Posts

…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Stuffed Jack-O-Lantern Bell Peppers…

stuffed_pepper

Looking for a great way to create a Halloween themed dinner for your family? Or are you looking for a dish to take to an upcoming Halloween party? Here is a great (and simple) recipe for a Spoo-tastic dish for the upcoming holiday.

 

What you will need (This recipe will make 6 bell peppers):

  • 1 lb lean meat (you can use ground turkey, chicken, beef, deer, or whatever you would like!)
  • 6 bell peppers (any color will work! But Orange will be the best to imitate a real pumpkin)
  • 2 tablespoons of the olive oil
  • 1 cup of black beans
  • 1.5 cup or rice (I used Uncle Ben’s Wild Rice)
  • 1/2 cup chopped onions
  • 1/2 cup chopped mushrooms
  • 1tsp salt
  • 1tsp pepper
  • 1.5 cup low fat cheese
  • 1 clove of garlic

Instructions:

  • Heat oven to 350 degrees Ferinheight
  • WASH and Cut the tops off the peppers
  • Remove the inside content of the peppers and wash them again
  • Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat
  • Add the meat (for my peppers in the video I cooked chicken)
  •  Season meat with salt, pepper, garlic, and other desired seasoning
  • Add mushrooms, onions, rice, beans, and whatever else you would like to add to the skillet
  • Cook all off the contents, breaking up the lumps, until the meat is thoroughly cooked (approximately 8 to 10 minutes)
  • Once all contents are cooked stir in cheese
  • Evenly distribute contents of skillet into the bell peppers
  • Sprinkle a small portion of cheese on the very top of the peppers
  • Pour a small amount of water into the bottom of the baking dish
  • Cover  backing dish with foil and bake for 15 -30 minutes (the longer you cook it, the softer the pepper will become. If you want a firm crisp pepper cook it for a smaller amount of time)

Sever these stuffed peppers with your favorite side dishes and enjoy a delicious Halloween themed meal!

/1 Comment/by

…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Bell Pepper Nacho Bites…

Bell Pepper nacho bites_2

Who does NOT love nachos?

OK… if you do not love nachos there is no way we can be friends. The savoy mixture of seasoned meat with cheese and fresh veggies…It is making my mouth water to just think about it!

I decided to create a simple, healthy, and cost effective alternative to one of my favorite dishes.

This would be a great dish to have as a finger food when you have people coming over OR it can be a great snack/meal.

Ingredients:

  • 1 package ground lean meat (turkey, chick, lean beef)
  • Assortment of Bell Peppers (red, orange or green and I made 4-6 “bites” per bell pepper)
  • 1 cup low fat Cheese
  • 1/4 cup Salsa
  • 1 tbsp Tomato Paste
Directions:

1. Cook meat thoroughly, add desired seasoning if desired

2. Drain meat and mix salsa/tomato paste to coat meat for flavor

3. Scoop out seeds from peppers and cut into boats (each pepper = 4-6 pepper boats/bites)

4. Scoop meat into pepper boats and sprinkle cheese on top of the meat

5. Either heat up in microwave for 2-3 minutes or stick bell pepper boats onto a non stick baking sheet in the oven at 300 degrees for 15-20 minutes (or until all of the cheese is melted)

6. Remove boats from oven (or microwave) and top with your choice of vegetable (such as minced onions, lettuce, etc.)

You can also top these bits with low fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt.

By substituting the chips for the bell peppers you are able to cut out a huge overload of carbs without sacrificing the quality or flavor of this dish.

By using lean meat, this will also allow you to cut the amount of fat that is traditionally in this dish.  You can get creative and add diced tomatoes, olives, and other things that you will traditionally find in nachos.  Please be mindful when you add more items.  That can compromise the healthy nutritional value of this meal.

Bon Appétit

/by

Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Chocolate and Cinnamon Breakfast Bites…

ChocCinnBites_1

There are a few ways that you can make this, but I decided to make mine in a unique way.

This is a GREAT breakfast option for those who need to grab food and GO in the morning.

Ingredients:

  • I tbsp. cinnamon
  • 1 scoop protein or 1 pack or 1/4 cup (*** PLEASE be aware that different protein powders will produce different results. For this Recipe I used the Advocare Vanilla Meal Replacement Shake***
  • 1/4 cup of honey
  • 1/2 cup of oat flour
  • 1/4 cup of Chocolate peanut butter (BUT you can use regular peanut butter)
  • 3/4 cup of whole oats
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract

choccinn_2

You can MAKE your own oat flour! All you need is rolled oats and a food processor OR blender.  Put a few cups of rolled oat into the food processor/blender and mix it until it becomes fine like “Flour”. You can also purchase it BUT I just decided to make my own.

