Vanilla glazed doughy protein bars – 90 calories and 10 g protein each!

Hi my dear readers!

Well I do owe you some explaining my dear readers, but first of all: I’ve missed you and the blog. Secondly; I haven’t really been able to update the blog because of a couple of reasons and I do owe you (and myself) an apology.

Tough times

I’ve lost a family member and it’s has just been extremely tough to cope everything and juggle work plus studies at the same time. This accident made me forget how therapeutic baking and cooking can be so the last weeks I’ve been living of quark and quest bars, every day.

At first I was just buried in work and studying and sort of distracted myself but now I feel like I’m really getting better day by day and I’ve recently rediscovered my passion for baking. It’s truly therapeutic and gives me so much needed peace. But let’s forget about all that! Here’s a recipe I’ve been experimenting with lately:

Protein bar recipe
Fudgy, chewy glazed peanut and almond bars! Great macros, super easy and quick recipe that’ll satisfy your sweet tooth. Here goes:

8 T peanut flour (48g)

2 scoops vanilla whey (60 g)

1/2 tsp baking powder

Stevia drops to taste (about 10-20)

A pinch of salt

1 tsp almond essence

1 egg

1 egg white (27 g)

1/4 cup or 0.6 dl unsweetened almond milk

1 T unsweetened applesauce (8 g)

2 T fiber syrup  (50 g) (or you might use something like Vitafiber)

2 tsp coconut oil (10 g)

Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175 C and grease a 8×8 inch or 22×22 cm big baking pan. Combine all the dry ingredients for the bars in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together all the wet ingredients besides the fiber syrup. Mix the wet with the dry and pour the sirap into a small bowl and microwave on high for about 20 seconds. Quickly pour the boiling syrup into the batter and stir. Once fullt combined; pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the middle of the oven for about 13 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the glaze and glaze the bars as soon as they’re cool.

Macros for one bar out of eight;
Calories: 90
Fats: 3 g
Protein: 10 g
Carbs: 7 g

So, how’s life?

Moist and soft protein sticky toffee muffins for only 79 calories and 9 g protien!

Hi guys!

I got myself a second job yesterday and I’ve been pretty busy these last days. This blog does not focus on my  life so therefore I try to avoid writing about my personal life (not because it’s some sort of a secret, it’s just not exciting enough to be mentioned more than once or twice). However, I’m pretty stoked to tell you that  I’m lucky to work as a waitress at a Japanese fusion/sushi restaurant where food is really amazing. It’s really nothing else than a ordinary waitress position but I get to eat my way through the whole menu and learn so much from the cooks that I’m super excited about working there. So look out because more Asian influences are coming your way.

My thougts about Whey Impact from Myprotein.

This blog makes it possible for me to recommend you good products and for you to discover cheap ingredients that improves your dieting.. Some of the products that appear on my blog are sponsored but only the products I find really useful and worth the money are shown. This time I received a couple of products from Myprotein. Although I haven’t been able to try all the products, I’m really satisfied with the products I’ve tried from the site so far. One of the products I received was their whey impact protein powder. Hands down the best value for money I’ve found so far. It’s a fairly cheep whey powder (whey is the most commonly used among fitness geeks, because it’s a water–soluble milk protein) that comes in over 50 different flavors.

The verdict

The powder itself is rich in flavor, has a intense smell and a clear taste of toffee. It behaves perfectly in baked goods and even though I used quite a bit in my cupcakes their texture didn’t come out “chalkboardy” at all. Another plus is that it dissolves in water really quickly which is rather good because who likes lumps in their shake? Although I’m fairly pleased with it there was two down sides: there was no scoop attached and the taste might be a little to sweet for some people (so watch how much sweetener you add to your whey creation!) However, consider the price this is a great protein when you’re looking for no-frill powder without excess amino acids that actually does the job and tastes good.

So either if it’s your first time using a protein powder or if you’re down with the alternatives; Myprotein offers a good variety of choices for a very low price. I’ve only tried the toffee one but I’ve read some good reviews about lemon cheesecake and apple crumble and custard as well so I’ll be trying one of these next time.

