Monday, March 30, 2015

Easter Treat Roundup

I love this time of year!  We were luck to have a very mild Winter this year so the Spring flowers have been blooming for many, many weeks already, and the herons are nesting in the park across the street.  I am turning my kitchen efforts to Easter this week and sharing some fun and tasty Easter treats with you today.  An Easter Treat Roundup.


Easter Treat Roundup at http://wecanbegintofeed.blogspot.com

And yes, I will be coloring eggs for The Captain shortly.  This is something I have been doing since I was a child and I love to see a bowl or basket filled with colored hardboiled eggs on the table or countertop. Even when we were out cruising on the sailboat all those years, I made sure to color some eggs for The Captain. They are one of his favorite snacks.  And they are bright and cheerful too… on days when Spring storms seem to linger, especially!

If you aren’t sure how to get started doing them yourself, here are a couple of ideas:

Colored Easter Eggs

Coloring the Insides of Easter Eggs
And if while you are here, do take a look at some of these very creative and fun ideas too. Thanks to the other bloggers who shared their ideas with me so I could pass them along to you!  Please click on the link below the picture to find the recipe on the original blog post.

Just look at these great ideas!


Easter Bird's Nest Cookies
by Confessions of a Fitness Instructor


Triple Chunk Candy Cookies
by Healthy Helper

Healthy Chocolate Bunnies
by The Happy Health Freak


Raw Carrot Cake Bites
by Plaid & Paleo


Orange Ginger Meringues
by Healthy Helper


Deviled Egg Chicks For Easter
by Running With Perseverance


Sugar Snap Pea and Apricot Salad with Cashews
by The Plant Powered Dietician


Chocolate-Dipped Sunbutter Easter Eggs
by The Fit Cookie



And here is one more of my own:


Pretty Spring Cake Mix Cookies

Do you have a favorite Easter recipe or tradition? I would love to hear about it and if you have written a post, do leave a link in the comments for my readers to see as well.

Sunday, March 22, 2015

High Protein Waffles

I do love me some waffles… and I love to eat of protein at breakfast time so it was a natural that I was eventually going to mix some protein powder with some eggs whites and make waffles.  I can’t believe it took me so long…and I don’t know what else to call them… High Protein Waffles tells the story pretty much!  They are grain free and gluten free... bonus!

I have made them a couple of times now.  They get crispier the longer you cook them.  The first time I made them, The Captain could smell them from another room and thought I was burning sugar!

Mmmmm.

If you love waffles, you have got to try these.  I am sure you could use whatever protein powder is your favorite.  Make them vegan if you like.

And I promise you they will keep you full all morning… mine power me through a 7km run and cool down quite easily. 

The N.I. I am sharing is based on the North Coast Naturals 100% ISO Protein whey powder that I used.  Yours will vary of course.


High Protein Waffles


High Protein Waffles
Makes 1 serving
  • 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 cup egg whites
  • 1/4 tsp baking powder
  1. Mix all ingredients till well blended and pour batter into hot waffle iron.
  2. Cook according to the directions on your waffle iron.
  3. Remove and top with fruit of choice.
Per serving without fruit.
Weight Watchers P+ = 4.
Calories 171; Protein 37g; Carbohydrate 3g; Fat 1g; Fibre 0g.

2015-03-22 09.45.05
Yep, that is a lot of cinnamon on top!


What about you? Waffles or pancakes?

Do you eat more protein on days you work out or run?

Sunday, March 15, 2015

Epicure... Sharing a New Find

I just love to share good finds with my friends.  And this is a great find, believe me. A few weeks ago I attended an open house hosted by several consultants for a local company called EPICURE… are you familiar with it?  They sell a variety of items… silicone cookware, servingware, pots and pans, kitchen tools, and a large selection of teas, dip mixes, sauce mixed, and seasonings.

Their web site bills them as a 100% Canadian, family-owned, woman-led company committed to adding value to the lives of Consultants, Customers and Canadian communities.

I first became familiar with Epicure while working at the Weight Watchers booth at a local women’s fair a couple of years ago.  At that time I purchased a silicone Chipster.  We have used it a lot since then and I did review it in November of 2013.

Oct 12 Potato chips 001

Since then I have been keeping an eye on their catalogue and promotions so when I was invited to attend the open house I eagerly accepted.  I wasn’t sure what to expect but was pleasantly surprised with the way the evening unfolded.

It turned out to be very much like a home party… on a somewhat larger scale. There were several tables surrounded by both female and male guests.  Each table was nicely decorated with gift baskets full of Epicure goodies.  It turned out that they were door prizes to be given away and raffled off throughout the evening.

