It is meal prep time and I have some new recipes I’m trying this week. As y’all know, I’ve been on a high protein kick lately and that hasn’t really changed, but I am trying to add more fiber, omega-3’s, and slow down on some of the animal protein. I hope some of these recipes inspire you this week!

First up, breakfast. Who wants some Vegan Gluten-Free Oat Flour Waffles? Absolutely nobody! But for those of us counting macros or avoiding allergies, our hands are held high. I have had many fails in the flour-less, vegan, flax-induced, oat-based breakfast combos. Whew. And they were doozies, trust me, but Making Thyme for Health’s recipe was anything BUT a doozy. It was actually delicious. My only tip is to go ahead and fill that waffle maker up (more like 1/2 cup than 1/4 cup) when you are cooking yours. I topped mine with PB2 and a little syrup. According to my Cronometer app, one serving has 295 calories, 9g protein, 42g carbs, and 11g of fat. I’ll add some blueberries and a side of scrambled eggs/egg whites during the week to increase protein!

I even had a waffle for lunch and topped it with 1/4 cup of Wyman’s frozen blueberries and PB2 and served it with some yogurt and 1/4 of frozen blueberries: 465 calories, 26g protein, 59 carbs, and 15g of fat.

Alright, who wants Lentil Tacos??? Absolutely nobody! But, for those of us who are trying new protein options and upping our fiber counts, I guess we do? My plan is to serve this over roasted Japanese Sweet Potatoes (a new favorite of mine) and/or add them to corn tortillas. One serving (without the tortillas) provides 11.3 g of fiber with 210 calories, 15 g protein, 27g carbs, and 5g of fat.

Now for those of you asking if my family will join me in my lentil adventure this week, the answer is an emphatic NO. My kids are used to lentils because Chef Ama serves them at Jones Valley Teaching Farm’s summer camps, but I’m no Chef Ama so I’m playing it safe. To make these dishes work for both of us, I made Skinnytaste’s Easiest Salsa Verde Chicken while my lentils were cooking!

Now let’s focus on what we are all eating together: Frito Pie (yes, F-r-i-t-o-s)

Alright, who wants some Frito Pie? I’m assuming most people! I found this recipe on Spend with Pennies website and without the Fritos (don’t freak out yet because I promise I’m adding them in) and with 2% cheese, this recipe comes in at 377 calories, 29g protein, 32 g carbs, and 16g fat. I plan to add plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream to increase my protein count and crumble 5 (count them, F-I-V-E) Frito scoops on top, which adds 80 calories, 1g protein, 8g carbs, and 5g of fat (oooooof).

Who is ready for dessert? Errybody! This week, I made Alexandra’s Kitchen’s Salted Oatmeal Cookies that she found in The Washington Post. I figured we could have these cookies for dessert OR for breakfast. Though I had hoped to feature this recipe without its caloric contents, I decided to calculate them because well… it all adds up, doesn’t it? Each cookie has 226 calories, so do what you need to do to make these a reality in your life. I will also add that I got halfway through the recipe and realized my girl Alexandra measures/weighs her amounts AND asked us to let them chill for 24 hours. Your girl, Amanda, did not measure/weigh anything but did decide to let the dough chill for 24 hours despite my original exasperated sigh when I read that part (I’m only human after all).

And now for this week’s inspiration:

“Whatever you do, you need courage. Whatever course you decide upon, there is always someone to tell you that you are wrong. There are always difficulties arising that tempt you to believe your critics are right. To map out a course of action and follow it to an end requires some of the same courage that a soldier needs. Peace has its victories, but it takes brave men and women to win them.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson