Breakfast: Chocolate Mint Protein Smoothie
I like my breakfast to taste like dessert. I don't know why it took me until I had no fresh fruit or berries to make this shake, but it is my new favorite. (I make a smoothie for breakfast nearly every day.) Without toppings the whole batch is only 25grams of carbs, but packed with protein and good fats that last me until lunch. Here is the recipe, which serves two.
Ingredients:
1 cup whole-fat greek yogurt (I've also used regular whole yogurt.) - 7g carbs (And 18g protein!)
1 1/2 cups unsweetened coconut milk - 2g carbs
2 scoops chocolate protein powder - 2g carbs
2 Tb unsweetened cocoa powder - 6g carbs
1 tsp peppermint extract - no significant nutritional value if using alcohol-based extract
2 cups of....spinach! (You don't taste it, I swear!) - ~2g carbs
2 Tb flax seed meal - 6g carbs
A few fresh mint leaves (optional, but I had 'em, so why not?)
Ice - I use about 12-15 cubes
Optional Garnish: unsweetened or very dark chocolate and mint leaves.
Put it all in a blender and blend away! Yum. If you want to make it dairy-free you could nix the yogurt and add a tablespoon of melted coconut oil to keep a fat content that will tide you over until your next meal, or use avocado or banana as a base.
Lunch: Sandwich and Salad
Half sandwich on Ezekiel Bread with American Cheese, Turkey, Salami, Lettuce, Tomato, and mustard. Small spinach salad with homemade balsamic rosemary salad dressing.
Snack: Cheese, Seeds, & Fruit
A cheese stick, a handful of sunflower seeds, and half of a peach sliced.
Dinner: Mustard and Herb Glazed Salmon with Sauteed Spinach and Caprese Salad
This was a "last supper" of sorts for us... My hubby and I are both teachers and we are back to school tomorrow! I picked up this wild-caught salmon at the store at a fantastic price. (Farm-raised salmon has more toxins than wild-caught, which tends to be much more expensive.) I know I have read somewhere that the Omega-3s in salmon can aid in reducing insulin resistance. Whether that's true or not, I will continue to eat it, because it is delicious! I baked the salmon with a mustard and fresh herb glaze, sauteed spinach with some shallots and garlic, and made a quick caprese salad with basil and tomato from our garden.
Ok, confession. I went a teeny bit above my 15 carbs after dinner when I had a few squares of Lindt 90% chocolate after dinner. I've always like dark chocolate but now that I've cut out most of the sugar from my diet I like really, really dark chocolate. I was walking my dog while I ate it, so I must have exercised some of those carbs away, right?
Nikki, thanks for leaving a comment on my most recent post. I had to leave a comment on this one of yours after going through your site when I saw the picture of the Lindt chocolate. I adore dark dark dark chocolate and I go for Lindt too, since the really dark ones don't have milk or soy. :D I love all the food you've been fixing despite your "limitations". Amazing how when we find out we can't have certain things, a whole new world of food opens up for us!
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