Bulgur Cheddar Pancakes

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I didn’t post my regular Friday post, but that just means I have all the more to share today. Since everything I want to share is rather marvelous, I figured I would roll it all in to a Marvelous Monday post. In no particular order:

1. Marvelous is a successful savoury pancake recipe using a bulgur, a grain I wouldn’t normally eat plain (for lack of enjoyment). Successful recipes are always good news after having one you had to throw out.

Bulgur Cheddar Pancakes
Ingredients: Instructions
•3 tbsp uncooked bulgur (I used bob’s red mill)
•1/4 cup water
•1 tsp parmesan
•dash of salt and garlic
•1/4 cup egg whites
•1/4 tsp baking powder
•1/4 tsp baking soda
•25g of shredded cheddar cheese

1)Mix bulgar, water, salt, and garlic in a bowl, and microwave for 2 min.

2)Add grated cheese, parmesan, baking soda, baking powder. Mix well

3)Add egg whites, mix. 

4)Pana-making time
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

B+

I suppose the recipe is slightly inconvenient in the fact that you have to cook the bulgar before beginning, but when you have the convenience of a microwave this shouldn’t be a problem

A-
Health

B

 The only reason I graded this recipe slightly lower in the health section is because it is slightly higher in sodium.
Taste

A+

You know when cheese melts in the oven and the crisps when it comes out? Well these kinda taste like that, but with the added goodness of bulgur.
Texture

A

 Really interesting texture. The bulgar is slightly crunchy, but the egg whites give it a pancake-y texture. Somewhat hard to explain, but if you tried it, you would know what I mean.
General Comments:
Makes a 3 medium sized pancakes.

 

2. Marvelous is setting a personal best on my Half marathon yesterday. I only shaved off 40sec from my last personal best, but I’m happy either way.

3. Marvelous is that my younger sister is going to start posting on Feeeding Brain and Body. This is extra marvelous because it means that you will all get to know my younger sister who also loves health, food, fitness, and a whole lot more.

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What is marvelous about your Monday? Have you had bulgur before?

Throw it Out

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One of my pet peeves is wasting food. I can not manage to throw away food, there simply must be a way to rescue whatever it is.

For example if my bread is not near as fresh as it should be? I simply toast it. If I have extra canned tomatoes from a previous recipe, I use it on my veggies.

If my fruit is overly ripe for regular consumption? I blend it into a smoothie.

If I have leftover broccoli stalks I save them for my net stir fry or slow cooker meal.

YET, there are times when nothing can be done to rescue a recipe gone bad. Take for instance these beautiful protein filled vanilla ‘wafers’ intended to be dipped in yogurt. Simply….

inedible.

I ACTUALLY had to throw them out. A shame that almond flour costs so much, and this recipe had been mainly that.

I guess you live and learn. Some things belong in the trash. That doesn’t mean you give up on trying to form good things, it just means you must start from scratch. It may be taxing on your resources, but

Don’t be afraid to take the lesson more figuratively. Replace ‘things’ in the above paragraph with ‘habits’: Some habits belong in the trash. That doesn’t mean you give up on trying to form good habits, it just means you start from scratch. It may be taxing on your resources, but it will be worth it in the end.

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Do you have a problem with throwing away food? What are some bad habits are you are working at getting rid of?

Maple Pumpkin Protein Powder-less Pancakes – Gasp

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Inspired by my maple pumpkin pie bread recipe, I decided I wanted to recreate the combination in pancake format. Yes, I am aware that spring has just begun and this recipe screams fall. Yet I still am not hesitating in posting this pumpkin based recipe because it doesn’t need to be Fall to enjoy pumpkin flavoured things.

I am going to let you in on a little secret though: this recipe does not use protein powder. Gasp, I know right?! In case you can not tell I am being slightly sarcastic. You see, I have fallen into a habit of using protein powder in the majority of my baking. I enjoy the convenience of having my protein right mixed in with whatever I am having to eat.

