Welcome to the Lover’s Survival Guide, where you’ll find some of my favorite macro friendly chocolate recipes. If you’re wondering about what macro friendly even means, I’d summarize it as making food with lower ​ calories from carbs and fat and emphasizing calories from protein. But why do that? Is protein magical?

None of the macronutrients are magical, but protein is usually more difficult to incorporate into the diet. Carbs and fats are readily available and dirt cheap. Just look at a box of Oreos or ramen noodles.

Not to mention, eating more protein is great for body composition for its high energy cost during digestion and absorption. To simplify, fewer calories will be absorbed from protein than other macronutrients.

All that being said, protein may be essential for building muscle/recovering from training, but all three macros are important. I would encourage you to not look at any as good or bad. They all serve a purpose - it’s just that protein is under dosed and can be the most beneficial to increase.

The Recipes

Below you’ll find my favorite macro friendly chocolate recipes:

1. One-Minute 100-Calorie Brownie 2. 4-Ingredient Protein Donuts 3. Double Chocolate Protein Donuts 4. Mississippi Muscle Pie 5. No Bake Brownie Bites 6. No Bake Protein Bites 7. Protein Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow 8. 5-Ingredient Double Cookies 9. Microwaveable Chocolate Pie 10. Chocolate Stuffed Protein Pancakes 11. Chocolate Covered Strawberries 12. Protein Dough 13. DIY Chocolate Peanut Butter 14. Chocolate Peanut Butter Popcorn 15. Chocolate Fluff 16. Reese’s Smoothie 17. Butterfinger Smoothie 18. Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream 19. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Yogurt Melts 20. Double Chocolate Yogurt Melts One final note on macros before you get to the recipes. I get the question about calculating calories and macronutrient needs quite a bit. So, I wanted to include the strategy I use. If you know what you’re doing in this area, skip down to the recipes!

The following is an excerpt from my nutrition eBook, Nutrition Made Easy 3.0, ​ and should give you a quick rundown of how I go about determining calorie/macro needs. If you’d like to view a PDF of the full book, just click here. ​

Calculating Caloric Needs & Determining Metabolic Rate

The first step in making any body composition change is to determine your goal and which caloric state you need to be in. If your goal is weight loss, you need to be in a caloric deficit, or consume less calories than you expend. To gain weight you will need to be in a caloric surplus, or consume more calories than you expend. And to maintain, you will need a balance between calories consumed and expended.

Although protein, carbohydrate, and fat ratios are important, the single most important factor in weight change is calorie intake. So, once you have your body composition goal, it’s time to answer the question, “How many calories do I need to reach that goal?”

Before we dive in on how to answer this question - the best piece of advice I can give on determining how many calories you need is to not stress yourself out over it. None of the calculations we’ll go over will ever be 100% precise. Everyone is different, and there are a TON of factors that influence your metabolic rate. Hormones, muscle to fat ratio, age, diet composition, food quality, genetics, and more can all play a huge role in metabolic rate and daily calorie needs. A good example of this would be the friend who eats everything in sight and never gains a pound.

This discrepancy between individual metabolic rates makes it difficult to calculate calories with any one formula or equation. The formulas provided below work for a large percentage of people, but the most accurate way to find how many calories you need in a day is to precisely track your food intake for 1-2 weeks. If you are ok with a “ballpark” number, there is no need to do this. But if you want the most accurate number on your caloric needs use the steps below.

And don’t worry, tracking your calories or food intake doesn’t have to be a lifelong thing. That is, unless you want it to be. Section three of Nutrition ​ Made Easy covers an eating strategy that can potentially alleviate the need ​ to track nutrition or adopt any “diet” or specific eating protocol.

A quick step by step guide on how to determine your daily needs:

1. Record your current body weight. 2. Track everything you eat or drink for an allotted time period. 3. At the end of your tracking period, divide your total calories by the number of days you tracked. (If you ate a total of 21,000 calories in a week that would be 21,000/7 days for an average of 3,000 calories/day.) 4. Record your weight after the tracking period. a. If your weight remained the same – 3,000 calories/day is close to your maintenance calorie level b. If you gained weight – Your daily calorie needs are less than 3,000/day. How much will depend on the amount of weight gained. If your weight increased by .25 pounds, you might do better with 2,750/day. If you gained over one pound in a week you may need to drop closer to 2,250 or so. c. The same scenario applies to losing weight, only in the reverse order.

There are plenty of formulas that require tons of input like age, height, and include conversions with more math. If you just need a place to start, a fairly simple method you could use is a body weight multiplier. A body weight multiplier takes into account your current body weight and the amount of time you are exercising or training in a week’s time. The only variable that changes with a body weight multiplier is the base number that correlates with your goal.

Weight Loss

Body weight X (8 + Weekly Training Hours)

Example: A 150lb woman exercising 3 hours per week: 150 X (9+3) = 1,800 ​​ calories/day

Weight & Muscle Gain

Body weight X (14 + Weekly Training Hours)

Weight Maintenance

Body weight X (11-12 + Weekly Training Hours)

There are a few other factors to consider with body weight multipliers.

- Lifestyle and work environment – If you have a completely sedentary job and lifestyle (like a student), these numbers may be a bit lower. On the other hand, if you’re moving around all day or perform manual labor, you’ll likely need to increase these calories. - Your metabolic rate is not set in stone - As you gain or lose weight your metabolic rate may change with it. A heavier person typically burns more calories at rest than a lighter person. - Training intensity – If you are a competitive athlete, you may need to add training hours to account for the elevated intensity. If you are only walking the dog a few times a week you may want to be less generous with your training hour total.

