I posted making these cookies on Instagram and many of you asked for the recipe and today we start talking about protein, so what better opportunity than to share the recipe today.  Over the next 5 days and the next 5 ReSET videos I talk about how to increase your protein.

Why? Because protein is an excellent source of fuel, takes longer to break down, provides essential amino acids to build muscle and is one key way to start managing weight.

Yes, I'm broaching the weight management/loss topic. Most of us don't eat enough protein (5-6 servings a day, which is 20-25g of protein). When we eat a balanced plate of 3-4 veggies servings, 1 - 1.5 serving of protein, 1 serving of grains we are full with nutrition/fuel that takes longer to burn; which means we stay satiated longer!

A well stacked plates is like a well built fire. Paper is high fructose fruit, honey, maple syrup. Kindling is your low fructose fruit, veggies and whole grains. Your small logs are your protein and the big, long slow burn logs are your fats.

Adding protein to every meal and SNACK is important.

Protein Day 1 Video https://gettrifit.com/programs/protein-1-88a189?categoryId=87655

Recipe:

Ingredients:

1 medium ripe banana

2 cups almond milk

1.5 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 cup maple syrup

4 or 4.5 cups of gluten free oats

2 cups of frozen blueberries

4 scoops of vanilla protein powder

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350F

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mash banana, add wet ingredients, then seasoning and protein powder. Blend in blender

Add oatmeal and blueberries by hand. If a bit runny add more oats.

Use 1/4 or 1/3 cup as a scooper for cookies.

Bake at 350F for 20-25 mins

Note: Next time I am going to reduce the oats to 3 cups, add 1 cup of quinoa, 1/2 cup of flax, 1/4 cup of chia seeds to increase the overall nutritional value. Maybe even add pumpkin seeds and sunflower seeds.

The perfect snowy day drink

The snow is starting to fall in Southern Ontario and as I'm sitting by the fire enjoying my cinnamon tea I thought you might enjoy this drink too. It's easy to make, is full of antioxidants plus it helps improve focus. Best of all it smells like Christmas.

Steep a pot and sip away in the afternoon when the 1:00pm wall hits. Drop me a note if you try the tea and like it. I love hearing from you.

Rainy days are soup days

I love this soup for lunch because it takes 10 mins to make and it's packed full of goodness: protein, amino acids, and natural occurring steroids to help boost the immune system

1 serving:

1 cup chicken stock

1 cup water

1 egg beaten

1 cup shredded spinach

1/4 cup Parmesan

Salt & pepper to taste

Bring the stock and water to a boil and then reduce to low

Whisk in the egg

Add the spinach to blanch

Grate Parmesan cheese

Add salt and pepper to taste

Serve

Eggs and Parmesan are whole proteins with all 9 essential amino acids. The chicken stock is packed with steroids. All helps boost your immune system and give the building blocks your body needs.

To learn why this is so important for our health, our ability to maintain muscle mass and to maintain a healthy metabolism check out the protein workshop in the TriFIT library.  Type "protein" in the search bar or go to tThe ReSET videos to watch the Protein Workshop.

One big benefit to adding whole grains to your meals is the fibre. The beautiful, gut loving bacteria making fibre.

A key way to start reducing your cravings for sweets is to add whole grains like:

Barley

Bulger

Farro

Quinoa

Black Rice

Red Rice

Wild Rice

Brown Rice

And yes ... even popcorn! Just be sure to make your popcorn from scratch. Air pop or on the stove like we do in my house.

To say fruit is bad because it has fructose is missing the point entirely.

An 🍎 has: 4g of fibre, 1g of protein and 13g of carbohydrates

It also has:

Vitamin C

Potassium

Quercetin (why it keeps the doctor away)

Catechins

Chlorogenic Acid

Let's talk about Quercetin .. which is a trendy supplement lately. Why? It is a versatile antioxidant known to possess protective abilities against tissue injury. It's an immune booster that also can heal our tissues.

How can you source Quercetin naturally?

Fruits and vegetables are the primary dietary sources of quercetin, particularly citrus fruits, apples, onions, parsley, sage, tea, and red wine. Olive oil, grapes, dark cherries, and dark berries such as blueberries, blackberries, and bilberries are also high in quercetin and other flavonoids.

Fruit is more than sugar! It is not candy. It is not processed foods that are designed to make us compulsively eat them to make companies rich and us unhealthy.

