Inspiring and helpful

Howdy gang!  I know it's been a few months since we've posted, and for that I apologize.  Life has been busy and interesting over the past few weeks.  Sheri ran her first full Marathon this past weekend at the Garmin Marathon and crushed!  I ran my 2nd half Marathon and took 6 minutes off my personal best and set a PR of 3:27:05.  This wasn't your typical race....we had to deal with things like rain/wind/HAIL!  The course was good, the volunteers were great and our friends/support crew were AWESOME.  If you're ever going to run a race, find some crazy friend/s who will be willing to stand outside for 3-6 hours cheering you on, getting you drinks, etc.  It helps more than they know.

I have a couple of cool blogs that I would like to share with you all.  There is a group on Facebook that is full of dedicated, crazy and inspiring people who have committed to try and run a sub-30 5K.  There are 2 guys in particular that I look up to in this group who have lost a ton of weight and are inspiring others with all the running they are doing and I wanted to share their info for you guys to check them out.
The first guy is Lonnie St John. Lonnie has lost 100 lbs from eating smart and exercising.  He's a runner that inspires others to get out there and pound the pavement or trails.  He's a cheerleader when you need him, and seems to find just the right time to tell you get off your butt and get out the door. You can check out his story at http://teamneonrunning.wordpress.com/

The second guy is Andy Aubin.  He has lost over 130 lbs by watching what he eats and started incorporating running into his life.  You can check his story out here -->http://bigandysrunning.wordpress.com/
Both of these guys have great stories, ideas and helpful tips to get you out the door, eating right and having fun getting healthy.  They both have a passion for helping others achieve their running/weight loss goals and love to run.

Also, let me hear some feedback from you all.  If you've tried out any of the recipes we've posted, let us know how they've turned out.

"Apple Butter"

I love having something sweet on my toast at breakfast.  However, jelly has so many unnecessary calories and lots of simple sugars.  Apple butter is one step better, but even most apple butters have more added sugar than I would prefer.  So, as I made my eggs and whole wheat toast for breakfast, I was trying to think of a quick, easy substitute.  Since I have natural, unsweetened applesauce on hand (leftover from the last batch of protein cookies) I decided that I should be able to doctor it up into something resembling apple butter without all the added simples sugar.  Here is what I came up with.

"Apple Butter"

1/2 c. natural unsweetened applesauce
1Tbsp. cinnamon
2-3 Tbsp. Stevia (or Splenda or other sweetener of your choice)

Mix the above ingredients together and serve on toast.  Adjust the cinnamon and sweetener to taste.  :)

Nutrition facts
Makes 16 servings of 1 Tbsp each
Calories 7
Carbs 2g
Fat 0g
Protein 0g
Sodium 1mg
Sugar 1g

Happy Accidents: New and Improved Black Forest Protein Cookies

Sometimes the best "new" recipe you can post is an improved version of an old one!  So, here is my new version of the Black Forest Protein Cookies.  Because of Snowmageddon that is currently dumping inch after inch of snow outside my door, I was limited to the ingredients on hand. So, I made a few adjustments to the recipe.

1) I was out of chocolate protein powder so I substituted vanilla protein powder, but I added more cocoa powder.
2) I also tried using Hershey's Special Dark cocoa powder instead of my standard Nestle's cocoa powder.
3) My last batch dried out a little faster than I liked, so I changed the ratio of applesauce to Greek yogurt.  We now have more Greek yogurt than applesauce and it seems to have made them more moist.
I thought the old ones were amazing, but these are EVEN BETTER!!  :-)  Enjoy...

Revised Recipe:

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 4 scoops  vanilla flavored whey protein powder
• 1 ½ cups Stevia
• 1 c. Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 c. dried cherries (optional)
• 1 c. pecans (optional)
• Wet ingredients
• 1 cup Greek yogurt  
• ¾ cup egg whites
• ½ c unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp almond extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375F.
2. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk, until very well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, add the wet ingredients and combine with a whisk until well incorporated.
4. Mix wet to dry and fold delicately just to combine. (Or, if I'm honest, I sometimes just dump all the ingredients in one bowl and turn on the electric mixer...)
5. Drop by tablespoonfuls, 12 at a time, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or onto cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.  Press each cookie down slightly with a fork to make a flat disc instead of a rounded ball.
6. Bake for about 9-10 minutes or until the cookies start set up and no longer look wet in the cracks on the top of the cookie.
7. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
8. Refrigerate leftover cookies.