Macros for one scoop (25g):
Energi Kcal: 98.3Kcal
Kj: 414.0kJ
Protein: 20.5g
Fats: 1.7g
Cabrs: 1.5g
Kalcium: 125.0mg

If you’re not sure which one to buy I higly recommend sampling first. Some of the tastes sounds just bizarre but others on the other hand sound actually quite good. If you want to bake a couple of cupcakes with this whey, I have a recipe that is versatile enough to carry most of the flavors. It’s a basic protein and low calorie cupcake recipe that I love to bake in freeze in some pre/post workout treats. Those are

doughy
super moist
soft and goeey
and really hearty

Recipe rundown

1/2 chopped banana (45 g)

1/3 cup or 5 T coconut flour (38 g)

1 egg 4 egg whites (120 g)

3/4 cup or 1,8 dl Gf fiber flour blend (90 g)

3/4 cup or 1,8 dl unsweetened almond milk (180 ml)

1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (100 g)

3/4 cup or 1,8 dl quark or greek yoghurt (170 g)

2 heaping scoops of Sticky toffee impact whey (60 g)

2 tsp baking powder

A dash of salt

Sweetener to taste

2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp banana essence

1 tsp vanilla essence

1 tsp toffee essence

Start with hearing up the oven to 350 F or 190 C. Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. Whip the egg in a small bowl and the egg whites in another bowl.

Start adding all the wet ingredients besides the chopped banana,  egg and egg whites. Taste the mixture and add more sweetener if needed. Your mixture should be a bit over seasoned. Carefully stir in banana first and then the eggs plus whites and stir briefly. Pour the batter into 12 silicone molds and bake in the oven for about 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let cool before devouring with a nice cup of tea.

Macros for one cupcake:

Cals: 79

Fats: 1 g

Protein: 9 g

Carbs: 7 g

Devour this flourless healthy brownie guilt free – it’s only 77 calories!

I find it just lovely every time I manage to hide ingredients that no one really expects and then get to just sit and watch people that are normally picky eaters eat my disguised food. If they knew they’re basically eating a salad instead of the brownie they think they’re enjoying, they would’ve never trust me again.

Healthy hidden veggies

Hiding veggies in cakes is one of my absolute favorite things to do. I replace most of the flour with veggies in order to make them extra healthy and cut calories. Most of the time the texture turns out just awful but I certainly do not get discouraged because of it. Most cakes and breads can still be enjoyed even if the texture is a bit off. This time I think I managed to create a nice and silky texture that suits a brownie.

Melts in your mouth
As they’re not as tender as classic butter/flour brownies, they still have a interesting texture that almost melts in your mouth. That’s to be excepted of course since the two main ingredients are rather unusual in cakes: avocado and kidney beans. Avocado is key when it comes to creating smooth texture and adding a “fatty” feeling.

Recipe rundown

2 T (30 g) Fiber syrup such as this syrup from Sukrin or VitaFiber.
1/2 scoop or 3 T (15 g) Trec nutrition sesame whey
1 medium sized avocado (135 g)
1 can drained and rinsed kidney beans (230 g)
3 T cocoa powder
Sweetener to taste
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/3 tsp salt
5 g sesame seeds for garnish

Okay, all you have to do is basically process all the ingredients at once in a food processor, grease a 8×8 inch or 22×22 cm big baking pan and pour your smooth batter into the dish. Top of with sesame seeds for extra crunch and bake at about 350 F or 180 C for 25-30 minutes.

Macros for one piece out of eight:
Calories: 77
Fats: 3 g
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 10 g

Another avocado and bean creation that can be easily served at a party or just as an everyday dessert is this silky fudge tart.

Soft, gluten free and diet friendly Herbes de Provence bread – 77 calories

Yet another bread recipe, because who doesn’t love bread? I myself am a huge bread junkie. Bread items play a huge part in my life and I often have big troubles not overeating bread. Let’s face it: white doughy bread tastes good but does not satisfy at all. I end up eating to many slices and still feeling like grabbing a whole meal after it and I’m sure that I’m not the only one. So my solution to this problem is to find a satisfying recipe with a ton of protein so that I can enjoy my bread all free from guilt.

2 T balsamic vinegar (this gives the bread a beautiful color and taste but feel free to sub it if you’re not a fan of the taste)

1 tsp baking soda

5 eggs

1 T vanilla whey protein like this one (5 g) or just sub it for more fiber powder or potato starch.

3 1/2 T chia seeds (divided 2+1 1/2) (35 g)

2 T cold water

3 T flax seed meal (30 g)

1 T potato starch (10 g)

3 T Fiberfin or another fiber powder like Vitafiber (20 g)

1-2 tsps Herbes de Provence*

1 tsp salt

*This  mixture is savory and consist of dried thyme, fennel, and lavender, however you can use herbs of your choice; such as rosemary, coriander, dill, basil, thyme or mint.

