Protein Bites- The Best Post Workout Snack Ever!

You may remember my weekly meal list including the yummy balls that I had never tried before from the Fitnessista. Well, last week I was able to to make and try them and let me just say, they are incredible! I first made them the way the usual recipe says to, then decided to mix things up a bit. These protein bites are a bit different but oh so yummy! They are also filled with tons of proteins, good fats, and a small amount of carbohydrates. Because of the types of protein filled ingredients used, they also have the two types of protein that will help muscles recover directly after a workout and build muscle long after the workout is complete.

Soy and whey proteins are two of the biggest protein components for these and each ball boasts about 13 grams of protein! Whaaatt?! So much, I just do not know what to do!!! They are also filled with omega and saturated fats from both the coconut and almond butter. Cinnamon and local honey add to sweeten the pot with plenty of good taste and allergy fighting capabilities. If you have issues with seasonal allergies, get some locally sourced honey and the localized pollination with help fend off those unwanted histamines much like vaccines fend off illness.

As for the cinnamon? Well, cinnamon also helps with clearing up those pesky allergies. It can also help fight off the flu and aid in digestion. Cinnamon is a wonderful sweetener as well! I like putting a bit of cinnamon in my coffee to sweeten it without sugars and to kick my metabolism into gear on those sleepy mornings!

But, something even better than all the healthy effects of these is, possibly, how easy they are to make! I have increased the recipe and make about 15 at a time. Then, I have more than enough for an entire week of post workout eating!

Ingredients

Yields: 15 Protein Bites

• 5 1/2 Tablespoons Protein Powder. I like this one.
• 6 Tablespoons almond butter
• 7 Tablespoons dried coconut flakes
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 Teaspoon salt
• A pinch of your sweetener of choice (Stevia works well!)
• 1/8 A cup dark chocolate morsels

Recipe

1. Combine the protein powder, almond butter, and coconut flakes in a food processor. Pulse until coconut is in pieces and all ingredients are mixed well. It may look a bit crumply at this point, that is totally fine!
2. Add the honey, cinnamon, salt, and sweetener to food processor. Pulse again until all ingredients are combined.
3. Add the chocolate morsels and pulse again. The mixture should start to bunch and may even form into a giant ball of it's own!
4. Roll the mixture into balls about an inch in diameter. Set on a plate and place in the fridge for a few minutes or hours. This will help them keep their consistency and can be moved to a plastic baggie after a few minutes.

These bites should be ready to eat and good luck not eating them all at once! We have put the bites in plastic baggies when out for the day and they have lasted just as good as when they were first made!

Weekly Meal Planning

Last week was the first week in a very long time that I have planned any meals and gone grocery shopping for anything. I loved it. I forgot how mice it is to have plenty of food in the house and be able to make whatever, whenever. It also meant that we ate out way less than most any other week in the past year and we spent far less on food. Honestly, I think it also saved us time in the end. We were not having to worry about who was going to go get lunch or what was for dinner and who would get it, we just ate what was on the menu and in the house.

There were, of course, a few things that did not get prepared, so those have been jumped to this week's list. There were also a few things that I loved- these balls being one of them. They were so good and ridiculously easy to make and kept my sweet tooth in check just fine! I did make a few changes to them and will have the recipe up soon!

As for other meals, here is what we will be eating this week!

Monday

• Breakfast: Hard Boiled Eggs and Fruit
• Tuesday: Spinach and Strawberry Smoothie
• Dinner: Creamy Tortellini Soup with Shrimp
• Snack: Kale Chips (I did not get to make them last week)

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Eggs and Toast
• Lunch: Caprese Salad (it was so yummy last week and easy to make!)
• Dinner: Blue Apron Meal
• Snack: Yogurt

Wednesday

• Breakfast: Fruit and Yogurt Parfait
• Lunch: Meal Replacement Shake
• Dinner: Caesar Salad with Shrimp
• Snack: Fruits and Vegetables

Thursday

• Breakfast: Meal Replacement Shake
• Lunch: Egg Sandwich
• Dinner: Kale and Salmon
• Snack: apples with almond butter

Friday

• Breakfast: Salmon Omelet
• Lunch: Eggplant Pizza
• Dinner: Big night out!
• Snack: Bar

Saturday

• Breakfast: Flaxseed Smoothie 
• Lunch: Meal Replacement Shake
• Dinner: Raw Kale Pesto over Linguine 
• Snack: Small Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

Sunday

• Breakfast: Meal Replacement Bar
• Lunch: Egg Sandwich
• Dinner: Blue Apron
• Snack: Bars

Weekly Planning

As part of my new years goals, I want to eat healthier, eat out less, and have a better schedule of food. That being said, this week was the first week in about a year that I have planned out our meals for this week. I was able to get everything but the seafood for the entire week and am already noticing a difference in this house's food eating.

