Vanilla Power Bites, Super Grain Combos and Awesome Choco Tahini

I am upping my protein intake to 120g per day so these are so convenient!

On the Go Power Vanilla Bean Bites

I haven't made my No Bake Bars in a while and wanted something that was mostly protein with some fat for supplementation/snacking. I was motivated to try this recipe since it seemed even easier than the bars! Plus I got to make changes to my liking! I used the stevia for baking as well but it was too much combined with the stevia that's in my whey powder so I'll leave it out next time.
(Makes 12)

• 1/2c Coconut Flour
• 3 scoops or 1/2c Tera's Vanilla Bourbon Whey
• 1/2c Oat Bran
• 3T Almond Butter (I used creamy but will def go crunchy next time)
• 1/4" Ground Vanilla Bean
• 1T Chia Seeds
• Plenty of Water
• Lemon Poppyseed Option (use 2-4T Lemon Juice for the water)

They are quite mushy if you eat them completely defrosted-not too dry or floury at all! I enjoyed them a lot more nearly frozen so you can really bite into them like a cookie.  The Chia Seeds are key! Sort of a Super Sweet Vanilla flavor with yummy granule-ness to it from the Chia Seeds, like a PoppySeed Muffin! I can't wait for Lemon Poppyseed Muffin edition!

For some reason I really wanted this for breakfast.  A Matcha Salt Egg White Avo Nori Wrap!  Takes 2 seconds to make if you have the ingredients ready from before.  I have a supply of hard boiled eggs in the fridge at all times (super convenient protein source).  Super tasty notes of seaweed and green tea, with creamy avocado and savory sea salt!

Choco Tahini Grain Bowl Beginning

After seeing a Whole Athlete Coach John Hunt munching on a bowl of mixed grains on the way to the race the other weekend, tahini, avocado, chia seeds, and whey protein powder on the way to the race the other weekend, and then seeing this creation, I had to try out this new frontier! I already wanted to try some grain combos in the ricer cooker, and be able to use more leftovers for breakfast too.

The Choco Tahini Beginning

First more experimental try had Avocado, 70% Cacao Chocolate, Carob Chips, Chia Seeds, leftover Brown Rice, Almond Milk, Tahini, Vanilla Plant Protein, and Strawberries/Blueberries. I also tried a bit of ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric sprinkled in.  I love biting into the broken choco chunks.  The Chia Seeds play a key crackily crunch role and the Avo-Tahini-Milk-Protein Powder makes a nice thick creamy mix.

Choco Tahini Bowl Attempt #2

 The real deal. Creamy, mushy, and chocolatey goodness! I got to use my delicious grain combo from dinner (below) and don't have any unsweetened baker's chocolate yet so used some Carob Chips.  They were a bit too sugary so for me the unsweetened chocolate will be good.  The sesame from the Tahini combines with a chocolate flavor perfectly. 1c Quinoa, Buckwheat, Millet

• 1T Tahini
• 1T Carob Chips
• 2T Chia Seeds
• 2T Vanilla Plant Fusion Protein
• 1/4c Blueberries
• Almond Milk
• Ginger/Cinnamon/Turmeric (Optional)

I recommend adding the Tahini, Protein Powder, and Almond Milk in the morning for optimal mixing (less grain absorption/solidifying). The avocado doesn't look the best but is totally worthy if your into it/have it on hand.

Super Grain Combo and Basil Pomegranate Chicken Salad

Pretty much a repeat except in the oven, I didn't have avocado for my pomegranate spinach chicken salad, but it was a sweet flavorful feast anyways! The grain combo takes quinoa and makes it more like brown rice, but much healthier (more protein, fiber and nutrient dense). Red onions baked with the chicken get so sweet, glazed and delicious!

