Archive for the ‘Recipes’ Category

Spicy Tuna Cottage Cheese

Thursday, August 27th, 2009

I was reading some food blogs today and I was reminded of a meal I used to eat all the time in my early 20s. I call it Spicy Tuna Cottage Cheese and it can be eaten plain, on whole wheat crackers, on avocado slices, on tomato slices, or on whole grain sandwich thins.

This is a high protein snack that offers quickly digesting protein in the form of tuna, and slowly digesting protein in the form of cottage cheese. The salsa offers us some additional flavor and all of the great benefits of tomatoes.

Spicy Tuna Cottage Cheese
Spicy Tuna Cottage Cheese

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The Good Morning Protein Shake Recipe

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Need protein powder?

Shakeology

Check out Shakeology – it’s not just your average protein shake!

  • Whole-food ingredients curbs cravings and burn stored fat
  • Over 20 phytonutrients and antioxidants
  • Reduces risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke
  • Probiotics to assist digestion and nutrient absorption
  • Tastes awesome mixed with plain cold water!!

Click here to order or learn more about Shakeology.

If you are looking for a pure protein powder, check out Optimum Nutrition. Optimum Nutrition protein powder comes in about 20 different flavors, and is available in 1 lb, 2 lb, 5 lb, and 10 lb containers.

Click here to order or learn more about Optimum Nutrition.

Protein Shake
Protein Shake

Here are a couple recipes that I’ve been using either for breakfast or for a post workout meal.

Keep the portions small and limit the fats for a tasty, low calorie, high protein meal replacement. The Good Morning Protein Shake is good for as small meal or a snack.

Crank up the healthy fats from flax oil and peanut butter if you are a skinny person trying to bulk up. Drink a couple of these The Good Morning Weight Gainer Shakes a day to really pack on the pounds, but you best be lifting HARD or you will get fat.

Meet halfway in the middle to blend yourself a super healthy, moderate calorie protein shake. Perfect for replacing a whole meal whether you are dieting or just trying to eat healthy. You can choose The Good Morning Peanut Butter Cup or The Good Morning with Flax.

Be sure to add in the cinnamon, since cinnamon helps regulate your blood sugar.

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Naughty and Nice Oatmeal Protein Acai Cookies

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Acai Berries + Oatmeal Cookies + Protein Powder + Sliced Fruit = Naughty and Nice Oatmeal Protein Acai Cookies.

Here is a recipe for some great cookies that combine some of the healthiest muscle building foods on the planet.

Oatmeal Cookies
Oatmeal Cookies

Thank you to Amy, the winner of the Zola Acai juice giveaway for her unique Naughty and Nice Oatmeal Acai Cookie recipe that combines some of the healthiest muscle building foods on the planet. (I will contact you shortly about shipping information for your Zola products.)

Anyway, this already seems like a sweet recipe, but I went ahead and Swoled up her recipe to include protein fortified Oatmeal cookies.

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Deep Dish Protein Pizza Quiche

Wednesday, April 15th, 2009

How to Make Deep Dish Protein Pizza Quiche

Pizza Quiche
Pizza Quiche

Pizza quiche fortified with protein.

How can you go wrong?

Pizza is so good. I don’t care who you are or what kind of diet you are on, right now you want to eat pizza. I do too. That’s why I am showing you today, a super-tight recipe for protein fortified deep dish pizza quiche.

There is a ton of protein in this recipe and quite a bit of fat if you choose to use the original ingredients. I have suggested ways to eliminate fat by substituting lower fat versions of cream (milk), eggs, cream cheese, and cheese. You can use the full fat versions for a fattier, tastier, greasier pizza quiche.

You are encouraged to experiment with toppings as well. Meat and vegetables are great toppings for pizza quiche!

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Arugula and Melon Salad

Friday, April 3rd, 2009
Eatricious
Eatricious

This healthy recipe is provided by Eatricious.com, which will inevitably be your source for information about healthy restaurant foods.

Currently they are Alpha testing and the website is not available for login, but you can sign up with your e-mail address to give it a try. I’m told they plan to go live with a Beta release this summer, at which time you will be sent all the proper login information.

