Hot, cold, iced, blended, creamed, instant, brewed, and/or covered in chocolate (as in chocolate covered espresso beans)? Yes, please!

Now that the weather has turned 100 degrees (no joke) a hot cup of coffee in the heat of the day is not an option so I’ve been whipping up this (approximately 100 calorie, 20 grams of protein) afternoon snack for a quick pick me up instead:

• 1 serving Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1 heaping Tablespoon Instant Coffee (I’m digging Trader Joanna’s, I mean, Trader Joe’s instant coffee–right, Monica?)
• 1 Teaspoon Sugar Free Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix (optional but recommended as it acts as a thickener and sweetener all in one)
• Stevia to taste
• Ice
• Water

Blended or on the rocks. You decide while I go make myself another cup of coffee.

Now I really must go hit the gym…have a grande!

This weekend when I was needing yet another hit of lemon, I hopped into the Fitness & Spice test kitchen and whipped up this simply refreshing…

Lemon Protein Shake

• 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder
• 2T Sugar Free Instant Pudding Mix
• 1/2 t Vanilla Extract
• 1/2 Lemon (if you have a high powered blender like a Vitamix, toss in the lemon skin and all, if not, just use the juice of the fruit for best results)
• 10 to 12 Ice Cubes
• 12 -16 ounces of Water

Combine. Blend. Drink.

Want to make this shake even better? Add a shot of Skinnygirl Margarita. Kidding! No I’m not. Yes I am.

Now I really must call 911, I’m in desperate need of some lemon-aid.

Sliced protein bread!

No joke.

“My” recipe was inspired by a recipe posted on Babble.com which was inspired by a recipe posted on the New York Times website. And now this bread recipe is just a few degrees from your oven and Kevin Bacon.

Here’s my version of this crazy-easy recipe for…

Protein Bread

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 cups vanilla protein powder (I use whey)
• 1/4 t salt
• 1/4 t yeast
• 1 1/2 cup water

Combine all of the dry ingredients and stir in the water until well blended. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a towel and let the dough sit for 12-14 hours. While you’re waiting you should probably go to the gym.

Remove the dough from the bowl and on a floured surface fold the dough over on itself twice. Return the dough to the bowl and cover letting the dough rest for 1-2 hours.

Preheat the oven to 450° and place a 6-8 quart heavy covered pot inside the oven as it heats. I used a Pampered Chef stone bowl but surely cast iron, Pyrex or ceramic will work, too. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from oven and spray the pan with Pam baking spray for good measure. Gently place the dough in your chosen pan, cover, and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the lid and bake another 10-15 minutes, until it’s golden brown like mine.

It’s even better than it looks. And it’s even better with butter and/or (Kevin) Bacon.

Now I really must go to the gym and then get back to work…this girl kneads to raise some dough!

Well, if you haven’t you should.

In a word, it is lovely.

It’s also award-winning, effortlessly stylish, beautifully written, and thoughtfully photographed. Clearly, the site and its author, Heidi Swanson, inspires me.

In fact, this recipe posted last week for Whole Wheat Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies inspired me to make my own version of the cookies. In a nutshell, I only made about 1/3 of her recipe along with some ingredient changes.

I have no doubt Heidi Swanson’s recipe is much, much better so go make her version and I will just post my inspired version below for my own personal reference.

Nothing to see here…

Protein Chocolate Chip Skillet Cookies

In a small bowl combine the flour, protein powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the applesauce, sugars, egg, and vanilla. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. Fold in the chocolate. Spray a small to medium sized skillet with butter flavored Pam and pour in batter. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes. Slice and enjoy a slice (or two) and freeze the leftovers in individual snack bags.

Now I really must go thank Heidi and all of her cookbooks and then finish licking the Egg Beaters!

Well, I say if you’ve waited until you’re starving to eat you’re crazy.

In fact, I know when I wait too long between meals, I’m more likely to make really poor decisions like the people in the Snickers commercials. You know the one where the people get really crabby or don’t have a good game because their blood sugar is out of whack and once they eat a candy bar they’re more pleasant and they play better. That is until their blood sugar drops again 30 minutes later and the cycle repeats itself.

But what do I know? I’m not Betty White.

