protein – Cookin' with Carmel

Saintly Reese’s Shake

May 22, 20181 Comment

Reese’s is my absolute favorite chocolate bar! Anytime there is a combo of chocolate and peanut butter, I’m there!

This Shake has quickly become my favorite post workout recovery. Frozen banana and cauliflower rice make for an extra creamy texture, and you’d think this a milkshake. Just slice up a banana and freeze overnight. And for the caul rice, just blitz half of a head of cauliflower in a food processor until fine.

Full of nutrients to refuel, I will be drinking this a lot! You can purchase any IdealFit product on their site and be sure to use the discount code CARMEL10 for savings (who doesn’t love saving?!).

Saintly Reese’s Shake

Ingredients:

1 frozen banana

3 heaped tablespoons cauli rice

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon honey/agave nectar/maple syrup*

1 1/2 teaspoons cacao powder

1 scoop chocolate protein powder, I used IdealFit Chocolate Brownie

1 1/2 tablespoons IdealFit Peanut Butter Powder

1/2 cup vanilla almond/soy milk*

Method:

Put all ingredients in your blender and bitz, scraping down the sides, until smooth! Drizzle almond butter on the sides of a tall glass, and top with coconut cream, chia seeds, and nuts.

*If you like your Smoothies on the sweeter side add a teaspoon more of your sweetener

*If the frozen bananas aren’t breaking down, add a few tablespoons of water

Chia Cranberry Vanilla Bars

May 19, 2018May 19, 2018Leave a comment

Protein Bars, I can never have enough around! Whenever I get the chance, I like to make them at home. This way, I can see what exactly goes into them!

They’re packed with flavor, have no added sugars(well besides a little maple syrup), and they’re pretty filling. I’ve been eating them before I teach, or after I take a class and they tie me over until the next meal.

Chia Cranberry Vanilla Protein Bars

Ingredients

1 scoop IdealFit Vanilla Protein Powder

1 tablespoon IdealFit Peanut Butter Powder

1 cup oats

1/2 cup cashews

3 tablespoons chia seeds

2-3 tablespoons maple syrup*

2 teaspoons almond butter

6-7 tablespoons of almond milk**

handful of dried cranberries

*see below

Method

In a food processor, blitz oats until fine. Add in the cashews and blitz. Then ad the rest of your ingredients, EXCEPT the almond milk. You will add this little by little, while blitzing and scraping down the sides of the bowl, until the mixture comes together like cookie dough. Scoop the dough out of the food processor and into a mixing bowl. Fold in cranberries.

Press the dough into a square dish (either your usual brownie one, a bread tin, or a tubberware). Chill in fridge for 15-20 minutes. Slice into whatever size you desire, and enjoy!

*You can add more maple syrup if you like your bars more sweet

**Start with minimal amount of almond milk and add as you go, so start with only 5 to 6 tablespoons. You might need more than 8 tablespoons, just add slowly until dough comes together.

IdealFit Protein Bars

July 25, 2017July 25, 20171 Comment

These are SO much better than store bought!

I used the IdealFit Vanilla Protein Powder, but the Cake Batter or Chocolate Brownie flavor would be just as amazing. Shop here for all IdealFit products: bit.ly/2trHGG3

Now, you can also go and buy cashew and almond butter and mix the butters and protein powder together in a bowl-but I like making everything from scratch when I can!

Ingredients:

2 scoops IdealFit protein powder

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds

Teaspoon of maple syrup or honey

Teaspoon of vanilla extract

(have ready a few drops/tablespoons of almond or soy milk)

handful of dark chocolate chips, dried fruits or shredded coconut

Method:

In a food processor, blitz the cashews and almonds until smooth. Add the protein powder, and blitz until mixed. You might need to add a few drops of soy or almond milk so that the dough does come together. Shape dough into bars or balls. Press the dark chocolate chips, or fruit(like cranberries or goji berries) or shredded coconut onto the top of the bars. Keep sealed in the fridge until you want to eat them!

Carrot Cake Bliss Balls

July 25, 2017February 26, 2018Leave a comment

I’m a big sweet tooth(most of my recipes on here are on the sweeter side), and at night is when my sweet tooth really starts to act. Rather than reach for a bar of chocolate, I like to make protein/bliss bars.

Growing up, carrot cake was just one of those things I did not like! I always preferred chocolate cake. It was only in the last couple of years I really started to like carrot cake. Below is a much healthier version-and it really does taste like a dessert! I like to make these on a Sunday and have them for the week-as a post workout or TV snack.

Ingredients:

1 large carrot

3/4 cup oats

6 Medjool dates, pitted

1/2 cup of cashews

1/2 walnuts

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp of hemp heart seeds

Method:

In a food processor, shred the carrots. Remove and put into a bowl. Then pulse the oats and nuts together until very fine. Also remove and into the mixing bowl with the carrots. Then blitz the dates until they form a paste.

Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, also adding the carrots and oat nut mix. The mixture will come together like a dough. Quickly form balls and place in freezer. Once frozen, top them with a tablespoon of Cashew Buttercream!

I usually take them out of the freeze about 20 minutes or so before I eat them; I usually enjoy one or two as a snack. They keep for a couple of weeks in the freezer.

I’m an IdealFit Brand Ambassador!

July 11, 2017Leave a comment

I have been a Brand Ambassador for a couple of months now, so I’m not sure WHY it’s taken me so long to write this post!