Eatricious

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Salmon Jerky

Thursday, March 5th, 2009
Salmon Jerky
Salmon Jerky

How to Make Salmon Jerky

The winner of the Project Swole recoup|90 product giveaway is Ken from Texas.

Ken sent in this awesome recipe for salmon jerky, which is great because I love salmon and I love jerky.

Salmon is one of the healthiest foods you can eat because of it’s high fish oil and protein content.

Congratulations Ken, I hope you enjoy your recoup|90 fish oil.

Please also check out Ken’s website Decorating with Tulle.

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Halloween Recipes – Black Bean Dip

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Halloween season is coming and we are going to need some healthy recipes to go with the fall season. As always at Project Swole we prefer to focus on recipes that can help us either gain muscle or lose fat. This high protein, high fiber black bean recipe will go a long way in satisfying your craving for chips and dip.

Black Bean Dip
Black Bean Dip

Black bean dip is quick and easy, and tastes great with yellow or blue corn tortilla chips. Look for baked versions of your favorite tortilla chips in order to save additional fat.

Why Black Beans?

Black beans are a very good source of fiber. In addition to lowering cholesterol, the high fiber content in black beans prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal. This means beans are an excellent choice for folks with diabetes, insulin resistance or hypoglycemia.

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Peanut Butter Protein Ball Recipe

Monday, May 19th, 2008

On the way out the door to a meeting or an appointment, you feel a twinge of hunger. You really need to grab a quick snack, but you are sick of fruit and protein bars. The solution is simple: grab two peanut butter protein balls and you’ll be good to go for the next 2-3 hours.

Peanut Butter Protein BallsThe exact ratio of ingredients will depend a little on the kinds of protein powder and peanut butter you use. I used a low carb, French Vanilla flavored protein for this recipe, but other flavors work fine as well; in fact I think next time I will try chocolate.

Some natural peanut butters have more or less oil than average, so you might need to increase or decrease the amount of protein powder based on your PB. You can choose to use the vanilla extract or the additional ingredients. I would advise experimenting.

The Recipe:

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The Hulk: A Pistachio Protein Shake Recipe

Saturday, April 26th, 2008

When you’re on the run, a protein shake could be your solution for hunger. What better way to kill the doldrums of protein shakes, than to whip up something unusual? Sick of strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla? Try this wholesome pistachio protein shake that could even entice a kid. Get shredded with the water recipe or bulk up by using cream or whole milk; you can even use skim or low-fat milk to add calcium and a little extra protein to the shake.
The Hulk

The Recipe

  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
  • 1/2 tbsp sugar free pistachio pudding mix
  • 8 oz. cold water
  • 4 ice cubes

The instructions for this shake are very easy. Blend all the ingredients together and pour into cup. The shake is light green even without the food coloring but if you want it to be Hulk-green just add a few drops.

Optional Upgrades

Hulk Out: turn this guy really green with a few drops of the green food coloring
The Spicy Hulk: add a kick with 1 mint leaf or a few drops of peppermint extract
Hulk Bulk: blend the ingredients with cream or whole milk instead of water or skim

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Spruce Up Snack Time With Tasty Cottage Cheese Recipes

Wednesday, April 16th, 2008

Quick Tasty Cottage Cheese Recipes

Cottage Cheese is a great high protein snack that is often underestimated for its usefulness in a high-protein, low carb diet. Just one half cup serving of 2% cottage cheese has 16 grams of protein. For those of you who closely monitor their carb intake, you will be happy to know that a serving of cottage cheese contains only 4-5 grams of carbohydrates. This nutritional profile is perfect for those of us watching what we eat in order to lose fat, gain muscle, or just eat healthy food.

Cottage Cheese RecipesThe taste of chicken, tuna, protein shakes, and protein bars gets old after a while. Since we need these kind of high protein, low carb foods, we are forced to look around for any possible food alternatives. Enter our friend cottage cheese. By snacking every 3-4 hours on foods like cottage cheese, we are able to further our goals to look good naked, set personal records, or whatever your fitness goals might be.

