Easy Egg White Frittata. {Low Carb, Low Fat, High Protein}

October 25, 20171 Comment

Easy like Sunday morning low carb low-fat frittata

Before we get going, I have to get something out of the way.

Carbs are not bad.

Fats are not bad either.

There are no bad foods.

(Go ahead and reread those. I’ll wait. It’s important)

Now, this recipe is low in both carbs and fat not because you should avoid them but so it customizable for any meal plan.

Need more carbs with your breakfast? Pair with a side of fruit or sprouted grain toast.

Need more fat with your brekkie? Then have some avocado with it. Or even a slice of bacon.

Now that we got that out of the way let’s get to it.

Easy like a Sunday Morning Frittata

3 oz, Canadian Bacon, diced
25 cup, shredded cheddar cheese (use fat-free or low fat if YOU want to keep the dish lower in fat)
4 oz, Tomatoes chopped ( I like to use cherry)
2 Cup Zucchini grated
24 ounces, Egg White (if you wish to add whole eggs, remove 2 oz of whites for every whole egg)
¼ cup fresh basil, torn

Preheat oven to 350.

Grate the zucchini. I like to use the grater attachment on the food processor, but a box grater will also work. Once grated place in a strainer and toss with 1 tsp kosher salt. Set aside while prepping the rest of the ingredients.
Using a paper towel run the inside of cast iron skillet with olive oil.
Heat pan over medium-high heat. When hot add diced Canadian Bacon.
Meanwhile, beat the egg whites.
Using a paper towel or a tea towel, squeeze out all the excess water from the grated zucchini.
Add tomatoes and zucchini to skillet.
Allow veggies to cook for about 3 mins.
Pour whites in the skillet.
Sprinkle cheese over the top
Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes. It is down when the middle is fully set.
Remove from oven, let cool for at least 5 min and top with torn basil.
Eat and enjoy!

Nutrition info for ¼ the skillet: 145 calories gram fat, 4 grams carbs and 26 grams protein

Low Carb and Low fat

Quick and Easy Turkey Tenderloin

October 19, 2017Leave a comment

Are you burnt out on the same old boneless skinless chicken breast? How about trying out some turkey?

Hold up! Before you leave, I’m not talking about the tasteless, bland ground turkey or the dried out bird from the holidays. I’m talking about turkey tenderloins.

Quick and Easy Turkey Tenderloin

Wait, what? The turkey has a tenderloin?!

The tenderloin is the thick cut of meat from between the breasts. Since that muscle doesn’t get much use, it is more tender than the rest of the bird. I find it is similar to chicken in texture, but with more flavor. And just like chicken, it is highly versatile! Pretty much any recipe that you would use chicken in you can sub with turkey tenderloin. Grill, roast, stir fry, breaded, pan fried, stuffed, you get the idea.

The tenderloin is a quick cooking very lean cut of meat. It has 8% more protein than chicken breast and depending on how you prep it, it can be ready to eat in just a few minutes. 3 ounces of cooked turkey tenderloin has only 120 calories, 1 gram of fat and 26 grams of protein.

The biggest (only?) knock on turkey tenderloin is, just like the whole bird, it does dry out if overcooked. So make sure you use a thermometer. You’ll want to cook it till it reads 160, then let it rest for 10 minutes (to finish cooking).

Below is my favorite super quick and easy way to make it. Be prepared to see more recipes incorporating turkey tenderloin in the coming months. I’m envisioning maybe an Asian inspired stir fry and a fall-ish dish with roasted squash, Brussel sprouts, and pomegranates?

Quick and easy Turkey Tenderloin

2 Lbs. Turkey tenderloin

3 Tb Soy sauce (use Tamari if gluten Free)

1 Tb Dijon Mustard

2 tsp Poultry seasoning (or rosemary, sage and thyme)

1/2 tsp Garlic powder

1 tsp Salt

Preheat broiler to high, and move rack to 4 inches below heat.
Remove turkey from packaging and blot dry with paper towels. Place on a cooking sheet lined with foil.
Season meat liberally with salt and garlic powder.
In a small bowl mix soy sauce, Dijon mustard and herbs.
Pour half sauce over the turkey. Flip turkey and pour on the rest.
Insert thermometer in middle of the tenderloin.
Place in oven and broil for approximately 20 minutes, flipping half way through cooking
Remove turkey from oven when it reaches 160 and move to cutting board and let rest for 10 mins.

how to

Low Carb, High Protein Make-ahead Zucchini Fritters.

September 8, 2017September 8, 2017Leave a comment

Need an easy grab and go breakfast when the morning rush got you like whoa? I got you covered with these make ahead low carb high protein zucchini fritters.

These zucchini fritters make for an easy on the go breakfast option.

