Choco-cado Peanut Butter Pudding

Chocolate is a girl’s best friend. Or wait, that’s diamonds. I vote both.. and wine. Just so happens, this pudding would go great with a glass of red wine. Diamonds just go with everything.

But honestly, I’ve seen tons of recipes floating around the interwebs using avocado in desserts for the extra creaminess that you can often get from, well, cream or butter. Plus the health benefits of avocados are undeniable. I figured I’d give it a spin <– get it? Because I made it in the Vitamix… I’m on a roll today!

Makes four 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients
– 1 medium avocado
– 1/4 cup Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams
– 1/2 cup almond milk [I use Almond Breeze Unsweetened Vanilla]
– 3 pitted dates [if they’re tough, soak them in warm water for an hour first]
– 2 tbsp maple syrup
– 3 tbsp cocoa powder [I use Hershey’s Special Dark Chocolate]
– 2 tsp vanilla extract
– Pinch of salt

Directions
Put all ingredients into a high-powered blender or food processor and blend away until smooth. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving.

Nutritional Information
Per 1/2 cup serving

243 Calories  /  13g Fat  /  33g Carbs  /  5g Fiber  /  22g Sugar  /  4g Protein

Food for Thought

Have you ever made a dessert with avocado?

Foodie Friday: Pancake Variations

It’s clearly been a week of pancakes. These pancakes are delicious and I love the stats.. you can’t beat 350 cals, 35g protein, and 15g fiber! I’ve had far too much fun playing with the flavor combos [ok, not really too much fun..] so I wanted to share a couple successes.

It all started with the original..

Peanut Butter ‘Cake’ Coconut Flour Pancakes

via Dashing Dish

Makes 6-7 pancakes for 1 serving

Peanut Butter ‘Cake’ Coconut Flour Pancakes – Dashing Dish

Ingredients
– 5 tbsp coconut flour
– 1/4 tsp baking powder
– 2 tsp peanut butter or 2 tbsp peanut flour [I chose peanut flour]
– 1-2 pkts stevia or sweetener of choice [I used 16 drops of liquid stevia]
– Pinch of salt
– 7 egg whites
– 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

Directions
Place a pan over medium heat. In a medium size bowl, mix all ingredients together except the water. As they all come together, slowly add the water a little bit at a time until a thick batter forms. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter into the pan per pancake and cook until they become a little bubbly around the edges. Flip the pancakes and cook through.

In between each pancake and atop of the stack, I covered them with more peanut fluff [1 1/2 tbsp peanut flour, ~3 drops liquid stevia, and water] and a little granola.

Next up came the Banana Coconut variety. These look beautious but the flavors need a little work. I’ll report back soon 😉

Banana Coconut Coconut Flour Pancakes

Then I knew it was time to go for pumpkin.

Pumpkin Coconut Flour Pancakes

Pumpkin Coconut Flour Pancakes

Ingredients
– 5 tbsp coconut flour
– 1/4 tsp baking powder
– 1/4 cup pumpkin [NOT pumpkin pie filling!]
– 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
– 16 drops of liquid stevia
– Pinch of salt
– 7 egg whites
– 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

I swapped out the peanut butter for pumpkin and added some pumpkin pie spice and it was fabulous! I also topped [and layered] these with pumpkin peanut fluff [1 1/2 tbsp peanut flour, 2 tbsp pumpkin, ~4 drops liquid stevia, pumpkin pie spice, and water] and of course a little granola.

My final flavor of the week involved some of my absolute favorite flavors in the world!

Reese’s Coconut Flour Pancakes

Reese’s Coconut Flour Pancakes

Ingredients
– 5 tbsp coconut flour
– 1/4 tsp baking powder
– 2 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder
– 16 drops of liquid stevia
– Pinch of salt
– 7 egg whites
– 1/4 – 1/2 cup water

This time, I swapped in the cocoa powder and topped/layered with regular peanut fluff and a sprinkling of granola.

To say this was a good breakfast week would be an understatement! Time to load up on eggs again and get back to work 😉

Food for Thought

What is your favorite flavor combination?

What strange but good combinations can you come up with?

Have you ever had coconut flour pancakes before?

Foodie Friday: Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Pancake

I’d like to introduce you to my new love.

I’m not sure what came over me, but one night as I was thinking about what to make for breakfast the next morning (what, don’t you think about your breakfast immediately after finishing dinner?) and it hit me; dark chocolate and cherries. Duh! Why hadn’t I done this before?!

