It's no secret that low carb days are not my favorite, mainly because I find it hard to satisfy my sweet tooth! I've been working to find some foods that do the trick and this is one of them. As an added bonus, one mug cake is only 3 net carbs and has 12 grams of protein! WINNER!

Flax Mug Cake
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 packet stevia
1 tsp cinnamon
1 egg
1 tsp avocado oil

Mix together in a mug and microwave for one minute. You can eat as is, add fruit to the batter, top with nut butter and jelly, whatever you are feeling! I hope you enjoy! XO

My husband loves Almond Joy candy bars. Like LOVES them. 

And I find that weird because those were always the leftovers when the Halloween candy has been picked over for a month, and then just eventually thrown away :)

BUT I think he's actually onto something because these Almond Joy protein balls are SO GOOD, I think I'd pick them first too. 

So even if Almond Joys aren't your thing, I highly recommend giving these protein balls a shot because they just might change your mind...

Almond Joy Protein Balls
1 cup rolled oats
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
1 Tbls. cocoa powder
2 scoops chocolate protein powder (FASTer Way is my favorite!)
2 Tbls. mini chocolate chips (I use Enjoy Life brand)
1 cup natural almond butter (crunchy or creamy works!)
1/2 cup honey

Add oats and chia seeds to a blender and pulse until there are some whole oats remaining. (The blending part is optional, but I recommend!) Pour into a mixing bowl and add coconut, cocoa powder, protein powder and mini chocolate chips. Mix well. Add almond butter and honey and stir until well combined. Scoop into balls (mine made 36) and ENJOY! 

I store these in the fridge or freezer and enjoy one at a time for several days! 

Per ball:
90 calories
5.5g fat
8g carbs
1.6g fiber
3.6g protein

Give me some oats and/or a bowl of granola, or any variation of those, and I am a happy camper. Make it high in protein and it's definitely a winner in my book! You will love this personal sweet treat that helps you hit your daily protein goal! 

Personal Blueberry Crumble
1 cup frozen blueberries (I love wild blueberries! Buy organic if you can.)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/3 cup rolled oats
​1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I love FASTer Way protein!)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
OPTIONAL: 1 tsp. pure maple syrup (I did not add this because my protein powder is sweet enough!)
1-2 Tbls. water (maybe more, maybe less, see instructions!)

In a saucepan, combine blueberries, lemon and cornstarch. Cook on low heat until blueberries are cooked through and you have a thickened sauce. Set aside.

It is heating UP here in STL! Nothing better than a cold treat on a hot day, but if you are not big on dairy (or maybe more likely dairy's not big on you...?), NICE cream is a fun, healthy and very tasty alternative! 

You can get creative with these nice cream sandwiches, but you also don't have to. I whipped these up pretty quickly, using only bananas, graham crackers and some sprinkles. But you could add cocoa to make a chocolate nice cream, or PB or PB powder for a peanut butter flavor (ooh then roll the edges in chocolate chips?!). The sky is the limit, so have fun with some flavors!!

Banana Nice Cream Sandwiches
1 frozen banana, cut into pieces
2 graham crackers
sprinkles, optional

Blend frozen banana in a blender until creamy and thick. Add a splash of water or plant based milk if needed. But not too much - it needs to be thick! Break graham crackers into 4 pieces and make sandwiches with banana nice cream. Roll edges in sprinkles. Wrap in waxed paper and freeze until ready to eat. ENJOY! XO

Everyone is looking for high protein snacks these days, so here's a great one for you! Bonus - it's lactose free when you use lactose free yogurt, like this Fage I picked up at the store. It is rich, thick and creamy - trust me, you don't even miss the lactose, and you get the added bonus of 17 whopping grams of protein!

Top it with this simple homemade berry sauce, and it is a delicious, filling, high protein snack! 

Berry Sauce
1 cup frozen berries (I used mixed berries, but you pick!)
2 Tbls pure maple syrup
Juice of 1/2 lemon
3 Tbls water

Add the ingredients to a saucepan and cook over low heat until warmed through and the berries start to fall apart. Remove from the heat and use an immersion blender (or your regular blender) to blend into a smooth sauce.

Makes 4 servings. Top your yogurt with 1/4 of the sauce, then store the rest in the fridge to enjoy for the next few days! This would also be delicious over ice cream :)

TIP - you can add 2 Tbls of chia seeds to the sauce and as it cools, it will thicken. Use as a sauce or jam!

Per serving of sauce:
45 calories
0.3g fat
11.4g carbs
0.8g fiber
0.4g protein

My kids have been loving a good granola bar these days, and for the most part, I feel like they are a decent snack option. Obviously I prefer to know what's in them, so I decided to make some at home, using ingredients I can feel good about! I added some mini chocolate chips and dye free sprinkles ... hence they are FUN Granola Bars! You know sprinkles make everything more fun :)

FUN Granola Bars!
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup crisp brown rice cereal
1/4 cup salted butter
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
3 Tbls mini chocolate chips
Dye free sprinkles (such as THESE!)

