Category Archives: High Protein

Gluten Free High Protein Paleo Recipes Tips

Eat an Avocado to Lose Weight Today!

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avocadoNutrition Journal published a study showing that people who ate 1/2 an avocado for lunch ate significantly less during the rest of the day. Specifically:

“Researchers found that participants who added half of a fresh avocado to their lunch reported a significantly decreased desire to eat by 40 percent over a three-hour period, and by 28 percent over a five-hour period after the meal, compared to their desire to eat after a standard lunch without avocado. In addition, they reported increased feelings of satisfaction by 26 percent over the three hours following the meal.”

I’d say it’s worth a try to see if it works for you. There’s so many ways to have avocado that you’ll never get tired of this creamy fruit!

Garnish a green salad.

Add to scrambled eggs or an omelet.

Garnish tomato or chicken soup.

Add to quesadillas.

Wrap prosciutto around a wedge of avocado.

Mash with a little lemon or lime juice and use in place of mayo on a sandwich.

Add to your morning smoothie.

Mash and add to chocolate pudding. This will also cut down on your sugar consumption since you don’t really need to add extra sweetener.

Use in place of up to 1/2 the butter in chocolate baked goods.

Top a baked potato with chopped or mashed avocado.

Taco topper.

Add to homemade burrito.

Add to homemade California roll.

Avocado Fries

from my yet to be released 14 Days – Phase 2 – Low Carb Daily Eating Plan.

1 serving = 3.5 net carbs per serving
2 servings = 2 net carbs per serving

Ingredients

½ cup pork rind crumbs
1 teaspoon ground golden flaxseed
½ teaspoon mild chili powder
small pinch cayenne pepper
1 egg white
1 Haas avocado
cooking oil
salt

Instructions

Heat oven to 400°. Lightly oil 2 wire racks. Place on top of baking sheet.
In a bowl, combine pork rind crumbs, flaxseed, chili powder and cayenne pepper. In another bowl whisk egg until frothy. Cut Haas avocado into 8 wedges, dip each wedge in egg, press into crumb mixture and transfer to wire racks. Spray with vegetable oil cooking spray. Bake until crispy, 10 to 12 minutes. Season with salt.

 

Are you sold on adding an avocado to your daily diet? You can get even more avo recipes at Acapulcos Mexican Family Restaurant’s recipe page. Check ’em out, they have some really inventive ways to use avocados. You’d almost think they had an avocado farm with all of the ways they come up with to use an avo.

Gluten Free High Protein Low Calorie Low Carb Paleo Recipes Vegetarian

Provincial Cauli”rice”

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cauliflower riceShredded cauliflower used in place of rice is the new Paleo and Low Carb Hero. I’ve been doing a bit of experimenting to find the easiest and foolproof way to prepare it and have come up with lots of options which I’ll be sharing in upcoming posts. Today I want to share my Provenical Cauli”rice” recipe. Warning: this recipe does not mask the taste of cauliflower. It will taste like a French vegetable dish, not like rice. I’ve found that the cauli”rice” recipes that taste closer to rice are those that are heavily spiced such as curried “rice”, Spanish “rice”, and those with tomato paste.

I’ve been shredding cauliflower for these recipes using my food processor which involves cutting the florets away from the core. Getting out the food processor and fitting it with the shredding disk. Shredding the cauliflower. Cleaning and putting the food processor away. Today I wanted to see if using a box grater would be easier – and it was – significantly easier. I trimmed away the green leaves and that was all the prep needed. I shredded the whole cauliflower with the box grater, stopping when I reached the core. It took less time than it took using the food processor (including the setup and cleanup) and I burned a few calories in the process. So in the future I’ll use the food processor if I already have it out for other projects but otherwise I’ll use a box grater.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon cooking oil

1 head cauliflower

1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Trim the green leaves from the cauliflower and shred the florets using a box grater or food processor. Discard the stem and core.

Heat oil in large saute pan over medium heat. When oil is hot add the shredded cauliflower and stir to coat with oil. Stir in Herbs de Provence, salt and pepper. Cook until cauliflower is al dente. Remove from heat. Taste and add salt and/or pepper if needed.

Variation

Drizzle the finished dish with extra-virgin olive oil or melted butter. If you’re doing Paelo you’ll want to avoid the butter though.

Use Italian seasoning in place of Herbs de Provence.

High Protein Low Carb Paleo Recipes

Scrambled Redux

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Thank you to Erica Rivers Cooks for this fab pic of her version of this meal.

This breakfast is a great way to use leftovers from dinner. Use any cheese, meat and veggies that you have available. Don’t be shy, this works great with chicken, steak, crab, lobster, sausage … and pretty much any veggie you have cooked up with the exception of maybe fennel, beets, cabbage, or okra.

The proper way to make this meal is to heat the meat and veggies in a separate pan from the eggs, but I usually just use a large pan and cook the eggs on one side and heat the meat and veggies on the other side. I don’t worry if some of the egg gets onto the meat and veggies side, I just move it back to the egg side and keep cooking.

