A Truly Healthy, Sweet and Satisfying Butternut Squash Bisque

Two weeks ago, Lou and I stopped by Panera for dinner before my fall basketball meeting.  The picture of the "Vegetarian Autumn Squash Soup" topped with pumpkin seeds over the register was so inviting, and it was cold that night so I was craving something that would warm my insides! I ordered it and shortly after, devoured it, sopping up all the leave behinds with a warm french roll. It was so delicious and extremely satisfying!

This week, I was craving it. It was chilly out every day, I was wearing plaid and pulled out my scarves and was just like "AHH IT IS FINALLY FALL!" and I wanted that friggen soup from Panera.  However, at something like $7 for 1 1/2 cups was crazy and Louis and I have a vacation coming up that we are putting money aside for so Panera just wasn't making the cut. So I started researching "butternut squash soups" and what I found was a wide variety of soups but so many were made with cream and cheese and butter and FAT! Not interested...

Then I though hmm.. Panera advertises that this soup is "vegetarian" and "healthy".. But is it?

One serving (appx 1 1/2 cups) of Panera's squash soup is 350 calories, with 18g of fat (7g of saturated fat) 1240 mg of sodium, 1g of protein and 31g of sugar! (sourced right from panera.com).

So I found a Paleo recipe, and tailored it to what I was looking for, and it basically came out to be the most delicious soup I have ever tasted. I was a little nervous about how it would taste.. Would it live up to the flavor I got at Panera?? 

Well, it did, and I recommend this to anyone looking for a warm dish with the flavors of fall but without all the fat and calories!  And if you have a crock pot, IT IS SO FRIGGEN EASY!

Here is the base recipe:

• 1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cubed.  You can use the precut stuff, just get two packages! You want 3lb (6 cups).
• 1 can of coconut milk 14oz
• 2 cups low sodium chicken stock
• 1 apple (any kind), peeled, cored and cubed
• 1 cup of carrots, chopped 
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground nutmeg

This base will get you an amazing soup, but I decided to elevate it with these amazing options:

• 1 jalapeno pepper
• 6 oz crispy bacon 

Basically, chop everything up and put into your crock pot! 

Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 5-6 hours (depends on how much time you have!).  You'll know when it is ready, it will be bubbling, the squash will be very tender and easily squished with a wooden spoon.  Every hour or so, I stirred everything around but I don't think that is totally necessary. 

Once you've determined your concoction is ready, open the lid of the crock pot and let it air out for about 10 minutes. You will be happy you did once you start blending! You don't want to burn yourself!

If you don't have an emulsion blender, let this mixture cool, then put into a blender and blend!!!
If you have an emulsion blender, have at it! I left a few chunks because Louis and I both like a little bit of texture. Yes it will look like baby food, but that's the point! It is a bisque! Not Campbell's chunky chicken noodle soup!  I actually sauteed chicken on the stovetop and chopped it up and put it on the bottom of each bowl and poured the soup on top. This added texture, and heightened the protein content which we both were looking for after working out hard a few hours earlier.

The macros for this soup are sooo much better than Panera's!!! 

 

Panera:  350 cal for 1.5 cups

Elena: 201 cal for 1.5 cups

Panera: 18g fat (7g saturated fat)

Elena: 6g fat (4g saturated fat)

Panera: 1240mg Sodium

Elena: 150mg Sodium

Panera: 1g Protein

Elena: 7g Protein

Panera: 31g Sugar

Elena: 9g Sugar 

(ALL NATURAL! from apples & squash)

 

So delicious! I added 1 strip of crispy bacon on top for garnish! Can we just revisit the thought that my macros INCLUDED BACON! Panera's did not, and they still lose!

I added some cinnamon on top too, because it is fall. And there is no limit on cinnamon.

My love thoroughly enjoyed his portion!

Yea.. GONE!

In short, Panera is no where near as healthy as it advertises.. And you can ALWAYS whip up something better for your body with just a little more effort! I threw this all together after yoga this morning, around 11am, and then forgot about it! That is the beauty of the crock pot.

So whip this up and let me know what you think! I promise you will not be disappointed, and to my friends who live far away and can't experience the actual season of fall (cough couch Nick and Marissa), make this and instantly feel transported back to the Northeast!

