Protein Mocha Frappuccino

Today, I had a craving. I’ve talked a little about how I fixate on certain foods now (most recently it’s lunchmeat/cheese rollups and black bean corn salsa), and today, I wanted a frozen coffee drink. I sauntered into my campus’ Starbucks and I sat looking at the menu for a good 15 minutes trying to find a reasonable selection. Have you ever looked at the nutritional information of a Starbucks drink? A tall (12 oz) mocha frappuccino clocks in at 270 calories, 11 g of fat, 42 g of carbs, and 4 g of protein. Not exactly a smart choice for a weight loss surgery patient, let alone a diabetic. So I opted for the light version (110 calories, 0.5 g of fat, 25 g of carbs, and 3 g of protein). As I sipped my $4.28 drink, I suspected this would not become a regular treat.

It got me to thinking, I have a Ninja blender, I have my favorite Dunkin’ Donuts coffee, I have protein powder; I bet I can make this lighter, protein packed, and definitely a lot less than $4 a pop.

Google lead me to the Pioneer Woman’s recipe for homemade mocha frappuccino, and let me just say, I love that woman, but I’m not about to drink sweetened condensed milk, heavy cream, and half & half and expect to fit into my jeans. So I tweaked the recipe and came up with something that was tasty, satisfied my craving, and is guilt-free. That’s a win in my book!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups brewed coffee, chilled (very strong)
1 cup fat free milk
1 scoop chocolate protein powder
3 tbsp sugar free chocolate syrup
2 tbsp sugar free Torani vanilla syrup
1 tbsp semi-sweet chocolate mini morsels
1 tbsp non dairy creamer
4-6 cups ice
Splenda to taste
Whipped cream, optional

Directions:
Blend all ingredients besides whipped cream in blender until smooth. Serve immediately.

Serving size: 12 oz  |  Servings: about 5
Per serving  |  Calories: 77  |  Carbs: 10 g  |  Protein: 7 g  |  Fat: 1 g

Banana Bread Protein Muffins

I love to cook. I use the Paprika app on my iPad mini to catalog all the recipes I’ve either come up with or gotten from the internet/Pinterest. I absolutely love finding a recipe that works for me and that I can reproduce with great results. I’ve got several go-to’s for many occasions, and my banana bread is definitely one of them. I found the recipe in a vintage cookbook a few years ago, and it’s always a big hit. Think lots of butter, cream cheese, sugar, bananas and walnuts. Everything that’s right with the world and wrong for weight loss surgery patients and worse for diabetics. So when I came across @laplifeblog‘s post about banana bread protein muffins, I was definitely intrigued. I haven’t had a real carb since weeks before my surgery, let alone any kind of sweet, so if I could get some honest-to-goodness banana bread-like texture with the added bonus of good protein, I’m all over it. Searching the web for the best recipe can be daunting since there are so many to choose from, but I tweaked one to suit the stuff I had on hand and I must say, I’m impressed. This is a real muffin, y’all! Slightly less sweet than my beloved heart attack recipe, it still satisfies my taste for banana bread. I like to pair a muffin with my yogurt for breakfast for a decent hit of protein and yumminess.

Ingredients:
1 cup bananas
3/4 cup egg whites
1/2 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
2 packets of instant sugar free oatmeal (I like apples and cinnamon)
OR 3/4 cup plain oats
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I use Isopure No Carb Creamy Vanilla)
1/2 cup sweetener (I use Splenda)
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a muffin/cupcake tin with non-stick cooking spray. If you’re going to use liners, make sure they are foil liners since these suckers will stick.

Blend all ingredients in a stand mixer or by hand until you got a nice, liquidy batter. I divided them into 9 muffins but you can do all 12 for smaller servings.

Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Serving size: 1 muffin |  Servings: 9
Per serving  |  Calories: 76  |  Carbs: 8 g  |  Protein: 9 g  |  Fat: 1 g

Frozen Protein Greek Yogurt

Between Pinterest and Twitter, I’ve got my hands full with great recipes and techniques for post-bariatric eating. This is one of my favorites, and it’s so easy to make, it’s pretty foolproof. Great as a snack or dessert, this frozen yogurt is packed with protein and satisfies my taste for ice cream-y texture. I love strawberries and blueberries, but you can use whatever fruit you have handy or like. Be sure to let it sit out for 10-15 minutes out of the freezer before eating since non-fat yogurt freezes super solid.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of non-fat Greek yogurt
1 1/2 scoop of protein powder of choice (I’m partial to Isopure No Carb Vanilla)
1/2 cup blueberries
1/2 cup strawberries
1 tbsp lime juice
Stevia to taste

Directions:
Blend all ingredients in your blending device of choice and portion into about 1/2 to 3/4 serving sizes in freezer friendly containers. Freeze for a few hours and let thaw for 10-15 minutes before eating.

Serving size: 1/2 cup  |  Servings: about 3-4
Per serving  |  Calories: 146  |  Carbs: 10 g  |  Protein: 24 g  |  Fat: 0 g