High Protein Taco Salad

Let me let you in on a little secret. Eating healthy doesn’t have to be hard or complicated. I think there’s this misconception that cooking your own meals is time consuming. But if you observe those who eat healthy, you’ll notice most of us have a handful of staple foods we rotate and those meals are, in fact, pretty simple and easy to whip up in a jiffy. I know what it’s like to be hungry, or should I say, HANGRY. When that happens, most of us aren’t in the mood to cook, and it’s during those moments we may grab something convenient but not so healthy, which doesn’t do much for our hunger. I’m here to tell you that the vast majority of the meals I cook for myself throughout the week can be made in less than 30 minutes. In fact, this taco salad recipe I’m sharing with you today was made in, no joke, less than 10 minutes. This is precisely why I love taco salads and tacos so much. The meat cooks up so quickly. Also, disclaimer: I do not measure the spices I use. I’m so sorry! I cook with my eyes, mouth, and heart. The only time I use measuring spoons is when I bake. So hopefully that doesn’t throw you all off too much.

Ingredients:

• 112 grams or 4 oz of 93% lean ground turkey
• 1 tbsp of marinara sauce (I use Rao’s)
• 30 grams or 2 tbsp sour cream (I swear by Tillamook’s sour cream. I recently stumbled upon it and it tastes phenomenal!)
• 120 grams or approximately 4 oz of romaine lettuce
• 28 grams or 1 oz of tortilla chips
• 30 ml or 2 tbsp salsa
• Cilantro (the more, the better! I know I may be in the minority here but I live for cilantro)

Spices used:

• Pink Himalayan sea salt
• Freshly cracked pepper
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Chili powder
• Cumin (my holy grail! I swear not adding the cumin makes a difference in the flavor profile of the dish)

Preparation:

Brown your ground turkey over medium heat and add your spices. Add your marinara sauce and mix it around until it absorbs into the ground turkey. Remove from heat.

You may be wondering why I add marinara sauce to my ground meat. I like adding marinara sauce to it because I feel it adds more depth of flavor and a bit of moisture to it.

Now, let’s assemble our taco salad. Chop up and add your lettuce, then your ground turkey, salsa, sour cream, and chopped cilantro. Arrange your chips around your taco salad. While I love cheese as much as the next person, I’ve found when I add sour cream that I don’t really need to add shredded cheese to my dish. It’s already so flavorful with just the sour cream in there. Plus, it helps minimize eating extra calories, when the meal itself is already so satisfying on its own.

This taco salad is a great meal to make during the week when you need a quick and easy meal to feed yourself and your family! I hope you’ll give it a try.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 1): 401 calories, 23.7g fat, 24.4g protein, 24.9g carbs

High Protein Sourdough French Toast

When I think of French toast, I think of comfort food. Who doesn’t remember early mornings waking up as a kid to warm, fluffy pancakes and French toast, drenched in either maple syrup or honey? Even in adulthood, French toast is one of my go-to comfort foods. The only problem is that traditional French toast is chock-full of carbs with minimal protein from the egg(s) you use, which doesn’t keep you full for long. Any time I have a carb-heavy meal without adequate protein, I find myself not satiated, which leads me to overeating to make up for it.

The recipe I’m sharing today is for high protein French toast using sourdough. Although I mostly stick to gluten-free foods, sourdough is one of the few foods that settles really well with me due to its fermentation process, which makes it easier to digest and decreases the amount of gluten. Also, sourdough acts as a prebiotic, which means that the fiber in it helps feed the good bacteria in our guts. Plus, it tastes delicious. It’s a win-win! It’s my favorite type of bread to eat.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 c. liquid egg whites
• 2 long slices of round sourdough bread (I used 128 grams; my favorite brands of sourdough are Sacramento Baking Company, which is a local brand, and San Luis Sourdough)
• 1/4 c. unsweetened almond milk (I use Malk brand)
• 21 grams or 1 tbsp. honey (or maple syrup, if you’re a maple syrup fan)
• Cinnamon to taste

Prepartion:

In a wide, shallow bowl, mix your liquid egg whites and almond milk together. Add a dash of cinnamon. Dip your bread into the egg white mixture. Over medium heat, spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and add your drenched toast. Cook for a few minutes on each side or until golden brown.