Remember that these numbers are only a place to start, and will likely need to be adjusted over time. Be sure to avoid making too drastic of a change all at once. Decreasing or increasing your calories by over 500 at one time is a mistake and is not a maintainable strategy. The best rate of weight loss or gain is around one pound per week with a maximum of around two pounds per week in either direction. Sticking to a pace that is sustainable will benefit your overall health and set you up for long term success.

Calculating Macronutrient Ratios: Protein/Carb/Fat

Our first concern will be determining protein intake, and then filling in the rest with carbs/fats.

Protein Goal: 1.2 grams of protein per pound of lean body mass (LBM) ​​

1. (100 - Body Fat Percentage) / 100 = LBM % ​ ​ 2. Body weight X LBM % = LBM ​ ​ 3. LBM X 1.2 = Protein Goal (grams) ​ ​

Example: 200 lb male with an estimated 20% bodyfat.

1. (100-20)/100 = .8 2. 200 X .8 = 160 3. 160 X 1.2 = 192 grams of protein

** You may be asking why we don’t just use 1 gram per pound of body weight, which is a pretty standard piece of advice. I use 1.2 grams per lb of LBM for a few reasons.

- Most people have a really hard time eating 1 gram per pound of body weight. - The protein goal becomes a lot more realistic for someone with quite a bit of weight to lose. If you have 50-100 pounds to lose, eating 250-300 grams of protein/day will be a cumbersome task. - It’s what I’ve found to work best!

Enough on that - here’s how to figure out the rest.

- Fat should never fall below 30% of total calorie intake in a fat loss diet. To ​ ​ figure out how many grams you could use this equation: (Total calories X .3) / ​ ​ ​​ 9 = grams of fat per day ​ ​

- Carbs will fill in the rest of your intake. There are 4 calories per gram of ​ ​ carbohydrate. You can find out how many grams remain by adding your ​ ​ calories from protein and fat, then subtracting that from your total calories. Once you have your remaining calories you can divide by 4, and boom, there are your grams of carbohydrates/day.

This may all seem confusing so here’s an example from start to finish:

Jane Doe 175 pounds 30% BF Trains for 3 hours each week and has a sedentary job

175 X 12 (9 + 3 hours) = 2,100 calories/day

Protein

175 X .7 = 123 (LBM) X 1.2 = 148 grams of protein per day ​​

148 X 4 calories per gram = 592 calories from protein

Fat

2,100 X .3 = 630 (calories from fat) / 9 (calories in 1g of fat) = 70 grams of fat ​​ per day

Carbs

What’s left over? 630 calories from fat + 592 from protein = 1,222 2,100 total - 1,222 = 878 calories from carbohydrates / 4 (calories in 1g of carbs) = 220 grams of carbs per day ​​ ​ ​

Totals

2,100 calories per day ​ 148g Protein ​ 70g Fat ​ 220g Carbohydrate ​

A few things to consider:

- These numbers will change as you progress. Obviously your LBM will change as you lose fat and gain muscle, so the numbers will change accordingly. - Don’t worry about hitting these numbers spot on every day. They are just a ballpark, and the real success comes from coming close day in and day out for weeks, months, and even longer. - You are your own experiment. If you are dieting on the numbers above, and not seeing the results you want, feel free to make adjustments. I would start by removing calories from carbohydrates. - If you are way over one day you can make it up the next day by eating under, or even spread the difference out over the next 7 days. Over a week’s time it’s like you never had a slip up.

Okay, onward to the recipes! If you have any questions about the points above or about any of the recipes, shoot me an email. ​ ​

ONE-MINUTE PROTEIN BROWNIE RECIPE 1-MINUTE, Directions

100-CALORIE 1. Mix ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 1-1.5 PROTEIN minutes. Depending on the size of your bowl, watch for BROWNIE overflow.

A 100-calorie brownie recipe that's ready in minutes. Tips Ready in 2 minutes ● You can swap pumpkin for ​ ​ Makes 1 Brownie unsweetened apple sauce or ​ even go half and half. 100 Calories | 13P | 10C | 1F ● If you have the calories available, I recommend

Ingredients doubling the recipe and ● 1/4 C (60g) Pumpkin canned topping with a ½ C of ● 1/2 scoop (15g) Protein low-calorie ice cream or Powder vanilla fat-free whipped cream. ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa ● 1/2 Tbsp Stevia optional

4-INGREDIENT PROTEIN CAKE DONUTS Very similar to the 30-second protein cake but in donut form. You can really get creative with this recipe. The two most common flavors of sugar-free cake mix seem to be devil's food and classic yellow. That leaves you a world of options. Use other protein donut recipes in this cookbook as inspiration and see what you can come up with! RECIPE 4. Bake for 7-8 minutes. 4-INGREDIENT Tips PROTEIN CAKE ● Optional: Add Ultimate Protein Frosting. DONUTS ● 1 scoop Protein Powder vanilla ● 4 Tbsp (60mL) Fat-Free Evaporated Milk Ridiculously easy chocolate protein ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa donuts. Powder ● 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener

Ready in 15 minutes ​ Makes 6 donuts ​ Per Donut: 86 Calories | 8.7P | 11C | 0.8F

Ingredients ● ½ C (76g) Sugar-Free Cake mix ● 2 scoops (60g) Vanilla Protein Powder ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder ● 100 g Diet Soda

