Lean Bodies - Amy Perez

Sometimes I get tired of drinking my ‘food’-especially when the weather is cooler. There is something about drinking a cold shake when you are already cold. :ban: This is a great alternative for those times.
I made these for my family while in Hawaii and they were shocked at how great tasting they were.

Almost Carb-Less Protein Pancake

Ingredients
20g protein powder (your choice)
2 egg whites
1-2 Tbsp Davinci’s Sugar Free Syrup
2g SF pudding mix (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and pour onto hot skillet. Flip and serve.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 122 Fat: 1.4 g Carbohydrate: 4.5 g Protein: 22.2 g

Be creative with flavor drops and protein powders!

Wow has it been that long since I have posted in here? Time has been flying by and soon here it will be the New Year! Let’s hope not too fast since the Holiday season is usually when I come up with most of my healthy alternatives to classic dishes

I wish I could say that while I have been away, I was creating tons and tons of new recipes-but I can’t. At least know that I have been busy and having fun

I recently got back from a long-anticipated vacation to Hawaii. I moved to Hawaii when I was in the 6th grade, so I guess you could call it my home. My husband was born and raised there, so when we get the chance, we go. This time was even more special because my husband and I planned the trip to renew our vows since we celebrated 10 years of marriage this year. It was a great opportunity for me to reflect on the past and present. 10 years has certainly brought a lot of change!! New home, new jobs, new kids and a new body!

I didn’t always eat healthy. Healthy as far as I was concerned was steamed cauliflower with cheese smothered on top. I didn’t read labels, count calories or portion control. We were on what my husband calls, the see-food diet. We would see food and eat it. That diet never seemed to be hard to follow when on vacation This vacation was going to be different- all for the better.

Initially when thinking about our trip to Hawaii, I had told myself I was going to be really good and stay ‘on plan’ 90% of the time. However, as my trip got closer, I started to think about all of the places we would be eating etc. Stressed thinking it, I talked to both Noel and Erik about my dilemma. Thank goodness I did! They both gave me the same advice: You are not dieting while on vacation- its lifestyle eating. Be mindful of portions and choices you make, but enjoy the things you want to eat. They asked me-How often do you go home to Hawaii? See? This is exactly why I asked them.

So, how did I do? Did I pig out? Nope. Knowing I could have a little bit of this or that made it so much easier to follow. The splurges I had (Chocolate soufle-Roy’s Restaurant) were eaten with enjoyment instead of guilt. My families also saw that I too like to splurge and enjoy treats, I am just more mindful of my portions now.

The choices I have made to change have certainly paid off. I was finally able to wear the dress I wanted and marry my husband all over again.

I have a couple recipes I will be posting shortly. :yum:

So I guess I should fess up that I probably own 6 to 8 different protein powders at any given time. I’ve tried many flavors and blends while at it. I am always happy if I can find one that tastes great but also bakes great. The isolates have always been harder for me to bake with. Then of course, there is the ‘griddiness’ issue with some of them. I always call upon my friend Keri to be the taste tester since I know she typically hates protein powder.:lol: She now sees first hand that quality makes all of the difference.
I recently had a comment posted on one of my youtube videos, which led me to check out the username-buybulkwhey. I was led to the website and saw affordable whey protein, but didn’t see what flavors they offered, so I emailed the company. I explained that I love to bake with my protein powder and that I am always looking for great quality, yet affordable protein powder and wondered what flavors he had. This was his response:

Amy, glad you asked. It’s natural flavor which means it has a very very slight milk taste. Basically it takes on the flavor of anything you put it in. It’s quite awesome. I own a smoothie distribution company (http://www.nutriblendz.net/) and started taking our pure whey product home because I hate all the chemicals that are in supplements (especially crystalline fructose - contains arsenic - yikes!!!). A buddy of mine asked me one day for a tub of name brand whey, and I said “Danny, why don’t you try this”. He emailed me that night and said one thing in the email… “That Stuff Is AWESOME!!!!”. That’s all the email said so we created http://buybulkwhey.com/

I had to have some!! I have now had my tub for a couple of weeks and I have made shakes and baked with it. The company was right-it blends easily!! I will be honest, I was nervous about the fact that it did not having a ‘flavor’. However, since I own flavor drops as well as having the option to add fruit to my shakes, I have no complaints. I plan on baking a ‘carb-less’ pancake and videoing it so you can see how great this stuff is to bake with. In the meantime check out the website- www.buybulkwhey.com

Here’s another recipe for the time being~
I made this ‘cookie’ for my husband and he liked it. Nothing fancy, but easy to prep the night before. I usually measure all of the ingredients (minus the water) in a container so that when he gets up in the morning he just adds water and microwaves it.

Banana Raisin Cookie
25 grams buybulkwhey protein powder
25 grams old fashion oats
4 grams Sugar-free fat free banana pudding mix (you could use flavor drops or banana extract)
10 grams raisins
Splenda to taste (optional of course)

Add water until it is pasty. Make sure you do not add too much!
Bake at 70% power for 1 minute 20 seconds. If you like it crunchy, flip it and bake on full power for another 20-30 seconds.

