{California Recap}

Hello cupcakes!

It's finally starting to get nice here in Indiana. I know this is a little delayed, but I wanted to share my California pictures with you! This summer is going to be pretty crazy, so hang in there with me. After June 17th I will have more free time to start blogging again. 

When I first arrived in Cali, my boyfriend took me to Coronado Beach. The sand had little gold sparkles in it. I was so amazed. We took the Frisbee with us. We weren't there very long before I realized how hungry I was, so Cory took me to get some food.

More pictures of Coronado Beach...

One place Cory took me was called Roberto's and let me tell you what, this place has my heart! This was a chicken taco. I only got one taco and it was $3.50. It filled me up. It was a corn tortilla with chicken breast pieces, homemade guac, & homemade pico. I think I am still having dreams about this taco. 

When Cory lived in Charlotte, I bought us a doughnut pan. I didn't really get a whole lot of use out of it, so this in Cali it was my goal to make a bomb protein doughnut. I think I finally succeeded. These were amazing and boyfriend approved. 

One of the days, after Cory got off work, we went hiking. This place was beautiful. I can't wait to hike more mountains out there. 

There was a reservoir and dam off in the distance. 

Here was up close to the reservoir. This was half way into our hike (well I should say the half way point meaning we made it to the top). 

I think I had a fingerprint on my phone camera because these two pictures turned out a little blurry. I also did not bring my actual camera to California this time because I will be living out there soon enough... yay!!!

If you follow me on snap chat or Instagram, you know I am on a huge salad kick. One night I made homemade Chiptole Bowls. They turned out amazing. I used lettuce, corn, salsa verde, chicken breast, homemade guac, and sauteed peppers and onions. 

I also made some chicken, sweet potato fries, and vegetables for another dinner on a different night.

One thing I was sooooo excited for... trying out my future gym. This is called Worlds Gym and it's by the same people as Golds Gym. I love how it looks industrial. There is something about a new gym that gets me so motivated. 

I also recently bought a nice waffle maker and had it shipped to Cory in California. I made so many protein waffles while I was visiting. If you want to follow my instagram it is: @toriswholelife . This waffle combo was 1/2  a waffle, protein dip, and 1 T of almond butter. The recipe is posted on my Instagram. 

Here was a salad I made: lean ground turkey, salsa verde, cucumbers, snap peas, crushed up rice cake, lettuce, and Newman's Own Olive Oil and Vinegar dressing. 

I spent a few hours at the pool every other day to get a little tan and relax. 

Friday night for dinner we went to Oceanside Beach and ate at Hello Betty's. I got the Mahi Mahi tacos. 

My breakfast before the zoo was a breakfast casserole I made, a protein doughnut, strawberries, and a few slices of bacon. 

Now here are my zoo pictures from the San Diego Zoo...

Look at his tongue haha!

Cory and I were so confused while looking at this thing...

We took Quest Bars to snack on while we walked around the zoo. 

We spent about 4 hours walking around the whole zoo! It was a blast. I am so glad we went. If you visit San Diego and want something to do, go check out the zoo! After the zoo we were both pretty hungry. We went to Carnitas Snack Shack. Let me tell you what, they have some bomb dot com food. I got the carnitas tacos. 

That wraps up my Cali pictures, but here are some pictures from the past week. 

I am a little obsessed with Artic Zero right now. For anyone that has a lactose intolerance or wants a healthier version of ice cream, check this stuff out. I like to microwave mine for about 30 seconds so that it gets softer and creamier. 

I grilled up some turkey burgers and asparagus to eat this weekend. 

I also snacked on some cucumbers. I love how light and fresh they are in the summer. 

I hope you enjoyed my never ending recap. I can't wait to blog again.

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

{Healthy Protein Cookie Dough}

Hello cupcakes!

I've been on the self-care train lately, and I honestly have taken a little break from blogging. I think this will help me be a better blogger and better person in general. I've started journaling each night before I go to bed to reflect on myself. I watched Em Duncan's YouTube videos last Monday and I fell in love with her self-respect, self-esteem, and self-confidence. She mentioned how much journaling has helped her. So far I really love it. I love ending my night on a positive note. I can share more if you are interested in hearing more about my journaling. 

I did not get a picture of this recipe, but I wanted to share it with you because it is my current addiction. I am so in love with it; it's my guilty pleasure. Maybe I will add a picture eventually. 