Maple Pumpkin Pancakes
Ingredients: Instructions
•2 tbsp whole wheat flour
•1 tbsp peanut flour
•1 tbsp coconut flour
•1/4 cup canned pumpkin
•1 tbsp honey (or replace with sweetener of choice)
•3 tbsp cold vanilla tea + 1 tbsp almond milk
•1/4 cup egg whites
•1/4 tsp baking powder
•1/4 tsp baking soda
•1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
•maple extract

1)Mix all dry ingredients

2)Add pumpkin mix well

3)Add egg whites, mix. Add other liquids (except ACV) mix. 

4)Add apple cider vinegar immediately before pouring onto frying pan.
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

A

 In general I find pancakes to be all around convenient to make. No oven pre-heat time, just ingredient measuring, mixing and pouring.

A
Health

A

 There is no protein powder in this recipe. It is still healthy. Deal with it.
Taste

A-

There is something refreshing about the taste of pancakes without protein powder. Try it.
Texture

B-

 I prefer my pancakes a bit on the drier side, however these were very moist because of the canned pumpkin.
General Comments:
Makes a 5 good sized pancakes.

 

As much as I find protein powders convenient and often economical (have you seen the prices of chicken lately?), I am going to consciously try to limit my intake of them. I figured I would share with my readers to keep you in the loop and all.

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Do you ever fall into a habit of using protein powders? Any suggestions of protein powder alternatives?

Toasted Teff Bread

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It’s Friday, and do you know what that means? Beyond the obvious fact that I am looking forward to the weekend, it means that I am running out of the meals I pre-prepare at the start of each week. the perfect solution is of course microwaveable recipes.

If you have had a chance to explore the way I organize my recipes you will notice that I post a lot of microwaveable recipes. Today is one of those days where I post another microwavable bread recipe. It is similar to the english muffin recipe and the recipe for the grilled cheese bread. But don’t fall asleep yet, because the great thing about this recipe is how great it crisps in the toaster.

Tip#1: Finish the last 1-2 minutes off with a lower power level. This will discourage tough or chewy edges.

Toasted Teff Microwaveable Bread
Ingredients: Instructions
•2 tbsp teff flour
•2 tbsp unsweetened whey
•1 tbsp almond milk
•dash of salt
•1 tsp tahini
•1/4 cup egg whites
•1/4 tsp baking powder

1)Mix all dry ingredients

2)Add tahini, egg whites mix well

3)Microwave regular power 1.5min

4)Microwave reduced power (about 75%) for about 1.5min
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

A+

 Very easy and quick to make. Prep takes 3 minutes, cooking takes 3 minutes, and voila!

B+

Health

A

 Can’t think of anything unhealthy about it, unless you are concerned about the safety of microwaves. The stats:  ~180cal (15 g carbs/3 g fat/ 18 g protein)
Taste

B-

I wouldn’t suggest eating this plain, just as I would not suggest eating plain toast. However with the appropriate toppings this bread tastes delicious.
Texture

A-

My favourite things about this recipe is the texture after toasting. It is perfectly crispy yet still has that ‘i-used-to-be-soft-bread’ type bite to it.
General Comments:
I used a cereal sized bowl for microwaving

Tip #2: Batters and mixtures can be more moist/liquidity compared to baking in the oven. I have not pinpointed exactly why this is the case, however I have consistently noted that a wet batter that comes out cooked firm in the microwave does not always come out firm in the oven (even with plenty of time).

Tip#3: Know when to cover and when not to cover. As a general rule of thumb, cakes and breads do not need to be covered. Items that should be covered include popcorn kernels, rutabaga, and brussel sprouts.

With that I am off to enjoy another weekend. It is great how these weekends never cease to excite me.

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How often do you use the microwave? How do you like your toast (nearly done/almost burnt/ect)?

The Simple Things

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Typically an abundance of goal oriented posts happen around the end and beginning of each month. But since I felt inspired to start goals mid-month I decided I would share with you a new type of goal I have set for myself – simple things. But not before diving into some of a typical day’s edibles, because you can’t accomplish goals on an empty stomach now can you.