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and a bowl.  Contents in bowl will start to clump together BUT it will not be a paste or batter.  You will want to grab small amounts of the mixture and roll them into small balls (about the size of a ping pong ball). Stick them in the freezer (Leave them in the freezer LONGER FOR BEST RESULTS! I stuck mine in the freezer overnight but around 4 hours should be good enough) and then enjoy.

choccinn_3

Like I stated in the video, I also dipped my breakfast bites with Greek Yogurt! You can use 1 cup of plain Greek yogurt and drizzle about 1 tbsp of honey to make a dip. You can also find caramel, chocolate, or other flavors at your local store and use those prepackaged yogurts to dip your bites.

choccinn_4

You can make these several different ways! You can use regular peanut butter with cinnamon. You can use other spices, you can use other types of nut butter, you can pretty much get as creative as you would like!

/by

…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: FroYo Bites…

foryobites_1

Seeing as there are only a few weeks left of summer (insert cheering from parents who have had to stay home with kids all summer) it can get hard to find health and fun treats for the family to enjoy.  I do my best to try to find treats that will be healthy, affordable, and fun for every member of the family to help create.

For this recipe I decided to make FroYo bites.  This is a simple, easy, and tasty treat that can be enjoyed by all members of the family!


Ingredients:

  • 1 cup Any flavor of Greek yogurt that you like. (you can even use plain unfloavored Greek Yogurt).
  • 1/2 cup Fresh fruit/berries
  • 1/2 cup Granola crumbs (you can even use graham cracker crust)
  • 1 tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

  • In a mixing bowl mix the granola, honey, and coconut oil. This will make the granola clump together
  • In cupcake paper (you can use actual paper of silicon cups) pack in a thin layer of the granola/honey/coconut oil mix.
  • Once you create a small base layer dollop on top of the layer your favorite flavor of Greek Yogurt.
  • This is where you can get creative! You can mix in nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, berries, or pretty much anything you want into or on top of your Greek yogurt.
  • Fill your FroYo cup to the top (making sure that it DOES NOT overflow).
  • Place your FroYo cups in the freezer and freeze for about 4 hours (sometimes it does not take as long and sometimes it will take longer! I froze mine over night to make sure they would freeze completely.)
  • Once frozen peel the treats out of the cupcake wrapping.
  • ENJOY!!

froyobite_2

Like I stated above you can get as creative as you would like with this treat! And, it is quick, not very messy, and great to allow kids to help you make.  You can make a whole batch of them and everyone can have their very own unique FroYo Bite.

As a disclaimer: YOU WANT TO WATCH WHAT YOU ADD TO YOUR FROYO BITES! If you add a ton of sugar and added things, it can quickly decrease the health value of this snack. You will also want to use GREEK YOGURT. I tried making this treat with regular yogurt. Yes it was good, BUT having the thick consistency that Greek Yogurt offers makes the treat better (in my opinion).  

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE REMEMBER TO REMOVE THE CUPCAKE WRAPPING BEFORE YOU EAT IT. You do not want to get a mouthful of paper/plastic/rubber while trying to enjoy these treats.

/2 Comments/by

…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Pumpkin Protein Treats…

 

protein_pumpkin_custard

Well… It is that time of year again.

That time of the year where stores and manufactures start to sell EVERYTHING made with pumpkin.  So to get in the mood of fall, I created this delicious (AND healthy) dessert alternative for those who are counting their macronutrients and trying to stay on track with eating healthy.

What you will need:

  • 1 scoop of Whey Protein ( I used 1st Phorm Vanilla Whey)
  • 1 cup of pumpkin puree
  • 1 tbsp vanialla extract
  • 1/2 tsp nutmeg
  • 1 tbsp cinnamon
  • 1/2 tbsp honey (or dash of sugar substitute product)
  • dash of water
  • Whip topping
  • pie crust/shells to put your pumpkin mixture in (you do not have to use this! You can serve it in a bowl with whip topping!)

Directions:

  1. combine ALL dry ingredients into a bowl
  2. mix in the pumpkin puree and honey
  3. combine dash of water (approximately 1-2 tablespoons) while mixing
  4. once mixture is smooth and well mixed add the pumpkin mixture to your pie crust OR serve in a bowl.
  5. Feel free to garnish this with whip cream, nuts, etc.
  6. BE CAREFUL not too add too much to this dish! The above ingredient list has created a dish that is high in protein and lower in carbs.  Adding things to this dish can make it not as healthy.

Feel free to watch the following video to show you how to make your pumpkin protein dish!

Tis the season to indulge in some fall treats and with this recipe you can do so without feeling guilty! Pumpkins are a great food source to add to your diet! They are packed with fiber which is a good thing! Eating foods high in fiber can help to make you feel full longer and help you regulate your digestive tract. Pumpkins are also low in calories AND carbs!

Pumpkins are packed with vitamin A which in return helps with your eye sight. They are also high in potassium and vitamin C which can help boost your immune system. Pumpkins also have nutrients in them that have been proven to help lover your LDL cholesterol levels.

Try to re-create this protein packed treat and test it with your friends and family and see if they can taste the difference (compared to the traditional protein custard treats).