I took a mental inventory of my pantry and the next morning, I made my dream a reality. And it’s so very dreamy.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Protein Pancake

Serves 1

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tbsp Bob’s Red Mill Hot Cereal [you can sub ground flax]
2 tbsp chocolate protein powder [I used PlantFusion]
2 packets stevia
1 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder [I used Hershey’s]
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp dried cherries [you can sub other dried fruits like raisins, goji berries, cranberries, etc]
1 tsp ground cinnamon

Optional Toppings
Banana slices
Peanut fluff [2 tbsp peanut flour, 1 packet stevia, & water to reach desired consistency]
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Sliced almonds
Dark chocolate chips
Dried fruit

Many of these ingredients can be found on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Directions
Heat a small 8″ pan over medium-low heat. Mix all of your ingredients together and grease your pan. Pour your batter in and let cook about 5-6 minutes on the first side, or until it is sturdy enough to flip. After flipping, finish cooking about 2 minutes on the other side.

Nutritional Stats
Per serving without toppings

245 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  29g Carbs  /  7g Fiber  /  11g Sugar  /  26g Protein

Food for Thought

What is your favorite protein pancake you’ve ever made? Do you go towards a sweeter preparation or a simple, plain pancake?

Chocolate Pudding and Giveaway Winners!

I have a serious sweet tooth so I’m always looking for ways to satisfy that without going calorie-overboard. I’ve seen tons of chocolate avocado pudding recipes all over Pinterest, so with some wonderfully ripe avocados sitting in my fridge, I figured now is the best time to try my hand at my own creation. And I have to say, I was quite pleased with the results.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

Makes 3, 1/2 cup servings

Ingredients
1 medium avocado
1 medium banana
1/2 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (I use Blue Diamond Almond Breeze)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 tbsp agave
2 tbsp semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

Directions
Put all ingredients, except chocolate chips, into a food processor and process until smooth. Scoop into a bowl and stir chocolate chips in. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until chilled and enjoy!

Serving Suggestions
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Sliced almonds
Whipped Cream

Nutritional Stats
Per 1/2 cup serving

232 Calories  /  14g Fat  /  37g Carbs  /  8g Fiber  /  18g Sugar  /  4g Protein

Giveaway Winners!

I chose my 5 lucky Premier Protein giveaway winners using random.org.

Kate says : September 5, 2012 at 5:27 pm
i’m starving right now so chocolate pb sounds faaaaaantastic

fromicecreamtoamarathon says : September 5, 2012 at 3:36 pm
I want to try the chocolate peanut butter protein bar!!

runningeater September 7, 2012 at 7:42 am
I followed you

Shannon (@caloah) September 7, 2012 at 9:14 pm
Hello.. my name is Shannon and Im a Protein Baraholic. (Seriously not even joking tho!) The Chocolate Peanut Butter sound right down my alley! Would love to try it out. 🙂
This one cracked me up! I can totally relate.

alw6ys September 8, 2012 at 2:42 am
Yogurt Peanut Butter Crunch protein bar!

Congrats to all five winners! Please contact me at brittany.barr@gmail.com with your address so I can send the info on over to the wonderful people at Premier Protein!

Finally, a big thanks to Premier Protein for sponsoring such a great giveaway!

*Winners have until 11:59pm EST on Tuesday, 9/11/12, to respond. If I don’t hear back from you, I will be choosing a new winner.

Foodie Friday: Chocolate Protein Oats

I already have my breakfast planned for tomorrow.

Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day and while this week I’ve been on a protein pancake kick, I’m ready to start the weekend with my favorite breakfast; chocolate protein oats.

More specifically, Coach’s Oats. I’ve recently been introduced to these little lovely bites and don’t ever want to go back to regular oats again. These oats aren’t rolled, but they aren’t steel cut either. They do, however, have that same texture and bite as steel cut oats, which is my favorite, but cook in no time like rolled oats!

Coach’s Oats are prepared in an entirely new way. The groats are toasted to bring the natural sugars to the surface of the oat, then cracked into small pieces. This patented Cracked n’ Toasted™ process means that Coach’s Oats are never mushy, always naturally delicious and cook in just 3 to 5 minutes on a stovetop or in the microwave.

Chocolate Protein Oats

Serves 1

Ingredients
3 egg whites
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup almond milk (Blue Diamond Unsweetened Vanilla is my favorite!)
1/2 banana, mashed
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 cup oats (Coach’s Oats are my favorite, of course!)