Yonanas Chocolate Protein Soft Serve, with Kamut topping

Normally my goals involve an exact threshold. Ie: run xx km in one week or save XX amount of money. However I wanted to set a weekly challenge that pushed me to just live a little more.

The goal was simple: each day I wanted to make sure I prayed, smiled, danced, drew, and socialized.

IMG-20130423-00163

Yes, I really am on page 194 of my notebook (and that is only one of several notebooks to be genuine)

So far I am mid-way through the week and I am happy to report that my weekly challenge is being checked off. Not near as meticulously as I would have in the past. I didn’t get time to draw one day, it is not the end of the world to leave a box unchecked.

Microwave Bread experimentation

I set this challenge to help me enjoy doing the things I love doing and to not forget about the small things. Smiling? Easy to do, yet also easy to forget.

On the go caraway crackers with peanut flour

Something that made me smile:

I didn’t read 50 shades of grey (and I don’t plan on doing so), but I found the cover of this notebook kinda clever – it made me smile. Sigh, the simple things.

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Are there SIMPLE things you try to do every day? Do you make goals mid month? 

Share What You Share Because You Want to Share It

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Every blog writer knows that each time you publish a post, you make yourself vulnerable. No matter what you write there will be someone out there who disapproves. If you follow a trend, someone may roll there eyes. If you don’t follow a trend someone else may be rolling their eyes for different reasons entirely.

The only thing you can do, is share what you share because you want to share it. And currently I want to share a recipe for dehydrator bars that I have been consuming as a convenient on the go snack.

No, I do not follow a raw diet.

Yes, I eat plenty of baked foods.

Definitely, I enjoy variety and experimenting with new cooking (or lack there of in this case) procedures.

Thus I was excited last year to acquire a dehydrator and have enjoyed experimenting with various recipes that I look forward to sharing with you. Sorry to those who roll there eyes and think “oh another ‘healthly’ living blogger who ____ ____ ____” (fill in the blanks with your idea of a negative comment).

For the rest of the readers, I’m going to dive right in to the recipe:

Raw Peanut Butter and Jam Bars
Ingredients: Instructions
•1/2 cup spelt bran
•1/4 cup coconut flour
•1/2 cup strawberry casein protein powder
•1/2 cup peanut flour
•1 254ml can of pumpkin puree
•1 cup steeped berry tea
•2 tbsp jam
•3 tbsp maca root powder
•2 tbsp peanut butter
•1 tsp Xanthan Gum
•1/4 tsp Konjac Root Powder

1)Mix all dry ingredients. Add peanut butter, mix well.

2)Add hot steeped tea, mix well.

3)Add pumpkin, mix well.

4)Divide into 8 portions onto dehydrator tray, and dehydrate for ~8 hours.
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

A-

 Fairly reasonable prep time, since no beaters are required (makes cleaning easy too). Very convenient snack for storage and being on the go.

B+
Health

A-

 You may have heard about all the benefits of Maca root powder. If not, be sure to check it out.

~135cal (13 g carbs/4 g fat/ 12 g protein)
Taste

B-

 If you have a sweet tooth, I suggest adding a tbsp of honey or maple syrup. I found the strawberry protein powder enough to sweeten these bars, however I do not have as sweet of a tooth as many.
Texture

B

 The texture wil vary depending on how long you dehydrate the bars for. With 8 hours they should get quite firm, and almost crunchy on the outsides
General Comments:
I freeze these for up to a month. When I want to take one to work I take it out of the freezer in the morning and by mid-morning it has thawed and is ready to chow down on.

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Have you ever tried a dehydrator recipe? If you are a blogger, do you sometimes feel as though you are posting something that may be disapproved by others?

High Protein Basil Biscuit

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It goes without saying that I am jumping for joy that spring has finally sprung and the weather is finally starting to look up. I am without a doubt not a winter warrior. I love being outside and I love all things that have to do with the sun – but the winter does not provide ideal circumstances for that.

A few of my favourite (spring) things: the garden and bird watching.

