Toasted Coconut Protein Bars DIY

The other night I made some protein bars and thought I'd share them with y'all. Ha... did you just see that country-ness coming from me? I've been in Tennessee too long.

Oh ya... Back to the protein bars. FOCUS Stephanie Focus! So they other night I made protein bars but decided to play with some ingredients to change it up. So I used my normal base that I got from a recipe that Jamie Eason posted Carrot Cake Protein Bars. I ALWAYS recommend trying out the original before making changes and deviating from the original. So try her recipe before you play around... because it is really good!

Ok. So here we go. I thought it would be fun to change up the baby food flavor, which surprisingly changes the whole taste, I know I should have thought this... but I didn't. And then I added some coconut too... which was AWESOME! I've since made this recipe again, changing and adding a few other things so I'll share those at the end of the post. I give you Toasted Coconut Protein Bars... I don't know what to call them... But there is toasted coconut so it makes sense to me.

Toasted Coconut Protein Bars:

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Ingredients:

• 1 cup oat flour (check out my post last week for how to make your own)
• 2 scoops vanilla whey protein (I use the MRM brand and it works great. I get mine here)
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/8 tsp allspice (I don't have this so I use pumpkin pie spice)
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg

• 4 egg whites
• 3/4 cup Splenda, Truvia, or Ideal
• 8 oz Apples and Cherry Baby Food
• 4 oz water

• 3 tbl Coconut (I used the baking sweetened kind which makes this not as clean as I'd like)

Directions:


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix flour, whey protein, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, baking soda and salt together in a bowl.

Mix egg whites, Splenda, Apples and Cherry Baby Food and water (optional) in a bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix together.

Spray baking dish with non-stick butter spray.

Pour ingredients into dish.

Pour 3 tablespoons coconut over top of mix.

Bake 25 minutes, then turn broiler on high and then I move my bars up a level and toast the coconut.

Makes 16 squares, 2 squares per serving.

Ok. My changes this time around. I changed my coconut to the bulk kind you buy at Whole Foods. It's not sweetened AT ALL. My opinion. I liked it better, it was a lot crunchier on top which I really liked. I also added 1/2 tsp vanilla extract. I don't think I can tell a difference so I'll just omit that next time.  I also made a second batch today where I mixed the coconut in the dry mix and did not put it over the top. I don't like it that way as much. I really like playing around with this recipe. I think next time I'm going to add raspberries to it and maybe a tbl of vanilla extract and change up some of the spices.

xo, Steph

How to make Oat Flour | Quick and Easy DIY

So I was making my protein bars tonight and was out of oat flour and thought I'd share how I make my own.  It is super simple and tons of fun. Ok. Maybe for you it isn't tons of fun but I love using my coffee grinders and making it go ZZZIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII.... I actually don't know how it sounds but that's my personal interpretation. Anywho... I know before I started the Jamie Eason LiveFit program last year that I had no clue how to make it. Premade Oat Flour is not very common in my area or its pretty expensive at Whole Foods, so I figure why not make my own. So much easier and soooo cost effective. Here you go folks. Hope it helps someone! :)

How to make Oat Flour

What do you need:

• Coffee Grinder (preferably one that you haven't used to grind coffee it will taste weird)
• Oats (I usually buy mine at Whole Foods, but only had the Walmart stuff hanging around tonight)

How to:
1: Pour Oats into grinder.
2: Make sure your grinder is set to the finest of finest. I have mine at Espresso and 4 cups. I have no clue if the 4 cups actually means something but I keep it there.
3: Turn Grinder on.  Mine auto turns off when its done. I didn't know this until the other night. But if yours doesn't, then turn it off when it looks fine. And not fiiinnnneeee as in Hot Dang but a fine grain. :)
4: Then its done. You have Oat Flour. Some say their grinder leaves their flour a little grainy, but mine makes mine super fine so it just has to do with your coffee grinder.

When a recipe calls for oat flour I grind the whole oats until they equal the amount of oat flour (ground oats)  indicated in the recipe. 

xo, Steph

P.S. Please excuse my messy blinds. I refuse to buy new blinds when they were supplied by my Landlord this way and I'm stubborn. :)

P.P.S. This post is actually intended for Dave, the hubs, because he always says he doesn't know how to make it. Now you know and have a place to reference in the future. hehe..

