Weekly Recipe Roundup 07/03-07/09

Hi hi! Happy Sunday!

I’m curious, do you guys have any Sunday traditions or ways you like to spend your Sunday?

I definitely treasure my weekends, even in the summer. I still work on whatever I need to work on, but I’m a lot more lenient with myself if I don’t end up finishing something or if I choose to stay out a little later.

Yesterday I spent the whole day out with friends. In the early afternoon I grabbed lunch with one of my best friends and met one of her close friends from college. We went to The Grey Dog, which is definitely one of my favorite lunch spots in the city.

We, then, all decided we wanted dessert, so we stopped at Morgenstern’s for ice cream.

OMG! One of the best ice creams I’ve had in NYC definitely! So creamy and rich, and the flavor I got— Vietnamese coffee— was divine!

If you’re in NYC ever, definitely stop there!

After that I met up with some of my college friends and my other best friend for a few exciting games of pool (I’m so bad, you guys) and then pizza at John’s Pizza, which is one of the best in the city! (All dem NYC tips, I gotchu guys 😉 )

A great day with friends that involved absolutely no responsibilities or to-do lists. For Ms. Lists-and-always-doing-something, it was a nice change.

I’m not up to too much today, just spending time with family mostly and getting a few things done, like some meal prep and general planning for the week.

I’ve got a few mighty fine recipes for y’all today, just three this week. The Fourth of July weekend threw off my cooking/meal prep plans, like I mentioned earlier, but I still managed to make quite a few things, so let’s jump right in.

 

Four Ingredient Flourless Protein Brownies from The Big Man’s World

I can’t believe this, but this is actually the very first recipe I’ve made from Arman’s blog, even though I’ve been loving on his dessert recipes for at least a year now. I guess I have this bad habit of sticking with 2 or 3 bloggers that I really trust, and then I just have all these other great recipes chilling in my bookmarks for that one day that I want to switch things up.

Boy am I glad I finally took the plunge and made these! They’re so fudgy and melt-in-your-mouth, plus they pack a protein punch and don’t weigh you down at all, considering it’s literally just bananas, almond butter, protein powder, and cacao.

And trust me, you could fool people with these! I’d say they taste a little more like fudge than a brownie, but who doesn’t like fudge?!

What a gem! Pretty sure Arman is joining the arsenal of favorites after this 🙂

 

Mexican Chocolate Pudding Oatmeal by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

You know those recipes that you make a couple times and totally adore and then you forget about them completely only to rediscover them in like a year and be like WOAH HOW DID I FORGET THIS AWESOMENESS?

That was me with this oatmeal. It’s so. freaking. good. I absolutely love it after a morning fasted workout. The oats replenish my glycogen stores, the egg whites give my muscles the protein they’re craving, and I always add a little spoonful of peanut butter because healthy fats are never a bad idea.

Plus all the spices keep my tastebuds super excited 😉

Actually my favorite way to top these is with a spoonful of my favorite Santa Cruz dark roasted creamy peanut butter and a spoonful of raspberry jelly (only ingredients are raspberries are apple juice).

 

Zoodles with Shrimp and Tomatoes from Iowa Girl Eats

This was my first time making zoodles, and I’m a huge fan! No, it’s not going to taste like a bowl of carby pasta from your favorite Italian restaurant, but honestly, you’re eating a zucchini. Please don’t expect miracles. But when you’re fully aware that you’re eating a vegetable masquerading as pasta, you realize this is a pretty magical meal in its own right. I love the crunchy-ness, but at the same time tenderness, that the zoodles acquire after being sautéed.

I modified this recipe a bit, by simply dousing everything in marinara sauce when sautéing everything together. Genius idea because come on, when is marinara a bad idea? (Unless you’re making cake or something…) :p

 

 

 

And that’s all for this week! I’ve got a few good posts coming your way this week, so stay tuned.

 

Xoxo,

Nicole

 

Ever made zoodles? Opinions?