Quest Bar Protein Donut Recipe

Here a simple recipe for a high protein, low carb and all natural donut using a Quest Bar. I used the Quest Coconut Cashew flavor which you can get here: http://www.704nutrition.com/Dr-Oz-Quest-Natural-Protein-Bar-Coconut-Cashew-p/6340011.htm (use Coupon Code QUEST for $4 off).

Donut Ingredients:
- 1 Quest Coconut Cashew bar

Icing Ingredients:
- 1/2 Tablespoon Cream Cheese
- 1/2 Tablespoon Almond Milk (Coconut or regular milk would be good too)
- 1 Teaspoon Natural Sweetener (Stevia, Chicory Root, etc)
- Thickener as needed (Coconut powder, vanilla protein powder, psyllium husks, etc)

Toppings:
- Crushed Coconut Chips
- Decorative Sprinkles

Microwave Quest bar for 10 to 15 seconds. You want it soft enough to form into donut shape. Bake the the bar for 4-7 minutes at 350. While it's baking whip up the icing by combining all ingredients until you have the consistency of icing. Pull the donut out, let cool, apply icing and toppings, devour right away or put in the refrigerator for later. The crushed coconut chips were a great addition. They are addictively delicious but also provided a nice little crunch too.

Approximate Macros: 190-200 calories. 10 Grams Fat. 5 Net Carbs. 25 Grams protein.

Fat Fitness Instructors - An Epidemic in American Gyms

This is like an open letter to fitness instructors, whether you teach a class or are a personal trainer. If you are fat and over weight, please let me know how this is possible. I see you in every gym I go to. You are leading a class, working your butt off, burning hundreds of calories, but yet you are still fat as shit! Do you drive through Dunkin Donuts for your post workout meal? That being 12 jelly filled donuts? Or is it McDonald's and 2 Big Macs with a side of fries and Diet Coke...you know, it's gotta be "diet" because you are a fitness instructor and all. This is a serious question that I have know the answer to. Calories in vs. Calories out. I can tell you are burning hundreds of calories during your classes, so what exactly are you eating in order to pack in that many excess calories in a day?

Secondly, this is for all the people who pay these instructors. Why? Why would you pay for the advice of someone who clearly doesn't practice what the preach? Do you ever question if they even know what they are talking about or are qualified to give you advice? Would you hire a financial advisor on Welfare? Or an anorexic chef? I'm at a loss here and I need your help in understanding.

Finally, one last pet peeve. If you are a personal trainer with a good physique, but are taking more drugs than A-Rod and denying it...you sir are an asshole. You are living a lie and selling an impossible dream to your clients. Just be upfront and honest about it, take a page from Bostin Loyd's book and you will be more respected.

To sum it up...to all the fat fitness instructors and juice head 'bro' personal trainers...take responsibility. Fitness instructors, take responsibility for your diet, just like you do your workouts. Personal trainers on drugs, try educating yourself first, with knowledge you may be able to achieve the physique you want without the drugs. If being a monster is what you want, then by all means juice away. Just don't lie to your clients and lead them to believe they can achieve the same result as you if they take all of your diet and training advice.

The Top 6 Things I hate about Quest Bars

1. The varieties of flavors. Having less choices sure would make life easier when it's that time to purchase a new box.
2. When asked, "What's your favorite flavor". C'mon man, seriously! That's like asking a mother to choose her favorite child.

3. When somebody wants to share. This is my Quest bar and I'm going to enjoy every last crumb. Uggg, the nerve of people! Go get your own!
4. When a newbie who has just discovered Quest bars tries to tell you all about them. I'm like, "Duh! I've been eatin' Quest bars since you were just a twinkle in you're daddy's eye." No really, it's like these people who just discovered the Internet and want to show you every "David the Dentist" video on YouTube. SMH!