I don't know what to call this Greek Yogurt yummy-ness

This morning I was making my yogurt for breakfast and just threw a bunch of stuff together and it tastes pretty yummy. Like a pumpkin pie minus the pumpkin. Here is a rundown of what I did. Oh and I didn't measure anything. Sorry, I didn't think I was gonna blog this but thought you might like to know.

Ingredients:

• Fage Greek Yogurt (Fat Free)
• Vanilla Extract
• Nutmeg
• Cinnamon

Directions:

Put about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup of Greek Yogurt into a dish (or tupperware like me).
Pour some vanilla extract but not too much because then it tastes kinda chemically.
Add a few dashes of Nutmeg and Cinnamon.
Mix it.
Eat it.


Oh Yeah! Yumm!!!

xo, Steph

Girls Night in. What What!!

Thanks to Duncan Hines for sponsoring my writing. There's no limit to the baking possibilities, so grab your favorite Duncan Hines mix and Comstock or Wilderness fruit fillings and Bake On! www.duncanhines.com.

Fun Fact: I'm not as young and wild as I used to be. I've replaced credit cards with debit cards (or cash). I've replaced drinking fun beverages for coffee and water. I've replaced staying out till the late night hours with sitting at home with friends and crafting or going to bed early - dare I say it 8. The fact is, I've grown up.  So now instead of going to parties where drinks are served I go to one of my besties and drink coffee and eat cake all while we craft. Its the perfect Girls Night In (GNI ya know.. for us cool kids who say things like this). We used to do this a lot before someone had a baby, but we've been getting better over the past year, especially over the holidays since we had LOTS OF CRAFTING TO DO!  Its beginning to become really exciting because the babe (hers, not mine, cause my babes are cats) is getting to the age where she might be able to start crafting with us. Ok. Maybe thats a bit of an exaggeration but she's started sitting at the table with us while we craft so thats a step in the right direction. HA!

The big thing about us is that we like... ok... LOVE to drink coffee while we're hanging out. So as a surprise to my bestie I made her some super fancy coffee syrup for Christmas. I've told her not to read this post till after Friday when we exchange gifts so she best not be not trying to get a sneak peak of her gift yo! See what I did there... I tried to act like a gangsta... I'm sooo not a gangsta. 

Like I've said in many many MANY previous posts. I'm pretty much addicted to Elsie Larson's Blog: A Beautiful Mess and if she makes it and posts directions, 9 times out of 10 I will try it out. So a few weeks ago I kept this post in the back of my mind and pinned it onto Pinterest. It is super simple and easy to make. THE EASIEST DIY GIFT EVER!!! It was inexpensive and fun! I kinda wish I'd let it thicken a little more but I think it will work out perfectly. Oh and one other tip, go to Ross or somewhere cheap and buy the bottles, I found mine at Ross for less than five bucks.

DIY Flavored Coffee Syrups

Image via: A Beautiful Mess

For the vanilla syrup you need: 2 cups water, 2 cups sugar and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (the clear kind is much preferred here). In a small pot heat your water and sugar over low/medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved. Now stir in your vanilla extract and pour into your dispenser.

Check out her blog for the other flavors.

I'm really excited to give this to her so we can have some fancy coffee with fancy flavored coffee syrup to go with our fancy desserts (she's the best baker known to man... or woman) during our Girls Night In!

xo, Steph

*****
Remember to check out Duncan Hines' website www.duncanhines.com to find some great recipes for your holiday get-together! I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective.

25 Days of Christmas - Day 11: Recipes - Peach Cobbler Protein Bars

I haven't chatted about this on here yet so why not today. On January 3rd 2011 I made a plan to lose weight and get healthy. So working out and eating well has been very important to me this past year. I did really well this year. I was super successful with my weightloss and I lost 45 pounds. I've kinda taken this past month off but I'm still trying to be pretty good with my diet even if I'm not hitting the gym so hard.  We know right now is the time of the year where we go to parties and usually they aren't super healthy. So here is a quick recipe that is super yummy and oh so good.

