Organic Matcha Hemp Protein Pancake Recipe

Recently I watched a Blogilates video on protein pancakes and decided it was my time to give it a try!

I used her recipe as a guideline but changed up some of the ingredients to give it a bit more flavour and pazazz.

 Organic Matcha Hemp Protein Pancake (Rich in Protein, Low Carb, Rich in Fiber)

Ingredients
1 scoop of Whey Protein (I used Vanilla North Coast Natural Hemp Protein Powder)
1/2 cup of unprocessed oats
1 whole egg
2 tbsp almond milk
1 tbsp fat free greek yogurt
dash of cinnamon
2 Tbsp of matcha powder (I used Organic Matcha)
1/2 tbsp of baking powder

Hemp Protein is good choice for vegans (not that I'm a vegan) because it not only is high in fiber but it also contains immune enhancing properties and kidney-protective effects.

1) Grind the oats in a Magic Bullet or normal blender until it's smooth like powder. You just made simple oat flour!

It looks like this when it's all grounded.

2) Add the protein powder, egg, cinnamon, almond milk, baking powder, and greek yogurt.

 3) Mix, mix, mix... and it'll look something like this!

Bring your pan to a medium high heat and spray a bit of oil on it. I was able to make four large protein pancakes with this batter.

Once the edges turn a little brown and you see a few bubbles pop on top, that's when you know it's good to flip.

Ta-da!

To top my pancakes with a bit of sweetness, I heated up a tablespoon of Coca Almond Spread from Trader Joes and a handful of fresh raspberries.

 Boy was this yummy. Not only do you get to eat pancakes for brunch, it's completely void of butter, white processed flour, and white sugar! It's a win win situation.

Happy Eating!

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Strawberry Banana Chia Seed Pudding Recipe

I had an amazing vacation at Dominican Republic filled with all you can eat food, room service, bar, drinks, and naturally I ate EVERYTHING. I didn't hold anything back when I was on vacation!

Now that I'm back, I have to revert back to my healthier lifestyle and eating habits (and surprisingly I really missed it while I was stuffing myself with steak and alcohol everyday). I tried this chia seed pudding recipe for the first time and it was absolutely delicious! It's super simple, quick, and acts as a great filling and clean breakfast.

 All you need is: 5 strawberries, 1/2 a banana, 1/2 cup of almond milk, 2 tbsp of Daily Cleanse from North Coast Naturals, and 3 tbsp of chia seeds.

 Blend all of the ingredients besides the chia seeds (leave one strawberry to cut up in chunks if you like a getting chunks of fruit in your pudding).

Once blended, stir in the chia seeds and fresh strawberry chunks. Leave overnight in the fridge to let the chia seeds expand to its fullest (that's what makes this pudding so filling for breakfast).

I made this on two different occasions and it was delicious! Next time, I'm going to try it with mango and matcha to make a Mango Match Chia Seed Pudding so let me know in the comments if you want to see the recipe for that too!

Happy Eating!!

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Blueberry Matcha Protein Smoothie Recipe

As a lover of the "Mind Over Matcha" smoothie at Booster Juice and an avid smoothie maker, I came to a sudden realization that instead of spending $8 for a smoothie each time, I should try replicating it at home instead! 

The Mind Over Matcha smoothie from Booster Juice contains: "Pure Matcha green tea, vanilla soymilk, blueberries, vanilla frozen yogurt, and whey protein powder. Hey! Whaddya know? I have pretty much all those ingredients. The smoothie (for 710ml contains 446 calories, 3.8 g of fat, 4g of fibre, 28g of protein, and 41g of sugar).

Here is my version of the "Mind Over Matcha" recipe:

Ingredients:
2 tbsp of Kiss Me Organics: Organic Matcha Powder
2 tbsp of 0% M.F Greek Yogurt
1 banana
1 rounded scoop of North Coast Naturals Unflavoured Whey Protein
1/2 cup of frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cup of Silk almond milk

1) Put all the ingredients listed above in a blender and blend.

Feel free to play around with the recipe and substitute where needed. Also the brand of almond milk, matcha powder, whey protein I use is most likely not what you have at home so just use whatever is available to you.

I have to say, the result of this 'experiment' was absolutely amazeballs. It tastes almost exactly like the smoothie I love without breaking the bank (you gotta admit, Booster Juice is not cheap by any means). Not only do you get a caffeine kick from the matcha, the blueberry matcha flavour combination is out of this world. I've also experimented by putting a handful of spinach and chia seeds to boost up the nutritional content and it tasted equally as delicious.

Happy Drinking!

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Banana Chocolate Power Smoothie Recipe

It is pretty much common knowledge now that eating a well balanced breakfast first thing in the morning will help you succeed in losing weight by keeping you satiated throughout the day. However, if you are anything like me, you probably value getting that extra ten minutes of snooze time over making breakfast. That is why I recommend drinking smoothies in the morning! It's quick, easy, healthy, and best of all, it is portable! You can even drink it in the car which makes for an incredibly convenient breakfast.

I drink a smoothie every day for breakfast and it honestly keeps me full for a good two-three hours. 

I recently bought two products from VEGA which is a brand of vegan, plant based nutritional products. I got the Vega Smoothie Bodacious Berry and Choco-a-lot.

Not only does the Vega Smoothie product give you a good 10g of plant based protein, it also provides 5g of fiber, two servings of veggies, 1g of Omega-3, and is completely dairy, gluten, and soy free with no added sugar.