Cottage cheese can be a tasty addition to your protein choices. If you’ve avoided cottage cheese because you’ve envisioned the only way of serving it was plopping it on a lonely lettuce leaf, here are a few flavor combinations for you to try with your next scoop.

Cottage Cheese and Tuna: A mixture you can take anywhere or eat with anything. I used to survive on this stuff. Just mix a half can of tuna with a half cup of cottage cheese and eat. Top salads with it, make a sandwich, eat it plain, experiment with various spices. See my spicy tuna cottage cheese recipe.

Pepper: Sprinkle cottage cheese with a few dashes of fresh crack pepper.

Pseudo Tapioca Pudding: If you like tapioca pudding, try this low-carb alternative. For each ½ cup serving, mix in ½ tsp vanilla flavoring and 1 packet artificial sweetener.

Fresh Fruit: A few blueberries, diced peaches, strawberries, chopped banana, or pineapple chunks sprinkled on top go a long way with cottage cheese. Stick with the berries if you prefer low-glycemic fruits. If the fructose is a concern, try using dash of tropical or strawberry-banana flavored sugar-free drink mix as an alternative fruity flavoring.

Jelly and Curds: Add 1 tbsp no-added-sugar jam or jelly per ½ cup cottage cheese.

Chocolate Delight: Add a ½ scoop of chocolate flavored protein (or 1 tsp of cocoa + 2 packets artificial sweetener), 1 tbsp sugar-free chocolate instant pudding mix and whip in blender (you may need to add a little water or milk to thin it a little bit). Top with diced walnuts or almonds if desired and chill until set or ready to eat.

Cottage Cheese Over Potatoes: Combine 1/2 cup cottage cheese, freshly chopped herbs (suggestion: oregano, basil, chives), a pinch of salt, and an optional splash of lemon juice in a blender. Serve over hot baked potatoes.

Fruit Dip: Combine 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 packet of sugar substitute (I like Splenda), 1 tsp cinnamon, and 1/2 tsp vanilla extract in a blender. Serve with fruit or use as a topping on other desserts like nut bread or banana bread.

Bean and Avocado Salad: Mix together 1 part chopped cooked green beans, 1 part cooked kidney beans, 1 part chopped avocado, 1 part cottage cheese, a splash of lemon juice, and a pinch of salt. Serve cold. Leave out avocado if you don’t like it, the bean salad is still excellent.

Now go eat your curds and whey!

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Lean Mean Turkey Burger Recipe

Thursday, April 10th, 2008

The first part of this recipe provides your workout for the day. Step 1: go out into the woods and find yourself a fat wild turkey. Step 2: run after him until he grows tired from flying away from you, then jump on him. Step 3: now submit him with a well placed triangle choke and drag him home for dinner.

OK, I kid. But seriously, turkey is a very healthy meat. You should choose turkey over beef, pork, lamb, and other darker, fattier meats. Tonight we will make some nice turkey burgers on the grill, and this is how we will do it:

Turkey Burger
Turkey Burger

The Recipe

1 pound of lean ground turkey
4 tablespoons of fat free or low fat mayonnaise, you could also try miracle whip but it is sweeter
4 tablespoons of barbecue sauce
1/2 cup fresh, diced or sliced tomatoes
4 large leaves of green leaf lettuce
a pinch or two of salt
a pinch or two of freshly ground black pepper
whole grain sandwich buns

Start by preheating the grill to medium-high. Mold the ground turkey into 4, 1/2 inch thick patties. Season with salt and pepper. Grill the burgers for about 6 minutes per side, or until they are cooked through. In the meantime I recommend also toasting the rolls on the grill. In a small bowl, stir the mayonnaise and barbecue sauce together. When the burgers are done, top them with the mayonnaise sauce, lettuce, and tomatoes and serve on the toasted rolls.

Nutritional Information

Calories – 270
Carbs – 25 g
Fat- 4 g, 1 g saturated
Protein – 32 g
Fiber – 2 g

Other Options

Turkey In My Salad – You could also chop up the turkey burger and toss it in a nice salad with low fat dressing.
Alternative Dressing Options – Consider any of your favorite dressings instead of the mayo and BBQ sauce. I recommend reduced fat ranch. Never tried blue cheese on a turk burger, but it might be worth a taste.

