Bodybuilder Breakfast Bread

So I'm bulking up this winter, lifting weights a lot and trying to take advantage of the calorie rich season to pack on a few more pounds of muscle.  That doesn't mean eating everything in sight, but does mean eating plenty of calories. 

Usually for breakfast, I have a protein shake with two servings of oatmeal with fruit, or maybe some whole grain cereal, but have been a little bored with that recently and wanted something more caloric dense but less filling that a giant bowl of oatmeal.  So instead I decided to return to baking bread once a week, now on Sunday's, and that bread can be the mainstay of my breakfast for a while along with a protein shake or a cup of yogurt.

It is also a great quick snack; I take a slice with me to have between classes.

So, for this bread, I had two three things in mind: calorically dense but with healthier calories, some quality protein, and high fiber since breakfast is a meal I always ensure has adequate fiber.  This recipe I created fit the bill for that. 

I add 10-12 grams of l-leucine, a BCAA to the flour as I am baking it.  I do not know if it survives the baking process of has any actual benefit, but I had it and wanted to try.  It is undetectable in the baked bread.  Next time, I'm going to add 1/2 cup of unflavored whey protein and see how it turns out.  I'll make a comment once I've tried it and let folks know how it worked.



Makes 12 Servings

We get this on Amazon & love it for waffles and baking.

2 Cups Kodiak Cakes Power Cakes Mix
1½ Cups Whole Wheat Unbleached Flour
1 Cup Oat Flour
3 Overripe Bananas
¼ Cup Sweetened Dried Cranberries
3/4  Cup Organic Raisins
1 Cup Almonds, Powered in a Food Processor
1 Cup Chopped Walnuts
¼ Cup Raw Honey
¼ Cup Vegetable Oil
1 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 cup of warm filtered water
2 ½ teaspoons active yeast dissolved in the warm water
1 teaspoon sugar also dissolved in the warm water
Optional: 10-12 grams l-leucine powder (a BCAA)

Mix everything together—a non-stick bowl works great
Mix until it begins “sticking together” and knead for 5-8 minutes; I like it kneaded longer to really create a stiff crust.
Let sit in bowl after needed about 1 hour until it has risen about ½ again as large as it was
Transfer to lightly oiled or non-stick baking pan, or just put onto a baking sheet and shape into a rough loaf, and let rise an additional 30 minutes to an hour before baking.

Put in a PREHEATED oven at 350 degrees

Bake for 45-55 minutes or until cooked all the way through. 

When the top appears done in the middle, you can take it out, remove it, and cut it in two. If the middle is still gooey and sticks to a toothpick, then bake longer. Note, however, that the inside of this bread will remain slightly gummy until it cools.

Here is the nutritional information:

430 calories per serving
55 grams of carbohydrates
20 grams of fat
13 grams of protein

 7 grams of fiber
16.5 grams sugar
6% RDA Calcium
10% RDA Iron 

If you use MyFitnessPal, you may be able to find this by searching for "Builder Bread."

Easy Healthy & Cheap Jambalaya

Cajun food is one of the great Creole foods of the world.  For those dishes that don't require a rue, they are pretty easy to make as well.  Here is a tried and true easy, healthy and inexpensive jambalaya recipe.

Part of what makes this recipe less expensive is the use of boneless, skinless chicken thighs rather than breast meat.  Some people don't like the darker thigh meat, but so far those who don't have not ever noticed that this recipe is using the thighs.  Using thighs does add a little extra fat and therefore a few extra calories to the recipe.  See this Chicken Breast versus Thighs article for the skinny on the difference.  Either cut will turn out fine.

Also, I use a lower-fat sausage, like turkey andouille sausage, rather than the traditional pork andouille sausage.  This is just to bring down the fat content.  But using only one link per recipe, the sausage does not make this an unhealthy recipe.

Because I am sodium sensitive, I have to be aware of the sodium content, and this dish has fairly high sodium.  Therefore, eating proper portions are important if you have high blood pressure or are sodium sensitive.  The chicken meat, sausage, cajun spice and/or chicken broth (even no salt added broth), canned crushed tomatoes and hot sauce will all contain sodium.  There should be no reason to add salt to the recipe, and see the * notes below in the recipe for alternatives depending on whether you use a salted seasoning or broth.

Also, I should note I always double this recipe.  It keeps well (actually tastes better the next day) and it freezes well also.  I make it, eat it for a couple of days, and then freeze the leftovers. This is also great with 8 ounces of scallops, shrimp or even white fish added, but it does not freeze as well with these additions.