I like to spread salted grassfed butter on the French toast as I take it out of the pan.

If you haven’t noticed from the other posts on my page, I absolutely love adding fresh mixed berries to the sweet breakfast foods I make. Not only are they full of antioxidants but they are low calorie and add extra sweetness without any added sugar. I also add a few dabs of salted grassfed butter. This is totally optional but makes the French toast totally delicious.

And last but not least, I love adding honey to my French toast. For me, just a tablespoon will do.

This high protein sourdough French toast is to die for, in my opinion. It’s one of my favorite things to eat in the morning, and the fact that it has more than triple the amount of protein than regular French toast makes me feel good eating it, even if the carbs are high. Remember, carbs are not our enemies, as we have been lead to believe. As long as you add them to a balanced diet, you have nothing to fear.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 1): 454 calories, 1.9g fat, 25.1g protein, 80.4g carbs

High Protein Oatmeal

It jumped straight from summer to winter here in California and there’s nothing more comforting on a cold morning than a warm bowl of oatmeal. I love oatmeal for its heartiness but I noticed that it never kept me full for long. Oatmeal itself, while healthier than most other breakfast alternatives, is mostly carbs, very little protein (the average oatmeal has about 5-6 grams of protein per serving), and a small amount of fiber. Without adequate protein, oatmeal will just make you hungry shortly after eating it. A few weeks ago, I started Googling high protein oatmeal recipes and came across two that I ended up combining. The first one is this Thick and Fluffy Egg White Oatmeal by Eating Bird Food and the second one is her Greek Yogurt Oatmeal. My goal whenever I eat meals is to maximize the protein content because I know it’ll keep me full for much longer. Here’s my combined version of Eating Bird Food’s high protein oatmeal recipes.

Ingredients:

• 48 grams or 1/2 c. old fashioned oats (I use Bob’s Red Mill organic, gluten-free oats, which you can find at Walmart, Target, Whole Foods, and other major grocery stores, as well as Amazon)
• 60 grams or 1/4 c. liquid egg whites
• 2 scoops Vital Proteins collagen powder
• 57 grams or 1/4 c. FAGE 0% Fat Greek yogurt
• 21 grams or 1 tbsp. honey
• Cinnamon to taste
• A pinch of salt

Preparation:

Boil one cup water with a dash of cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Add in your oats and cook on low to medium heat until cooked, approximately 5-10 minutes. Add in your liquid egg whites and stir/whisk quickly for one minute so that the egg whites absorb but don’t form into egg whites. Turn off and remove from heat. Add your collagen powder, Greek yogurt, and honey. Add more cinnamon, if desired. Add your favorite toppings (I love using fresh mixed berries.)

When I first read Eating Bird Food’s egg white oatmeal recipe, I was honestly a little taken aback by it. The thought of egg whites in oatmeal sounded really unappetizing but all it really does is add tons of volume and creaminess to your oatmeal. It won’t cook into egg whites if you stir/whisk it quickly.

This is now my favorite way to enjoy oatmeal. If you try it, I would love to hear what you thought of it.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 1): 384 calories, 3 g fat, 36.7 g protein, 51.7 g carbs

High Protein Yogurt Bowl

It’s been quite a while since I last posted on here! I took a little hiatus but wanted to come back to share some new recipes I’ve been trying, lately, that I think you all will enjoy, as well. Since my last post, a lot has changed. For one, I have transitioned off of SCD and branched out. While my focus is still on eating whole, healthy, nutrient-dense foods, my diet is no longer as strict, which is so nice. I’ve been able to tolerate a lot of foods I wasn’t able to tolerate in the past and generally, have been enjoying this food freedom after being restricted for so long.

