Carrot Cake Protein Muffins

This is saying a lot, but this is by far and away my favorite dessert/snack.  Now, think about carrot cake... I am sure that the first thought across your mind has never been healthy.  Well, Dashing Dish has done it again and managed to create one of the tastiest, and healthy version, of a great treat we've all come to love.  Like the other protein bars below, these are a great option as a snack because they keep you nice and full thanks to the added protein.  Not to mention they are some of the moist muffins you will ever taste.

Check out the recipe below for Carrot Cake Protein Muffins:

I seriously believe these were handed down straight from God himself... YUM.

Ingredients

• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup Skim Milk (or milk substitute of choice - personally used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1 tbs Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 cup Whey Protein, vanilla or plain*
• 1 cup Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/8 tsp Salt
• 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1/2 cup Sweetener of Choice
• 1/2 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice
• 2 tsp Cinnamon
• 1 1/2 cup Finely Grated Carrots
• Optional, but highly recommended (didn't do it on the first go, but will be trying it next time around): 1/3 cup walnuts, finely chopped

• Optional Frosting*
• 1 pkg whipped or reduced fat cream cheese, softened
• 1/8 cup Baking Stevia or Sweetener of Choice
• 1 tsp Maple extract -- OR try Maple Agave Syrup instead of Maple Extract & Stevia

* You can substitute the Whey Protein with an addition 1/4 cup oats.
**To make them more dessert-like you can turn them into cupcakes with a maple frosting!  I don't think they need it personally, but if you have a sweet tooth, by all means add the frosting to top it off.

Ready to go in the oven...

Directions

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.  Stick proof muffin tins (recipe makes 12 muffins) with non-stick spray, foil, or silicone muffin-liners.  Avoid paper liners because the oats have a tendency to stick to those.
2. Combine all ingredients with 1/2 a cup of the Carrots in a blender (also leave out the walnuts if you plan on adding them) until smooth.
3. In a bowl, gently fold in the carrots [and walnuts].  The less worked it is, the fluffier it will turn out.
4. Spoon the batter evenly into 12 muffin tins.  Bake for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.  Remove them from the pan and allow them to cool at room temp.
5. Optional Frosting: use a hand held mixer or beater [or KitchenAid if you're lucky enough to own one... I will hate you out of jealousy however*] to cream the cream cheese and sweetener.  Chill in the fridge while muffins are baking/cooling and spread on top once they're nice and cool.

Notes

• Because of the ingredients, these need to be chilled if you're not eating them all at once.  Throw them in the freezer and pop 'em in the microwave when your ready to have a tasty treat.
• As I mentioned above, I don't think they need a frosted topping but if you like sweet or want a real "treat" the maple would complement these really well.
• Invest in the silicone wrappers - I found them at Marshall's for $5 and let me tell you - they literally slid out with no effort.  I was shocked!  Anything you make with oats tends to be a challenge, but these were nothing for the silicone wrappers.

• Same note about the Whey Protein as the Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars, but here I go again (sorry for repetitiveness) I found the Designer Vanilla Whey Protein Powder at Trader Joe's.  Now I know you may think, why would I waste the money on something that I won't use ever... Well, you can definitely use it more than you think!  Whether it's upping the protein in baked goods or adding it to smoothies, the protein helps you stay fuller longer.

• Seriously, if you're going to try a recipe I have made... this is the one to try.  I mean it.  For real.

NOM - notice how easily they came out of the silicone liners.  Good investment.

Recipe via DashingDish.com

Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars

Let me begin with the finished product picture, just so you can understand why I am so over the moon about Dashing Dish's amazing recipes for protein packed treats...

Dashing Dish is quickly becoming one of my favorite sites for food inspiration.  This is a recipe for Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars... If you ask me, yes, they really do taste as good as they look. Plus, they are great for breakfast, gym foods, afternoon or morning snack, post dinner desert (basically any thing you can think of) because of the added protein.  It keeps you fuller longer and is great post workout to rebuild those sore muscles.