5. The last bite. Do I really need to explain this one? It's like the last day of vacation. "Ain't nobody got time for dat."
6. I lied, there's only 5. Top 6 sounded way cooler than top 5. I learned from Buzzfeed. Ever wonder why their list are never perfectly neat numbers like 5, 10, 15, etc? It's because you expect to see top 5, top 10, but not top 6 or top 17.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Quest Bar Sandwich Recipe

Here's an easy recipe for a high protein peanut butter and jelly sandwich. This recipe can be easily modified to be low carb too, just use low carb/sugar free jelly. 

- 1 Peanut Butter Supreme Quest Bar
- Jelly of your choice. I used Organic Grape Jelly

Start by microwaving the Quest Bar so it's soft enough to flatten (about 10 to 20 seconds). Cut in half and form into the shape of bread slices for added visual effect. Bake your Peanut Butter Quest "Bread" slices for about 7 minutes or until brown on bottom. You could actually skip this step and it would still be good. The texture would be chewy as opposed to crispy. Finally, add jelly and enjoy!

Macros: 260 Calories. 10 grams Fat. 34 Grams Carbs (13 Sugars from Jelly). 17 Net Carbs . 20 Gram Protein.

I have some other ideas for Quest Peanut Butter & Jelly sandwiches as well, I just haven't had time to try them yet. One is to use a Quest Peanut Butter and Jelly bar as my 'slices' and fill the middle with real peanut butter and jelly. The other idea is to do the same, but fill the middle with half a Quest Peanut Butter Supreme bar and half a Quest Mixed Berry Bliss bar as my 'jelly'. Both of those bars would be heated to make them gooey and that would make a 100% Quest Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich! Yum!!

You can get $4 off any of the bars listed above by using discount coupon code QUEST. Just click on any Quest bar mentioned above or click here: http://www.704nutrition.com/SearchResults.asp?searching=Y&sort=13&search=Quest+Protein+Bars&show=100&page=1&brand=QUEST

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

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

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.

High Protein Fruit and Yogurt Parfait

A couple of weeks ago I received a sample of Side Effects Sports' new PRIME Beef Protein Isolate. Much to my surprise, the vanilla flavoring was very sweet and I mean very sweet! The sweet flavoring got my creative juices flowing and I started thinking about the things I had in my refrigerator. So, here's what I came up with. A high protein, low carb, no sugar added, fruit and yogurt parfait. The best part of all is that it literally only takes 2 minutes to whip up. After all, it's nothing more than a protein shake.

Ingredients:
- 1 Scoop Vanilla Flavored Protein Shake (You can use Whey, Casein, Beef or any combination, just make sure it has a good sweet flavor)
- Milk (Optional. You can use water, Soy, Almond, Etc)
- 2 Strawberries
- 2 Tablespoons No Sugar Added Blueberry Syrup or Jelly
- 2 Teaspoons Whipped Cream Cheese
- 1 Teaspoon Pecan Pieces

Start by mixing your vanilla protein powder with a tiny bit of milk and cream cheese. The idea is get a thick pudding like mixture. Once you get the consistency of 'Yogurt' set aside. Place 2 diced strawberries in your parfait cup and mash with spoon until it looks like a blob of juicy goodness. You can even microwave for a few seconds at the start. Next spoon in about half of your protein mixture on top of the strawberries. Now for the next layer, add your blueberry mixture whether it's actual blueberries or syrup or jelly or a combination is up to you. Finally, add the remaining protein mix for the final layer and then top with your favorite crushed up nuts (or granola if you have it).

Next time you get bored with your protein shake, try this simple, yet effect spin on the traditional protein shake. If you're anything like me, you probably get all kinds of snide remarks from co-workers when you carry around a regular protein shake. Especially when it includes blueberries. I guess blended up blueberry pieces don't look all that appealing in my protein shakes. If that's the case you definitely want to do like I did and make this in a glass cup so you can come waltzing in to work like da boss while everybody envies your fruit and yogurt parfait. (You 'mirin brah?).

Macros: 200K/Cal, 30g Protein, 6g Carbs, 1g Fiber, 6.5g Fat

Links: http://www.704nutrition.com/Cheap-Side-Effect-Sports-Prime-Protein-p/ses_prime_beef_2.htm