Protein | 20something cupcakes

your new favorite snack bars + giveaway!

July 20, 2012 — 96 Comments

Raw. Organic. Vegan. Gluten-free. Kosher.

Daaaammmmnnn.

These bars have it going on, right?

And more than that, they taste ah-mazing.

I first tried a Pure Bar when I received one in my swag bag at BlogHer Food in Seattle. I was immediately intrigued by the clean list of ingredients and stellar nutrition info. The flavor was Banana Coconut, which of course sounded delish enough – but with all of the healthiness going on in there, could it actually taste good?

Yes. pure organic bars - review + giveaway

This was thrilling news for me, because on extra-busy days (is there such thing as a day that’s not extra-busy? I didn’t think so) bars like this are a life-saver. I’m generally super-picky about ‘em, because I don’t want a lot of preservatives but I also want a good mix of protein, fiber, fat, and calories. Tasting good is an obvious bonus, so Pure Bars are a triple-win!

When I reached out to the company to get my hands on more, they happily obliged – and what’s even better is that they’re sharing the love with you, too!

In Healthy Eats, Product Reviews fiber, giveaway, healthy, protein, snack, snack bars

black bean burgers.

June 28, 2010 — 10 Comments

Here’s a burger you can feel good about.

And by good, I mean healthy. Because we all know the kind of burgers that I feel best about aren’t going to be the vegetarian variety.

Still, I really enjoyed making {and eating} these – it was a nice way to switch up the weeknight routine. I don’t typically cook things like burgers during the week, because in my house, we’re all aboard the healthy train until the weekend comes around. So this super-fast and easy recipe allowed me to sort of trick myself – or actually, trick Daniel. He was a little overly excited by the idea, and when he took a bite, I have to say – he was a little disappointed. He thought it was good, but it did look like a burger, and I guess he couldn’t get past the fact that there was no meat in it.

I absolutely loved them, and I think they’re a great as a healthy snack eaten without the bun – I doubled the recipe so I could have leftovers for that exact purpose. Beans are a great source of protein and fiber {not to mention high on the anti-inflammatory scale}, so you really can’t go wrong – and you could even play with the recipe a bit more, adding whatever spices or herbs you like.

Black Bean Burgers

Adapted from For the Love and Cooking Light

2 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup shredded light Monterey Jack cheese {I used a reduced-fat Mexican blend, though I usually prefer to shred my own}
1/4-1/2 cup whole wheat panko breadcrumbs
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1-2 medium jalapeño peppers, finely chopped
2 large egg whites {I used a hit of the egg whites out of the carton}

For serving:

4-5 whole wheat hamburger buns, lightly toasted
Lettuce, onion, tomato, and avocado for topping
Cilantro aioli {optional: light mayo, finely chopped cilantro, minced garlic, and hit of lemon juice}

Preheat oven to 350°. Place black beans in a medium bowl; mash with a fork or a potato masher. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Shape the mixture into patties as thick as you’d like, and arrange them on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes, turning once. Place on toasted hamburger buns and top as you like.

In Healthy Eats, Main Dishes anti-inflammatory, black beans, burgers, cilantro, fiber, protein, vegetarian, weeknight fix

Because I don’t do diets.

I do, however, try to maintain a healthy lifestyle when it comes to what I put into my body. After all, 80% of what your body looks like is determined by your diet. Contrary to popular belief, that 45 minute run you did on the treadmill this morning doesn’t cancel out the cheeseburger and fries you ate for lunch.

You can still maintain your weight while enjoying the things you love. It’s all about moderation and balance. The key is a gradual change to a healthier way of eating rather than a drastic diet that you won’t can’t stick with. Once you get used to it, you’ll never have to think about it again.

I’m all about following the below rules pretty strictly during the week, so that when the weekend comes around I can have that cheeseburger.