{Healthy Protein Cookie Dough}

Ingredients:

21 g plant protein

26 g brown sugar truvia

53 g whole wheat flour

78 ml unsweetened almond milk

4 ml vanilla extract

4 ml butter extract

Directions:

Mix dry ingredients. Next, add wet ingredients and stir until combined. That's it!

Makes 3 servings

Each serving

109 calories

.8 g fat

21.8 g carbs

7.3 g protein

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

P.S. I get to visit my boyfriend in California in 13 days and I am so so excited. Only 89 days until I graduate with my Master's Degree (and officially move to California)! Whoo!

Lenny & Larry's

Hello cupcakes!

Today I want to share a new fun food find with you. I have been seeing Lenny & Larry's Cookies all over Instagram lately, so I knew I had to get my hands on some ASAP! I went to my local Vitamin Shoppe and they were even on sale. I picked up 6 cookies: 2 oatmeal raisin, 2 double chocolate, 1 birthday cake, and 1 coconut chocolate chip. I'm going to do a review of each one for you.

Oatmeal Raisin

One serving is 1/2 a cookie. Each serving has 180 calories, 4 g fat, 28 g carbs, 4 g. fiber, and 8 g protein. There are no eggs, dairy, or soy. They are also vegan and non gmo. The only caution I have for people with food allergies is there is gluten in these cookies from wheat flour. 

These cookies are HUGE! I think that is why one serving is only 1/2 the cookie. They are also super thick, which I love. The oatmeal raisin is a little crumbly, but has awesome flavor. It is not my top three favorite flavors, but I would probably buy this again. 

Check out this view of the cookie. It is a healthy treat that I will be having for my cheats during my cut for my vacation. If you want some thing sweet, but don't want to sabotage your fitness progress, I highly recommend these. Also let me just say: this is not a paid post. I actually went out and bought these cookies for myself. I simply like sharing healthier foods with my readers that can help them live a healthier life. 

Coconut Chocolate

I am a huge lover of everything coconut and chocolate. One thing I love about this cookie is the coconut does not taste artificial. This cookie was more chewy and a win in my books! This flavor has the perfect amount of chocolate chips! I will definitely be buying this flavor again. 

The macros per serving for this flavor are: 180 calories, 8 g fat, 22 g carbs, 4 g fiber, & 8 g protein

Double Chocolate

Oh my goodness... Let me just say these are freakin' BOMB! I am a huge chocolate lover so this cookie really hit the spot. Since I cannot consume dairy I don't get to have chocolate quite as often as I use to, so I can see these cookies in my future for sure! This flavor was the perfect amount of chewy. They were so soft. I love the big chocolate chips in the cookie too. This is hands down my favorite flavor!

The macros per serving of this flavor are: 190 calories, 6 g fat. 27 g carbs, 4 g fiber, 8 g protein. 

Birthday Cake

I loved this flavor as well. I have always loved birthday cake flavor of everything. I had my mom and sister try this flavor and they told me it tasted like play-dough. I guess everyone has different taste buds, but I am obsessed with it. I actually just recently bought the single serving cookie at the Vitamin Shoppe and ate it post workout today! I will be buying this flavor again! One tip I like to follow is consuming these cookies post workout because your body is a burning machine. I also do cardio fasted, so I like to fuel with the cookie post workout with egg whites. I know this is not the healthiest option because it is a packaged food, but I only live once right!? I wouldn't want to live life without these Lenny & Larry's Complete Cookies.

The macros per serving are: 180 calories, 4 g fat, 27 g carbs, 4 g fat, 8 g protein

There are also a few other flavors:

Snicker doodle Cookie- Just bought a single serving cookie of this flavor

Chocolate Chip Cookie

Peanut butter Cookie

White Chocolate Macadamia Cookie- I tried this flavor! It was more crumbly like the oatmeal raisin. I don't think this is in the top three flavors for me. It wasn't bad it just isn't my favorite.

Lemon Poppyseed Cookie

Pumpkin Spice Cookie- Just bought this flavor yesterday to try!

Coming soon: Double Chocolate Peanut Butter Swirl Cookie

So Lenny & Larry's just recently released single serving cookies! I am so obsessed. I feel like when I open the normal cookies (which have 2 servings in them) I eat more than one serving. This can be a problem for my macros. So what I am trying to say is if you have a problem stopping eating something this delicious, I recommend the single serving cookies!

I am so tempted to buy a whole box of these suckers!

What flavors have you tried? OR What flavors are you dying to try? 

Comment below and let me know!

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

Protein Muffin Variations

Hello cupcakes!

Today I want to share a fun recipe with you (at the end I will list some adaptions to create different flavors).

