Protein, baby.
First off, thanks for your comments about Intuitive Eating! I'm glad I'm not alone in my emotionally charged eating frenzies :-P. All my insights being on the table, I would still recommend you read Intuitive Eating, as there really are "pearls" of information you can use in your approach to food. I guarantee you will read the book and something in it will speak to you--the stories they share about clients are so relatable you may feel like they're talking about you half the time (which is definitely eye-opening). For my goal of increasing protein, I'm eating:
1. Greek yogurt
2. Edamame
3. Hard-boiled eggs
4. Zone Bars
5. Cottage cheese
6. Chickpeas/beans
7. Sunflower seeds
8. Egg whites
9. Morningstar "sausage" and veggie burgers (in a pinch)
10. Nutritional yeast (sprinkled in soup, on my salad, on broccoli)
And... including extra protein in my breakfast baked goods w/ chickpea flour (6 g protein per 1/4 cup) and soy flour (14 g protein per 1/4 cup) in the form of scrumptious blondies. Don't you just love protein?
Strawberry Banana Blondies
(Inspired by Chef Katelyn's Banana Bread Blondie Cake)
Bananas and coconut milk make them light and fluffy, chickpea and soy flours make them protein-packed, pecans and raisins make them fun to chew. Triple win!
Ingredients:
Dry:
1 cup soy flour
2/3 cup chickpea flour
3 TBSP flaxseed meal
1/4 tsp baking soda
scant kosher salt
2 TBSP brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Wet:
1/3 cup light coconut milk
1/4 cup greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1/4 cup strawberries, chopped
1 tsp orange extract
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 TBSP sugar free maple syrup
Add ins: 2 TBSP raisins, 2 TBSP pecans
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease baking pan ( I used my square muffin tins)
2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mash bananas, then add other wet ingredients. For best results, mix w/ hand-mixer (or stand mixer). Mixing by hand will make it chunkier--which is good too!
4. Pour wet into dry, mix until combined. Fold in pecans and raisins.
5. Empty batter into muffin tins/cake pan/bread pan.
6. Bake at 350F for 30-35 mins (clean toothpicks, people).
7. Slather with peanut butter and get your protein on!
Another thing I found out today is that The Dark Knight Rises (aka Batman 2) is being filmed in Pittsburgh this summer!
I will certainly be scoping the streets for the likes of Anne Hathaway, Christian Bale, Morgan Freeman, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Marion Cotilliard... .Oh now you want to visit ;-)
And this is your daily reminder to enter my Chocomize Giveaway! Whatcha waiting for?