Pumpkin Protein Doughnuts

I was a busy girl today! I took my day off to sleep in a bit. I got up around 8:30 and have been on my feet ever since running errands and cooking.

First Dylan and I ran around to several stores including Party City, Target, Bed Bath and Beyond, the local Mall to hit Hot Topic, and then finally Vitamin Shoppe.

I had a very sucessful haul today shopping. I got something for my Halloween costume, a digital scale, doughnut baking ban, brag's liquid aminos, a new pair of work-out pants, and some vanilla almond crunch Quest bars that I have not tried yet! I really have wanted a digital food scale for quite some time. Weighing food is so much more accurate than going by measurements. I hope that using it will help me to gain some lean muscle weight because my food calculations will be more accurate. I also had big plans for the doughnut baking mold. I have been eyeing this pan up for quite some time, but didn't have the money. So, I got a 20% off coupon in the mail for Bed Bath and Beyond and decided today was the day! Then, I put it to use tonight and made PUMPKIN PROTEIN DOUGHNUTS!

What you'll need:
for the doughnuts-
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) of coconut flour
1 1/2 scoop of vanilla flavored whey protein (I used Optimum Nutrition vanilla ice cream flavor)
1/2 cup of pure canned pumpkin
1 large whole egg
2 large egg whites
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
1/4 cup of raw stevia
1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg 
2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of cream of tartar
1/2 cup of vanilla unsweetened almond milk

for optional "frosting":
2 tablespoons of non-fat plain greek yogurt (I always use Chobani)
1/4 teaspoon of xanthan gum
2 packets of raw stevia
5-10 drops of vanilla creme liquid stevia

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Mix your wet ingredients for your doughnuts together and also the dry separately before combining and mixing well. Spray your doughnut baking pan (these could very easily be made into muffins as well!) with non-stick spray. Fill the molds with your batter. I baked mine for about 15-18 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean after sticking one into a doughnut. You can top it with the vanilla creme "frosting", more cinnamon, or pumpkin flavored cream cheese spread, or get creative. These are high in protein and low in active carbs. You could eat two (...or three) without the guilt! These would be good for pre or post workout as well.

I really can not wait to make up more doughnut recipes for you guys.

I also have been working on slowly sampling Artisana products that they were kind enough to send me to write a review for you guys. I should have that up at some point later this week. I have been sampling the packets slowly because I have cut nut butters out (except for peanut flour sparingly if I need it). I know, I am such a nut butter freak. I had to cut it out because I was getting out of control with the portioning and I also want to see how cutting out some fat does for my abs. I will be eating my beloved nut butter again very soon, but for now I have been forced to be creative with my nightly casein protein snack. I have been known for using a lotttt of peanut butter. But, I like having to think up some alternatives for a couple days. 

This is so good and tastes kind-of like amazing pumpkin cream cheese. 1/2 cup plain non-fat greek yogurt (Chobani), 1/4 cup non-fat cottage cheese, 1/4 cup pure pumpkin, 1 scoop vanilla ice cream whey from Optimum Nutrition, ground cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, 2 packets of raw stevia, and 1 tablespoon coconut flour. Mixed well topped with 1 tsp organic brown sugar, 1 tbsp coconut flour, and 1 packet of stevia along with 1 tablespoon of unsweetened almond milk and mixed well into a crumble-like texture. Finally, 2 tablespoons of Kashi go lean cinnamon crumble.

Another awesome purchase of mine this week was from Target. I finally was able to find tea that I have been looking quite some time for! Sugar Cookie Sleigh Ride by Celestial Seasonings! You probably are thinking, there is no way that a tea can taste like sugar cookies.. WRONG! This tea is so fantastic it is even boyfriend approved. With just some stevia and a little bit ok unsweetened almond milk to bring out the flavor, it tastes like a liquid cookie. Very good for soothing sweet tooth cravings like I get so badly! I also bought some French Vanilla coffee that was on sale and like most vanilla flavored things it is delicious. I gotta have a caffeine, one of my vices!

I hope you guys are having a great restful weekened!

Meg

Fall Reflection with Personal Pumkin Pie Baked Oats

Hey everyone! I hope you are having a great Thursday. If you are like me and work Monday-Friday I bet you are as excited as me for tomorrow to be Friday. This weeks sped by and I can not believe that people are back in school and there is only one more day left in August. It really seems like as you get older, the time starts to speed by. I noticed this especially since I graduated college and work full time.