On my quest for healthy eating, I’ve come to realize that I need to focus on high protein foods and cut out the snacking. Why, you may ask? I noticed I would eat low protein, high carb breakfasts, for instance, which would hardly keep me full for an hour and would leave me grazing throughout the day. The end result was eating a lot of empty calories that were not only not good for my waistline but that also weren’t keeping me satiated, causing me to overeat. So, my goal has been to not so much focus on carbs but to focus on protein. I’ve taken this approach for the past week and have really noticed a change in myself. Not only am I full for a long time after my meals but I generally feel so much better not mindlessly snacking.

The recipe I share with you this today is a high protein yogurt bowl. It has a whopping 45.5 grams protein.

Ingredients:

• 226 grams or 1 c. FAGE 0% Fat Greek yogurt
• 1 RXBAR (I used blueberry flavor)
• 28 grams or 1 oz. raspberries
• 42 grams or 1.5 oz blackberries
• 1 scoop Vital Proteins collagen powder
• 21 grams or 1 tbsp. honey
• Cinnamon to taste
• Vanilla extract

Preparation:

Assemble your yogurt bowl by adding your yogurt to a bowl. Add honey, vanilla, cinnamon, and collagen powder, and mix well. Chop up your RXBAR and add it. Add your raspberries and blackberries. And that’s it! I love easy, tasty, and minimal effort breakfasts.

This bowl is so delicious and nutritious. I really love RXBARS because of their wholesome ingredients and the fact that they don’t add any sugar or sugar alcohols but I’ve found that eating a RXBAR on its own in the morning, without anything else, is not very filling. That’s when I decided to pair it with some Greek yogurt to not only increase the protein but keep me full.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 1): 452 calories, 7.3 g fat, 45.5 g protein, 54 g carbs

Decadent Chocolate Bar (Non-SCD Legal)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I successfully introduced cacao after 2 years on SCD. Although cacao isn’t SCD legal, I feel good about eating it because it’s chock-full of antioxidants. Chocolate is really one of the handful of foods I truly missed since starting SCD, so I’m very thankful I can enjoy some now. I love having it after dinner as a treat—I love the slightly bitter and mildly sweet taste of it. The funny thing is that pre-SCD, I was a milk chocolate fan and a dark chocolate hater but since then, I’ve really grown a deep love and appreciation for dark chocolate. Needless to say, milk chocolate has taken the back burner. I won’t eat it because it includes milk and refined sugar, among other things, and I stay away from both of those, even now that I have advanced further into SCD. SCD has taught me the fundamentals of healthy eating, and going back to refined sugar isn’t an option for me. Plus, dark chocolate is so much healthier and better for you, and it doesn’t upset my stomach, which is always a win-win situation in my book.

I do want to mention that I only eat cacao with either nothing added to it or with honey added to it; I want to stick as close as possible to SCD, even though I am eating a non-SCD legal food item. When I first sought to introduce cacao, I was on the hunt for a wholesome product, and that’s when I came across a brand called Honey Mamas. They sell fudge-like chocolate bars made with cocoa powder, which are only sweetened with honey. I was buying them for $5.99 a bar, and the bar is pretty small, though worth it to me for a treat I wasn’t able to have for 2 years. I have a friend who is also on SCD and who recently introduced cacao into her diet, so I told her about Honey Mamas. She told me she had actually been making her own chocolate for weeks! I was amazed because I always thought making chocolate was a complicated process but after she shared her recipe with me, I realized just how easy it truly is. All you do is basically mix a few ingredients together, pour your chocolate mixture into a chocolate mold or on parchment paper, freeze for 20 minutes, and you have chocolate! This is the chocolate mold I used that I bought on Amazon; you get 5 right now for $8.99. Below is her recipe. If you’re on Instagram, be sure to give her a follow at @abundance_of_honeysticks. She shares a ton of incredible SCD legal recipes.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp coconut oil, melted
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract (I used 1 tsp because I really love vanilla, so feel free to use more)
• 1/2 cup cacao powder
• 1 tbsp nuts, chopped (optional)
• Sea salt flakes (I used this one from Amazon)

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl, sprinkle sea salt flakes on chocolate mold (if using a mold), pour in chocolate mold or on parchment paper, freeze for 20 minutes, and enjoy! It’s really that simple.

