Saturday, November 3, 2012

Chocolate Avocado Pudding




Nutritional Info – serves two.
per serving (1/2 of the recipe):
Calories: 244   Fats: 16g   Protein: 13.5g   Net Carbs: (carbohydrates minus dietary fibre): 12.5g   Dietary Fibre: 9g   Total Carbs: 21.5g   Sugar: 1g  

Avocados are so under-rated! Their thick and creamy texture works really well within dessert recipes. This pudding is smooth, velvety & sweet while being ‘choc’ full of healthy fats & protein.

You can also use this recipe for chocolate icing, in replace of Nutella or as the chocolate dipping sauce for fruit fondue.

The carb content in this recipe is higher than my usual posts, but keep in mind that these carbohydrates are low GI (slow released energy) and most importantly the substantial healthy fat content in this meal blunts/slows the insulin spike response. A large insulin spike response (triggered by simple, high GI carbs) is responsible for fat storage which is what we ‘low carb timers’ are ultimately avoiding along with the excess, & often nutritionally lacking, calories that are contained within large amounts of carbohydrates. The moral of that little spiel is that this pudding is perfectly balanced and the carbohydrates within this meal are not to be feared. To read more about insulin and fat storage.

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1 ripe avocado
¼ cup – protein powder, chocolate or vanilla flavor works really well.
¼ cup – cocoa powder
¼ cup – light coconut milk. Any other milk will work well in this recipe.
1 tsp. – vanilla extract
2 heaped tsp. – Xylitol or preferred sweetener. Adjust sweetener according to taste, it will also depend on how sweet your protein powder is.

Place all of the ingredients in a food processor and process for 30 seconds to 1 minute, stopping a couple of times to scrape any mixture down from the sides. 


 
Done. It’s that easy! I then place my pudding in the freezer for five minutes to thicken the mixture to my liking. This will be easier said than done depending on your patience.


Top with chopped nuts or slivered almonds - a sprinkling of sea salt is also amazing if you’re a fan of the sweet & salty combo. (As pictured below) I drizzled the pudding over a batch of  World's Easiest Protein Powder Crepes and topped with raspberries and toasted shredded coconut.
 


Original creation.
 

Friday, October 19, 2012

Chicken Breast topped with Grilled Cheese & Avocado



 
Nutritional info – serves two.
per serving (1/2 of the recipe):
Calories: 276   Fats: 11g   Protein: 43g   Net Carbs (carbohydrates minus dietary fibre): 1g   Dietary Fibre: 2g   Total Carbs: 3g   Sugar: 0g  


A healthy, simple and really tasty way to enjoy chicken while complimenting lean protein with healthy fats. My diet includes quite a lot of chicken so I love finding new ways to keep it interesting, this dish is really easy to prepare and it only contains 3g of carbohydrates per serve.

- If you are unfamiliar with the term: ‘butterfly’, Google it for quick ‘how to’ videos and explanations.


 
1x - large skinless chicken breast (mine weighed 300g after it was cleaned & trimmed)
60g - avocado
50g / 4 slices – low fat/calorie cheese (I used Bega ‘So Extra Light Tasty’)
1 - tsp. sea salt
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Preheat the oven to 180°C and prepare a greased oven tray. 

Butterfly the chicken and even it out with a mallet if necessary, divide into two pieces. Rub the sea salt onto the chicken.

Lightly grease a frying pan and set the heat to medium and cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side. 


Place the chicken onto the prepared oven tray and bake for 7 to 10 minutes.When the chicken is cooked remove the tray from the oven and switch the oven setting to grill.
Spread the avocado slices on top of the chicken followed by two slices of cheese for each piece.


Grill for 3 – 5 minutes or when the cheese has melted to your liking.


Friday, October 12, 2012

'Rice Less' Tuna & Avocado Sushi!




Nutritional info - serves one.
Calories: 194   Fats: 10g   Protein: 22g   Net Carbs (carbohydrates minus dietary fibre): 3g   Dietary Fibre: 4g   Total Carbs: 7g    Sugar: 1g   

Rice less sushi! Having never made real sushi before these were surprisingly really easy to make, taking no longer than 5 minutes to put together. Having one of these tuna rolls for lunch or a snack is the ultimate healthy choice; they’re packed full of protein, good fats and contain very little carbohydrates. I’ve been having fun over the last week experimenting with a few different rice less sushi versions; grilled chicken & sweet potato, baked fish & broccoli, and even garlic prawns and spinach, basically if it’s looked ‘wrap-able’, I’ve wrapped it! 


1 can (75g drained weight) - tuna in spring water, drained very well.
1 – Obento yaki nori sheet (seaweed sheet for sushi, available in the Asian section of your supermarket)
½ cup – cucumber, sliced, or cut into matchsticks
60g - avocado

Lay out one seaweed sheet (shiny side down) on a clean cutting board or bench. Dampen some paper towel with water and lightly rub it over the sheet – this will make the sheets soft and easy to roll.

Spread the avocado onto the sheet, leaving a 3cm border on the opposite side to you. Layer the ingredients.
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Lightly dab the bare border with paper towel – this will help the roll stick together. Gently, with your fingers focusing on the outside edges and your thumbs together in the middle, roll the sushi away from you towards the center, rolling the mixture over and tightly fastening it.


 Enjoy as a roll or slice into pieces, i found using a serrated knife and dipping it into water between each slice was the easiest way to cut cleanly through the seaweed.


Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Chicken & Guacamole Lettuce Wraps




 
Nutritional info - serves one.
Calories: 234   Fats: 11g   Protein: 25g   Net Carbs (carbohydrates minus dietary fibre): 7g   Dietary Fibre: 6g   Total Carbs: 13g    Sugar: 4g  

Lettuce wraps are super easy to make and you can fill them with just about anything. I regularly use the whole leaves (without slicing & rolling as I have in this recipe) as a substitute for wrap bread and fill them with my usual favourites; egg salad, grilled fish & avocado, tuna & four bean mix, LSA Chicken Bites.. and this chicken & avocado combo is a yummy weekly regular.
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100g – skinless chicken breast, cooked & cut into 3cm thick strips*
½ cup – cucumber slices
1 – medium sized tomato, sliced
3 - lettuce leaves
Guacamole:
70g – avocado
The juice from ½ of a lemon
Pinch of salt & pepper

*I brown my chicken in a very lightly greased pan & then add about ¼ - ½ cup of water & pop the lid on to cook them through, every now and again I will add another dash of water when it has evaporated.

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Guacamole:
Combine all of the guacamole ingredients and mash together with a folk.
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Make incisions around the stalk of the lettuce to help gently remove a few of the outer layers, keeping them intact.
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Cut and divide the lettuce leaves into three pieces (or you could divide them into 5 – 6 pieces & make mini lettuce rolls)
Layer the ingredients and top with a generous spoonful of guacamole.
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 Enjoy.