Friday, November 29, 2013

Healthy Pumpkin Roll - Lowcarb, High Protein, High Fiber, Quest Bar Pumpkin Roll Recipe

This recipe was very similar to my Cinnamon Roll Recipe (Link: Quest Bar Cinnamon Roll Recipe). Only 4 main ingredients and super easy. Real pumpkin rolls have the pumpkin flavor in the roll with cream cheese filling, but since I was using a Quest Cinnamon Roll Protein Bar as my 'roll', I made my filling pumpkin flavored. Here's the recipe:

Roll
- 1 Cinnamon Roll Quest Bar

Filling
- 2 Tablespoons whipped cream cheese
- 1 1/2 Tablespoons canned pumpkin
- 1 to 2 Tablespoons Vanilla Protein Powder
- Sprinkle Pecan Pieces (optional)
- Pumpkin Pie Seasoning or Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Ginger to taste

Start by microwaving your Quest Bar to get it soft and moist and easy to roll flat (10 to 15 seconds). Next roll out Quest Bar on parchment paper or well greased foil/baking sheet. Top with pecans if you want (nice touch). Bake for 5 to 6 minutes at 350 degrees. (Baking is also optional. It would work just as well cold. Baking makes the roll crispy. Not baking, the roll would be chewy like they are straight from the package.) For the filling, mix all ingredients to the consistency you desire and taste you desire. You can add sweeteners and as much seasoning as desired. Spread mixture on to roll, carefully roll up and devour!

Macros: 341 Kcal, 28 grams protein, 28 grams carbs/17 grams fiber (net 11 carbs), 13 grams fat

http://www.704nutrition.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=quest+protein+bar

Blog readers get $4 off any flavor Quest Bar at 704Nutrition.com. Just use coupon code "Quest" for your discount at checkout. Here's the link: http://www.704nutrition.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=quest+protein+bar

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Healthy Burger - Muscle Building Burger Recipe

People are conditioned to believe that burgers are bad for you mostly because we all believe fast food is unhealthy and most fast food chains serve burgers. So, people associate the two. Burgers can be healthy, as can almost any other food. I've been cooking up healthy hamburgers for a long time. The meat isn't the problem. You can find lean beef, even organic lean beef burgers at almost any grocery store. People say a good burger has to have fat, that's not true in my opinion. Good quality lean beef (93% lean or more) is delicious, even superior to the high fat variety most restaurants opt for in their burgers. The biggest issue I've always ran into was the bun. Sure you can get wheat buns at any grocery store, but flip the package over and read the ingredients list. 30 ingredients, half of which you cannot pronounce but more importantly it's the nutritional profile that sucks! Too many carbs, sugars,  calories, enriched, etc.

After searching high and low, I finally found a bun that meets my perfect macronutrient profile. I was looking for a bun with 100 to 120 calories, that was high in fiber, 20 grams of carbs or less and if possible, high in protein. That latter was more like a dream, or so I thought. Then I came across the dream bun and wah-lah! 120 calories, 16 carbs, 14 grams fiber, 14 grams protein. More than perfect!

I've tried other low carb/high fiber buns and most are either tough or too chewy or taste like sh!t. These taste great and have a pretty good texture (I'd give it an 8 out of 10) but were too big or thick to bite into with the burger and fixins, so the second time I made these (see pic below), I cut the middle portion out which solved my problem and left me with the perfect size bun.

 So, here's the recipe I used:

- 1 low carb bun
- 1 Burger patty (you can use Beef, Bison, Turkey, Chicken, Salmon, etc)
- Lettuce, Pickles, Onions
- Ketchp, Healthy Mayo

The macros for this burger (modified bun plus patty only, condiments and fixins will vary based on your preference) 264 Calories, 12 grams Fat, 12 Carbs, 10 grams Fiber, 27 grams Protein. If you are trying to build lean muscle, that's a perfect balance of macro nutrients to do so. If you are trying to drop some excess pounds, it's perfect for you too. Less than half the calories of a similar portion fast food burger plus the high fiber, high protein and quality fats will keep you full for longer.

Here's the pic...
Now That's a Beautiful Burger!

UPDATE: Here's a pic of another one. This one I used hamburger instead of turkey burger, ketchup and mustard instead of ketchup and mayo, and lastly, white onions instead of red.