So you probably thought I was going to post some great Mexican dish that is really low fat and great for refeeds right? Wrong. I save my Mexican meals for a free meal, or else I have baked nachos on refeeds
This dessert is one of my kids favorites when we go out to the local Mexican restaurant. However, it is usually soaked in butter and fried. This version is perfect for a refeed (and my kids like it too). I also like making it when having people over because if decorated right, they are really pretty

Cinnamon Chips
Ingredients
1 whole wheat Pita
Spray butter
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup splenda (you may not even need all of this)
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Hershey’s syrup
2 Tbsp Fat-Free Cool whip
*you can also use sugar

Directions:

• Slice edges of Pita so that you essentially have 2 pita’s
• Using fat-free spray butter, spray both sides of pita and lay them on
cookie sheet or stone.
• Then take cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it on pita (side facing up)
• Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes then flip and sprinkle cinnamon and splenda on
other side. Bake for a couple more minutes. If you like it extra crispy, broil
for 1 to 2 minutes.
I cut my pita’s into pizza shapes, drizzle sugar-free syrup over the top and serve with a couple Tbsp of fat-free cool whip.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 177.5 Fat: 0 g Carbohydrate: 35.5 g Protein: 7.5 g

I made this last week and my family was sold on it My husband loves pumpkin pie. In fact, I know he likes to have one pie all to himself at Thanksgiving. This recipe is not only perfect for re-feeds, its also a great alternative to the traditional pumpkin pie because it tastes ‘real’ (in my husbands words). When used with my fat-free pie crust, you have a slice for around 130 calories versus 320 calories (give or take).
Not that there is much to show in the video, I still decided to video it. I had a little helper this time

For Crust
1 cup all purpose flour (could use whole wheat)
4 Tbsp fat free margarine spread
¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsp cold water

For Filling
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup Splenda, or 10-12 packets of splenda (I will be trying this with Stevia next time)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup (Davinci’s is what I used)
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix all of the pie crust ingredients with a fork, Stir until mixed well. Roll it on between wax paper with flour. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish, press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight). MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Nutritional Information: per slice
Calories: 122 Fat: .2 g Carbohydrate: 24 g Protein: 4.8 g

This is perfect for the pumpkin cookies. Not too sweet and very easy to make

Ingredients
1 oz (28g) fat free cream cheese
¼ cup (50g) SF FF cheesecake pudding (prepared)
Splenda optional

Directions:

• First make pudding mix as directed on box using fat-free milk. Chill
• Take cream cheese along with pudding mix and whip it in bullet/blender
• Spread on cookies

Nutritional Information: entire batch (enough for about 6 cookies)
Calories: 65 Fat: 0 g Carbohydrate: 8.25 g Protein: 6 g

It’s almost that time of year, and although I am not a big pumpkin fan, everyone else around here seems to be I hope to post a few more pumpkin recipes over the next couple of days.
This great thing about this recipe is that it is considered ‘on plan’ with Erik and Noel’s nutrition programs :clap: you may have to modify it based on your own needs/requirements. This recipe will work perfectly if your program calls for 6 egg whites, 40g oats and 35g berries.

Ingredients
35 g old fashion oats
3 egg whites
15 g vanilla protein powder (or ½ scoop)
¼ c (60g) canned pumpkin
4 g SF Fat Free Cheesecake pudding mix
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
½ tsp. cinnamon
3 packets of Splenda or SF syrup (optional)

Directions: preheat oven to 350 degrees

• In bullet or blender mix egg whites and splenda together
• In separate bowl, add all remaining ingredients
• Pour liquid mixture in with dry mixture and mix thoroughly
• Place on cookie sheet and bake for 12-15 minutes

Nutritional Information: makes 5-6 cookies
Calories: 284 Fat: 4 g Carbohydrate: 36.2 g Protein: 27.2 g

I’m working on a frosting right now. Check back later

I figured that I would put up a recipe that I posted on LBF several months ago. It is my nightly dessert. Although typically I am not fond of cottage cheese, you would never know that my peanut butter ice cream is made with it. I even had my husband fooled. I typically make up a weeks worth of these at a time so I don’t have to bother with the prep every night. I’m usually tired from a busy day and the last thing I want to do after put my kids to bed is make another meal.

Like I have mentioned before, I am all about volume or at least the appearance of it. The ice cream takes me a while to eat, so I always finish this meal feeling satisfied. I usually take it out of the freezer about an hour before I am planning on eating it. This way it is slightly thawed out. YUMMY!

Protein Ice Cream
My plan calls for:
100-125 grams of cottage cheese (changes based on day)
10-15 grams of peanut butter
1/2 scoop of protein powder- (you can add this into your ice cream however, I like to crumble it over the top)