I usually have this as a breakfast option for my client meal plans and I eat it  a few times a week. It is very easy to make but the cooking time is key in order to make a tasty bowl versus a bland too thick version. This video should help.

Ingredients:
 1 cup (approx) unsweetened vanilla almond milk
1/4 cup oat bran (GF and organic options by Bob's Red Mill available)
1 scoop whey or whey casein protein powder I like Quest peanut butter or GNC vanilla and lately Devotion sweet potato pie.

Topping suggestions:  Guittard tiny dark chocolate chips 1 serving,
diced apple with cinnamon,  diced pears with ginger, 1 scoop PB powder.
Macros: without any additional topping 
Calories  263
Protein   31g 
Fat           5g 
Carbs.      23.5g

Makes 24 Mini Muffins
Ingredients:
1 scoop Quest All Purpose Protein mix
1 pouch of METRX chocolate protein blend
¼ cup Unsweetened Applesauce
Unsweetened Almond milk
⅛ tsp baking powder
3 tsp stevia bakeable blend - Pyure
1 egg

Flashback to my high school days, wearing my yellow polyester uniform, standing behind the counter at Ken's Donuts, serving up the hottest, freshest, and quite possibly least healthy things you could ever eat.  I don't miss those early morning shifts, but I still love a good donut.  So I made my own...

I got the idea to try to make these little gems while walking through Marshall's (because I love a good deal), and I saw the donut pan.  I went home to the "test kitchen", and after a couple of flat attempts, I found a combination that is tasty and good for you too.

Three Eggs
One packet of Vanilla Met-Rx Protein Powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
Optional - Dark Chocolate Chips (8 per donut) - but seriously - we all know this is totally a must add

Preheat your oven to 375, and coat your pan with non stick canola oil spray

Put two egg whites and one whole egg in your Magic Bullet
​
Add in the Met-Rx Vanilla Protein Powder, along with the vanilla and baking powder
(I put a splash of almond milk in the empty Met-Rx envelope to get all the powder that sticks to the sides - You know - the old Kool-Aid trick)

I use the Magic Bullet, (which I got at my beloved Costco), because it mixes with no lumps and clean up is a breeze - it's a perfect  time saver in an early morning rush. If you don't have a Magic Bullet, just be sure to get the mixture smooth and lump-free.  You may need to add a little water to get the right cake batter consistency...

Bake for 20 minutes...

Per Donut:
Without Chips                                            With Chips
Calories = 60                                                Calories = 77
Fat          = 1.2                                                 Fat         = 2.4
Protein   = 8.7                                               Protein  = 9
Carbs      = 6.6                                               Carbs     = 8.5

I love these because they are delicious, healthy, and very portable.   When I'm on the run, I take them with me to eat  throughout the morning.  It keeps my diet in check - and hey - Who doesn't love a donut?

I’m always trying new things in the kitchen, and let me tell you, they are not always winners. Recently, I created a gluten free “bread” from riced cauliflower, and it has become a staple of my diet. Easy to make, delicious, and every ingredient comes from Costco.

​I have two pans that I make the “bread” in - a standard muffin pan, and a whoopie pie pan.  I end up with two different thicknesses, but they taste almost identical.

​2 eggs
4 Teaspoons Almond Flour
3 cups riced Cauliflower
1 Teaspoon Baking Powder
½ cup Shredded Parmesean Cheese
Organic No Salt Seasoning (I don’t know the measurement here – I just put it what looks right)
 
​Preheat the oven to 375 and spray your pans with non-stick canola oil spray
​​
Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well mixed, and place equal amounts in the cups of the pan.  Put a little pressure on it as you put the mixture in to sort of pack it down. Bake for 20-25 minutes (My oven is good at 23 minutes, so somewhere in that range should work)
 
When I take them out , I give them a few minutes to cool just a little before removing them from the pan to finish on the rack.

​That’s all there is to it.  They are good in the fridge for about a week, or you can freeze them for later.  I like to heat them up in a toaster oven to keep the edges crispy.

​I use these “bread bites” under poached eggs for breakfast, to make grilled cheese for lunch, (only in the toaster oven – a pan or panini press destroys them), or even under a nice piece of grilled salmon at dinner.