At the front of the room there was a small cooking area staged, and each of the consultants took a turn at putting together a drink or a food dish with Epicure products, that was then divided up and served to the guests for sampling.  They made a smoothie with one of their teas, chicken souvlaki and tzatziki, a microwave chocolate cake, and a veggie dip.

Everything was very tasty and put together so quickly. Most impressive!  I came away that evening with a little sampler of some dips, and ideas for using them. 

2015-02-20 11.14.02

And I had placed an order for some cute appie plates and the Greek seasonings kit.  Sad face here that I did not win one of those beautiful gift baskets!

When my order was delivered a week or so later, I dug right into the box!

2015-03-03 09.53.47

And I was really happy with what I found.   

The Greeks seasonings kit contains a jar of lemon dilly mix for tzatziki, a jar of souvlaki seasoning, and a jar of herbs for salad dressing.  And of course there are recipe cards for ideas to use them.

We used those appie plates that same day at cocktail hour and have used them many times since.  They will be just right for sushi too.

appie plates

The first meal I prepared with the Greek Seasonings was delicous.  I made Chicken Souvlaki from the Epicure recipe card, along with Tzatziki to top some baked potatoes.  The pictures aren’t much, but the meal was fabulous… quick and easy, just like they promised!

2015-03-04 17.32.59

And then a few days later, I made up some of the Greek Salad dressing.  I love Greek Salad and this dressing is just perfect!

2015-03-09 12.37.27

And later in the week I made another one... this time on a bed of Spring greens.

2015-03-14 11.27.08

F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!

I am so happy to have found these products, and thrilled that they are gluten free and packaged in a facility so close to my own home!  EPICURE.


And just in case you are wondering... no, I am not in any way affiliated with this company or the brand. I am just a very satisfied customer!

What is your favorite line of herbs and spices?

Have you heard of or used Epicure?

Sunday, March 01, 2015

Low-Carb Revolution Rolls

I have been trying to come up with an alternative to using grains or nut flours in creating a low carb and low fat bread/cracker substitute…and recentlyI recalled that when I did the Atkins diet many years ago I made something from just eggs and cottage cheese.  I searched through my old hand-written recipes until I found it.  Revolution Rolls. I guess they were called that because in those days, the plan was called the Atkins Diet Revolution.

Traditionally, the rolls are made in pairs, so that you have two to make a sandwich. I made a a few of them just to test the recipe, and they are actually quite good.  I used a pair to make a sandwich one day, and enjoyed another pair with some hummus the next day.  Very simple, and quite tasty.  A bit crunchy and crumbly.

I used a very low fat cottage cheese in my rolls, only .04%, so that is what I used for the Nutritional Information in my recipe. 

I am about to make up another, larger batch today, and those I don’t eat today, I will freeze… I know that meringues freeze well so I am sure these rolls will too.
 
You can make as many at a time as you like.  Just multiply the ingredients by the number of rolls you want to make and then alter the instructions accordingly.

Revolution Rolls

Revolution Rolls
Makes 1 2-piece roll
  • 1 fresh egg
  • 1 Tbs cottage cheese
  • 1/8 tsp cream of tartar
  1. Preheat the oven to 300°F.
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Crack the egg and separate the white from the yolk in 2 different medium size bowls.
  4. Add the cream of tartar to the egg white and beat until stiff peaks form.
  5. Add the cottage cheese to the egg yolk and beat until well blended.
  6. Carefully fold the yolk-cheese mixture into the stiff egg whites, taking care not to break them down. They do not have to be well-blended.
  7. With a 1/4 cup measure, scoop out the batter and make a mound on the parchment sheet.
  8. Repeat with rest of the batter.
  9. Bake for one hour.
  10. Remove to wire rack and let cool before using.
Per 2-piece serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 2.
Calories 86; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 1g; Fat 5g; Fibre 0g.

UPDATE for Smart Points followers:
Per 2-piece serving.
Weight Watchers SP = 2.
Calories 86
Protein 8g
Carbohydrate 1g
Sugar <1g
Fat 5g
Saturated Fat 2g
Fibre 0g


Revolution Rolls1
Beat the egg white and cream of tartar till very stiff peaks form.


Revolution Rolls2
Blend the egg yolk and cottage cheese.


Revolution Rolls3
Very gently fold the yolk-cheese mixture into the stiff whites.


Revolution Rolls4
Place on parchment sheet in mounds. You can flatten them somewhat if you like.


Revolution Rolls5
Bake them for an hour and then remove to a wire rack to cool before using.


Revolution Rolls6
Two pieces go very nicely together to make a sandwich!



Have you ever tried the Atkins Diet?