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 325F. 2. Mix dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl. 3. Spoon mix into a nonstick donut pan. DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PROTEIN DONUTS RECIPE DOUBLE Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and CHOCOLATE spray donut pan with low-cal cooking spray. PROTEIN DONUTS 2. Mix pronut ingredients in a large mixing bowl until smooth. A protein donut recipe with 89 calories and 3. Fill donut pan evenly and bake for 15 11 grams of protein per donut. minutes. 4. To make your frosting, mix cream Ready in 20 minutes cheese (room temp helps), chocolate ​ Makes 6 Donuts syrup, and one scoop of protein ​ powder together until creamy. Per Donut: 89 Calories | 11.2P | 9.3C | 0.7F ​ 5. To cover donuts, allow them to cool briefly and dip them face down into Ingredients frosting mixture. Twist them back and Pronuts forth in a circular motion and remove to let the frosting set. Voila! ● ¼ C (30g) All Purpose Flour ● 1 scoop Protein Powder, vanilla Tips ● ⅜ C (92g) Liquid Egg Whites ● Optional: Add Ultimate Protein ● 1/2 C (120g) Canned Pumpkin Frosting. ● 2 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener ● 1 scoop Protein Powder vanilla ● 1 Tbsp (15g) Apple Sauce ● 4 Tbsp (60mL) Fat-Free Evaporated Milk ● 1 tsp Baking Powder ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa ● 3 Tbsp (15g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder Powder ● 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener Frosting/Glaze

● 1 serving (32g) Fat-Free Cream Cheese

● 1 serving Sugar-Free ● 1 scoop Protein Powder Chocolate MISSISSIPPI MUSCLE PIE pie pan with nonstick cooking RECIPE spray. MISSISSIPPI 2. Mix all "cake" ingredients together in a large bowl until a MUSCLE PIE smooth batter is formed. 3. Add batter to baking dish and A healthy take on Mississippi Mud Pie with bake on the bottom rack for 18-20 more protein and far less fat. minutes or until it passes the toothpick test in the center. If it's Ready in 35 minutes slightly gooey, that's okay. ​ 4. While your base is in the oven, mix Makes 8 slices ​ all chocolate topping ingredients Per Slice: 130 Calories | 14P | 16C | 1F minus the marshmallows in a medium-sized bowl. You'll want this to be thin enough to drizzle Ingredients over the top, so add dry Base ingredients slowly. 5. Weigh or measure out 1.5 1 C (240g) Canned Pumpkin ● servings of marshmallows and set ● ¼ C (30g) All Purpose Flour aside. ● 2 scoops (62g) Protein Powder vanilla 6. After the 18-20 minutes, remove ● 5 Tbsp (25g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder your base from the oven and add ● 3 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener marshmallows to the top. Place ● ¼ C (60g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce back in the oven for an additional ● 1/2 tsp Baking Powder 5 minutes - or until the Marshmallow and Chocolate Topping marshmallows have slightly melted but haven't browned on ● 1 ⅓ C (45g) Mini Marshmallows top. ● ½ C (120mL) Fat-Free Evaporated Milk 7. Remove from the oven for the ● 2 scoops (62g) Protein Powder vanilla final time and drizzle your ● 3 Tbsp (15g) Unsweetened Cocoa chocolate topping over the top. Powder Allow to fully cool (you can place ● 3 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener in the fridge to shorten the (optional) process) before serving.

Directions 1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F and spray a shallow baking dish or NO BAKE FUDGE BROWNIE BITES seconds. Stir until you have a fully melted RECIPE chocolate mixture. Set aside. 3. Mix dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl. NO BAKE FUDGE 4. Add melted chocolate chips to dry ingredients and stir. BROWNIE BITES 5. Slowly add (1-2 Tbsp at a time) remaining milk to the mixture, stirring vigorously. (That word seems to fit best here, as it takes some All the fudge brownie flavor without the serious stirring.) calories and a big protein boost. 6. Using your hands, form the brownie bites batter into balls. Roll them between your Ready in 10 minutes palms to smooth them out. Add the golf ​ ball-sized balls to the parchment paper. (If Makes 8 Brownie Bites ​ your mixture is too sticky, you can pop it in Per Brownie Bite (no chocolate coating): the freezer for 5 minutes. Slightly wetting 115 Calories | 13P | 9C | 3F your hands helps as well. And you may want to wash the residue off your hands halfway through. The residue can cause other balls to stick and you won't be able to get the smooth Ingredients exterior.)

● 4 scoops (120-128g) Protein Powder vanilla 7. Freeze for at least 30 minutes. Store leftovers in the freezer and thaw for 5-10 ● 1/2 C (56g) Coconut Flour minutes before eating. ● 1/4 C (20g) Unsweetened Dark Cocoa 8. For optional chocolate coating, melt Powder chocolate chips and milk in a shallow dish for ● 2 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener 10-15 seconds in the microwave, stir. Use a spoon to coat each frozen brownie bite with ● 1/2 C (120mL) Unsweetened Almond Milk or liquid of choice the melted chocolate. Once coated, pop them in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to allow the ● 2 Tbsp (28g) Chocolate Chips semi-sweet chocolate coating to harden. dark Optional Chocolate Coating ● 2 Tbsp (28g) Chocolate Chips semi-sweet Tips dark ● Per brownie bite with chocolate coating: 135 ● 1 Tbsp (15mL) Unsweetened Almond Milk or Calories | 13.5P | 11.5C | 3.9F liquid of choice ● The recipe makes 8 golf ball-sized brownie bites, but you could make them smaller for a lower calorie snack and to extend the recipe. Directions They would also freeze and thaw faster in 1. Line a baking sheet or plate with parchment smaller balls. paper. Set aside. 2. Add chocolate chips and 1 Tbsp almond milk to a small bowl and microwave for 10-15 NO BAKE WHITE CHOCOLATE BITES RECIPE WHITE CHOCOLATE Directions

