Protein Oat Cakes

Whenever I feel like a need a jolt of balance in my mornings, I make these oat cakes for breakfast.  My husband likes them because they are sort of like pancakes, I like that they are full of fiber and something else I can put chocolate better 'n peanut butter on.  Even better, a serving is 2 oatcakes, which seems like a ton of food when you are used to limiting your carbs.  They also reheat really well, so make a bunch and eat them through out the week!

A few things about the ingredients: 

1.  This recipe calls for egg whites.  You could substitute whole eggs, but I really like using eggs whites in this recipe.  1/3 cup of egg whites is equal to about 2 whole eggs (also known as 1 red 21 Day Fix container), but so technically that would be 6 eggs for this recipe.  I haven't tested that though, so let me know how it goes if you try it.  

2.  Make sure you used rolled oats.  Not instant, not steel cut.  If you aren't gluten free, you can just buy the big can of old fashioned oats.  I am gluten free, so I buy gluten free rolled oats. You do not have to grid the oats as the instructions suggest, but the oat cakes can be a little "rough" on the digestive system, so I highly recommend grinding at least half of them.  Don't let that scare you, just know that I am speaking from personal experience.  I use a coffee grinder for my oats, but any sort of food processor should work.  If you don't grind them, do yourself a favor and avoid any long hikes or road trips without bathroom access.  You've been warned...

You Will Need:
2 cups rolled oats (not instant, not steel cut)
1 cup egg whites
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 TBSP pumpkin pie seasoning- optional
1 dash of vanilla- optional
4 TBSP ground flax meal
2 TBSP raw local honey- optional
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking powder

Directions:
In a coffee grinder or blender, grind 1 cup of the oats, salt and baking powder together until you get something resembling oat flour.  Mix together with the remaining ingredients in a large mixing bowl.  Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Spray with cooking spray and spoon two heaping TBSP into the pan for each oat cake.  Cook a few minutes per side until golden brown.  Serve with your favorite pancake toppings.  Makes 8 oatcakes, serves 4.

Chocolate Better 'n Peanut Butter goes on everything!

21 Day Fix Conversion:

1 yellow, 3/4 red, 1/4 orange, 1/8 purple

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Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

Since becoming Paleo, I have updated this recipe to make it healthier and allow for vegan cheese substitutions.  It still tastes just as delicious! 

Every Tuesday and Thursday night, my friend Lauren comes over for dinner before we go to a bootcamp class together.  Actually, we try to get in a quick 5K before bootcamp, followed by another short walk after bootcamp, depending on our step total for the day.  We are a little step crazy.  All of the exercise means we usually burn enough calories for a pretty serious dinner.  Occasionally, we will have cheat meals, but usually we try to keep things pretty balanced.  Lauren and I both love cheese, and spaghetti but lately I felt like I should mix it up.  As usual, Pinterest came to the rescue and gave me this fabulous recipe for Spaghetti Squash Alfredo.  I followed this recipe for the most part, but I did make a few changes.

This is half  of a serving. 1 serving is half a squash.  

You Will Need:
1 spaghetti squash, cut in half with the seeds removed.
1 1/2 TBSP olive oil
1/2 cup milk (I prefer cashew milk)
1 diced shallot
8 oz ricotta cheese (or this vegan cheese recipe)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
Salt and Pepper blend
1 clove minced garlic
Italian seasoning
1/2 cup Mozzarella cheese


Directions:
Drizzle the cut surface of the spaghetti squash with about 1/2 a Tbsp of olive oil.  Sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and place cut side down on a baking sheet.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 45 minutes.  The skins will start to turn brown, and you will be able to squeeze the squash, similar to a baked potato, when it is done.  Allow it to cool enough to handle, flip the squash halves cut side up and then using a fork, scrape the flesh to make "spaghetti".

