Sunday, June 24, 2012

Why are the posts so weird?

Excuse the housekeeping and random order of things! I have a ton of drafts that I am going through and editing and updating - testing and formatting recipes, double checking links, trying to find typos (not too successfully I fear...), and trying to clear up the mess I made while I was waffling about what I wanted to do with this blog. All of the placeholders, drafts, notes, thoughts, and unfinished blogs have been "de-published" while I go through everything, but it will take a while, so bear with me! (I didn't realize I was actually having any visitors yet and my "house" is a total mess! Check back soon for more recipes, food info, news, articles, and other bits and pieces.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

Strawberry-Banana Smoothie

It is funny how certain cravings just strike you out of the blue. Strawberries and bananas have never been a favorite flavor of mine. It might not even make the top 25 flavors I like, but for some reason it sounded really good today. Luckily, it tasted really good as well! I always have frozen bananas (because they get too ripe before we eat them) and strawberries (from when they are in season and super-cheap) on hand, but if you only have fresh you can just toss in some ice cubes to make the smoothie thicker. I added one scoop of protein powder, but you can add more if desired. As is usual, this made much more than I had anticipated, but you can easily halve it. I froze the remaining and just microwaved it on low for 30 seconds for a super-frosty smoothie that was even better than the one I drank fresh out of the blender. I used soy milk, but you can use whatever milk you prefer.

½ medium frozen banana (50 calories, .75 grams protein)
1 cup frozen sliced strawberries (77 calories, 1 gram protein)
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt (120 calories, 21.25 grams protein)
1/2 cup regular or low fat milk or soy milk (for testing I used low fat soy milk) (35 calories, 3 grams protein)
1 scoop vanilla protein powder (for testing we used Unjury Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (100 calories, 20 grams protein)
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Makes 2 servings.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

382 calories and 44.25 grams protein total.
191 calories and 22.13 grams protein per serving.

Tuesday, June 5, 2012

Fresh Lime-Vanilla Yogurt Smoothie

Fresh Lime-Vanilla Yogurt Smoothie

Cool and refreshing, this is the perfect summer smoothie! I have made it three times over the last few days since it is insanely hot here and I just could not face my normal hot protein drink for breakfast. I did use fresh limes to make these, but you can probably use bottled lime juice – but the fresh juice and zest will make for a better smoothie. I plan on making these at least somewhat frequently so I made ice cubes from the juice and zest so I can make this even faster by just popping two of them into the blender and reducing the amount of normal ice cubes. You can also use a higher fat yogurt and your favorite milk if you prefer – and can also add more protein powder or omit it entirely.

4-5 ice cubes
1/2 cup fat free Greek yogurt (120 calories, 21.25 grams protein)
1/2 cup regular or low fat milk or soy milk (for testing I used low fat soy milk) (35 calories, 2 grams protein)
1/2 scoop vanilla protein powder (for testing we used Unjury Vanilla Whey Protein Powder (50 calories, 10 grams protein)
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Juice and freshly grated zest of ½ lime (10 calories)
Dash salt

Add the ice cubes to a blender or food processor and whirl until the ice cubes are crushed. Add the rest of the ingredients and blend until the mixture is thick and smooth. Pour into a glass and serve chilled.

Makes 1 serving.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes

215 calories, 33.25 grams protein

Monday, June 4, 2012

Herb Baked Tomatoes

Herb Baked Tomatoes

When tomatoes are fresh and in season there is nothing better to enjoy – and this is a perfect way to highlight their flavor. Roasting them really brings out their flavor, and it is also a good way to make even uninspiring winter tomatoes taste great! You can add more fresh herbs to this dish, but do so after roasting or else they will burn. I use an olive oil spray which reduces the amount of oil you need to use to coat the tomatoes, but brushing or drizzling the oil on works just fine – just watch the amount you use. I like serving these tomatoes piping hot with fresh Mozzarella cheese and a simple spinach or Mesclun salad to balance out the meal - but they are also good if you want to make them in advance and enjoy them at room temperature. I try to keep side dishes in the 50-calorie range (or even lower), and this one fits the bill well. Usually I will choose a pretty small tomato for myself and be even lighter with the olive oil for “my” tomato and give my family or guests the larger, more calorific ones.

6 medium ripe tomatoes (156 calories, 6 grams protein)
Coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence or favorite herb mixture
1 tablespoons olive oil (119 calories)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and lightly grease a baking dish. Cut the tops off of each tomato, making sure to remove the entire stem. Place the tomatoes in the prepared dish and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, herbs, and the olive oil. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the tomatoes are soft, but still hold their shape. Serve hot.

Makes 6 servings.

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

312 calories and 6 grams protein total.
52 calories and 1 gram protein per serving.