually eat healthy or are trying hard to eat healthy. Help a friend stay healthy and share what you know.

Have a wonderful day!