• Chicken Breast, Dressing below as a marinade, Pine Nuts, Cactus, Red Onion, Basil, S & P,
• (1c cooked) Millet, Quinoa, Buckwheat (equal parts)
• Hummus
• Spinach, Radicchio, Tomato, Olives
• Dressing: Olive Oil, Pomegranate Juice, Balsamic Vinegar, Basil

Mega Muffin Time, Special Spices Party Bowl, Passover Dinner

Passover Seder

My whole family from Israel is visiting currently so we had a mega Passover sesh. I didn't prepare this meal but it was pretty tasty and I was able to keep with in my usual eats by avoiding the other foods so why not include it.  My highlight was probably the salad. I wish the Golden beets were more substantial but the super Lemony Citrus Vinaigrette dressing was bomb. A Yam/Sweet Potato/Carrot mashup with Honey is of course tasty, and I left the chicken skin behind. I did snag a sample of the Hungarian Flourless Pecan Torte, which was pretty epic. #1 Almond flour instead of flour = dialed flavor and health, and plenty of ground walnuts, cocoa, and Pecans on top made it moist, warm, and delicious. I could only have a bite due to my walnut allergies though...

-Plum Chicken

-Sweet Potato/Yam/Carrot Mashup

-Lemon Vinaigrette Salad w/ Golden Beets

Super Steamed Vegetable and Spice Bowl

There's a lot going on in this bowl so i'll try to break it down and be brief. Lots of Middle East but also Japanese influence! The best of both worlds.  Kind of a Quinoa Salad on crack. I steamed vegetables with some spices, which has been working well in my bamboo steamer. I can eat steamed vegetables straight and love it, so with the right herbs/spices it's even better.  #2 Especially because I got Zahatar from my visiting family straight from from Israel and am so stoked on it! It's like a sesame/thyme/fennel sensation and I love it.  I've also been using a bit of Miso paste in my meals recently and love that flavor as well. Just mix it into any liquid and transform your food (partially inspired by this great info)! This bowl is basically an amalgamation of awesome. Too much deliciousness going on to describe. I used some Matcha Salt again finally to top as well and it's so salty, tasty, and adds the tiniest crunch due to the sea salt and matcha formed granules.

-1/4c Quinoa, Olive Oil

-A dab of Miso mixed into a just enough Rice Wine Vinegar/Chicken Broth to dissolve

-Steamed Butternut Squash (Tjoes prepped, leftover) with Sesame Oil and Seeds

-Steamed Crimini Mushrooms and Broccoli (TJoes prepped) with Zahatar

-Steamed Carrot with Rosemary and Basil

-Avocado, Olives

-Spinach Bolani

-Matcha Salt

Mega All Mountain Ride Muffin Fuel

This muffin courtesy of Lenny and Larry has been in my freezer for a while, and I figured what better way to fuel up for a massive celebratory mountain bike ride after getting back from Sea Otter?  It may not be oat bran, but it has extra protein and all good real ingredients so it's nutritionally sound. A normal blueberry 'muffin' (cake in disguise) definitely wouldn't of sat so well with me, especially before a ride, but this left me feeling great. Even 4 hours and 6000 feet later! It tastes like a moist delicious blueberry muffin should.  #3 I accompanied with some tasty fresh blueberries and homemade Pomegranate-Kombucha Tea (i've been a fiend for getting lots of vitamins/antioxidants recently). 

Matcha Salt Egg Whites, Latino Lunch, Mediterranean Race Prep

Race Prep Dinner: Mediterranean Lemon Garlic Chicken

Since my success at the last race after this dinner, I decided to basically repeat it in hopes of the same result! I did everything the same except had Heirloom Tomato instead of Cherry, and no Avocado so just went with extra Hummus and Lemon Garlic Tahini Sauce. #1 Definitely a cleaner meal, yet still flavorful! I also had Leeks cooked with the Chicken, which are always delicious.  My flavor highlights were the Olives and Tahini Sauce, so much Lemon! A partial Burrito as usual.

