Clean & Delicious with Dani Spies

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Cinnamon

Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins

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Protein Apple Muffin
Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins – Clean & Delicious®

Those of you that subscribe to my newsletter know that one of my goals in the new year is to get back in shape.

After having my bambinos I’ve stayed active but I’m feeling ready to kick it up a notch. My goal is to get fit and feel strong (and flexible!).

So I chose a workout plan to use as a basic blueprint for the gym, am keeping a food journal, have an accountability partner (another post!), and am experimenting with some new recipes in the kitchen.

This particular recipe was inspired by Brittany from Little B’s Healthy Habits.   (Brittany was also the inspiration for this video – which has now become a household staple around here, making their way into my protein shakes and my kids smoothies).

These muffins are high in protein and are perfect for a post-workout snack.  (I also love them in the afternoon with a cup of coffee).

This is the kind of muffin that I would refer to as fuel food – it’s like a muffin on a mission.  It’s purpose it to deliver protein and some carbs after a workout and it just so happens to taste pretty good too.

I haven’t tried yet, but I would imagine it would be pretty easy to change these up by experimenting with different fruits.  Maybe even throw in some raisins or mini chocolate chips if you were looking for a little extra sweetness (if any of you guys try a new flavor combo be sure to let me know).

One of my favorite ways to eat these is to crumble one on top of some Greek yogurt or cottage cheese.  I highly recommend giving it a try.

What are some of your favorite post workout meals?  Do you try to get some protein in after a workout?  I would love to hear all about it down below;).

Print Recipe

Apple Cinnamon Protein Muffins

Yield: 12 muffins

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1 apple, diced
  • 2 scoops vanilla protein powder (I used whey)
  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 cup of non-fat Greek yogurt
  • 2tbsp. turbinado sugar
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. baking powder
  • Pinch of kosher salt

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 350

Prepare a muffin pan by either brushing with each with a little coconut oil or spraying with some cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix well.  Once everything is combined, divide evenly amongst 12-muffins.

Bake for 18-20 minutes.  Let cool and enjoy!

Makes 12 muffins.

Nutrients per muffin - Calories: 106; Total Fat: 1.2g; Saturated Fat: 0.1g; Cholesterol: 5mg; Carbohydrate: 15.1g; Dietary Fiber: 1.6g; Sugars: 5.8; Protein: 9.1g

Walnut Crusted Wild Salmon Kissed W/ Cinnamon

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Walnut Crusted Salmon
Walnut Crusted Salmon – Clean & Delicious®

With the exception of salt, pepper, and olive oil this super-simple, crazy-flavorful meal calls for only three measly ingredients (all of which are mentioned in the recipe title)!

Yup, this one’s simple enough for a quick weeknight meal and delicious and impressive enough to serve at your next dinner party.

And nobody needs to know that along with all of the deliciousness they will be experiencing that they’ll also be getting a double dose of healthy essential omega-3 fats (the ones that we want to be adding to our daily diets!).

This was a recipe that I saw in Clean Eating Magazine (one of my fave’s) and just couldn’t pass up it’s simplistic style.

I loved the idea of adding a bit of cinnamon into the ground walnuts… it lends a subtle yet sweet and spicy flavor note that is very unexpected.  I would love to experiment with different spices as well.  I think curry powder, smoked paprika, and garam masala would all be worth a go.

I served this salmon on top of the Fennel, Parsley, and Radicchio Salad that I posted last week which made for a light yet rib sticking meal (the fat and protein from the nuts and the fish really give this meal some staying power).

This might be a great last minute meal for those of you who still don’t know what’s for dinner tonite!

Print Recipe

Walnut Crusted Wild Salmon Kissed W/ Cinnamon

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1lb Wild Salmon
  • 1/4-cup walnuts,
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Cut Salmon into 4- 4 oz portions.

Pulse walnuts and cinnamon in a food processor until you have a nice fine crumb.

Season the flesh of the salmon with salt and pepper and then pat a heaping tbsp of the walnut mixture on top of each filet to create a nice light coating.

Heat a large non-stick sauté pan over a medium high heat and brush with olive oil to coat the pan.

