Lean Bodies - Amy Perez

This has gotten the seal of approval from my husband!! That should tell you a lot, considering he is very picky. This is a spin-off to my ‘carb-less pancake’. I figured since my Buy Bulk Whey protein powder is unflavored, why not make a pizza crust by adding some italian spices. This turned out great!! The crust is a little chewy, but I prefer that over a quiche-like texture. If you prefer less chewy, I would suggest cooking it on lower heat for less time and also adding an egg white and less protein powder. Don’t forget to check out www.buybulkwhey.com for this great protein powder!

For Crust:
2 egg whites
20 grams Buy Bulk Whey Protein (or unflavored protein powder)
Spices to flavor

Toppings
2 Tbsp Paul Newmans Garlic Marinara
¼ cup fat-free cheddar cheese
Any other toppings you like

Directions:

• First make crust by mixing ingredients together and cook on skillet at 350 degrees
• Spread Marinara Sauce, then sprinkle half of the cheese over marinara
• Add any topping you prefer and then sprinkle the rest of the cheese over the top.
• Toast in toaster over for 6-8 minutes at 400 degrees

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 187 Fat: 2.4 g Carbohydrate: 7.4 g Protein: 32.6 g

The ‘how to’ video:

I guess you could say we went out with a CRASH! We celebrated coming into 2009 by destroying the gingerbread house.

Loreta’s Favorite Gingerbread Dough

5 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
2 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp cloves
1 cup shortening (I used butter flavor crisco sticks-1)
1 cup sugar
1 1/4 cups molasses
2 eggs beaten

In a large saucepan, melt shortening over low heat. While shortening in melting, (we are all about multi-tasking) in a separate bowl stir together flour, salt and spices (if using cookies add 1 tsp baking soda). When shortening is half melted, remove from heat and continue to stir until completely melted. Add sugar, molasses and beaten eggs. Mix well and quickly (to prevent eggs from cooking). Add molasses mixture to flour mixture. For best results mix it all in counter-top mixer. This is a lot of dough!! Cover and refridgerate until firm enough to handle.

Bake at 35 degrees for up to 14 minutes. Smaller pieces for as little as 6 minutes. The longer you cook it the harder/firmer it is.

Royal Icing

2 lb bag of powdered sugar
5 egg whites
1 tsp cream of tarter

Mix well, it should be very stiff. Add water (by the teaspoon) if you want it thinner.

With it being the Holiday Season, most people are busy baking, shopping and wrapping presents. This year, we were running behind schedule all due to the Gingerbread House.
I will try to keep this post from being too long, but I first need to give you a little ‘backgroud’ on how this all came about. It all started about 6 years ago when my son was in pre-school. For every holiday a parent signed up to make/buy the centerpiece for the table where the children would celebrate. I picked Christmas of course.
So for a centerpiece, you would think that it would be no big deal right? Wrong. These mothers would go crazy with the centerpieces. I remember for Thanksgiving one centerpiece was a giant Mayflower. So being the competitive spirited person that I am, I told my husband ours HAD to be the best.
I remembered my mom making graham cracker houses and trains when I was growing up, so that is where the idea all started. That year I made a graham cracker house along with a train. Each child took part of the train home with them.

After that first year we started to get more detailed and larger in size.

2006 Graham Cracker House

2007 Gingerbread House

It is a time consuming project, but we always love the end result.

It’s already that time of year! Time to bake, bake, and bake some more. With all of that baking, there might be the temptation to do some sampling. Most of you would probably agree that a sample of the sweets would probably be not all the bad to do in terms of still seeing progress in your weight loss goals right? The problem usually isn’t having one sample, its having a lick here, a bite there, etc. Those little ’samples’ add up and before you know it, those pants are feeling snug. Trust me, I have been there.

Every year our family makes a gingerbread house. Now I’m not talking a little store-bought kit….this is more like a mansion that is worked on over the course of a week or two. If I were to sample everyday I could really stall progress in my weight loss. As much as I know this to be true, my brain doesn’t always follow my plan. This is where the atomic fireball comes into play…

Right now you are probably thinking “What does an atomic fire ball have to do with Holiday baking?” Well….have you ever had a really spicey meal and you go to drink a diet coke or something similar and it just taste awful? The atomic fireball does just that-it makes those sweet treats your baking less appealing, and sometimes even yucky. Have yourself a fireball and all of a sudden those 10 pounds of fudge you’re making is not so tempting.

Now I am not saying you need to pop an atomic fireball in your mouth everytime you bake or are tempted by sweets. With my gingerbread house, we used 12 pounds of powdered sugar just for the icing!! So if I were to lick my fingers while doing the ‘gluing’ of the house, my calories would surely add up. Would I rather suck on a 35 calorie fireball, or lick a couple hundred calories worth of icing? I’ll pick the fireball.

