Raspberry Whey Protein Shake

Happy Tuesday! There are days when I feel like drinking a healthy shake instead of having a full blown lunch. So for days like this, I prefer to create a shake with what I have in my pantry and fridge. I initially bought whey protein in hopes of having a daily meal substitute for lunch, but as it turns out, I suck at being consistent with my calorie intake. Oh, well, gotta pick myself up and keep trying. On a good note, I've started working out again...I'm on Day 2 but any start is a good start!

With no further delay here's my recipe for a delicious shake:

Raspberry Whey Protein Shake

1 heaping scoop of Whey Protein Powder
8 oz or more of Almond Milk (40 calorie carton)
1 cup of Fresh Raspberries or Frozen raspberries
1 to 2 packets of Stevia
If using fresh raspberries, add two to three ice cubes for chilled shake

• In a blender crush ice, then add the rest of the ingredients. Blend until desired consistency. Taste and adjust ingredients according to your preference. Enjoy! 

OC Fair 2012

Just some pics I wanted to share of our adventure at the Orange County Fair. It was such a hot day that I forgot to take pictures of everything we did because I was busy drinking water and staying cool. So glad we amped up our sunscreen that day. If not, my husband would have turned into a lobster and I would have more moles popping up on me. I'm not a fan of too many moles on my body. Speaking of, make sure you get your annual dermatology check up! I just did two days ago. I'm good to go for the next year. Stay cool and lathered.

Piggie Race,  #3 won.

Tropical Chocolate...what is does it meeeean?

Yeah, I wish...

Spiffy!

Remember these toys?? 

Where Cabbage Patch Kids come from.

Weird Al Yankovic. Great performance and I can't believe he has so much energy!

OC Fair 2012 Foods We Consumed

This post is not for the faint of heart or those allergic to grease. If you look in the dictionary of Fair Foods, the word "Diet" does not exit. Even if it did, it would be a diet from healthy foods, highly alkaline foods and so forth. But to be fair (ooh pun) to the OC Fair, they did offer some really good alternatives like fresh fruits and berries, chicken kabobs and such. I took a break from grease by eating a cup of juicy, cold, sliced nectarines. Man, it's good to be in California where fruits and veggies are plentiful.

 Anyway, back to our splurge. My husband ordered sausage and I got the giant corn dog. I figured, why not? I only eat corn dogs at fairs and this is the only fair I'm attending this year. So I took the challenge and ate most of that deliciousness on a stick. Towards the evening, we had Greek food, another normal-sized corn dog and topped it off with a Deep Fried Snickers bar and Mini Doughnuts sprinkled with Cinnamon Sugar. I'm proud to say I didn't finish that tub of minis but it was very hot, very soft, spiced and satisfying. Maybe next year, I'll have a nicer camera to take food pictures and share more fair foods. My husband was raised in the midwest but he's never been to the Iowa State Fair and THAT'S where I want to go next year. In fact, that's where anyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Have a Happy Thursday!

Do I really need a caption for this? 

Deep Fried Snickers bar

Mini Cinnamon Sugar Doughnuts

Curry Bison Burgers

I'm a big fan of Bison burgers. If you gotta have red meat go with bison or elk. The meat is leaner and it really tastes delicious without the gamey-ness. Lately, I've been wanting more excitement in my burger department, so I followed my heart and stomach and came up with this recipe. I'm so pleased with the tasty outcome, I just had to share it with you. Have a great supper!

Curry Bison Burgers

1 lb of Ground Bison
Half a White Onion, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon of Salt
1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
1 tablespoon of Madras Curry Powder
2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder
2/3 cup of Puffed rice cereal
1 egg lightly beaten
Coconut oil for pan
Whole wheat buns
Cubed ripened Ataulfo Mango
Sriracha Chili sauce
Veganaise

• In a large mixing bowl, add all ingredients together. Use you hands and squish away!
• Form meat mixture into round 4 ounce balls and pat down into burger patties.
• Heat pan on medium high. Add a tablespoon or so of Coconut oil. Once oil is heated pan fry patties about 4-5 minutes on each side.
• Remove patties on paper towel to drain excess oil. Lowering heat to medium, place both sides of bun face down on hot pan to lightly toast bread.
• Carefully remove buns after 30 seconds to a minute. Dress buns with Veganaise and Sriracha sauce. Place cubed mango on burger and enjoy!

For a side dish, I sauteed some Kale & Shredded Carrots in garlic infused coconut oil and a couple splashes of low sodium soy sauce. 