Ingredients

1 teaspoon butter
3 large eggs
1 glug half and half or heavy cream
salt and pepper
cheese, shredded or cubed
any cooked meat
cooked veggies

Instructions

Heat butter in small skillet. Add eggs and cream, season with a pinch each of salt and pepper and stir to combine. Stir occasionally and when eggs are almost completely set sprinkle cheese on top, cover and remove from heat.

Reheat meat and veggies in a separate pan. Slide onto serving platter or individual plates. Top with eggs.

High Protein Low Carb Paleo Recipes

Scotch Eggs

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scotch-eggs-large

4 servings

The Scots are famous for deep frying pretty much anything. Deep fried Mars bar anyone? They have them in Scotland. This recipe is a healthier version than the traditional deep fried Scottish recipe.

To make breakfast easier you can hard boil the eggs the night before or use leftover Easter eggs. You can even make them completely, refrigerate them and serve cold, room temp or reheated the next day.

 

Ingredients

1 pound breakfast sausage, divided into 4 equal portions
5 large eggs
¼ cup soy flour (or any other non-wheat flour)
1 cup finely crushed pork rinds

Instructions

Bring a small pan with 4 cups of water to a full boil. Carefully place 4 of the eggs in the boiling water. Place a lid on the pot. Turn the heat off but leave them on the burner. Set a timer for 20 minutes and then remove from burner and pour off the hot water. Run cold water into the pan and when the eggs have cooled enough to touch them, peel them.

Place the flour on a plate.

Place the fifth egg in a pie plate and lightly beat.

Place the pork rinds in another pie plate.

Roll the eggs in the flour to coat. Wrap each egg with a portion of the sausage. Dip sausage wrapped egg in the beaten egg and then coat thoroughly with the pork rind crumbs patting lightly so they adhere well.

Place coated eggs in a lightly oiled baking dish and chill for one hour.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bake eggs until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Nutrition Info

Calories 242.4
Total Fat 17.4 g
Saturated Fat 5.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.3 g
Monounsaturated Fat 4.7 g
Cholesterol 296.8 mg
Sodium 518.6 mg
Potassium 196.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 2.8 g
Dietary Fiber 0.5 g
Net Carbs 2.3
Sugars 0.6 g
Protein 17.4 g

 

Paleo Version

Skip the pork rinds, flour and fifth egg. Just wrap the sausage around the hard-boiled egg and go from there.

High Protein Low Carb Recipes

Paper Lemon Fish

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If you don’t have parchment paper Do NOT use waxed paper; the wax will melt, get into your food and possibly ignite in the oven. No kidding!

Aluminum foil isn’t a good substitute either because the lemon juice will cause a reaction with the aluminum that is not tasty. Trust me, it’s NOT TASTY. If you don’t have parchment paper you can bake the fish in a covered dish.

parchment wrapped fish recipe

Serves 2 – 1 net carb per serving

Ingredients

2 flatfish fillets such as sole, halibut or flounder
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 thin slices fennel or onion
¼ teaspoon each salt and black pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Instructions

Grease two 12-inch square pieces of aluminum foil using extra-virgin olive oil, butter or coconut oil or go easy on yourself and just spray them with cooking spray. Place 1 piece of fish and one slice of fennel in the center of each piece of foil. Sprinkle with lemon juice and seasonings. Fold the aluminum foil to create a well-sealed packet. Place the packets on a baking sheet and bake for 12 minutes.

Carefully open the packets so you don’t burn yourself with the steam. Use a spatula to slide the fish onto dinner plates, or go native and eat right out of the packet. If you use a plate be sure to pour the drippings over the fish.

Variations

Use tomato slices in place of the fennel or onion.
Use dry white wine in place of the lemon.

Beverages Fruit Gluten Free High Protein Kid Friendly Low Calorie Low Carb Recipes Vegetarian

Protein Smoothies – Kick ‘Em Up a Notch

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protein smoothie recipe

Breakfast and lunch – ready to hit the road.

Sometimes I get tired of protein powder shakes, add ice cubes and some water, blend, yawn. So I start playing around with the basic recipe and suddenly my mornings are a lot more interesting. I’m using stevia as a sweetener but you can use monk fruit, Splenda, or any other healthy sweetener.

Strawberry Flaxtini

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1/2 cup frozen or fresh strawberries and 1 tablespoon ground flax seed. If all you have is whole flax seed add them by themselves in the blender and process until ground, then add the remaining ingredients.

Mocha Monkey

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk, 1/2 banana, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1/4 cup cold coffee, 1 teaspoon stevia.

Green Energy

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk, 1 cup spinach leaves, 1/2 pear or apple, 1 teaspoon stevia.

Ginger Kick

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk, 1/2 pear or apple, 1/2 banana (optional), 1 teaspoon ground ginger, 1 teaspoon stevia.

