Breakfast: I love cherry season! Mmmm this protein packed smoothie was a great way to start the day.
Shelly's Black Cherry Cottage Smoothie1 cup Vanilla Soy Milk (you can use any milk)
1/2 cup Frozen Pitted Cherries
1 scoop Strawberry Protein Powder (20% off discount code info)
1/4 cup Cottage Cheese (I used storebought Pineapple Cottage Cheese)
1 Tablespoon Sugar Free Black Cherry Torani Syrup
Whiz in blender till smooth. I swear, you will NEVER guess cottage cheese is in there. Top with Sugar Free Land o Lakes Whipped Cream, optional.
FYI: If you ever can't finish your protein shake I toss any leftover in these and make protein popsicles.
Lunch: If you love Falafel (Middle Eastern) or Panelle (Sicily) you'll love these. You could serve them with the traditional Tahini sauce or my lower fat, higher protein Feta Yogurt Dip. My vegetarian friends will love this one. Ummm so yeah, note to my veggie friends reading: you might not want to read past lunch ;)
Shelly's Mini Chickpea Sliders1 can (15 oz.) Chickpeas, rinsed & drained
1/4 cup any Creamy Salad Dressing (I used Vidalia Onion Vinaigrette, creamy Italian or Caesar would be great too)
1 cup Shredded Carrot
1/3 cup Almond Meal*
1/4 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt
a few twists of Black Pepper
Whiz chickpeas and dressing in a mini food processor till smooth-ish.
Spoon into bowl. Mix in remaining ingredients. *Almond Meal is just finely ground almonds (storebought or you could do it yourself in a coffee grinder) FYI: Almond Flour is the same thing just using blanched almonds.
Shape into 12 small patties "slider" size and place on a non-stick baking sheet that has been sprayed with Pam.
Bake at 375 for 16 minutes. Flipping once halfway through baking time.
Serve with Feta Yogurt Dip.
Shelly's Feta Yogurt Dip3 oz. Fage Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
2 Tablespoon Feta Cheese
a few twists of Black Pepper
Whiz ingredients in a mini food processor till smooth.
Dinner: Why is it everything tastes better wrapped in bacon? I grilled up a batch of Moink Balls (Moink = Moo "Meatballs" + Oink "Bacon") A BBQ outfit in my area makes these little suckers and I decided to try my own version at home. Verdict: Yum! I used the real deal pork bacon but you could do it with turkey bacon (lower fat), I trim any huge areas of fat and a lot of the fat drips away as it is BBQing. You only use 1/2 a piece for each cocktail size meatball. I ate 3 and was full. 3 Moink balls = 1 1/2 pieces of bacon = works for me.
Shelly's Moink BallsFrozen Meatballs, Pre-cooked, storebought, cocktail size, slightly thawed
Bacon, sliced in half
BBQ Steak Seasoning (watch for sugar content)
Sugar Free Apricot Jam
Wrap each thawed meatball with a 1/2 slice of bacon. Thread onto a metal skewer and dust with BBQ seasoning. BBQ till bacon is cooked, flipping once.
Near the last few minutes baste with SF Apricot Jam. 
I removed them from the large metal skewers and threaded them on little food picks for serving. I served them with grilled zucchini.Snacks: Too much coffee as usual and an Apple PB&J sandwich - my bread-less ('cause that's how I roll) version of a PB&J sandwich. Peanut Butter & SF Strawberry Jam smeared on an apple slice. You can make them open faced or I top them with another apple slice.
It was a yummy day. Hope yours was too.
