What I Ate Wednesday #115: Happy Hannuka!

Or Chanukah.. Chanukkah.. Hanukkah? I don’t know, you choose your favorite. Regardless of how it’s spelled, last night it began and I had fun making a traditional-style dinner and lighting the menorah. It was actually the first time using our new menorah that we got as an engagement gift!

But before we get to our Hannuka dinner, there was a lot more food!

[Pre-Workout & Breakfast]

Skoop bites, oatmeal, and nut butters. All day, everyday.

[Mid-Morning Snack]

I was running out the door but wanted a little snack so I decided to give this chia energy drink from Mamma Chia a try. I received 4 flavors to try as part of a FitFluential campaign and the blackberry sounded the best to me. I loved that it wasn’t overly sweet at all. If it were just based on flavor, I’d definitely get it again; unfortunately, as I’m not a big fan of chia pudding because of the texture, this drink didn’t quite do it for me. I’m thinking it would be pretty tasty added to a smoothie though! More on this later.. wheels are turning!

[Lunch]

I was pretty hungry when I got home, despite a couple samples I tried at the grocery store, so I grabbed some leftovers from the fridge and threw ’em all in a bowl. Butternut squash soup with smokey chicken wing chili and toasted pine nuts on top.

[Afternoon Snack]

I think I was craving a crunch after soup for lunch so I attacked that bag of sugar snap peas! A celery stalk also made its way into the almond butter too 😉

[Dinner]

If you know the Hannuka story, you know that there is a lot of frying going on [oh hey, 8 days of oil!] I opted for a healthier option with crispy baked chicken tenders, regular & sweet potato latkes [made with a fraction of the oil!], crockpot applesauce, and some leftover brussels. It was awesome. Even husband-approved and he’s picky when it comes to baked tenders! Not to mention I’d never made latkes or applesauce before. Success!

[Evening Snack]
I’m on a cottage cheese kick lately [you’re welcome for sparing you that picture.] I mixed in a little NuStevia cocoa syrup and cinnamon. Delish.

Food for Thought

What holiday do you celebrate?
What’s your favorite holiday meal?

Spinach Basil Walnut Pesto Aioli

Sometimes accidents happen. And sometimes they happen to be happy accidents.

I started out making pesto but quickly ran out basil to make a decent sized batch so I decided I would continue adding ingredients until I was happy with the result. My regular pesto turned into a pesto aioli and I’ve been putting it on everything!

Makes ~1 Cup

Ingredients
– 1/2 cup fresh basil
– 1 cup baby spinach
– 1/4 cup toasted walnuts
– 1/2 cup fat free cottage cheese
– 1/4 cup low fat parmesan cheese
– 2 garlic cloves
– 1 tbsp EVOO
– Salt
– Ground black pepper

Directions
Combine all ingredients in a food processor and blend until well combined. Adjust seasoning as wanted.

Nutritional Information
Per 2 tbsp serving

64 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  2g Carbs  /  0g Fiber  /  1g Sugar  /  3g Protein

Food for Thought

Have you ever made a winning recipe by accident?

What I Ate Wednesday #16 – Oatmeal Obsessed

It’s true, I’m obsessed. Oatmeal is by far one of my most favorite breakfasts and if you’ve been reading my blog for any length of time, I’m sure you’ve noticed!

What can I say? They’re warm and sweet and delicious! So I’m sure you won’t be surprised to find that not only am I including them as part of my WIAW post (again!), but I will soon have a new recipe for you! You just wait.. I’ve hopped on the Fall train and am taking you to a pumpkin paradise.

[Breakfast]
Pumpkin Spice Latte Protein Oatmeal (protmeal, if you will). Yep, I went there. I couldn’t handle all of the pumpkin recipes I’d seen popping up on Pinterest, so I had to hop on the bandwagon! Also had a side of the always wonderful Tone It Up Bombshell Spell out of an old coconut oil jar. What, you don’t reuse your jars?

Look for my protmeal recipe this Foodie Friday! 🙂

[Snack]
I know everyone raves about Chobani, but I have to admit, my favorite Greek yogurt is Oikos. Blueberry, to be exact.

[Lunch]
Salad monster! Romaine and spinach topped with green peppers, cherry tomatoes, grapes, cucumber, chicken, and a packet of 100 calorie Wholly Guacamole. That stuff is great!

[Snack]
Gnu Foods Espresso Chip Bar. I recently won a box of these from Anjali at The Picky Eater and lately they’ve been my go-to snack bars on non-PM workout days. They only have 140 calories but 12g fiber and 4g protein! Not to mention, they’re delicious!

[Dinner]
Romaine wraps with quinoa, roasted salmon, pineapple chunky guacamole, & salsa plus corn on the cob. A tex-mex inspired meal and I was a happy camper!

[Snack]
Cottage cheese, cinnamon, dark chocolate chips, and protein fluff.

[Goals]
Last week I mentioned wanting to get my race time faster for my next 5K on October 21. Well, people, things change. My next 5K is this Sunday! Ahh! So now I’m pushing my goal up by, oh a month and a half, and testing myself this weekend. To finish in under 26:08.. gotta do it! Wish me luck!

Speak Up!

What goals are you setting for yourself this week?

Recipe Remix: Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes

Last week, while scouring Pinterest for some new recipes, I came across this tasty breakfast option: Vegan Carrot Cake Pancakes from My Little Celebration.

With my recent love for turning dessert breads into protein pancakes, as seen in my 2 recipes for Zucchini Bread Protein Pancakes (and Take 2), I couldn’t help but get excited by this recipe! The one thing I did notice, however, is that they were definitely not protein pancakes. So I got to work!

Carrot Cake Protein Pancakes

Serves 1
Adapted from My Little Celebration

Ingredients
1/2 cup carrots, finely shredded
2 egg whites
1/4 cup fat free cottage cheese
1 tbsp milk – I use almond milk
1/2 tbsp ground flax
1 scoop protein powder – I use Cinnamon Swirl About Time Whey
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tbsp agave nectar
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Optional Toppings
Greek vanilla yogurt
Sliced almonds
Unsweetened shredded coconut
Walnuts

Directions
Put all of your ingredients, except the finely shredded carrots, into a food processor. Process until everything is fully incorporated and there are no lumps. Add the finely shredded carrots and pulse 2 – 3 times until the carrots are just mixed in.

Put your mixture into the refrigerator for about 10 minutes, allowing everything to set.

After 10 minutes, preheat a skillet over medium heat and remove your mixture from the refrigerator. Once the skillet is preheated, split the mixture into 3 or 4 small pancakes and cook on the first side until medium sized bubbles form. When they’re ready to flip, you’ll know it. They will come right up!

Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes on the second side. Spread with greek yogurt, sprinkle with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!

Speak Up!

Do you prefer carrot cake or zucchini bread? Is there another dessert bread you’d like to see in protein pancake form? Tell me!

And don’t forget to enter my CalNaturale Svelte giveaway! The lucky winners are chosen this Friday!