Eat 5-6 small meals throughout the day. Shoot for about 200-300 calories each. This will not only rev up your metabolism, but it will keep you from getting so hungry that you end up overeating later. The ideal mix would be 40-50% protein, 20-30% carbs, 20-30% fats (but this doesn’t need to be an exact science by any means). Obviously the healthier the better, but even if you are treating yourself remember to use portion control. Try only eating half the portion, or splitting it with someone.
Make sure protein is a component in every mini-meal you eat! I aim for about 65-85 grams of protein a day, but this depends on your weight and goals. It may seem like a lot, but trust me – it’s crucial. It keeps you full and builds muscle. Proteins include fat-free yogurt, low-fat cheeses, lean meats like turkey or chicken breast, eggs, beans, soy products like tofu, nuts, and of course protein shakes (try Myoplex Lite) or protein bars (be careful with these – a lot are high in fat or sugar). A good start to reach your daily goal would be to have at least a protein shake or a chicken breast (giving you about 20 grams or so as a starting point). Some of my favorite easy sources are low-fat cottage cheese, reduced-fat string cheese, canned albacore tuna, and of course hard-boiled egg whites. For smaller mini-meals in a hurry, I will often pair one of these with a piece of fruit.
Choose whole wheat instead of white breads, flours, pastas, rice, and other grains whenever possible. Check the label to make sure the first ingredient is 100% whole wheat flour or grain; a lot of products that claim to be “multi-grain” or “stone-ground” are not actually made from 100% whole grains. Whole grains are high in dietary fiber (helping you stay full and aiding in digestion), lower your risk for heart disease, and are even thought to help you fight belly fat.
Cut down your carbs. People often make the mistake of cutting them out completely, which is the wrong move – complex carbohydrates are good for you and your body needs them, especially when you are working out. Just try eating less of them when you want to whittle down. For example, when I order a big sandwich with lots of bread (even if it’s wheat), I take one of the slices of bread off. Double up on veggies and lean protein and halve your carbs – this way you can still enjoy the things you love and feel good about it.
Avoid processed foods. When you grocery shop, try to shop on the outer sides of the store as much as possible (hello fresh produce, dairy, and lean meats) rather than the sections in the center, which tend to be full of processed and prepackaged foods.
Healthy fat is your friend. While you definitely want to limit your saturated fat intake (and trans fat – duh), polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats are essential for your body. Not only are they good for your heart and brain, they also protect your joints, bones, and organs – all while keeping your hair and skin gorgeous and glowing. Think olive oil (and other plant-based oils like canola and vegetable) avocados, nuts and seeds, and omega-3s from fatty fish like salmon, flax seed, and walnuts.
Drink PLENTY of water and avoid sodas, sugary juices, and yes…alcohol. But let’s be realistic here. Moderation is key: try to stick to light beers, wines (bonus points for antioxidant-rich red), or low-cal drinks like vodka and club soda (try mixing it up with a flavored vodka like raspberry and a lot of lime or my perfect margarita). Basically you want to avoid high-calorie/sugary mixers.
Eat nutrient-rich and try to eliminate “empty calories.” Think foods that are rich in nutrients (fruits and veggies provide vitamins, whole grains provide fiber and complex carbs which your body needs, dairy products provide calcium, and so on). “Empty” calories are calories coming from high-energy foods (read: sugar) with little to no nutritional value, like potato chips or cookies.

*There are tons of sources online that will help you easily find nutritional contents of every food you can imagine. If you want to track your intake, SparkPeople is a great website. You create a free account, enter your goals, and the site will calculate what you should be getting daily in terms of calories, protein, carbs, etc. There is a HUGE database of foods, and you can even input your own foods with nutritional info if it’s not already in there. Using a program like this to tracking your daily calorie intake is *extremely helpful* if you want to lose weight; trust me – a couple of summers ago this site helped me lose 10 pounds.

Image via fashin

hard-boiled eggs.

February 19, 2010 — 3 Comments

You are what you eat.

If it’s true, I want to be a high-protein, low carb, deliciously firm, skinny-inducing EGG.

I love eggs cooked any way really. But hard-boiled, they become such a perfectly simple and healthy snack.

And the best part is, they are SO easy to make! What I like to do is make a dozen or so at a time. If that seems like a lot, and you don’t have a hungry egg-devouring machine named Daniel who lives with you, make a few less.

Perfectly Hard-Boiled Eggs Everytime:

Try to boil your eggs when they are a few days old. The fresher the egg, the more difficult they will be to peel.
Place the eggs in a single layer in the bottom of a pot.
Take the pot to the sink and fill ‘er up, covering the eggs with about an inch or two of cold or room-temperature water.
Throw some salt in there.
Now put your pot of eggs on a burner and bring them to a boil.
Once boiling, remove the pot from the burner, cover it, and let the eggs sit in there for about 10-12 minutes.
Take the eggs out and get them into a bowl of ice water (you can also pour the water out of the pan, fill again with cool water, pour out, fill again, etc. until they cool off).

And voila! Perfectly cooked, easy to peel, hard-boiled eggs.

I like to let them cool a little and then peel away. I just find it to be easier to get this out of the way, but you can leave them in their shells and peel later if you prefer. After peeled I put them in a Tupperware and now I have easy, healthy snacks ready-to-grab for the week.

Other uses:

Add to your tuna salad
Make an egg salad
My Best Friend’s Egg Bowl: Using a fork, crush up a few eggs (higher white-to-yolk ratio*) in a bowl, heat them up in the microwave, add salt + pepper and a dash of olive oil

*White-to-yolk ratio: Some people like to eat only the whites of the egg to cut out the cholesterol and fat in the yolk. Because I like the taste and protein-content of the yolk, I find a happy middleground by using a higher white-to-yolk ratio rather than cutting out the yolks entirely.

In Healthy Eats eggs, healthy, protein, snack