Protein Pancakes (No Powder Necessary)

Forget those damn Blueberry Banana Pancakes. Those things don't even taste like actual pancakes. But THESE do! 

Did I also mention they have 29g of protein with NO protein powder used in the batter? And that they are only 7+ on WW for the ENTIRE BATCH? Oh, yes.

These were made on a whim in my kitchen one day (literally, I just grabbed ingredients that had protein in them, avoiding powder after my last mishap) and they turned out fabulous. I then made them again, adapting the recipe (see below) to alter the nutrition a bit. Enjoy!

PROTEIN PANCAKES (NO POWDER NECESSARY)

Servings: 1 batch = about 4 pancakes

Nutritional Information:

WW Points Plus: 8+ for recipe #1, 7+ for recipe #2

Note: Nutrition on the left is for recipe #1, nutrition on right reflects recipe #2 (see below)

Ingredients:

• Recipe #1: Uses real eggs / no yogurt
• 2 eggs, slightly beaten
• 1/4 c lowfat cottage cheese
• 1/4 c oatmeal
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Dash of pumpkin pie spice
• Optional: fruit topping
• Recipe #2: Uses egg substitute / yogurt
• 6 TBSP Egg Beaters
• 1/4 c lowfat cottage cheese
• 1/4 c oatmeal
• 2 TBSP flour
• 1/2 tsp almond extract
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• Dash of pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 c vanilla Greek yogurt

Directions:

1. Combine egg, oatmeal, cottage cheese, flour, extracts, and spice in a bowl and stir.
2. Following nonstick spray, place about 2 small spoonfuls of mixture in the pan. 
3. Let cook on low until mixture begins to bubble and then flip to the other side.
4. Top with yogurt/fruit/more spice and enjoy! 

Crockpot Lemon Chicken

Let me preface this by saying two things: 

1. No, this is not like the Chinese take-out type of lemon chicken, but more of an "herb" chicken.
2. I did not actually follow the recipe I found for this dish... (that can be found here at Chef-In-Training). I was running behind on dinner that night, and didn't take the time to make the entire dish the "proper way" (if there is a "right way" in cooking). The original recipe actually has you taking the liquid mixture from the crock pot and heating it over the stove with some corn starch to create a thicker sauce. It may then be topped with slivered almonds. I didn't have time for all that, so what you see above was what we got.

Alright, now that I've said those two things... I will add one more thing: I don't know if I cooked this chicken too long again or what, but it was very tender. I wasn't a huge fan of the texture, and ended up dipping the chicken in the applesauce on my plate (which surprisingly was a good idea). So I would suggest maybe serving with some on the side (just a thought). Enjoy!

CROCKPOT LEMON CHICKEN

Servings: Enough for 3 people to have some leftovers... so let's say 4-6?

Nutritional Information:

WW Points Plus: 1+/oz of chicken, 1+ for sauce = about 5+
Note: Nutritional values below reflect only the sauce

Ingredients:

• 3 boneless/skinless chicken breasts
• 1 c chicken broth
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 TBSP honey dijon mustard
• 2 TBSP margarine, melted
• 1/4 tsp rosemary
• Optional: sprinkle of garlic powder/salt

Directions:

1. Heat margarine/butter in a medium-sized bowl in the microwave for a few seconds, until softened/melted.
2. Add 1 cup chicken broth and 1/4 cup lemon juice to the bowl and stir.
3. Stir in 3 TBSP honey dijon mustard and rosemary (and optional garlic powder).
4. Combine all ingredients in the crock pot (coating the chicken) and cook on low for about 3 1/2 hours.
5. Enjoy!

Almond-Dipped Strawberries & Homemade Crunch Bars

One of my latest creations was one that I made for my family this past Easter... Almond-Dipped Strawberries and Homemade Candy Bars. Everyone knows how much I love almond flavoring (if not, see my Almond Cupcakes for Two), and seeing as chocolate gives me migraines (no joke), I wanted to try something a little different than the cliché chocolate-covered strawberries. Enter almond bark. 

I had seen strawberries dipped in orange-colored almond bark before to imitate carrots, and figured Easter would be the ideal time to try and give this recipe a go.

I will be honest and say that although this recipe seems simple enough (melt and dip, right?), it actually is quite an art to try and keep the almond bark from crystalizing/hardening and taking the consistency of a thick icing. After a few cubes, I finally realized the trick was to heat it over the stove (not the microwave), turning the heat on low and off every few seconds while stirring. Also, don't worry about adding the food coloring until you have the consistency that you want (also, to use 3x more yellow coloring than red).

Knowing these secret tips now would really help speed up this process in the future for an easy and simple treat. But not knowing this along the way lead to the creation of my homemade candy bars (again, chocolate-free for those who are intolerant like myself... I'm literally sparing myself the headache here). Instead of a nice melting mixture, I had a whole bowl full of thick icing-like almond bark. Now when life hands you lemons, you find a friend with some sugar and vodka and have a party. When life gives you goopy almond bark, you add crunchy cereal and make your own (non-chocolate) Crunch bars.

