A Confession and a Recipe

So, the new year is 7 days in and I will be the first to admit that I HAVE NOT been motivated to clean up my act!  It's been a struggle to get my eating back on track, as well as a struggle to get my workouts in.  Truth is, I completely over indulged throughout the holidays, and my body feels tired and sluggish.  Our bodies operate much like a fine machine.  When we don't fuel them properly, they don't move quite as efficiently!

But, today is a new day.  I had a great hour and a half at the gym yesterday and followed that up with a good workout this morning.  Today was my last day off for the holiday break and I still set my alarm for 5:45 this morning.  I did most of my week's meal prep last evening, but finished it off today, which included some delicious protein banana bread.  This stuff is sooo good.  No oil, no sugar.  Just REAL ingredients.

 Here's the recipe, courtesy of Little B's Healthy Habits blog:

Protein Banana Bread

Ingredients:

• 2 ripe bananas
• 1 cup of oat flour
• 2 scoops of vanilla protein powder
• 1 cup of nonfat Greek yogurt
• 3 egg whites
• 1/4 cup of unsweetened applesauce
• 6 to 8 packets of Truvia or Stevia in the Raw
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup of chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Place bananas in a mixing bowl and mix until you have a pudding-like texture.
3. Add all remaining ingredients, except nuts, to bowl and mix well.
4. Carefully fold nuts into batter.
5. Prepare an 8-inch-by-inch Pyrex dish by spraying it with a nonstick spray.
6. Evenly place batter in dish and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until center is completely cooked.
7. Cut into 12 squares and enjoy 3 to 4 squares for breakfast or post workout!

My tips and suggestions......

Oat flour can be purchased in most grocery stores, but I make my own at home by pulsing the time out old fashioned oats in my blender!!  This is WAY cheaper!

When it comes to protein powder don't skimp out and purchase the cheap stuff.  Get good, quality whey protein.  I've tried them all, and Beverly International's UMP is hands down the best.  A close second is Optimum Nutrition. 

Enjoy!