"If You Care" Products

Thank you to If You Care for sending me a (VERY!) generous sample of their environmentally friendly products to review. These are just like regular items that we use, only more safe for the environment... and for you. For instance, in their baking paper, they use silicone coating (non-organic natural product), as opposed to Quilon, which is a heavy metal that, when incinerated, becomes toxic and leaves trace elements. In addition, silicone can be used several times. So, although it might be pricier, it is worth the investment!

Be sure to check out If You Care!

If You Care Products are:
· 100% unbleached paper products
· 100% recycled aluminum foil which can be used over and over again
· All manufactured materials are made from renewable resources
· Only vegetable-based inks are used for printing and graphics
· All packaging materials are made from recycled paper
· Landfill safe paper products
· Biodegradable paper products

They have the following items:
- Aluminum foil - 100% recycled!
- Coffee filters- comes in the following sizes: No. 2, No. 4, No. 6, No. 102, and Basket
- cheese cloth- (homemade Greek yogurt to come)
- firelighters - 100% Biomass, made from wood and vegetable oil
- cooking twine- no artificial fibers, endures up tot 484 degrees/ 250 degrees celsius, landfill safe and biodegradable and microwave safe.
Baking Products- no greasing is necessary as it's coated with 100% silicone (non organic, natural) and all items are 100% unbleached!
- Parchment paper
- Baking paper in sheets
- Baking cups- microwave safe!

Chocolate Tofu Pudding

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup soft tofu (I used tofu pudding, but you can use silken)
- tablespoon cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- scoop casein pudding

Directions: blend all ingredients and enjoy :)

Peanutty Egg Noodles

Note: this meal was so filling... but so low in calories... I couldn't eat for like four hours later (I normally eat every two- three hours)...

Ingredients:
- one package shirataki noodles
- 1/2 bag chopped kale
- 1/2 bag frozen broccoli
- 30 grams peanut flour
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- ginger powder
- tons of salt

Directions: wash and rinse noodles. add salt and microwave to remove excess water. In a pan cook up the kale and broccoli in soy sauce. Add ginger and saly until soft. Stir in noodles. once almosy cooked, add cooked egg whites (I actually heated in the microwave and peanut flour and stir it altogether).

Umpqua Oats

Many thanks to Umpqua Oats for sending me samples of their "not guilty" oatmeal to sample. I feel like this product was made for me :) As much as I love to cook, I love convenience during the week, since I am always running late to work and rush around the hosue like a manwoman in the morning. These bowls are perfect. I usually eat breakfast at work (since that allows me extra sleep in the morning), so these are awesome to throw in my bag and make when I get to work.

"Not guilty" oatmeal is awesome!! I love that the ingredients are simple and clean. No added sugars.

Umpqua Oats "Not guilty" Oatmeal is:
* all natural
* simple ingredients: oatmeal, chia seeds, flax, apples, blueberries (that's it!)
* no added sugar
* Very nutritious: One bowl has 220 calories, 6 grams fat, 0 grams trans fat, no cholesterol, no sodium, 35 grams carbs, 8 grams fiber, 4 grams sugar and 8 grams protein.

This is top quality. I highly recommend that you try these bowls :)

They have other flavors too, including:
* Kickstart- nuts, fruit and a dash of brown sugar
* Lei'd back- cashews, macadamia nuts, coconut and papaya
* Monkey bars- chocolate, peanut butter and coconut (whoa!)
* Mostly sunny- dried fruits from the northeast
* Old school- granny smith gone wild! (apples, cranberries, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, walnuts and almonds
* R U nuts?-walnuts, almonds, flax, sunflower seeds and a dash of brown sugar
* Take a hike- NW hazelnuts, pumpkin seeds, and apricots

Arnold's Healthfull Bread

Every time I see an email from Arnold Bread I get excited because I know yummy bread is coming my way :) This time they offered to send their new "healthfull" bread. This bread is delicious! As soon as I opened the bag, it smelled so good! It has a rich, nutty flavor. So yummy! Thank you Arnold! :)

One slice only has 80 calories, but has 5 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber! Only 2 grams sugar, 1 gram of fat and no cholesterol!

There are three flavors to choose from:
* nutty grain (the flavor they sent me) - highly recommended!
* hearty wheat
* 10 grain



And the slices are big!

Extra Peanut-y Protein pudding

NOTE: another twist on the casein pudding. Add peanut flour for extra peanut flavor...

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop casein powder
- 9 grams almonds
- water
- tablespoon peanut flour
- xantham gum (pinch)

Directions: mix all ingredients in a magic bullet and top with more peanut flour. Yum!