I really had no knowledge of supplements: protein, preworkout, and BCAA shakes. But it’s more than a shake or vitamin- it’s fuel for my body. Idealfit has shown me what my body is really capable of. As I’ve gotten stronger, I don’t want to wear and tear, or exhaust my muscles and joints. By implementing Idealfit products into my day to day eating habits, I can give every workout my all and feel fantastic.

Besides making me feeling amazing, the taste is GREAT(as someone who’s always around food, it gets a big thumbs up from me!)! I tried a couple of different protein shakes, and Idealfit really does stand out. There’s no bloating, and there’s no gross chalky texture. I LOVE the Cake Batter and Chocolate Coconut Protein Powders.

Being an Idealfit Brand Ambassador has been so exciting and rewarding! The community of IdealFit has been so supportive and I have learned A LOT from other ambassadors, from workouts to nutritional tips! They have so many delicious recipes on their site, which I’ve been putting my own spin on, which you can find on my Instagram @cookinwithcarmel. I’m actually just about to start one of their FREE workout challenges this weekend, which you can find on their site.

Go check out all the deals(there’s always a great offer) at http://www.idealfit.com, and use CARMEL10 on your order! Or just click my quick link: http://bit.ly/2trHGG3

High Protein Cookie Sandwiches

April 4, 20176 Comments

These are really rich, but packed with the good stuff to recovery after a workout! The Cashew Buttercream was just what these cookies needed, as they’re very much a dense cookie otherwise.

Ingredients

Protein Cookies

1 cup of nut butter (I mixed half a cup of Tahini and half a cup of Almond)

2 scoops of your favorite Chocolate protein powder

2 teaspoons cocoa powder

1 large egg OR use flax egg*

Optional-walnuts or chocolate chips

Cashew Buttercream

1 cup of cashews*

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1-2 tablespoons maple syrup

Method

*Soak cashews for at least 30 minutes in a bowl of water.

*To make a flax egg: Mix 1 tablespoon of ground flax seed with 3 tablespoons water, let sit for 10 minutes

To make the Cookies: Preheat oven to 375F. In a bowl, stir together the protein powder and cocoa powder. Mix in the nut butter until no trace of powders. Then add in the egg, mix well. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips. It will look just like cookie dough, but the texture will be a but more stiff. Roll dough into balls(about a tablespoon or two) and gently press/flatten down when you place on trays(you can use a fork to make the criss cross pattern). Bake for 10-12 minutes.

Cashew Buttercream: After soaking the cashews in water, put them, along with vanilla and maple syrup in a food processor. Blend until smooth–be sure to scrape the bowl while blitzing to get all of it smooth!

Cottage Cheese Banana Split

March 22, 2017Leave a comment

Back away from the freezer and go for this Banana Split instead! It’s a healthy alternative, and this makes for a great pre or post workout. And SO easy and quick(I’m talking seconds here!)! This is MUCH more tart than the classic ice cream split, so feel free to drizzle some extra honey or maple syrup over the top.

Ingredients:

1/ 2 cup of Cottage Cheese

Teaspoon of vanilla

2 teaspoons of honey

1 banana

A couple of walnuts

A couple of mixed berries

Dark chocolate chips

Coconut chips

Method:

Slice the banana in half length wise. Place on a plate. In a blender, put the Cottage Cheese, vanilla and honey. Blitz the Cottage Cheese until smooth. Scoop the Cottage Cheese on top of the banana. Add your toppings and devour guilt-free!

Vanilla Cookie Protein Balls

March 2, 2017March 2, 2017Leave a comment

I was starting to make my Guilt Free Truffles, when I decided to omit the cacao. Two big thumbs up for this vanilla variation! Since hiring a trainer, it’s made me realize how important it is to fuel our bodies with the right foods. Getting enough protein has really helped my body recover quickly after workout sessions. I’ll be snacking on these before and after my upcoming workouts for the next couple of days! I’ve added some flavor variations down below!

Ingredients:

14 dates pitted (Medjool)

1 cup of cashews

1/2 cup walnuts

2 heaped tablespoons almond butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Method:

Soak the dates in warm water for about 20 minutes. Then drain the dates, and put in your food processor. Pulse until smooth. Take out the pulsed dates, and add your cashews and walnuts to the food processor. Pulse until fine. Add the dates back into the processor, along with the almond butter, vanilla extract, and sea salt. Blitz until everything comes together like a dough. Put the ‘dough’ in the freezer for AT LEAST 15 minutes to firm it up. Then take it out and shape into balls and/or bars! Put them back in the freezer, and take out about a half hour before eating to thaw.

*Add a pinch of cinnamon for a Snickerdoodle flavor (at the same time as the vanilla and sea salt)

*Fold chocolate chips into the dough (or melt chocolate and pour over them!)

*Add oatmeal and top with cranberries or goji berries for a classic oatmeal cookie flavor

Not Your Average Joe

February 24, 2017February 24, 2017Leave a comment

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This Protein Coffee has been my favorite pre and post workout creamer, in a smoothie, or on it’s own. It fills you up and gives a big boost of energy! You can play around with how much tofu or hemp you use, the more you use, the more it will be like a milkshake.

Protein Coffee

Ingredients (this makes a pretty big batch):

~About 3/4 of a block of firm tofu (start with about half a block and give that a go!)

3 cups of coconut or soy milk (your favorite non-dairy milk!)

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 tablespoons raw cacao

2 cups of coffee

Blend the tofu until smooth. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Keep in the fridge, and enjoy within 4-5 days. Can be enjoyed chilled or warmed up!