Hey Guys! Here’s the recipe to my Decadent Chocolate Protein Smoothie Bowl that I shared via my Instagram story not too long ago. It’s a delicious treat especially in the summer time post workout!
Ingredients:
Half a cup of unsweetened Coconut Milk (you can use any milk alternative like almond or cashew milk)
1 Very large frozen banana
2 Tablespoons of avocado
1 Scoop of neutral flavoured protein powder (I used a plant-based chocolate protein powder)
2 Tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder
1 to 3 pitted Medjool Dates, Stevia or any liquid sweetener to taste
Add all the ingredients in the blender starting with the coconut milk. Blend until fully combined into a thick, creamy consistency.
Pour into a bowl and add any toppings you desire! In the photo below I topped my smoothie bowl with some fresh banana and my Fruit and Nut Granola Clusters
This past Mother’s Day I made my mom some Homemade Gluten-Free Fruit and Nut Granola Clusters. This is probably the best granola recipe I’ve made so far! It was also inspired by the Oh She Glows Cookbook. My mom is constantly buying Gluten-Free Granola from the store because her favourite thing to have for breakfast is Greek Yogurt and Granola, so I thought, why not make her some from scratch? Not only do I think this tastes better than store-bought, it will save you money in the long run, and who doesn’t love that?
Ingredients:
1 Cup of whole raw almonds
1/2 cup of raw pecans
1 1/4 cup of Gluten-Free Rolled Oats
1 cup of mixed dried fruit (I used half cranberries (unsweetened) and half chopped apricots)
1/2 cup of raw pumpkin seeds or pepitas
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/3 cup of shredded unsweetened coconut
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of fine-grain sea salt
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup or other liquid sweetener (first batch I made I used raw honey, and the second batch I made I used maple syrup, both are amazing)
1/4 cup of coconut oil melted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Pre-heat the oven to 275ºF. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Put a 1/2 cup of the almonds into a food processor and grind them down into a fine meal (similar to the texture of sand). Then transfer to a large bowl.
Place the rest of the almonds, along with the pecans into the food processor and finely chop the nuts. The nuts should be chopped into various sizes, you will even have some powdery meal, it’s all good. Add the nuts to the large bowl with the almond meal.
Add the oats, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, cinnamon, and salt to the large bowl with the nuts. Stir to combine.
Add the syrup or liquid sweetener of your choice, melted oil, and vanilla to the bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir until thoroughly combined.
With a spatula spread the granola out onto the prepared baking sheet. Make sure that you spread the mixture out evenly into a single layer. Press down the granola as you spread it along so that it is slightly compact. Bake for 20 minutes, then rotate the pan and bake for another 18-20 minutes more, or until the granola is lightly golden and firm to the touch.
Cool the granola on the pan for at least 1 hour before breaking it apart into clusters.
Store the granola in a glass jar in the fridge for 2-3 weeks or freeze it for 4-5 weeks.
Hey Guys! Here’s a simple tofu scramble recipe that you can eat at any time of the day. This recipe is originally from the Thug Kitchen Recipe Book, however, you can interchange the vegetables and make it your own. I definitely made this recipe again and did just that. This recipe is easy, and it doesn’t take long to make! The only thing that takes a while is the prep work of washing and chopping all the veggies but once you get through that its smooth sailing!
Ingredients:
1 Broccoli Crown
1 Red Bell Pepper
1 Yellow Onion
1 Carrot
4 Cloves of Garlic
1-2 Jalapeños
1 Tablespoon of Chili Powder
1 Tablespoon of Cumin
2 Teaspoons of Oregano
2 Teaspoons of Olive Oil
1 Block of Extra Firm Tofu
1 Tablespoon of Soy Sauce or Tamari (I changed this part from the original recipe)
2 Tablespoons of Lemon or Lime Juice (I use lemon for this recipe)
1/3 Cup of Nutritional Yeast
2 Teaspoons of your favourite hot sauce
Cooking Instructions:
Wash your broccoli, pepper, carrot, and jalapeño. Cut your broccoli crown into little trees about the size of a quarter no bigger than that. Cube your bell pepper. Dice your onion and shred your carrot. Mince your garlic and jalapeños. When I made this recipe I placed the prepped broccoli and pepper in one bowl. The Onion in a separate bowl. The carrot in a small bowl alone. The garlic and jalapeño in a small bowl together. Once you’ve prepped all your veggies, mix the chili powder, cumin, and oregano in a small bowl.
Finally! Now we can start cooking! Phew! In a large skillet heat the olive oil. Add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Then add the broccoli and bell pepper, cook for about 3-4 minutes. Once the veggies have softened a bit, add the garlic and jalapeños.
