Caffeinated Maple Milkshake

Last summer, I made Chocolate Covered Katie’s “Healthy Starbucks Frappuccino” recipe. I’ll admit – I’ve never actually had a Starbucks Frappuccino, but when I made her recipe with cocoa powder, it tasted exactly like an Iced Capp from Tim Hortons.

Now I know that you might not want to think about icy drinks in the winter, but the weather has been slightly more bearable over these past few days (or…was, at least!). More importantly, I’m a believer in the power of positive thinking – maybe if we start to make icy summer drinks, the summer weather will follow! If not, we will just be very cold when sipping our frozen fun!

In any case, this recipe adapts Chocolate Covered Katie’s original recipe to give it a little maple-banana twist. It’s super easy to make and it’s a tasty treat – regardless of the weather outside!

Caffeinated Maple Milkshake (adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie’s recipe)

Serves 1

1 cup unsweetened vanilla almond milk (plus more for mixing after you remove from freezer)

½ tsp pure vanilla extract

1-2 tsp instant coffee granules

Pinch salt

2 stevia packets (or sweetener equivalent to about 4 tsp)

2 tsp pure maple syrup

½ tsp cinnamon

1 frozen banana, cut into chunks/coins

Combine all ingredients except for banana in a small bowl and mix well. Transfer mixture to an ice cube tray (for ease of blending) and put the tray in the freezer for at least a few hours. Once the mixture is frozen, remove the tray from the freezer and add the frozen mixture into a blender or small food processor. Add the frozen banana and blend. Add a bit of extra milk (or even yogurt) to make the mixture more slush-like. Pour into a glass and enjoy.

Cheers!

Andie & Erica

Egg White Oatmeal

When I first heard of oatmeal made with egg whites, I’ll be honest – I thought it sounded kind of gross. I may be a fan of savoury oatmeal, but the thought of putting eggs in my oats and then adding cinnamon and sweetener just seemed a bit…weird. However, after encountering the recipe on a few different blogs over the past few months, I decided that I needed to overcome my irrational fears and embark on a new Fit Foodie adventure. The results? Delicious. Very delicious!

I made my egg white oats in the microwave, and the only difference in cooking was that I took the oats out halfway through to stir in the egg whites, as per this blogger’s instructions. The egg whites have this magical property of expanding your bowl of oats by a lot. The result is a big, fluffy bowl of oatmeal goodness that’s actually made with 1/3 cup of oats instead of the standard ½ cup – although it looks like much more!

You might be wondering about the flavour at this point. Certainly if you eat your egg white oats plain, you can taste the “egginess”. However, you can add lots of add-ins that will mostly mask the flavour, and when combined with sweetener (especially maple syrup) the oats taste just like French toast in a bowl!

Using egg whites in your oats is a great way to add protein to your snack (with 7 grams of protein for every two egg whites), give you a unique spin on a traditional breakfast, and keep you filled up for longer. This method is a must-try for any oatmeal enthusiast!

Fabulous Egg White Oatmeal (adapted from this recipe)

1/3 cup quick oats

2/3 cup water

2 egg whites (1/4 cup, if using egg whites from a carton)

½ tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp cinnamon

¼ cup unsweetened applesauce or ½ mashed banana

Sweetener, to taste (such as powdered stevia or maple syrup)

Raisins and sliced banana (optional, for topping)

Add the oats and water to a microwave-safe bowl, and microwave for 90 seconds. Remove from the microwave and add the egg whites; whisk vigorously with a fork or a spoon until the egg is evenly distributed and the oats look frothy and fluffy. Return to the microwave for 60-90 seconds.

After 90 seconds of cooking, but prior to adding the egg whites

After adding the egg whites, prior to the second cooking time

Once the oats are cooked, add the remaining ingredients form vanilla extract through optional raisins. At this point, I like to put my oats in the refrigerator to allow them to thicken via the “overnight oats” method – but you can also eat them hot!

Top with Greek yogurt for an extra protein boost!

Enjoy your egg-cellent oatmeal bowl!

Andie & Erica