-Grilled Chicken Breast, Almonds,and Leeks with Lemon, Garlic, Dill Weed, Parsley, Lemon Pepper, 

-Brown Rice, Tortilla Wrap

-Steamed Broccoli and Rosemary Carrots 

-Cucumber, Tomato, Olives

-Hummus and Garlic Lemon Tahini (just like it sounds)

Latino Turkey-Tuna Salad Combo

No major cooking for lunch, just a solid array of ingredients!  Quasi-Latin American feel with Plantain, Salsa, Garlic and Avocado.  It was sweet, savory, and creamy all in one. A mix of two salads with yummy toppings and some Euro Pumpernickel to go with. Easy and delicious. #2 Sweet Ripe Plantains go surprisingly well in salad with Garlic and Rice Wine Vinegar.

-Tuna Salad (below) supplemented with Pastrami Turkey

-Spring Mix Greens, Rice Wine Vinegar

-Avocado, Sweet Ripe Plantain, Sabra Spinach-Artichoke Hummus, Salsa

-Euro-Pumpernickel Rye

Matcha Salt on Egg's Benedict Whites

Change is good! Sometimes we get caught up in our routines, which is efficient, relaxing, and easy, but if you don't slow down once in a while and take a step back to mix it up, you might miss it (Ferris Bueller anyone?). That's what today's breakfast is all about!  The original reason I invested in Matcha Powder. Matcha Salt.  I finally made it due to my inkling for something other than oatmeal this morning. Waffles would take too long, so Matcha Salt on Egg Whites took the win. My own variation, partially an experiment, enjoyed on Euro-Style Pumpernickel Rye Bread partially with Nori and partially with super ripe sweet Plantain! And avocado.  The first half w/ Nori was Salty and Flavorful (Seaweed+Green Tea=Harmony) and the second half was a nice combo of Sweet and Salty! Avocado went well on both. A new winner for sure. Kind of like savory half first course to sweet and savory second half for dessert/second course. Love it when that happens.
-3 Egg Whites split between 2 Egg's Benedict Rings cooked in Olive Oil
-Euro Pumpernickel Bread, Nori, Plantain, Avocado
-Matcha Salt (1 Part Matcha 3.5 Parts Sea Salt) and Olive Oil to top

Tuna Salad Deluxe

Made another Tuna Salad for dinner, enjoyed with some Spinach Pita from the Farmer's Market that I toasted until crispy in a pan.  The main differences this time were 3 different colors of top notch carrots form the Farmer's Market, sauteed Fennel, and #3 Dill Pickles as a substitute for Olives (it worked!).  Extra good all together when mixed on a yummy pita with hummus! And the Avocado is in the salad.

-Can o' Tuna, Tri Color Carrots, Cucumber, Sauteed Fennel, a Dill Pickle, White Onion

   -Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Crushed Garlic Cloves, Sea Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

-Toasted Spinach Pita and Hummus

Indian Win, Mint Choco Extreme, Blueberry Oatmeal Cookies

Dal Part II

I had just enough Dal leftover to have it again for dinner.  Gone all crazy mixed with Pumpkin for a new life! I'm stepping into new new bounds with the Pumpkin, never really used canned pumpkin for anything except baking or breakfast treats like smoothies and cereals.  I chose some complimentary spices and herbs for Dal and Pumpkin, and then it all worked nicely with salad, pita, and hummus again. #1 The agave nectar was crucial to sweeten the pumpkin, and adding in the creaminess of the Hummus really brought it to life. I need to knockout some ingredients to dial this dish in for sure. 

-1c Dal, 3/4c Pumpkin, Thyme, Garlic, Pepper, Turmeric, Cardamom, Cloves, Agave Nectar 

-Roasted Almonds, Olives

-Same Salad as Lunch w/ Curry Ginger Dressing (Cider Vinegar, Olive Oil, Curry, Thyme, Ginger Juice, Garlic, Sea Salt)

