Whole Grain Protien Cinnamon Rolls

Sometimes I surprise myself in the kitchen, recipes seem to flow almost effortlessly from mind to fruition. One batch and I have created a winner! These past few weeks have NOT been the case. My bread didn’t rise, my muffins were a disaster and my cinnamon rolls were dense. I have no idea what causes the brilliance and I have no idea why it stopped, all I can say is that I didn’t give up and just kept on cooking. Some recipes need tweaking so they can evolve into a successful creation. That was the case with these cinnamon rolls!

The first batch was small, dry, and dense. The second batch was better but still too tough. Finally, finally, my THIRD time approaching dough, I felt success break into fluffy bits between my fingers. The trick was oil! My rolls were drying out in the oven. I still hope to see this recipe progress over the years, there are so many factors to try and tinker with! (I even added cauliflower in round two!) But for now I will set aside my dough roller and treat myself to a well-deserved warm cinnamon roll of happiness.

  

I prefer to heat these up and enjoy them plain! They have a sweet wheat-like flavor with a pop of maple sugar in the folds. No, they do not taste like fluffy white bread cinnamon rolls because you are getting more fiber and complex carbs from the white whole wheat flour! Sorry to disappoint but these still will defiantly crush a sweet tooth! Just don’t get mad at me if you make these and they don’t come out tasting like cinnabun lol.

Protein Cinnamon Rolls

2 Cups +2tbs (225g) White Whole wheat flour

1 large scoop (40g) vanilla protein powder

½ packet instant yeast

2tbs (40g) unsweetened applesauce

2tbs coconut oil melted

¾ C unsweetened almond milk

1tsp vanilla extract

filling:

stevia

cinnamon

2tbs walden farms pancake syrup *(or maple syrup)

spray butter *(optional)

Method: Mix all ingredients together in a bowl adding the almond milk slowly until a dough ball begins to form. Knead thoroughly for 5-10min stretching and working the dough. Let rise in a warm area for 1-2hrs (until it has doubled in size)

Once the dough has risen plop it out onto a sheet of parchment paper, punch down, and let rest 10-20min. After the dough has rested, roll it out into a 13×8 inch rectangle; the dough will be around 1cm thick. Spray the dough with spray butter (opt.) and spread with 1-2tbs walden farms pancake syrup. Sprinkle cinnamon and stevia over the top.

Begin to roll the dough down lengthwise until you have one long cinnamon roll log. Using a bread knife cut the log into 8 identical rounds. Place rounds in a well-greased muffin tin or 8×8 baking dish, cover with foil (stops the rolls from drying out) and bake for 15-20min

( My preferred baking Method)

Makes 8 rolls

For you frosting freaks out there all I did was melt 2tbs of coconut oil and then whisked in 2tbs vanilla protein powder!

The result was a delicious buttery-sweet glaze!

Nutrition per 1/8 of recipe (sans glaze) : 127 calories, 4.4g fat, 15.7g Carb, 6.2g Protein

(Compared to Pillsbury cinnamon roll:140 calories, 4.5g fat,23g carb, 2g protein)

Skillet Pizza

HEEEYYY MACARENA! PIZZA! *throws hands in the air*

(topped mine with homemade pizza sauce, almond cheese, roasted veg, and corn)

I’m just a little bit excited about this post if you couldn’t tell…. XD recently I have been trying my hardest to create yeast risen healthy pizza dough and let’s just say the results have been anything but successful…. I had all but given up my dream of having a healthy pizza recipe in my repertoire when I made a delicious discovery! I found a way to create a successful and delicious healthy pizza!!! For about the 10^th time… Yeah I have had this recipe in my head and been using it for around 4 months and it never occurred to me to post it OR that it was the recipe I was searching for! Definitely an “AH-ha” moment or maybe more of a “well duh stupid” moment XD

Let me present to you the easiest and yummiest healthy pizza on the planet! A pizza cooked in a skillet in less than 30min tops! That includes mixing, pouring, cooking, and chopping. Yes only 30min. This recipe was born from a half-starved college students mind after 3 hours of chemistry and algebra; you best believe it had to be fast and tasty! The first time I decided to give it a whirl I made it two more times that week alone! It satisfied that Italian craving and was chock-full of protein to refuel my exhausted body. Definitely a recipe to keep handy.