Okey, the prep and baking process is sandbox easy; start of preheating the oven to 340 F or 170 C. In a little glass measure up 2 T chia seeds and blend them with the water. Let the mixture set for about 15 minut while you beat the eggs in a large separate bowl until they become pale and then add vinegar. In another bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and slowly (in order to avoid lumps) combine the flour mix with the eggs while whisking constantly. Add the chia blend and stir briefly. Pour the batter into a silicone mold or a bread pan and bake for about 45 minutes. Voliá!

Macros for a thick slice out of 10:

Calories: 77

Fats: 4,5 g

Protein: 5 g

Carbs: 3 g

Low calorie glazed pumpkin rolls – 87 calories and 8 g protein!

Do you remember these rolls? I got so attached to bananas plus cloves that I added that combo to almost everything, including my calorie conscious version of cinnamon rolls but I wasn’t as pleased as I could be with the macros of these buns so I promised to come up with a better version. So this is the 2.0 version and the second attempt to make low calorie rolls. My family approved of them flavorwise and I finally felt pleased with the macros but am I done experimenting and tweaking something so beautiful and delicious such as a traditional cinnamon roll? I think not.

1 sachet active dry yeast (7 g)
2 tsp baking powder
1 cup or 2,1 dl neutral whey powder (80 g)
1 1/2 cups or 6 dl homemade gluten free flour blend (200 g)
1/3 cup fiber mix of your choice* (I use this)
1 cup quark (divided) (100 g + 100 g)
6 tsp guar gum (20 g)
1 1/4 T psyllium husks (6 g)
1 T coconut flour
1 T hemp flour
2 T sweetener of choice
A pinch of salt
A splash of rice vinegar
1 1/2 cup pureed and cooked butternut squash (divided 200 g + 120 g)
3 T unsweetened apple sauce (50 g) (or more butternut puree)
1 cup + 1 T or 2,5 dl unsweetened pistachio milk (250 ml)

Heat up your milk and dissolve your yeast in the milk if the product you’re using requires that (mine didn’t so I skipped this step). Blend the milk with the half of quark (1/2 cup, 1 dl or 100 g) and 1 cup butternut puree, the apple sauce, salt, vinegar and the sweetener. In a separate bowl, mix the protein powder, baking powder, guar gum, the husks, and all the flours and slowly add the blend to your milk mixture until the dough pulls away from the sides. Let it rise and rest in a warm and dark place for about one and an half hour.

Meanwhile, combine the remaining puree and the quark along with some seasoning of choice. I added some sweetener, cinnamon and salt. Add to taste but this is going to be your filling so make it tasty and way to spicy/sweet. It’ll blend perfectly with dough since it’s has not got any bold flavors!

Once the dough is done resting, transfer it onto a floured surface. Knead until you have a smooth and elastic dough. If the dough sticks to your hands (too wet) add a little extra flour. Roll out the dough into a huge rectangle and spread out your filling. Beginning at the long side, role up dough and pinch edge together to seal. Cut into 18 slices and place the slices directly in a greased baking pan or into paper molds. Let the dough rise for about half an hour under a clean kitchen towel and oh, do not forget to heat up the oven to 420 F or 250 C while your dough is resting. Bake it in the oven for about 7-8 minutes or until the buns look done. You may do whisk together a glaze while they cool:

The glaze is basically just
*A scoop of whey of choice (1/3 cup, 0,8 dl or 30 g)
*Cinnamon
*Sweetener
*A tiny pinch of xanthan gum

Glaze them and devour with a nice cup of tea!

*Any type of fiber blend should work. I choose this one but try experimenting with perhaps oat bran if you’re not gluten free or something like vitafiber

Macros for one roll (without the glaze) out of 18:
Calories: 87
Fats: 1 g
Protein: 8 g
Carbs: 9 g (3 g fiber)

Macros with the glaze:
Calories: 92
Fats: 1 g
Protein: 9 g
Carbs: 9 g (3,3 g fiber)

Soft and quick pumpkin and almond bread for 62 calories a slice!

Well, great weather here is fairly rare but I was a little surprised when I looked out of the window today. Whaddya know, a wonderful clear blue sky and a beautiful, big sun was looking back at me. I ended up taking a walk to the gym and spend the rest of the day indoors baking. It’s a shame, I know, especially since nice weather is rather rare here as previously stated. However, I was in a great baking mood today and just had to try out a few new ingredients.