How many of you are excited for fall? After years of mulling over the question of which season is my favorite, I think that I would choose Autumn. Mild weather is so fantastic. I love being able to wear shorts and a hooded sweatshirt or a t-shirt and jeans and be comfortable. I also love the way that the air smells, dewy cool mornings, warm colorful leaves, and pumpkins, apples, and more fall foods. This will be my first fall of healthy clean eating and I am so excited to see what new seasonal veggies and dishes I can try.

I was really craving pumpkin last night, so I cracked open a can of Libbys canned pumpkin and made this for my breakfast this morning. My very own bowl of Pumpkin Pie (Baked Oats)

For this dish you will need:

1/4 a cup of pure pumpkin puree (I use Libbys)
1 large egg white
2 tablespoons of almond meal/flour
2 tablespoons milled/ground flax seed
1/8 cup (2 tablespoons) oat bran
1/4 cup of whole grain rolled oats (not instant)
pumpkin pie spice
ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 packets of raw all natural stevia
5 drops vanilla creme liquid stevia (optional)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees while preparing your oats. I used about 1/2 a cup of water and cooked my oat bran and rolled oats together on the stove top first. Once cooked, I added in my egg white while continuously stirring the mixture. This ensures you won't have giant pieces of egg white sitting in your oats. I then added in one packet of raw stevia and mixed that in. Once cooked to your liking, take the egg white oats off the stove. In a separate glass baking dish or bowl, scoop out 1/4 (4 tablespoons) of pumpkin. Here is where I added the vanilla creme stevia and vanilla extract, but if you don't have it you can always omit it or use more plain stevia or sweetener of choice. I also added about 1/4 a teaspoon of pumpkin spice and ground cinnamon and mixed this all together. Then, I added the cooked egg white oats to the party with some more pumpkin spice and ground cinnamon (I love thoses spices so much!). Mixed all ingredients together well. Next, I mixed together the almond flour and ground flax seed together with another packet of raw stevia. I poured this mixture on top of the pumpkin oats like a crust. You may have some left over depending on how big your bowl is and how thick you want the crust to be on top. Throw it in the oven for about 25-30 minutes.

I let mine cool down and threw them in the fridge to keep until morning. I ate my personal pumpkin pie out of the fridge because I like cool pumpkin pie, but you can warm it in the microwave, toaster oven, or regular oven if you have more time than I did this morning. You can also top it with some light cool whip, cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, protein frosting, peanut butter, whatever your heart desires! I topped mine with some Walden Farms zero calorie pancake syrup and that was all she wrote. I was very satisfied this morning but it left me craving Autumn even more than before.

Oatmeal always helps keep me more full for longer periods of time because it is so hearty. If you eat carbs in the morning, you will have more energy and it will help curb hunger (unless you're me and will be hungry again by 9 a.m.). Carbs are an important part of a healthy diet, just make sure you are getting the right carbs! Whole grains, vegetables, fruit, and beans. Carbs are an energy source, so having them is not a bad thing! What you want to stay away from is processed crap carbs like white bread and pasta. Your food is your fuel, people! If you eat crap, you will feel like crap.


Here I am sitting at work typing this entry up and trying to make time go fast. So, I figure a lot of people who look at this are also interested in exercise and fitness. I am going to try to start posting more of my workouts so that you guys can see what routines I come up with. I like to think that my plans have been doing a good job building muscle, so here is my triceps and calves workout I am doing after work.


Exercise                                                     sets x reps

Tricp Kickbacks                                            3 x 15
Hanging Dips                                                3 x 12
Bench Dips                                                    4 x 12
Dumbbell Tricep Extension (one arm)          3 x 12
Skull Crushers                                               4 x 12
Tricep Extension (both arms)                        4 x 12
Lying Tricep Extension                                 3 x 12
Reverse Bench Press (palms face you)         4 x 10

Standing Calf Raise w/ Barbell
              toes in                                             3 x 15
              toes out                                           3 x 15
              toes parallel                                    3 x 15
Seated Calf Press (machine)                        3 x 12
Barbell Seated Calf Raise                            4 x 15


I have been trying to increase the amount of HIIT I have been doing to help shed that last bit of fat over my abs. Since my legs and glutes are still sore, and I did HIIT yesterday, I am just lifting today. I also have to do some moving tonight, so I am trying to keep my routine "light" so I don't burn myself out. More about HIIT will be on another entry at some point.



What are your feelings about Autumn?
What is your favorite seasonal produce for fall?