So instead of waiting until I’m “starving” I try to take a lesson from the Boy Scouts and be prepared by…

• Eating 5-6 small meals throughout the day
• Drinking plenty of water as it’s easy to mistake hunger for thirst
• Having vegetables like carrots, celery, broccoli, and cauliflower washed and ready to crunch
• Grabbing a frozen Milky Whey

Yes, I said a frozen Milky Whey. This is my little way to kick my hungry sweet tooth the healthy whey way. Here’s the recipe for…

Frozen Protein Milky Whey Bars

• 1 cup Vanilla or Chocolate Protein Powder
• 1 cup Unsweetened Vanilla or Chocolate Almond Milk
• 6-8 drops of Caramel Capella Flavor Drops (NO calories, fat, sugar or artificial sweeteners!)

Blend all ingredients together, pour into ice cube trays, and freeze. These little suckers are like snack size frozen milky whey bars only without the guilt trip.

Now I really must go grab a bite to eat before my Sugar Daddy shows up.

What do I do when it’s freezing outside?

A. Drink coffee

B. Workout

C. Bake

D. Complain

E. All of the above

If you guessed “E” you are correct, I do every single thing on this list when I’m cold, but not necessarily in that order. I vote we kick things off with whipping up a batch of…

Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

• 1 Egg (or Egg Beater)
• 1/2 cup Sugar Substitute (I use Splenda)
• 1 t Vanilla Extract
• 1 cup Natural Peanut Butter
• 1/2 cup Vanilla Protein Powder

Whisk together the egg, sugar substitute, and vanilla. Stir in the peanut butter and gradually mix in the protein powder. Drop by the teaspoon onto a prepared baking sheet, flatten dough with a wet fork to prevent sticking, and bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Makes 1 dozen delicious cookies. Serve with coffee.

These cookies freeze well so pack them in two’s and pop them in the freezer for a to-go treat.

Now I really must go bundle up and head to the gym before I go nuts!

(arr, arr)

But it’s the holiday season so I channeled my inner Pilgrim and decided to tackle a healthier-for-me version of some basic rolls and I almost got it right. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far for…

Protein Quick Rolls (they’re almost a HIIT)

• 2 Eggs
• 1/4 cup Smart Balance Light Butter
• 1 1/2 T Honey
• 1 cup Almond Flour, Hazelnut Flour, Oat Flour, or Mayflower
• 1 1/4 cup Vanilla Protein Powder
• 1/2 t Baking Soda
• 1/2 t Salt

In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, butter, and honey. In a separate bowl combine the dry ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. Spoon into muffin tins coated with baking spray, I used square muffin tins, but just use what you have…you could even just plop them onto a cookie sheet, I suppose. Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes. Makes about 10 rolls.

Some baking notes:

• Do not over bake
• Do not under bake for that matter
• This might be stating the obvious, but using almond or hazelnut flour produces a less dense roll than oat flour
• The rolls in this photo were made with oat flour
• Serve with your favorite buttery spread, honey, or peanut butter, or honey peanut butter
• These rolls are good, but not nearly as good as Mom’s or Dawn’s–and I’m not just trying to butter them up. Ok, maybe just a little. My point is: Do not serve them to guests on Thanksgiving, save this recipe for every other day occasions, unless of course I am on your guest list then add them to your menu, please.

Now I really must roll myself out of the kitchen now I knead to run to the gym and work on my buns.

No they won’t.

But these two desserts just might warm you up and squash your sweet twooth tooth.

First up…

Blueberries in the Whey

• 1/3 cup frozen blueberries
• 3 T vanilla protein powder

Put ingredients in a microwaveable dish or coffee mug and defrost for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave on high for 45 seconds. Done!

Next up…

Pumpkin Puree All The Whey

• 1/3 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 T vanilla protein powder

Combine ingredients together in a microwaveable dish or coffee mug and microwave on high for 45 seconds, stirring half way. Done!

Now let’s address your questions:

Could you add some granola, nuts, or cinnamon to either of these recipes? Let me think about it…if you do that it would make these recipes more than 2 ingredients and that doesn’t really fit the theme of today’s blog. So, the answer to your question is no.

You say these are dessert cups but don’t you think they’d be good for breakfast or as a side dish? Indeed.

Do you think this recipe could be made with peaches or cranberries? See the answer to the previous question.

Could you use another type of protein powder other than whey? Yes whey.

You mentioned two-stepping earlier, do you like country music? No whey.

Now I really must go hit the gym and round up a cowboy or two to put the dishes a-whey!

No I wasn’t.

Ok, I was drooling over the baked goods, but I wasn’t very patient because I could not wait to go home and come up with a recipe for pumpkin scones like the ones I saw on the menu.

