#PWYF Moment: Tammy's Chocolate Peanut Butter Roll Cake

(Before we get to the cake...have you entered this week's "Bariatric Foodie Season of Giving" drawing? There's Quest Bars up for grabs, people go enter!!!)

Anyhoo...I love when you guys show me what you're cooking. Doesn't even have to be from this blog. I just love to see what you're up to in the kitchen.

Incidentally this submission was inspired by one of my recipes - my Protein Pumpkin Roll cake. Tammy has made it with success and decided she wanted to try another flavor...so she went with a flavor that I personally love! (Not because I love it, mind you...that's just a bonus...)

Tammy admits her original cake came out a tad dry (hence the cracks). That was because she took out the pumpkin (obviously) leaving the cake without a good source of moisture. The recipe below compensates for that!





Tammy's Chocolate Peanut Butter Roll Cake

Ingredients:

Cake wet ingredients:

• 1/4 c. Splenda  (Tammy found the original recipe's full cup too sweet. You should play with it and determine what you think. Start out with 1/4 c. then taste the final batter. You can always add more sweetener at any stage!)
• 1/4 c. no sugar added applesauce 
• 1/4 c. Brown Sugar Twin 
• 3 tbsp Blue Bonnet Light (or I can't believe it's...yadda...yadda...) 
• 2 large eggs 
• 1 tsp vanilla extract 

Cake dry Ingredients:

• 5 scoops chocolate whey protein powder 
• 2.5 tsp baking powder 
• 1/4 tsp salt

Filling:

• 2 - 8 oz. packages Neufchatel cheese (1/3 less fat cream cheese) 1/2 c. Splenda
• 2 tbsp milk 
• 4 tbsp PB2

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

In a bowl, mix together all dry ingredients. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix together wet ingredients. Mix the dry ingredients into the wet and mix thoroughly.

Line a half cookie sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper. If using foil, spray it down with non-stick cooking spray. Pour your batter into the cookie sheet and spread it evenly over the entire cookie sheet. The batter will seem thin. This is ok!

Bake for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Watch the cake because protein baked goods cook faster than normal ones!

While cake is cooking, make icing and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Allow cake to cool completely (about 60 minutes) before turning it out onto a large sheet of plastic wrap (plastic wrap should have about 6 inches of overhang on either side).

Ice the cake with the filling and then CAREFULLY use the plastic wrap to roll the cake.

NOTE: If your cake cracks, as the above did, increase the amount of applesauce in future batches. It usually means the cake was not moist enough! The cake above was made WITHOUT the addition of the applesauce, hence the cracking.

Wrap tightly and store in refrigerator until ready to serve. When ready to serve, simply slice into pieces of desired size!

Banana-Peanut Butter Protein "Minute Pudding"

So we survived Hurricane Sandy!!! Yay!

Not that I had any doubts. But still, I'm grateful my house wasn't damaged, my electricity stayed on. I'm at home today as the mayor has asked us not to drive until crews get the roads clear.

So I thought this would be the PERFECT opportunity to share this neat recipe I've been making. I can't claim to be the inventor of this but I honestly can't remember where I saw this before. Anyhoo...whoever invented it, wherever you are, thank you!

Nik's Banana Peanut Butter Protein "Minute Pudding"
(Makes 2-4 servings, depending on your surgery age)

Ingredients:

1/2 c. cottage cheese
1 scoop Chike Banana Magic protein powder (or banana protein of your liking)
2 tbsp PB2 (powdered peanuts, 85% less calories than peanut butter!)
2-3 tbsp milk (the better your blender, the less milk you need)
No-calorie sweetener, to taste

Directions:

Put everything in your blender and mix for a full two minutes (kind of like the Triple X Method for blending shakes).

Transfer into appropriate amount of cups. Refrigerate unused portions immediately. Or share. Either way!

I won't lie. The cottage cheese taste does not magically disappear in this. But it sort of reads like cheesecake. Which, to me, is a good thing. Don't use too much sweetener though. I've been there, done that. Not a pretty scenario. If you feel so inclined, top with sugar or fat-free whipped cream and enjoy!

While I don't give full nutritional stats, I can tell you that each of MY servings (for me it's 2 servings) of this stuff have about 23g of protein. Can't be that with a stick!

Halloween Protein Shakes: Peanut Butter Cup

Have you all entered the "Trick or Chike" giveaway so you can get some WLS-friendly protein yummies for your Halloween treat pail? If not, go do it! I'll wait.

Ok then. So in conjunction with the giveaway I wanted to give you a few ideas on how you could use Chike to make some Halloween goodies! That's why as a part of the contest I asked what treats tempt you the most on Halloween. A fair amount of you said Reese's peanut butter cups (especially the pumpkin ones).

I'm here to help with TWO options:

Option #1: Nik's Peanut Butter Cup Protein Shake

Ingredients:

1 c. milk
1 scoop Chike Chocolate Bliss protein powder
1 tbsp PB2 (What's that?)
1/2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
No-calorie sweetener, to taste
Ice

Directions:

Blend according to the Triple X Method. Or not. Your choice! You could even skip the ice and make this into a rich, warm drink (here's how) Perfect for fall!

