Protein Waffles

I made these this morning with my new supply of gemma pea protein powder. I've mentioned before how I really like this kind of protein powder for baking with, because it's really floury in texture. It's nasty in shakes (chalky and thick!) but great in baked goods. It does absorb more liquid than flour, so if you use it, you'll probably need to increase the liquid ingredients a little, or add some extra water. In the waffles, I actually couldn't tell that they were protein-y and not just regular waffles.

So, here's the recipe:
Protein Waffles
Makes 4 waffles, 163 Cal, 4g fat, 17g carb, 13g protein

1/2 c flour (60g)
1/2 c gemma pea protein powder (40g)
1 T cornmeal
pinch of salt
1/4 t baking soda

3/4c skim milk + 1/2 T vinegar (to make sour milk)
1T butter, melted
1 egg, separated
pinch of cream of tartar

Preheat your waffle iron. Mix the milk and vinegar together and set aside to sour while you prepare everything else. Combine the dry ingredients in a bowl and mix. Separate the egg, and beat the egg white with the cream of tartar until stiff. Add the egg yolk and melted butter to the milk mixture and combine. Pour the milk mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites. Spray the waffle iron with nonstick spray, then spoon batter into it. I cooked mine for about 3 minutes, but your iron may be different.

MMMM!

New Kettlebell move: burpee KB snatch

To make a burpee even more intense (like it needs it!), try doing a kettlebell snatch as you stand up between reps. :O

Another workout to do

From Ross Enamait, Work Capacity 101:

Complete within 2 minutes, and rest during any remaining time during the 2 minutes:

Pull-ups x 5
Medicine Ball Slams x 10
Burpees x 15
Jumping Jacks x 20

Repeat as many times as possible, with your goal being 10 rounds in 20 minutes.

iPhone armband

As promised, here is one of my crafty summer projects: an iPhone armband for my hubby to use while running. As a bonus, this is fitness related, too!

I am very pleased with how it came out. It has a buttonhole at the top for the earphones, and another large buttonhole on the side for the elastic strap the thread through. But the best part is the vinyl window. The phone is very securely in the case, but you can still use
and view the touchscreen through it. Awesome! :)

Fun (in a makes-you-puke kind of way) workout to try!

Pike Workout

I totally have this on my list to do after my baby is born. I can't wait to try it. I'm sure it will take me far longer than 30 minutes, though!

Get a Deck of Cards.
Shuffle them.

Spades: Burpees
Clubs: Mahlers
Hearts: Pushups
Diamonds: Squats

2-9 = Face Value
10-K = 10
A = 15

Go through as quickly as you can and keep time.

What I've been doing...

All summer, I haven't blogged at all, mostly because...... I'm
pregnant! I haven't been eating/workout obsessed like in the past, so
I haven't felt like I should be posting here. But, I have been busy
and I want to share. Here is a picture of my new best friend, found
for me by my Dad. It's a gorgeous 1950's Japanese sewing machine made
entirely of *heavy* metal, and it's the smoothest, quietest sewing
machine I've ever used. I love it!! I'll be posting some of the
projects I've done on it this summer soon. And there are *lots* of
them! :)

The protein/carb balance

I had this IM mini conversation with my husband recently. I thought it made an excellent blog prompt, so here it is:

J: So does the BFL [Body for Life] mantra still hold true in your eyes - for every carb you eat, you should eat a protein?

InstantBlue: Mostly, but not so strictly. If you're going to eat a carb, you should have protein to go with it. But really, it's about averaging it out across the day. It's fine to have just a carb by itself, if the protein balances it later and, you don't HAVE to have a carb always. Just protein alone is ok, too. For example, on BFL, you would not eat just a chicken breast and veggies for lunch, you'd add some whole grain bread or oatmeal or something too. Now, I often eat just protein and veggies, no carb. And I'll often save the carby English muffin from my breakfast and save it for about an hour after I eat my eggy-protein dish. In general, I try to keep my carbs to less than 40% of my daily intake, and my proteins to 30% or more. (I have no restrictions on fats at all, but it's pretty hard to eat too much fat if you're eating the kinds of things you should be eating anway! (: ) Works for me so far!

Zucchini Lasagna

Another pasta-less idea, using veggies instead of noddles, this time
inspired by the March/April issue of Clean Eating magazine. I changed
the recipe a little to make it less soupy. If you like this, you
should try spaghetti squash instead of noodles, too.

Nutrition: 235 Cal, 6g fat, 17g carb, 29g protein (based on my tomato
sauce)

1 lb ground beef, browned and rinsed
1 clove of garlic, crushed
1 small onion, diced
3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4" thick
1 jar spaghetti sauce ( I used Trader Joes Organic with Mushrooms, 25oz)
2 c low fat cottage cheese
1 egg
3oz mozarella, divided and shredded

Cook, drain, and rinse the ground beef and set aside. While the beef
is browning, steam the zucchini slices until soft, about 3 minutes.
Set the slices aside and let them cool slightly.

Spray your pan with non-stick spray and sauté the onion until
translucent, then add the garlic and cook for one more minute. Mix in
the beef and the whole jar of tomatoes sauce.

In another bowl, combine 1oz shredded mozzarella cheese, the egg, and
the cottage cheese.

Gently squeeze the steamed zucchini to remove excess water, then layer
1/3 of the slices on the bottom of a 9x9 pan. Spread half of the
cheese mixture over the zucchini, then add half of the sauce mixture.
Make another zucchini layer, followed the another cheese and sauce
layer. Finally, layer the remaining 1/3 of the zucchini over the top,
and spread the rest of the shredded mozzarella over everything. Bake
for about 30 minutes, until the cheese on top is melted and slighly
browned. Mmmmm.