Peanut Flour Minute cake

NOTE: This cake came out a lot more dense. It still tasted good, but I like it more cake-like.

Ingredients:
- 60 grams pumpkin
- 1 serving peanut flour (30 grams)
- cinnamon
- sugar free maple syrup

Directions: Mix pumpkin and peanut flour. micro for two minutes. top with cinnamon and maple syrup.

cinnamon pumpkin protein cake

NOTE: another twist to the protein cake.... yes I am slightly addicted.

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 60 grams canned pure pumpkin
- cinnamon

Directions:
mix protein powder, cinnamon and pumpkin. line in small tupperware container and micro for two minutes. Top with more cinnamon.

Ginger Soy PB Chicken

NOTE: this is one of my quickest go to meals (chicken is pre-cooked and broccoli is frozen).... and you can't go wrong with peanut butter :) I love ginger too since it soothes my stomach. I usually just throw it on the stove when I get home and run around doing other things... and then it's ready!

Ingredients:
- 1 bag frozen broccoli
- 3 ounces chicken
- ginger powder
- soy sauce
- salt
- peanut butter (1 tablespoon)

Directions:
cook broccoli with soy sauce in non-stick pan. Add chicken and ginger and cook through. Remove from heat and drizzle pb on top.

Protein Fudge Batter and Protein Brownie

Note: this is a variation of the protein muffin- adding cocoa powder and now it's a brownie :) You can eat it plain like batter or microwave it.

Ingredients:
- 80 grams pumpkin
- 1 scoop protein powder
- 1 tablespoon cocoa powder

Directions: mix all the ingredients. eat it straight from the bowl or micro it...



fudge batter :)



microwaved:

Protein Muffin

Note: This is two ingredients.... easy!

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup pumpkin
- 1 scoop protein powder

Directions: mix in a small tupperware container and even out in a small tupperware container. microwave for 2 minutes.

The left shows before microwaving. The right shows after:


topped with protein frosting (1/2 scoop protein powder mixed with a bit of water).

Coconut frosting

You will hate me for this one since it is so addicting... (sorry!) And of course I was so excited about I forgot take the pics of the ingredients:

Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon artisana coconut butter
- 1/2 packet equal
- drop of vanilla extract

Directions: mix all ingredients and out in fridge for about 5 minutes to harden a bit. Top on protein muffin.... or lick off spoon (but I warn you, this could be dangerous).

Kale in Your Kitchen

Thanks to the awesome people at Kale in your kitchen for sending me samples of kale chips to sample. I ate not one, but both bags in one sitting :) At only 100 calories a bag, it's ok :)

They come in two flavors: spicy and original.

I liked that the spicy was not too spicy since I can't take the heat :)

These kale chips are organic and vegan. They contain no gluten, soy or dairy.

Ingredients include: organic kale, organic red bell pepper, organic fresh-pressed lemon juice, non-gmo nutritional yeast, organic cashews, organic apple cider vinegar, organic red chili pepper, organic garlic and pink sea salt... good stuff :)

Chia Protein Pudding

NOTE: I added some chia to my regular protein pudding and fluffed it up... it gave me a HUGE amount... (I couldn't fill the bowl).

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop protein powder (casein)
- 1/2 cup almond breeze (unsweetened vanilla)
- tablespoon chia seeds
- pinch of xantham gum

Directions:
- mix in blender and serve

roasted cinnamon coconut peanut butter turnips

Easiest recipe ever. I cut, sliced and roasted my turnips and topped with cinnamon, salt, peanut butter and more artisana coconut butter.... addicting :)

coconut eggs

Oh my gosh, I love artisana coconut butter. It went perfect slathered on my egg whites. I had it along with some roasted veggies.

Artisana organic raw coconut butter is ridiculously yummy... There are no pesticides, artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, stabilizers, added oils, or GMO's.

Ingredients: 100% Organic, Raw Coconut Meat (dehydrated at low temperature)... That's it :)

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 1 tablespoon coconut butter
- 2 tablespoons shredded coconut

Directions: cook egg whites in pan. Top with coconut butter and flakes.



sans veggies: (picture color came out a bit off)

Chia Egg whites with Peanut Butter

I woke up this morning craving peanut butter and eggs (don't knock it until you rock it). It's one of my favorite combos... other than chocolate and peanut butter. I was in a chia mood, so I added some seeds to my eggs...

Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 10 grams chia seeds
- broccoli
- one tablespoon peanut butter

Directions:
- cook eggs, once almost done, add in chia seeds. Cook broccoli on the side and adddrizzle peanut butter over everything.

