Power Up Morning with Chocolate – Strawberry Protein ‘Donut Holes’ Recipe

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jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com - chocolate strawberry protein donut holes

The Baked Banana Protein Donut Holes were such a hit last week that I just had to play around with another recipe. Hmm, though, what to put in them this time? Well, if you know me, you know that was a no-brainer – chocolate. Please, please give me a chocolate-induced serotonin surge to go along with my runner’s high. If it’s true that “everything’s a little better with chocolate” then these little bite-sized morsels are sure to get your neurotransmitters all a twitter. I think they make you run faster, too!

Friends who follow a gluten-free or Paleo diet get a green light on these miniature munchies; that’s because they’re made with low-carb, gluten-free coconut flour and no sugar. If you don’t have a fancy-schmancy donut hole machine, you can easily substitute mini-muffin tins in the oven. Also, if you don’t want to make strawberry puree (eg: throwing strawberries in a blender), you can use all-natural strawberry applesauce instead.

Since they’re not messy or sticky, some friends and I are planning to toss a couple batches in zip-top bag as one of our “fuel sources” for the American River 50 Mile Run out in California next month. Enjoy!

Chocolate-Strawberry Protein Donut Holes Recipe

  • 1/3 cup liquid egg white
  • 4 ounces strawberry puree (or if lazy, strawberry applesauce)
  • 1 tablespoons almond milk
  • ¼ cup protein powder (I used 3Fuel)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons Stevia sweetener

In medium bowl, mix together egg whites, strawberries and almond milk.  In another bowl, mix together all the remaining dry ingredients except the powdered sugar. Once well-combined, mix dry ingredients in to “wet” ingredients, stirring well.

Preheat donut hole maker machine and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions (the Bella maker says cook for 5 minutes but I think that’s too much). You can also bake at 350 in the oven using mini muffin tins; bake for approximately 10 minutes or until centers pull clean with a toothpick. While still warm, sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Makes 16.

Nutrition information (per 1 ball) 20 calories, 2g protein, 0.5 sat. fat, 0.0g trans fat, 5mg sodium, 2.5 g total carbs, 0.25g sugar, .75g fiber 

STUFF YOU NEED!

3Fuel is a great protein powder supplement for endurance athletes; there’s some good stuff in there and it’s backed by the latest research on nutrition for sports performance. You can save 10% on 3Fuel Nutritional Shake by using code 3FHUNT at checkout.

Swim – Bike – Run! Win a $100 Gift Card Giveaway for Triathlon Gear

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austin tri profileTriathlon season is just around the corner, are you diving into your training headfirst?  Swimming, cycling and running, it’s not hard for me to say which part of this trifecta of endurance sports I like best – that’s running. Natch! Of course, I’ll admit right here and now that I’ve never actually done and entire triathlon and that’s because I’m too chicken to do the swim portion.  Yeah, that’s right, scared. I was traumatized by childhood diving lessons and now as a grown woman, I don’t like (make that won’t) dive in or turn my head under water. Don’t ask; I’m working through it.

Anyway, I do enjoy being the runner on a triathlon relay team.  It’s fun to cheer on everyone in the first two events and the blast through the crowd with fresh legs! On May 27th, I’ll be lacing up my running shoes to run on a relay team once again in the Capital of Texas Triathlon here in Austin.   It’s a fun event that happens in and around Ladybird Lake with the spectacular downtown Austin skyline as a backdrop. Plus, the post-race festival is pretty cool in that weird and wonderful way that is the ATX. You should come!

To celebrate swimming, cycling and running, I’m giving away a $100 gift card to Orca.com.  The winner can treat herself (or himself) to a new running top, cycle shorts or swim gear. Or, put the gift card toward a new, shiny wetsuit. It’s your choice!

orca

To enter the sweepstakes, just enter through the easy  Rafflecopter app below.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

On your Mark, Get Set, Press – Deadlift – Box Jump! CrossFit Open 13.2 Workout

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Am I going to the CrossFit Games in 2013? Uh, no. But, just because I’m not going to compete to be the “fittest woman on earth,” doesn’t mean I can’t follow along with some of the workouts being dished out in the Open Competition which started last week. In fact, when I scale the weight-lifting elements down a bit, these WODs become a useful cross-training tool in my quest to become the “fastest woman on earth,” or maybe we should make that, “the speediest old lady in the neighborhood.”

