Category: Recipes

Quinoa Cocoa Cakes for Two

… or for however many you like, really. This impromptu what-do-I-have-in-the-pantry-that-I-can-make-dessert-ish recipe is VERY easy and came out to two super moist and tasty little cakes. The consistency is almost fudge-like; the outside is just crisp enough to make it sort of a less gooey chocolate lava cake.

 

Yes it is as decadently good as it looks.....
Yes it is as decadently good as it looks…..

 

And added bonus, they are egg-free, gluten-free, paleo-friendly (depending how strict of a regimen you’re on considering there is a pseudo-grain flour involved), and it can easily be vegan/dairy-free by simply substituting the kind of protein used in the sweet cream sauce to something like Sunwarrior Protein-Vanilla. Make sure to check out the notes below the recipe for more tips! :)

 

Try it out and let me know what you think!

 

Quinoa Cocoa Cakes for Two

Ingredients:

1/4 Cup Quinoa Flour

2 Tbsp cocoa powder

3 Tbsp Stevia*

1/4 tsp. Baking Powder

Pinch of salt

Scant 1/4 tsp instant coffee or espresso (optional)

1 Tbsp Ground Flaxmeal

1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil*

1/4 Cup + 3 Tbsp water

1/4 tsp. Vanilla Extract

 

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350.*
In a small glass or bowl, whisk together flaxmeal, olive oil, water, and vanilla extract. Let sit for 5 minutes.
In another bowl, mix together quinoa flour, cocoa powder, stevia, baking powder, instant coffee, and salt.
Add flax liquid to dry ingredients and whisk together well.
Split batter into two greased large muffin tins (or I had mini-bundt tins). Bake for 20-25 minutes, until toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Plate each on top of half the Sweet Cream Sauce. Optional tops include.. well.. basically whatever you want. I had a dollop of Son of a Butter! Smoky Bacon Peanut Butter and a fresh strawberry.
*Next time I may try baking at 375 for around 18 minutes. If you like a more cakey, less fudgy center, this option would encourage that more.

 
Crazy Easy Sweet Cream Protein Sauce:

Scoop 1-2 Servings of your favorite vanilla protein powder into a bowl (I used Vi-Shape by Body By Vi since that is all I had on hand) and whisk with just enough water for thick sauce consistency. I added a touch of cardamom and cinnamon for an extra yumminess.

 

P.S. Don’t forget, if you want photos of recipes as they are created, workout tips, free gym routines, and other random goodness, you can follow me on Instagram or Twitter too. Happy New Year, everyone!

 

Quinoa and Veggie Stuffed Squash

I am so backed up on posting recipes on here that I will probably spend the next couple of weeks putting a new one up every other day! Okay, maybe not that much to bombard your updates… but at least a handful more before the year is over to play catch up a bit. :)

This one also got some awesome reviews from the members of Anytime Fitness. It’s super easy and SUPER yummy, and you can play around with ingredients (adding more veggies you like, including meat/cheese or not, all kinds of fun deliciousness) according to your personal specifications. Make sure to comment below with any fun alterations you try!

I kept this the same format as the last instead of typing it out on here, and will continue doing so due to the feedback about it being easy to print and share. Yay for my computer skills making you happy! :)

Mmm.. I love squash season...
Mmm.. I love squash season…

Some more recipes you have to look forward to (just off the top of my head, because there will be a LOT more) are: Oven-Roasted Veggies; Cinna-Beer Buns with Honey Beer Caramel & Chopped Pretzel Filling (the original, unhealthy version… consider it a Splurge-cipe!); my Go-To Dinner Salad (trust me, it’s absolutely mouth-watering); and tons of others I’ve gotten requests for.

If you want to be a little ahead of the game when it comes to food photos, recipes, fitness tips, free workouts, or other randomly entertaining things, add me on Instagram and Twitter.

Also don’t forget to like us on Facebook or subscribe for email updates to the left if you’d like to know whenever a new blog is posted! I am also planning some reaaally awesome give-aways for the beginning of the new year for Facebook friends so clickity click if you want to see what’s in store.

And, one last thing: Please, please, PLEASE share our Veteran’s Corner page with any and all military veterans you know! It is bound to be a GREAT venue for them, whether they are experienced writers or not, and we are very excited about making this something special! I have also decided to include veteran’s spouses, family members, or significant others as possible contributors. If this describes you, please go check out the submission page and I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Slow-Cooker Thanksgiving Chili

I know we are already well-beyond our tryptophan comas, but I still had to share this delicious and EASY recipe with everyone since it got such rave reviews from the members at the Anytime Fitness where I train and lend a helping hand.

Rather than re-typing it out on here, I attached it in the same handout format that I originally made. This way, you can just click on and print to size (either in a new window, or right click and hit “print”). Easy, breezy.

Try it out and let me know what you think in the comments below! And, of course, Happy-Deliciously-Belated-Thanksgiving!

Super easy, super delicious, super festive ANY time of year!
Super easy, super delicious, super festive ANY time of year!

