Cinnamon Raisin Protein Cookies

Sometimes, an accident can occur where you just do something and it ends up beyond your wildest dreams, and these cookies are such an accident. It all started back when I was little; (don’t worry—it’s not a long story) my mom used to buy me these cookies that were amazing. Not too sweet but sweet enough, and they had raisins in them. They were super-thin and rectangular with scalloped edges. Nothing too fancy, they just had a wholesome and yummy flavor & texture.

Just out of high school and in search of some comfort food, those cookies came to mind. I could not find them anywhere. Year after year I looked and looked for them but to no avail. Last week I set my mind to developing a recipe for some cookies not intending for those exact cookies, but Viola—there they were! They were, of course, a different shape, but they tasted exactly the same! The search is finally over! 

Note that I haven’t named them protein cookies. Unlike many supermarket protein bars, if something has less than 7 grams of protein, I will not call it a protein anything. Once, a friend and I were shopping and saw a popular cereal use the word “protein’ on the label, and before adding the milk, it had less than 2 grams of protein! It has been the brunt of many food jokes since then. When I label something “protein this or protein that”, it will have at least 7 grams if it’s a small thing like an ice pop, but ideally for a larger thing it should have 20+ grams of protein.

These cinnamon raising protein cookies have some protein, but they also have lots of yummy carbs so they are ideal to eat after a workout! I ate a few too many, (which translates loosely to all of them except for one) last week, but I was just trying to make up for the years I lived without them! I hope you enjoy this fun little recipe. 

Ingredients:

Directions:

Prepare the oatmeal as the directions on your oatmeal say to prepare them (this is what the water is for). Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Into the prepared oatmeal, mix in 2 tbsp. of the sweetener, the coconut oil and everything else BUT the raisins and the egg. Taste it, if it’s not sweet enough add another tablespoon of sweetener. Once it tastes the way you want, add the egg, mix well, and then fold in one of the boxes of raisins. Line the cookie sheets with parchment paper and spoon out 12 circles of the mixture, adding the raisins from the second box to the cookies.

The cookies will run into each other if you don’t leave them with a couple of inches between them. Bake for 20 minutes and shut off the oven. Leave them in there for an hour to properly dehydrate and you can store them in the refrigerator and throw them in your gym or work bag for a satisfying snack! I can’t tell you how long they last because they have not had the opportunity to sit for any length of time with me around! 

Nutrition:

Calories – 68
Fat – 3 g
Carbs – 6.69 g
Protein – 3.37 g
Fiber: .5 g
Sugars: 3.52 g

Shamrock Shake

  • Yield: 1 serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 10 minutes

On March 17th, everyone is Irish no matter what their country of origin! If you can’t party because of your diet, this delicious Shamrock Shake will allow you to join in the festivities without trashing your fitness goals. You can now politely pass up the green hamburger on the green bun, the green beer, and all of the other guilt-riddled green things in favor of something that tastes just as good (and is just as green)—a mouthwatering green protein shake!

If you are battening down the hatches and going after your goals really hard right now with a strict diet, leave off the whipped cream and sprinkles. One trusted brand does make a sugar-free whipped cream that I have yet to try (but, it may be an option for you). When your diet calls for more carbs than I’ve included in my shake, feel free to add a scoop of neutral-flavored Karbolyn.

You can get sugar-free Irish Cream flavoring syrup at specialty stores or online. If you wish to use regular Irish Cream coffee flavoring, just beware it may have some pesky calories or corn syrup. There are a few great-looking recipes online to make your own sugar-free Irish cream, but I’m going to spare you the effort and do it the easy way by just using the ready-made store-bought syrup. You can color the shake one of two ways: I used regular food coloring bought from the baking section in the supermarket. If you don’t want to use regular food coloring, you can find organic food coloring online or at a health food store, or you can use spinach leaves. Spinach leaves are nice because they don’t have too much flavor but are packed with color and vitamins.

Ingredients:

  • 1 serving of any kind of EFX Sports Training Ground protein, it’s all good! (I used Protein 6)
  • Food coloring of choice: beware—spinach adds a whopping 10-20 calories! (Don’t worry, it’s mostly fiber)
  • Irish cream sugar-free syrup 1 tray of Ice cubes
  • Neutral flavored Karbolyn, if desired
  • 1 cup of liquid of choice (I use water, but you can also use unsweetened almond milk, it adds 30 calories)
  • Whipped cream, if desired
  • Green sprinkles—they have actual Shamrock sprinkles at art supply stores (also optional)
  • 1 packet of stevia sweetener

Directions:

Put everything in the blender. All flavoring syrups are different, so you may want to err on the ‘less is more’ side at first and only use a little. Blend and taste. Then, add more until it tastes the way you want. If you are using green food coloring, it may take a few squirts to get the desired level of ‘greenness’. If you are using spinach leaves to color your shake, let the shake settle before pouring it into a cup so you don’t get ‘leaf chunks’ in your last sip. Ick! Pouring it through a strainer will help too. Top with whipped cream and sprinkles if desired. May you experience the luck of the Irish and find yourself some sweet muscle gains at the end of the rainbow!

Nutrition:

Regular (without toppings):

130 calories
1g fat
2g carbs
26g protein

With Karbolyn:
330 calories
1g fat
52g carbs
26g protein

Strawberry Mango Protein Shake

  • Yield: 1 serving
  • Difficulty: Easy
  • Time: 10 minutes

As summer draws to a close, you will want to take advantage of the season’s last really good fresh strawberries. Since mangoes are grown in tropical climates, they are available most of the year. The combination of the tartness of the strawberries, the sweet creaminess of the mangoes, and vanilla is a wonderful tropical taste that will keep a few breaths left in summer!

Strawberries are low glycemic index berries packed with vitamin C, fiber, folate, anthocyanins, and a whole host of other antioxidants and bioflavonoids. A study published in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry deduced that anthocyanins are also potent fat burners. Animals fed a high-fat diet along with anthocyanins gained 24% less weight than animals that were not fed these nutrients. They also have the power to boost short-term memory by 100% in only eight weeks, so remember to eat up! Oh, that reminds me…I have to stop at the store later!

Along with strawberries, mangoes have fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, carotenoids, potassium, and fiber. They contribute to helping prevent cancer and enhancing eye health. What’s not to love?

Ingredients:

  • 1 scoop EFX Sports vanilla Pure Whey
  • 1 mango, chopped
  • 5 strawberries
  • ¾ cup of unsweetened cashew or almond milk
  • A few ice cubes
  • 1 tbsp. unsweetened coconut flakes for topping (optional)

Directions:

Take the leafy tops off the strawberries and chop them in half. Throw them in the blender with the cashew milk and EFX Sports Pure Whey. Blend for a minute, and then leave it in the blender. Chop the mango into 3 pieces long ways; the pit will be in the middle slice.

Take slices from the sides and make cuts (not all the way through the skin) in one direction, then the other, making a checkerboard. Pop it inside out and slice off the cubes, then drop them in the blender. Do this for both sides. For the middle slice, lay it flat and cut around the pit, then slice the skin off. Throw the usable stuff in the blender, along with the ice. Blend, then pour into a glass, and top it off with a pinch of coconut flakes, and toast your good health!

Nutrition:

Calories: 373
Protein: 25.5 g
Fat: 8.52 g
Carbs: 46.7
Fiber: 5.3 g