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…infinite life fitness recipe: sweet potato chocolate fudge cake…

2014-09-21 13.01.45

Chocolate Cake… two words that will make most people’s ears perk up and their mouths will  start watering.

Getting healthy and fit does not mean that you have to completely abandon the things that taste the best to you.  As with anything, you can still enjoy your favorite things but, MODERATION is key.  If you have a sweet tooth enjoy a nice small slice of chocolate.  If you want a brownie or some ice cream stick to the actual serving size that is recommended on the size of the box (yes that means measuring out or weighing out the correct portions) instead of just guessing at the amount that you think is “a small portion of food”.

Another trick that I have learned is to find other recipes that provide the same great taste of regular treats but carry more nutritional macronutrients.  There are a lot of recipes out there…so try out a few to see what you will like the best! And never be afraid to change recipes around s that they contain things that YOU like. It may take several attempts to get the recipe down the way you like but that is the fun part…trying to figure out what will turn out delicious (and nutritious!)

Today I am sharing the recipe of an outstanding treat.  Sweet potato chocolate cake.  It is very flavorful moist, and honestly taste the exact same as other chocolate treats that you can get at the store.

What you will need:

(Put all of these ingredients into a food processor)

  • 2 whole eggs
  • 1 cup cooked sweet potato
  • 40-50 stevia drops (Or other sources of sweetener.  You can also use sugar or honey)
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
  • 2 scoops protein powder (I used 1st Phorm Whey Protein)
  • 4 oz unsweetened apple sauce
  • 8 tablespoons cocoa powder (or dark chocolate cocoa powder)
  • 4 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

What you will do:

  • Heat your oven to 350 degrees
  • Blend all of the above ingredients together VERY WELL!
  • Place combined ingredients into a muffin pan (or you can make a pan of brownies and later cut them into desirable slices).
  • Cook these for 20 – 25 minutes checking them periodically
  • IMPORTANT: *make sure you use either silicone bake ware or line your bake ware with parchment paper.  It makes the cake cook evenly and helps to limit the outside cooking faster than the inside (making it easier to separate after it has cooled).

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I typically will make a few dozen of these and keep them in the freezer.  This allows them to last a lot longer.  When you would like to enjoy one just pop it in the microwave and top with a dollop of peanut butter, whip cream, Greek yogurt, or even low calorie ice cream (like Arctic Zone).  The great thing about this recipe is that you can get very creative! You an add nuts, chocolate chips, dried fruit, or anything else you would like. BUT BE CAREFUL with the amount of things that you add.  The more you add the more you compromise the good nutritional value of this healthy treat.

Try this out on your own and dress it up however you like.  If you decide to try it post it on instagram and tag the picture with #infinitelifefitness so that I can see it! 🙂

Hope that you are able to enjoy them as much as I do!.

 

 

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…infinite life fitness recipe: Protein Fudge…

protein_fudge

Working towards your health and fitness goals do not require you to completely sacrifice sweet treats.  Lets be honest…who doesn’t get a sweet tooth every now and then? And yes it can be hard to ignore those sweet cravings! So what do you do?

Instead of driving yourself crazy and trying to ignore the sweet cravings you should come up with healthy AND tasty alternatives for you have when you are needing something a little sweet.  Here is a treat that I personally love to make and usually keep in my freezer just in case I need to grab something sweet.

What you will need:

  • ¾ cup peanut butter (I use Skippy natural chocolate peanut butter)
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • ¼ cup melted coconut oil
  • 3 scoops vanilla protein powder ( I chose to use 1st Phorm Vanilla Whey. Depending on the brand of protein you may need to use less or more! You will have to adjust your recipe)

What you will do:

  • heat up coconut oil and measure out 1/4 cup
  • Place all of the above ingredients into a mixing bowl
  • mix ingredients until batter is thick and sticky (I added small amounts of almond milk to get the mixture to mix and blend. I literally just added a few tablespoons)
  • Once the batter is mixed place in a freezer safe container
  • spread batter evenly into container
  • place container in freezer and allow to freeze
  • once the batter is frozen cut into even squares and enjoy!

NOTE: I stored my protein fudge in the freezer.  If thawed out it will just become runny and not thick.  Keeping it in the freezer allows it to stay in the fudge chunks.  Even though it is frozen, the fudge is very easy to bite into and chew.  It is slightly chewy and VERY yummy!