-Wheat Pita and Garlic Hummus

Toor Dal

Dal is officially in my cooking repertoire. This recipe inspired me, but I didn't have onion or fennel so I just made some stuff up. And this recipe inspired my Cumin Tahini Dressing. I've had Dal before in Indian cuisine, but never made it. After a trip to the Indian market (Malabar) on 4th street, I got my Dal in dried form and was ready to go.  #1 I had no idea how to make it in my rice maker, so I went with 1/2c dry to 2c water and hit the go button. It worked! On it's own it's less chalky/cementy than other beans, and gives a little hint of roasted corn flavor? Whatever it is, it's tasty, especially with Dill, Olives, Hummus, Pita, and all the other spices and ingredients I used. Score 1 for first time random Indian Combo Attempt. Everything ended up mixing together in an awesome combo as usual!
-Dal with Olives, Toasted Almonds, Dill Weed
-Spinach, Carrot, Cucumber, and Purple Cabbage Salad
  -Curry Cumin Tahini Dressing (2t Cider Vinegar, 1t Tahini, Cumin, Curry, 1 Clove Garlic, Sea Salt, Water)
-Garlic Hummus on a Wheat Pita

B-Berry Muffin Morphed into a Cookie

I am continuing the quest to make oatmeal cookies as delicious as Mogul's Coffee in Whistler. Today I tried brown sugar, sea salt, cranberries, only olive oil, blueberries, and 400º at 16 minutes as my tweaks to the recipe (I might post it once it's perfected, but until then contact me and I'll pass it on). I had half of one for lunch's dessert. #2 Blueberries are nearly as good as raspberries on top (which are really really good so that's an accomplishment). I am partially pretty pleased with this b/c I used frozen ones but they still tasted legit. Flavor is spot on but it really comes down to the texture. They are epic cookies as usual but I want them to be less light and fluffy, more chewy and more crunchy. I've got a couple of things to try on the next batch (more oats, higher heat, little less oil, less baking powder).

Mint Choco 3.0

Took my Green Tea Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal to the next level in a few ways this morning. I added Vanilla and Egg White to the mix, and for the Mint and Vanilla flavoring I gave it everything I got. Extract and Dried/Whole for both Vanilla and Mint. The sweetness came from Stevia Extract and the Vanilla Almond Milk, which was plenty. All the usual toppings and it was so enjoyable. Sweet Vanilla Mint Green Tea Chocolate? Sounds pretty innovative to me...
-1/2c oats, 1c water, drops Vanilla Extract, drops Spearmint Extract, drops Stevia Extract, Dried Spearmint, 1" Ground Vanilla Bean
-Blueberries, Pecans, Cacao Nibs, Cranberries
-Vanilla Almond Milk

Sweet Ginger Tahini Veggie Deluxe, Standard Lunch Wrap, Mint Chocolate Chip Breakfast

Sweet Ginger Tahini Vegetable Plate with Attitude

Mainly a Sweet Creamy Ginger Tahini Sauce but this dinner had almost too many good combos and phenomenons going on to describe! #1 Today's breakfast and dinner really do go with the theme of the more ingredients and preparation the better the result. Garbanzo Beans with Tahini (just like Tahini with Hummus). Creamy Tahini with Creamy Avo. Cloves worked in the Kale with Turmeric, and then with the Sweet Potato. Nutritional Yeast really does taste like cheese, so combined with the hint of sweet rice wine in the Tahini Sauce it reminded me a lot of Fondue. Classic Mustard and Ginger Bite with the B-Sprouts. All combined into one super vegetable plate. Semi inspired by this lunch experience.

-Tahini, Sweet Rice Wine (Mirin), Ginger Juice

-Kale and Oyster Mushrooms Sauté with Olive Oil, Turmeric, Cloves, Garlic, Sea Salt

-Grilled Brussel Sprouts with Olive Oil, Ginger Juice, Coriander, Mustard Seed

-Steamed Carrots, Avocado, Baked Sweet Potato, Garbanzo Beans

-Nutritional Yeast

My Usual Mediterranean Wrap

 This has become pretty standard for my lunches. Lemon and Hummus plus a bunch of yummy Med-influence ingredients for a delicious and nutritious wrap. #2 Easy prep the night before.
-Wheat Wrap, Diestel Pastrami Turkey, Long Grain Brown Rice
-Arugula, Cherry Tomatoes, Cucumber, Olives
-Hummus and Lemon

Mint Chocolate Chip Overnight

This time I really felt like I was eating Mint Chip Ice Cream. Pretty awesome. I finally have Spearmint extract and it's epic. #3 All kinds of yummy crackily crunchies in this bowl and more cacao nibs than you can see (sooo good)! Couldn't decide between Pecans to go with creaminess or Brazil Nuts for some bite so I went with a bit of both!

