A Brownie with NO Carbs?

My carbless brownie (which I’ve dubbed my protein brownie) is my snack of choice when those 3 p.m. munchies hit. I use All the Whey protein powder (my favorite flavors are chocolate peanut butter cup and cup cake batter) to make the “brownie.” Now don’t go expecting Duncan Hines-quality brownies because the density and moisture just isn’t there, but this little substitute is a great way for me to sneak extra protein into my diet since I do not particularly enjoy protein shakes or really crave meat. 

 

 

Protein Brownie

 

Ingredients:

One scoop protein powder of choice

One egg white

Pinch of baking soda

Little bit of water

Nuts (optional)

Directions:

Combine ingredients, adding just enough water to make the “batter” moist. Microwave on high for one minute. Your brownie will puff up a lot and then deflate. Enjoy immediately while still warm and moist. This brownie is also good topped with yogurt and fresh berries.

Again, this will not taste anything like the ooey-gooey brownies you’re used to but remember that this brownie is actually good for you! 🙂 Some will love it, some will hate it.

I love it and so does Sadie (see, she wants some):

Sadie Eyein' the Protein Brownie

Don’t worry, Sadie’s not allowed to have the chocolate-flavored brownies. Chocolate and dogs = a biiig no no!

Dog Park and Pizza: A Nice Lil’ Tuesday

I came home to an energetic dog (as always) that has mastered the sad puppy eyes. As I sifted through the mail (yay NetFlix came!), Sadie continually looked from me to her leash and back again. I knew a simple walk wasn’t going to cut it today, so I leashed her up for a trip to the dog park. She was one happy pup.

Sadie En Route to the Dog Park

Sadie immediately found a stick the size of her body to bring to me to throw.

Sadie and Her Mega Stick

She is not normally a very good sharer, but a big ol’ brown lab forced her to share the goods:

Double Trouble

She finally started to get tired, but not until after my hands were filthy from thowing that stick for an hour straight.

Gettin' a Little Tired

My Dirty Dog Park Hand

All in all, it was a successful trip to the dog park! Sadie and I worked up quite the appetite and headed home for lavash pizza! I crisped one Joseph’s whole-wheat lavash in the oven before topping it with marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, red pepper, plum tomato slices and steamed broccoli florets. I put it back in the oven to melt the cheese before digging in.

Lavash Pizza

Pizza Close Up

The pizza hit the spot! I’m off to curl up on the couch with a stack of magazines I have yet to read…

Cake Batter for Breakfast???

Ooooh yes. All the Whey cake batter protein powder is my latest obsession and was a perfect addition to my morning oats.

Cake Batter Oatmeal & Hot Green Tea

Please note my fun mug… I painted it myself when Ryan took me to All Fired Up, an adorable pottery painting place.

I think oatmeal may be one of the most satisfying breakfasts ever. It’s hot, creamy and sticks with you. All in all, an oat-tastic meal! I love a bowl o’ oats after a good cardio workout at the gym. This morning I did a 10 minute warm-up on the elliptical, followed by a spin class. The instructor played “I Gotta Feelin'” by the Black Eyed Peas which I LOVE, so the class was jammin’!

For my mid-morning snack I opened a bag of Kay’s Better Balance pretzel twists. They’re pretzels made with soy and have a whopping 15g of protein in a little bag! At first crunch I wasn’t impressed, but as I continued munching I really started to enjoy them. I think it was the salt to be quite honest. Still, I’d sacrifice the taste of normal pretzels for these fakie pretzels with their superior nutrition stats!

Kay's Better Balance Pretzel Twists

Fun with a Burger

Who says you shouldn’t play with your food? Apparently no one in Ryan’s family when he was growing up. My evidence? His turkey burger from last night’s dinner:

Ryan's Happy Burger

The lil’ burger is awfully cute, I must admit. I think we’ll name him Turkey Burger Bill. Unfortunately Turkey Burger Bill lived a short life since Ryan ate him in approximately 2.5 seconds.

I took a little longer to eat my burger which I topped with lettuce, plum tomato, ketchup, relish and mustard and served on an Arnold whole wheat sandwich thin (100 calories of doughy goodness). We both enjoyed corn on the cob with dinner which was juicy and sweet and a perfect complement to the burgers.

My (slightly less friendly) Turkey Burger