Before the macro experiment, I had not eaten an actual sandwich in about six years. Thanks to IIFYM, I have found a new passion for making all kinds of fun sandwiches! I even had my first peanut butter and jelly sandwich since I was a little kid the other day. It was so simple and so amazing!

Sooooo, I thought I would get a little crazy and mix things up a bit this week with this HEALTHY cuban sandwich recipe! Gotta give a quick shout out to my daddy-o, the cuban sandwich KING! Thanks for being my inspiration sir. ;)

HEALTHY CUBAN SANDWICHES
378 kcal -- 10F / 30C / 38P

Ingredients:
- Mojo marinade (find it in the international foods section of the grocery store)
- 3 oz boneless pork loin
- 2 oz black forest ham (..or any ham really)
- 2 oz cuban bread
- 10 g swiss cheese
- 2 tsp grey poupon mustard
- 2 length-wise pickle slices (garlic flavor is best)
- lime juice
- 0 calorie butter spray (optional)


Directions:
1. Marinate pork loin in mojo marinade overnight. Throw it on the grill the next day until it's cooked and ready to go for sandwiches. 
2. Use serrated knife to cut off the top (rounded part) of cuban bread. Then cut the rest of the bread length-wise to get two flat pieces of bread perfect for sandwiches.
3. Heat up panini press--or waffle maker if you are feeling creative.
4. Assemble sandwich with pork loin, ham, cheese, and pickles. Squirt on the mustard and lime juice on the inside of the bread (1-2 tbsp or so). Spray top and bottom of sandwich with a few squirts of 0 calorie butter spray.
5. Spray panini press/waffle maker with pam. Place sandwich on panini press/waffle maker and grill untill the bread is golden brown and the cheese is perfectly melty. Yummmmmmm.

Enjoy! :)

- C 

Ever have the urge to eat an ENTIRE cake? Well now you can.. The macros on this are freaking insane. This is the highest protein, lowest fat, and lowest carb cake I have ever seen. And it tastes SO GOOD!! Believe me have tasted some nasty protein "cakes" in my day, so I know what's legit. I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but it is a modified Super Sisters recipe by Ashley Crandall (IG@ashashfit) who gave me permission to blog it (thanks Ashley!).

[Edit 12/2/2015 - I made a YouTube video demonstrating how to make this recipe]

ANGEL FOOD PROTEIN CAKE
184 kcal -- 1F / 3C / 38P (for ENTIRE cake)

Directions:
1. Make sure eggs are at room temp. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Separate egg whites, and place all ingredients (EXCEPT for whey) in mixing bowl.
3. Mix on highest speed (I use a kitchen aid) for a few minutes until high peaks. I use the whisk beater attachment.
4. Sprinkle whey on top. Fold in gently and carefully. Do NOT over mix.
5. Place in sprayed round pan and then in oven for 20 minutes. When you take it out, let cool for a few minutes.

Place whatever toppings you'd like! Strawberries and whip cream, etc! I mixed dark chocolate dreams with some lite hershey's syrup and microwaved it for a few seconds. Pure bliss. *_* As you can see in this pic, the cake is massive and the macros (1F/3C/38P) are for the ENTIRE cake.

Now you can have your cake and eat it too. ;)

- C

I do not even remember the last time I had french toast. I must have been a little kid, before I became self-conscious about my body. That's when I started to fear all food -- french toast, pizza, chips, pancakes, hamburgers, everything! Now that I know the truth that there is NO SUCH THING as "bad" food and that food is ALL fuel for my body, I'm going to eat it all dang it!! Gotta make up for some lost time. ;) Just like my first hamburger in 10 years post from a few posts back… here goes another fear food getting p0wned! And I freaking loved every bite!

The macros are incredible, not to mention the 9 grams of fiber!!! Heck yeah!!! I have never been so excited over french toast! It took me literally five minutes to make and was the perfect pre-work out fuel for my chest/tris day this morning. I'll definitely be having this WAY more often!