Although I do not have much experience planting, I have planted herbs before and reaped the benefits. I definitely plan on doing likewise this season. Which herbs will I plant?

A few of my favorites (herb) things: basil, dill, and cilantro!

Texture

This recipe features basil, because I couldn’t help but love the sound of ‘basil biscuits’. Not only is the name an amazing alliteration (okay, not amazing but I really wanted to throw in another alliteration) these basil biscuits boast a much higher then average protein content.

Basil Biscuits
Ingredients: Instructions
•1/2 cup brown rice protein powder
•1/4 cup coconut flour
•1/2 cup greek yogurt
•1/4 tsp salt
•fresh basil chopped (~5 leaves)
•1/2 cup egg whites
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp baking powder

1)Mix all dry ingredients

2)Add greek yogurt, basil and mix well.

3)Add egg whites, mix well. Beat on high for at least 3 minutes

4)Bake 30 min in 375 def F oven
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

A

 This recipe does not call for an excessive amount of ingredients, and the steps are simple. Definitely a convenient recipe if you ask me!

A-
Health

B+

A very healthy snack indeed. Pair it with some cheese or butter and easily got all your bases covered. ~115cal (8 g carbs/2 g fat/ 18 g protein)
Taste

B+

I find rice protein has a very distinct flavour, and you can taste it in these biscuits. However I still like the taste of them and love the basil.
Texture

A-

 The texture is very true to a biscuit texture. A perfect combination of crumbly and crunchy
General Comments:
For best results, do not use fat free yogurtRecipe Makes 4

1

Since I love fun facts, I will finish off with a few fun facts I learnt about basil from this source

• The basil plant has been used as a token of love in some parts of Italy
• Basil is part of the mint family
•Basil helps with nausea, and gas pain

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Are you a gardener? What are your favorite herbs? Have you used rice protein powder before?

Insignificant Distractions

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I had a hard time trying to decide if I should publish this post.

Once I finally decided that I would publish a post, I had an even harder time deciding how to start the post.

I’m sure you all realize what I am getting at: the tragedy at the Boston Marathon.

My heart and prayers go out to all those affected, there is nothing more I can write because sometimes words are not enough. So although I am going to carry on with my post, I am NOT trying to brush what happened under the carpet. I am bluntly aware that what I will post about is highly insignificant compared to the devastation, however there are moments when insignificant distractions are appreciated.

Breakfast: Oatbran, yogurt, and strawberries. All mixed in a highly unattractive manner

Insignificant Distraction #1: 11 Lesser Known Names for Baby Animals 

The puggle is adorable, the ephyra are fascinating, and the leveret looks calming. If you have no idea what I mean than you may want to brush up on your baby animal names.

Lunch: Kamut Pasta, with ground beef tomato sauce, eggplants and on spinach. This was my first time trying kamut pasta. It tasted just like whole wheat pasta.

Insignificant Distraction #2: 3 Ingredient Homemade Facial Moisture

I’ve been curious about homemade beauty products lately and plan on trying to make my own homemade facial moisture. Feels like chemistry, but WAY more fun.

Insignificant Distraction #3: 20 Lessons from Toy Story

I learn the most from animated movies. Toy Story is no exception, so many significant lessons.

Partial Dinner: My attempted version of injera. I was attempting to make my plate look somewhat authentic, however now that I am looking at the photo it just looks like a meagre meal. Don’t worry folks there was more along side that.

Snack: A revised version of microwave cookies. Because sometimes recipes need changes, just as sometimes life needs changes. 

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Did you know what an ephyra is? Have you ever made your own beauty products? Have you tried kamut pasta before?

Cauliflower Pizza Crust

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I’m happy to report that the cold I mentioned last Monday is practically gone, leaving me feeling as though this is quite a Marvelous Monday. I know everyone has seen an explosion of cauliflower pizza crust recipes, so that is exactly why I am going to share mine. You can never have too many right?

I am going to serve up a side of Marvelous things to go along with my pizza crust recipe, seeing as it is Monday and all. Each centralizing around updating you on my exercise routine.

