Magical Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

First of all, I love peanut butter. I wish I could eat it by the spoonfuls and still hit my calorie goals LOL Alas, this recipe is the closest thing.

I called this recipe "magical" because it is only 3 ingredients, has great macros, and nobody will EVER know they are a healthy version of the classic PB cookie. SERIOUSLY.

Still been grinding in the gym. My squats are at 125 lbs for 4 sets of 3. Time under the bar matters so be consistent! Tip for barbell squats- try bringing your grip in closer. Your back where the barbell sits should feel better and it will keep your chest up!

I am joining an online powerlifting meet for a fun little competition this week since I sort of enjoy that kind of thing ;) oh and see my new decal on the wall?! Never give up.

I have also been working up my distance "running" barefoot on the beach, putting run in quotes because it's walk-jog intervals. Sand is NO joke, it's hard! I have a little fear of stepping on glass but so far so good after over a month.

But I digress, back to the recipe ha! This recipe is super simple to whip up. You can keep them in the pantry in a tupperware to eat in the place of protein bars or an easy snack!

Magical Peanut Butter Protein Cookies

Makes 11 cookies

Ingredients
1/2 cup, Peanut Butter (I used smooth)
2.00 tablespoons, Egg Whites
46 g or 1 scoop, Vanilla Milkshake Whey Protein (I used Premier Protein which is 180 cals / 30g protein per scoop)

Directions
Preheat your oven to 350*F. Grease a cookie sheet with non-stick spray.

In a bowl, heat your peanut butter in the microwave for a minute so it is easier to mix. Stir in your protein powder then stir in the egg whites.

Using a tablespoon, drop cookies onto the cookie sheet. Use a fork to make the traditional PB cookie hash marks to helps the cookies flatten so they will bake evenly.

Bake for 5-8 minutes.

Nutritional Information

Per cookie

Nutrition Facts
Servings 11.0
Amount Per Serving
calories 88
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 6 g	9 %
Saturated Fat 1 g	5 %
Monounsaturated Fat 0 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0 g
Trans Fat 0 g
Cholesterol 9 mg	3 %
Sodium 75 mg	3 %
Potassium 0 mg	0 %
Total Carbohydrate 4 g	1 %
Dietary Fiber 1 g	3 %
Sugars 1 g
Protein 6 g	12 %
Vitamin A	0 %
Vitamin C	0 %
Calcium	2 %
Iron	2 %
* The Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet, so your values may change depending on your calorie needs. The values here may not be 100% accurate because the recipes have not been professionally evaluated nor have they been evaluated by the U.S. FDA.

Healthier Huevos Rancheros Breakfast

My mother-in-law recently came to visit in our new house by the sea. We were actually fitfam longer than we have been actual family ;) we met at the gym and became friends.

We both love to cook, so when she comes to visit we lift and cook for fun haha!

I was so glad my daughter has been joining in on the cooking fun lately too. Just makes my day when she wants to help me in the kitchen. This trip we made sopes (pictured above), tamales (here is Ana's recipe), gorditas, and chile rellenos (here is Ana's recipe). So amazing. And now I must diet. ASAP lol!

So last week, she sent me a Facebook recipe post with huevos rancheros, a Mexican breakfast staple. I was totally inspired to redo this into a healthy version that I can enjoy on the regular. And I must admit, I was a fan and will be making this for breakfast, lunch, or dinner!

Healthier Huevos Rancheros 

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 2 eggs, fried
• Sandwich thin bread (you could totally sub corn tortillas but I did not have any on hand)
• 0.25 cup cooked pinto beans
• 4 tbsp salsa
• 1 turkey bacon (or bacon of choice)

Instructions

Fry 2 eggs in a bit of oil. Cook your bacon. Meanwhile, mash your pinto beans with a fork. Place bread into the toaster.  Smear bread with mashed beans, top with fried eggs, then salsa. Serve the bacon on the side. Enjoy!

Nutritional Info per Serving

355  cals

33 g carbs

15 g fat

25 g protein

X-Liss

Venus Veteran Kimberly Shares Her Secrets to Maintenance Success

Kimberly has been using Venus systems for over 5 years and placed in Venus’ very first open contest. I am proud to introduce her up next in our series on successful maintenance.

Kimberly placed in the VT1 Open Category back in 2011

Since 2010, she has continually improved her physique despite health challenges and global relocations. Kimberly knows what it takes to maintain and improve your physique!