Bread items are often truly missed once someones goes down the gluten free road and if you’re heading down the low calorie road at the same time: bread becomes almost a myth. Although, if you search the internet long enough you might find some interesting ingredients that may help. I actually found a fiber flour that I just had to try. It’s lower in calories than regular flours and works fine as a substitute. I’ll explain more how to use this flour in another post.

Sooo.. the bread, yes. I was craving bread so I decided to make a nice healthy protein loaf. Don’t forget to check out the fantastic macros at the end of this post.

1/3 or 1 dl cup almond meal (40 g)
1 scoop vanilla whey (1/3 cup, 0,8 dl or 30 g)
1 large egg white (38 g)
1/2 heaping cup or 1 heaping dl rolled oats (50 g)
3 T Fiberfin fiber flour (sub it for any other flour if you can’t find a fiber powder) (20 g)
3 T unsweetened apple sauce
2/3 tsp baking soda
1 heaping T buckwheat flakes
1/3 cup or 0,8 dl low fat coconut milk (45 g)
1 egg
3/4 cup or 1,4 dl pumpkin puree (150 g)
A dash of salt

Preheat the oven to 340 F or 175 C. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients first in order to prevent lumps and then add all the wet ones. Pour the batter into a silicone mold, about 8-9×4-5 (20-25×8-10 cm) inch big (mine is looks like this one). Place the rack at the bottom of your oven and place your wonderful soon-to-be loaf at the very bottom of your preheated oven and wait for about 35 minutes. Voilá!

Macros for 1 serving out of 13:
Calories: 62
Fats: 2,5 g
Protein: 4 g
Carbs: 5 g

Spongy sweet butter coconut cake – 64 calories and 6 g protein for a generous slice

Oh hi guys, I’ve missed you soooo much! Well, maybe some of you’ve noticed that I’ve been away. I spent three extraordinary weeks in Singapore studying English and I’m telling you that I had a blast. Singapore is a splendid city for those of you who are into Asian cuisine. Theres so much to choose from and the food is really cheap (especially for me who lives in a very expensive country)

Although the trip was great, I’m done with the humid tropical heat, endless shopping and tasting new and exciting food (noodle soup with pigs guts anyone?). My final week was intense but I got soooo homesick and longed for baking, cooking, my blog, quark and proper cheese almost every day. So now I’m finally home and the jetlag seems to be almost gone and this I’m celebrating with an awesome sponge cake that I made as soon as I felt a little bit better. It contains quark (GOD I MISSED YOU SO MUCH) but quark can of course be subbed for greek- or soy yoghurt. I used this coconut quark but something like this might work as well.

This cake is really sandbox easy. The baking time is a little bit longer than most of my cakes but prepping and whisking everything together takes like no time at all. Perfect for a afternoon tea cake!

3 T corn meal (21 g)
1 T vanilla whey (5 g)
2 eggs
150 g quark cheese or greek yoghurt
1 tsp melted coconut butter (4 g)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 egg white (27 g)
1 tsp coconut essence
1 tsp butter essence
A dash of salt
4 tbsp sweetener of choice (or more or less)
Coconut flakes for garnish

Preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C. In a large bowl, blend all the dry ingredients and add all the wet. Try adding the eggs in the end so that you can taste your mixture and decide if more seasoning is necessary. When done tasting, pour the mixture into a silicone mold, garnish with some coconut flakes and bake in the middle of the oven for about 40 minutes. ENJOY!

Macros for a big slice out of 6:
Calories: 64
Fats: 2 g
Protein: 6 g
Carbs: 4 g

Cheese stuffed cheesy chicken with cauliflower croquettes and a creamy tomato sauce – 319 calories

The trick to get a nice low calorie breading on your meat is to crush some flavored rice cakes and omit the egg for the coating. It should stick by itself and add a lot of flavor to your ordinary piece of chicken breast. The flavor variations are endless too! Think something like this!

I ate this for dinner a couple of days ago and it rocked. It was a great double cheese experience since I though that cheesy flavors where of the table since I’m on a diet. If you try this with other flavors than cheddar, please let me know!

Cheesy chicken (makes 2 bigger portions):
2 large chicken breasts (350 g)
4 T low fat creme cheese (I used Philadelphia lightest 3 %)
1 handfull spinach
2 cheddar flavored brown rice cakes
Dried herbs
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper
+ tooth picks, ziplock and plastic wrapper

In a zip lock bag, crush the rice cakes along with some seasoning until you have rice flour. Pound the breasts thin on a piece of plastic wrapper and sauté the spinach quickly. Mix the creme cheese, spices and spinach and spread the mixture over the pounded breasts. Roll up your chicken and secure it with some tooth picks. Coat the chicken with the “breading” and place it in the oven at 400 F or 200 C for about 15-20 minutes or until done.