I made this first bar without any nuts. I also added a few drops of peppermint extract.

For this second bar, I added a few chopped pistachios, shredded unsweetened coconut, and cacao nibs.

Look how beautiful these bars look! They look like something fancy you would buy at the store. Best of all, it’s so much cheaper to make your own chocolate, and you know exactly what’s going in your product, which also means you have the freedom of controlling your ingredients. You can create so many different variations of chocolate bars by using different extracts, spices, nuts, etc. The possibilities are truly endless. The consistency of these bars are fudge-like and decadent, hence, the decadent chocolate bar recipe name. Even though they taste decadent, they are pretty low calorie (provided that you don’t finish the whole bar in one sitting!) at 22 calories per square. You can store them in the fridge but I like storing mine in the freezer.

I hope you make these chocolate bars and enjoy them as much as I have been.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 24): 22 calories, 1.3 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0.3 g protein, 2.4 g carbs, 0.7 g fiber, 1.4 g sugar

Banana Date Buttercups

Last year, while my husband and I were watching Shark Tank, I saw an episode for this no sugar added date spread called Wanna Date. The founder of the company, Melissa Bartow, is who initially drew my interest to her product. She was young, spunky, confident, but most importantly, she was SO passionate about her product. To boot, we all know how hard it is to find commercially sold SCD legal products, so seeing that episode gave me a glimmer of hope that her products (minus the chocolate flavor) could truly be SCD legal. I began following Wanna Date on Instagram (@EatWannaDate) and reached out to Melissa to ask if they added anything extra to their products other than what was listed on their labels. I immediately knew she ran her company Instagram page herself when I reached out, told her I had a question, and she casually asked,

“What’s up?!” and proceeded to answer my question by telling me they don’t add any anti-caking “crap” to their products.

I love it when a company is not PC and can just act real, and doesn’t have a team of “experts” running their page. It says so much about a company when the founder is still so involved.

Melissa assured me that they didn’t add any ingredients that aren’t already listed on their labels. I asked if they use any anti-caking agents, like I mentioned above, and she confirmed that they do not. Their products have no added sugar or sugar syrups; they use ground vanilla bean for their vanilla flavor, and the dates they use are Deglet Noor, which haven’t been packed in sugar. She told me she’s just as sensitive as I am to processed foods and hidden ingredients, and that she eats Whole30 style, which was very reassuring. Those who care so much about what is going insides their bodies very likely have integrity and care just as much about what goes inside the bodies of others.

For the purposes of something being SCD legal, you do have to get this type of confirmation on company letterhead via a hardcopy letter, so I do want to put that disclaimer out there. I did not send a hardcopy letter to Melissa but rather, I sent an email and followed-up via Instagram. Personally, I have been on SCD for more than 2 years and feel comfortable with virtual confirmations of SCD legality of a product but each person has to do what they feel most comfortable with. So, please, proceed at your own discretion. I have ordered Wanna Date twice now and really love having something readily available for me to healthily snack on, since anyone on SCD knows that we pretty much have to cook 100% of our own meals.

The Wanna Date date spreads come in the following flavors: Chocolate, Cinnamon, Original, Pumpkin Spice, and Vanilla. As mentioned, only the chocolate flavor would not be SCD legal since chocolate isn’t allowed on SCD. However, after 2+ years on SCD and according to what’s allowed in the BTVC book, I have successfully introduced chocolate/cacao and have done well with it. I have tried all the Wanna Date date spread flavors and although it’s tough to pick an absolute favorite, I would probably say my #1 favorite is chocolate (it tastes like pudding to me! So good!), with a close tie between vanilla and cinnamon next. But all the flavors are amazing and have their own uniqueness to them. In addition, each flavor only has 25 calories a tbsp, is vegan, oil free, Paleo, has no added sugars, and is cholesterol free. I feel like I’ve hit the jackpot with these yummy date spreads! You really can’t find a more wholesome and nutrient-dense product.

