Feast in the MIddle East

Hello FITME Family!

How are you all holding up these days? Doing well I hope?  This week I decided to deviate from the norm, because I noticed that friends and family in my inner circle are crumbling under the pressure and boredom.  My sister just bought 3 grocery bags of Doritos, Kettle Corn, chocolates and cookies, my personal trainer friend said he is regressing and all of a sudden eating Pop Tarts and sugary cereal at night, my own kids are begging me for sweets at all hours of the day, and I find myself wanting to escape from all the madness by eating from a jar of Nutella with a spoon or dive head first into carrot cake.

From the additional stresses of lower income from being unable to work,  mounting cell phone, water, garbage and electricity bills, looming tax day,  and homeschooling, people are craving junky foods more than ever, which is TOTALLY understandable. Getting lost in childhood favorites bring us to a time in our lives where the world was a more stable place. Gas masks and shelter in place simply was not a reality in most of our childhoods. Tasting anything sweet enhances dopamine, or that feel good chemical in our brains that make us feel better, at least in the moment.  So I decided to basically create a pep talk not only for people out there feeling this way, but for myself too, because I feel what everyone else is feeling! I remind myself that a sound body and a sound mind go together, and processed foods and excess sugar actually deplete immunity at a time when we need to be stronger than ever. To help, in my latest video I share 10  mindful tips you can practice that can subtract hundreds or even thousands of extra empty calories from your day.

However, since we are all stuck at home, that doesn’t mean we can’t have yummy things too right?  So in this video, I  also share an easy high protein and low carb carrot mug cake high in fiber and vitamin A. This moist cake made just for one has been my go to whenever I have a relentless  sweet tooth.  I found that pea protein powder is a great replacement for regular flour in desserts, and has a long shelf life, so why not make use of it?  So hope you enjoy these recipe, as I continue to offer you some more quarantine cheap eats ahead.

Much love,

Blanche

 

 

 

No Guilt Carrot Protein Mug Cake For One:

1 scoop vanilla pea protein powder ( I like NUZEST because of its clean ingredients and unmatched flavor–tastes rich while being one of the lowest carb brands on the market)

1 tbsp  COCONUT FLOUR or almond flour

½ tsp baking powder

¼ tsp cinnamon

2 tsp sugar free sweetener (I prefer MONFRUIT LAKANTO

1 tbsp SUNFLOWER SEED BUTTER or almond butter

¼ cup coconut milk (or any kind of milk you wish) 

2 egg whites (or one egg if you prefer)

1 tbsp chopped walnuts

1 small carrot, grated

Frosting

1 tbsp whipped cream cheese

2 tbsp vanilla yogurt

2 tsp Coconut, toasted in the skillet until browned (optional) 

Mix the dry ingredients, or protein powder through sweetener. Stir in the nut butter, milk, egg whites until smooth. Add the carrot and walnuts and mix until incorporated. Spray a mug or ramekin with cooking spray, and spoon in the batter. If you are impatient, you can microwave it for 90 seconds. (Check after 60 seconds to make sure it doesn’t overcook as microwave power varies) Or, bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the center is dry. Mix the cream cheese with the yogurt, and spread over the carrot cake once cooled. Top with coconut.