NO BAKE 1. Line a small plate or dish with parchment paper. Set aside. PROTEIN BITES 2. Add chocolate and liquid to a small bowl. Microwave for Quick and easy white chocolate protein bites 30-45 seconds or until melted. with roughly 10 grams of protein and only Stir every 15-20 seconds. 119 calories per bite. ​ 3. Mix coconut flour, pudding mix, Ready in 5 minutes and protein powder before ​ Makes 8 Protein Bites adding chocolate mixture. Stir, ​ Per Protein bite: adding honey in gradually. 119 Calories | 9.6P | 13.4C | 3F 4. When the mixture is evenly mixed, form into balls using your Ingredients hands and roll between your palms to smooth. (Optional: add ● 4 pieces (56g) White Baking a bit of protein powder and Chocolate stevia to a plate and roll finished ● 3 scoops (90-96g) Protein protein balls in powder.) Add 8 Powder vanilla golf ball-sized balls to ● 1 packet (1 oz) Sugar Free Fat parchment paper and place in Free White the freezer for 10-15 minutes. Mix Store leftover balls in the freezer and thaw for 5-10 ● 1 Tbsp (7g) Coconut Flour minutes before eating. ● 2 Tbsp (42g) Honey 6 Tbsp (90mL) Almond Milk or ● Tips Low-Cal Liquid or 3/8 C ● Entire recipe (makes 8 protein bites): 952 Calories | 77P | 107C | 24F CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PUPPY CHOW 2. Begin by adding chocolate chips and the RECIPE liquid of your choice to a small bowl. Microwave for 15 seconds before stirring until smooth. (You may need a few more seconds in the microwave.) PEANUT BUTTER 3. Add PB2 or powdered peanut butter to the bowl and stir until smooth again. PUPPY CHOW 4. Add 3 cups Chex cereal to a large mixing bowl and cover with chocolate peanut butter mixture. Gently stir until the cereal is fully A healthier alternative to puppy chow with coated. nearly 9 grams of protein and only 165 calories per serving. 5. Bake cereal for 10 minutes or until crispy. 6. Allow 3-5 minutes for the cereal to cool before breaking apart any clumps. Ready in 20 minutes ​ 7. While the cereal bakes/cools, add protein Makes 4 Servings ​ powder, cocoa, and stevia to a food processor Per Serving: or blender. Blend for 30-60 seconds. We're after a powdered sugar texture here. Add 165 Calories | 8.5P | 25.5C | 3.25F finished product to a large Ziploc bag. (Optional: if you want to make this extra powdery, you can add 1-2 tsp of corn starch.) Ingredients 8. Add cooled cereal to Ziploc bag and shake Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Puppy Chow until cereal is fully coated with powdered protein/sugar combo. ● 3 C (81g) Rice Cereal (Chex) 9. Enjoy! Store in the Ziploc bag or airtight ● 1/4 C (24g) PB2 or Powdered Peanut container for up to a week. Butter

● 2 Tbsp (28g) Dark Chocolate Chips semi-sweet (70 cals/Tbsp) Tips

● 2 Tbsp Almond Milk or any low-cal liquid ● Entire recipe: 660 Calories | 34P | 102C | 13F Puppy Chow Coating ● Blending the protein powder and stevia ● 2/3 scoop (20g) Protein Powder vanilla together is not required, but it greatly ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Dark Cocoa helps everything stick. Also, if you have Powder optional more fat to play around with, you can ● 3 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener simply melt 2 Tbsp peanut butter and chocolate chips together and add straight to the protein mix without baking as it Directions doesn't get soggy. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE DOUBLE CHOCOLATE Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a CHIP PROTEIN large baking sheet with parchment paper. 2. Peel bananas and mash with a fork or spoon COOKIES before adding coconut flakes, cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and protein powder. Mix until smooth. 5-ingredient chocolate chip cookies with an optional chocolate coating. 3. Spoon (roughly 2 Tbsp) mixture onto baking sheet in 15 small circles. (3 rows of 5 cookies) Leave enough space between for some Ready in 20 minutes expansion during bake time. If you need to ​ use two baking sheets to spread them out, Makes 15 Cookies ​ that's fine. Per Cookie (with coating): 4. Bake for 9-10 minutes or until the tops are no 119.5 Calories | 4.9P | 12.6C | 5.5F ​ longer mushy or moist. Remove from oven and allow cookies to cool briefly before adding chocolate coating. (If you have a Ingredients cooling rack, that works great here. Otherwise, you can simply remove the Chocolate Cookies parchment paper from your baking sheet.)

● 3 small (270g) Bananas 5. While cookies are in the oven, add remaining dark chocolate chips and almond milk to a 3/4 C (90g) Sweetened Coconut Flakes ● small bowl. Microwave, stirring every 20-30 ● 2 2/3 scoops (80g) Protein Powder seconds until the chocolate chips are melted vanilla completely. 6. After cookies have cooled, dip them face ● 2 Tbsp (10g) Unsweetened Dark Cocoa down into the chocolate mixture and set back Powder on the parchment paper or cooling rack. After ● 1 Tbsp (14g) Dark Chocolate Chips you've dipped all cookies, you can add semi-sweet remaining chocolate coating with a spoon before placing the cookies in the refrigerator Chocolate Coating or freezer for 5-10 minutes if your chocolate ● 1/2 C (112g) Dark Chocolate Chips coating is slow to harden. semi-sweet ● 1/4 C (60mL) Almond Milk or Low-Cal Tips Liquid ● Per Chocolate Cookie without Chocolate Coating: 78 Calories | 4.9P | 8.3C | 2.8F ---

● Per Chocolate Cookie with Ultimate Protein Frosting: 90 Calories | 6.7P | 9.3C | 2.9F MICROWAVEABLE CHOCOLATE PROTEIN PIE 3. In a separate bowl, mix pie filling. RECIPE 4. Add pie filling to mug on top of MICROWAVEABLE the crust. 5. Microwave in 30-second CHOCOLATE PIE intervals (to avoid overflow)for 90-120 seconds or until pie An easier microwaveable version of the center looks firm. personal chocolate protein pie.