Calories: 189
Fats: 4 g
Protein: 30 g
Carbs: 9 g

Cauliflower croquettes:
1/2 head of a large cauliflower (400 g)
1 egg
1 tsp onion powder
A little pinch of sweetener of choice
Salt and pepper
3 T coconut flour (21 g)
1 T psyllium husks (5 g)

Rice the cauliflower (process it in a flood blender or simply grate it until it looks like rice) and cook it in a microwave or on a stove top on medium heat until tender. Set aside and let cool down. Meanwhile heat up the oven to 400 F or 200 C. Once the cauliflower is cool add the remaining ingredients and stir until it forms a dough. You should be able to shape about 30 tiny croquettes (balls) out of it. Feel free to add more husks if the dough is to wet. Transfer the rolled balls onto a baking sheet and bake in the over for about 20-25 minutes.

The recipe makes 3 smaller portions (10 balls each) and macros for one portion are:
Calories: 87
Fats: 3 g
Protein: 7 g
Carbs: 5 g

Creamy tomato sauce:
1/2 package strained tomatoes (200 g)
1/2 small onion (30 g)
1 T apple cider vinegar
1 garlic clove
1/4 cup or 0,6 dl quark or greek yogurt (60 g)
Some sweetener to taste

Chop the onion and the garlic and sauté them in a sauce pan over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil then simmer for a minute or so. Transfer it to a blender and puree until smooth (or leave it as it is if you prefer a chunky sauce)

Calories: 45
Fats: 0,3
Protein: 3,5 g
Carbs: 6 g

Birthday light and silk chocolate mousse cake – 75 calories

God I love chocolate. This was made for my birthday by me and my family approved. It’s a improved version of the fudge cake that I made a couple of weeks ago. I wanted more volume so I decided upon making more of a mousse cake instead of a decadent torte. The outcome was a silky chocolate mousse pie that came out a bit more voluminous than the previous cake. Here’s the recipe rundown for this rich afternoon treat:

½ cup or 1 dl quark (100 g)
½ avocado (80 g)
1 package silken tofu (300 g)
1 can of rinsed and drained black beans (230 g)
½ tsp cardamom
A dash of salt
1 egg
2 egg whites
1/3 cup cacao powder (30 g)
1 tsp peanut butter (10 g)
2 T double rich chocolate whey powder ( I usedthis one)
Sweetener to taste (I used half a cup of erythritol)

This cake is superb if you lack time to make a proper cake. All you have to to is preheat the oven to 350 F or 180 C and puree the tofu, avocado and the beans in a blender or food processor and add the rest of the ingredients expect for the eggs and the egg whites. Taste the batter and season it to your preferences and then add the egg + egg whites! Bake it in a spring ban for about 35-45 minutes or until inserted tooth pick comes out clean.

Macros for one piece out of ten
Calories: 75
Fats: 3 g
Protein: 5 g
Carbs: 6 g

Soft, chewy and gluten free oatmeal cookies with raisins – 52 calories

Looking for a cookie to fuel your workout? This hearty oatmeal creations are good for both breakfast and a pre workout meal. They’re packed with fiber, protein and so much other good stuff that you immediately feel ready to hit the running track. I ate a few before I went off to the gym and I wasn’t weighted down at all.

1/2 scoop vanilla whey (I use (1/4 cup, 15 g or 0,8 dl)
1/4 cup or 0,8 dl raisins (50 g)
1/2 + 1/3 cup or 1 dl + 0,5 dl rolled oats (70 g)
1,5 T unsweetened applesauce (40 g)
1/4 cup or 0,8 dl rinsed white beans (100 g if packed)
1,5 T coconut flour (11 g)
1 egg white (27 g)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp cardamom
Sweetener to taste
Salt to taste
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda

Heat up the oven to 350 F or 180 C and line a baking pan with parchment paper (or wax paper like I use). Blend all the dry ingredients expect for the raisins and 1/3 cup oats and then add all the wet ones and blend in a blender until smooth. Transfer the dough back to your bowl and blend in the raisins and the oats. You mad add some water if it’s very dry but you should be able to roll the dough into 12 little balls. Place the balls on the baking pan and flatten out using your hand. Bake in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or take them out as soon as your home starts to smell wonderfully.

Macros for one cookie out of 12:
Calories: 52
Fats: 0,6 g
Protein: 3 g
Carbs: 9 g