Marvelous is: Finally registering for my next half Marathon the first week of May. It will be my 5th time racing in a half.

Cauliflower Pizza Crust
Ingredients: Instructions
•1 tbsp vital wheat gluten

•1 tbsp coconut flour

•2 tbsp unsweetened whey

•1/4 tsp baking soda

•1/4 tsp baking powder

 •1/4 cup egg whites•1/2 cup of mashed cooked cauliflower•salt•rosemary

•basil

 1)Cook the cauliflower and mash it well. I don’t have a processor so I mash with a fork.2)Press out liquids with a clean dish towel.3)In a separate bowl mix all dry ingredients4)Add in egg whites and mix well, then cauliflower (mix again)

5)Bake for 15 min (convenction bake 350deg F)

6)Add toppings and bake for another 5-10 min
Category Mark Comments Overall Grade
Convenience

D

 I will be the first to admit that the whole process from start to finish is a bit time consuming.

B-
Health

A

 Without toppings the whole recipe is only around 150 calories mostly coming from protein. Once you get some cheese and meet on it you are working your way towards a more appropriate meal amount.
Taste

B+

This doesn’t have the yeasty taste of regular breads, but it does taste delicious grilled with cheese. I have had this with and without rosemary, so it is safe to say I prefer it WITH the rosemary.
Texture

B

Not crunchy, however you can pick it up with your hands without it falling apart. A must for pizza crust!
General Comments:
If you  make this expecting a regular pizza crust –> you will be disappointed.If you make this after having attempted another cauliflower pizza crust that fell apart when picking up –> you will be pleased (I hope).

Marvelous is: Accepting the fact that my time for the upcoming half marathon will most likely not be what I want. I have had a tight schedule for training, a heavy cracking cough, cold damp weather, and right foot woes to slow me down.

Marvelous is: Enjoying my alternate day strength training despite the fact that I usually don’t enjoy strength. I have been adding more exercises to my strength routine and the variety has pleased me immensely!

Marvelous is: Making it through the entire winter without having to pay for a gym membership or buy expensive class passes. It is great having a good running coat, medicine ball, dumbbells, swiss ball, and skipping rope to make friends with.

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What are your favorite pizza toppings (cheese is a given!) –> Mushrooms, basil, and olive (exactly as pictured!)

 Do you pay for gym membership? –> Nope

If you could only have one STRENGTH fitness item what would it be? –> My weighted medicine ball

Getting Creative with Yonanas

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No, I do not mean getting creative with your Nana. I’m talking about getting creative with Yonanas. Over the Christmas break I happened to become acquainted with a little something called Yonanas. I know that it is all a marketing scheme and banana soft serve has been all over the blog world for ages, however I am going to share some of my thoughts and comments on it.

The general functionality of it works just as it says it does. Having tried the whole banana soft serve thing with a blender/magic bullet, I can definitely confirm that the Yonanas is much more convenient and gives a much less melty ‘soft serve’.

At first I was concerned the clean up would be a pain, but I was pleasantly surprised at how quickly one can clean the parts after using. I would say equivalent to the effort required to clean a blender (or maybe even less depending on the size of your blender).


So the only problem? Lack of variety. It is much easier to toss things to your blender when you make banana soft serve, but you can not throw just anything into the Yonanas.


Thankfully with a little creativity there is a simple solution –> Make your own banana shaped add ins:

I suggest using at least one banana to get a tasty texture but beyond that you can add pretty much anything! I often use greek yogurt, protein powder, cocoa powder all mixed together and frozen around the banana.


Just use plastic wrap to wrap and stick it in the freezer to THOROUGHLY freeze before putting it through the yonanas.

Since I often find the banana/protein powder too sweet by itself I will often mix in pumpkin:

Sometimes when I feel like I want to visit an alligator, I throw in some spinach and make it a froyo style alligator stew:


Yup, the Yonanas can even handle spinach my friend!

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Have you hear of the Yonanas appliance before? How do you feel about banana soft serve?

CyberChimps