Tips Ready in 5 minutes ​ ● If you don’t have chocolate Makes 1 pie ​ pudding mix around, you could 231 Calories | 26P | 25C | 2F substitute 1-2 Tbsp (5-10g) of unsweetened cocoa powder mixed with ½ Tbsp corn starch and Ingredients ½-1 Tbsp stevia. Pie Filling ● Also, if you use a bigger bowl, you may be able to microwave ● 2 Tbsp (30mL) Fat-Free Evaporated Milk straight through. 1 scoop (30g) Protein Powder ● ● 1 Tbsp (10g) Fat-Free Sugar-Free Pudding Mix, chocolate Crust

● ½ serving (13g) Graham Cracker Crumbles ● 1 Tbsp (15g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce

Directions 1. Spray a small bowl or mug with nonstick cooking spray. 2. Mix graham cracker crumbles and apple sauce together in the bottom of the bowl or mug. Using your fingers or the backside of a spoon, flatten the mixture into a crust. DOUBLE CHOCOLATE PROTEIN PANCAKES RECIPE ● 2 servings (60mL) Fat-Free DOUBLE Evaporated Milk ● 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener CHOCOLATE Directions PROTEIN 1. Heat a pan or griddle with non-stick cooking spray to a low-medium heat. PANCAKES If you'd like a thinner pancake, use a larger pan and pour batter You'll never believe this much chocolate has accordingly. 32 grams of protein and only 1.5 gram of fat 2. Mix all pancake ingredients in a large per serving. bowl until smooth. 3. (You can make two pancakes or one Ready in 10 minutes ​ large pancake with this amount of Makes 1 giant pancake ​ batter.) Add batter to heated pan and Per Serving (pancake only): cook for 90-120 seconds per side. 242 Calories | 36P | 20C | 2F (When the top begins to bubble, it's likely time to flip.) Ingredients 4. While your pancake cooks, add frosting ingredients to a bowl. Mix Chocolate Protein Pancake until smooth. ● 1/2 C (120g) Canned Pumpkin 5. Add frosting to pancake. If you make ● 1 scoop (30g) Protein Powder vanilla your pancakes thin, you can roll them like you see in the photos. Top with 6 Tbsp (92g) Liquid Egg Whites or two ● dark chocolate chips and sugar-free large egg whites syrup if you'd like. Enjoy! ● 2 Tbsp (10g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder Tips ● 1-2 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener to taste ● Entire Recipe (with icing) 420 Calories | 64P | 34C | 3F Protein Frosting ● I recommend splitting the recipe into ● 1 scoop (30g) Protein Powder vanilla two pancakes. ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES RECIPE CHOCOLATE Tips ● This recipe is easily doubled or COVERED tripled for more serious appetites or entertaining guests. STRAWBERRIES

High protein, macro friendly chocolate covered strawberries.

Ready in 5 minutes ​ Makes 1 C of dipping sauce ​ Per Serving: 290 Calories | 37P | 31C | 2F ​ ​ ​

Ingredients ● ½ Package (8oz) Strawberries ● ½ C Plain Fat-Free Greek Yogurt ● 1 Scoop Chocolate Protein Powder ● 1 Serving (10g) Fat-Free Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding Mix ● 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener (Optional)

Directions 1. Mix all ingredients except strawberries in a small bowl. 2. Get to Dippin’! EDIBLE PROTEIN COOKIE DOUGH RECIPE ● 2 Tbsp (28g) Mini Chocolate EDIBLE Chips

CHOCOLATE CHIP Directions

PROTEIN COOKIE 1. Rinse chick peas under cold water before microwaving for 2 DOUGH minutes. Remove from microwave and re-rinse them A high protein cookie dough that’s ready in before adding to food processor. minutes and is perfect for those of us that like This helps remove some of the to eat our cookie dough by the spoonful. chick pea flavor. 2. Using a food processor, blend all Ready in 10 minutes ​ dough ingredients except Makes 1 large bowl ​ chocolate chips together. Per Smoothie: 547 Calories | 49P | 54C | 15F ​ ​ 3. Remove blade, add chocolate chips, and hand stir. Enjoy! (If

Ingredients your dough isn't sweet enough, ● 1/2 C (130g) Chick Peas you can stir in an additional ● 1.5 scoops (45g) Vanilla Protein stevia by hand.) Powder ● 2 Tbsp (12g) PB2 Powdered Tips Peanut Butter ● Macros without coconut flour ● 2 Tbsp (30mL) Walden Farms and only 1 Tbsp chocolate chips: Pancake Syrup 413 Calories | 47P | 36C | 9F ● 2 Tbsp (14g) Coconut Flour ● 1 Tbsp Imitation Vanilla ● 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener CHOCOLATE PROTEIN PEANUT BUTTER RECIPE CHOCOLATE Directions 1. Add all ingredients to a food PEANUT processor or blender with shallow blades. Blend to desired BUTTER consistency.

How to make your own high protein peanut 2. If you'd like crunchy peanut butter with a chocolate twist. butter, save a few peanuts and crush with the backside of a Ready in 5 minutes ​ spoon before mixing in by hand Makes 15 Tablespoons after making your peanut ​ Per Tablespoon: 60 Calories | 3.5P | 2.9C | butter. ​ 3.9F 3. Store in an airtight container for Ingredients up to 1-2 weeks in the ● 1 C (112g) Roasted, Unsalted refrigerator. Peanuts salted optional ● 1 scoop Protein Powder vanilla ● 2 Tbsp (10g) Unsweetened Cocoa Powder ● 6 Tbsp (90g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce

PROTEIN POPCORN protein, and shake until RECIPE WHITE CHOCOLATE completely coated.

