Easy Pudding Protein Bars

And the quest for portable protein-y breakfast continues...these bars don't look that appetizing, but they do taste good! They can be made really quickly in the evening and then they just refrigerate overnight and await you eating them in the morning.

They have a hefty 23 grams of protein and only 260 calories each. The only downside, which is not that big of a deal, is you have to eat these with a fork. They are pretty sticky and gloppy and would be impossible to eat by hand. I really like the consistency though; it is kind of like pudding and the oats get really soft so it's not hard to chew. And I guess the Jello pudding isn't exactly health food, but hey, you can't win on every count every time...

Cold-Brewed Iced Coffee



I halved the recipe and used 8 oz of coffee and 4 quarts of cold water



Let it soak overnight



Give your pitcher a cool turban



Here is how to make some good cold-brewed iced coffee. This recipe comes directly from the Pioneer Woman blog, which has lots of other great recipes too! Here is the actual recipe link.

Vegan Whole Wheat Blueberry Bran Muffins

I'm not vegan. Or vegetarian. Nor will I ever be either. But I do find it interesting to make (usually bake) things using "different" ingredients and see how they turn out. I do not have a problem with weird ingredients - I just want the results to be decent and not taste like pig slop (is that offensive to pigs? It's what they eat, right?).

I was looking for a healthy whole grain blueberry muffin recipe and I found one on food.com that happened to also be a vegan recipe. I added protein powder and specified oat bran because it is yummy. I thought it would be fun to take a break from the norm of eggs/milk/other non-vegan things in muffindom and give this a try. (When we visit Portland and go to Voodoo Doughnuts, I always see the vegan doughnut selection and wonder if they are any good...haven't tried one yet, though.)

Spinach Smoothie II

One should never mess with success. My first spinach smoothie was a success, so I made another one a little different and this one a lot different. Not so good...the main problem was I got this stuff called Amazing Grass superfood powder (because it has lots of good-for-you stuff in it, so I could put it in smoothies and stuff) and it is NASTY! I thought protein powder was bad, but you can't hide this stuff! It smells like very pungent earthy lawn clippings and tastes awful. I thought a smoothie would hide it but it did not. Otherwise, I think this version of a spinach smoothie would be good. 

I used one yogurt, a banana, one scoop protein powder, frozen strawberries, and 4 cups spinach. Add water and enjoy (you won't have to plug your nose and drink it like I am...haha).

Whole Wheat Protein Pancakes

Breakfast for Dinner? I say yes! These pancakes are good for you and will leave you feeling full. Whole wheat flour and protein powder combine their forces for good...who could resist? You can also omit the protein powder if you don't have any; I'm sure they would still be filling. They are yummy too - firm from the egg but not too heavy. They would hold up well to any toppings you might come up with (be creative)! For example: peanut butter and banana, any fruit pie filling and whipped cream, butter and syrup, applesauce, etc.

Healthy Weekend Breakfast Sandwich

Keep it simple and delicious on the weekend with a healthy turkey bacon breakfast sandwich! And it's only 325 calories!

No Bake Cookie Protein Bars

Breakfast today!

Yes, these have butter and sugar in them. Don't kill me yet. And yes, they are the best protein bars I have ever had to date. My own ingenious mixture of everyone's favorite no-bake cookie recipe and a healthy protein bar recipe. And they have 14 grams of protein per serving!

Oatmeal Raisin Protein Cookies

I have been on the quest to find a decent-tasting, somewhat healthy protein bar/breakfast cookie sort of thing I can make, that is easy to grab for breakfast. I have tried several that were super crumbly or just tasted like...sawdust. Not really how I want to start my day!

I just made these yesterday, and I tried one, and they are much better than any other ones I have made so far. They are a bit weird-shaped, becasue the liquid kind of drained to the bottom of each cookie and made a little lip at the bottom. I found the recipe on food.com (as I usually do) and modified it a little (as I usually do). You can see the original recipe here.

Breakfast of Champions

After I got home from hot yoga this morning, we had a power breakfast! Jeff made the egg scramble and I added the strawberries and yogurt because I was very hungry.

Egg Scramble

Egg Scramble = 4 eggs, a splash of milk, 4 ounces of taco-seasoned ground meat, and 1/4 cup of Mexican cheese sprinkled on at the end. Sooo good!

Strawberries and Yogurt

Let me know if you can't figure out the recipe for this one...