“Ripped Cream” Review

How many of you guys love to start your day off with a warm mug (or two) of coffee? Or drink coffee before your workout for that extra energy? I know most of you love your a.m cup of joe but can’t get used to drinking it black, or have a hard time parting with your coffee creamer. Unfortunately, the calories from coffee creamer add up throughout the day, plus it’s fat AND sugar loaded. Many are flavored unnaturally and contain absolutely no health benefits, but yet it’s so hard to shake the nasty habit. Well well well. There’s FINALLY an answer to this nagging problem.RIPPED CREAM….get RIPPED by drinking coffee!
*All Natural
*5 grams of protein
*11 Amino Acids
*50% RDI Vitamin D3
*Gluten Free

I was lucky enough to get to review this coffee creamer and I have nothing but good things to say! For those of you that don’t have an easy time eating a lot of protein for breakfast, this “cream” is a great way to get in that extra dose in. It’s convenient, fast, and it provides immediate protein for your muscles first thing in the morning. Though it’s only 5 grams of protein per serving (2 tbs), you could consume it several times throughout the day and your daily protein consumption will easily increase. It contains 10 grams of carbs per serving as well, which I actually like because my carb intake is  lower now (because I no longer eat grains) and this is another way to get some extra energy. Even if you’re on a low carb diet, this product should not inhibit any results. Not only is it a ridiculously smart solution to so many coffee cream lovers, but it also tastes delicious. The chocolate is really subtle but gives my morning coffee the flavor of one of those Starbucks mocha-java-frapps minus the fat and sugar. Totally guilt free and it actually helps you work towards your goals. The vanilla makes a wonderful combination with my medium roast coffee because it tastes so much lighter and fresh. I absolutely love vanilla so I was SO excited to be able to drink it in the mornings!
The coffee creamer comes in a little pouch perfect for traveling or keeping it in an office desk. I was wondering what else I could put this stuff in…protein shakes? Bars? Egg whites? Protein pancakes? The possibilities are endless. Anyways, I’m so excited to have this now instead of always having to drink my coffee black! Follow @RippedCream on Twitter and check out their products here!

What did I enjoy my protein coffee creamer with this morning, you ask?

Oh you know, just a coconut pancake loaded with BACON. Well turkey bacon but it was bacon nonetheless. New coconut protein pancake recipe will be posted soon too. This may be my favourite protein pancake recipe yet and it’s grain-free and totally paleo;)

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps

Considering my diet is so rigid, I rarely branch out and make new recipes because I’m unsure of what will fit into my macros and I’m too lazy to calculate it! Not today:) Lately I’ve been craving some extra lean ground turkey and I just happened to come across an amazing looking Sesame Ginger dressing by Walden Farms that I thought would create a fantastic lettuce wrap recipe. Very competition safe!

Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps (low carb, low fat, low calorie)

Ingredients:

1 lb 99% extra lean ground turkey

1/2 c chopped onion

1/2 c chopped celery

2 garlic cloves, minced

Walden Farms Sesame Ginger dressing  (I just put it in a flavorful amount)

cilantro leaves

pepper to taste

Optional: Braggs Liquid Aminos (soy sauce substitute)

Iceberg Lettuce

Instructions:

1. Combine and mix the onions, celery, dressing and “soy sauce” in a bowl

2. Cook the ground turkey on medium heat in a skillet

3. Season the meat with your cilantro and pepper to taste

4. Combine the ingredient in the bowl with the cooked turkey and let it simmer for a few minutes until the turkey is fully cooked

5. Delicately place iceberg lettuce on a plate and layer the turkey mixture on top

This makes about 5 servings! (4 oz meat per serving)

Have y’all discovered a good way to preserve your lettuce? I found on Pinterest a method using mason jars to keep it fresh for longer periods of time so I’m going to test it out with my cute itty bitty masons:)

Hope you enjoy the recipe!

“Calorie Free” Products

Depending on the ingredients, calorie free foods can be a miracle or they can be harmful to your body. There are natural calorie free drinks that I’m sure you are all familiar with, such as coffee and tea. A fun way to stay healthy and still have something tasty would be to get some different flavored teas and coffees such as “sweet berry” or “tiramisu” which I have recently have discovered! Tea of course comes in all different flavors and can be sweetened with a natural sweetener such as Truvia or Stevia to give it an extra kick.

When it comes to diet drinks, I’m 50/50 on what to tell you. I don’t recommend getting hooked on any kind of diet soda because sodas are not good for you, period. But I’d be lying if I said they haven’t helped me get through my sweet cravings during this competition. Most diet sodas have aspartame, which is considered safe by the FDA, but as we all know there are studies that have linked aspartame to many general health problems. Having aspartame in high doses can be very bad for your health so I recommend limiting these kind of diet sodas to a minimum.

On the other hand, there are diet sodas sweetened with Stevia that can be found at your local natural grocers, or maybe even Kroger/HEB. One that I have really come to enjoy is Virgil’s Diet Cream Soda/Dr. Pepper/Root beer…so tasty! Though you can tell the difference between the flavor of this sweetener and aspartame, I think the health benefits out way the aftertaste by far. Just give it a try and see how you like it!

Another brand I have come to enjoy is Walden Farms. Walden Farms is a calorie/carb/sugar/gluten free brand that produces all your favourite toppings and condiments but without the guilt. You can find pancakes syrup, chocolate syrup, caramel and marshmallow dip, fruit jellies, mayo, balsamic vinaigrette, salad dressings, apple butter and yes, even, peanut butter.  These products are completely calorie free but how in the world, I wonder, do they make all these different products without any calories whatsoever? Chemicals. Unfortunately there is sucralose (splenda) and other artificial sweeteners used in making these products. I will eat them because my diet is 95% clean and the 5% that isn’t clean comes from the occasional diet drinks or use of this calorie free syrup to put on my protein pancakes. As long as you don’t overdo it, these products really shouldn’t hinder any of your progress. For me, they’ve actually helped me to stay on track and not give in to any cheat meals like I so often wish I could! I’m gunna go ahead and recommend you give these products a try because you’re much better off using these products than the high fat, high sugar and highly processed originals!