We are, of course, eating healthier; but I think we are also eating more and with fewer calories! It has also helped our family get on more normal eating schedule. This is a super big deal!

The best part is that the whole meal planning only took about 30-minutes and I was able to get everything for the next week in under 15-minutes from the grocery store. We have also saved time on running out to get food daily and just trying to figure out what to eat.

Since this is new and exciting to me, I thought I might share our meals this week with you. Each day we are eating 5-6 meals, three being larger and two being snacks. Sometimes there is also a dessert involved. For me, that is usually cereal since I could eat cereal for eternity and be happy!

Of course, it is not completely healthy or 100% homemade yet, but that would be a fantastic final goal!

Sunday

• Breakfast: Eggs and fruit
• Lunch: Meal replacement shake or turkey sandwich
• Dinner: Salmon and Kale
• Snacks: Light Greek yogurt parfait (I will be putting this up on the blog this week, so good!)

Monday

• Breakfast: Meal replacement bar
• Lunch: Chef salad
• Dinner: Blue Apron meal
• Snack: Kale chips

Tuesday

• Breakfast: Eggs and toast with green tea
• Lunch: Spinach, blueberry, and banana smoothie with flax seed
• Dinner: Caesar salad with shrimp and lentil soup
• Snack: These yummy balls!

Wednesday

• Breakfast: That same Greek yogurt parfait but bigger!
• Lunch: Meal replacement shake
• Dinner: Blue Apron meal
• Snack: Sliced apples

Thursday

• Breakfast: Meal replacement bar
• Lunch: Egg or turkey sandwich
• Dinner: Blue Apron meal
• Snack: Toast with almond butter

Friday

• Breakfast: Meal replacement shake
• Lunch: Meal replacement bar
• Dinner: Shrimp tacos
• Snack: Celery with almond butter

Saturday

• Breakfast: Overnight oats
• Lunch: Caprese salad
• Dinner: Vegetable Stir Fry
• Snack: Fruit parfait. it is sooo good!

Great Christmas Recipes

Every year for Christmas evening we go to my cousin's house. My cousin inherited Christmas from my Grandma a few years ago and it has been going great! Instead of everyone getting a gift for everyone else (which gets rather pricey with 20 people and handfuls of children) we do a round robin gift exchange. Everyone also brings a side or two to help with the cooking.

This year I will be making three dishes that range in appeal from the adults to the tiniest ones we will have there. I am super excited to make a new dish and really excited to be making a few staples in the hubs and my diet for everyone this year! Oh, and by the way, the Thanksgiving Brussels sprouts were a major hit! They were also so easy to prep the day before Thanksgiving and pop in the oven 15-minutes before we ate.

Grilled Shrimp Caesar Salad

This is probably the easiest thing to make out of the lot. Add salad to bowl, add shaved Parmesan cheese, grill or pan cook shrimp, mix together with dressing before eating. Really, I think this side salad is up there with eggs on the list of easy things to cook. And no, it is not the healthiest option for a salad, but you can do a few things to keep it light.

My first recommendation would be to skip croutons- they are unneeded fat and calories and most people just push them to the side anyway. Second, go for a light Caesar vinaigrette instead of the usual, heavier option. This will make the salad a little less filling and also keep the flavors a bit less overpowering. Of course, you can always skip all those preservatives and make your own dressing instead!

Truffle Oil Mac n' Cheese

This idea came to me when I was super craving lobster mac n' cheese but no restaurant I wanted to go to had it on the menu. Seriously, I could live on lobster mac n' cheese, unfortunately, that would lead to massive joint pain from my new-found 400-pound frame, a massive reduction in friends because who wants to smell mac n' cheese all day, and constant pawing from cats for my lobster. It is my lobster cats, get use to it.

I digress. Lobster mac n' cheese is good, but pricey. Truffle oil mac n' cheese is slightly less pricey and oh-so good!!

Garlic Roasted Kale

This is my favorite way to make kale ever. It is so easy and so yummy, you just might want it every night as well! My best recommendation for this is to add the kale in intervals so you have different textures of leafy green. I also like to continue adding small amounts of seasoning, olive oil, and vinegar each time I add more kale. The fish also helps add some fats and flavor, but if you would prefer, chicken or nothing at all works just as well!

If you really want to mix it up (which I always like doing) add some spinach in as well! Just be sure to add the spinach towards the end since it cooks much faster than kale.