Pumpkin Cinnamon Pancakes

These were so yummy! Reminded me of The Thanksgiving holiday

Ingredients:
- 1 packet of About Time Cinnamon Swirl protein powder
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- scoop of pumpkin
- cinnamon

Directions:
Blend together and cook on stove. Top with SF maple syrup and more cinnamon.

Kitchen Table Bakers Parmesan Crisps (Product Review)

Thanks to Kitchen Table Bakers for sending me samples of their Parmesan Crisps to sample. OMG, these are delicious! They are ENTIRELY made of cheese. You can eat them plain (I inhaled 1/2 the bag); on top of soup/ salad, or dipped in any topping. I definitely recommend these!

Flavors include: Italian herb, flax seed, aged parmesan, garlic, sesame, rosemary, everything, Jalapeno.

These are a great no-carb alternative to crackers!

Parmesan: As soon as I opened the bag, I got a big whiff of parmesa cheese: yum! The crisps were more bite sized.

* One serving has: 80 calories, 6 grams fat, < 1 gram of carbs, no sugar and 7 grams of protein. There are no trans fats!

* The ingredient size is simple! Pasteurized part skim milk, cheese cultures, salt and enzymes.

Everything: this was equally as delicious. It has a strong garlicy-oniony smell, which I loved :) These were a bigger size (Like the size of a ritz cracker).

Ingredients: Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Sesame Seeds, Poppy Seeds, Garlic, Minced Onions, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Non-Animal Rennet.

Parmesan:

Everything:

I'm "different"....

Some girls have a shoe obsession, I have a protein powder obsession :) Check out my new stash. I ordered this from fitrx.com. They have ridiculously cheap protein powder. They also have a flat shipping fee of $6.95 (or free for ordersof $200).

My order:
- 4 5-pound cans of dymatize elite gourmet (cookies 'n cream, cappucino rush, strawberry and chocolate peanut butter)
- 2 4-pound cans of optimum nutrition casein powder (chocolate peanut butter and cookies n cream)



OK, I might also have a shoe obsession (9 West was having a huge sale last week so I cleaned them out of boots for the upcoming winter).

About Time Protein Powder Review and Chocolate Coconut Pancakes!

Thanks to About Time for sending me samples of their protein powder to review. This stuff is the real deal! 100% pure whey isolate protein! Top quality ingredients... pure awesomeness :) I definitely recommend you try this protein powder, this is one of the best I have seen out there. And the owners/co-founders know what they are talking about: see their bios here.

Whey Isolate Protein Powder:
- no artificial flavors
- no artificial sweeteners
- lactose and gluten free
- no carbs
- no fat
- Nutrition: (Only!) 103 calories and 25 grams protein per serving.
- a variety of flavors to choose from, including: chocolate, birthday cake, cinnamon swirl, strawberry, peaches and cream, mocha mint, vanilla, peanut butter, banana, chocolate peanut butter and unflavored.

Be on the lookout as I feature these products in future recipes :) I have tried the chocolate so far in pancakes (see recipe below) and I am looking forward to trying the other flavors they sent me.



They also make protein bars which are sweetened with agave. I can't wait to try these (review coming soon!)

They also make pre-made shakes (see above). I plan to feature this one separately. But basically, it's powder in a bottle and you just add milk/water... easy on the go and convenient. Can't wait to try it! (I actually meant to bring it to work with me today and I must have left it on the counter.. dummy!)



Using their protein powder, I made myself some delicious pancakes for breakfast this morning. I highly recommend you try these!

Chocolate Coconut Pancakes:
- 2 tablespoons coconut flour
- 1 serving about time whey protein powder
- 1/2 cup egg whites

Directions: Blend all ingredients and cook on skillet.



Topped with sugar free maple syrup:

Coconut Chicken and Noodles

Ingredients:
-one package shirataki noodles
- 1/2 tablespoon coconut oil
- 3 ounces chicken
- tablespoons unshredded coconut
- soy sauce
- red and green cabbage

Directions:
Wash, drain and pat dry noodles. (add salt to remove excess water). Heat up coconut oil in pan, throw in veggies, then noodles and chicken. Top with soy sauce.

Remove from heat and top with coconut.

Fiberful protein pancakes

Note: Do these ingredients look familiar? I basically took my regular low carb pancakes and added a scoop of nutrafiber flakes for added fiber.

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop casein powder
- 1/2 cup egg whites
- 8 grams nutra-fiber

Directions: blend in bullet, make pancakes and serve.

One Minute PB Muffin

This is an easy and quick recipe.... and only two ingredients!

Ingredients:
- 1/4 cup peanut flour
- 1/2 cup egg whites

Directions: mix ingredients in a mug and microwave until fluffy (takes about a minute). Quick and easy snack.