Ingredients: 

1 pound of skinless, boneless thighs or breast, cut into about 1" to 1 1/2" chunks
1 tablespoon of Cajun Seasoning* - note that some seasonings will contain salt, and some will not.  If you use a seasoning that does use salt, then you will not want to use any sort of broth, and should not need to add any additional salt.
1 link of turkey andouille sausage or another low-fat sausage link, sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 red chili, chopped (or you can just add extra red pepper flakes or cayenne)
1 green, red, orange or yellow pepper, chopped--our household prefers red, orange or yellow peppers
2 stalks of celery, chopped
1 can of crushed tomatoes (16 ounces) or 16 ounces of chopped tomato -- if using fresh tomatoes, the recipe will turn out much better if you roast and peel the tomatoes first, but this will add an additional step and an additional 10-15 minutes of prep time to the recipe. 
1 teaspoon crushed black pepper
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon hot sauce like Tabasco
1 cup raw brown rice, washed
1 can chicken broth* - remember, if your Cajun seasoning contains salt, do not use broth or use only no-salt added broth (which will still contain sodium).  The recipe will turn out just fine using only water; if using water, use 2 cups of water
1/2 cup water
Optional: 1 tablespoon Sriracha sauce 

Directions:

Combine chicken and sausage in a non-stick pan, and add cajun seasoning.  Mix well to evenly coat everything.  Then chop your onions, celery, pepper and garlic.  Turn the heat on medium-high and cook the chicken and sausage.  When they have given off moisture (you should have about a half cup of liquids or so from the meats), move to a bowl and reserve.  Your chicken should be cooked through or nearly cooked through at this point. 

Add onions, garlic, bell pepper, and celery to the pan the meats cooked in and saute on medium heat until they have all softened, maybe 8 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.  Add paprika, crushed red pepper flakes, and black pepper, and stir to mix thoroughly.  Then add the crushed or chopped tomatoes, the reserved meat along with the liquids it gave off, and the rinsed brown rice.  Stir to mix well and continue to cook at medium until the mixture begins to bubble.  At this point, add either water or broth, stir well, and turn down the heat to low--just enough so the mixture simmers.  Cook 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the rice is cooked.  Add the last 1/2 cup of water,  Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce(s) after the mixture has cooked about 10-12 minutes, stirring well.

Once it has finished cooking, taste for seasoning and add additional Worcestershire sauce and hot sauce(s) if needed.  You should not need to add additional salt if you used either cajun spice with salt or broth with salt.  Once seasoned, stir and immediately cover and turn off the heat.  Let rest while still sitting on the burner for five to ten minutes before serving to allow the rice to absorb any more moisture and flavor that it will. 

No Pasta Stovetop Lasagna

It does not get simpler than this delicious recipe.  You can serve it over paste if you like, but it is actually amazingly wonderful over shirataki noodles.  It is also great just by itself!

It makes five one cup servings.

Ingredients

One pound hot Italian sausage
One pack frozen spinach (10 oz)
1/2 of a large to medium yellow or white onion
2 ounces of low-fat mozzarella cheese, chopped fine (or 1/2 cup fat free large curd cottage cheese)
1 bottle/can pasta sauce (24 oz)


Directions

First, you will want to boil the sausage.  This will reduce the sausage considerably because you are removing the fat, and in fact you will probably end up with around 10-12 ounces of sausage, meaning you have eliminated a quarter pound of fat.  Don't worry--your sausage will still be delicious!  If your sausage is not frozen, it should boil for 15-20 minutes, and then drain.  If it is frozen, it may need another 10 to 15 minutes.  Be sure to break it up with a spoon as it thaws in the water, though.

You may want to go ahead and get your spinach and onions going.  Put the block of frozen spinach in about 1 cup of water with the roughly chopped half onion.  You want to cover and cook this on medium high.  When the spinach is completely thawed, allow it to simmer an additional three minutes.  Then strain and press the remaining water out of your spinach and onions.

Combine everything in a pot, add the bottle of pasta sauce, cover, and bring to a boil on medium heat.  Because this is so thick, you need to stir every few minutes to ensure that it heats all the way through and the bottom does not burn.  We are just cooking this to ensure we bring the pasta sauce we added up to a high enough temperature.  We want it to simmer for about six minutes or so, which, since all the ingredients except the cheese and sauce are not, should not take too long.