Kimberly, Liss, Jenny, and Lou Ann in Vegas

So when I thought about interviewing veterans about maintenance, this sweet friend came straight to mind. I have seen her in person and even worked out together; we got to meet in 2014 in Vegas at a Venus meet up. Kimberly looks every part Venus.

Here is what Kimberly has to say-

During the VT1 competition back in Jan to April 2011, I set a goal for myself.  An “Every Day Venus”.  I wanted a body shape and appearance that I could have everyday.  A body that was not dependent on heavy dieting, posing or lighting tricks.  I wanted to learn a way to maintain a look that is athletic and lean….all the time.  There is no doubt Venus has taught me that.

... Continue reading, see more pics, and watch or listen to my interview with Kimberly HERE -  http://www.venusindex.com/venus-veteran-kimberly-shares-her-secrets-to-maintenance-success/

Dinner Recipes for $500 Monthly Meal Plan

Last week, I shared with you how my family grocery shops for the month at a $500 budget.  You can read that here as well as get the grocery list HERE 

Today, I want to share all of this month's dinner recipes in one post.

Dinners 

1. Burrito bowl (beef, beans, rice, greens, and salsa)
2. Sauteed chicken breast, roasted sweet potato, and seared Brussels sprouts
3. Hamburgers and sweet potato fries
4. Roasted chicken breast, rice, and roasted asparagus
5. Steak cubes, roasted potatoes, and roasted broccoli
6. Baked fish, quinoa, and steamed snap peas
7. Hashbrown omelet and bacon 

Burrito bowl (beef, beans, rice, greens, and salsa)

My kids and husband love this simple recipe, everyone can personalize their own bowl!  It is easy to make and makes plenty for a crowd. It also freezes and reheats well, so you could make a batch for your whole work week of lunches or dinners.

Burrito Bowl

Serves 5

Ingredients
2.25 lean ground beef (I used 90% lean)
2.5 cup cooked rice (I use white Minute Rice)
2.5 cup cooked pinto beans (you can also sub black beans)
15 tbsp salsa
10 tbsp plain, fat-free Greek yougurt
taco seasoning - you can buy it or HERE is my recipe from scratch
*optional toppings: shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, sour cream, diced onion, diced bell peppers

Directions:
Brown beef with taco seasoning. Cook rice and beans. I do my rice in the microwave as directed and my beans in the crockpot all day. HERE is the recipe for how I do beans in the crockpot, just stop at the refry part. I freeze extra beans for future use.

On a place or bowl, layer 1/2 cup cooked rice. Then top with 1/2 cup cooked beans. Top with 6 oz beef taco meat, 3 tbsp salsa, and 2 tbsp plain Greek yogurt. Finish with toppings as desired but be sure to count those in!

Nutritional stats per serving

499 calories
52 g protein
46 g carbs
9 g fat

Sauteed chicken breast, roasted sweet potato, and seared Brussels sprouts

Roast sweet potatoes (1 per person) in the oven at 400*F for an hour. While those were roasting, we tossed halved and trimmed (about a pound) Brussels sprouts with vegetable oil along with a little salt and pepper. 

Then cube up the chicken breast (1 breast per person) and saute it with a bit of ancho chile seasoning (we picked up from Sam's Club) until cooked throughout. 

Heat a cast iron (or very heavy) pan to almost smoking hot, and place sprouts cut side down. Turn heat to medium, and flip after about 3 minutes. Cut side should be charred. Cook the other side 3-5 minutes until tender and charred.

Nutritional stats per serving 

1 large (approx 1 cup) sweet potato, 6 oz chicken, and 1 cup brussels sprouts

322 calories
40 g protein
44 g carbs
4 g fat

Hamburgers and sweet potato fries

I have discovered the secret to the best sweet potato fries of your life. Yep.


I like to serve them along side a burger, re-made in a bit more healthy way. I do a 4 oz 85% lean beef patty (320 cals) on the George Foreman grill, then top with mustard and veggies on a sandwich thin (100 cals). So you can do a burger and large helping of these fries for 540 cals! (You can also sub a turkey patty for the beef and save another 120 cals!)

The Best Sweet Potato Fries Ever

Serves 3

The stuff

3 medium sweet potatoes, sliced into fries
1 tbsp corn starch
1/2 tbsp paprika
1/2 tbsp cinnamon

What you do

Preheat oven to 400*F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Toss fries in corn starch and spices in a Ziploc baggy or bowl. Spread out into a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, tossing them halfway though.