Optional Toppings
1/2 tbsp nut butter (I love Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread)
Fruit – figs, banana, strawberries, blueberries, etc
1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
Sprinkling of ground cinnamon

Directions
Heat a small pot over medium to medium-high heat. Add your 3 egg whites and cook through, mashing into small pieces. Once cooked, put the egg whites in a bowl off to the side.

Turn heat to high and add water, almond milk, mashed banana, cinnamon, cocoa powder, and oats to the pot. Stir to incorporate everything and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the head to low and stir until everything has just about come together. For the last minute of cooking, add your egg whites back in and stir well.

Pour everything into a bowl and top with your favorite toppings. Enjoy!

I immediately top mine with peanut butter.. I truly believe melty peanut butter is the best thing in the world.

Speak Up!

What are your favorite oatmeal toppings? Do you change them up or always reach for the same thing?

What I Ate Wednesday #12 – Baltimore Restaurant Week

Baltimore Restaurant Week is one of my favorite weeks of summer. I guess winter too, but someone summer just seems better!

I absolutely love trying new restaurants and this is the time to do it. You get to taste 3 courses for $30, and if you choose the right place, you’re really getting a steal! Often, the restaurants on the list serve entrees ranging from $20-$40, so to add an appetizer and dessert to that makes it all worth it.

This time around, we decided to check out Salt. It’s a trendy little restaurant that we’ve been to before, but it’s been years. And while we usually use restaurant week as an excuse to try something new, we just couldn’t pass up the incredible menu.

Being that we went out on a Friday, the first part of my day is uber normal. Aka not so exciting. Except for this awesome pancake!

[Breakfast]

Chocolate coconut protein pancake topped with Earth Balance Coconut Peanut Spread, coconut, and cinnamon plus Bombshell Spell with ZICO. I’m absolutely obsessed with the coconut peanut spread. It’s like a little taste of heaven melted over chocolatey goodness!

[Snack]

(not pictured)
Apple

[Lunch]

(not pictured)
Mixed green salad with cucumber, tomatoes, onions, green bell pepper, carrots, zucchini, diced avocado, & chili sesame tofu. This tofu recipe is divine and so simple. I’ll be sharing it soon!

[Snack]

(not pictured)
thinkThin Creamy Peanut Butter Blizzard + a few pieces Almond Maple Pecan Snackle Mouth. The blizzard was a fun way to mix up my usual protein bar and the little chunks at the very bottom were so tasty! And the Snackle Mouth is really something special.. I was lucky enough to win a couple boxes and I hope to be featuring these (or some new products soon to launch!) in a giveaway very soon!

[Dinner]

The most exciting part of the day. Everything on the menu sounded absolutely phenomenal and we couldn’t make any decisions without asking for recommendations (of course!)

Primaterra Pinot Noir • Roasted Red Pepper Tapinade with freshly baked bread

Cool Vichyssoise Soup
Dungeness crab, pommes frites, chive oil

Country Pork Terrine (not pictured)
Pistachios, figs, dijon mustard

I went for the soup, Nathan for the terrine. We were both equally pleased with our choices and it was something new for each of us to try.

Grilled Swordfish with Charred Gazpacho Vegetables
Lemon and olive quinoa, avocado puree

Crispy Creek Stone Farms Beef Belly Confit
Ginger glaze, white kimchi with asian pears, spicy sriracha creamed corn

The swordfish had been recommended to me by a friend and the side dishes sold me. It was delicious and I savored every last bite. But Nathan totally won. The beef belly confit was rich and savory with a slight sweetness from the creamed corn, which wasn’t all mush, as some would assume. If I went back the next day, I’d get the beef belly confit, hands down!

Key Lime Tart
Coconut meringue, blue berry coulis

Goat Cheese Donuts
Lavender honey, vanilla sea salt, coffee ice cream

Finally, the best way to end a wonderful meal; with an even more wonderful dessert. I opted for the tart while Nathan chose the donuts. Really, he’d choose anything fried, but drizzled with honey and ice cream on the side? He couldn’t say no! They were fantastic, but I definitely preferred my key lime tart. It was light, sweet, and tart, and just the perfect ending to the meal.

[Summer Staples]
Fresh fruits and veggies. Not a day goes by that I don’t get my fill of all of the freshness that summer has to offer and Salt definitely feels the same way. All of my favorite restaurants are those that take advantage of the freshest ingredients available and plan their menus around that. Why offer farm-raised tilapia when rockfish are jumping?

Speak Up!

What would you have ordered? Are you a meat-and-potatoes kinda person or a sea-foodie?