My WA Trip

Here are some pics from my vacation to Washington State last week. I had a blast and surprisingly didn't gain any weight!! And let me tell you I wasn't being health conscious!!

My daddy and me on the docks in Seattle:
The view of the Space Needle from my room! I SUPER loved my room!

The city view from my room, idk why the Space Needle looks so much smaller and further away in this pic...but it's still beautiful!

Repping the Diamond Backs (Arizona) even though I'm a die hard SeaHawks fan :)

My room service came with a daisy and I decided that it would look better in my hair than on my plate :) lol...hey, everyone needs vanity shots ;)

I'll post more later...I'm super tired and have to upload them still.

Also...I have some BIG news coming up...but I'm waiting for a few more things to be confirmed before I announce it...but just be aware...it's coming!!

Protein Donut Holes!!!

Protein Donut Holes (I got off an OH posting, but have seen on other sites too)

oil (I used olive oil)

1 large egg
1/4 cup melted butter
2 TBS splenda (or 2 packs/tubes of Stevia- I use Purevia)
1 tsp vanilla
1 scoop vanilla protein powder

splenda/stevia
cinnamon

Start heating about 1 inch of oil in a frying pan over MEDIUM heat. If your oil is too hot then when you drop your batter in it...this is what happens:



The batter will just spread and not maintain a "ball" form and will burn the second it hits the oil...no bueno.

While the oil is heating, beat the egg and butter lightly. Add the splenda/stevia, vanilla, and protein powder, beat well, and then let sit for a minute. Then beat again until the lumps are gone. Using a tablespoon drop (don't drizzle) the batter into the oil in small batches. BE CAREFUL! Also have ALL of your "tools" on hand because you will need to flip them almost immediately to prevent burning...flip when they start to brown. After the other side is browned, remove from oil, drain, and sprinkle with the cinnamon and splenda/stevia. As you can see below, I sprinkled mine w/powdered sugar. I understand that doing so negates the sugar free aspect, but that's just what I was feeling tonight.

A few other people who have tried this said that they get more of a round, real donut hole shape by spooning the batter into a baggy and snipping the end to "glop" out balls of batter instead of spooning it in. I didn't try that, but go for it :)

Also...if you're finding that your batter is still spreading too much when you plop it in the oil, add another 1/2 scoop of protein powder to thicken the batter up a bit. I had to do this and it worked perfectly!

Since this is fried...this should be a "sometimes" snack...but hey, when you are craving something fried and sweet...this gives you a nice protein punch and doesn't have any flour :)

Toasty Oat Protein Balls

Shelly's Toasty Oat Protein Balls (click here for the original recipe and posting from EggFace)

1 cup oatmeal (I use steel cut, it's a different texture but the same thing)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (I actually found this by the regular coconut!)
1/4 cup peanut butter (you all know I use the freshly ground stuff)
1/4 cup Vanilla Sugar Free Torani syrup
1/4 cup chocolate protein powder
a hand full of sliced almonds

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Spread the oats, coconut, and almonds over a baking sheet and place in the oven. Toast for about 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned, stirring occasionally.

Mix peanut butter and SF Torani syrup until well combined. Add in the toasted oats/coconut/almonds to the mix and then add the protein powder. Stir until well blended.
If your mixture is loose/a little on the soft/runny side then add a but more coconut or almonds. If your mixture is too stiff/dry then add a little more syrup.
Shape into 18-20 cocktail meatball size balls.

Refrigerate for a few hours before serving. They are great in the fridge for a few days.

I have been really loving popping one of these into my mouth when I'm craving something sweet or need a little protein boost. I haven't tried it yet, but I think these would be super yummy with some sugar free chocolate to drizzle on or dip these in.

Other variations instead of the almonds, or in addition to...could be:

*raisins

*SF chocolate chips

*minced apple (ooooh yumm!)

*other kinds of nuts

*dried fruits

SWEET TOOTH!!

I'm having a major sweet tooth tonight! I have 3 recipes that have just been sitting here patiently waiting for me to try them...so I am in the process.

Just had to share how funny Google is :) I usually LOVE how it corrects me. If I type in "orange high hells" my Google will politely suggest "Did you mean, orange high heels?" and I'll say "Yes Google, as a matter of fact I did!"

In tonight's quest for a Stevia conversion rate for one of the recipes you will be seeing in a bit, I typed in "if a recipe calls for splenda, how much stevia do I use?" and Google (poor, naive google) suggested "Did you mean, if a recipe calls for splend, how much saliva do I use?" LOL...no, not this time Google. Maybe next time I need to whip up a batch of saliva cookies I'll come running back to you.