PEANUT BUTTER Tips PROTEIN POPCORN ● Using PB2 or powdered peanut butter could reduce calories to An easy way to add a bit of protein and flavor 300. to plain fat-free popcorn. ● If you like a lower calorie option, try this with my “Ultimate Ready in 5 minutes ​ Chocolate Protein Frosting” Makes 2 servings ​ drizzled on top. Per Serving: 185 Calories | 15P | 13.5C |

8F

Ingredients ● 1 Bag 100-Calorie Popcorn (or 2 Tbsp Popping Corn) ● ½ Tbsp Coconut Oil ● 1 Tbsp Peanut Butter ● 1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder ● Resealable bag

Directions 1. Pop popcorn in microwave. 2. Melt coconut oil and peanut butter together in microwave (30-45 seconds). 3. Place popcorn in Ziploc bag, pour oil/PB mixture over, add PROTEIN FLUFF RECIPE CHOCOLATE Tips There are several swaps and PROTEIN FLUFF alternative ingredient options: ● If you use flavored Greek An easy one-bowl recipe for a high protein yogurt, you may want to omit sweets fix. the stevia. ● If you don’t have pudding mix, Ready in 3 minutes ​ ​ you can add 5g more protein Makes 1 bowl ​ and 5-10g unsweetened cocoa Per Smoothie: 215 Calories | 36P | 14C | 1F ​ powder. ● I like to use vanilla protein and Ingredients add cocoa powder regardless to ● ½ C (113g) Fat-Free Greek avoid the “chocolate protein Yogurt (plain or vanilla) powder” flavor. ● 1 Serving (10g) Fat-Free Sugar-Free Chocolate Pudding Mix ● 1 Scoop (30g) Protein Powder (vanilla or chocolate) ● 1-2 Tbsp Stevia (depending on Greek yogurt flavor) ● Fat-Free Whipped Topping (optional)

Directions 1. Mix in a large bowl and enjoy!

REESE'S SMOOTHIE

How do you eat your Reese's? I know I typically eat one at a time until my stomach hurts. That's why I prefer the peanut butter cup flavor in smoothie form. Keep those devils away from me. RECIPE REESE’S Directions 1. Blend all ingredients together. SMOOTHIE Tips Alternative smoothie recipes to make at ● Adjust liquid and/or ice for home. Saving you money, and you don’t even have to check in on Facebook. thickness

Ready in 5 minutes ​ Makes 1 Smoothie ​ Per Smoothie: 208 Calories | 29P | 14C | 4F ​ ​

Ingredients ● 1 scoop (30g) Vanilla Protein Powder ● 2 Tbsp (10g) Unsweetened Cocoa ● 2 Tbsp (6g) PB2 or Powdered PB ● 1 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Calorie Sweetener ● ½ C (120mL) Cashew or Almond Milk ● 6-8 Ice Cubes

BUTTERFINGER SMOOTHIE

No Butterfingers were harmed in the creation of this smoothie. RECIPE BUTTERFINGER Tips ● Adjust liquid and/or ice for SMOOTHIE thickness

Make your own Butterfinger-inspired smoothie at home.

Ready in 5 minutes ​ ​ Makes 1 Smoothie ​ Per Smoothie: 211 Calories | 27P | 19C | 3F ​

Ingredients ● 1 scoop (30g) Vanilla Protein Powder ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa ● 1 Tbsp (6g) PB2 or Powdered PB ● 2 servings (14g) Fat-Free Sugar-Free Butterscotch Pudding Mix ● ½ C (120mL) Cashew or Almond Milk ● 6-8 Ice Cubes

Directions 1. Blend all ingredients together. CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER & BANANA PROTEIN ICE CREAM

If you've ever tried a nice cream, you know that frozen bananas are the OG low cal ice cream ingredient. You could get away with just mixing protein powder and frozen bananas forever and be just fine. This recipe is a great idea for a spin on plain, but you can take it any way you'd like. I will say that the banana flavor can be difficult to mask. So if you're planning on going a non-banana route, take it easy on the amount used and compensate with added ice and maybe yogurt. RECIPE CHOCOLATE PEANUT Directions

BUTTER & BANANA 1. Blend in food processor or blender. PROTEIN ICE CREAM

A high protein nice cream recipe. Tips Ready in 5 minutes ​ ​ ● You could substitute banana for Makes 1 bowl another frozen fruit like ​ Per Smoothie: 265 Calories | 27P | 37C | 2F strawberries. Avocados work as ​ well if you’re aiming for lower carbs. Ingredients ● Start on the lower end of the ● 1 Large, Frozen Banana diet soda range and add as (125-150g) needed. It should have be similar ● 1 scoop (30g) Vanilla Protein to a DQ Blizzard and not budge Powder when you tilt the blender/food ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa processor upside down. If it Powder does, you may have added too much liquid. ● 1 Tbsp (6g) PB2 or Powdered Peanut Butter ● 50g of diet soda should be around ¼ a 12oz can. You can ● 1 Tbsp Stevia (optional) use any type of diet soda you ● 50-75g Diet Soda like, though I like darker colors when making chocolate recipes like Diet Coke or Diet Dr. Pepper.

CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE DOUGH YOGURT MELTS

Because you can't have a frozen yogurt or anything close without a chocolate chip cookie dough flavor. RECIPE CHOCOLATE CHIP Directions

COOKIE DOUGH 1. Mix all ingredients, adding chocolate chips last, until PROTEIN YOGURT evenly mixed.

MELTS 2. Using scissors, cut a small hole (about the diameter of a pencil) in the corner of a Homemade yogurt melts with a big boost to protein and flavor. Ziploc bag. You can also use a piping tool here.