​The Macros
Makes 12 Bread Bites
Each Bread Bite contains:
Calories = 60
Protein = 7.6
Fat = 5.3
Carbs = .6

​Super easy to make, super delicious, super good for you and everything comes from Costco too.  What could be better than that?

I blogged about Flapjacked in a recent post and just received an offer I thought I'd share.
20% off your next order. See about page under Perks

Happy August Everybody! Believe it or not, we’re now just days away from the start of school. And the number one adjustment families will have to make over the next few weeks? Getting up earlier and out the door faster.

Breakfast time especially feels the squeeze of a rushed house trying to be on time for the bus or opening bell. At FlapJacked, we’re always keeping an eye out for the innovative ways our customers are saving time in the mornings, because let’s face it…when school starts back up, every minute counts.

So we've put together our four favorite "hacks" or unique ways to save time in the morning without compromising on healthy meals and snacks for you and your family.
1.  Meal Prep for the Week Ahead 
While the griddle is hot on the weekend, make an extra batch of pancakes and store them in a re-sealable baggie to heat up in the microwave or toaster.

2.  Pancake Sandwiches for Lunch
Use your left-over pancakes or waffles for a nutritious deli sandwich or PB&J.

3. Healthy Frozen Cookies for an Afternoon Snack 
Make and freeze a batch of healthy cookies to throw in the lunch boxes for a healthy treat after lunch.
Check out our recipes

4.  Muffins for the Morning Commute 
Keep a variety of Mighty Muffinsstocked in your pantry for a hot, fresh muffin with your coffee or when you’re running out the door on the way to work.
To further help you make the Back-to-School transition, we’re offering a 20% discount off your next order at FlapJacked.com.

Until next time,
The FlapJacked Family

Mini Protein Pumpkin Bites
(GF) Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 35-40 min | Difficulty: Easy

These are a great low calorie, high protein nutrient rich option when you need breakfast on the go. Make the night before and store in the refrigerator.  Just grab a few on your way out the door.




​Ingredients 
1 cup pumpkin puree, canned pumpkin only not pie mix
3/4 cup liquid egg whites
1/4 cup  vanilla whey protein
1 tsp toffee flavoring ( optional)
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

Instructions
Mix all ingredients in a medium bowl untill thoroughly combined.  Spoon into silicon baking cups (these make it very easy to remove the Pumpkin Bites and no oil is needed)..  Place all cups on a baking sheet. Bake at 350 for 35-40 min or until cake tester come out clean. Let them cool completely before taking out of the baking cups. Store in a tupperware in the refrigerator.


Nutritional Info for entire recipe: 300 Calories 3g Fat 42g Protein 22g Carb, 8g Fiber
Depending on size of liners you use you can get  from 6 - 20 protein bites, so just divide calories accordingly for nutrition per bite.

Skinny Pumpkin Cream Cheese Breakfast Bread

Prep Time: 20 min | Cook Time: 35-40 min  | Servings: 2 loafs (7 slices each loaf) 14 servings | Difficulty: Easy

A delicious and moist pumpkin cream cheese bread with half of the calories!

Ingredients

Batter:
1-1/2 c. pureed pumpkin
1⁄2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 whole egg
3 egg whites
1 c. all-purpose flour
2⁄3 c. whole wheat flour
1⁄2 c. Stevia Cup for cup sweetener (I used Pyure)
1⁄2 c. granulated sugar1 t. baking soda
1⁄2 t. ground cinnamon1/2 t. ground nutmeg

Cream filling:
8 oz. fat free cream cheese
1⁄4 c. Stevia cup for cup sweetener
1 T. all-purpose flour
2 egg whites
1 t. vanilla extract

Instructions
1.  For the Batter: With an electric mixer, beat the pumpkin, applesauce, egg, and egg whites on medium speed until smooth. In a separate bowl, combine the flours, Stevia, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. Slowly mix the flour mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

2.  For the cream cheese filling: Beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, egg whites and flour until creamy and smooth.

3.  Spray with Pam 2, 8x4x2′′ loaf pans. Divide half of the batter between the two pans. Pour half of the filling in one pan and the other half in the second pan and smooth with the back of a spoon. Top with the remaining batter.