The Choc-a-lot powder is chocolatey enough without being overly sweet which is nice because this is usually eaten for breakfast. There is also a handy scooper to help you measure out one scoop for each smoothie.

All I did was add one cup of almond milk, one banana, half a tablespoon of flax seed and voila! Your very own Banana Chocolate Power Smoothie! It is an awesome way to recharge your metabolism first thing in the morning so you burn off more calories throughout the day. :)

Sinfully delicious without the guilt. What could be better than that? :D 

Have you tried this product before? Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Happy Eating!

courtesy of http://memecrunch.com/meme/1YBV/smoothie

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Healthy Avocado Smoothie Recipe

I love avocados. Period. It is a magnificent vegetable because it is creamy, spreadable, and delicious on everything. I find it extremely versatile too because you can do pretty much anything with them. I've eaten them as is with just some salt and pepper, and I also blended them before into a pasta sauce. This time I decided to attempt the interesting concept of  Avocado Smoothie. 

I understand you can use almond milk if you want to keep it lower in fat but since I love regular milk, I just used that instead. I also added some grounded flax seed into the smoothie to make it rich in fiber.

Avocado Smoothie

(healthy fats, rich in magnesium, folate, and potassium)

Ingredients:

1/2 of an avocado

1 cup of milk (adjust to desired consistency)

1 tablespoon of honey

1/2 of a frozen banana

1 teaspoon of grounded flax seed

1. Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until smooth.

If you can see in the background, I have half a frozen banana. I added it into my smoothie because bananas act as a natural sweetener and since it's frozen, it turns the smoothie slightly cold (nobody wants a warm smoothie!).

So first comes the avocado.

Then I add the frozen banana and milk.

Then drizzle the honey and throw in the flax seed. Now blend!

I really enjoyed this healthy smoothie and I definitely will be making this more often. It's a good way to use up your overripe avocados! If you are willing to give it a try, let me know your thoughts on this smoothie! 

Happy Eating!

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Berry Greek Yogurt Parfait w/Honey Recipe

Ever since I came back from Asia a month ago, I wanted to get back into the lifestyle I had before I left which was exercising often (3-5 times a week) and eating healthy. However, I gotta admit, it has been hard. My willpower has given in a few times so I've experienced quite a few food comas since I've been back. BUT. No more.

I am confident and determined to set myself back on track and resume a healthy lifestyle! From now on, I will try to cook and bake as often as I can with as little artificial, sugary, and fattening ingredients and I’ll also share my recipes with you guys. My first recipe is quick, simple, and delicious as a snack or breakfast. It’s called Berry Greek Yogurt Parfait w/Honey.

You only need five ingredients for this recipe. See? Told you it was simple.

You need some 0% fat greek yogurt and granola. I’m using greek yogurt because it provides double the protein of most regular yogurts (and thus can also be a post-work out snack!). Greek yogurt is also a great source of calcium, probiotic bacteria, and has less fat than regular yogurt.

You will also need a honey bear :P, a cup or glass, and whatever berries you have on hand. I happened to have blackberries so I made it a blackberry parfait. :P

First step is to fill the bottom of the glass with greek yogurt, and then drizzle it with copious amounts of honey. I find greek yogurt to be too sour and bland on its own so I always like to put a little bit of extra honey in mine.

Next, sprinkle on some blackberries (or whatever berries you are using).

You just repeat the previous two steps again so put another layer of greek yogurt, honey, and then berries.

The last and top layer is the granola. Try to find granola with lots of nuts, seeds, or raisins as they are healthier than just plain clumped oats. I used regular granola that I got from Superstore and mixed in a handful of sliced almonds for an extra crunch.

FYI- I have been eating this for breakfast for the past three days now! It’s really healthy and keeps me satisfied until lunch. No need for greasy breakfasts anymore! 

Try this recipe out and let me know what you think!

Happy Eating!

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Product Review: Sabra Roasted Red Pepper Hummus and Chunky Salsa- Great for Parties And Your Waistline!

Hello hello! Here comes another product review!! A while ago, the folks at Sabra were kind enough to give me a few of their products to try out. This included the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus as well as the Chunky Pico De Gallo Salsa. I had so much fun experimenting with these two products that I will definitely be returning to get some more!!

As you can see, I used both the hummus and the salsa to top my homemade Ahi Tuna. It was super DE-licious!!!

The Sabra hummus comes in a 283g container and depending on what flavour of hummus you get, the middle part will be different. In my case, the middle of the hummus contained a type of red pepper puree.

The hummus is very smooth with no lumps and tasted like the chickpeas were freshly blended. FYI- hummus is traditionally made from mashed chickpeas, tahini, olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, and salt.

This makes for a great dip at parties (when served with cracker or crisps)and it’s a way healthier option than serving chips, don’t you think? :D

The Chunky Pico De Gallo salsa was my favourite because of its versatility and flavour.

The salsa was incredibly fresh and there were large chunks of tomatoes, onions, and herbs. I brought this to a ‘girls night in’ and everyone thoroughly enjoyed it!  

You can purchase Sabra products at Walmart or other specific retailers.

Experiment! Create your own dishes or appetizers! I certainly had fun with it :) Send me any creative or yummy hummus/salsa creations!

Happy Eating!


courtesy of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Hummus_from_The_Nile.jpg

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