Posts Tagged ‘fitness food’

Fresh Crepes with Nut Butter, Jam, Yogurt & Whipped Cream

Last post – I know, quite a while ago – showed how to make fresh crepes, which are just as easy to make as flapjack pancakes but are way more versatile, as shown with just a few examples above.

Whether you use your own crepes or pre-made store bought crepes, the top middle version, filled with nut butter and jam and topped with yogurt and whipped cream is very easy to make, killer flavorful and great power fuel for any kind of strenuous activity because of its combination of simple “get up and go!” sugars from the jam and cookie spread (optional), complex carbs from the flour in the crepe, protein from the egg in the crepe, Greek yogurt and nut butter, and fats from nut butter, yogurt (if you use whole milk yogurt) and whipped cream.

Here’s what I use to put together a crepe like this: homemade crepe (which can be substituted with a prepared, store bought crepe), then from left to right: whole milk Greek yogurt, almond butter, cookie spread (optional – I love both added flavor and light crunch!), jam, raisins and whipped cream.

Crepe with nut butter, jam, yogurt and whipped cream ingredients

Start by spreading nut butter, cookie spread (optional) and jam down the middle of the crepe.

Spreading nut butter, cookie spread and jam down the middle of a crepe

I fold over one of the crepe thirds and add a dab of nut butter to the middle of that third and then fold over the opposing third, as shown below, to keep the crepe folded in place when I warm it in the microwave oven.

Using nut butter to keep the folded crepe thirds together when warmed in the microwave oven

Warm the filled crepe in the microwave oven for 20 seconds.

Warming the filled crepe for 20 seconds in the microwave oven

Finish buy topping the warmed crepe with yogurt and whipped cream.

Finishing with a good shot of yogurt and whipped cream

This crepe just by itself is great. Here’s how I have it before a good crunch on the bike that keeps me satisfied completely with no need to refuel on the fly for distances of 30-50+ miles with plenty of North Carolina hills along the way.

Pre-ride crepe with nut butter, cookie spread, jam, yogurt and whipped cream

Whole Grain Cereal with Fresh Fruit & Kefir Picture Book Recipe

Last post showed how to use Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Cereal to put together a fully flavorful energy igniting/energy sustaining breakfast bowl. In that post I mentioned that recipes are just suggested guides that can be altered to meet your specific taste and dietary needs.

And, even though that post featured Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Cereal as the main ingredient, you certainly can make that recipe – or something very much like it – using any cereal you like. True to that word, here’s what I’ll call a “twist on a twist” based on a breakfast I had in Germany years ago, “Bircher Muesli mit Obst und Yoghurt” (Muesli with fruit and yogurt), that usually comes in two separate bowls, as shown here.

It is certainly easy to see from the ingredients I use below to make what I call Whole Grain Cereal with Fresh Fruit & Kefir that my interpretation of the recipe is quite a bit different than what I had in Germany.

And, that’s exactly where the fun comes in – and all it takes is a little imagination and, sure, some risk taking, to make the most of that fun.

Click this link or any picture on this page for the Whole Grain Cereal with Fresh Fruit & Kefir Picture Book Recipe that you can use as is or vary however you like.

Next post: what exactly is kefir and why do I feature it so much?

Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Power Cereal Breakfast Bowl Picture Book Recipe

Here’s one very easy, fully flavorful way I use the Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Cereal featured in the last post to put together a “fire me up and keep me going!” pre-ride sustained energy breakfast bowl made with…

…these ingredients.

I say “pre-ride” because cycling is what I do most, but this breakfast bowl works just as well to prepare for any physical activity: run, hike, gym, anything that requires sustained energy.

Regarding the recipe itself, as mentioned in the picture book directions you can get by clicking this link or any picture on this page,…

…what you see for ingredients here are only suggestions intended to inspire your imagination to make your own breakfast bowl all your own.

Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Power Cereal Picture Book Recipe

Last post was about how to repurpose a failed recipe. The Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Power Bars I tried to make didn’t work out as intended as solid bars that would stay together in bar form if taken along on a bike ride, run or hike. But the crumbling result, packed with fully flavorful ingredients, sure worked fine as a robust cereal rich with both “get up and go” fast fuel complex carbohydrates and energy sustaining protein and healthy fats – and tastes great!

The recipe for Chocolate, Grain & Nut Butter Power Cereal uses these ingredients…

…and is actually two recipes in one as it shows first how to cook quinoa if you want to use quinoa and don’t already have it cooked when you start putting the power cereal together.

