recipes

Shamrock Protein Smoothie- A Healthy Twist

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I used to love to head to McDonald’s as soon as March hit to get the sugar-rush feeling from the Shamrock Shake. As I became more health conscious and more aware of calories/sugar, I realized the 63 grams of sugar and 460 calories with very minimal nutrition included, was just not worth it to me; and that is just the small size. If you spring for the large shake, you are looking at 103 grams of sugar. Just thinking about ingesting that much sugar makes me nauseous, no matter how good it may be. With all that being said, I did some trial and error of a ton of different shakes and settled on the one below. It is full of nutritious ingredients while still getting that festive green, minty flavor. With all the nutrients, it is more like a protein shake and can take the place of meal all while tasting like a familiar fav milkshake without the sugar crash after 🙂

The Recipe:

Vanilla protein powder (I use a scoop of Truvani vanilla plant based and sometimes I swap it for chocolate if I want more of a choco-mint flavor, I actually prefer the chocolate but if you want that traditional “green” shake, opt for the vanilla)

½ tsp vanilla extract 

ÂĽ tsp peppermint extract 

1-1.5 cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk- lately I’ve been replacing the almond milk with vanilla Flax Milk by a company called Malibu –it tastes just as good.

½ frozen banana

1 tbs of flax seed 

1 tbs of peanut butter ( or another nut butter if you prefer)

Handful of spinach (gives it that festive green color naturally while boosting your veggie intake for the day!)

I put the ice and banana in first followed by the almond milk, then the rest of the ingredients to follow. I find that it blends best this way with my single cup ninja blender. Blend everything together and enjoy 🙂 

Estimated Nutrition Facts: 

404 calories

27 grams of protein

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recipes

Healthy Crock-pot Chili with Grass Fed Beef

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Focus of this recipe: quick prep, minimal ingredients, high protein. 

Now that fall is here, and I have zero motivation to cook, I am breaking out the crockpot for a healthier twist on chili. My focus when cooking is always high protein to keep me full and for muscle growth as well as simple, clean ingredients. I also like to stay away from a ton of sugar and carbs.

Now back to the chili… I keep it simple with a few ingredients and it literally takes me about 5-10 minutes to prep. Next, I throw it in the crockpot and 6-8 hours later, the house is filled with the smell of a home cooked meal that smells like it took hours of preparation to make; work smarter not harder 🙂

The Ingredients:

1lb of ground beef (I get mine from Seven Stars Farm (https://sevenstarsfarm.com/our-farm-store ) in Phoenixville, PA, when I can but the one pictured is from Whole Foods and is grass fed since I’m overdue for a farm visit)

Fire roasted red peppers

Green chilies 

Tomato paste

Bell red pepper 

Chili packet seasoning (or you can make your own but when I don’t feel like it, this is a quick alternative) 

Spicy black beans ( or regular if you like your chili less spicy) 

The Recipe:

I throw in the beef first, then all of the canned ingredients, the freshly cut red pepper, then sprinkle the chili mix on top. 

Cook 6-8 hours on low depending on our slow cooker. Mine usually finishes in about 6-7 hours. If you need it quicker, you can cook on high for 4 hours. When it is close to being fully cooked, I take my spatula an break up the meat.

I like to top with sharp cheddar cheese but it is not necessary. (I use a block of sharp cheddar vs. shredded cheese to avoid non-caking agents which can contain GMO’s and preservatives that i’d prefer to do without.) 

I also serve with a side of kodiak cakes cornbread ( I find mine at Target). It has 10 grams of protein per serving to add to this already protein-filled meal. I prefer this over traditional cornbread as it actually has some nutritional value and isn’t just empty calories/carbs. If you’re looking cut some carbs, skip the cornbread 🙂 It is just as filling without it and the beans will meet your carb desires 🙂 

The Nutritional Facts:

(estimated)

Servings: about 5

approximate nutritional facts per serving:

280 calories

26 grams of protein

8 grams of fat

30 grams of carbs

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