Tag: High Protein

Morning Scramble Egg Bake
Clean Living · Recipes

Morning Scramble Egg Bake

Sarah

I was in the mood for a vibrant veggie-packed egg bake that wasn’t egg bites, and this came out perfectly. The veggies still had a bit of crunch. If you don’t like that, you can saute the veggies first, letting them cool before adding them to the egg step.

You want a dryer, salty cheese for the topping, but not mozzarella; you want where it melts during baking but keeps its shape.

Freeze-dried raw eggs work well in this recipe; rehydrate for about 15 minutes before using them.

Morning Scramble Egg Bake

Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs
  • Half an onion, diced
  • 1 bell pepper, seeded and diced (red, yellow, or orange)
  • Handful bok choy, kale or spinach leaves, finely chopped
  • 6 slices uncured Canadian bacon, finely chopped
  • Pinch fine sea salt
  • 5 ounces queso fresco cheese, feta, or paneer cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°; lightly oil an 8″ x 8″ glass baking pan with olive or avocado oil.

Whisk the eggs and stir in all ingredients except the cheese.

Pour into the pan and smooth out. Crumble the cheese over the top.

Bake for about 35 minutes or until set and browned on top.

Enjoy warm, or let cool and chill. Reheat for 1:30-2 minutes in the microwave.

4 servings.

~Sarah

High Protein Low Carb Bacon Egg Bites
Clean Living · Recipes

High Protein Low Carb Bacon Egg Bites

Sarah

Once or twice a week, I make Kirk a batch of egg bites to have an easy breakfast or lunch when he breaks his fast.

I had gotten very frustrated using my muffin tins. Even though I would lightly oil them with avocado oil, they would stick to the pans and fried on them. I would have to use a thin silicone spatula to get them out. Then it would take 2 to 3 times washing the tins to get the egg off, fried on so bad I would have to use the dishwasher. I prefer not to use the dishwasher for baking pans, which lowers their lifetime. My main muffin tin is so sad-looking; I will likely toss it soon.

I decided to try disposable pans, even though it bugs me to toss items. (However, if they were washed, I could recycle them, so they sat better.)

I picked up a 20-pack on Amazon for $15.99, making each tray 80 cents. This is far cheaper than the local grocery store, where a 3-pack is nearly $5.

How did they work? Better than I had hoped! After cooling for 10 minutes, the egg bites popped from the sides, and I easily used a small butter knife to pop them out. They did not fall apart, and they were not fried at all to the tins! This was worth it.

On the bacon: Yes, bacon is not healthy food. It is preserved and salty. Usually, I pick better meat choices, but darn it, I wanted bacon this time. I tend to use precooked bacon, as it is considerably less fat and not all greasy. On average, it is 40% less! I much prefer that.

You can, of course, cook up a rack of uncured bacon till crispy, then blot the fat off and chop it up.

High Protein Low Carb Bacon Egg Bites

Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 3 cups egg whites
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
  • 1 bag chopped bacon (used 2.8 ounces)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350°. Lightly oil 3 6-count muffin tins with avocado oil and place them on rimmed baking sheets.

Whisk the eggs and egg whites together.

Divide the cheese between the tins.

Pour the egg mixture over it, about a ¼ cup per tin.

Sprinkle the bacon on top.

Bake for about 25 minutes, until set. Remove, let cool for 10 to 15 minutes, and then pop out.

Chill uncovered in storage containers, then cover tightly.

3 egg bites in a serving, reheat in the microwave for about a minute.

Makes 18 egg bites.

~Sarah

The First Trimester Of Dietary Change
Clean Living

The First Trimester Of Dietary Change

Sarah

In late October, Kirk asked if we’d change how we ate. I am not going to lie and say it has been easy. With teens at home, I have to work around them as well. But as we enter the Second Trimester, I have learned a lot this time about what works for us and what doesn’t.

When we started in earnest in November, I was committed to making high-protein/low-carb dinners but wasn’t quite ready to give up carbs. I made bread and rolls quite often and made a carb side for the boys with dinner. I started to see results, which made me realize we could go further.