Click this link or any picture on this page for a complete picture book recipe.

Next post will show how I use this cereal to power up before a good bike ride.

More soon!

Banana Nut Butter Power Bars, Part 2: Boosted Flavor

Here’s how to take banana nut butter power bar flavor from good to great!

No doubt you’ve had the experience; You bite into something and think, “Yah, that’s good, but it could really be better if…”

That’s exactly what I thought when I tasted a fresh batch of the banana nut butter bars I posted recently – and you know the deal here: flavor rules. And not that those bars didn’t taste good. They did. But good isn’t good enough. So, right away, I made another fresh batch with adjusted ingredient quantities, as shown in blue below.

Here’s how a bowl full of flavor boosted banana nut butter power bars came back after coffee with my good Hickory buds.

Click this link or any picture on this page to download the freshly revised picture book recipe.

Banana Nut Butter Power Bar Picture Book Recipe


These potently flavorful, easy to make banana nut butter power bars work great for dessert or as an on-the-go sport power bar. As you see in the picture above, I prefer making them in the toaster oven for ease and speed, though the picture book directions linked to this post also show how to bake them in a standard kitchen oven.

Regarding the ingredients shown above and below, I know it looks like a lot – but don’t panic. The spices (cinnamon, ginger, allspice, and nutmeg) along with vanilla extract are the cornerstones of the full flavor of these bars. If you don’t have some of those spices, just use a little more of what you do have. You can also use juice (apple cider works great) instead of coffee and substitute ground flaxseeds, chia seeds, and whole grain cereal with any other ground similar type of ingredient, like ground nuts or your favorite cereal. The bottom line: imagination and available ingredients are your only limits.

Banana Nut Butter Power Bar IngredientsClick this link or any picture on this page for a complete, easy-to-follow step-by-step picture book recipe.

Frigid Weather Remedy: Instant Cereal from Simple to Exciting!

The weather guess for Valentine’s weekend and into next week is hardly heart warming.

Though we can’t change the cold outside, we sure can make the most of what we eat to keep us warm inside and do it quickly, easily – and flavorfully.

Last post showed how to make instant hot cereal from your favorite cold cereal.

For added flavor, just click this link or the picture below for picture book directions that show how to ramp up the flavor and take that instant hot cereal from simple to exciting.

Of course, the ingredients you see in the above recipe are only suggestions. As always, make any substitutions to suit your taste.

Happy Valentine’s Day weekend!

Turning Your Favorite Cold Cereal into Instant Hot Cereal

Yep! Winter’s still full-on.

After the snow. Hickory, NC, Feb. 7, 7:30 AM

Want some “get it done now” inspiration to pry yourself out of a warm bed? Here’s a very quick & easy way to turn your favorite cold cereal into what might become your new favorite hot cereal.

All you need is your favorite cold cereal, milk (or milk alternative) and a microwave oven (the banana, Greek yogurt and jam are some of my favorite add-ons – flavor rules!).

Just click this link or any picture on this page for step-by-step picture book directions.

Next post: How to Take Instant Hot Cereal From Simple to Exciting!

Supercharged Oatmeal – Great Training Fuel!

Microwave Cooked Oatmeal From Simple to ExcitingHere’s how to vary the flavor and supercharge oatmeal by adding protein and some fat to keep you fueled and satisfied for any kind of endurance athletic or physically demanding activity. First, though, a couple quick notes:

1. Flavor and taste – most important – are exceptionally personal. The ingredients you see below work great together – for me – but my taste is not your taste. For example, you’ll see in the picture below that I use plain nonfat Greek yogurt, which I love for its flavor, thick texture, and high protein content. You, however, might not like Greek yogurt – or any yogurt at all for that matter – and that’s ok. Skip it, replace it with something else – and do the same for any other ingredient you see below to make your simple to exciting oatmeal all yours. Read more »

Microwave Cooked Oatmeal: Great Move Your Body Food!

Want fuel move your body: prep for a good ride on the bike, run, workout, or to feel fully alive to start your day? Oatmeal’s a great favorite of mine – packed with complex flavorful carbs and fiber, and both those attributes can be well enhanced if you oppose them (i.e. supplement them) with protein or healthy fat.

More about opposing real soon. But first, click the picture above to learn how to cook oatmeal as quickly and easily as possible and that means cooking it in the microwave oven.

 

 

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