Dazbog Coffee

Zdravstvuj (zdrah-stvooy; hello)! I'm waiting in Denver International Airport, waiting for my delayed plane ride up to San Fransisco.

While walking to my gate, my eye catches deep red & white bold designs. I've arrived at Dazbog Coffee. Instantly, I recognize Russian alphabets and my curiosity is peaked.

I take a look at their products and I'm thinking this could be a fun adventure. Since I already consumed a cup of joe at an ungodly time of the morning in St. Louis, I chose to try Dazbog's Chocolate Pu-Erh tea instead.

My thoughts? The tea smells like smooth chocolate butter, soft and sweet. The taste, very subtle hints of chocolate and I think of you added some sugar and milk, it would make for a great alternative to a mocha latte. The base of the tea is black leaf tea. Dazbog has other teas made from green or herbal leaves. The next flavor I'd like to try is the Orange Peppermint decaf green tea. Mmmmm.

I'm glad I've discovered a new tea & coffee brand. Read about Dazbog's story here.

Happy Friday! Do svidaniya! (duh svee-dah-nee-ye)...Till next time!

Zucchini Bread Version 1

Zucchini Bread, oh how I try to pin down a really good recipe but somehow find a way to mess it up. So simple the ingredients yet so hard to get it at a consistency that is reminiscent of my husband's childhood. Probably because I skirt around the main ingredients of using REAL sugar and lots of oil. Ah, but not this time...at least with the oil, I used Smart Balance cooking oil because it said it had ALA Omega-3 in it. Yes, I'm THAT consumer, plus, less greasy guilt on my mind. But again, I think other kinds of oil like Coconut Oil might be interesting to use or how about Vegenaise?

For easy removal, line bread pan with parchment paper (I used the new Reynolds Wrap Non-Stick Pan Lining Paper. One side paper, the other aluminum), along with giving the edges some non-stick cooking spray love. I'm very happy with my Zucchini Bread this time and I look forward to getting better with each attempt. 

Zucchini Bread Version 1
Recipe adapted from my Southern Peach Paula Deen at FoodNetwork.com
Makes 2 standard loaves 

2 cups of Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/4 cups of Oat Flour
1 1/2 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt
2 teaspoons of Baking Soda
1 teaspoon of Jamaican All Spice (Whole Foods)
1 teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon
2 cups of Sucralose
1 cup of Raw Sugar
1 cup of Vegetable/Cooking Oil
4 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup of Water
2 cups Zucchini, grated
1 teaspoon Lemon Juice

• Preheat oven 350 degrees. 
• Combine wheat flour, oat flour, salt, baking soda, both spices and both sugars together in a bowl. I usually stir it all together with a whisk (don't whisk but stir...although whisking flour would be quite comical).
• In another bowl, combine oil, eggs, water, zucchini and lemon juice.
• Pour wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and fold in, mix well.
• Pour content into lined and non-stick sprayed pans. Bake for about 1 hour or until tester comes out clean. Like I always emphasize, you know your oven best. I baked mine for 50 minutes! 

Homemade Almond Milk Ice Cream

My sister purchased a Cuisinart Frozen Yogurt-Ice cream & Sorbet Maker (Ice-20 Series) as a wedding present three years ago. This last week I decided I would finally use it while she was in town for our Comic Con trip. Plus, I had a large carton of unsweetened almond milk that needed to be used soon. My new favorite thing to do is not have anything go to waste. I surprise myself at how creative I can get with food. So far, so fun.

Be sure to have the freezer bowl completely chilled before use. I'm sure most of you already knew that but this was my first time, so it was definitely something I didn't think about. I guess that's why they have instruction manuals.

For this recipe I've used whipping cream but for those of you who are lactose intolerant, using coconut cream is a great alternative. Ooooh, that would taste delish. I'll have to incorporate that into my next concoction.

Homemade Almond Milk Ice Cream
Recipe adapted from Cuisinart booklet

2 1/2 cups of Unsweetened Almond Milk
3/4 cup of artificial sweetener (Sucralose)
1/2 cup of whipping cream, well chilled
2 teaspoons of Pure Madagascar Vanilla extract

• Whisk almond milk and sweetener until sucralose is dissolved.
• Stir in whipping cream and vanilla. Mix well.
• Turn on machine and pour content into freezer bowl through ingredient spout. 
• Let it mix for 25-30 minutes. 

*I'm still on a quest to find out how to keep an ice cream consistency without it hardening in the freezer. I had leftovers but the next day it was hard as ice. Whaa, whaa.*