So, I headed down to Fit & Fearless CrossFit to give WOD 13.2 an “unofficial” shot. This classic CrossFit triplet features shoulder to overhead, deadlifts and box jumps. Because the weights and time cap are moderate, this workout is focuses more on pure work capacity and pushing through the discomfort rather than raw strength or technical prowess. That being said, I still decided to cut the weight by more than one-half so I would not kill myself and have fresh enough legs to race a 5k this weekend!  I scored 290 with my weight Rx’d down, compare that to Iceland Annie who scored a legit  361!  Okay, I can run faster than her. Maybe.
Here’s the 13.2 WOD:

Complete as many rounds as possible (AMRAP) in 10 minutes (first weight male, second female):

  • 5 Shoulder to overhead, 115 / 75 lbs
  • 10 Deadlift, 115 / 75 lbs
  • 15 Box jump, 24 / 20 inch

So, if you’re looking for a little more information on how to perfect these moves, just get started, or tweak them to meet your fitness goals, here are some resources:

The deadlift builds strength in your legs, hips and back, perfect muscles to target for runners! An intermediate goal for women is to be able to lift 120 percent of body weight, that’s about my limit. However, some of these competitive CrossFit gals, can lift 160 to 200 percent bodyweight! In the video above, CrossFit coach Valerie shows a modified Band Resistance Dead Lifts for beginners. Or, you can check out an earlier post I did on Dead Lifts that even has a really cool diagram of all the muscled used in the move.

jennifer fisher_thefitfork_box jump ponytail

The box jump is an explosive move of plyometric power. If done right, box jumps can improve your running power by strengthening quads, hamstrings, gluts and calves. If done wrong, well, see my bleeding knees below! Carl Paoli (from GymnasticsWOD.com) and Kelley Starrett (from MobilityWOD.com) give their tips on how to tackle a box jump with the best body position possible. Check out their helpful tips on perfecting the box jump. The key take-away for me is to remember to fully extend the hips at the top of the box and then land with feet fairy close together to prevent a “torque dump.”

box jumps gone bad

Oops, box jumps gone bad!

 

P1000098

Technically, a shoulder-to-overhead could be one of three overhead lifts, the strict press, the push press or the jerk press. Even though it seems like you only need strong shoulders to succeed here, you actually use your entire body, including a lot of core, to get the bar up overhead in a fully-extended position. And, I could go on all day about how improving my core strength has helped my performance (and recovery) in running. The Tabata Times has a good explanation of these shoulder-to-overhead lifts and how to perform them properly.

So, have you done the 13.2 WOD yet? What was your score?  If not, do you use any of these moves (deadlift, press, or box jump) in your training?  Let me know in the comments ! Hint — get to the comments by clicking the little “speech bubble’ at top of post.

Baked Banana Protein Donut Holes – Eat a Whole Bunch!

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jennifer fisher -thefitfork.com - banana protein donut holes

These bite-sized Banana Protein Donut Holes are the perfect way to start the day. Or, pack them in a zip-top baggie and toss in your gym bag to enjoy after a workout. Real (fried) donut holes were invented back in the 1950s by a frugal guy who was just trying to use up all the dough. These healthier donut holes were invented when I just “had” to buy a cake ball machine, as silly as that sounds. But sucking the badness (and sneaking in some protein) isn’t silly at all; it’s smart eating!  Did you know that a traditional glazed donut hole has about 55 calories, which might not sound too bad – but most of those calories come from fat and sugar.

banana protein donut holes ingredients

I’ve put protein powder in my donuts many times with great success; everyone in the family loves my recipes for Pumpkin Protein Donuts and Chocolate Protein Donuts. This time I decided to use coconut flour and almond milk so they pass the test with my Gluten-Free and Paleo Diet friends. If you don’t have an official cake pop or donut hole maker, you can easily adapt this recipe to work in mini muffin tins.

Banana Protein Donut Holes Recipe

  • 1/3 liquid egg white
  • ½ small banana, mashed
  • 2 tablespoons almond milk
  • 4 tablespoons protein powder (I used 3Fuel)
  • 2 tablespoons coconut flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons Stevia sweetener
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar

In medium bowl, mix together egg whites, banana and almond milk.  In another bowl, mix together all the remaining dry ingredients except the powdered sugar. Once well-combined, mix dry ingredients in to “wet” ingredients, stirring well.

Preheat donut hole maker machine and bake according to manufacturer’s instructions (the Bella maker says cook for 5 minutes). You can also bake at 350 in the oven using mini muffin tins; bake for approximately 10 minutes or until centers pull clean with a toothpick. While still warm, sprinkle with the powdered sugar. Makes 12.

Nutrition information (per 1 ball) 20 calories, 2g protein, 0.5 sat. fat, 0.0g trans fat, 5mg sodium, 2.5 g total carbs, 0.25g sugar, .75g fiber 

 

STUFF YOU NEED!