Black Forest Protein “Cookies”

This recipe is one of my favorites that I've ever created!! I modeled the flavors of this "cookie" after a Black Forest cake that was my favorite dessert made by a catering company I used to do business with. However, at over 500 calories per slice, that cake just isn't a great option for my daily meal plans. But with some creativity, we present to you a healthy Black Forest option that can even be used as a quick breakfast on the go. They are good plain, but if you add the dip or make them into "whoopie pies" with the dip as a filling, they are truly amazing. Enjoy! :)

Black Forest Protein “Cookies”

Makes 48 cookies.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup + 2 Tsbp. white whole wheat flour
• 2 cups Old Fashioned Rolled Oats
• 4 scoops  chocolate flavored whey protein powder
• 1 ½ cups Stevia
• ½ c. cocoa powder
• ¾ tsp baking soda
• ¾ tsp baking powder
• ½ tsp sea salt
• 1 c. dried cherries (optional)
• 1 c. pecans (optional)
• Wet ingredients
• ½ cup Greek yogurt  
• ¾ cup egg whites
• 1 c unsweetened applesauce
• 1 tsp almond extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 375F
2. In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together with a whisk, until very well combined.
3. In a medium bowl, add the wet ingredients and combine with a whisk until well incorporated.
4. Mix wet to dry and fold delicately just to combine.
5. Drop by tablespoonfuls, 12 at a time, onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or onto cookie sheet sprayed with Pam.  Press each cookie down with a fork to make a flat disc instead of a rounded ball.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the cookies start to turn golden brown
7. Cool completely on a cooling rack.
8. Refrigerate leftover cookies.

“Cheesecake” Dip for Black Forest Protein “Cookies”

INGREDIENTS

• 1 package sugar free white chocolate flavored pudding mix
• 1 cup Greek Yogurt
• ½ c Silk Almond Milk
• 1 tsp. almond extract

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Mix Greek yogurt and almond milk with electric mixer.
2. Add pudding mix.
3. Mix for apx. 2 minutes or until smooth.
4. Chill and serve.

Nutrition Info:

Without Cherries or Pecans	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Per Cookie:	41	6	0	4	68	1

“Cookies”W/ Cherries	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Per Cookie:	55	9	0	4	70	3

With Cherries and Pecans	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Per Cookie:	71	10	2	5	70	4

Cookie Dip	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
Per Serving: (apx. 1 Tbsp.)	10	2	1	0	60	1

Egg White Muffins

So, this is NOT our own original recipe, but since several followers have asked for more breakfast ideas, I'm going to share one of our favorites.  This recipe and accompanying information comes directly from the link at the bottom of this post off KSHB.com.  Chef Courtney shared these on KC Live last summer.  If you're interested in more of her recipes, she has a cookbook called The Six Pack Kitchen.  It is available for $20 on her website http://www.thesixpackkitchen.com

"The folks at Kansas City Fitness Magazine know the importance of a healthy breakfast. Courtney Busby is the chef for the KC Weight Loss Program, and she created these easy-to-make Egg White Muffins. They're not only nutritious and delicious, but a perfect way to start your day with protein.

Do you want to sign up for the KC Weight Loss Program? Write a short paragraph explaining why you want to lose weight and e-mail info@kcfitmag.com with the words "I'm Ready" in the subject line."

www.kcfitmag.com/

Egg White Muffins

Ingredients 
·    1 Carton of Egg Whites: 3 tablespoons each 
·    1 small fresh sweet potato 
·    3 pieces of low sodium turkey bacon 
·    ½ a tablespoon basil, parsley, and black pepper: 
·    ¼ teaspoon of garlic and onion powder(add to taste): 
Optional Ingredients 
·    Spinach 
·    Green pepper 
·    Low sodium ham 
·    Turkey Sausage 
·    Mushrooms