If you follow Wanna Date on Instagram, you’ll see that Melissa always posts fun recipes to make with her date spreads (things I would have never thought of!), so I decided to try the banana date buttercups she posted. She didn’t provide exact measurements, so I played around with it myself and came up with this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 bananas
• 24 tbsp Wanna Date date spread (use the flavor or flavors of your choice but no chocolate if you want to keep it SCD legal)
• 1/2 cup coconut milk (or non-dairy milk of your choice)

Preparation:

Fill each cupcake liner or silicon cupcake mold with 2 tbsp of date spread. Freeze for an hour or until firm.

Blend the bananas and coconut milk until smooth.

Pour the blended bananas mixture on top of the frozen date spread (about 1.5 tbsp in each silicon cupcake mold)

Freeze for several hours or until hardened completely and enjoy!

This is such a healthy treat to eat that is relatively low calorie, too, which is a win-win in my book. I love eating one between meals to hold me over or after a meal for dessert when I want to satisfy my sweet tooth without overindulging.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 12): 75 calories, 0.6 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 0.2 g protein, 19 g carbs, 2.5 g fiber, 12.6 g sugar

Morning Glory Muffins

Something that’s really kept me going on SCD has been the plethora of recipes available online because they’ve allowed me to recreate and enjoy the classic foods I used to love pre-SCD. 10 years ago, the food industry and most people didn’t even know what gluten-free was, much less what SCD was, and SCD is still a diet today that is not very well-known unless you happen to be on it yourself. The good news now is that there are so many people with either food sensitivities, food allergies, or just wanting to eat healthier, that not only does the food industry know what gluten-free is but SCD recipes are widely available in cookbooks and online, too. My favorite SCD food blogger, by far, is Comfy Belly. Over the years, I’ve tried recipes from many SCD food bloggers, but Comfy Belly’s have consistently been a slam dunk. Out of all the recipes of hers I’ve tried (and trust me, I’ve tried many!), I have never been disappointed. When she posted her Morning Glory Muffins recipe the other day, I was fascinated by them for two reasons: they looked absolutely beautiful and also, I had never heard of them. The original story behind Morning Glory Muffins can be found here, for those interested. I’m the type of person who likes to know everything, so to me, the story behind how they came into existence was intriguing, to say the least.

When I found out that Morning Glory Muffins are like carrot cake but a more glorified version, adorned with with juicy golden raisins, shredded apples, walnuts, dates, and my favorite warm spices, I knew I had to try them ASAP, especially since I had a big bag of carrots lying around in my fridge, begging to be used. They are my favorite muffin recipe of hers, to date. Be sure to visit Comfy Belly’s page for her Morning Glory Muffins recipe, which, by the way, uses coconut flour. Below are some pictures to incentivize you even more to give these beauties a try! They are warm, comforting, and bursting with flavor. They would make the perfect hearty breakfast or serve as a nutrient-dense dessert that you can feel good about eating. As a FYI, I was able to get 12 muffins out of the batter, instead of 8, which I was happy about, since it brings down the calorie count even lower to approximately 158 calories a muffin.

I hope you give these glorious muffins a try and enjoy them as much as I am!

Chocolate Peanut Butter Banana Bites

I have been on SCD for more than 2 years and recently introduced cacao without any issues. Per the BTVC book, non-SCD legal foods can be introduced after 2 years on the diet when there are no longer any symptoms. So, this recipe I’m sharing today is non-SCD legal because of the cacao but in order to make it SCD legal, you would just leave out the last step of dipping these bites into the cacao mixture, which would still make them delicious. What I love most about these bites is that they are healthy, unlike the dipped fruit bites you see sold in stores, and they are refined sugar free! A seemingly indulgent but healthy treat? Yes, please! Sign me up. As always, my little taste testers (AKA my boys) devoured these bites and kept going on about how good they tasted. Needless to say, they are huge fans and because these bites are healthy, I feel good about giving it to them, even if they want a few extras.

Also, cacao is not to be confused with cocoa. I figured I would include the below visual, which explains the differences quite nicely and succinctly.

