Protein Shake Recipe: The Peanut Butter Power Protein Shake

One of my favorite things about homemade protein shakes is that you can customize them in pretty much any way you want. Chocolate/vanilla whey protein powder can serve as a base for thousands of different smoothie combinations, all with a nice shot of muscle-building protein and amino acids. Oh yeaaaaaaaah.


I recently came up with one of the most ridiculously phenomenal shakes I've ever made. It's freaking delicious and healthy as hell (what's better than delicious and healthy??). It's loaded with high quality protein, fiber and complex carbs, antioxidants, potassium, vitamin B6 + C, and heart-healthy mono/polyunsaturated fats. Bam, look at all that health! That's a pretty complete shake. If you love peanut butter and chocolate, you're definitely gonna go nuts for this shake. It tastes better than a liquified Reese's cup, only 1000x healthier. 


It takes all of...I don't know...two minutes to make and all you need are a few simple ingredients that you probably have lying around the house:

• 1 scoop Chocolate Whey -- I use Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard 100% Whey or Cytosport 100% Whey, both have nice amino acid profiles and are low in fat. In my opinion they're the highest quality, best tasting wheys I've tried. Plus they're really good values. I got a 6lb bag of Cytosport whey at Costco for $23!! I haven't been able to find that price anywhere else though. Optimum usually runs about $38-$43 for a 5lb tub. Well worth the price.
• 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter -- I use Naturally More PB. It's the best tasting peanut butter I've ever tried and it has really high omega-3 content from flaxseeds (4.1g!). It also packs 10g's of protein per serving, it's lower in calories than other PB brands (~170 cals per 2 tbsp. as opposed to ~200 cals per 2tbsp), and it has a nice dosage of fiber.
• 1/2 banana
• 1 cup skim milk
• 1/4 cup quaker oats
• 2 ice cubes

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 510
Total Fat: 11g (healthy fat)
Omega-3: 4.1g
Omega-6: 1.2g 
Carbs: 38g
Fiber: 8g
Net Carbs: 30g
Protein: 48g

Enjoy!

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The World's Healthiest...and Most Delicious Turkey Chili

I'm always looking to invent new recipes that taste incredible and are ridiculously healthy. Last Sunday I was waiting anxiously for the Carolina Panthers game to start (my favorite football team) and I had a spontaneous craving for chili. I didn't want any ordinary chili though...I wanted uber healthy, protein packed chili that delivered a spicy punch. I went to the grocery store, picked up a few ingredients I thought would add robust flavor, and within two hours I had concocted a pot of the most delicious chili I've ever had. Every single ingredient used has numerous health benefits...every one! This chili is loaded with muscle building protein, belly-filling fiber, and disease fighting antioxidants, lowers cholesterol and blood pressure, burns calories through thermogenesis, prevents inflammation, promotes positive heart, digestive, and gastrointestinal health, and even controls blood sugar levels. I really don't understand how something so healthy could taste so incredibly good. Here's how to replicate this hearty, delicious, and nutritious recipe.


What you'll need:

• 2 lbs lean ground turkey (93% lean or more). Ground turkey is an incredible source of protein, iron, vitamin B6 and B12, riboflavin, niacin, selenium (a powerful antioxidant), phosphorus, potassium, and zinc. Swapping out lean turkey for beef cuts out a significant amount of fat, saturated fat, and calories.
• 1 hot green chili pepper. Chili peppers contribute vitamin A and have been shown to fight inflammation, serve as a natural pain reliever, reduce cholesterol and triglyceride levels, clear sinus congestion, boost immune function, and aid in weight loss through themogenesis. Thermogenesis is the process by which your body raises its core temperature, burning both calories and fat. 1 chili pepper also provides 182% of your daily value of vitamin C. 
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1.5 cans canned Tuttorosso crushed tomatoes. Tomatoes contain high levels of vitamin C and and the carotenoid lycopene, a potent antioxidant. Lycopene has been shown to protect against a wide variety of cancers, including colorectal, breast, prostate, endometrial, lung, and prostate. Tomatoes also promote good colon and prostate health.
• 3 cloves garlic. Garlic helps control blood pressure by thinning blood, it raises HDL (good) cholesterol and prevents LDL (bad) cholesterol from building up, and even improves immune function. Pretty potent for a spice.
• 1 sweet white onion. Mainly for flavor, but contributes moderate levels of potassium. 
• 6 leaves fresh basil. Contains high levels of vitamin K and beta-carotene, a powerful antioxidant. Basil has also been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties. 
• 1 can red kidney beans.
• 1 can white cannellini beans. Both types of beans contain extremely high levels of protein and belly-filling, cholesterol lowering fiber (1 cup provides ~46% DV of fiber, that's a ton!). The fiber in beans helps control blood sugar levels from surging after a meal and promotes heart and gastrointestinal health. Beans also provide thiamin for memory, iron, molybdenum, tryptophan, and the antioxidant manganese. 
• Extra virgin olive oil. A study in Greece showed that consuming olive oil daily results in a 47% decrease in the risk of coronary heart disease. 47%! Olive oil is the world's best protector of the heart. Consuming olive oil regularly can significantly lower LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, controls blood sugar levels, improves insulin sensitivity, and even prevents the accumulation of belly fat. It's also loaded with polyphenols (antioxidants). This stuff is liquid gold...start using it as often as possible. 
• 1 cup chili powder. For flavor.
• 3 tbsp cayenne pepper. See chili pepper. Add more cayenne if you want it spicier.  
• 1/2 cup cumin. Cumin provides iron, benefits the digestive system, and even displays anti-carcinogenic properties. 
• Brown rice. Complex carbs and fiber for long lasting energy.

Steps

1. Grab a huge pot and heat it up on the stove over low heat. The heat must be kept low so that nothing burns. The heat should stay on a low setting the entire time. Coat the bottom of the pot with a generous layer of extra virgin olive oil.
2. Mince up the garlic and chop up the onion. Place both into the pot and let them cook in the oil until they turn translucent / begin to turn golden brown. DO NOT burn the garlic, it will ruin the entire recipe. This is a really critical step, but luckily it's the last part that requires any attention. 
3. Once the garlic and onions have begun to brown add the lean ground turkey meat. Stir the turkey around with the olive oil and allow it to cook until it turns brown/dark grey. Once the turkey has turned brown drain any excess oil that's left in the pot, but make sure not to lose any of the garlic or onions.
4. Finely chop up the basil leaves and chili pepper.
5. Add the basil, chili pepper, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and cumin. 
6. Stir all of the ingredients together, cover it with a screen, and let it simmer for 30 minutes. 
7. Begin to cook the brown rice in a rice cooker (if you have one), if not make it over the stove or in the microwave (won't taste as good though).
8. After 30 minutes of simmering add both cans of beans. At this point taste the chili. If you want it spicier add more cayenne pepper and/or chili powder.
9. Let the chili simmer for an additional 25 minutes.
10. Mix with brown rice, or if you don't want the carbs eat it plain.
11. Enjoy!!

Total time: ~ 1 hour 15 minutes

Oatmeal...The Perfect Start to Any Day

Whenever I'm asked "what's your favorite food?" I always say oatmeal or bananas, or the combination of the two. People almost always look at me with some crazy look of astonishment, not about the banana part, but about how oatmeal could possibly be one of my favorite foods. I have my reasons.  

I could argue that oatmeal may be the healthiest food on the planet. Lowly oatmeal? You'd think it'd be beat out by health food powerhouses like salmon, acai, almonds, quinoa, or kale -- just to name a few. Not so fast. In it's natural form (Quaker oats barrel style, not that pre-packed, sugar-laden, processed excuse for oatmeal) oatmeal is as healthy as it gets. Here are a few of the reasons why oatmeal tops my list of go-to foods: 

Health. (We're talking about 100% natural Quaker oats, nothing packaged that has preservatives, additives, or sugar added.)