Obviously both recipes are loaded with sugary-goodness and by no means fall under my "healthy" eating recipes, but they are both wonderful treats for a special occasion or party. Enjoy!

ALMOND-DIPPED STRAWBERRIES & HOMEMADE CRUNCH BARS

Servings: Enough to feed a party of 20+ people!

Nutritional Information:

WW Points Plus: 0+ for the strawberries, other points depend on amount of almond bark used...

Ingredients:

• Almond bark cubes
• Food coloring
• Strawberries
• Corn Chex cereal

Directions:

Almond-Dipped Strawberries:

1. Wash strawberries and dry using paper towel to remove any excess water. Set aside.
2. In a small stovetop pan, heat a few cubes of almond bark for a few seconds on low, consistently stirring the mixture. DO NOT allow the mixture to get too hot or it will crystalize and become hard, giving chunks to the dip. To prevent this, turn off the heat after a few seconds of melting.
3. When mixture is the correct consistency, add food coloring (3x as much yellow than red).
4. Dip strawberries into almond bark and set on plate covered in wax paper.
5. Allow strawberries to cool in order for the coating to harden.
6. Enjoy!

Homemade Almond Crunch Bars:

1. In either a microwave or small stovetop pan, heat a few cubes of almond bark on low. Stir in coloring food coloring.
2. Gradually add in crumbled Corn Chex (or any other type of crispy cereal), stirring into the mixture.
3. Pour mixture into cookie cutter shapes on top of wax paper and let set in the refrigerator.
4. When cool, pop out the shapes from the cookie cutters.
5. Enjoy!

Almond Cupcakes for Two

It was my dad's birthday tonight, and I really wanted to make him a special birthday treat (cake-wise that is), but not something with a massive quantity. You see, I'm not one for putting 30 cupcakes in the house (as I know I WILL end up eating them, without a doubt), especially when my mother has given up white flour for lent and when my father still has his chocolate-chip cookies coming on the way from my Nana. We don't need all that dessert, but I did want a cupcake and for my dad to have something a little sweet for his birthday to go with his favorite dinner (of my Mom's Meatloaf).

But all those darn cake boxes at the store would yield 2 DOZEN cupcakes. Now I have friends, but I still don't know what I'd do to get rid of 24 cupcakes sitting on our kitchen counter. I had seen a recipe of cupcakes for two before, so I figured I would give it a go... but once again pull out my variation on a theme card to try and make them slightly healthier.

The result was surprisingly good, although I will sheepishly admit that I was so excited that I may have pulled them out of the oven a little too soon after only 15-20 minutes. They were slightly doughy, but if that's the only thing I would fix, I consider these a wonderful treat (I kind of liked them that way). They actually kind of came out pretty similar to my favorite almond-flavored sugar cookies from Eileen's Colossal Cookies back when I went to school at KU. Wow, were those the best. I was even able to individualize each cupcake, topping my dad's with a simple powdered sugar/water/vanilla icing with sprinkles and mine with fat-free whipped cream and strawberries. Almond strawberry shortcake? Yes, please.

ALMOND CUPCAKES FOR TWO

Servings: 2 cupcakes total

Nutritional Information:

WW Points Plus: 3+ per cupcake

Ingredients:

• 1 egg white
• 3 packets of Stevia (roughly 2 TBSP sugar)
• 2 TBSP margarine (or butter)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla 
• 1 tsp almond (I really like it)
• 1/4 c flour
• 1/4 tsp baking powder*
• 1/4 tsp salt*
• 1 1/2 TBSP skim milk

* I may omit one of these two ingredients the next time I make this recipe if it doesn't affect the baking too much... the sodium count in the nutrition was a bit too high for me. 

Directions:

Update: These things were so good I had to make them again tonight (less than a week later)... I took out the salt entirely, used half of the baking powder, added some cream of tarter/1 tsp powdered sugar, only used 1 TBSP skim milk, and cooked them for 22 minutes. They were a much better consistency than the first time!

1. Preheat oven to 350° F.
2. Gently whisk and egg white in a small bowl, adding in sugar substitute, margarine, extracts, and salts. 
3. Gradually add flour until 1/4 c has been added.
4. Pour in about 1 1/2 TBSP of milk to help create more of a cake batter mixture (try not to eat the dough... I will attest to how hard of a task this is... I did lick the spoon, though).
5. Place two muffin/cupcake papers into a muffin tin and divide the batter into each tin.
6. Add water to the additional empty tins (to keep them from burning in the oven).
7. Bake for about 20-25 minutes (or until batter looks completely cooked).
8. Allow for them to cool and then top with your favorite icing/fruit/etc.
9. Enjoy!