That we went pretty hardcore at it this time:

  • High-protein
  • Low-Carb
  • Lots of vegetables
  • Fresh fruit
  • No seed oils
  • No processed food
  • No added sugar/sweetener
  • All cooking is done from scratch with base ingredients

I saw this comment a while back, and it hit home about my daily decisions. I don’t always have to remove “x” from my diet, but I must be mindful. Sugar is one area I have real issues with, though. Consuming it awakens something profound in my body, and I cannot stop my craving for it. So if I go without, it is that much better.

I took my middle son to Mexican the other week, and I had my meal without tortillas and avoided the tortilla chips. I realized I have little self-control once I start noshing on salty snacks. One chip becomes 40 chips. I enjoyed the carb with lunch, which was rice, and I felt no guilt over that because I had made a choice. I didn’t feel bloated and tired after lunch, so it was worth it—one carb, not three separate ones.

The first trimester is always one of change. You have to see what works for everyone, and it is more complicated with children involved, especially if they are teenagers. I still make them bread for their lunches, but I have noticed that one of them is becoming interested in increasing his protein/lower carbs so that he gains muscle (he is built like his Dad, so he will have no issues putting on muscle). I have watched them get excited about vegetables, which they always ate, but now are happy to see them. I prepare them in different ways, and this makes them eat more.

The other is I forced myself to get on the scale and see where I was about 2 weeks back. I do not have a positive relationship with weight scales, going back to being a child. When I was in 6th grade, our teacher had public weigh-ins weekly, where the popular girls did the weighing – and loudly called out their weight to embarrass the bigger girls. I had hit puberty in 5th grade, far ahead of most of the girls. I’ve always been “bigger,” even at my skinniest in college. The number wasn’t as bad as I feared, and I was only 5 pounds over the weight I would claim on the paperwork medically. I could deal with that. I am now down to that number. It’s not a specific goal; I have to be a certain number. But it does help to know where I am and where I need to get to. For now, it’s weekly weigh-ins to monitor whether our eating is helping.

Solidly in the second trimester, I am learning more about what to eat and when, and I am experiencing the feeling of hunger. I realized I used to feel hungry rarely. Eating on a schedule, true hunger didn’t have time to show up. I also find I get full faster, as our food is denser.

~Sarah

Protein Egg Bites
Clean Living · Recipes

Protein Egg Bites

Sarah

I revisited Kirk’s daily egg bites by adding Greek yogurt for more protein. The bites are low-carb and -high-protein, with an egg souffle texture.

These bites are vegetarian as prepared; feel free to use them as a base and sprinkle them on the top before baking finely chopped cooked meats or roasted vegetables for more depth.

Protein Egg Bites

Ingredients:

  • 6 large eggs
  • 1 cup egg whites
  • ½ cup nonfat Greek yogurt
  • ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil a 12-count muffin tin with avocado oil.

Add all ingredients to a blender and process until smooth.

Divide between the cups.

Bake for about 25 minutes.

Let cool a bit before sliding out with a thin spatula.

Keep refrigerated and reheat for about a minute in the microwave.

Makes 12 egg bites.

Nutritional Stats, based on three egg bites as a serving:

193 Calories / 14 grams Fat / 21 grams Protein / .5 gram Sugar

~Sarah

High-protein Poblano Pepper and Ham Scramble
Clean Living · Recipes

High-protein Poblano Pepper and Ham Scramble

Sarah

Eating eggs is simple when trying to eat low-carb/high-protein, but it can get rather boring quickly. I came up with this tasty scramble, where it’s got just a pinch of heat from the poblano pepper. If you find those too spicy, just use a green bell pepper.

The pepper also gives it bulk for only a few calories, so you feel like you are eating a proper meal, not just a couple of eggs.

High-protein Poblano Pepper and Ham Scramble

Ingredients:

  • 1 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • 1 poblano pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 2 slices uncured Canadian bacon, chopped
  • 3 large eggs
  • 2 Tbsp cheddar cheese

Directions:

In a small frypan, heat over medium-low and saute the peppers until tender. Add the ham and heat through.

Whisk the eggs, pour over, and gently scramble till done.

Add the cheese and enjoy.

Serves 1.

Nutritional Stats:

469 Calories / 34 grams Fat / 5 grams Carbs / 2 grams Fiber / 33 grams Protein

~Sarah