I’ve adapted it from this original recipe from Jamie Eason’s Cinnamon Swirl Bars to make a Peach Cobbler-ish Protein Bars. I kinda like making these and taking them to parties, in fact I'm taking them to my work party later this week, don't tell anyone... shhhh. No one knows they are healthy. They just think it’s a peach cake. Don’t tell them, and no one is the wiser. Hehe.. Hope you enjoy them, and definitely take a look at Jamie’s Cinnamon Swirl Bars, those are TO DIE FOR!

Peach Cobbler Protein Bars

Ingredients:

1/3 cup Splenda
2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups oat flour (I make mine, I use a coffee grinder and grind oatmeal until it's fine)
2 1/2 scoops vanilla whey protein
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup Splenda
2 egg whites 
1/2 cup Skim Milk
2 4oz jars of peach baby food
1 1/2 cup frozen peaches (thawed)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Spray an 9x14 inch Pyrex dish with non-stick spray.(I actually don't know what size it is, but look at the picture at the end and you'll see, or you can use a square pan, its really your choice. Just make sure your servings are correct)

Step 1: In small bowl combine: (set aside)

• 1/3 cup Splenda
• 2 tsp cinnamon

Step 2: In large bowl combine: (whisk together and set aside)

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour 
• 2 1/2 scoops vanilla whey protein
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup Splenda

Step 3: In a medium bowl combine: (whisk together & add to large bowl)

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup skim milk
• 2 4oz jars of peach baby food
• 1 1/2 cup frozen peaches (thawed) – Do a quick chop to them

Step 4: Pour a shallow layer of batter into the loaf pan (about 1/4 of the batter).

Step 5: Sprinkle heavily with half of the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Repeat with remaining batter & cinnamon/sugar on top.


Step 6: Draw a knife through the batter to marble. Bake for 28-30 min. Let cool for 10 min. Bars will be dense.

Before they were cut.

Oooh Yummy Yummy!

Hope you try them and enjoy them!

xo, Steph

Fun-Da-Middles = Tons-o-Fun!!

Ok. So I'm still on my cheat week and I've been dying to try those Fun-Da-Middles. They are like those super yummy Hostess Cupcakes but I made them at home which means they are homemade, even if they did come from a box. Don't go telling people my secret. Its a secret for a reason. So the other night I decided to make them and photograph myself while making them. Dave made fun of me but I wanted to give you the step by step-ish (Day by Day- oh no. I'm singing that song now, wasn't that a good show, Step by Step, wait back on topic) of me making it.  So here you go.

First you start with the box and its ingredients. I didn't really use the bottle of water, I used my fancy Brita thingy that's on my sink, cause... well... we paid a lot for that think and it needs to get used. So ya, the water bottle was just for looks.

Then you pour the mix, add the ingredients, and mix. I hate this mixer. Anyone wanna buy me a new one? I swear it smells because it's old. Probably older than me because it was a hand-me down. Dave says that it doesn't smell, that its how mixers smell, but I don't believe him, I think he just doesn't want to buy me a new one. Sneaky Fella he is.

Then you put 1/3 mix into the muffin cups, and divide the filling into the 12 cups, and then divide the remainder of the mix into the 12 cups. Oh and save some for you to eat. Its pretty good raw. Don't judge.

Then you bake it... and bake it... and then it's done. And you have to wait FOREVER to eat them. You wanna make sure that they cool enough or you might burn your mouth. I didn't have this happen to me with these but recently I burned my mouth on a Rice cracker and peanut butter that I heated up in the Microwave  and I thought I was going to die, so I'm not taking any chances.

 Then you eat it. And it's A-FREAKING-MAZING!!! Don't tell Hostess but it's better than theirs. I wanted to buy frosting and put it on them but after eating them I do not believe they needed them.

I'm not going to tell you this but somehow half of them were eaten by the end of the night. I think this little guy ate them all.

Ok. That's all. I give this an A++++ and you should too... when you're not on a diet, because somehow 6 of them will go missing, especially if you have a Professor kitty hanging around.