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Matcha Spinach Protein Bowl

I love making smoothie bowls for breakfast because they’re so versatile and tasty! They also pack a ton of nutrients and don’t make me feel heavy or gross throughout the first half of my day. I always use Vega Vegan Protein Powder as a base. I’ve tried whey based ones and my stomach does not agree with them and they are usually way too sweet.  Vega also has antioxidants and greens and no artificial additives or sweeteners, so basically it’s the best! I get the vanilla one at Costco and it’s super high quality and not too expensive. I usually use matcha and frozen bananas as well but from there the recipe varies day to day! It’s always nice to add a seed or nut on top to make them crunchy and the ginger is a nice touch.

{serves one}

      • 1 scoop Vega Vanilla Protein Powder (I usually don’t fill it up all the way because the scoops are HUUUGE)
      • 1/4 tsp matcha powder (heaping)
      • 1/4 tsp ground dried ginger
      • 1/2 frozen banana
      • 1 handful frozen spinach

to top:

  • drizzle almond butter
  • 1/4 tsp crushed hemp seeds (or chia or flax)
  •  fresh fruit (whatever you have, I used raspberries, blueberries, passionfruit and melon)
  1. blend first 5 ingredients, you may need to add a little water if it’s too dry, you can add ice or more frozen banana to thicken it up if it gets too runny
  2. pour into a bowl, top with last three ingredients

© 2018, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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The Mean Green Smoothie Bowl

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So I’ve never been too much of a smoothie lover (wild, I know) but lately I’ve been getting into experimenting with different ingredients and things. I try to find ways to pack as many nutrients into my morning smoothies and that usually (*usually) translates to a pretty tasty way to start the day!

Looking to my parent’s freezer for inspiration, I found huge amounts of frozen spinach and thought I’d go for it. Spinach is pretty interesting. It has protein, fiber and tons of vitamins. It also blends in (literally ha!) with other flavors really well.

  • 1/2 banana
  • 2 tbsp sunflower seed butter- or your nut butter of preference
  • a couple of handfuls of frozen spinach
  • 1/2 cup frozen mango
  • splash of water
  • 1 green tea bag
  • flaxseeds/ chia seeds/ blueberries or whatever goodies you want to sprinkle on top
  1. basically just blend everything together… oh yeah, cut open the tea bag and pour contents in the blender. add water as needed, break apart spinach if it’s clumpy.

© 2016, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Cardamom Coffee Cake

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This cake isn’t for the faint of heart. I have an unusual affinity for cardamom, unearthed through my addiction to Lofty Bean‘s killer cardamom lattés. If you don’t (or haven’t discovered it yet), you may want to scale down the cardamom in this recipe. It’s also not very sweet so you may want to scale up the sugar or honey. I’m not a precise baker. At all.

Don’t be put off by the chick peas. You’re probably saying what are legumes doing in your coffee cake, but they don’t have a very strong flavor and actually meld really well with earthy spices (cardamom!) or nuts (that’s for another post). That said, don’t expect a spongy, traditional coffee cake. This version is pretty dense but tasty and packed with protein.

  • 1/2 can chick peas
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut milk
  • 4 tsp cinnamon
  • 3 tsp cardamom
  • 2 cups roughly chopped walnuts (reserve 1/2 cup for streusel)
  • 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • 2 1/2 tbsp greek yogurt
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 heaping tbsp honey
  • 1 tbsp coconut sugar (or brown sugar)
  • 1 cup flour
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  1. pre-heat oven to 350°F
  2. blend chick peas until smooth in a food processor
  3. add greek yogurt, honey and coconut milk and blend until incorporated
  4. transfer to a bowl and mix in 2 tsp of cinnamon, cardamom, 1/4 cup of the shredded coconut, baking powder, flour and salt
  5. transfer the gooey mixture to a lined loaf pan
  6. bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean; meanwhile, in another small bowl mix together the other two tbsp cinnamon, 1/4 shredded coconut, sugar and 1/2 cup chopped walnuts for the streusel
  7. remove bread from oven when ready and spread the streusel over the top and continue baking for 4 minutes (keeping an eye on the walnuts so they don’t burn)

© 2015, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Pumpkin Parfait

      This time of year everything sounds better pumpkin flavored. Although I’m not a big fan of pumpkin lattes (too sweet and artificial), I am a fan of basically everything else pumpkin flavored, especially all Trader Joe’s products. The other day I went out to breakfast with friends and had the most amazing pumpkin waffles with cardamom mascarpone. It started me down the bad path of craving pumpkin treats at the breakfast hour when I’m usually my most health-conscious. This is what I came up with. This is also a great breakfast to pack for class or when you’re on the go.

      • 1/4 cup pumpkin puree
      • 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
      • 1 tbsp honey
      • 1 tsp cinnamon
      • 2 tbsp slivered almonds
    1. stir pumpkin puree and yogurt together until creamy and combined
    2. drizzle honey over the top and sprinkle cinnamon and almonds

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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œufs en Avocat

This is one of my favorite breakfasts and fairly fast and easy. Lots of protein, good fats and verrry tasty. At this time of year when avocados are plentiful, it’s especially appealing.

  • 1/2 of an avocado (preferably a large one)
  • 1 egg
  • pepper
  • salt
  • 1 sprig basil
  • 2 tsp feta cheese
  1. cut avocado in half, using the half without the seed, hollow out hole to fit an egg (depends on size of avocado and pit)
  2. fill with egg and sprinkle salt, pepper and whatever spices you feel like on top
  3. bake at 350° F for 15 minutes
  4. remove and add feta then return to oven and put under broil for 10 more minutes or until egg turns white and looks set (cooked to your liking)
  5. serve with basil, great with a good piece of bread or roasted potatoes (pictured)

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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Peach, Amaretto, Whey Summer Smoothie

After making Ricotta we had a lot of leftover whey and this was one of my experiments. Whey is full of protein so it’s a great post-workout snack.

  • 1 lg ripe peach
  • 2 shots amaretto
  • 1 cup whey water (or if you don’t have whey, sub 1 cup water and 2 tsp whey powder
  • 1/2 cup ice
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  1. blend all ingredients in a blender. done

© 2014, domenicadreamsofcalamari. All rights reserved.

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