Instructions 
Preheat oven to 350° degrees. 
Cook turkey bacon until crispy. 
Chop bacon into pieces, for later application. 
Slice and cube sweet potato, place in a bowl with 2 tablespoons of water. 
Microwave potatoes for 6 minutes. 
Spray 8" skillet lightly with EVOO, turn burner to medium heat. 
Add microwaved sweet potatoes and all seasonings (provided in ingredients) to skillet, to give potatoes a      light crusting and flavor. Cook for approximately 5-7 minutes. 
Spray Muffin tin with EVOO. 
Place 4-5 sweet potato cubes to each individual muffin cavity. 
Add turkey bacon to each muffin cavity. 
Pour egg whites until just below level of the top of each muffin cavity. 
  

Bake 15-20 minutes at preheated temperature (above).

Read more: http://www.kshb.com/dpp/entertainment/kcl/food_kcl/egg-white-muffins-are-the-perfect-start-to-your-day#ixzz2qtsJiCBk

Coming Soon: Black Forest Protein Cookies

For those of you who have tried our Pumpkin Protein Cookies, you'll be excited to hear that there is a new protein cookie being created.  Our first test batches of Black Forest Protein Cookies are coming out of the oven this afternoon.  So far the verdict is that this recipe definitely has great potential, but we're not quite ready to release it yet since we want it to be just right for you.  Stay tuned for a delicious chocolate cherry flavored treat!  We're also considering a white chocolate dip to accompany them although I'm sure they will also be delicious with the original cheesecake dip recipe that accompanies the Pumpkin Protein Cookies.

Stay tuned for deliciousness!!  And if you happen to run into us this week, we just might have some samples so you can give us some feedback on the various recipes.  :)

Healthy Chicken Salad

So I was craving chicken salad today and went searching for a "healthy" version of a recipe.  I wanted one that wasn't full of Mayo and other non-healthy items.  After an extensive search, I found enough recipes that I decided to try out my own based on what I wanted in there.  What I came up with was a quick, easy low-cal, high protein tasty snack/lunch idea. --Tony

Here is what you will need for ingredients......

2-- 5 oz  cans of chunk chicken breast (if you're in a hurry, other wise when you do your food prep, cook an extra couple of chicken breasts and freeze for future use)
1/2 of red onion
1/4 cup of dried cranberries
1/2 cup of diced apple (I prefer a pink lady or a gala...more of a bite than a red delicious)
6 small sweet gherkins
1 cup of red grapes
1/2 cup of plain greek yogurt
1 teaspoon of freshly squeezed lemon
garlic powder (around 1/4 tsp)
black pepper (around 1/4 tsp)

Dice up your red onion, sweet gherkins, and your apple.  Halve your grapes.  Toss in a bowl with the chicken (once you've drained it) and the lemon juice.  Add your greek yogurt ( adding more or less depending on how creamy you want it, just beware it will change the nutritional value) and seasonings.  Stir up and chill it in the fridge until you're ready to eat and enjoy!

You can change it up how you want, like omitting the dried cranberries which cuts out most of the carbs.
Here are the nutritional numbers that I got when I plugged it into My Fitness Pal.

I say the recipe can serve 4 people so these numbers are per serving....

Calories--150
Carbs--21
Fat--1
Protein--15
Sodium--426

Healthy Tuna (or egg) Salad

Tuna salad on "Sandwich Thins" bread or Ezekiel bread

Use tuna packed in water (NEVER use the tuna packed in oil--YUCK!!) Drain and add plain Greek yogurt (instead of mayo) and a little pickle juice and a few diced sweet Gherkins.  Add diced celery if you like a little crunch.

You can also do this for egg salad with diced hard boiled eggs instead of the tuna.

You can also put Greek yogurt instead of mayo in your favorite deviled egg recipe. It cuts the calories way down and makes a yummy snack.

"Panera" Black Bean Soup

I love the black bean soup from Panera Bread, but I can make my own which allows me to control the ingredients and saves me TONS of money.

Sometimes I make my own recipes or adjust what others have created, but I found a great recipe already online for this one.  Check out the recipe here.  http://www.food.com/recipe/panera-bread-black-bean-soup-49737