PROTEIN PACKED FRENCH TOAST
211 kcal -- 2F / 27C / 27P (9g fiber!)

Directions:
1. Heat up pan on stove to medium heat and spray it with nonstick spray. 
2. Put liquid egg whites in bowl and toss a piece of bread in and flip it to soak up the egg whites.
3. Place the eggy bread on the pan and sprinkle some cinnamon and stevia on top. When that cooks, flip it and do the same to the other side.
4. Repeat this process for all of the pieces of bread.
5. Transfer to plate. Add PB2 on top, walden farms syrup, 0 calorie butter spray, and any other toppings you can dream of. I'm thinking whipped cream, oreos, reeses, m&m's… *___* once I get my carbs/fats up higher :P!!

By the way, if you need more fats in your breakfast, feel free to use real eggs with yolks instead of egg whites and put real peanut butter/almond butter on top, etc. This is just the basic recipe! Enjoy!

- C 

This is one of my FAVORITE recipes that I eat at least once a week. It sounds complicated but it's SO quick and easy to make! And it's absolutely DELICIOUS! And of course, you can sub zucchini noodles for Shirataki 0 calorie noodles or actual pasta if you are one of the lucky people who can eat tons of carbs. I am not one of those people (yet) so I am always making huge batches of zucchini noodles. All you need is a spiralizer, which is craaaazy easy to use even though it looks difficult. You get a HUGE bowl of zucchini noodles (180g) for only 29 calories. Whaaaat?!?! Check out the macros on this recipe! *_*

ZUCCHINI PASTA PAD THAI
224 kcal -- 3F / 12C / 39P

Ingredients:
- 180g spiralized zucchini
- garlic powder, salt, pepper
- 2 tbsp (12g) PB2
- 1-2 tbsp bragg's liquid aminos 
- lime juice
- 5 oz grilled chicken breast







Directions:
1. Heat up pan on stove to medium heat and spray it with nonstick spray. 
2. Put in 1-2 tbsp bragg's liquid aminos and zucchini noodles.
3. Cook zucchini noodles to desired consistency. I like mine between crunchy and soft, kind of in the middle. Add a dash of garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
4. Shred up the chicken and throw that in the pan when the zucchini is almost done, to warm up the chicken and absorb the flavors.
5. Transfer to bowl. Add a couple squirts of lime juice and top with PB2. Enjoy!!

- C 

I think this is my new favorite recipe. EVER. FOREVER.

SWEET POTATO PROTEIN PANCAKES
309 kcal -- 8F / 24C / 35P 

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop (36g) vanilla protein powder
- 2 tbsp (14g) coconut flour
- 3 tbsp (46g) egg whites
- a dash of baking powder (about 1/2 tsp)
- a dash of cinnamon
- 42g baked sweet potato (I used Bruce's brand)
- water to desired consistency (I like mine fluffy so I don't use a lot)
- Edy's cinnamon bun 1/2 fat ice cream (optional but amazeballs)




Directions:
1. Heat up pan on stove to medium heat and spray it with nonstick spray. 
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for the water and ice cream. Add water to desired consistency and stir in.
3. Pour on batter to desired pancake size. Flip when ready. Repeat until all batter is gone.
4. When the pancakes are done, top with a little bit of ice cream, 0 calorie butter spray, and of course walden farms pancake syrup. With this recipe, you don't necessarily need pancake syrup because its so ridiculously good even by itself! 