-55g oats, 160g soymilk, 1tsp Matcha Powder, several drops Spearmint Extract, Agave Nectar

-Galaxy Granola, Blueberries, 

-Dried Cranberries, Cacao Nibs, Chopped Pecans and Brazil Nuts

Valentine's Day Fun Treats at Breakfast Lunch and Dinner!

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I threw together some Lentil Soup  to contribute to the dinner the same as always except with Corn and Asparagus.  It made it a lot sweeter which was a nice change and everyone gave me mega compliments for it! Recipe from before. The key ingredients are Fennel Seed Powder, Star Anise, Almonds, and Carrots.  Accompanied by Spring Mix Salad with Balsamic and Olive Oil, some kind of large dark olives that were amazing, and a bit of grilled chicken. Of course it ended up being mixed into the soup...

Tag teamed it up with my mom in the kitchen to make these cookies (you probably could of guessed mine are the alternative looking heart shaped ones) in no time for a V-Day Celebration with my friends, too bad it's not mother's day!  We might of made them in under twenty minutes! #1 Tried out this vegan recipe with almost no tweaks, and it was so easy. Just made them Heart Shaped and:

-almond butter instead of peanut (allergies...)

-maple sugar (no sucanat/plain white sugar)

They were awesome! Basically banana-vanilla-chocolate-almond, so they tasted just like little chewy crunchy Nutella bites! Only healthier. My French friend Sandy brought heart shaped crepes (with special flower extract from France-delicious), so I had to enjoy my cookies wrapped in a crepe (since nutella-banana crepes are the best) and it was the awesome. Don't worry, those were the only two desserts I enjoyed, everything else was too unhealthy (crepes had little eggs and no butter).

Unexpected Stroopwafel!

 My math teacher had extra stroopwafels and offered to give me one! They were homemade and heart shaped. I have some stroopwafel experience given my Dutch father/entire side of the family, but these were fire! Thicker and smoother than store bought, and super butterscotchy.  I thought they were meant to be a double decker edition, but I realized after eating half that it was just two stuck together, and I planned on only eating half b/c it's more dessert than I should be eating, but there was no way I could do that so I went for the whole thing (both).  #2 My real lunch was nearly as good, the super thin sliced cucumbers made for a clean crunchy flavorful taste when combined with hummus, avocado, pastrami turkey, and quality Salsa! And nutty crunchy wheat berries as my grain.
-Stroopwafels
-Wheat Wrap, Diestel Pastrami Turkey
-Wheat Berries, Cucumber, Hummus, Avocado, Salsa

Mint Chocolate Chip Oatmeal

I kept to my word on making this combo, totally worth it.  Not unhealthy as mint chip oatmeal actually would be.  Chocolate from Cacao Nibs, Mint from dried Spearmint, Green from Matcha Powder, and sweetened with Stevia Extract. That's how it's done! #3 It was just a tad minty since I made the oats over night style, the mint needs to be heated to truly unleash its power. It was still good enough though, with an epic bittersweet chocolatey creamy green tea flavor! I need to use some spearmint extract or actually cook my oatmeal. Also added in my cranberries the night before and they 'undried' so weren't quite as chewy. Could add more in the morning to get both textures. Hazelnuts might of also given a little more nutty bite, where as Pecans go better with more creamy combos.

-60g oats, 200g soymilk, 1 teaspoon matcha powder, 1/2 teaspoon spearmint

-Blueberries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Cranberries

-Pecans, Cacao Nibs