Quinoa Burgers

Happy Easter!! (this was suppose to be posted yesterday but I had some issues with Google)

I would like to share a recipe I made a few days ago with some leftovers. It's high in protein and healthy carbs to keep you full and energized!

But first I would like to recap my gluten-free two weeks. I have to say that the first week I was really diligent and stayed away from gluten like it was the plague! But then I spent the weekend up in Fort Collins, with the boyfriend and it was inevitable that we decided to go to my favorite restaurant Lucile's! I told myself it was perfectly okay to cheat that morning because Lucile's is simply the best!                                                           

To my surprise, I didn't have any digestive issues what-so-ever that day or the next! That was pleasing, so for the rest of the second week, I avoided gluten, but admit that I cheated some.

The verdict is that I don't think gluten causes me any specific problems, but I did notice I felt much less bloated and overall "lighter" on the days I was completely off gluten. Here's an example of my "before" stomach and an "after" one week completely off gluten.

                                                                    "Before"

                                                         "After" 1 week off gluten

I would definitely say I saw a difference in the amount of bloating over my abs with the comparison. So I'm keeping that in mind and have been still actively avoiding gluten-dense foods, such as bread and pasta.

Now on to the recipe!

Here's what you need:
(makes 2 patties)

1/3 cup cooked quinoa
1/3 cup cooked/drained garbanzo beans
1 Tbsp flax seed
1 egg white (or 1 whole egg)
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp parsley
dash of both cumin and cayenne

Place all the ingredients minus the egg in a food processor and blend until it forms a paste.

Then add the egg and mix by hand until well combined. Form the sticky mixture into two patties and cook in an oiled skillet (covered) about four minutes each side.

If you decided to put cheese on top, like I did, add the cheese after you've flipped the patties and with only about a minute left to cook.

Enjoy with a side of veggies for a well proportioned meal! :)


Have you ever tried a gluten-free diet?

Chocolate almond protein muffins

The other day I came across a list of low-carb snacks and one of them happened to be Almond Apple Spice muffins. I made a few changes to the recipe, adapted it to what I had as well as made it a little *healthier*.
They are gluten-free which is lucky, since today is my first day of gluten-free living! It wasn't so bad today, and I realized that I don't eat as many gluten products as I thought. My breakfast and lunch were pretty much the same as usual, it was my snacks that changed the most I think, cause many days I will have PB on ww toast or tortilla. But I also noticed that I would normally have something with gluten at dinner as well, or if I wanted something to cheat with, those almost always have gluten! I think it will be an interesting two weeks...

Here's the link to the original recipe for the muffins again.
And here's how I made them:

1 cup ground almonds
2 scoops chocolate protein powder
2 whole eggs
1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce
2 Tbsp coconut oil
1/2 Tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly mix all the ingredients in a bowl, melt the coconut oil slightly beforehand, if necessary. Spray a muffin tin with non stick cooking spray or use cup cake liners. Pour mix into muffin tins, (~3/4 full). Place tray in the oven and cook for 12 minutes. Make sure not to overcook as the muffins will become very dry.

This is a half recipe of what the site used, I figured since I'm just cooking for one person, it makes more sense to cut it in half. From this recipe I got 10 small muffins, they don't "grow" much in the baking process, so be aware of that.

The muffins are really nutty and the spices definitely make a nice overall "earthy" taste. It's maybe more of a autumn taste, than spring, but I like it all the same. They are extra good topped with a little almond butter, talk about a dessert-like snack! 

Enjoy!

Gluten-free test

Well, after some excessive and unrelenting digestive issues, I have decided to give up gluten for 2 weeks, as a test period to see if I'm "sensitive"to gluten. I've been reading up on gluten and digestive problems and I think there could be a strong connection and in my case, I know I eat a moderate amount of gluten everyday.
Two weeks may not be enough time to "cure" me and my symptoms, but I think it is a good starting point to assess if any changes happen. If it goes well, then I will stick with gluten-free living and be happy that my digestive problems have come to an end, if not, then it's back to the drawing board.
So, as of tomorrow, March 26th, I will not eat gluten for two weeks, that means no breads, pastas, beer (which I don't drink much of anyway) or wheat products in general. I will continue to eat my daily bowl of oatmeal, even though I don't have a GF certified brand, but I will count it as close enough. :)

I think this will be a good diet to start anyway because a lot of the unhealthy calories that I eat in my day are from gluten products. Because lets face it, I LOVE carbs with a passion. But I think they hinder me from achieving some of my goals, so it will be nice to try for a few weeks and see if I make any improvements as far a physique goes.

I'm excited to see what happens, if anything, in the next two weeks and I will be updating on my blog about how I'm feeling and what changes occur. Since I am looking to see if my body changes physically, I will take some "progress" pictures tomorrow and at the end of two weeks and if I'm satisfied that I made progress, I will be sure to post them as evidence!

I'll be back tomorrow to share some gluten-free protein muffins I made, so stay tuned!

Do you have any problems with gluten?    

Happy (Protein) Pancake Day!

Happy Shrove Tuesday! More importantly, Happy Pancake Day!

I thought it was only appropriate to have my first food post be about breakfast because it's my favorite meal of the day! And what a better way to start off the day than with a plate full of pancakes!

Even though it's Pancake Day, I didn't indulge on buttery, fattening pancakes, instead I made Protein Pancakes! Banana Walnut! They are delicious, gluten-free and healthy!

Here's what you need (I'll talk about substitutions later):

4 egg whites
1/4 c. rolled oats (choose gluten-free oats and bran for 100% gluten-free)
2 Tbsp. oat bran
1/4 c. cottage cheese
1/2 Tbsp. ground flax seed
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 banana

Possible toppings:
Other 1/2 banana
2 Tbsp. real maple syrup
Raisins
Walnuts
Dash of cinnamon

Combine all pancake ingredients in a mixer, food processor or blender (whichever you prefer) until you have a liquid consistency. Spray or oil a skillet (I use coconut oil) and pour about 1/4 cup of pancake batter. The best thing for protein pancakes is to make thinner rather than thicker pancakes because they are easier to flip.
Wait until you get those magic pancakes bubbles and then flip!

 
Do you like our cute little toaster timer? Mom got it the last time she was in town, Thanks Ma!

The recipe yields about 4-5 thin pancakes. It's enough for me if I'm super hungry, but sometimes I'll save one or two and eat it as part of my snack later in the day.

When all your pancakes are done, top them with more banana, syrup, raisins or walnuts and a dash of cinnamon! Delicious!

Substitutions: If you don't use egg whites, you can sub 3 whole eggs with perfect results.
If you don't have oat bran, up the amount of rolled oats to 1/3 c.

Also, I've heard that flax seed shouldn't be heated because it ruins some of it's health properties, I'm not sure about it, but I like the extra nut flavor in my pancakes, especially with the walnuts.


Did you eat pancakes today?  How do you like your pancakes? Maybe I'll make them in a Protein recipe!

Enjoy and
Be Flavorful!
Roni