Was I successful? Not on the first time up to bat. Or the second time. And the third time? Well, while the third time was quite charming, my scones look nothing like the ones at Starbucks. But they tasted good so I thought I’d share the recipe anyway…

Protein Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Scones

• 1 cup vanilla protein powder
• 1 1/2 cup oat flour (I just blended oatmeal in my blender)
• 1 T baking powder
• 1/2 t salt
• 1 t cinnamon
• 7 T sugar-substitute
• 1 large egg (I used an Egg Beater)
• 1/2 cup pumpkin puree
• 3 T unsweetened almond milk
• 5 T cold Smart Balance Light Butter
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

In a large bowl combine the first 5 ingredients. In a separate bowl whisk together the egg, sugar-substitute, pumpkin puree, and almond milk. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and stir. Using a fork add the butter to the batter and then fold in the chocolate chips. Bake in prepared muffin tins (I used square shaped muffin tins) at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Makes 10-12 scones.

Honestly, these scones turned out more like the texture of a really hearty muffin, but since they taste pretty darn good, I didn’t strike out completely. On my next swing, I think I’ll use the same batter but try putting the scones on a lower rack in the oven, increasing the oven temperature, and decreasing the baking time. I think with those small adjustments I’ll have a home run.

Now I really must go grab a cup of coffee, a scone, and then try to sell the recipe to Starbucks in my field of dreams.

If you have tuned in you already know Thintervention is a show documenting the weight loss journey of a handful of men and women under the watchful eye of Jackie Warner.

If you haven’t caught an episode yet be prepared for a lot of sweating, screaming, swearing, and even a dose of heart-warming soul searching. Which pretty much sums up how my workouts go on any given day.

Anyway…

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to sit down with Jakie Warner for an interview.

No I didn’t.

But I did get to send her a few questions to answer along with a few other very talented writers. Here are a few of the highlights from the semi-exclusive interview:

JOANNA: I love to give recipes a healthy shake by doing little things like incorporating shots of protein powder in homemade protein cookies, brownies, pancakes, smoothies, and even coffee. Do you have a recipe you haven’t shared before using protein powder?

JACKIE: Protein pancakes are great.  Oatmeal, eggs, cinnamon, and protein powder. I make them for myself all the time.

JENNIFER: With body image being a hot topic [in Los Angeles], what tips do you have for instilling a positive (and realistic!) sense of self for your female clients?

JACKIE: People should never take pictures of celebrities and try to emulate them because everyone has different body types. And a super model’s body type is not the norm. I recommend to my clients to find the best picture of themselves and then try to get back to that. It’s a much more attainable goal.

ANNIKA: What’s the safest way to indulge a craving for, say, chocolate without having regrets later?

JACKIE: Eat dark chocolate that is at least 80% cocoa.  Instead of reaching for a candy bar, eat a protein bar, which contains nutrients in addition to protein.

JACQUELYN: We know that the goal of Thintervention is physical fitness, but we hear that therapy plays a large role in the process. Would you consider this “mental” exercise? Also do you feel this plays as important a role as the physical?

JACKIE: Mental exercise is a great way to describe therapy, and in my opinion it’s as important an exercise as the physical. Mental exercise is a huge part of my program. Teaching clients self-talk, turning negative self-loathing to self-loving is a key component of Thintervention.

JESS: What is the biggest obstacle that keeps people of any size from meeting their fitness goals?

JACKIE: Starving themselves. By not eating, you slow down your metabolism so when you do have a meal your body isn’t breaking it down as quickly and everything is converted into fat. Every day you should have breakfast, a snack, lunch, a snack, and dinner.

JOANNA: In one of your recent interviews you talk passionately about food journaling which the fitbook fitness and nutrition journal that I’m a huge fan of features. In your experience what is it about journaling that is so critical for people trying to get in and stay in shape?

JACKIE: Accountability is key.  By writing in a journal, you’re setting goals daily.  It allows you to revisit your goals and see if you have accomplished them.  It’s a part of the goal setting process.  It’s similar to if you study for an exam, you’ll get an A.

ALLIE: Do you worry that the contestants will perhaps take healthy eating and exercise to the extreme and end up developing disordered habits? If so, how do you prevent that from happening?

JACKIE: No, I’m not worried that my clients will take it to the extreme because I teach them how to live a healthy and balanced life.  It’s about knowing when and what to eat in moderation.  The goal is not to think about food.  I teach my clients to eat to live, not live to eat.

Now I really must go grab some chocolate protein pancakes and thank Jackie for the interview. Bravo!