1. It's a slow-digesting, complex carb that's loaded with fiber. That translates into long-lasting sustained energy and curbed hunger cravings. Oatmeal is literally the perfect breakfast food to start any day. 
• It's also a great pre-workout food
2. The high fiber content promotes digestive health, fights cancer, and cleans out toxins from the body. 
• It reduces LDL cholesterol (bad cholesterol)
• Prevents/helps relieve constipation
• The phytochemicals in the oats actively fight cancer
3. It helps regulate blood sugar levels and keeps insulin from spiking. Low insulin levels are the key to losing body fat and sculpting a flat belly. For anyone looking to shred body fat and get cut abdominals, meet your new best friend. 
• This is extremely beneficial for diabetics who are looking to control blood sugar levels.
4. It only has 150 calories per half cup. Oatmeal is extremely filling for a food with so few calories.
5. Good source of protein. Oatmeal alone has 5g of protein, and if you cook it with milk it adds about 6g of protein per half cup. That's 11g of protein for a carb. The milk also adds calcium and vitamin D.
6. It has no sugar or refined carbs. See my bullet point about insulin levels.
7. Helps protect against heart disease
8. Sodium free
9. Good source of vitamin E, zinc, selenium, copper, iron, magnesium, and manganese.
10. It's only ingredient is oats. That means no preservatives, chemicals, added sugar, or artificial sweeteners.

Quick and easy to make. Dump some oatmeal and milk/water in a bowl, pop it in the microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds, add your toppings, and enjoy. It takes all of 2 minutes to make.

Versatility.

I'll admit oatmeal is pretty bland and boring when it's made with water, but the beauty of oatmeal comes from it's versatility. On it's own oatmeal is incredibly healthy, but add a few all-natural toppings and you can step up it's game to an entirely new level. Here are a few ideas to pump up your oatmeal.

1. Add milk to everything.  This is the foundation of oatmeal art. Making oatmeal with milk instead of water makes a world of difference. If you want richer oatmeal use 1 or 2% milk, but skim milk should do the trick just fine.
2. Add cinnamon to everything.Cinnamon is perfect. It adds a great flavor, but also has robust health benefits. Cinnamon is one of the most powerful antioxidants, it regulates blood sugar levels and insulin (back to the fat burning factor), and can actually boost metabolism.
3. Bananas and cinnamon. Ahhhhhh...my go to meal. The bananas add potassium, vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, and additional fiber. Not to mention they taste delicious. 
4. Apples and cinnamon. Try this If you're a fan of Apple Cinnamon Cheerios. Keep the skin on the apples, you'll triple the fiber intake.
5. If you like sweetness try adding a little bit of raw honey or natural maple syrup. No Aunt Jamima, I'm talking about maple syrup straight out of the tree. Honey in it's raw form is a natural antioxidant that can help ward off disease. Make sure you check ingredient labels and packaging to ensure both of these are all natural with no added sugar or chemicals.
6. Berries. Strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries are all a great source of antioxidants, vitamin K, vitamin C, and fiber. Try out different combinations to find your ideal flavor.
7. Ground Up Flaxseeds. Flaxseeds are an amazing source of omega-3 fatty acids--fat's that improve cholesterol ratios and overall heart health. They're also high in antioxidants to help fight nasty free radicals.
8. Yogurt and fruit. Like strawberries and cream? Yogurt adds a nice sweetness and creaminess to oatmeal. Make sure you're choosing a healthy yogurt brand. Also, using greek yogurt bumps up the protein content significantly
9. Oatmeal with cinnamon and raisins. I'm not a huge fan of raisins because they have unusually high sugar content (dried fruit has more sugar and less nutrients than fresh fruit), but there are so few raisins in this mixture that the added sugar is negligible. Some people swear by cinnamon raisin, try it out.
10. Peanut butter. Contributes loads of healthy fats, and also adds thickness.
11. Nuts. Mixing in peanuts, walnuts, almonds, or cashews adds healthy fats and a nice crunch.
12. Shredded coconut and almonds. Aka "Almond Joy" oatmeal. The almonds add healthy fats. Coconut contains a healthy type of saturated fat called lauric acid which has been shown to boost HDL (good cholesterol), while keeping LDL levels neutral. This is a tasty alternative that's loaded with a variety of healthy fats--key to proper heart health.

If anyone else has any other great oatmeal recipes they'd like to share please post them! Oatmeal is great because you can be so creative with it. Be healthy, and have fun doing it.