Don’t be mistaken, atomic fireballs are hot! Hence the name :funny: Being the fireball connoisseur that I am let me note that you want to buy the bigger atomic fireball (35 calories). I have found that the little ones are hardly spicey and more like a jaw breaker. The larger ones will numb your mouth HEHE! I have included a picture to note the difference

I hope everyone has a wonderful Holiday season. Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau’oli Makahiki Hou!

I am sure my parents would have described me as a picky eater when I was younger. It’s interesting how we pick up a lot of our eating habits from our habits growing up. I always thought veggies had to have melted cheese on them, and that bread could serve as the main dish.

Having two kids of my own, I am constantly trying to find ways to ’sneak’ in some healthy snacks, and more protein. My son, who we refer to as the ‘carb lover’ of the family, could easily live on bread alone. He likes chicken and eggs, but really struggles to like other protein sources. His idea of having some veggies would be carrots smothered in ranch dressing or cheese. My daughter on the other hand, was defintely born after my eating habits changed for the better. She loves vegetables and most protein sources. She even asks for brocolli and cauliflower on a daily basis. :faint:

So for all of you with picky eaters, this ranch dip, has really been a life saver! Not only for my kids, but for me too. Its not only low carb, it’s also high in protein. This is a perfect thing to serve the kids to help in getting them to eat more protein. Not to mention, it doesn’t have all the fat that your traditional ranch dressing. :thumb: And as a bonus-it doesn’t taste like those tangy fat-free dressings.

I take 1 packet of Ranch mix (buttermilk recipe)
400-600g of cottage cheese (depending on how ’strong’ you like your ranch flavor)
1/4 to 1/2 cup of water (depending on the thickness you prefer)
Blend all together in the Magic Bullet or blender.

I seal it in a rubbermaid container, so that I can use it throughout the week. My kids like it with their veggies, but also like it to dip chicken in. :yum:

Sometimes I get tired of drinking my ‘food’-especially when the weather is cooler. There is something about drinking a cold shake when you are already cold. :ban: This is a great alternative for those times.
I made these for my family while in Hawaii and they were shocked at how great tasting they were.

Almost Carb-Less Protein Pancake

Ingredients
20g protein powder (your choice)
2 egg whites
1-2 Tbsp Davinci’s Sugar Free Syrup
2g SF pudding mix (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together and pour onto hot skillet. Flip and serve.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 122 Fat: 1.4 g Carbohydrate: 4.5 g Protein: 22.2 g

Be creative with flavor drops and protein powders!

Wow has it been that long since I have posted in here? Time has been flying by and soon here it will be the New Year! Let’s hope not too fast since the Holiday season is usually when I come up with most of my healthy alternatives to classic dishes

I wish I could say that while I have been away, I was creating tons and tons of new recipes-but I can’t. At least know that I have been busy and having fun

I recently got back from a long-anticipated vacation to Hawaii. I moved to Hawaii when I was in the 6th grade, so I guess you could call it my home. My husband was born and raised there, so when we get the chance, we go. This time was even more special because my husband and I planned the trip to renew our vows since we celebrated 10 years of marriage this year. It was a great opportunity for me to reflect on the past and present. 10 years has certainly brought a lot of change!! New home, new jobs, new kids and a new body!

I didn’t always eat healthy. Healthy as far as I was concerned was steamed cauliflower with cheese smothered on top. I didn’t read labels, count calories or portion control. We were on what my husband calls, the see-food diet. We would see food and eat it. That diet never seemed to be hard to follow when on vacation This vacation was going to be different- all for the better.

Initially when thinking about our trip to Hawaii, I had told myself I was going to be really good and stay ‘on plan’ 90% of the time. However, as my trip got closer, I started to think about all of the places we would be eating etc. Stressed thinking it, I talked to both Noel and Erik about my dilemma. Thank goodness I did! They both gave me the same advice: You are not dieting while on vacation- its lifestyle eating. Be mindful of portions and choices you make, but enjoy the things you want to eat. They asked me-How often do you go home to Hawaii? See? This is exactly why I asked them.

So, how did I do? Did I pig out? Nope. Knowing I could have a little bit of this or that made it so much easier to follow. The splurges I had (Chocolate soufle-Roy’s Restaurant) were eaten with enjoyment instead of guilt. My families also saw that I too like to splurge and enjoy treats, I am just more mindful of my portions now.

The choices I have made to change have certainly paid off. I was finally able to wear the dress I wanted and marry my husband all over again.