While the squash is roasting, add the remaining olive oil in a large skillet over medium low heat.  Sauté the shallot until soft, and stir in the garlic and ricotta cheese.  Add the milk slowly to thin the cheese into a sauce and add salt, pepper, Italian seasoning to taste.  Spoon the sauce over the squash, and gently toss together.  Top the squash with the mozzarella cheese, and place under the broiler to brown.  Serves 2 hungry people.

Roasted Red Pepper Baked Ziti- Updated

Update: Since I made this a few years ago, I've had some more requests for the recipe.  I've tweaked it a little to make it healthier and added in the 21 Day Fix Conversions below.  

Hey everybody!  Things have been crazy busy lately.  My best friend got married this past weekend, so I finally have time to sit down and post all the yummy food I have been making lately.  My friends and I did another cook-a-thon 2 weeks ago, so today I have one of the dishes I made for our food co-op.  For those of you who may not know what I am talking about- basically we all split the cost of groceries and then we divide up all the food.  We are able to buy in bulk, and save a ton of money.  It ends up costing less than $1.50 a serving, and no one has to eat the same thing every day for a week.

Cheesy, sausagy goodness

In addition to being gluten free, one of my friends also has to watch her tomato intake.  So, when I wanted to make an Italian dish, I needed to come up with something that didn't have a tomato sauce.  Last time we did and Alfredo sauce, so I really wanted a red sauce this time.  Enter Roasted Red Peppers.  I'd like to say that I roasted fresh peppers, but that would be a lie.  That was my original plan, but I decided to take the easy way out.  By easy, I mean eliminating an unnecessary step in an already busy day of cooking.  I guess if the idea of eating roasted red peppers from a jar or salad bar makes you cringe, you could roast them yourself- but I didn't.  This recipe makes a double batch.  I would make it in two baking dishes, freeze one, and eat the other one now!

You Will Need:
2 jars Roasted Red Peppers in brine, drained (approx. 4 green containters)
2 packages Italian sausage (I used Turkey- 1 hot, 1 sweet) (approx. 8 red containers)
1 16 ounce container of part skim ricotta. (approx. 4 red containers)
2 eggs (1 red)
1 12 ounce package Tinkyada gluten free pasta (1 package dry = 12 yellow cooked)
8 ounces shredded Italian cheese (3 blue)
1/2 cup parmesan cheese (1.5 blue)
1 TBSP minced garlic
2 TBSP 21 Day Fix Mediterranean Blend (or Italian Seasoning)
Garlic powder, about 1 tsp- optional
Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to package directions.  Meanwhile, remove the sausage casings and brown the sausage in a large skillet until crumbly.  In a large bowl, combine the Ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, Mediterranean seasoning, salt and pepper.  You will not need a lot of salt because of the parmesan cheese, but you should definitely taste the cheese mixture and add additional seasonings as necessary.  Add the eggs to the cheese mixture and stir to incorporate. Place the drained red peppers in a blender with the minced garlic.  Blend until smooth, adding water to reach the desired constancy (I didn't have to add any, but my blender is powered by Thor :).  You shouldn't need any extra salt in the sauce, but taste it just in case.

To Assemble: (Divide the ingredients between 2 baking dishes or use 1 giant pan)
Place a small amount of the roasted red pepper sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.  Spread 1/3 of the pasta in the pan.  Top with 1/3 of the sausage, 1/3 of the cheese mixture and a little more sauce.  Repeat the layers 2 more times, ending with the sauce and top with the mozzarella cheese.  Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until brown and bubbly. Serves 12

21 Day Fix Conversion: 1 yellow, approx. 1 red, 1/3 green*, 1/3 blue,

*To up the vegetable percentage, without any picky eaters knowing, you can add 1 pound steamed baby carrots to the red pepper sauce.  You may have to add a small amount of low sodium vegetable broth or water to the blender, but I promise no one will know you added carrots.  1 pound of carrots will add 1/3 of a serving of vegetables, taking the total green count to 2/3rds.

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