Skillet Pizza

6tbs (92g) liquid egg whites

1/4c (30g) flour of choice**

2tsp (4g) nutritional yeast

1tsp Psyllium husk powder

½ tsp baking soda

½ tsp baking powder

Pinch sodium free salt

Opt:

Dash of garlic

Dash of Italian seasonings

Method: combine all ingredients together in a small bowl until no clumps remain. Pour the “dough” into a well-greased skillet on LOW heat. Now you have two options:

1. Let the skillet pizza cook until the bottom has set and then proceed to top with sauce, cheese, and desired toppings. Allow the pizza to cook through until the dough is cooked and cheese is melty. (sometimes I will flip mine like one giant pizza pancake!)
2. Option two! Cook the dough through completely in the skillet. Once the dough is firm, remove from skillet, apply toppings, and finish baking in the oven until crisp and melty

**Recipe Notes:

*Flours: I have used 1/4c spelt flour, 1/4c chickpea flour and 1/4c oat flour all with similar results. Of course the taste varied due to the flour choice but overall the texture of the dough still held up well and cooked perfectly!

Sometimes I will blitz a zucchini, cauliflower or spinach into my dough to add some extra nutrients.

I will also occasionally mix the cheese into the batter for super cheesy pizza dough.

This recipe is actually quite flexible, the big hitter is the fact that the crust will turn out firm but not dry! And it will not fall apart like some cauliflower crusts.

Nutrition info varies with flour choice but the yeast and eggs add 12g protein 🙂

Nutty By Nature Review

“Man cannot live on bread alone; he must have peanut butter” -Anonymous

Ok, ok, so everyone has been talking about the brand new protein peanut butter made by none other than the creators of Krush bars!! (Well everyone except Patrick star because he’s living under a rock) I was asked to write up an honest review on these spreads and of course that meant samples!!! Heck yes! (I am slightly, majorly, addicted to peanut butter if you didn’t know…) I was honored and took up the challenge as a self-proclaimed pb aficionado. Therefore; with all my nut-butter related experience you can trust this review one-hundred and peanut butter percent.

They have three awesome flavors available right now and I was able to try two: cookie dough and thick and creamy. Both have 14g protein per 32g (2tbs) serving as opposed to the 5-7g in your average peanut butter. I tasted each one separately to get the full nut-buttery experience:

Cookie dough

Out of the two this was probably my favorite as I have a MAJOR sweet tooth! It had a flavor reminiscent of toasted brown sugar with little confetti pieces of chocolate chips. It is very sweet so do not expect a traditional peanut butter flavor on this one. The texture was the perfect combo of thick/ spreadable, not to watery and not clay like. It was slightly gritty but that is to be expected from higher protein spreads. There is a slight roasted peanut flavor but it is not as pronounced as say jiff peanut butter. The Nutrition profile is fantastic at 200 calories, 13g fat (compared to 16g in normal peanut butter) 7g Carb (4 from fiber 3 from sugar) and 14g protein.

I had a little taste test before spreading it atop some protein pancakes!

(Check out my post pancake memoirs under breakfasts for tips on healthy pancakes)

Thick and Creamy

This flavor was still very sweet however the roasted peanut butter flavor was much more pronounced. The texture was the same as cookie dough except this time the spread had flakes of flaxseeds and chia seeds in it! I loved the added pop of crunchiness and how thick the spread was. I did not get the “creaminess” suggested in the name but I still really enjoyed it! The nutrition is pretty much identical to cookie dough except with one gram less carb: 200 calories, 13g fat, 6g carb, 14g protein.

Overall I would definitely purchase this spread and in the ranking of other protein peanut butter brands I rank it far above P28 and on par with nutsnmore toffee crunch!

Here is a link to their store if you are interested in their products as they make amazing protein bars as well  http://krushnutrition.com/

Peanut Butter Banana Loaf

Since I have failed a collective 3 times in a row at attempting a new banana inspired recipe I figured it was time to surrender and retreat back to an old but faithful banana bread recipe XD. If I could wave a white flag via text on a screen I would haha, this weekend has been anything BUT baking success. Practice makes perfect right?? I’ll just have to keep baking along until triumph strikes once more in Jordan’s kitchen!

( I topped my slice with peanut butter, chocolate chips and a scoop of vanilla maple arctic zero!)

Healthy peanut butter banana loaf

170g (1 medium) ripe Banana

2tbs (20g) oat bran

1tsp (5g) ground phylum seed husk

1/2 a whole egg

6tbs (92g) egg whites

4tbs (24g) pb2

1tbs almond milk

1/4c granulated stevia or monk fruit

1/4c (30g) garbanzo bean flour*

1/2tsp cinnamon

1/4tsp cloves

1/8tsp nutmeg

1/2tsp vanilla extract

1/4tsp baking powder

1/2tsp baking soda

 

Directions: blitz all ingredients together in a food processor/blender and pour into a well-greased baking vessel of choice, I used a loaf pan but the batter is a tad small for that so it will not come out looking like a huge loaf. Bake at 350deg F for 20-25min or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Share with friends or eat the whole thing alone in a locked room. Makes 4 servings.