Place salmon, walnut side down, in the hot pan and sauté for 3 minutes.  Flip over and finish for another 2 minutes or until your salmon is just cooked through.  The time could vary a bit depending on the thickness of the filet.

Serve with your favorite salad.  Enjoy!

Serves 4.

Nutrients per 1/4th of recipe: Calories: 210; Total Fat: 12.3g; Saturated Fat: 1g; Cholesterol: 130mg; Carbohydrate: 1.2g; Dietary Fiber: 0.6; Sugars: 0.2g; Protein: 25.4g

Cinnamon Spiked Lamb and Chickpea Chili

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LAmb Chili 640 - 1Quick, easy, and always a crowd pleaser, chili can be a cooks best friend!

It’s the kind of meal you can pull together in under thirty minutes for a speedy weeknight dinner OR you can leave simmering on the stove all afternoon for a carefree, casual, get together.

And the best part is that you can take chili in a hundred and one different directions.  You can make a beef chili, veggie chili, chicken chili, or yes my friends, even a Cinnamon Spiked Lamb Chili!

This is a recipe that I ever so slightly adapted from Eating Well Magazine – I’m a huge lamb fan, so when I read the idea of using ground lamb in chili I was all in.

Lamb is a very rich (and delicious) meat with a very distinct flavor. It has a stronger flavor than beef and is often described as ‘gamey’.  People seem to either love it or hate it, and I am definitely a lover (I can’t honestly think of many foods that I could say I hate, but that would be a different story).

The catch is that is can be pretty high in fat depending on the cut you are using,  Ground lamb for instance has about 26 grams of fat (11 of which are saturated) in a 4oz serving.

But before you remove this recipe from your ‘recipes to try list’  know that this Lamb Chili has a twist!

In order to cut back on some of the fat in this chili, it is actually made with half ground lamb and half extra lean ground turkey. This way, instead of having 26 or so grams of fat, it cuts it’s down to 12.5g while maintaing all of it’s muscle maintaing protein.

As most of us know, lean ground turkey has very little flavor on it’s own so when paired with the strong and distinct flavor of ground lamb, it’s the lamb flavor that tends to shine through (which is why lamb wins it’s name in the title!).

I had some friends over the day I was testing this recipe and they were just crazy for it!  Everyone thought that the cinnamon added yet another layer of unique and distinct flavor that isn’t necessarily expected in a chili dish yet was a welcome addition.  No one could believe how quickly this meal came together (less than thirty minutes).

And as if this recipe delicious and nutritious enough, I of course, had to add one bunch of finely chopped kale just to finish it off – I mean, we gotta get our greens in, no?

Be sure you top this chili off with some fresh chopped cilantro or mint and a big fat dollop of Greek yogurt!

Print Recipe

Cinnamon Spiked Lamb and Chickpea Chili

Yield: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 bell pepper, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 8 oz ground lamb
  • 8 oz extra lean ground turkey
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 28oz can of plum tomatoes
  • 1 15oz can chickpeas, rinsed
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
  • ¼ tsp cinnamon
  • 1 bunch of kale, stemmed, and cut into thin ribbons
  • A handful of fresh chopped cilantro

Directions:

  1. Heat oil over a medium high heat in a large saucepan. Add onion, pepper, and garlic and cook for about five minutes, stirring occasionally, until the veggies begin to soften.
  2. Add the lamb, turkey, salt and pepper and cook for another five minutes or until the meat is no longer pink, being sure to break the meat up using a wooden spoon or a spatula.
  3. Add tomatoes, water, chickpeas, chili powder, cayenne pepper, and cinnamon. Bring up to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Stir in the kale and simmer 15 minutes until the tomatoes have broken down and the kale is nice and tender.
  4. Finish with fresh chopped cilantro and serve with a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt.
Nutrients per 1 1/3-cup: Calories: 294; Total Fat: 12.5g; Saturated Fat: 4.4g; Cholesterol: 46mg; Carbohydrate: 25.7g; Dietary Fiber: 5g; Sugars: 4.5g; Protein: 20.6