Protein: not just for shakes anymore!

Normally I post a "smoothie Sunday" recipe on Sundays. But this morning, my husband and I experimented with incorporating our protein powder into a different kind of recipe: French Toast!

Many of you may be wondering why in the world I talk so much about protein, protein, protein! Well, it is an important macro-nutrient (or macro) in your daily diet, as are carbs and fats. In the average American diet, we consume well over our daily requirement of carbs and fats, and not nearly enough protein! Think about it... walking down the grocery store aisles you find bags and boxes and canned goods chock full of fats and carbs, and not the best kinds of fats and carbs, eithers.

Carbs and fats are essential for a healthy lifestyle, but you need to fuel yourself with the correct kinds and at the right times of the day that works best for you. Fruits and veggies and whole grains are great examples of the "good" kinds of carbs. Nuts, nut butters, avocados, and healthy oils like coconut and olive oils are great ways to get your "good" fats! But... back to protein.

I love lean meats and fish, Greek yogurt, egg whites, cottage cheese... but sometimes it is still hard to get my protein intake high enough for the day. I like to aim for 30% of my food intake to come from protein so that as I maintain weight or even lose some weight from training, it will be fat that is being burned and NOT my lean muscle mass that I work so hard to get with my training!

Anywho.. I do not claim to be a dietician, but from the little research I have done, those are my takeaways and I hope that you all can try to incorporate enough protein into your diet and keep your macros well-balanced for optimal health and weight loss! :)

Here is a website with some great ideas for ways to incorporate protein powders into other recipes... PROTEIN RECIPES!!

The delicious breakfast that Brett and I tried today is what we like to dub "All American Toast!" Check it out! And try it, it is SO delicious! We followed the recipe except we did not use any maple syrup on top at the end. Brett ate his plain with just the bananas and blueberries that he added, and I added a swipe of Jif natural PB on top of mine with a drizzle of honey and sliced bananas. MMM mmm good!

All-American Toast - Serves 2
INGREDIENTS: 
*1 scoop vanilla protein powder
*4 slices of bread (We used Ezekiel sprouted bread. SO good!)
*½ cup egg whites
*¼ cup milk (your choice... we used Silk Unsweetened Original Almond Milk)
*1 banana
*Cinnamon
*Syrup, honey, or PB for topping








DIRECTIONS: 

Mix egg whites, milk and protein powder together in a small bowl. Add cinnamon to taste. Dip the slices of bread into the mixture. Place the batter-covered bread on a non-stick skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes on each side, then remove from heat. Add syrup, honey, or PB for extra flavor. Cut the banana (or fruit of choice) into small pieces and sprinkle them overtop the bread. 

I hope that you have enjoyed this post about the great and powerful PROTEIN and can be brave and start incorporating it into some different recipes! Make sure you eat enough, especially if you are training hard! Soreness means your muscles have broken down and need to repair themselves, thus making them stronger!! You need that protein to rebuild quickly and correctly! And now you know instead of just drinking up that protein, you can eat it up with these recipes! ENJOY!!

Court