These make-ahead zuke fritters are not only great straight out of the pan they are also pretty delicious cold from the fridge the next day. (And the day after that too!)

You can eat them as they are (may I reccomend a sprinkle of salt and dash of hot sauce?) or as a bun for a sausage patty. I personally eat them alone, one handed. Usually while rushing to get my oldest to the bus stop on time.

They can make a nice lunch too. As an accompaniment to a BAS salad or bowl of soup.

My favorite part of them is their volume. One serving is eight fritters. Yes, EIGHT! They make me feel like I am eating much more than I am, helping to keep my full for hours. If 8 fritters seems like too much for you, no problem! Just have a half serving.

Alright, let’s get to it:

Low Carb, High protein Zucchini Fritters

2 Tb coconut flour
5 eggs
3 TB egg white
¼ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion
¼ tsp black pepper
½ tsp salt
3 large zucchinis, grated (should be about 4 cups)

After grating the zucchini, using a paper towel squeeze out the excess water. (The drier you can get it the better).
Using a whisk (or fork) beat the eggs, whites, coconut flour, garlic powder, onion powder and salt and pepper. (The coconut flour will want to clump, just keep whisking).
Heat a large skillet over med high heat and spritz with cooking spray.
Using a ¼ cup OR an ice cream scoop, scoop and put in hot pan. Light press them out, into a 4 in pancake. (my skillet can only hold 4 at a time, so plan to be batch cooking).
Cook for 3-4 mins per side.
When done, set on paper towel to cool. If storing, wait till fully cooled. Blot again with paper towel and store in fridge for 3-4 days.

Makes 16 4 inch fritters.

Nutrition for 8 (YES, that’s right I said EIGHT fritters): Calories: 260 Fat:14g Carbs: 12g Protein: 22g

Inspired by Zucchini Pancakes in Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo.

Quick and Easy on the Go Protein

August 22, 2017Leave a comment

It happens to be back to school time around these parts, and I know (first-hand) how chaotic mornings can be. So real quick I wanted to share with you one of my meal preps that help me have a healthy breakfast even when we are running late and no one can find their shoes. (Seriously, what is it with the shoes?!)

All you need is a carton of egg whites, silicon muffin tray, spray oil and an oven. If you are a bulk store shopper (like at Costco or Sam’s) you can buy a case of egg whites and freeze them. Then each week I just take out what you need.

Easy peasy and versatile egg whites

These egg white muffins will cook in 15 minutes and will keep in a sealed container in the fridge for 5 is days.

These little unassuming things are incredibly versatile. They are pretty bland, but that is part of what makes them so versatile. If you wanted you can easily add fresh veggies or meat and cheese to them.

I personally like to put one or two on an English muffin with a slice of Canadian bacon and eat while sitting in the school carpool lane. Sometimes I even enjoy them straight from the fridge with a generous sprinkle of salt.

You can also put them in a burrito, add to a sandwich, or smear them with avocado or hummus.

Each patty has only 17 calories with 4 grams of protein.

Easy Peasy Make Ahead Egg White Thingies

1 12 oz carton liquid egg whites
Spray oil
Silicon muffin tray or silica muffin liners (I don’t recommend

Preheat oven to 350
Spray silicon muffin tray (or regular tray with silicon liners) with spray oil.
Pour equal amounts egg whites into each tray.Cook for 15-18 minutes. They are done with the tops are fully set (I prefer mine to start to get a little crispy around the edges.
Remove from oven and let cool 5-10 minutes. Once cool blot with paper towel and store in sealed container in t

Low Carb High Protein Make Ahead Lasagna Jars

February 21, 2017Leave a comment

These little lasagna jars are not only healthy and tasty but also incredibly easy to prepare. They make a great meal prep option. They can be stored for months in the freezer or kept in the fridge for 3 days. I personally like to keep a few in my freezer as an option for those days where things do not go as planned and I need a quick meal. Just knowing they are in there keeps me from ordering take out or going to a drive through.

Instead of noodles, this recipe uses zucchini. I found slicing the zucchini thinly gave it the best texture. You can use a mandoline slicer or a shop knife.

Zucchini

While I used a jarred marinara (Amy’s brand) you could easily use homemade it you want. Either way, make sure to pick a lower sodium and lower sugar option.

The most important aspect of this recipe is what you choose to store the lasagna in. If you plan to freeze these, make sure you use a freezable container. Also, it is helpful to use containers that are oven safe, that way they can go straight in the oven without dirtying another dish. Wide mouth mason jars, Pyrex glass storage containers or Glasslock containers all work. Just make sure you don’t put a frozen dish right in the hot oven, the abrupt temperature change can make the glass crack or shatter.

Makes 6 pint sized mason jar servings.