I have a couple recipes I will be posting shortly. :yum:

So I guess I should fess up that I probably own 6 to 8 different protein powders at any given time. I’ve tried many flavors and blends while at it. I am always happy if I can find one that tastes great but also bakes great. The isolates have always been harder for me to bake with. Then of course, there is the ‘griddiness’ issue with some of them. I always call upon my friend Keri to be the taste tester since I know she typically hates protein powder.:lol: She now sees first hand that quality makes all of the difference.
I recently had a comment posted on one of my youtube videos, which led me to check out the username-buybulkwhey. I was led to the website and saw affordable whey protein, but didn’t see what flavors they offered, so I emailed the company. I explained that I love to bake with my protein powder and that I am always looking for great quality, yet affordable protein powder and wondered what flavors he had. This was his response:

Amy, glad you asked. It’s natural flavor which means it has a very very slight milk taste. Basically it takes on the flavor of anything you put it in. It’s quite awesome. I own a smoothie distribution company (http://www.nutriblendz.net/) and started taking our pure whey product home because I hate all the chemicals that are in supplements (especially crystalline fructose - contains arsenic - yikes!!!). A buddy of mine asked me one day for a tub of name brand whey, and I said “Danny, why don’t you try this”. He emailed me that night and said one thing in the email… “That Stuff Is AWESOME!!!!”. That’s all the email said so we created http://buybulkwhey.com/

I had to have some!! I have now had my tub for a couple of weeks and I have made shakes and baked with it. The company was right-it blends easily!! I will be honest, I was nervous about the fact that it did not having a ‘flavor’. However, since I own flavor drops as well as having the option to add fruit to my shakes, I have no complaints. I plan on baking a ‘carb-less’ pancake and videoing it so you can see how great this stuff is to bake with. In the meantime check out the website- www.buybulkwhey.com

Here’s another recipe for the time being~
I made this ‘cookie’ for my husband and he liked it. Nothing fancy, but easy to prep the night before. I usually measure all of the ingredients (minus the water) in a container so that when he gets up in the morning he just adds water and microwaves it.

Banana Raisin Cookie
25 grams buybulkwhey protein powder
25 grams old fashion oats
4 grams Sugar-free fat free banana pudding mix (you could use flavor drops or banana extract)
10 grams raisins
Splenda to taste (optional of course)

Add water until it is pasty. Make sure you do not add too much!
Bake at 70% power for 1 minute 20 seconds. If you like it crunchy, flip it and bake on full power for another 20-30 seconds.

So you probably thought I was going to post some great Mexican dish that is really low fat and great for refeeds right? Wrong. I save my Mexican meals for a free meal, or else I have baked nachos on refeeds
This dessert is one of my kids favorites when we go out to the local Mexican restaurant. However, it is usually soaked in butter and fried. This version is perfect for a refeed (and my kids like it too). I also like making it when having people over because if decorated right, they are really pretty

Cinnamon Chips
Ingredients
1 whole wheat Pita
Spray butter
1 tsp cinnamon
¼ cup splenda (you may not even need all of this)
1 Tbsp Sugar Free Hershey’s syrup
2 Tbsp Fat-Free Cool whip
*you can also use sugar

Directions:

• Slice edges of Pita so that you essentially have 2 pita’s
• Using fat-free spray butter, spray both sides of pita and lay them on
cookie sheet or stone.
• Then take cinnamon and sugar and sprinkle it on pita (side facing up)
• Bake at 375 for 8-10 minutes then flip and sprinkle cinnamon and splenda on
other side. Bake for a couple more minutes. If you like it extra crispy, broil
for 1 to 2 minutes.
I cut my pita’s into pizza shapes, drizzle sugar-free syrup over the top and serve with a couple Tbsp of fat-free cool whip.
Nutritional Information:
Calories: 177.5 Fat: 0 g Carbohydrate: 35.5 g Protein: 7.5 g

I made this last week and my family was sold on it My husband loves pumpkin pie. In fact, I know he likes to have one pie all to himself at Thanksgiving. This recipe is not only perfect for re-feeds, its also a great alternative to the traditional pumpkin pie because it tastes ‘real’ (in my husbands words). When used with my fat-free pie crust, you have a slice for around 130 calories versus 320 calories (give or take).
Not that there is much to show in the video, I still decided to video it. I had a little helper this time

For Crust
1 cup all purpose flour (could use whole wheat)
4 Tbsp fat free margarine spread
¾ tsp salt
2 Tbsp cold water

For Filling
One 15-oz. can pure pumpkin (NOT pumpkin pie filling)
One 12-oz. can evaporated fat-free milk
3/4 cup Splenda, or 10-12 packets of splenda (I will be trying this with Stevia next time)
2 egg whites
1/4 cup sugar-free maple syrup (Davinci’s is what I used)
1 tbsp. pumpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl mix all of the pie crust ingredients with a fork, Stir until mixed well. Roll it on between wax paper with flour. In an oven-safe 9-inch pie dish, press it into the edges and up along the sides of the dish. Set aside. In a large bowl, combine all ingredients for the filling. Mix well. Pour mixture into pie crust. Bake pie in the oven for 45 minutes, and then remove it and allow to cool. Chill in the fridge for several hours (for best results, chill overnight). MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Nutritional Information: per slice
Calories: 122 Fat: .2 g Carbohydrate: 24 g Protein: 4.8 g