-Elena

3 Ingredient Protein Pancakes that Rule Over Any Other Protein Pancake Recipe

I've been on a bit of a hiatus. I purposely did not take on any dessert orders for the month of May because this month is insane for me! I just got back from vacation in Miami with my boyfriend visiting my brother which was awesome. Before that I had something to do each weekend.. this weekend is me and Louis' anniversary weekend plus Memorial Day, and next weekend my cousin gets married.. SO, I have not had any time for cooking or baking.. we've been eating a lot of salads!

Anyways I slept until 11am this morning because my body was yelling at me "you need sleeeeeep" so sleep is what I did and when I got up I was hungryyyyy! So, I whipped up these pancakes, which were just.. amazing. They are a muted banana flavor, so if you love banana these are for you. This is what my plate looks like now:

Yup.. gone. SO GOOD. So here is the recipe and I hope you create them and enjoy them! This made four little perfect pancakes for one person, at only 243 calories and 8 grams of protein.  It is the perfect dish to have when you're craving a fattening Friendly's breakfast, but know you just should NOT do that! Dont' do that!!

Start with your three ingredients (see I wasn't lying!)-- one banana, one egg, 1/4 scoop vanilla protein powder. I like baking with muscle milk, it's flavorful and there is sugar in it so it makes things sweet. I know a lot of people prefer other brands, so use what you got!

Mash your banana like so..

In a separate bowl, whisk your egg. Then add it to the mashed banana, and add your protein scoop on top.

Next, mix everything together! I added a bit of cinnamon at this stage, because I love it so much and I put it on everything. So I guess I lied when I said 3 ingredients... I used four! But this is why I love this recipe, it is a great base and you can add what you like! I suppose you could add chocolate chips at this point if you're feeling naughty!! 

Ok now add some oil to your pan. I prefer using coconut oil, but if olive oil or butter is what you have, go for it.  Then plop your batter into the pan.

Let these little babies cook for about 4 minutes on one side, until the tops start bubbling then flip.  They will be brown, but the are not burned! Remember, bananas have a lot of natural sugar, so they will caramelize and be SO YUMMY. Trust me. We're almost there.

Ok so most of the world loves maple syrup. I hate it. I prefer butter.... or brown sugar, but bad bad bad. So how do we makes these things delicious for only 40 calories more and 4 whole grams of protein!?? You make a protein glaze. 

One tablespoon protein powder goes into a bowl..

Followed by 1/2 tablespoon of almond milk. Mix, then add more milk until it reaches a glaze consistency. You don't want it watery! Think glazyyyy.

 

OH YEAAAAAA! 

 

Look at that! A delicious breakfast with only a sliver of the calories you'd get at your local breakfast joint.

Ah these were so good. Banana and vanilla and a little cinnamon and it's a great way to get my protein from egg too without having to cook eggs (ew). 

Try these and let me know what you think! You won't be sorry! Don't forget to double the recipe (2 eggs, 2 bananas, 1/2 cup protein powder) to make them for two!

For 1 serving (4 little cakes):
243 Calories, 27 Carbs, 12 Fat, 8 Protein, 71 Sodium, 14 Sugar

-Elena

Sweet Puppy Love

There is something about the presence of a dog.  You never feel alone, and though its cliche, it's true that they offer the most unconditional love.  Baxter is 6 but still runs around like a maniac puppy dog. I love him. My whole family loves him. We do crazy stuff for him like hand feed him food, or heat up left over chicken breast just for him even when no one else is eating. We walk him, take him for "bu-bye" rides, and let him romp all over the beds. He's the King, no doubt about it. I mean, how can you resist this face!?

I think my favorite aspect of having a dog is you can come home after the longest day ever, and they will greet you with such joy and happiness. Then you can leave to run an errand for 10 minutes and return, and they still greet you with the same amount of happiness, like they haven't seen you in years even though it has been minutes. A pup always gives you something to look forward to.