You can get creative and toss in nuts, chocolate chips, or anything else that you would like.  But remember, adding those things increase the calorie, carbs, and fat macro nutrient content in this treat.  So you want to try to limit what you add to make sure to keep it as healthy as possible.

Like I stated before, this is a great treat to keep around the house to help subdue those sweet cravings you may get. This snack is packed with an amazing taste and is high in protein.

Mix. Freeze. and Enjoy! Let me know how YOUR version of this recipe turns out!

 

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…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Protein Bread…

protein bread

 

If any of you are like me…you may LOVE to eat bread and bread like products.  Bread is my one weakness so once you find out the nutritional value (or the lack of nutrition) that is found in your favorite bread, it makes you cringe just thinking about indulging in more than one service size.   I had to find an alternative to help satisfy my bread craving as well as fit into my macronutrients.

What you will need:

  • 1 pack of baking bread yeast (NOT the quick rise yeast, just the regular yeast)
  • 2 cups of wheat flour
  • 1 cup (84 g) of vanilla Protein (I used 1st Phorms Vanilla Ice Cream Protein.  You can use other brands but i have found this brand to work the best for me when it comes to baking and cooking with it)
  • 1 tablespoon of wheat gluten
  • 1 tablespoon of dry milk
  • dash of salt
  • 1 tablespoon of olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon of honey (you can also use maple syrup, agave nectar, or sugar.  YOU NEED regular sugar to help feed the yeast.  It is NOT advised that you use artificial sweetener for this recipe)
  • 1 1/2 cup of water
  • Bread making machine or bread pan

What you will do:

  • the type of bread machine that I have and use  is an Oyster 2lb express bread maker 
  • Add all of the wet ingredients first!!
  • You will then add together all of the dry ingredients
  • You will make a small well in the middle of the mixture and then add the yeast (look at picture 1)proteinbread_1
  • For my settings i chose: 1.5 lb loaf & light crust.
  • I pressed the start button and just let it sit!
  • My bread maker kneaded the dough and baked it.  Once the bread was ready the machine cut off automatically.
  • I let the bread cool and then removed it from the pan and cut it up into my desired sizes.

You are more than welcome to play around with this recipe.  This is just how i learned how to make mine and it seems to work very well.  My bread is very dense yet flaky.  It is very filling for me and a great snack to grab when you are on the go!

proteinbread_2

 

 

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…infinite life fitness recipe: C.T. Crunch Protein Pancakes…

2014-02-14 19.24.48

My favorite breakfast item = Protein pancakes!

These are easy to make, have a high amount of protein and a small amount of carbs.

When you have a healthy diet you have to try to create things that will satisfy your urge for things such as pancakes and waffles.  In all honesty there hit the spot for me!  When i have craving for traditional breakfast foods, i just create something similar BUT my meal is lower in carbs and higher in protein.

What you will need:

  • First Phorm  CT Crunch Whey Protein (or any other type of cinnamon protein)
  • (2) egg whites
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp coconut flour
  • 1/3 cup of water or Almond milk (add this until the batter is the consistency that you would like!  The more liquid the batter the more pancakes you can make…BUT it will make flatter/slimmer pancakes)
  • add sweetener to your own preference ( I used 1 tbsp of equal sweetener
  • Walden’s Farm Pancake Syrup 

How to cook the pancakes:

  • turn on your stove top to medium heat and get a frying pan and lightly spritz it with olive oil
  • mix all ingredients into a mixing bowl
  • Mix ingredients until the batter is mixed completely.  Add water or almond milk to make the batter the consistency that you would like
  • At this time you can add nuts, fruit, or any other items that you would like to be cooked into the pancake!  I have also added dark chocolate chips and this is also a great addition to this breakfast treat!
  • Add batter to pan and let pancakes cook ( do not forget to flip the pancakes when they are ready).
  • Once they have cooked place them on your dish and allow to cool
  • Add syrup (I personally use Walden’s Farm sugar free syrup)
  • ENJOY!!!

CTpancakes_1

Reaching your health and fitness goals require you to find things that will supplement your diet without completely depriving you of things that you want and crave.  Yes you can enjoy the things you love but in moderation!  But if you choose to say on track with healthy eating you have to learn how to make substitutions with your recipes to make the recipe healthier for your lifestyle and goals.

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