This would also be great over shredded zucchini or with other vegetables, like yellow summer squash or roasted eggplant, added.



Nutritional Information (using Newman's Own All Natural Sockarooni Pasta Sauce and mozzarella)

1 cup serving

270 Calories
16.6 g fat
13.2 g carbs
   4 g fiber
   6 g sugars
11 g protein
49 mg cholesterol

120% RDA Vitamin A
24% RDA Vitamin C
16%  RDA Calcium
16% RDA Iron

Quick Fish and Salad

This recipe can be made with salmon (without skin) or with ahi (tuna steaks).  Remember tuna is high in heavy metals and most tuna is not sustainably fished.  Therefore, you should not eat more than a serving per month of tuna.  The pictures below are steaks from a locally fished "big eyed ahi" in Hawai'i or a big eyed tuna.  According to the NOAA, big eyed tuna are not overfished and stocks have not been depleted.  So, while still a mercury concern they are a good choice for a fish that is being collected in sustainable amounts--for now.

Also, if you are just searing the tuna it must be absolutely fresh, absolutely high quality fish (like sashimi grade since it will be absolutely raw inside). You can prepare the salmon in the same way if you have superior salmon, but if you are using a lower quality or frozen fish you will want to cook in all the way through.

This recipe is very simple, but it is best that you plan ahead because your fish needs to marinade for at least 30 minutes or so.  I've made this recipe with the fresh ahi steaks, fresh salmon and frozen salmon fillets.  The ingredients below are for two fillets of anywhere from 4-6 ounces each.  For the salads, romaine or a mix of greens would be best.  In the photos below, they fish is served on the side with a dipping bowl of wasabi and soy.  The last time I made these was with salmon fillets and served them over the dressed salad.

Ingredients:

1 minute 30 seconds was perfect
cook time for this ahi steak

Two 4-6 ounce salmon or ahi (tuna) fillets
Romaine or other greens, enough for two large salads


Marinate:
1 - 1 1/2 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon shoyu (soy sauce)
Optional for salmon: 1/4 teaspoon of powdered yellow mustard per fillet

For searing/cooking:
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 whole peppercorns, white or black (optional)

Salad dressing:
1/2 teaspoon miso paste (I prefer red, but any will work)
1/2 teaspoon mustard (I like deli mustard, but yellow mustard will also work)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Optional: drop of wasabi

Optional Dipping Sauce:
Wasabi
Shoyu (soy sauce)


Marinate the fish.  I do this by putting a few slivers of ginger and garlic in a bowl, putting the first steak down, sprinkling a few more, adding a bit of the oil and soy sauce, putting the other steak down on top, and then adding the rest.  I then cover the top of the bowl in plastic wrap and refrigerate for about an hour but at least 30 minutes.  I turn them once.

When you are ready to cook, first prepare the salads and mix the dressing, but do not add it to the salad until you are ready to serve.  Then turn your burner on high.  Take out the fish and, with a knife, gently remove the garlic and ginger sticking to them and set them aside.  I do not pour in the liquid of the marinade, so although this looks a lot of oil between the fish and salad dressing, it is actually just about one tablespoon of oil per serving total.

When you oil is hot (but not smoking) throw in the whole peppercorns if you are using them.  You want to keep them in the oil until they begin to pop, maybe two or three minutes, and then remove them with a chop stick or your turner.  This will give the oil and fish a nice pepperiness without overwhelming any other flavors.

Gently but quickly put in your fish.  If you are searing tuna steaks you want to cook them absolutely no more than 1 minute 30 seconds on each side.  If your streaks are thin, that might be too long.  If you are cooking your fish all the way through then 3 minutes per side will probably be enough unless your fillets are just thick.

Because of the mustard and wasabi flavors, I served this with brussel sprouts to accompany my salad and fish, but when making this with salmon I often just put the fish, sliced, over my dressed salad.

Total calories is using 4 ounces salmon: approximately 320 calories

Better Banana Nut Bread

Here is my "Better Banana Bread" recipe.  Most of the sweetness is from the bananas, it isn't too heavy on butter or fat, it is half whole wheat and part of the nuttiness comes from not only yummy walnuts but also chia seeds and flax seeds which are packed with fiber and Omega-3 and Omega-6 fatty acids.  Yum!