Blueberry Lemon Protein Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup Old Fashion Oats
• 1/2 cup Unsweetened Applesauce
• 1/4 cup Skim Milk or Milk of Choice (I used almond milk)
• 1/2 cup Plain Low Fat Greek Yogurt
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 cup Sweetener of Choice or 1/2 C Stevia Baking Blend (12 pkts of Stevia)
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
• 2 tbs lemon juice
• 1/4 cup Whey Protein Powder - Vanilla or Plain*
• 1 cup Blueberries

• 8 x 8 baking pan
• Cooking Spray of Choice

         *If you're not into Whey Protein or don't want to buy it just for this recipe, add an addition 1/4 cup oats.

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray.
2. In a blender mix all the ingredients, with the exception of the blueberries, until it reaches a smooth consistency.  Pour the batter into the greased pan and drop the blueberries into the batter.  (This allows you to evenly distribute them throughout the pan).
3. Place in the preheated oven for 25-30 mins.  After they look like below, let them cool and cut into 9 slices.

Notes

• For this recipe I used almond milk, 1/2 cup of Baking Stevia, and Designer Vanilla Whey Protein Powder that I found at Trader Joe's.  Now I know you may think, why would I waste the money on something that I won't use ever... Well, you can definitely use it more than you think!  Whether it's upping the protein in baked goods or adding it to smoothies, the protein helps you stay fuller longer.
• I used fresh blueberries, but if you want to use frozen blueberries, either let them defrost first or toss them in flour before putting them in the batter to keep them from "sinking to the bottom."
• When storing these, freeze them so you can throw them in the microwave for 1 min whenever you're ready to snack.  These aren't the type of snack you want to leave out on the counter because of the greek yogurt.  Lesson learned... it will mold, so keep them cold.
• Make a vanilla version by replacing the lemon juice with 1 tsp of vanilla extract.  (You can even use Vanilla Almond Milk).

Curry Chickpea Poppers

While browsing the interwebs a while ago, I found the idea for roasted chickpeas.  It's a great snack and definitely satisfies that crunch-craving.  For awhile now, I've played around with spices (Italian inspired, Thai inspired, etc.) and I think I found the perfect mix for me!

Ingredients

• 1 can of Garbanzo beans (aka Chickpeas)
• Garlic Powder
• Onion Powder
• Curry Powder
• Paprika
• Cumin
• Touch of Chili Pepper
• Dried Thyme
• 1/16th tsp. of Olive oil (or use oil spray)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
• Drain can of chickpeas and dry very well.
• In a bowl, lightly coat the chickpeas with oil (as I said I use the spray to make my life easier).  Evenly coat with a mix of the spices listed above.
• On the cookie sheet, place chickpeas in a single layer and put in the oven for 30 mins.  (Every 10-15 mins or so, open oven and shake around to make sure they are cooking evenly).
• Store in an airtight container and enjoy the tastiest, healthy snack.

Guacamole & Chips

My boyfriend is a Mexican food fiend.  Add his obsession with avocado and this recipe was a no brainer for me to make.  While I was thinking about making it, I realized while the dip itself is good  for you [as long as you don't go overboard] what you dip in it can get questionable.  I decided then to make my own homemade chips and that with the guac.... just WOW.  So for you readers, this entry is a twofer (double win).

Guacamole

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe avocado
• 1/2 red onion (diced)
• 5-10 Cherry Tomatoes (diced)
• 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• 1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder
• 1/8 tsp (just a dash) Crushed Red Pepper
• 1/2 tbl Cilantro
• 1 1/2 tbl Lime Juice
• 1 tbl Lemon Juice
• 1/2 tsp Pepper
• Salt (to taste)

Directions:

• Dice onions and cherry tomatoes - set aside.  Cut an avocado in half, remove the pit, and scoop the avocado into a bowl.
• Crush the avocado until there are only a few lumps (I use the back of a fork, but a blender would work wonders too)
• Add the chopped onions and tomatoes to the guacamole.  Also add the spices and mix well. Taste before serving to adjust the spices to your liking.  The chili powder and pepper give it a kick, so you can go light with those or amp it up for a real spicy treat.

Homemade Chips

Ingredients:

• 2 Flax Seed Wraps (or any whole wheat wrap of choosing)
• Olive oil spray
• Dash of Salt
• Dash of Pepper
• Dash of dried Rosemary

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Cut wrap into bite size triangle pieces.  Place in a bowl and lightly coat with cooking spray (I use organic Pam Olive Oil spray).  Add salt, pepper and rosemary and mix well to coat all "chips."
• Place single layer on a cookie sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes.  Keep your eyes on them since they brown VERY quickly.
• Nom wisely.