Once you got all the veggies in the skillet cooking, drain the tofu and wrap it in some paper towel so you can squeeze some of the water out. Don’t go too crazy squeezing the water out. Hold the tofu over the skillet and crumble it into the pan. Don’t worry about making the crumble chunks small, it will further breakdown as you cook, so it may be wise to start off a little bigger at the beginning. Sauté the tofu with the vegetables for 2-3 minutes. Add the soy sauce and lemon juice, make sure to pour these ingredients slowly over the entire pan so that it spreads out a little more evenly (tofu is very absorbent, so it will quickly absorb the liquid if you just dump it in one spot). Stir, after you’ve added the soy sauce and lemon juice. Then add the spice blend, carrot, and nutritional yeast. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in your hot sauce and serve.
You can serve this dish any way you like. You can put this scramble into taco shells, or make it into burritos. Totally up to you! You can put it on top of a bed of lettuce or just have it on its own. Have fun with it!
This recipe for Gluten Free Granola is perfect for parfaits, or to add some crunch to your smoothie bowls. Honestly, I love it on its own as well with some almond milk and banana.
Dry Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups of raw unsweetened organic coconut chips
2 cups of gluten free rolled oats
1 cup of raw sliced almonds
1/2 cup of hemp hearts
2 tablespoons of coconut sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of fine sea salt
Wet Ingredients:
1/3 cup and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
1/3 cup and 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
2 tablespoons of any nut butter
1 1/2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper
2. Combine all the dry ingredients in a bowl.
3. In a small saucepan melt the coconut oil. Once it’s melted, take it off the heat and add the maple syrup, nut butter, and vanilla. Combine everything well and then pour it all over the dry ingredients.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients until all the dry ingredients are covered.
5. Spread evenly on the baking sheet. Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake for 15 minutes.
6. Take the granola out, stir it. Spread it out evenly again and place it back in the oven for 8-13 minutes. Granola should be golden but soft. The granola will harden as it cools.
The granola will keep for 3-4 weeks in an air tight container. Or for a couple of months if you freeze it in ziploc bags.
For the last little while I’ve been playing with different shake recipes. Ever since my roommate brought in a Vitamix, I’ve almost been living off shakes! Especially lately. I’ll be heading to Coachella in a couple weeks, so to get in protein in a low calorie, low carb way, shakes have been my go to meal. I wouldn’t suggest having only shakes as a way to get your meals in, but I make at least one shake a day. Especially since I commute a lot, travelling from client to client, it’s an easy way to pack a meal on the go. However, I’ve been making shakes using egg whites instead of using Protein Powder. I’m not lactose free, but I find using egg whites so much easier on my digestive system. So here’s my latest favorite shake:
Ingredients:
1 cup of unsweetened almond milk (or any lactose free milk)
1 cup of egg whites
2 handfuls of spinach (2 cups)
1 cup of frozen mangos
Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a glass with a straw and enjoy!
255 Calories: 24.2g Carbs, 2.5g Fat, 29.8g Protein
You can always add a tablespoon of peanut butter or almond butter to this recipe as well if you would like to add more of a fat source. It definitely works well, but keep in mind this would obviously increase the amount of calories and fat of this recipe.
I’ve posted one of these recipes on my Instagram account alexrinaldo, follow me if you’re not already! 😉 But, not everyone who reads my blog has Instagram… I know, shocking! So, I decided to post these recipes on my blog. I LOVE making smoothies, I make one literally everyday. It’s an easy, and quick way to have a nutritious and delicious meal, that you can take on the go. Lately, I’ve been making smoothies with egg whites, and I’m in love. I know this may sound gross, but it’s not. Egg whites don’t taste like anything, and these recipes do an excellent job of hiding the gloopy texture of egg whites. So, when you drink these smoothies, they have a nice creamy texture like a milkshake! Especially the banana, avocado smoothie!
Recipe #1: Banana Avocado Protein Shake 405 calories
Macro nutrients: 15.9 g of Fat, 38 g of Carbohydrates, 31 g of Protein
Put 1 cup of egg whites and 1/2 cup of unsweetened almond milk into the blender
Add 100 g of ripe avocado into the blender and blend until smooth
Put one whole banana (about 4 ounces or so) into the blender and then blend
Add some ice and then blend again until smooth. Then once it’s all done, pour into a glass or shaker cup and enjoy!
Recipe #1: Strawberry Avocado Protein Shake 370 calories
Macro nutrients: 17.2 g of Fat, 22.5 g of Carbohydrates, 31 g of Protein
Put 1 cup of egg whites and 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk into the blender
Add 100 g of ripe avocado into the blender and blend everything until smooth
Add 1 cup of frozen strawberries into the blender and then blend everything together
Once you have a smooth mixture, pour into a glass or shaker cup and enjoy!