Nutrition per ¼ of loaf: 132 calories, 6.6g Protein, 2.2g Fat, 21.7g Carb

**Recipe Notes: Unfortunately you cannot really substitute the flour in this recipe. Garbanzo bean flour is very particular.

Also chocolate chips or chopped nuts would be an awesome addition to this recipe!!

Tresimisu

On the days where life seems unfair and overcast I find it best to immerse yourself in whatever makes you happy. For me that means two things: Working my worries away at the gym and losing track of time in the kitchen. Whenever things seem out of control I can always count on the steady feel of weights in my hands and the thrumming pace of a whisk through batter. The feeling of relaxation that passes through me is quite literally like a drug. These things center me, grounding me in a spinning life. No matter how crazy or hopeless I feel I can count on them to remain constant.

Today I retreated to both of my sanctuaries to escape the pressure of dark news. Unfortunately I can only share the fruits of my kitchen labor as I can’t invite you to the gym with me! (Well I can but transportation would be an issue haha). I decided to channel my anxious energies into creating a tiramisu inspired cake. I wanted it to be light and moist, dripping with cream just like the original. What evolved from my experiments was not quite tiramisu but yet satisfied the same craving! The cake was dense and moist with a delightful vanilla flavor and the caramel coffee sauce soaked succulently through each bite! Not to mention a serving is only 150cals and packs 17g Protein!!I was surprised in the most delicious way and will definitely be adding this to my nightly snack! I hope you enjoy this cake baked straight out of my happy place ❤

Tresimisu

(or tres-leches/tiramisu crossover )

Sponge cake:

(3-4C) 400g cauliflower

1/2c Granulated stevia

2 scoops (84g) vanilla lean body for her protein*

2tsp vanilla ext

2tsp butter ext

1tsp cake and cookie bakery emulsion

¼ C+1tbs (40g) kamut flour*

6tbs (92g) egg whites

2tsp baking powder

1tsp baking soda

2tbs water

Method: Soften the cauliflower by sprinkling with water and microwaving till soft. About 1-1:30min. Combine all ingredients in a food processor (if yours is too small, process in two batches) and process till smooth. Pour into a well-greased 8×8 baking dish lined with parchment paper and bake for 20-25min. Remove and let cool.

Vanilla Cream:

¾ package (252g) mori nu silken lite tofu*

3tbs sugar free vanilla syrup*

½ Scoop (22g) vanilla lean body for her protein*

1tsp vanilla extract

1-2tsp xanthan gum

Method: In a blender or food processor combine all ingredients except the xanthan gum. Once smooth, add small amounts of xanthan gum until the mixture thickens. Set aside.

Coffee soaking sauce:

2tbs Brewed coffee

2tbs Walden Farms pancake syrup*(or regular maple syrup)

2tsp cinnamon

1tsp flavored coffee grinds ( I use the inside of a Keurig cup)

Method: Whisk ingredients together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Assembly

Once the cake has completely cooled, slice evenly through the center horizontally until you have two thin sheets of cake.

Take one sheet and lay it in the bottom of an 8×8 baking dish.

Brush the cake layer with half of the coffee soaking sauce. Allow to soak into the sponge for 1-2min.

Spread half of the vanilla cream evenly on top of bottom cake layer.

Repeat with the second cake layer, ending on the vanilla cream.

*Optional topping of more coffee grinds and 1tbs (14g) coco nibs*

Serve!!

(Store in refrigerator, serves 6)

Nutrition for 1/6 of recipe including coco nibs: 152 Calories, 3g Fat, 14.2g Carb, 17g Protein

**Recipe Notes:

Any suggested substitutions will change the nutrition info!!

As usual feel free to substitute your own vanilla protein gram per gram

For the “vanilla cream” there are a multitude of options! I choose the tofu for the nutrition (1g fat, 5g Protein and 1g Carb per 84g) but you could also substitute: Greek yogurt, Ricotta cheese, or cottage cheese. The amount of sweetener and xanthan gum may need to be adjusted, trust your taste buds!

Kamut flour can be substituted with whole wheat flour, oat flour or any other mild light flour, again I choose this ingredients for the better nutrition profile.

Questions??? Feel free to comment!!!