Birthday Cake Protein Muffins

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1/4 c oil

1/4 c honey

2/3 c oats

3 T arrowroot flour

3 T cassava flour

2 scoops Sun Warrior vanilla protein powder

1/4 c water

sprinkles

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a food processor, blend the wet ingredients until combined. Next, add the dry ingredients and blend together. Stir in the sprinkles. Transfer batter into a silicone muffin pan. This will make 5-6 muffins. Bake in the oven for 18-22 minutes or until the muffins are cooked through. 

Nutrition per muffin (if you make 5 muffins):

296 calories

14 g fat

31.8 g carbs

11.7 g protein

Variations:

To decrease the calories per muffin, you could sub the oil for 1 mashed banana & you could cut back on the honey. These two things combined will really decrease the calories per muffin. 

Chocolate Espresso with Dark Chocolate Chunks:

3 scoops Sun Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder

2/3 c - 1 c arrowroot flour

3 T cocoa powder

1/4 c oil

2 eggs

1/4 c sweetener of choice

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1-3 tsp ground coffee beans

2-4 squares of 90% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

1/4 c- 1/2 c water

Espresso with Dark Chocolate Chunks:

3 scoops Sun Warrior Vanilla Protein Powder

2/3 c - 1 c arrowroot flour

1/4 c oil

2 eggs

1/4 c sweetener of choice

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

1-3 tsp ground coffee beans

2-4 squares of 90% dark chocolate, broken into pieces

1/4 c- 1/2 c water

Banana Birthday Cake Muffin: 

2 eggs

3 T honey

1 1/2 mashed banana

2/3 c oats

3 T arrowroot flour

3 T cassava flour

2 scoops Sunwarrior vanilla protein powder

1/4 c water

sprinkles

1/2 t baking powder

1/4 t baking soda

Let me know if you have any questions or if you make these muffins with any other combination!

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

{Low Calorie, No Added Sugar, Protein Muffins}

Hello cupcakes!

I have some macro friendly muffins to share with you today.

This weekend was a such a relief for me. The past week has been pretty crazy with graduate school projects. I have also been a little stress because I finally figured out counseling is not exactly my career path. It stinks to go through so much school and not really know what you want to do with your life. One of my passions in life is fitness and nutrition, which you probably already know if you are reading this post. I am also a huge planner & organizer. These passions of mine just aren't quite fulfilled in the counseling field. I am currently working on piecing together all of my passions to find my dream job. I want to do what makes me happy. I want to wake up and be excited to go to work. As of right now, I am trying to be at peace with the unknown. It is also part of my adventure of moving to California after I graduate. Right now I am looking into director or manager positions and thinking about getting certified as a personal trainer and getting my nutrition certification. 

Anyways, let me share this awesome muffin recipe with you...

Macro Friendly Muffins

Ingredients:

124 g. of unsweetened applesauce (1/2 c.)

48 g. egg whites (3 T)

sprinkle of baking powder

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract (I used my homemade version)

2 scoops Vital Protein's Collagen Peptides

65 g. Otto's Cassava Flour

*if you want your muffins sweeter, you could add 3T of honey, maple syrup, or coconut sugar but this will change the macros*

Directions:

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add wet ingredients and stir until combined. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a small muffin pan or use muffin liners. Scoop batter into 4 muffin cups. Bake in a preheated oven for 15-20 minutes or until the muffins are starting to get golden and the tops are springy to touch. 

Makes 4 muffins 

*You can double the ingredients for 8 muffins or triple recipe for 12 muffins*

Macros for 1 muffin:

96 calories

.3 g fat

16.7 g carbs

6.1 g protein

I've had some questions about where I get my specialty flours and ingredients. Honestly, I order most of them online. Amazon is one of my go-to places!

If you would like to order the collagen, follow this link Vital Proteins: Collagen Peptides

You can also search on Amazon for "Vital Proteins"

If you would like to order the cassava flour, follow this link: Otto's Cassava Flour

I also have previous posts about the benefits of these two products:

{Paleo Tortillas & Otto's Cassava Flour}

{Mug Cake & Vital Proteins}

I hope you all have a fantastic day!

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away." 

{Chocolate Bombs}

Hello cupcakes, 

Sorry I have been MIA, but grad school is getting super busy with group projects and I don't have much free time. I am hoping to share some new and exciting recipes with you this weekend. I am also starting to search for jobs in California. I am also thinking about holding off on counseling for awhile to pursue some other career options. I know two of my passions are fitness and nutrition, so I am purse some certifications in those areas this summer. I am also looking into different organizations to utilize my planning and organizing abilities. If anyone has any connections in California or job ideas, feel free to comment below. Anyways, here is a easy little recipe I created last week. I used a food scale to measure the ingredients (this makes it easier for me to calculate the macros at the bottom).