I came across an article on Facebook about what is really in our dog's food and it got me thinking.  I grabbed Baxter's bag of bones and looked the the ingredients... wheat, sugar, salt, chicken flavor?...and a ton of ingredients I couldn't even pronounce.  I'm not saying it's all bad, but why all the extra stuff?? So I did some research and came across a few recipes and ingredients totally safe for dogs, so I gave it a go! These were SO EASY and cheap... you have all this stuff at your cabinets at all times anyways (minus pumpkin, but easy to pick up at the store).  So here goes:

3 cups flour, 1/2 cup oats and 2 tbsp cinnamon, mixed in a bowl

Then, combine a can of pumpkin (15oz), 3 tbsp of natural peanut butter and two eggs

Mix wet with dry to form the dough. It's so stick so I had to flour my counter top first before rolling them out with my marble rolling pin.

I wish I had dog bone cookie cutters but I don't so I used candy canes--half for the holiday season coming, and half because Baxter really likes long treats he can hold on to.

I baked them for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, and done! It made about 25-30 biscuits!! And the ingredients all together cost less than $10.  They were easy and they made the kitchen smell great! The best thing is, I know with confidence that I could take a bite of them and it's all natural food that's good for my pup! You could alter the recipe and add chicken pieces, apples, sweet potato, or other "dog safe" ingredients. I wanted to make a yogurt frosting but didn't have plain, fat free yogurt on hand... maybe next time!

I thinnnkkkk they were a hit!!

So to all the dog lovers out there, give these a try! You'll save some money and make your dog very happy!

In all it was a good weekend, and I am excited to continue my cake & cake pop order for a boy's 11th birthday, details soon!!

-Elena

The Art of Balance

I wake up on Sunday mornings and the first thing I do is cook turkey burgers… nice, thick, juicy (surprisingly!) turkey burgers with garlic, basil, red pepper flakes and some feta.  I get them going on my big stationary skillet, then I boil my brown rice and in one hour I have a delicious, 310 calorie, high protein lunch for every day of the week! Meal prep at its finest!

Then I wash all those dishes, and get started on cakes.  I bake nearly 4 cakes a weekend, some to use right away and some to freeze for upcoming events.  Cherry cake made with fresh maraschino cherries… or double chocolate cake with pudding in the recipe so it comes out so moist it’s sinful…  If I have to make cake balls, or cookies, I use my weekends. It’s therapy.  Free therapy.

I’ll admit it. I am a walking contradiction.  An oxymoron.  I know it.  I count my calories, shoot for a perfect protein/carb/fat ratio diet every day, and I don’t stray from it Monday through Friday (ok maybe the occasional Reese’s PB cup but when your coworkers have jars of them on their desks it’s hard to always say no) but I eat super clean all day, and then at night I’m baking cakes and drizzling things in chocolate and filling the kitchen with the most unhealthy foods, because I love to create desserts. Do I test them? Sometimes.. but I’ve had enough cake pops to know what they taste like.  I can create all the unhealthy food my heart desires, but I don’t have to eat it. Most of it I don’t, but some if it I do…because life is about balance.

Balance. I balance well… work with play, relationships with alone time… and I balance what I need with what I want. Oh and I balance on one leg.  Sometimes I balance on my forearm, leg in the air.  I am working towards balancing on my head.   Balance, Balance, Balance. It’s everything yoga is teaching me.  I wandered into the studio last May and had no idea what I was in for, but that class sparked something inside of me that I think was always there but never surfaced. A sort of, mental being.  A voice. It has changed me.  The physical part is hard… no one enjoys pigeon.. if you were naturally born with flexible hips that can get you into a flat split, congratulations! That’s not me though.. but I am getting there.  Yes it hurts but the mental part is tougher.  To tell yourself that you are going to stay in this pose, body wobbling around, in a 95 degree room.. to tell yourself your body is strong and this will better you… to set an intention for your practice at the beginning, holding on to it for 1 ½ hours, then leaving the room and carrying that intention with you.. is exhausting.  But I am learning the balance of life through it, and I am so thankful for it.

So that is why I don’t find my lifestyle weird, despite how others view me.  Hypocritical is not the word (I’ve been called that).  I am simply balanced.  I don’t SAY I eat healthy then make a ton of desserts and chow them down.  I actually eat super healthy and stay that way until I have a stressful day and need a friggen piece of cake. Or a glass of wine. Or hell, both! And that’s ok, because you need to treat yourself.  So I will go on making beautiful little cakes filled with calories and fat, and burn just that off my body at the gym and yoga, not gaining weight, only self-enrichment and empowerment. 

-Elena