It’s amazing for me to see the progress I’ve made on SCD because when I first started, I couldn’t so much as tolerate 1/4 of a teaspoon of peanut butter. But through the hard work I put into remaining 100% compliant, I strengthened my gut and healed it, and started being able to eat foods I wasn’t able to tolerate during the beginning and middle stages of SCD. I’m glad I can tolerate cacao now because I really did miss that chocolate taste! Without further ado, let’s dive right into this simple but tasty recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 bananas, sliced into coins
• 53 grams all-natural peanut butter (make sure the only ingredient is either peanuts or peanuts and salt. I buy Kirkland’s Organic Creamy Peanut Butter from Costco)
• 1 tbsp raw cacao powder (I use this one but buy it from Costco)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 tbsp honey

Preparation:

Line a baking sheet or platter with parchment paper. Slice bananas into coins. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of peanut butter on each banana slice and top with another banana slice to make a little peanut butter banana sandwich. Freeze for at least one hour so that the little sandwiches harden. Melt the coconut oil and add the cacao powder. Whisk until well dissolved and there are no clumps of cacao left. Add your honey and mix well. Dip each peanut butter banana sandwich into the cacao mixture and place back onto the parchment paper. Freeze for a few hours or overnight. Then, enjoy!

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 18): 66 calories, 4.5 g fat, 2.9 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 mg sodium, 1 g protein, 6.6 g carbs, 0 g fiber, 3.5 g sugar

Spinach-Feta Almond Flour Muffins

I can’t take the credit for these delicious muffins but I can tell you they are tasty! While I do love a traditional sweet muffin to satisfy my sweet tooth, these muffins are a nice change from that. My friend shared the recipe with me, who got the recipe from her mom, and well, the rest is history! After seeing the whole baked feta pasta craze on Instagram 108308103 times, I practically leaped with joy when I saw my friend posted this recipe because not only did I have lots of feta to spare but also, I had a ton of spinach that needed to be used before it went to waste. These muffins are savory and so yummy, and they make the perfect breakfast. They are also pretty filling. I had one the other morning and it kept me full for hours.

Disclaimer, per the BTVC book: “Feta may be used after 6 months of improvement. But used only in small amounts.” I’ve been on SCD for 2+ years and eat feta occasionally without any issues.

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups almond flour
• 4 eggs
• 8 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 cup dried onions
• 3.5 cups fresh spinach, chopped (if using frozen, make sure to wring out all the water first)
• 75 grams feta cheese (approximately 1/2 cup), crumbled by hand
• 1.5 tsp lemon juice
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• Dill to taste

Preparation:

Combine all ingredients, fill in muffin tins (I use these silicon ones from Amazon and they are a dream because they truly don’t stick, although I still brush the insides with oil for good measure), and bake at 375 degrees Fahrenheit for 25 minutes or until the tops brown.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 12): 227 calories, 20.3 g fat, 3 g saturated fat, 65 mg cholesterol, 96.8 mg sodium, 6.4 g protein, 6 g carbs, 1.8 g fiber, 1.9 g sugar

Pistachio Orange Cookies

This recipe is an adaptation of Pistachio Orange Biscotti one of my friends made. I noticed they got super fluffy during the first round of baking for biscotti, so I thought they would make awesome cookies. My boys who are non-SCD loved these when they tried them! I would dare to say that after being on SCD for 2+ years and trying many different cookie variations, that these are my favorite SCD cookies I’ve ever eaten. The cookies turned out very fluffy, soft, chewy, and moist, with great flavor. For me, one of the yummiest parts about making these cookies is eating a small spoonful of the cookie dough batter, and because this recipe requires no eggs, it’s totally safe to eat!

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/4 cup honey
• Dash of sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 c. chopped pistachios

Preparation:

In a food processor, add all the ingredients, except for the chopped pistachios, and process until dough is smooth and no longer crumbly. Add chopped pistachios and mix in.

Using a tablespoon, roll into balls and pat down gently to flatten. Space cookies about 2 inches apart on a parchment lined baking sheet, as they will expand when baking.

Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 12 minutes or until golden brown.

Nutrition facts per serving (serves 18): 98 calories, 6.7 g fat, 0.4 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 2.7 g protein, 6 g carbs, 1.2 g fiber, 4 g sugar