Protein Nut Butter...intrigued??

Please don't tell me you fall into the category of those that consider nuts a protein. PLEASE! Look at the nutrition label. What is the "overwhelming" macronutrient (fat, protein, carb) in that can of cashews. Protein? Nope. Try fats. "Good" fats, yes. Although, I'm going to go ahead and recommend to not go buck wild on them because they are "good" fats. So scooping out peanut butter for that afternoon snack might not be a bad idea, but don't consider it a significant protein source. Eat a piece of chicken.

...moving on. So lately I've been seeing a lot of "protein" nut butters, marketed primarily on Instagram. G-Butter, ManBake, p28...basically, different flavors of nut butters, packed with additional goodness, in the form of flax, protein, etc. Right before shelling out $15 (before shipping) to ManBake for some "cookie butter" nut butter, I decided to have a peek at the label, and see if I could make something similar myself. What did I find? Yep...let me go about it the "do it yourself" way. Here's what it's looking like:

finished product! cooling, as it
gets pretty hot from the high speeds!

butter me up!

1 cup raw cashews (or use whatever blend of raw nuts you'd like)
2.5 scoops of protein of choice (I used MusclePharm Mint Chocolate Chip...why? because it had it)
2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 Tbsp chia seeds

Toss it all in the Vitamix (pretty crucial to have a high powered blender or food processor, otherwise it just won't "butter," no matter how much you kill the engine). If it needs to be smoothed out at all, add in a little bit of coconut oil, to create a more creamy texture.

There ya have it! Customized protein nut butter with other healthy goodness....just store in a mason jar! Cost me about $6, if that, and literally took 5 minutes to make.

Teff Ginger Molasses Cookies

Teff?!? Heh? I'll straight up admit that I had zero idea what teff was until recently. And when I learned what it was, I also learned that it is what's used to create injera...the airy pancake-like things that I love eating Ethiopian food with. Then...during a recent trip to Whole Foods, an African woman was sampling some of her cookies...made with teff flour. Whaaaaaat? Of course, I had to taste (sample-master right here)...then proceeded to purchase a container of them. Gotta support local businesses, right?

Of course, the next immediate thought was "why don't I make these? How do I make them? I got this." ...and perused pinterest for a while in search of recipes. So...the following is a bit of my own version of this one I tracked down

Teff Ginger Molasses Cookies

2 cups teff flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/2 cup almond butter
1/2 cup molasses
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup ginger beer
2 tsp tamari
1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger

Preheat your oven to 350. Combine all dry ingredients, combine all wet ingredients. Then mix it all up! Drop whatever size cookies you'd like on parchment-lined cookie sheets, and bake for about 12 minutes (if you like them nice and soft!).

These are pretty awesome, if you're into gingerbread! Gluten free, vegan, paleo...sign me up! I'll definitely be making these again.

DIY Quest Bars....yes, please!

So, if you're into fitness and/or health supplements, you're well aware of the existence of the infamous Quest bar. So many incredible flavors to choose from, budding fitness culinary artists figuring out different ways to consume them (quest pop tarts, cookies, cannolis, you name it), and did I mention the cookies 'n cream one?!?! <insert watering mouth>

After PR'ing my squat today, and watching a random Netflix movie...I decided to conjure up my own version of one of my fave afternoon snacks...in the form of my absolute favorite flavor of all time: Mint Chocolate Chip.

I'm not going to sit here and preach about how I've outdone the Quest bar. Please. Not trying to do that. However, if you're in the mood for some DIY snacks, it is definitely worth giving it a go. Cost savings per bar is maybe around 50 cents...but hey, money in the bank is money in the bank.

supplies ready for action

ready, set, consume!

4 scoops of your fave protein powder (I used Muscle Pharm Mint Chocolate Chip)
1/4 cup ground oats
1/4 cup nut butter of choice (I used Peanut Butter & Co. Dark Chocolate Dreams)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1/4 cup water (you may or may not use it all)
1 Newman's Own mint chocolate cup, finely chopped
1 Tbsp raw cacao nibs

Mix all dry ingredients together. Slowly add the water until it is fairly sticky (then don't add more!), and all dry ingredients have been incorporated. Then, flatten out onto some parchment paper and place in the fridge for about 30 minutes. Cut, eat, and store! Should make about 6 bars.

Clearly, my cacao nibs and my mint chocolate cup were the icing on this mint chocolatey cake...so feel free to get creative and create your fave flave!

Here's the approximate nutrition info per bar:

Calories: 189
Fat: 7g
Protein: 20g
Carbs: 12g (5g sugar)

*nomnomnom*

Let's Talk About....

...Cheese, bay-bee. Let's talk about you, and me. Let's talk about all the good things, and the bad things, that may be.

...no? Was I the only one that was tickled by my salt 'n pepa reference?

...anyhoo, I'm going to deviate a bit from mere recipe sharing. Why? Because I had a fabulous cheese experience, that has inspired me to perk up and become inquisitive about cheese and their interesting origins. I've had thoughts of educating myself more on the wondrous art of cheese making in the past, just never really felt like investing the time to get to know my cheeses a bit more personally. But...thanks to gouda reserve...I'm in.

My little heaven at Whole Foods

I often find myself perusing the small basket in the corner of the cheese section at my P Street Whole Foods. You know, the one where they put the odds and ends of cheese that can't really be sold with the rest of their coagulated compadres. See, I'm a "let me taste that" kind of girl...wanting to experience as many flavors, textures, aromas as possible in the things I eat...not necessarily wanting to commit to a large portion of any one of them. <smorgasbords are perfect for me> So I loooove when the little basket at Whole Foods is filled up with various cheeses for me to try. I'll often get one or two per week, trying to remember what I like and don't like, occasionally googling the whereabouts of particular ones that stood out on my palate (and creating no form of actual notes to re-reference either. #colormelazy). But never have I been completely compelled to dedicate some weekly time to cheese discovery.

Without further adieu, here's my first cheese review and knowledge bomb...

GOUDA RESERVE

This cheese is quite hard. At first, I thought it was mislabeled. Gouda, not soft? Won't bend? Huuh? I wouldn't necessarily consider it super hard like a grana padano (my heart belongs to this guy, btw), but just seems like it's been sitting in the fridge too long and lost its moisture. The taste is one-of-a-kind. Strong, tart in its own way, with a bit of a bite. There are interesting crystals inside that crunch while you chew, and if you let it rest in your mouth, it'll slowly become slightly creamy. This leads me to wonder how delicious it'd be shaved onto a warm, tomato soup for garnish. Hmmm....

• Ingredients: Pasteurized cow's milk, salt, cheese culture, animal rennet
• Country of Origin: Holland
• Aged: At least 18 months
• Price: $16.99/lb.
• Verdict: Buy buy buy!! (you won't regret it)

...until next time...