Blend oats in blender or food processor - pulse gently!! - just until some pieces are still whole, some are ground and some are in between. Pour into a bowl and add crispy rice cereal and set aside.
In a saucepan, melt butter and add honey and brown sugar. Heat and stir until the sugar is melted. Remove from the heat and add vanilla. 
Pour over oats and cereal and mix well. 
Line an 8x8 pan with parchment paper. Press the mixture into the pan firmly. I like to use another piece of parchment on top so my hands don't get sticky!
Top with chocolate chips and sprinkles. Press gently so they stick. 
Cut into 12 bars and ENJOY! XO

Per bar:
166 calories
26g carbohydrates
2g fiber
6g fat
3g protein

(Feel free to add your own favorite mix ins and toppings! Almonds, pecans, raisins, dried cherries, the sky is the limit here!)

My husband and I are training for our first full marathon! It's been fun to have something to work toward together and we have actually been enjoying the long weekend runs. Thankfully, the weather here has been pretty nice so we haven't had to navigate snow and ice. Fingers crossed the spring-like weather will continue throughout the rest of winter!

One thing we have had to navigate, however, is ravenous hunger as a result of all of the fuel we are burning! I am really trying to maintain my focus on good nutrition, rather than reaching for the simple carbs that are delicious, but make me feel pretty terrible. So I have been trying to come up with some good options to have on hand for when the hunger strikes.

​These PB Coconut Oat Bars are a perfect snack! They are made with all real, whole food ingredients and none of the junk that makes our bodies feel sluggish. (We need all of the energy we can get.) I also added some collagen peptides for joint health!

PB Coconut Oat Bars
2 cups gluten free rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flaxseed meal
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes 
1 scoop collagen peptides
1 cup NATURAL peanut butter (crunchy or creamy, you pick!)
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients together until well combined. Spray a 9x9 pan with non stick spray - I prefer avocado oil! - or line with wax or parchment paper. Press mixture into the pan and freeze for a little bit. When ready to eat, cut into 16 squares. Store in the fridge or freezer.

ENJOY! XO

Per bar:
15g fat
23 g carbs
5g fiber
8g protein

I would be surprised if someone told me they've never tried a Nutty Bar!  That chocolately, peanut-buttery deliciousness was always a welcome surprise in my lunchbox!

Who says we can't enjoy Nutty Bars when we live a healthy lifestyle? Not me...I've found a way to recreate them and I even included some extra protein so they're especially guilt-free!

Healthier Nutty Bars
6 thin rice cakes
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
1 scoop protein powder (I recommend the FASTer Way protein!)
1 cup sugar free chocolate chips (I recommend Lily's dark baking chips)
2 tsp coconut oil

First, mix the peanut butter and protein powder in a small bowl.  When combined, spread a layer on each rice cake.  Stack the rice cake in 2 stacks of 3 and, with a serrated knife, cut in half to make 4 bars.  Melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave.  and dip each bar until fully coated.  Place on waxed or parchment paper and freeze for 10-15 minutes, until chocolate is set.  ENJOY!  XO

Nutrition info per bar:
301 calories
29g carbs
22g fat
13g protein

If you like a sweet treat on a low carb day, these buckeyes will definitely hit the spot!  The FASTer Way protein is so versatile - it's super macro-friendly, low in carbs and high in protein!  While I enjoy it in a protein shake or smoothie bowl, it's also fun to make delicious healthy treats with too!

Low Carb Protein Buckeye Balls
1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/3 cup coconut flour
1 scoop vanilla FASTer Way Protein powder 
1/4 cup sugar free chocolate chips
1 tsp. coconut oil

Mix peanut butter, coconut flour and protein powder until well combined.  Scoop into balls (this recipe makes 10) and freeze for 10-15 minutes.

In the meantime, melt chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave.  Remove protein balls from the freezer and dip in the chocolate.  Return the freezer for another 10-15 minutes, and ENJOY!!  

Store leftover balls in the freezer.

Macros per protein ball:
Calories:  122
Fat - 9g
Carbs - 6g
Fiber - 4g
Protein - 6g

Protein balls are such a great and healthy snack, and so versatile!  I've been having a lot of fun coming up with different variations.  Stay tuned for more!

I know some people don't love fruit in their desserts - i.e., raisins in their cookies, but trust me on this one.  The very small amount of raisins in these protein balls adds just the right amount of sweetness to offset the salty peanut butter.  So if you are one of those people (ahem - my husband!) I encourage you to be open to it!  It just may change your life :)

Here's how to make them!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Protein Balls
1.5 cups gluten free rolled oats
1 cup natural peanut butter
1/4 cup honey
2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used Orgain)
​2 Tbls. raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon

I blended my oats in the Ninja for a few pulses to make an oat-y/whole oats mix, but totally up to you!  Then throw them into a mixing bowl and add the rest of the ingredients.  Using a hand mixer, mix the ingredients until combined.  

Roll into balls.  I used a cookie scoop that is about a tablespoon (#70).  My recipe made 28!  Store in a container or freezer bag in the fridge or freezer and pull one or two out when you're ready to eat.  ENJOY!  XO

Per ball:
87 calories
Protein 3.7g
Carbs 7.9g
Fiber 1.1g
Fat 5g