Both of these recipes are delicious, and super easy to make! For the second recipe, you can literally use any frozen fruit that you like. I prefer frozen strawberries because the seeds don’t settle in your smoothie like blackberries for example, and they are relatively lower carb. I also enjoy using frozen raspberries as well because they are lower carb too. However, if you do change the fruit, it will change the calories of the shake and the amount of carbs in the shake. Let me know what you guys think in the comments section and if you’ve made any other versions of this shake, because I would love to hear your ideas too!
Yes, I know we don’t use pennies anymore in Canada… sounds cute though right?!?! Ok, so I LOVE Starbucks… and sugar-free gum. It’s a serious problem LOL I have been in control of my coffee intake and limit it to one a day, and I always feel better when I make it myself because I can control the taste and flavor BUT a coffee a day (especially a specialty coffee from Starbucks) adds up real quick! It’s one of those expenses that we so mindlessly make on a regular basis that we don’t even realize how much it’s really costing us! Especially, if you’re like me, and you have a Starbucks Gold card (I have a lot of generous clients who know about my addiction) the money disappears from your card so quick because its invisible money. It’s not as painful of a purchase when you don’t have to count out the change for it. So recently, I learned how to properly use the percolator at home to make my own espresso! If you have an espresso machine then awesome! Making your own iced Americano of specialty coffee is just that much easier. Below is a recipe for an iced Vanilla Americano (or iced espresso coffee) that I made from home and it is awesome! Oh and it’s diet friendly too!! You can make this with regular coffee but if you like it strong like me then espresso is where it’s at!
Iced Vanilla Americano Recipe:
Step One:
Get out your percolator, open it up and take out the coffee holder and metal grate out of the bottom of the percolator. Then fill the bottom of the percolator with cold water. Most percolators will have a line indicator for the water. On my percolator, I filled it to the indent line where the screw is. See Below:
Step 2:
Put the coffee holder into the percolator and fill the percolator up with espresso. Make sure you pack the espresso in tight! I used a teaspoon to pack it down.
Step 3:
Once you’ve packed the coffee in tight, put the grate on top and then screw the top of the percolator back on. Once you know the top of the percolator is on tight, turn on your stove and wait. DO NOT FLIP OPEN THE TOP OF YOUR PERCOLATOR TO CHECK THE COFFEE!! IT WILL RUIN YOUR ESPRESSO! You will be able to hear your espresso bubbling up to the top of the percolator. Once it stops making bubbly sounds it’s ready!
Step 4:
Take the percolator off the stove and let your espresso cool, about 20-30 minutes. Then transfer your coffee to a thermos or some other container and put it in the fridge. I usually make my espresso the night before and have it iced for the next day, or if I just want one espresso shot I will save the rest and have it iced the next day. But you can make it, let it cool and follow the next few steps to enjoy your iced espresso coffee sooner.
Step 5:
Once your espresso is cold transfer it out of the thermos into a jug or something bigger so you can stir in your sweetener, ice and so on. I would recommend 2-3 packets of stevia. This is a matter of taste (how sweet you like your coffee) and how bitter your espresso is. Put the stevia in the coffee and stir, then I added 2 packets of Italian Vanilla (see below) you can get this stuff at any grocery store. It would be in the baking aisle! Stevia is a natural sweetener, and you can get stevia drops in whatever flavors you like (vanilla, caramel and so on). However, this Italian vanilla packets are artificial flavors, still zero calorie but you should know that it is indeed artificial. When I made this coffee it was the only zero calorie flavoring I had.
These are two different brands of the same thing.
Once you have added your flavor and sweetener, add your milk. Again, I used a bit of almond milk to keep the calories down, and it’s also lactose free, fat-free etc Add as much or as little milk as you like. This is a matter of taste, however, I kept mine low because I really like espresso and I like my coffee strong. Now, that all the ingredients are in and the taste is to your liking, add ice and serve! A full percolator of coffee will make more than one serving of this stuff! So share with friends, or save it for later. If you are planning on saving some for later, then add ice to the portion you are about to drink and then put the rest back in a thermos and put it in the fridge for later. Once you are ready to drink it, then add the ice so it doesn’t get too watered down. And that’s it!
You can also have this drink hot, so make espresso, pour a shot or two into a coffee mug, add hot water to it so now you have an Americano. Then add sweetener, and flavor to your coffee if you like, and there you have it! You have now become your own barista who knows how to spell your name! LOL money saved, and coffee made just the way you like it! Saves your pocket-book and your waistline! And who doesn’t love that?!?!
Alex Rinaldo 