Nutrition Stats

Per serving (1/3 fries recipe and beef hamburger)

• Cals- 539
• Carbs- 48 g
• Fat- 24 g
• Protein- 35 g

Roasted chicken breast, rice, and roasted asparagus

Serves 4

The stuff

4 medium chicken breasts, approx 2 lbs uncooked weight
2 cups rice, cooked

1 bunch asparagus1 tbsp paprika2 tbsp sweetener of choice, I used granular stevia2 tsp onion powder1.5 tsp salt1 tsp chili powder 

What you do

Preheat oven to 400*F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Toss chicken  in spices in a Ziploc baggy or bowl. Spread out into a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 45 minutes.

In another cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray, coat the asparagus with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Roast alongside the chicken for the final 15 minutes.

Nutrition Stats

Per serving (6 oz chicken breast, approx 12 asparagus spears, and 1/2 cup rice)

• Cals- 305 cals
• Carbs- 29 g
• Fat- 5 g
• Protein- 40 g

Steak cubes, roasted potatoes, and roasted broccoli

Serves 4

The stuff

Beef eye of round roast or steaks, cubed, approx 1.5 lbs uncooked weight
8 red potatoes, washed and larger ones cut in half

1 pound broccoli, cut into florets

vegetable oil
salt and pepper

What you do

Preheat oven to 400*F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Spread potatoes out into a single layer on the cookie sheet. Bake for 1 hour. Turn potatoes halfway through.

Heat a dutch oven over high heat. Put a little oil in the bottom to coat, then drop steak cubes to sear for approximately 3 minutes. Turn steak onto opposite side for another 3 minutes. Cover with lid, then place into oven with potatoes.

In another cookie sheet sprayed with nonstick spray, coat the broccoli with a little oil, salt, and pepper. Roast alongside the potatoes for the final 15 minutes.

Nutrition Stats

Per serving (4 oz steak cubes, 2 small potatoes, and 1 cup broccoli)

• Cals- 391 cals
• Carbs- 32 g
• Fat- 4 g
• Protein- 52 g

Baked fish, quinoa, and steamed snap peas

Serves 4

The stuff

6-8 white fish fillets, I used tilapia but anything works
1 cup quinoa, cooked

1 bag snap peas
lemon pepper seasoning
salt and pepper
butter or margarine

What you do

Cook quinoa according to package. Preheat oven to 400*F and spray a cookie sheet with nonstick spray. Thaw fish in sink of water then spread out into a single layer on the cookie sheet. Sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning. Bake for 15 minutes.

Put snap peas into bowl, cover with a place, and place in microwave for 3-4 minutes. Toss steamed peas with a little butter or magarine and salt/pepper.

Nutrition Stats

Per serving (5 oz tilapia (about 1.5 fillets), 0.5 cup snap peas, and 1/4 cup quinoa)

• Cals- 221 cals
• Carbs- 19 g
• Fat- 4 g
• Protein- 29 g

Hashbrown omelet and bacon 

This recipe is one of my favorites. Both my kids and my husband like it too. It is easy to make for a crowd and just as easy to make for one. It also reheats well, so you could make a batch for your whole work week of breakfast.

Hashbrowns Omelet

Serves 1

Ingredients
0.75 cup shredded potatoes (can use dehydrated potatoes)
2 oz deli ham, cut into ribbons (could sub deli turkey or chicken too)
1/4 cup cheese (I used cheddar)
0.75 cup liquid egg whites or egg beaters

Nutrition Facts per Serving
This is for omelet only, I usually add a bacon for 45 cals ;)
Cals: 379

Fat - 11 g
Carbs- 23 g
Protein - 41 g


Hope this helps you plan for some great dinners, and maybe you will consider seeing if you can stretch your grocery shopping to biweekly, maybe push it back to 3 weeks, and then maybe a month! Get the monthly shopping list HERE - http://venuscrossing.blogspot.com/2016/06/monthly-meal-plan-and-grocery-list-for.html

X- Liss

Monthly Meal Plan and Grocery List for $500

We are in a new house and a new city 750 miles away from our hometown, living the dream on an island along the coast of Texas. It has been wonderful, but eating out and the corner store on the island are EXPENSIVE!