    3-5 very ripe bananas, peeled        

    1/4 cup melted butter
    1/8 cup vegetable oil
    2/3 cup of sugar
    1 egg, beaten
    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    1 teaspoon baking soda
    Pinch of salt
    1 cup of all-purpose flour
    1 cup of whole-wheat flower
    1/2 teaspoon or so of cinnamon
    1/4 teaspoon or so of nutmeg
    1/4 teaspoon or so of powdered cloves
    1/2 cup of chopped walnuts
    1/8 cup chia seeds
    1/8 cup whole flax seeds

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C), and butter two 4x8-inch loaf pans or, alternatively and for better results, line them with parchment paper.

In a mixing bowl, mash the ripe bananas with a fork. Stir the melted butter and vanilla into the mashed bananas and mix well.

Stir in the sugar and beaten egg.  Mix in the baking soda and salt with the flour.  Slowly add in the flour, stirring as you add flour.

Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pans. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour (check at 40 minutes) at 350°F (175°C), or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean.  At 40 minutes, I also take out the loafs and smear a little wildflower honey over the tops with the back of a spoon and then very carefully sprinkle a little bit more cinnamon on them, spreading it with the spoon.

Remove from oven and let it cool a few minutes.  This bread, because of the bananas, will be rather dense but delicious!

Big Breakfast Burrito Under 300 Calories

I made a very yummy breakfast burrito this morning.

I used three egg whites, a little 2% milk, three large sliced white mushrooms, ½ onion, 1/3 cup of shredded cabbage, a chili pepper, and a little olive oil. I used a spinach wrap, but I'll be a low-carb wrap would work and cut the calories down to below 300!

I sauteed the onions until they began to turn translucent, maybe 4 minutes or so, added the mushrooms and sauteed another minute or two, and then added the cabbage and cooked until the cabbage was soft.

I mixed the egg whites and milk in a bowl, I added a pinch of salt and several grinds of black pepper, and then added my sauteed stuff, and then poured it back into my saute pan which I kept hot and scrambled it. I took it off, put it into a bowl and then mixed it with some hot sauce (Sriracha, but any would be good). I threw my wrap into the pan to warm it (a minute or so on either side), wrapped it all up, and it was pretty darn good but a bit juicy since I didn't cook the mushrooms down very much.

Number of servings: 1

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
3 Egg Whites	51	0	0	11	165	0
½ Small Chopped White Onion	16	4	0	0	0	0
3 Large Buttom Mushrooms	12	2	0	2	3	1
1 tablespoon Olive Oil	119	0	14	0	0	0
1/3 Cup Cabbage	7	2	0	0	5	1
Spinach Wraps, 52 g	150	26	3	5	280	2
Total:	355	34	17	18	453	4

With a LOW-CARB WRAP

Ingredients	Calories	Carbs	Fat	Protein	Sodium	Sugar
3 Egg Whites	51	0	0	11	165	0
½ Small Chopped White Onion	16	4	0	0	0	0
3 Large Buttom Mushrooms	12	2	0	2	3	1
1 tablespoon Olive Oil	119	0	14	0	0	0
1/3 Cup Cabbage	7	2	0	0	5	1
Tumaros - Low In Carb Wrap, 1 wrap 40g	60	6	2	5	135	1
TOTAL:	265	14	16	18	308	3

Yummy Hummus Bean Dip and Whole Wheat Flatbread

Bean Dip:
2 cloves garlic
1/2 cup tahini
1/4 or more cup lemon juice (juice from one lemon)
1/4 or more cup olive oil
1 can cannellini or garbanzo beans
Dash of paprika (optional)

Put lemon juice and tahini in food processor and blend about 1 minute. Then add all ingredients except olive oil into food processor and food process. Pour in olive oil as you process.

When serving, put a dash of paprika on top. Serve with flatbread.

Simple wholewheat flatbread (makes about four small sized pieces or two large pieces--serves two):

1 cup whole wheat flour (for fluffier bread, you can add an extra 1/2 cup white flour)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup yogurt
1/8 cup olive oil
Enough water to mix with dough, but keep dough firm

Combine salt, baking powder, and flour and stir well. Add all remaining ingredients except water. Add water gradually as needed to mix dough, but keep dough firm. After mixing, form into a ball with a spoon or hands and leave covered with a damp paper towel for at least 20 minutes but as long as an hour.

Roll into balls and then spread out on well-oiled aluminum foil. Four pieces should each be about half the size of your hand or so and should be spread out to about 1/4 thick or so. Put in oven on middle rack at a preheated 375 degrees. They should cook in 12-15 minutes or so. Take out of the oven, allow to sit 3-5 minutes, and then eat with bean dip.