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Spicy Lemon Tuna Burger Recipe

Tuesday, April 8th, 2008

Tuna is an athlete’s best friend. What else can you whip up in a matter of 15 seconds, which provides the benefits of fish with 0 carbs and 1 gram of fat? This easy cookin’ tuna burger has a touch of lemon with a spicy kick. Add in the breadcrumbs if you don’t care about the carbs or if you just want the burger to be a little heartier.
Spicy Tuna Burger

The Recipe:

1 can drained, solid white albacore tuna
2 small egg whites or 1 jumbo egg white
a squirt of lemon juice or a dash of lemon-pepper seasoning
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper

Mix all ingredients together in small bowl. Form two patties and cook on a non-stick pan sprayed with non-stick cooking spray like PAM until tuna patties are slightly browned. Served on top of a small salad, on a whole wheat bun, or on whole wheat bread. Serves two regular athletes or one hungry powerlifter.

Optional Upgrades:

The McTuna Meal: serve with oven-baked steak fries, a touch of ketchup, and a super-size Diet Coke. =P

Extra Hearty Tuna Burger: make the burgers with 1 tablespoon of bread crumbs.

Cheesy Fish Burger: either slap a piece of 2% cheese on there, or sprinkle on some shredded cheddar.

Nutritional Information Per Serving:
Calories- 205
Carbs- 5g
Protein- 28g
Fat- 7g

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Homemade Protein Pancake Recipe

Monday, March 31st, 2008

Here is a healthy protein fortified meal that you can share with your kids!

Protein Pancake Recipe
Protein Pancakes

Remember when you were kid and your parent or guardian grilled up some pancakes for you in the morning?

Remember the smell of the pancakes cooking and how they taste with fresh butter and warm maple syrup?

Well now you can have that again but you don’t have to feel bad about it. I have been enjoying protein pancakes for the last 10 years of my life and now you can too. So, without further delay allow me to introduce you to… the protein pancake recipe!

The Recipe

  • 1 cup of whole wheat pancake mix
  • 2 scoops of your favorite protein powder, I recommend Optimum Nutrition
  • 1 cup of low-fat or non-fat cottage cheese
  • 2 egg whites
  • 1/4 cup of water

Preheat a frying pan or skillet on the stove or oven, coat lightly with non-fat cooking spray.

Blend egg whites, cottage cheese, and water in a blender until it reaches a liquid consistency.

Mix the protein powder with blended ingredients in a bowl. Stir until lumps are gone.

Next add the pancake mix and stir until mixture is fairly uniform.

Do not over stir!

Add additional water only if mixture is not to your desired consistency.

Pour onto skillet, cook until edges start to turn brown, then flip and cook for a couple more seconds.

Do not overcook!

Optional Upgrades

Optimum Nutrition Protein Powder
Optimum Nutrition Protein Powder

Pancakes and fruit – eat fruit with your pancakes; put no sugar added jelly on them; drink some OJ with the meal; just get some fruit in you. I recommend strawberry.

Pancakes and syrup – feel free to use all natural maple syrup if you wish to add 40g of sugar per serving to your meal. Otherwise use a light syrup or a sugar free syrup. I still prefer to spread no sugar added jelly on mine.

PB and pancakes – if you have any leftovers you can make a high protein peanut butter sandwich later on. Add jelly to make a protein fortified PB&J.

Protein flavors – experiment with various flavors of protein. Often, then chocolate protein powder does not make for great protein pancakes. Try vanilla, strawberry, banana, or anything else you can find.

I recommend Optimum Nutrition protein powder. It’s good stuff and it’s cheap!

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Peanut Butter Protein Brownies

Monday, March 24th, 2008

 

Who likes peanut butter?

Who likes brownies?

If you are anything like me or the rest of the bodybuilding / powerlifting / weightlifting world, you answered “ME ME ME!” to both questions. If so, this recipe is for you. I could not post an easier recipe and prepping a meal can’t be quicker unless you are unwrapping a protein bar. That said… on with the recipe!