Ready in 5 minutes 3. Add mixture to Ziploc bag. ​ 4. Line a baking sheet or plate Makes 20 yogurt melts ​ with parchment paper. Entire Recipe: 212 Calories | 26P | 18C | (Adding a small amount of 4F cooking spray will ensure nothing sticks.) Ingredients 5. Using the Ziploc bag as a ● 1/2 C (113g) Fat-Free Greek piping tool, squeeze mixture Yogurt plain into quarter-sized circles. ● 1/2 scoop (15-16g) Protein Optional: top with chocolate Powder vanilla sprinkles. Freeze for at least ● 2 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal 30 minutes and enjoy! Sweetener ● 2 Tbsp (14g) Coconut Flour or 20-25g all purpose flour ● 1/2 Tbsp (7g) Chocolate Chips DOUBLE CHOCOLATE YOGURT MELTS RECIPE DOUBLE Directions 1. Mix all ingredients except CHOCOLATE chocolate sprinkles until evenly mixed. PROTEIN 2. Using scissors, cut a small hole (about the diameter of a YOGURT MELTS pencil) in the corner of a Ziploc bag. You can also use a piping tool here. Homemade yogurt melts with a big boost to protein and flavor. 3. Add mixture to Ziploc bag. 4. Line a baking sheet or plate

Ready in 5 minutes with parchment paper. ​ (Adding a small amount of Makes 20 yogurt melts ​ cooking spray will ensure Entire Recipe: 174 Calories | 24P | 15C | nothing sticks.) 2F 5. Using the Ziploc bag as a piping tool, squeeze mixture Ingredients into quarter-sized circles. ● 1/2 C (113g) Fat-Free Greek Top with chocolate sprinkles. Yogurt, plain Freeze for at least 30 ● 1/2 scoop (15-16g) Protein minutes and enjoy! Powder, vanilla ● 2 Tbsp (10g) Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder ● 2 Tbsp Stevia or 0-Cal Sweetener ● 1 tsp (4g) Chocolate Sprinkles BONUS RECIPES

Below you’ll find an additional 7 recipes. I needed to make a few changes and thought you could probably use even more recipes. Enjoy!

RECIPES 1. Fudge Brownie Proats (Protein Oatmeal) 2. Double Chocolate Banana Bread in a Mug 3. Almond Joy Protein Smoothie 4. 30-Second Chocolate Protein Cake 5. German Chocolate Protein Mug Cake 6. Oreo Cookie Butter 7. Low Carb Pancake Bowls FUDGE BROWNIE PROATS

It ain't the prettiest, but I'm sure you know better than to judge a recipe by its cover photo. RECIPE ● Optional: 1 Tbsp (5g) FUDGE Unsweetened Cocoa Powder BROWNIE Directions PROATS 1. Add the oats and milk to a bowl. It’s hard to fudge up your nutrition with recipes this simple. 2. Microwave for 90-120 seconds. (Until very little Ready in <5 minutes ​ ​ liquid remains.) Makes 1 Bowl ​ 248 Calories | 28P | 27C | 3F 3. Add the protein powder and pudding mix to the Ingredients cooked oats. Stir well. ● 1/4 C (20g) Quick Oats ● 1/2 C (120mL) Unsweetened Cashew Milk (or any lower cal liquid) ● 1 scoop (32g) Vanilla Protein Powder ● 1 Tbsp (11g) Sugar Free Fat Free Chocolate Fudge Pudding Mix HIGH PROTIEN DOUBLE CHOCOLATE BANANA BREAD What's better than quick and easy banana bread? Obviously adding chocolate to said quick and easy banana bread. RECIPE HIGH PROTEIN Directions

DOUBLE 1. Mix ingredients in a bowl and microwave for 90-120 seconds. CHOCOLATE Don't overcook. (The center BANANA BREAD may still be a bit gooey.) 2. Depending on the size of your A quick and easy recipe for high protein bowl, you may have to finish the banana bread that's ready in under 5 last 30-60 seconds in 10-15 minutes and tastes amazing. second intervals to avoid overflow. Ready in 5 minutes ​ ​ 3. If your brownie sticks to the Makes 1 Serving ​ bowl, you may try mixing the 335 Calories | 26P | 45C | 6F brownie in a bowl and transferring the batter to a separate bowl you've sprayed Ingredients with nonstick cooking spray ● 1 scoop (32g) Protein Powder before going in the microwave. vanilla 4. Top with low-calorie ice cream, ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Dark fat-free whipped topping, or Cocoa other toppings of your choice. ● 1 tsp Swerve or sweetener of choice (optional) *Without chocolate chips: 265 Calories | 25P | 36C | 2F ● 1 medium (90g) Banana mashed

● 3/8 C (90g) Unsweetened Apple Sauce ● 1 Tbsp (14g) Chocolate Chips ALMOND JOY SMOOTHIE

You'll be jumping for joy. But in a smooth, too-cool-for-school kind of way. RECIPE ● 1 Tbsp (7g) Almond ALMOND JOY Slices

SMOOTHIE ● 8-10 Ice Cubes ● ½ Tbsp Low Cal Almond Joy may not crack the top 5 Sweetener (optional) bar list, but this smoothie somehow wiggles its way into contention for the best smoothie in this cookbook. Directions 1. Blend all ingredients Ready in <5 minutes ​ Makes 1 Smoothie together. ​ 235 Calories | 26P | 11C | 10F ​ ​ Tips Ingredients ● Adjust liquid and/or ice ● 1 scoop (32g) Vanilla for thickness Protein Powder ● Macros with ● ¾ C (180 mL) Almond unsweetened almond Milk (or your choice of milk. low cal milk) ● Chocolate protein ● 1 Tbsp (5g) powder works fine, I just Unsweetened Dark prefer the cocoa powder Cocoa Powder flavor. ● 1 Tbsp (7g) Sweetened Coconut Flakes 30-SECOND PROTEIN CAKE

If you've never used diet soda instead of oil and eggs with cake mix, you're in for a treat!