Mocha Magic

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1 & 1/2 cup unsweetened nondair milk, 1 tablespoon cocoa powder, 1/4 cup cold coffee, 1 teaspoon stevia.

Pineapple Smile

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk, 1 cup chopped pineapple, 1 teaspoon stevia.

Cinnamon Roll Smoothie

To your chosen protein powder recipe add 1 & 1/2 cups unsweetened nondairy milk, 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 teaspoon stevia.

High Protein Low Carb Recipes

Seasoned Steak Salad

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steak-salad10

Can it get any easier than a broiled steak and a green salad? Whether you are eating low carb or just enjoy a good steak, you’ll love this steak salad.

Ingredients

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs de Provence
2 teaspoons cooking oil
1 and 1/2 pound flank steak
mixed greens
oil and vinegar based salad dressing

Instructions

Preheat broiler.
Mix first 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Brush oil on both sides of steak. Spread herb mixture on both sides of steak. Broil six minutes per side or until done to your liking.

High Protein Low Carb Recipes

Lemon Crusted Fish

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I love how simple and versatile this lemony spread is. You can change it up in so many ways just by substituting cilantro, mint, dill, rosemary, sage, oregano … for the parsley. Just be sure to use fresh lemon zest, fresh lemon juice and of course fresh herbs.

healthy fish recipe

Ingredients

1/2 teaspoon garlic
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon minced parsley
1 tablespoon olive oil

Instructions

Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. Spread on 4 fish fillets, or 2 chicken breasts, or 1/2 turkey breast, or 2 pork chops. Cook right away or allow to marinate for up to 1 hour for fish and up to 8 hours for all other meats.
Saute, bake, or grill until done.

Gluten Free High Protein Low Carb Paleo Vegan Vegetarian

Paprika Spiked Cashews

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I love making spiced nuts. What I don’t love is tending to them while they slow cook on the stove or in the oven. Enter the slow cooker and suddenly I’m making more spiced nuts than a girl can handle. If you’re on my Christmas gift list I think you know what’s coming your way this year 🙂

Ingredients

6 cups raw cashews or mix of nuts
2 teaspoons coconut oil
1 teaspoon ground chili, cumin or curry
1 teaspoon powdered garlic
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon smoked paprika, or any good quality paprika
1 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions

Put the cashews in the slow cooker. Add the oil and stir well to coat the cashews.
Add the spices and stir well.
Cook on low for 1 hour. Uncover and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

If there are any leftover after the first day these will keep in the refrigerator for 2 weeks and in the freezer for 2 months.

Gluten Free High Protein Low Carb Paleo

Herb Crusted Turkey Breast

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This year we decided to do turkey parts instead of a whole turkey and it turned out to be a great decision. We picked up 1/2 breasts, turkey legs and turkey thighs from the butcher (all with the bone in and skin on) and then I set about experimenting until I found a way to roast them that I thought would make everybody forget that there wasn’t a huge turkey presentation. My brother-in-law declared this the best turkey he’s ever had. I heard whispers around the table to the tune of “did you try the turkey?” so I think it’s safe to say that this one’s a winner.

Since it’s now past Thanksgiving I’m going to give you all the recipe for one half breast, which you can of course double, triple, quadruple as needed. I would count one package of legs or as 1/2 of a 1/2 breast so the mixture below would be for 4 legs.

Ingredients

1/2 turkey breast

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon dried powdered savory

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 teaspoon dried sage

1 carrot

1 onion

1 stalk celery

Instructions

Mix spices and salt together in a small dish.

Rinse turkey breast and pat dry. Rub spice mixture over the turkey breast or under the skin. Set aside overnight or proceed on to roast immediately.

Peel carrot and onion and slice into large chunks. Cut celery into large chunks. Place vegetables in bottom of roasting pan to form a bed for the turkey. Place turkey breast on top of vegetables and roast in a covered pan until the juices run clear when pierced with fork and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 165 degrees F, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Note 1: I had 4 breasts, 4 legs and 2 thighs in the roasting pan and roasted everything for 2 and 1/2 hours. It was falling off the bone tender and not dry at all.

Note 2: The second time I made turkey this way I was all out of carrots, onions and celery (it was the week after Thanksgiving and I was still trying to use up leftovers so while I ran out and picked up turkey breasts I forgot to pick up the fixin’s) so I made a bed of quartered apples and – well lets just say WOW!

Let rest, covered with foil, for 10 minutes before carving. The temperature will continue to rise to 170 to 175 degrees F while resting.

Variations

Smash and mash 4 garlic cloves with the sea salt until it’s a paste, then mix with remaining spices.

Stir 1 to 2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil into spice mixture.

Add 1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper to spice mixture.

Use dried crushed rosemary in place of the savory.

Use 1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence in place of the spices.

Use 1 tablespoon Italian seasoning in place of the spices.

Use 1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning in place of the spices.