Protein Snacks

A few days ago a friend was telling me about protein balls that she makes. I never seem to eat enough protein, or fiber in the day, so I thought I'd try a version of my own.

I don't know the calorie count, but they're just snacks not full meals.

Protein Snacks
1 cup almond butter
1 cup cashew butter
1 cup peanut butter (organic, unsweetened)
1 cup sesame seeds

1 cup pumpkin seeds
2 cups shredded coconut
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup pine nuts
1 cup hemp seeds
1 cup nutella
(add more sesame and pumpkin seeds and almonds if desired)
(optional, more hemp seeds to coat balls)
Mix all ingredients together. Chill for one hour or more. Scoop out small balls (1 inch diamater) and roll in hemp seeds. Refrigerate and use them for that mid afternoon snack/energy boost.

I'm enjoying them, almost too much!

Mini Almond Cakes - Jacques Pépin

On Saturdays I usually catch a couple of cooking shows on PBS. I've seen Jacques Pépin cooking with Julia Child in reruns, but he has also had his own show for a number of years.

This week the show began with mini almond cakes. Talk about easy and fast! I made a couple of tiny changes to the recipe and made some for our dessert.

Mini Almond Cakes
¼ cup flour

¼ cup sugar

¼ cup whole almonds

1 egg
¼ tsp baking powder

2 tablespoons butter

1 tsp almond extract or a dash of rum

Put the flour, sugar, and almonds in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add the egg, butter (melted), and almond extract. Blend until mixed.

Pour mixture into muffin/cupcake papers. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes at 350. (toothpick should come out clean)

Topping:

Fresh berries

Or

1 cup frozen berries and 2 tbsp sugar. Place in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let cool. It can be spooned on to the cakes when serving as is, or puréed first. (or watch the video below and follow Jacques' directions

Or

Any type of frosting that you'd like

(makes about 6)

It was a quick recipe and the size of the cakes was perfect.

Here's a link to the show:

Dinner Party Special (219): Jacques Pépin: More Fast Food My Way

A Healthy Breakfast To Go

I've been eating an organic granola from Highwood Crossing that's really good. It has oats, sunflower seeds, flax seeds and it's lightly sweetened with raw maple syrup and agave. I usually have fresh strawberries and raspberries or blueberries on my granola. Since I'm lactose intolerant, I generally use soy, rice, or almond milk. I alternate between the three to have variety and to ensure I don't develop an allergy. Some of them have a few calories, but I only have it at breakfast; all of the milks are a good source of calcium and I get the fibre of the granola.

Highland Crossing also has a great porridge. You have to soak it for a few hours before you make it. I often put it into a slow cooker overnight so it's ready first thing in the morning, a trick I learned from a friend and fellow blogger.

Another way I enjoy my granola is in a wrap.

On an open tortilla spread on some peanut butter, sprinkle on some granola and top with sliced apples. Then it gets rolled up just like you would any other wrap. It's a good way to make a breakfast to go. It's best with a granola that isn't too sugary, which my favourite granola isn't, so it's ok.

I know that some people stay away from peanut butter because of the calories, but we use an organic peanut butter. It's just ground up peanuts, no sugar added and it provides lots of protein and fibre to start the day.

You can always substitute bananas for apples and yogurt or cream cheese for peanut butter. I like the crunch of the apples the best.

To write this post, I went looking for pictures. Well, I discovered I wasn't the first to come up with this idea! Food.com also has some great recipes for this kind of breakfast to go. The wrap picture comes from their site.