1 lb extra lean (99% lean) ground turkey
½ onion, finely diced
2 cloves, minced
1 jar Marinara Pasta Sauce (look for a lower sodium and lower sugar variety, I like Amy’s brand)
3 Tb egg white
1 cup low fat cottage cheese
1 medium zucchini
¾ cup part skim shredded mozzarella
chopped fresh basil

Using a mandoline, thinly slice the zucchini. You can slice by hand, but the thinner the better.
Spritz large skillet with cooking oil and sauté onion till translucent.
Add ground turkey and brown.
Add minced garlic, and cook for 1 min.
Pour in marina sauce
Meanwhile in a small bowl, combine cottage cheese and egg white.

Assembling jars

Line up 6 containers. And layer half the zucchini slices in the bottom of the jars.
Next add cottage cheese mixture to each jar.
Then add meat and sauce.
Repeat with remaining cottage cheese and then sauce mixture.
Top with half the zucchini slices.
If you plan to cook them immediately, top with cheese, about 2 Tb per jar, and bake at 350 for 15 mins. Or until the mixture is bubbly and the cheese is melted.Otherwise store in the fridge for 3 days or in the freezer for 3 months.Top with cheese before cooking. (And I recommend defrosting before cooking if frozen.) You can bake for 20 minutes at 350. Or use the microwave (keep in mind the cheese won’t get all crispy and brown in microwave)
Sprinkle with fresh basil and enjoy!

Nutrition for 1/6 the recipe:

Calories: 238 Fat: 8 grams Carbohydrates: 12 grams Protien:31 grams

low-carb-high-protein-2

Overnight Chia Seed Pudding, plus 4 flavor variations

January 31, 2017Leave a comment

My overnight oats happen to be one of my most popular recipes. However, we don’t always need that high amount of carbs in the morning. I set out to create something similar with a lower carb content. I realized there are lots of savory lower carb breakfast dishes out there, but not as many sweet ones.

Vanilla Almond Blueberry Overnight Chia seed pudding with a dollop of cashew cream

Now do not get me wrong, carbs are not bad. I am not low carb, anti carb or anything of the like. (I actually love carbs, but that is another article for another time) Sometimes, however, we do need some lower carb choices. (FYI these are not LOW CARB recipes, just LOWER carb)

Here is an example of a handful of times when I might encourage lower carb meals:

During carb cycling. Carb cycling is when someone consumes a higher amount of carbs 2-3 days a week and a lower amount of carbs on the remaining days. (I personally carb cycle, and need a lower carb option for my low carb days.)
When stacking carbs around workouts: For many people consuming their vast amount of carbs either before or after their workouts is helpful from both a performance and aesthetic perspective.
Ladies in menopause/perimenopause. Sorry ladies, but as we enter menopause we can no longer tolerate the same amount of carbohydrates due to dropping estrogen and its effects on insulin.
Carb back loading, that is when someone saves the majority of their carbs for later in the day.The belief by consuming in the evening hours you are more likely to store the carbohydrates as glycogen instead of fat. (This premise also requires evening workouts)
When people who have a lower threshold for carbs. We all have our own individual amount of carbs that we do best with. (The trick is figuring out your own threshold. You really need to find the highest amount you can eat, without gaining fat mass)

The basis for these recipes is chia seeds. If you are not familiar with chia seeds, do you remember chia pets? Yep those hair like sprouts were growing from chia seeds. When chia seeds are mixed with a liquid they form a gel like substance, which is what gives these puddings their pudding like consistency. Chia seeds are very high in fiber, contain a decent amount of calcium and magnesium and provide some omega-3 ALA. Due to their very high fiber content, they can help to keep you feeling full and stratified for a long period time, which is part of what makes them great for breakfast.

Chocolate Peanut butter Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

Since I needed different options for different people I came up with these sweet chia seed puddings. These bad boys work much like my overnight oats. Put everything in a small mason jar, stir really good, and let it sit overnight (up to 5 days). Save the toppings (especially the fruit) to throw on top right before you eat them. I experimented with some cashew cream for the first time and it goes really (REALLY) well with some of the flavors, especially the vanilla-almond-blueberry.

Blackberry Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

I made these puddings with Fairlife* milk to help keep the protein content up, but they still need a little more protein with them if they are to be consumed with breakfast. You can add a side of egg whites, lean breakfast sausage, Canadian bacon, ½ a protein shake or whatever your little heart desires (just keep it lean).

*Fairlife milk is un ultra-filtered dairy milk. It contains 6 grams carbs 13 grams protein, instead of the 12 grams carbs and 8 grams protein found in standard skim dairy milk. You can replace this with any milk of your choice, just note it will change the macros. I highly recommend choosing something high in protein, like a ½ scoop protein powder

It almost feels wrong eating these for breakfast, since they are so decadent. If you are not a sweets for breakfast kind of person these also make a great mid-day snack or before bed sweet (yes you can eat before bed, and many actually would benefit from eating before bed).

