Today I’m coming to you in collaboration with my sister-in-law Emily and our all time favorite protein company, 1stPhorm (#notsponsored but full disclosure, my husband Sal does work there), to bring you 3 awesome, healthy, easy and protein packed recipes!
Protein is an important part of the diet and one of the ways I make sure to hit my macros and get enough protein on the daily is through drinking protein shakes and incorporating protein powder into my meals. I love to eat but I don’t love to cook – so when it comes to designing new and fun healthy recipes and for all things cooking related I lean on my sister-in-law Emily Frisella, who is a cooking & baking machine – a modern girl’s Martha Stewart, really!
Emily Frisella is a twice published author of the twice sold-out cookbook, Fresh Farmhouse Kitchen, with her second cookbook releasing next week on October 3rd, 2019! To pre-order her cookbook click here and use Racquel at checkout for free US shipping!
Emily is a Clean Eating Chef, the creator of Fit Home & Health- a lifestyle brand, Co-host of Food in Session Nutrition Podcast, Founder of The Women in Business Workshop, COO of 44Seven Media, Business Coach & Speaker. Yeah, she’s busy! She lives right here in St. Louis, MO as a transplant from a small farming community. This lady has a clear passion for creating clean, healthy dishes that are not only delicious but also budget friendly.
First a little 101 on protein..
What Actually Is Protein?
You’ve most likely never thought about what protein is. Maybe you know that it can be found in high amounts in meat and that you need it to grow muscles but there is a lot more to it! Protein is one of the 3 macronutrients, the other two being lipid (fat) and carbohydrate (sugars). All foods are made up of one or a combination of these 3 macronutrients.
Protein molecules are made up of amino acids of which there are 20. 20 amino acids means a LOT of different combinations which means a lot of different types of proteins. Some types of proteins include those that make up our muscle fibres, as well as collagen, elastin, even hormones, enzymes and antibodies are all different forms of protein. Pretty crazy right?
So when we eat protein from dairy, eggs, animals or plants our body breaks down the protein into individual amino acids and then reconstructs the amino acids for what it needs whether that’s muscle repair, or cell growth etc.
Okay, that just got really sciency! Needless to say protein is a super important part of our diets for a healthy body and it’s sometimes the hardest to get enough of. These 3 recipes keep it simple and will have you hitting your daily protein requirement in no time! Let’s get into it!
No-Bake Protein Poppers
Ingredients:
½ cup natural creamy peanut butter
¼ cup honey
½ cup 1stPhorm Level-1 Milk Chocolate protein powder
½ cup oatmeal, dry
¼ cup total of add-ins: dried cranberries, chocolate chips, m&m, etc
Directions:
1. Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until well blended using a wooden spoon or your hands.
2. Roll into 1-inch balls and place on wax paper–lined plates.
3. Cover with plastic and store in refrigerator until chilled then they are ready to eat!
Makes 20 servings
Fat: 3.5 grams
Carbohydrates: 7 grams
Protein: 4.5 grams
Blueberry Muffin Protein Pancakes
Pancake ingredients:
1 scoop 1stPhorm Level-1 Blueberry Muffin protein powder
2 egg whites
⅓ cup plus 2 tablespoons light almond milk
¼ cup gluten-free baking flour
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon baking powder
Nonstick cooking spray
Optional Glaze ingredients:
¼ scoop blueberry muffin protein powder
2 tablespoons almond milk
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
Directions:
1. For the pancakes: In a large mixing bowl, combine protein powder, egg whites, almond milk, flour, vanilla extract, and baking powder. Mix until well blended.
2. Heat griddle on medium-high heat. Spray with nonstick cooking spray. Scoop ¼ cup of pancake batter onto the griddle.
3. When top begins to bubble, flip. Cook on opposite side for 1–2 minutes.
4. For the glaze: In a small bowl, combine the protein powder, almond milk, and cinnamon. Mix well. Drizzle glaze over pancakes if desired. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 serving (macros include glaze)
Fat: 5 grams
Carbohydrates: 32 grams
Protein: 39 grams
StrawBana Protein Smoothie
Ingredients:
1C. Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk1 scoop
1stPhorm Level-1 Vanilla Ice Cream protein powder
1 3oz frozen banana, peeled
1/2C. fresh or frozen strawberries
Directions:
1. Add all ingredients to a blender layering liquid to solid (this helps the smoothie blend together better)
2. Blend on high power until smooth. Adding more almond milk if you prefer a more thin smoothie.
3. Pour into a glass & enjoy!
Makes 1 smoothie
Fat: 6g
Carbs: 30g
Protein: 26g
Thanks again to Emily for contributing to this blog post!
Once again to get your hands on her beautiful cookbook click here and enter code Racquel for free shipping in the US!