By this point you should be detoxed off of sugar and able to really enjoy the natural sweetness of fruit. Fruit is delicious and delivers so many micro nutrients that our bodies NEED.

The old wives tale about a tbsp of cod liver oil keeps you healthy ... is right!

1 tbsp of cod liver oil is 1 full daily serving of vitamin D

Fish, especially cold water fish are rich in nutrients our bodies need

• Lean protein

• B12

• B5

• Phosphorus

• Selenium

• Omega 3

• Zinc

• Copper

• Vitamin E

• Riboflavin

Many of these nutrients are artificially added to our food because its either stripped in the processing or we no longer eat the foods rich in these essential nutrients.

Fish and shellfish are packed with these micro nutrients and healthy fats are bodies need.

I know fish can be intimidating to make so start small. Start simple.

• 
  

• Most steak size pieces of fish bake at 400F for 18-20 mins

• Every fish I've ever cooked tastes amazing with a bit of salt & pepper and lemons. squeeze the lemon juice and then add slices to the top of the fish as it bakes

• Pan frying takes about 3-5 mins per side

Do you eat fish 2-3x a week? Tell me in the comments. If you have a favourite fish recipe share it to the group.

Fats Day 3 Video

Can we have an amen for seeds please!

I add seeds to EVERYTHING! Remember my post about breakfast ... SEEDS

My post about salads ... SEEDS

Smoothies ... SEEDS

Snacks ... SEEDS

These little miracles need to be a regular staple in your diet. Chia seeds, hemp seeds and flax are in almost every category of 3X food groups. 2 tbsp of hemp seeds is 10g of protein, omegas, fibre and so much more

And ....

Calcium

Magnesium

Phosphorus

Copper

Selenium

Iron

Seeds regulate your gut health and help repair a leaky gut. They improve your digestion.

Challenge yourself for the next 5 days to add seeds to your meals. And check out the workbook for my seedy cracker recipe. I use these crackers for open face sandwiches and snacks. SO good! Best of all you can switch the flavours to suit you.

Fat is our friend and is flavour. We need it. Fat is what many minerals and vitamins bind to for our body to properly absorb them. Fat is vital to our brain health. 

Chocolate is one of many foods you can find in the ReSET workbook packed with healthy fats and delicious. After you watch today's video, try the magnesium smoothie in the workbook. It's a chocolate delight!

https://gettrifit.com/programs/fats-1-d01815?categoryId=87655

Do you add protein to your snacks?

My guess is ... sometimes but not enough

Ideally every snack should have a protein, healthy fat and some complex carbs

My go to when I walk out the door is:

• An apple

• Container of trail mix or mixed nuts

The apple hits my sweet craving and the lovely crunching texture also alleviates my sweet tooth. Did you know when food producers make snacks they test for the perfect crunch sensation because our brains love the sound. It's part of the addictive nature of chips and crackers. The "crunch factor."

Nuts are packed with protein and healthy fats (omegas). If you can't have nuts look at pumpkin and sunflower seeds as an alternative.

I also batch my smoothies. When I make one, I make 2 more and leave them in the fridge. This way I can grab a smoothie and go. I know if I wait until I'm about to leave I won't do it. This little hack guarantees I walk out the door with my snacks instead of hitting a drive through.

Protein Day 4 ~ SNACKS

We focus so much on our macro nutrients (protein, fats and carbs) when we need to be as focused, if not more, on the quality of those macro nutrients.

The above salad has:

• 1 serving of protein

• 2 servings of fat before including the dressing

• 5 servings of veggies

Choose a dressing with keifer and you have a winning combination of taste, feeling full and almost ticking off all your tracker boxes FOR THE DAY in ONE MEAL!!!!!

I provide a number of dressings to spice up your salads while ticking more boxes on the tracker. The workbook in the challenge also dives into how to stack your plate like this.

It's this approach to food that changes your relationship and lifestyle!! Once you buy the ReSET Challenge you own it, the workbook, the tools, the charts and the videos for life. For $20!!!

Dressing:

• 1/4 cup plain unsweetened milk Kefir or non-dairy alternative*

• 1/4 cup raw apple cider vinegar

• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard

• 1 tsp. raw honey or maple syrup

• Salt and pepper to taste

ReSET Video