4.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for about 35-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Don’t over bake or your bread will be dry on the edges. Cool and remove from pans. Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container.  Make sure you completely cool before putting in airtight container or the bread will sweat.

Nutritional Info Per Slice: Makes 14 slices (7 per loaf) 124 Calories .6g Fat 5.7g Protein 23.6g Carbs

I ate this for breakfast this morning and it was delicious.  I love a big breakfast and could only eat 1/2 before my workout and had to finish the rest afterwards, it was that filling. So if your stomach can't handle a lot of food right when you wake up that is the way to go. I am also going try it with a non-dairy yogurt for my son and I'll let you know how that works out.

  Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Overnight Oats Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: refrigerator overnight  | Servings: 1 serving | Difficulty: Easy

 






Ingredients
1/2 cup old fashioned oats
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt, 0% Fat
1 scoop vanilla protein powder ( assumes approx 100 cal about 20 g fat)
1/3 cup pure pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1 teaspoon chia seeds
1 tsp flax seeds
1 Tbs honey
1/3 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk ( 30 cal version)
dash or two cinnamon or pumpkin pie spice
8 dark chocolate chips or 1Tbs cocoa nibs

Instructions
1. Combine oats, yogurt, protein powder, pumpkin, chia seeds, flax seeds, cinnamon/pumpkin spice and honey into a jar. Top with almond milk to cover ingredients and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.

2. Leave in refrigerator overnight or for at least two hours. Shake to combine all ingredients. Add more milk if desired.

Nutritional Info Per Serving: Makes 1 servings 468 Calories 10g Fat 33.5g Protein 61g Carbs

Fall is hands down my favorite season and here is why:
Cool weather
Pumpkin
Layered clothing options
Stepping on crunchy leaves
Pumpkin
Colors of Autumn
Outdoor fireplaces
Oh and did I mention pumpkin? :)

Ok, so you see the theme. In honor of the first day of Fall I am posting my five favorite, healthy, pumpkin, breakfast recipes, one recipe each day starting today. I’ve included nutritional content for easy tracking. Enjoy and feel free to post some of your own favorites.


Pumpkin Facts
Besides tasting delicious pumpkin is a very healthy choice. Did you know pumpkin is full of vitamins such as:
Alpha-carotene
Beta-carotene
Fiber
Vitamins C and E
Potassium
Magnesium
Pantothenic acid

On top of all that, pumpkin offers protection from many things we worry about today.

Diabetes Protection
According to Livestrong.com , pumpkin contains a protein-bound polysaccharide that is reported to actually increase the level of insulin in the bloodstream, which helps lower blood sugar.

Heart Protection
Located in pumpkin seeds and pumpkin oils are omega-3 fatty acids, , including alpha-linolenic acid or ALA, which support cardiac health.  ALA in pumpkin seeds and pumpkin reduces cardiac death by preventing  heart attacks

Cancer Protection
Pumpkins, along with other winter squash, contain compounds called  cucurbitacins. These compounds have proven to be effective at  slowing the development and growth of cancerous tumors of the breast, colon,  lung and central nervous system.

 Now to the good stuff…

Day 1 Pumpkin Protein Pancakes


(GF) Pumpkin Oatmeal Protein Pancakes Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 15 min | Servings: 3 servings | Difficulty: Easy 

Ingredients:

6 egg whites
1 cup rolled oats, dry
1 cup cottage cheese, Low-fat 1%
1/2 cup canned pumpkin (not the pie filling)
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla

Directions: In a blender, blend all ingredients until smooth. Heat a griddle or large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. Spray with non-stick cooking spray. For each pancake pour 1/4 cup of batter onto griddle. Flip when they start to bubble. Cook until golden brown. Repeat with remaining batches, spraying the griddle as needed. Makes about 10 pancakes.

Nutritional Info Per Serving Pancakes only: Makes 3 servings 
217.7 Calories 3.1g Fat 23.5g Protein 20g Carb, 4.4g Fiber


Optional toppings:  You will need to add the calories and/or macros from your chosen topping

• Mancakes High Fiber Syrup -  serving size: 2 T  Fat-0  Carbs-11g  Protein-0g Fiber-5g made from a blend of cane sugar and stevia 
  
• Fruit puree - pumpkin is a good one :)
  
• Nut butters, Agave or pure maple syrup in moderation