Why the diet soda? It works as a leavening agent in the cake and works as a sweetener. Any carbonated water will do, but you will lose some of the sweetness. You can accommodate if needed by adding more sweetener.

How about the oats? Are they necessary? The oats are there to add volume. You could replace them with any flour or slightly reduce the diet soda and roll without it altogether. RECIPE 30-SEC0ND Tips ● * Chocolate Protein powder PROTEIN CAKE works fine. I prefer vanilla to avoid competing with the cake mix flavor. An easy chocolate cake cravings fix. ● Top with Ultimate Protein Ready in 2 Minutes Frosting: ​ Makes 1 Cake ● 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder ​ ● 4 Tbsp (60mL) Fat-Free Per Cake: 135 Calories | 13P | 19C | 1F Evaporated Milk (or any low cal liquid) ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Unsweetened Cocoa Ingredients Powder ● 1 oz Diet Soda ● 1 Tbsp Zero-Calorie Sweetener ● 2 Tbsp (19g) Sugar-Free Cake Mix ● 1 Tbsp (5g) Quick Oats

● ½ scoop (16g) Vanilla* Protein Powder

Directions 1. Mix dry ingredients together in a small bowl or mug. 2. Add diet soda. 3. Microwave for 30 seconds. GERMAN CHOCOLATE PROTEIN MUG CAKE

You can't understand the real value in a mug cake until you've baked a real . Will a high protein German chocolate mug cake taste like the real thing? Nah. Will it save you a few hours and satisfy your German chocolate cake cravings? Yup. and remaining milk in a mug or bowl. RECIPE (If you’d like the coconut flakes and GERMAN CHOCOLATE nuts on top, add them at the end of mixing.) PROTEIN MUG CAKE 3. Add the melted chocolate and milk to the remaining ingredients and stir A quick and easy protein mug cake that's well. ready in under 5 minutes. For lower calorie 4. Microwave for 90-105 seconds, diets, cut the recipe in half. watching for overflow depending on the size of your mug or bowl. If the Ready in 4 minutes ​ ​ mug cake is close to overflowing, Makes 1 Mug Cake finish the remaining cook time in ​ 400 Calories | 32P | 30C | 18F 5-second intervals.

Ingredients Tips Want to frost your cake? Use this butter ● 1 scoop Vanilla Protein Powder ● pecan topping: ● 2 Tbsp (14g) Coconut Flour ● 1/2 scoop (16g) Vanilla Protein ● 2 pieces (14g) German Chocolate Powder Baking Squares ● 1/2 Tbsp (7g) Light Butter ● ½ C (120 mL) 2% Milk (or your choice ● 2 Tbsp (30mL) Walden Farms of milk) Pancake Syrup

● 1 Tbsp (7g) Pecan Pieces or Crushed ● 1 Tbsp (15mL) Milk Pecans ● 1/2-1 Tbsp Sweetener ● 1 Tbsp (7g) Sweetened Coconut ● If you’d like the best of both worlds, add Flakes ½ the coconut and nuts to the mixture and save ½ for adding to the top.

● To make yours look like the intro photo Directions you see, flip the cake onto a plate after cooking and top with coconut flakes and 1. Add the baking chocolate and ¼ C (60 pecan pieces. Microwave for an mL) milk to a small bowl and additional 20-30 seconds if the bottom of microwave for 30 seconds. Stir well. the cake is still a bit moist. 2. Mix the protein powder, coconut flour, coconut flakes, pecan pieces, OREO COOKIE BUTTER

If you flipped straight to this recipe, YOLO. You Obviously Love Oreos. And we can be BFFs. RECIPE OREO Directions 1. Using a food processor COOKIE or blender, mix the O's, peanut butter, and BUTTER protein powder together. 2. Gradually stir or blend in A low calorie alternative spread that can be used like peanut butter. the fat-free evaporated milk until you reach your Ready in 5 minutes ​ ​ desired consistency. 3/8 Makes 23 Tbsp Servings ​ C or 6 Tbsp should give Per Tbsp (16g): 58 Calories | 3.7P | 4.5C | 2.8F you a slightly crunchy butter, while 1/2 C will Ingredients give you a smoother butter. ● 2 C (60g) Oreo O's Cereal 3. Refrigerate in an airtight container. ● 1/2 C (132g) Peanut Butter ● 2 scoops (64g) Protein Powder, vanilla ● 6 to 8 Tbsp (90-120mL) Fat-Free Evaporated Milk (or liquid of choice) LOW CARB CHOCOLATE PANCAKE BOWLS

If you take the plunge to buy Carbquick for the other biscuit recipes in this cookbook, here's another way to put it to good use. RECIPE ● 1/4 C 920g) Unsweetened LOW CARB Dark Cocoa

CHOCOLATE Directions 1. Mix dry ingredients in a PANCAKE large bowl. 2. Add the pumpkin, eggs, and BOWLS syrup to the dry ingredients and stir well. If you need more recipe ideas for the Carbquick used for biscuits, you’ll dig 3. Transfer the pancake batter these pancake bowls. to two small bowls and microwave each for 90 Ready in 5 minutes ​ ​ seconds or until cooked in Makes 2 Pancake Bowls ​ the center. (If you want one Per Bowl: 220 Calories | 22P | 21C | 9F giant pancake bowl, microwave the original bowl Ingredients for 2:30-3:00 minutes.) 4. Top with syrup or your ● 1 scoop (32g) Vanilla Protein Powder choice of toppings. Refrigerate the second 1/3 C (33g) Carbquick ● pancake bowl for later.

● 1/2 C (120g) Canned Pumpkin ● 2 large Eggs ● 1/4 C (60mL) Walden Farms Pancake Syrup