3Fuel is a great protein powder supplement for endurance athletes; there’s some good stuff in there and it’s back by the latest research on nutrition for sports performance. You cab save 10% on 3Fuel Nutritional Shake by using code 3FHUNT at checkout.

Ditch the Drive-Thru! Make a Steak-Egg-Avocado Breakfast Sandwich Faster, Better.

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jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com steak egg avocado sandwich

It’s important to eat a healthy meal in the morning; there is no good excuse not to. You’ll definitely want to make my super-fast, super-tasty, super-healthy Steak-Egg-Avocado Breakfast Sandwich after reading all this eye-opening information.

So there is no denying that a (good) breakfast does a body good. A study presented in 2003 at the American Heart Association’s annual conference showed that not only are breakfast-eaters less likely to be obese, they’re also more likely to have normal blood sugar levels and less likely to be hungry later on in the day.

Taking this a step further, not just eating breakfast, but eating protein at breakfast is essential, according to research at the University of Missouri. The findings suggest eating a higher-protein breakfast (20 -25grams) could be an effective strategy to improve appetite control and prevent overeating. MRI scans of the participants showed that brain signals controlling food motivation and reward-driven eating behavior were lessened after consuming a protein-rich breakfast.

But, you don’t want to just grab a breakfast anywhere. While that fast-food egg sandwich may be convenient, most are laden with fat, salt and calories. In a fast-food “egg expose” by Forbes, it turns out that much of the “egg” protein being served up at popular chains (like Subway, McDonalds, Burger King and such) are jam-packed with scary stuff. You can check out the full findings here. But, as an example, look over this unrecognizable ingredient list in the egg omelet patty served up in Subway breakfast sandwiches:

Subway’s Egg Omelet Patty (Regular): Whole eggs, egg whites, water, nonfat dry milk, premium egg blend (isolated pea product, salt, citric acid, dextrose, guar gum, xanthan gum, extractive of spice, propylene glycol and not more than 2% calcium silicate and glycerin to prevent caking), soybean oil, butter alternative (liquid and hydrogenated soybean oil, salt, soy lecithin, natural and artificial flavors, beta carotene (color), TBHQ and citric acid added to protect flavor, dimethylpolysiloxane (antifoaming agent added), salt, beta-carotene (color).

A few words on the ingredients:

  • Propylene glycol, a solvent for food colors and flavorings, is also used in anti-freeze, to lubricate air-conditioner compressors, and in deodorant sticks.
  • Isolated pea product is a protein additive often used as a substitute for animal-derived protein.
  • Guar gum is a thickening agent.
  • Xanthan Gum is used to prevent oil separation.
  • Glycerin is a solvent that is found in soap, moisturizers and some brands of shaving cream.
  • TBHQ (tertiary butylhydroquinone) is used to preserve vegetable oils against oxidation, and can also be found in varnishes, lacquers, and perfumes.
  • dImethylpolysiloxane is a type of silicone used to prevent cooking oil from foaming after repeated uses. It’s also found in Silly Putty and many lubricants.
  • Calcium silicate is used to prevent caking and is also a popular antacid. In addition, it’s a sealant used on roads, roofs and concrete.

(Subway information from Forbes.com)

If you can’t pronounce it, you shouldn’t eat it, right? Right! Save gas, save time, save money . .. . and, most of all, save your health by making a good, protein-rich breakfast at home. My quick Steak-Egg-Avocado Breakfast Sandwich   is a great option for busy mornings. You can make this breakfast in the microwave in just a few minutes, especially if you are using a bit of leftover steak, filet, ground beef or whatever pre-cooked meat you have on hand from dinner the night before. Tweak the veggies to suit your tastes too!

Steak-Egg-Avocado Breakfast Sandwich Recipe

  • 1.5 ounces (approx. ¼ cup) coarsely chopped top sirloin (leftovers work great!)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped grilled red onion (or any leftover veggie)
  • 1/3 cup liquid eggs (or 2 large whisked eggs)
  • Freshly ground pepper and sea salt to taste
  • 2-ounces Avocado slices
  • 1 whole-grain sandwich “thin” style bun

Place beef in the bottom of 8-ounce ramekin or microwave-safe bowl.  Next, top with red onions and pour over liquid egg whites. Sprinkle with cheese. Microwave on high for approximately 2 minutes or until eggs are set and fully cooked.  Gently loosen eggs from bowl with fork and invert onto bun. Top with avocado slices and salt and pepper to taste.  Serves 1.