Healthy “Birthday Cupcake” in a bowl!

After today’s workout, I came home to nonchalantly mix up a little recovery meal to hold me over a bit. This amazingly delicious bowl of goodness was the result of that. Filling, healthy, and literally tastes JUST LIKE the classic yellow cupcake with chocolate frosting on top. Not kidding! Definitely recommend you all try it out, feel free to share the credited photo, and ENJOY! :)

Great substitutes for the oat bran include quinoa flakes, cream of rice, or rolled oats.

Totally Impromptu Banana Oat Pancakes

Most of my recipes are a result of someone saying, “I don’t have anything to eat”. That is one of my favorite things to hear, or I shall say, one of my inner-culinary-Macgyver’s favorite things to hear.

 

Cell phone photos go hand in hand with the frugal life of a Kitchen Macgyver.

These pancakes are a result of the mister saying just that after coming home from an appointment this morning… except he also expressed his craving for pancakes. Adding fuel to the fire, his concluding, “I have no idea what you would make them out of.. there really is nothing here, especially for pancakes.” The funniest part is that we have been through this numerous times. Even back to the very first time I went to his house, he said there was absolutely nothing to eat. Half an hour later, he sat down to homemade veggie bean burgers on Ezekiel with special sauce. You’d think he knew how it works by now, but I think he just plays along at this point due to, 1) how excited I get.. and, 2) getting to eat the (normally pretty yummy) end result. Yay for meeting your foodie soulmate.

 

Anyways, I digress. After scrounging through the kitchen cabinets, this is the result of today’s “there is nothing to eat” challenge. Totally Impromptu Banana Oat Pancakes.

 

Ingredients

¼ cup + 2 tablespoons Steel Cut Oats

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp cinnamon

pinch of salt

2 tbsp corn starch

¼ cup whole wheat flour

¼ cup shredded mozzarella

2 tbsp baking stevia

½ tbsp butter (melted)

¾+ cup milk *I eye-balled it until a thick but pourable consistency was reached

1 tbsp almond butter

1 large banana, mashed up

Stevia, honey, almond butter, and butter to make it pretty once they’re done

 

Honestly, when I put these things together, it’s important to keep in mind I don’t always measure and am literally creating it with all I have in the kitchen at the time. I am pretty sure I remembered the correct proportions of ingredients… but definitely make sure to add more milk, if needed, since I just poured it in until a thick but pourable batter consistency was reached.

 

Mix the oats, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, corn starch, flour and shredded mozzarella together in a large measuring cup (I had a 16 oz one available). In a separate bowl, whisk together the butter, milk, stevia and almond butter. Pour the wet ingredients into the measuring cup and whisk until mixed. Then add in the mashed banana and whisk until all incorporated.

 

Heat a nonstick pan on medium-low heat. Once it is warmed up well, spray nonstick spray and pour about ¼ cup batter. These take a little bit longer than regular pancakes due to the steel cut oats (which added a great nutty texture and taste that he said made these so amazing), at least 3 minutes a side. Once the edges look dry and the top begins to slightly bubble, flip the pancake for another 3-4 minutes. You should end up with 6-8 golden brown, medium pancakes.

 

Garnish the plate with a sprinkle of stevia, drizzle of honey, and grossly romantic heart-shaped butters.

 

Happy Chocolate Chip Cookie Day!

There literally seems to be a day for every single food, condiment, spice, baked good, anything-slightly-culinarily-related these days. But, especially considering O.G. chocolate chip cookies are one of my better known specialties, who would I be to pass this up?

Instead of a plain ol’ recipe for cookies, here is a special little treat I will occasionally make myself (that is just like eating my O.G. cookies all mushy-like with a spoon.. Mmm..)

Post-Workout Warm Cookie Dough in a Bowl

Mix the following ingredients in a good-sized bowl:

¼ C. cream of rice (dry) + 3/4 C. water 
½ C. + 3 Tbsp liquid egg whites
½ tsp butter extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
Pinch of ground instant coffee
1 Tbsp brown sugar [OR] 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup + 2 Tbsp stevia [OR] 1 Tbsp Splenda brown sugar for baking

Cook above in microwave, whisking every minute until nice 'n thick (I start with 2 minutes, whisk, 1 minute, whisk, 1 minute, whisk... you get the idea). If it gets TOO thick, just whisk in more water. Let it cool a good five minutes or so (it will be really hot), then stir in: 

1 heaping Tbsp semi-sweet chocolate chips (preferably 70% or darker)

I pretty much let it cool down to only slightly warm before adding them in, otherwise the chocolate chips will just melt away as soon as you start stirring. You can always just sprinkle them on top though.

There are tons of substitutions and variations that can be made of this, too. Using oats, protein powder, different additives (walnuts, cacao nibs, blueberries...). Play around and see what works! This in particular is suited best for a PWO meal because of the faster-absorbing (high-glycemic) carbohydrates, ratio of protein to those carbs, and lower fat.

Tasty and effective! Enjoy!