These can also be made as waffles! Just pour same batter recipe into a waffle maker instead. 
I swear I think this is what manna from heaven tastes like. SO ENJOY! <3

- C

NEWSFLASH. The new Cellucor Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavor is BOMB. NO, I am not sponsored by them. I just love their product. Skrait up magically delicious! So of course I had to make protein waffles out of it! When I first started IIFYM, I was really into making protein pancakes… until I got a waffle maker and my life was changed forever--so much quicker, so much easier… I mean they are pancakes, but with abs! ;)

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH PROTEIN WAFFLES
204 kcal -- 4F / 10C / 31P (<--dose macros doe!! *__*)

Ingredients:
- 1 scoop (35g) cellucor chocolate chip cookie dough protein powder
- 1 tbsp (7g) coconut flour
- 3 tbsp (46g) egg whites
- a dash of baking powder (about 1/2 tsp)
- dark chocolate chips (I used 4g and chopped them into smaller pieces)
- stevia to taste
- water to desired consistency (I like mine fluffy so I don't use a lot)

Directions:
1. Heat up waffle maker.
2. Mix all ingredients in a bowl except for the water and the chocolate chips. Add water to desired consistency.
3. SPRAY waffle maker and pour in batter. I usually get two waffles out of this recipe (1 big and 1 small).
4. When the waffles are done, top with chocolate chips and enjoy! I also add 0 calorie butter spray, walden farms chocolate syrup, and walden farms pancake syrup. If you haven't tried these products… DO IT. NOW. You're welcome. :)

- C

O. Mah. Gah. All I can say is a picture is worth a thousand words.

PROTEIN PIZZA
274 kcal -- 10F / 19C / 23P

Ingredients:
- 1 low carb tortilla wrap (I used Ole Extreme Wellness brand)
- 15 slices low fat turkey pepperoni
- 1/5 cup low cal pasta sauce (I used Simple Truth brand)
- 1/4 cup low fat mozzarella cheese








Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Grease a baking pan and put wrap on it. Top with sauce, cheese, pepperoni, and any other ingredients you desire (veggies, onions, pineapple, ham, whatever! This recipe is totally modifiable).
3. Put in oven for 8-10 minutes. Keep an eye on it and when everything is all melted and "crust" is cripsy to your desired crispiness, take it out and EAT!

Soooooooo freaking gooooooooood. <3

- C

If you are anything like me, guilt and anxiety have both always been in some way tied to food. Good food, bad food, clean food, dirty food. But what if we could see food for what it REALLY is -- sustenance, nutrition, nourishment that we need for our bodies to function properly. It is a gift from God! Seriously, what if God never created humans to eat food? Would that not suck? FOOD IS ALL SO GOOD! I know that sounds totally obvious and dumb, but I never honestly believed that statement 100%. This new mentality and nutrition "training" that IIFYM is giving me is revolutionizing my life. I never have to feel guilty for eating anything! In fact, I'll be enjoying a guilt-free cup of my favorite ice cream tonight (cookies n' cream)! :) I love flexible dieting!

All that to say, I have a new hobby! COOKING HEALTHY VERSIONS OF "BAD" FOODS! So I'll be posting those recipes on this little blog, macros included. Here's a little something I whipped up last night… to *die* for. Give it a try!

HEALTHY PHILLY CHEESE STEAK WRAPS
283 kcal -- 8F / 20C / 28P

Ingredients:
- 1 low carb tortilla wrap (I used Ole Extreme Wellness brand)
- 3 oz thin sliced beef steaks
- 30 g red bell pepper
- 59 g white onion
- 20 g lowfat mozzarella cheese shredded






Directions:
1. In a pan, start cooking the peppers and onions on a stovetop on medium high for a few minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Stir frequently. Bring the temperature down to medium low once they really start cooking and keep an eye on them. You are aiming to caramelize the onions.
2. To prepare steaks, first pat them dry with paper towels. Season them with desired seasonings (I used Famous Dave's Steak & Burger Seasoning -- best seasoning ever). Put them all on a plate and pop them in the freezer (until they get just slightly frozen on the edges). (If you are interested in why you should slightly freeze them first, click here.)
3. Fire up the grill to about 600 degrees then put the steaks on. It's best to do just a few at a time. They take about 30 seconds to cook. Flip over steaks and cover grill for a few more seconds until done. Another option is to cook the steak on the stovetop.
4. Assemble wraps with meat, cheese, and veggies. Place in a George Forman grill or the microwave for a few seconds until everything melts perfectly together.

ENJOY! <3

- C