Natural Protein “Powder”

Oh what a summer it has been! I graduated with my masters degree a few weeks ago, and i couldn’t be any happier. It’s amazing to see how much free time you actually have when you don’t have projects and assignments due every other week!  I will say though that this past two semesters my eating habits have been  horrible since my transition due to the lack of time I had. So I’m giving myself the next couple month to get back on track to my healthy eating. But enough about my life,lets talk about food!

Protein is something that is very important in any diet , whether you’re a meat eater or a plant based eater. The problem that comes with being a plant-based eater is that most people believe that you don’t get enough protein. With a little bit of research you can be well on your way to a protein filled diet, without the meat. I still prefer fish as my main source of protein but when I’m not , I like to fill up on plant based protein.

I’ve tried the protein powder thing but I never enjoyed the chalky taste, so I create my own natural plant based protein “powder”  made out of seeds and grains. My favorite combo is organic hemp seeds, organic chia seeds, organic raw flax seeds and organic raw rolled oats. I tend to take spoonfuls of  these and put them in a small tuber-ware or zip-lock and carry it in my lunch-bag or purse and sprinkle it on my food through out the day. When I do have time, I grind this mixture in my Nutri-Bullet to a powder consistency and add it to my smoothies, cookies and pancakes .  My favorite way to eat my protein mix (minus the oatmeal)  is on top of Greek yogurt topped with nuts, this combo make s a great satisfying breakfast high in protein.

Like usual I eyeball the spoonfuls , but  four tablespoons each of the Hemp seeds , Chia seeds and Flax-seeds combine offers 30 grams of protein .While a cup of oats provide 6 grams of protein, I only use 4 table spoons which can come out to be about 2-3 grams of protein. With the average  daily amount for women being 46 grams of protein and men 56 grams, getting to that daily amount is very easy. A great trail mix snack that I like to make in addition to this mix  that is high in protein is 4 tablespoons of raw pumpkin seeds, raw sunflower seeds and my favorite granola. Pumpkin seeds offer 8 grams of protein and Sunflower seeds offers 7 , depending on your favorite granola you have about 20 grams  of protein all in a simple trail mix.

What’s your favorite way to incorporate protein into your diet?

 

What’s for Breakfast? (Coconut Chia Waffles)

The weekend is when i tend to sleep in and just get some well needed rest. For some reason this past weekend i got up earlier than usual and decided to make some breakfast. So i fired up some waffles, but these weren’t your regular type of waffles. These were Frozen Gurus’ flour-less waffles,I know i thought the same thing you’re thinking but they gave out samples at whole food that made me a believer. These waffles are smaller than your usual waffles but  are high in protein and fiber. I had the coconut chia flavor which was very different from any waffles that i ever had. These waffles consist of Non GMO Tofu,  Rolled Oats, Fruit Puree and in this case coconut and chia seed. These waffles are a bit pricey for the size and quantity but if you’re looking for a quality once in a while treat this might be it.  This product  is great for vegans or even gluten free people since these are egg-less ,flour-less and contains gluten free oats. I bought these at my local Whole Foods but chances are they might be find at your local nutrition/organic store  check for locations on their website .Bon Appétit !    http://frozenguru.com/store-locator/  

 

FYI: These waffles go great with Green smoothies. My daily green smoothie contains coconut water and chia seeds so these paired nicely with each other 🙂 .