(These are a great alternative for bagged tortilla chips with salsa too since you know exactly what goes on them).

CCK's Cookie Dough Dip

So ask anyone I've talked to recently, and they will tell you that I have been dying to make this recipe by Chocolate Covered Katie for some time.  I finally had a reason to make it, and I am so happy with it!  This dip ended up tasting just like cookie dough, so excited!

I forgot to take a photo, so I just grabbed the one off her blog (the link to the original recipe is below).

Also to note, the best thing to dip with looks like graham crackers or fresh fruit!  Eating it straight would be perfectly acceptable too.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups chickpeas or white beans (1 can, drained) (250g)
• 1/8 tsp plus 1/16 tsp salt
• tiny bit over 1/8 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/4 cup nut butter (You can get away with using only 3 tbsp. If you use peanut butter, it’ll have a slight “pb cookie dough” taste, so if you don’t want this, try the recipe in this link instead. Just don’t bake it.)
• up to 1/4 cup milk of choice, only if needed
• 2/3 cup brown sugar (Or liquid sweeteners such as agave, maple, etc.  A mix of brown sugar and Truvia is also an option)
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips or  Sugar-Free Chocolate Chips
• 2 to 3 tbsp oats (or flaxmeal) (You can omit for a thinner dip.)

Add all ingredients (except for chocolate chips) to a good food processor (not blender), and blend until very smooth. Then mix in the chocolate chips.

My Changes*:

• 2 1/2 - 3 tsp vanilla extract
• 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• 2 1/2 tsp brown sugar
• 1 pkt Truvia
• 1/4 cup skim milk

*Since the party guests were not very open to healthy, I decided to mask the chickpea flavor a little more than I would if I was making it for myself.  Added a bit more vanilla extract and mixed mainly brown sugar with a packet of Truvia.

Overall, both thumbs up for this recipe!

http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/05/23/want-to-eat-an-entire-bowl-of-cookie-dough/

Sweet Potato Chips

This has become really my go to snack.  All you need is a mandolin slicer, a variety of spices, and of course a sweet potato (this last one is pretty obvious).  ...Ok, so you'll need a cookie sheet and cooling rack that can fit over the cookie sheet too.

I make 2 versions - sweet and spicy - so depending on your mood, give both a shot!  The spicy suckers are a great side to a sandwich, while the sweet delights really compliment any meal as a dessert.

Spices--
Sweet: 1/2-1 tsp Almond Extract; Cinnamon, 1/2 packet of Stevia (or sweetener of choice), and Nutmeg
Spicy: Olive Oil or Canola Oil Spray; Garlic Powder; Onion Powder; Curry Powder; Chili Powder; Paprika; Pepper; Ground Basil (or Oregano, though I've been told this reminds nommers of a pizza like taste)*

*You'll notice there aren't amounts because this is all really seasoned to taste.  If you like it spicy, add more paprika and chili or you can take it down a notch and just use a premixed Italian Seasoning (try the salt-free kind).

Preheat the oven to 375. Slice the potato into thin, even slices about 1/8th inch thick.  If you have a mandolin slicer, you're more likely to get consistent pieces, which is pretty important.  What I found using a knife, however, was that scoring the top of the potato before going to town cutting it helped me keep the slices more even.  After it's chopped to pieces throw it in a bowl and cover the slices with the liquid ingredient of choice.  Top with spices and use your hands to really mix it up, making sure they're evenly coated.  You don't want 1 chip to be covered in chili powder... trust me on that one.  My mouth still burns.

On a drying rack that has been placed over a cookie sheet - layer the slices in a single layer.  Place it in the oven for about 10-12 mins.  Since I'm still working on the perfect timing, I would keep your eyes on them after about 10 mins to make sure they don't burn.  To know they're ready, the edges will start to curl up and the center will begin to slightly brown.  It moves from browning to burnt pretty quickly, so pull those babies out and let the cool for 5 mins (this gives them time to crisp up like real chips).

After that, the final step is the easiest of them all - ENJOY!