Option #2: Nik's Peanut Butter Cup Protein Frozen Pie

Yeah, why should kids have the market locked on dessert? We can have dessert too! Click here for the full recipe.

Throughout the week I'm going to be posting recipes to help get you ready for your Halloween sample pack from Chike. Remember THREE of you will win one, so be sure to enter the contest and for my Twitter folks, you can gain an extra entry every day by tweeting about the contest!

National Peanut Butter Lover's Day

Chocolate & Peanut Butter...whoever thought of putting you together was a GENIUS!



Ok, I don’t want to go on and on about this but…if you’ve not yet checked out the Mini-Caramel Cream Cakes…you MUST. Here’s a link so you can take a peek. I’ll wait…

You back? GOOD!

Ok, so this morning several of my Foodies informed me that today is National Peanut Butter Lovers Day (not to be mistaken with National Peanut Butter Day, which is January 24).

It’s a subtle distinction, I know, but to me one day is to celebrate the wonder that is peanut butter (thank you George Washington Carver!!!) and one is to celebrate being a lover of peanut butter.

So to celebrate this most auspicious occasion, I figured I’d share with you the top 5 most “unique” things I’ve tried for the love of peanut butter.

#5: My love for PB has gotten “cheesy” at times

One of my fave ways to have peanut butter is with cottage cheese (pause for obligatory face-making/”eeeeew”-ing from people who either hate cottage cheese or hate sweet cottage cheese or simply cannot fathom peanut butter and cottage cheese together).

It’s gooooooood. I simply nuke a tablespoon of peanut butter in a bowl for a minute in the microwave (that’s a good trick, btw, to making a tablespoon stretch), add my cottage cheese and Splenda and mix! Top with Fiber One and you get the recipe for a wonderful bathroom experience…er, great snack!

#4: Peanut Butter Alternatives

Sadly TJ's Peanut Flour is no more...sniff, sniff...

Peanut Butter is a source of FAT (which also happens to have a decent amount of protein so far as fat sources go). In trying to recognize that I have, at times, employed the use of peanut butter alternatives. Here’s the basic run-down.

PB2 is what happened when Bell Plantation pressed its peanuts for oil. They had all this powder left over! They put it in a jar and called it PB2. Other places might call it peanut flour. I call it a low-cal (2 tbsp = about 55 calories vs. 200 calories for 2 tbsp peanut butter) way to make my shakes, Greek yogurt and, yes, even cottage cheese, nice and peanutty!

I’ve also tried Better’n Peanut Butter, Naturally More Peanut Butter and Power PB. The first is a reduced fat PB. In general I’m not a fan of reduced fat PB. To make up for the flavor loss from removing fat, most companies add sweetener. I like the fatty/slightly salty nature of peanut butter. Naturally More and Power PB, instead of removing the fat, replace the fat. They take out a lot of the peanut oil and replace it with flax seed oil and whole flax seeds. Better for you fat, peanutty taste = I am a fan!

#3: I’ve made frosting out of it

Close your mouths...yes this is cake. It is also FULL of protein! Don't believe me? Check out the recipe for yourself!

Who could forget my Protein Banana Rum Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting!!! Or how about “Kitten’s Love Potion #9” protein frosting that I put on my Chocolate Thingamajigee Protein cupcakes?

#2: I even put it on my meat and seafood!

Now before you freak out, it made perfect sense (at the time). My Thai Waldorf salad had PB2 in it, which inspired my friend Dee to make a companion Thai Shrimp salad. I also use a peanut dip for my Thai chicken skewers that includes peanut butter. Mmmmmm!

#1: I even gave it up for Lent!

I believe for my 2nd and 3rd post-op Lent I gave up peanut butter for Lent. The point of a Lent sacrifice is to experience sacrifice. That I did. And that’s all I really have to say about that!

Nik's "Peanutella" Protein Shake

Ok, so I could post a picture with this recipe. But it wouldn't be of this shake. Why? Well I'm in the process of packing up my house (while simultaneously decorating for Christmas...how psycho is THAT???) and all my pretty glasses are packed away.

Besides, I tend to make this shake at work, thanks to these babies:

Smaller sized bottles of Davinci that I get at my local Wal-Mart (or Wally World to some of you) for less than $3. Sweet! When I do shakes at work I drink them in my purple cup. My purple cup does not lend itself to a beautiful photographic moment.

So just imagine what this shake looks like in your head and know that Bariatric Foodie does, in fact, have artistic integrity. Although this shake may LOOK like a million other chocolate shakes I've made...I will not pass off a fake photo!!! (/end melodrama)
Nik's "Peanutella" Protein Shake

8 oz. milk (whatever kind you use)
1 scoop chocolate peanut butter protein powder

- OR -

1 scoop of chocolate protein powder +
1 tbsp PB2

1 tsp good instant decaf coffee (no cheap stuff)
2-3 pumps (or one tbsp) sugar-free Hazelnut syrup

Directions:

Mix everything in a blender according to the Triple X Method. Or not. Your choice.

Add a poof of whippage (whipped cream). Or not. STILL your choice. Heck, you don't even have to drink it cold. I know some of you like it hot! (Especially you...the one sitting in the computer chair...YOU like it hot).

Have it your way!