/1 Comment/by

… White Chocolate & Raspberry Protein Muffins…

rasp_muffins_watermark

 

I LOVE Quest bars… and I LOVE muffins.  I found a great way to mix them together for a yummy and healthy high protein treat!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup protein mix (about 50 grams or 1 heaping scoop)
8 grams Sugar free white chocolate pudding mix (you can use regular white chocolate pudding, it just raises the Calories and carbs for the muffins)
45 grams egg whites (I used a carton of egg whites but you can crack open a fresh egg and separate the yolk from the egg whites and use that as well)
50 grams plain Greek yogurt (for this recipe I used Fage 0% fat plain Greek yogurt)
40 grams fresh raspberries
1 tbsp honey (or you can use stevia or other sweeteners)
1/2 bar white chocolate raspberry quest bar cut into 3 pieces
rasp_muffins_watermark_2
Directions:
  • Turn on over to 350 degrees
  • Mash/blend raspberries with yogurt then mix all ingredients besides quest bar together
  • Pour into greased muffin tins and insert 1 piece of quest bar in the cent
  • Bake 16-18 minutes

rasp_muffins_watermark_3

 

You may have to be careful with how much protein you use for this recipe!

I have made them with 1st Phorm Whey (1 heaping scoop) and also Advocare Meal Replacement shakes (1 full package).

If the cupcake is moist in the center you will want to add MORE protein (or cut back slightly on the amount of egg whites you used).  Each protein will cook/bake differently.  You will have to slightly alter it to work for what you have (or you can purchase the kind of protein that I use) .

For icing I will mix in some plain Greek yogurt with honey and more crushed raspberries! This makes a light sweet “frosting” without all of the sugar and can serve as a healthy alternative.

Icing Ingredients:

1/2 cup 0% fat plain Greek yogurt

1 – 2 tsp honey (or another sweetener of your choice)

crushed raspberries

***You can also add coco powder to this to make it chocolate (add just chocolate and honey/sweetener to the plain Greek yogurt) ***

You can use frozen fruit BUT I prefer fresh fruit.  I personally think it taste better and holds up longer.  I would recommend storing these in your fridge (or freeze them so you can enjoy them as treats and this will allow them to last a lot longer!)

Check out this video which shows you how I create these amazing muffins:

/2 Comments/by

…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!

 

/1 Comment/by

…Infinite Life Fitness Recipe: Zucchini Lasagna…

zucchini_Lasagna

 

I don’t know about you…but there are just some things that I can not give up.  BUT the key to reaching your health and fitness goals is FINDING A BALANCE.  You may not have to completely give up on the things that you enjoy the most. All you have to do is slightly alter them.

I came up with a zucchini lasagna that taste JUST AS GOOD as the real thing…minus the pile of noodles that come along with a lasagna.  Not only does it taste just as good…there are fewer calories and MORE protein!

What you will need:

  • 1 lb lean ground turkey (or lean beef or any other chopped up lean meat)
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 1/2 dices onions
  • dash of salt
  • dash of pepper
  • 1 tbsp basil
  • 16 oz contain of low-fat cottage cheese
  • 1 can of tomato paste
  • 1 can of tomato sauce
  • 3 cans of diced tomatoes (i used the fiesta lime Rotel)
  • 1 pack of low-fat shredded cheese
  • 1 LARGE zucchini  (or enough zucchini to cover the various layers that you want)

2014-07-25 21.11.08

 

What you will do:

  • Pre-Heat your oven to 350 degrees
  • Cook and season meat in a pan and set aside for later step
  • wash your zucchini (some people have even skinned the zucchini…so you can do what you prefer)
  • you can slice the zucchini into long thin strips OR you can cut your zucchini into round slices such as I did:

2014-07-25 21.15.48

 

  • Next you HAVE to grill or saute your zucchini.  Zucchini is a vegetable that retains a lot of water. If you do not pre-cook the zucchini when you cook the lasagna it will become a watery/soupy dish.
  • After you cook your zucchini pieces start to layer your dish:

2014-07-25 22.29.55

 

  • Now layer your lasagna with the other ingredients:

2014-07-25 22.32.09

 

  • This is when you can get creative and mix up how you put together your layers. I wanted to have a total of two layers on my lasagna so I just cut all ingredients in half and mixed them up between the two layers.

2014-07-25 22.37.322014-07-25 22.40.28

 

 

 

lasagna

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This dish can make approximately 8-10 servings.

I was able to make this dish, separate the squares of lasagna out into containers and freeze the extra pieces. This lasagna was AMAZING flavorful. I would have to say having the lime Rotel added a new burst of flavor. I also enjoyed having the tomato past because that also added to the flavor of the meal.

The fun thing about these casserole is that you can mix and match ingredients and add or change anything that you would want.

Another great thing about making a dish like this is that you will be able to set aside portions of this lasagna to have later during the week. With the added cottage cheese and lean meat, this dish is packed with protein while still leaving you feeling full and satisfied.

Meal preparation is KEY when it comes to helping you stay on track with healthy meal planning and eating.  If you have food prepared and ready to eat you are more likely to make healthier meal choices during meal time.

 

/by