Ingredients:

102 g dates

48 g almond butter

70 g gluten free rolled oats

10 g cocoa

52 mL unsweetened almond milk

Directions:

In a food processor, process dates until a they form a ball/paste. Next, add the rest of the ingredients and process until combined. Refrigerate the dough for 1-2 hours. Once chilled, roll the dough into 6 balls. 

Each Chocolate Bomb-

Calories: 164

Fat: 5.9 g

Carbs: 24.2 g

Protein: 3.9 g

I hope you all have a fantastic day! Feel free to ask any questions you may have below in the comments.

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."

{Protein Brownies}

Ingredients for brownie:

64 g almond butter

154 g banana (weighed in peel), then peel banana and mash

53 g egg whites

1/8 t baking powder

30 g cassava flour

16 g arrowroot flour

40 g coconut flour

20 g coconut sugar

55 mL unsweetened almond milk

20 g dark cocoa

Ingredients for topping:

2 container of So Delicious Vanilla Coconut Milk Yogurt

2 scoops of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides

4 scoops Nuzest Vanilla Protein Powder 

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all ingredients for brownies in a food processor. You can also mix by hand, but I enjoy using my food processor. Once combined, grease a small baking pan. Scoop batter out & into the baking pan. Place brownies in the oven and bake 30 minutes or until cooked through. Take the pan out of the oven and cool completely.

Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the topping. I also used my food processor for this part, but you could mix by hand. Once the brownies have cooled, spread on the topping. Refrigerate for 1-2 hours. Once chilled, cut into 8 pieces. 

Each brownie with topping (recipe makes 8 servings)

Calories: 185

Fat: 6.7

Carbs: 24

Protein: 11.1

{Healthy Mint Cookies} + Motivation Monday

Hello Cupcakes!

Today I am linking up with a my friend Maddie Butterfield for another edition of Motivational Monday.

I had a fun weekend baking up all kinds of new goodies to share with you. Today I want to share my recipe for Healthy Mint Cookies. I fell in love with the thin mint oreos over Spring Break, so I wanted to try to create a healthier version. I am still macro counting, so the recipe ingredients are measured using a food scale. You could probably use an online converter to convert the ingredients if you do not have a food scale. 

Ingredients for cookies:

104 g. lactose free cottage cheese

46 g egg whites

1/8 t baking powder

1/8 t peppermint extract

10 g cocoa

36 g coconut sugar

48 g almond flour

11 g arrowroot flour

11 g coconut flour

15 g cassava flour

Ingredients for filling: 

2 scoops Vital Protein Collagen Peptides

2 scoops Nuzest Protein Powder, vanilla

unsweetened vanilla almond milk

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine all the ingredients for the cookies in a food processor and mix until combined. Next, grease a small baking pan. Scoop batter out & into the pan. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until the batter is no longer runny. When you touch the top it should feel "springy." Take the pan out of the oven and let cool completely (about an hour). 

Next, combine the collagen and protein powder in a dish. Add a few splashes of almond milk and stir until combined. You can always add more almond milk, so start off with a little and add more until it reaches a frosting consistency.

Once the cookie part is cooled, use a small tupperware to cut out the cookies. I used a small, round condiment container. It is probably about the size of a half dollar. You can make these bigger if you would like, but the nutritional info will not be the same from what is listed below. My cut out was pretty thick, so I sliced the cut out into two pieces and put some frosting in the middle. I ended up with 8 cookies. 

Nutrition for one cookie:

Calories: 102

Fat: 3.6g

Carsb: 10.2g

Protein: 8.4g

These are so stinkin' cute and they definitely help with my oreo cravings. You could make these plain by omitting the peppermint extract.  

Also a little tid bit for you. If you would like to find out your macros, follow this link: Jen Heward Macro Calculator

Follow the prompts to enter all of your data.

You will end with a screen like this. It will tell you the number of calories, fat, carbs, and protein you should eat in a day. 

I use the app on my phone called MyFitnesspal. It is free to download. Here is a link to their website: MyFitnessPal

When you enter all of the food you eat during the day, you should be close to these macros. I will share some little tips and tricks to calculating macros later. 

Let me know if you have any specific questions I can answer regarding macros in a future post. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day! 

Later Taters

"It's a beautiful day, don't let it get away."