So we set out to duplicate our earlier success with monthly grocery shopping. You can check out that earlier post HERE

So why shop monthly?

• The warehouse store is a 30 minute drive
• It is much more inexpensive compared to the neighborhood island market
• It saves time from going to the store weekly or biweekly
• You are less tempted by the treats on the store caps of traditional grocery stores
• It forces you to plan, and when you plan you are likely to choose more rationally

I will say that I am lucky my husband is on the healthy bandwagon with me, I know not all spouses are. BUT he was not always down with eating this way, and my kids can be picky. You can always tweak the meal to make it for friendly for picky eater- i.e. turn a taco salad for you into a burrito for the picky ones. Same meal prep but served differently.

So what does this list turn into?

Dinners 

*Recipes are HERE - http://venuscrossing.blogspot.com/2016/06/dinner-recipes-for-monthly-meal-plan.html *

1. Burrito bowl (beef, beans, rice, greens, and salsa)
2. Sauteed chicken breast, roasted sweet potato, and seared Brussels sprouts
3. Hamburgers and sweet potato fries
4. Roasted chicken breast, rice, and roasted asparagus
5. Steak cubes, roasted potatoes, and roasted broccoli
6. Baked fish, quinoa, and steamed snap peas
7. Hashbrown omelet and bacon 

Breakfast

*Recipes are hyperlinks*

1. Bacon, eggs, and toast
2. PB Cup Protein shake (made with Greek yogurt instead of almond milk)
3. Greek yogurt and berries (stevia and Greek yogurt mixed with some berries)
4. Chocolate PB&J Protein Oatmeal (or regular for the kiddos)
5. Cereal (kids)

Lunches

1. Leftovers (generally the hubby and I eat for next day's lunch, sometimes kids too)
2. Sandwich (with lunch meat, or kids like PB&J) with veggies
3. Fish sticks with veggies 
4. Chicken Nuggets with veggies
5. Pizza Rolls (kids)
6. Mac 'n cheese with veggies (kids)

So basically we rotate through a different meal each night of the week, then recycle for the 4 weeks of the month. We tend to eat out about once a week, we have to try all the new places after all ;) so there will be a few things left over for the month which is fine as most of it keeps anyway.

Fresh produce

This meal plan is different from the past in that we bought ALL fresh veggies for the month to prove a point. Some of my friends could not see it going that long, and it does if you buy the right fresh produce and treat it right. I will follow up on this at the end of the month.

The List

*** I am buying for a family of four, adjust your amounts according to your family size

• Frozen chicken breast (2x10 lbs bag)
• Lean ground beef (10 lbs chub, I break this up into 8 sections and freeze them)
• Fish fillets (2x 3lbs bags, generally tilapia but cod, halibut, or flounder have all been good)
• Eggs (4x18 packs)
• Bacon (2 packs, I switch out between turkey and regular)
• Beans (1 pack of canned or the bag of dried lasts FOREVER)
• Potatoes (1 large bag)
• Sweet potatoes (2 medium bags)
• Asparagus (2 bags)
• Broccoli florets (2 bags)
• Snap peas (2 bags)
• Bell peppers (1 bag)
• Brussels sprouts (2 bags)
• Greens (1 box spinach or kale medley)
• Lunch meat (2 contains, usually 1 turkey and 1 chicken)
• Flat hamburger buns (1 bag)
• Bread (2 loaves)
• Frozen berries (1 large bag)
• Quinoa (1 medium container)
• Oatmeal (1 large box, will last longer than 1 month)
• Salsa (1 large jar)
• Hashbrowns (1 large box, will last longer than 1 month)
• Protein bars (2 boxes of 18)
• Peanut butter (2 pack)
• Plain nonfat Greek yogurt (5 x 32oz containers)
• (here and below are for kids) Tortillas (1 pack)
• Chicken nuggets (1 bag)
• Pizza rolls (1 bag)
• Milk (1 box of 3 half gallons)
• Cheesesticks (2 bags)
• Mac n' cheese (1 box)
• Fish sticks (1 box)
• Kid snacks (this time was 1 box pop tarts and 1 box Kashi granola bars)
• Cereal (this time was 1 box Honey Nut Cheerios)
• Household items (paper towels, allergy pills, etc)

We put all this into 1 french door refrigerator/freezer and a chest deep freeze.

Have you ever tried to do monthly shopping? How did it go?

X- Liss