Peanut Butter Protein Brownies

The Recipe

1 scoop of protein powder; chocolate, vanilla, or peanut butter
1 tablespoon natural peanut butter
milk or water

Mix all ingredients together in a small glass bowl. If the resulting mixture is too thick add a couple drops of milk or water to loosen it up until it reaches your desired consistency. Since it is already in a glass bowl, microwave on high for 30-45 seconds. Mixture should come out to a cake/brownie like consistency.

Many friends of mine have doubted this recipe, thinking the peanut butter protein brownies would be mediocre at best. Instead what they find is a protein party in their mouths. Give this one a try for a quick high protein, high ‘healthy-fats’ snack.

Today’s Lesson About Plastics

The reason I make a big deal about the use of a glass bowl, is because you do not want to be cooking anything in microwave safe plastic containers. Plastic containers contain trace amounts of phytoestrogens, which seep into food when it is stored or cooked inside such containers. A lifetime of these estrogens can have a negative impact on testosterone levels and they tend to promote cancer in laboratory animals. It might not kill you, but your best bet in today’s toxic society is to avoid anything that could possibly be related to cancer. Every little bit helps.

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Homemade Protein Bars

Thursday, March 20th, 2008

Looking for something to take with you on the road, or a snack to munch at your desk? Forget about those awful Powerbars and other various soy bars. Granola bars are OK, but they don’t have much protein. High quality protein bars are available at the store, but for $5 a pop! We are looking for something cheap and easy, and here it is. Do-it-yourself, homemade protein bars.

Homemade Protein Bars

The Recipe

3 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 1/2 cups dried milk
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 cup lite syrup
2 scoops protein powder
2 large egg whites or 1 egg
1 1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup raisins or dried fruit

Start by preheating the oven to 325 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper, or spray on some non-stick butter flavored Pam spray. In a large metal bowl, mix all the ingredients until the oats are well coated. Spread the mix onto the cookie sheet and press down to make 10 cutting lines so you can separate them into 10 protein bars later. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown. While still warm, cut them apart and allow to cool before wrapping. The bars can be stored airtight at room temperature for up to 2 weeks.

Optional Upgrades

Nutty Bars – use 1 cup chopped nuts instead of dried fruit or raisins.

Fruity Bars – experiment with various extracts other than vanilla to change up the flavor.

The Protein Bar Diet – make a whole bunch of these bars with various fruits and nuts, and various flavors of protein powder. Eat the bars for 3 out of 5 meals each day and make the other two meals small. Do this for a month and see if you don’t drop a couple pounds.

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Low Fat Bannana Pancakes

Tuesday, March 18th, 2008

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. I’ve said it once and I’ll say it again and again and again. You know you’ve always loved pancakes ever since you were a kid. Well you can eat them today AND you can stay on your diet.

The Recipe

Banana Pancakes
2 c. Bisquick Heart Smart baking mix
2 bananas, mashed
1/4 c. Eggbeaters
1 1/3 c. skim milk
2 Tbsp. granular Splenda (optional)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tsp. banana extract
1 tsp. almond extract
water

Mix together all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, either with a spoon or with a whisk. Batter will be thick, so add water until the batter is to the consistency that you like. Thicker batter makes smaller thicker pancakes, while thinner batter cooks quicker and spreads out to make thin pancakes. Be sure to grease the pan with either fat free Pam Spray or with a Healthy Balance type of margarine spread. Pour batter by 1/4-cupfuls onto a hot griddle or frying pan.

Makes approximately 18 pancakes. 67 calories each.

Optional Upgrades

Protein Pancakes: Add a scoop of either banana or vanilla flavored protein powder. You’ll just have to add extra water to thin it out more.

Banana Jelly Cakes: Spread a thin layer of no sugar added jelly, I prefer strawberry, on the top of the pancake. Replaces high-sugar maple syrup as well as that grotesque low-calorie syrup that you find in the diet aisle.

Add Calcium: Just have a nice glass of skim or 1% milk with your pancakes.

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