Go ahead and make these delicious treats and let me know what you think.

Chocolate-Matcha Raspberry Overnight Chia seed Pudding

Chocolate-Matcha Raspberry

2 Tb Chia seeds

½ cup nonfat Fairlife milk

1 tsp maple syrup

1 Tb cacao or unsweetened dark cocoa powder

¼ tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp matcha

toppers:

raspberries

Place all ingredients, except for the toppers, in a mason jar and stir very well. Making sure to incorporate all the chia seeds. Place top on it, and store in fridge overnight and up to 5 days. When planning to eat, give a good stir and add any desired toppers.

1 serving contains: 231 calories, 10 g fat, 26 g carbs, and 12 g protein

Blackberry

Blackberry Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

2 Tb Chia seeds

½ cup nonfat Fairlife milk

1 tsp honey

¼ tsp vanilla extract

toppers:

1 Tb no sugar blackberry jam (like Simply Fruits)

blackberries

1 serving contains 240 calories, 8 g fat, 30 g carbs, 11 g protein

Vanilla-Almond-Blueberry

Vanilla Almond Blueberry Overnight Chia seed pudding with a dollop of cashew cream

2 Tb Chia seeds

½ cup nonfat Fairlife milk

1 tsp maple syrup

¼ tsp vanilla extract

toppers:

chopped almonds

dollop of cashew cream (see recipe below)

blueberries

1 serving contains 286 calories, 15 g fat 25 g carb and 14 g protein

Chocolate Peanut Butter

Chocolate Peanut butter Overnight Chia Seed Pudding

2 Tb Chia seeds

½ cup nonfat Fairlife milk

1 tsp maple syrup

1 Tb cacao or unsweetened dark cocoa powder

¼ tsp vanilla extract

toppers

2 tb PB2 (or another defatted powdered peanut protein) mixed with 1 tb water

cacao nibs

1 serving contains 264 calories, 24 g of carbs, 12 g fat, and 16 g protein

Cashew cream

1 cup raw unsalted cashews

½ cup water

1 tb maple syrup (or honey)

vanilla

Cover cashews in boiling water for 15 minutes. Drain and rinse. Place in blender with remaining ingredients and blend till smooth and creamy. Store in fridge for up to 1 week.

1 serving is 1 Tablespoon and contains 53 calories, 4 g fat, 4 g carbs and 2 g protein

stephhayes-com

Chicken, Bacon and Potato Soup

January 24, 2017Leave a comment

This is a perfectly warm and comforting soup, without all the carb and fat you usually get in a potato bacon soup. It’s is so light you probably will still be able to have some crusty bread with it (if you are into that sort of thing). However, I felt the soup was plenty filling without the bread. The high protein content (35 grams per serving) helps keep you feeling full and satisfied while still being low in fat and carbs.

Comforting chicken, potato and bacon soup.

Make sure to use bone in chicken thighs. The bone helps keep the meat tender and not dried out. If you can’t find any bone in thighs with the skin already removed, just remove it yourself. Slip you finger between the skin and the meat, and tear off. It can be slippery; I find grabbing the skin with a paper towel helps. Using kitchen shears, cut off any remaining hunks of skin or fat. Before serving, you will gently remove the thighs with a slotted spoon. They will start to fall apart so you have to be gently. Remove the bones and any cartilages and return to the slow cooker.

The whole recipe only takes 4 hours in the slow cooker on low. Unfortunately, you do need to tend to it after 2 hours (to throw the potatoes in). But it is a great meal to make when you are going to be busy in the house doing other things.

Chicken, Bacon and Potato Soup

4 bacon slices, chopped

2 pounds bone-in chicken thighs, remove the skin.

½ tsp garlic powder

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp oregano

½ kosher salt

2 large leeks, thinly sliced

4 carrots sliced

4 celery stalks, sliced

4 cups unsalted chicken stock

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

5 thyme sprigs

12 ounces baby potatoes

2 huge handfuls baby spinach

Cook bacon in a large skillet, till nice and crispy. Remove bacon and set aside. Leave the bacon fat in the pan
Season chicken thighs with seasonings (garlic powder, onion powder, oregano and salt) Place in skillet and brown. Approximately 4 minutes per side. Remove and place in slow cooker.
Add carrot, leek and celery to pan and sauté for 5 mins. Then move to slow cooker.
Add chicken stock and bacon to slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 2 hours.
After 2 hours add potatoes and cook on low for another 2 hours.
Remove chicken and pull meat from the bone. Shred and put back in slow cooker. Add spinach and salt and pepper to taste.

Enjoy!

Nutrition Info for 1/6 the recipe: 256 calories 7 grams fat, 15 grams carbs, 35 grams protein

Inspired by a recipe in Cooking Light Magazine.