Recipe: Overnight Cookie Dough

Wednesday, September 9, 2026

This Overnight Cookie Dough from EatingHealthyGram is pretty good and pretty easy. It also freezes/thaws pretty well...but unlike actual cookie dough, it is not very good straight out of the freezer! Gotta let it defrost.

Ingredients

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• 1.5 cups Greek yogurt
• 1 cup almond flour
• 3 scoops [vanilla] protein powder
• 1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
• 1 Tbsp almond butter
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Chocolate chips (to taste)

Instructions

1. Blend cottage cheese until smooth.
2. Mix together cottage cheese, yogurt, sweetener, and almond butter.
3. Stir in almond flour, protein powder, and salt.
4. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Refrigerate at least 3 hours—or overnight.

Recipe: Protein Taco Bowls

Sunday, September 6, 2026

These Protein Taco Bowls from AndysEastCoastKitchen are a satisfying meal prep. I like to double the recipe and use half ground beef, half ground turkey.

Ingredients (Sweet Potatoes)

• 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Ingredients (Beef & Veggies)

• 1 green pepper, sliced
• 1/2 white onion, sliced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb ground beef
• 1 tsp chili powder (I usually halve this since I don't like hot-spice)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 c diced canned tomatoes
• 1/4 c beef or vegetable stock
• 1/2 c mozzarella cheese

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425F.
2. Peel and cube sweet potatoes. Toss with olive oil, salt, paprika, and garlic powder.
3. Spread on a baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes or until golden and tender.
4. In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat.
5. Add pepper and onion, cook for 3-4 minutes. Add black beans and stir.
6. Add ground beef and break it up as it browns.
7. Once cooked through, add seasonings, tomatoes, and stock. Let simmer for 5 minutes.
8. Stir in mozzarella until melted and creamy.
9. Building the Bowl: Start with a base of roasted sweet potatoes, add your beef and veggies and drizzle generously with chipotle crema.

Recipe: Easy Protein Chocolate Cheesecake

Wednesday, September 2, 2026

This protein chocolate cheesecake from TheChefOutWest is easy, tasty, and not terribly addictive, which is great. My sweet tooth needs some assistance!

Ingredients

• 1 c cottage cheese
• 1 c Greek yogurt
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 c maple syrup / honey
• 1/2 c oat/almond flour
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 325°F (165°C).
2. Blend 1 cup cottage cheese, 1 cup yogurt, 2 eggs, 0.5 cup cocoa powder, 0.5 cup maple syrup / honey, 0.5 cup oat/almond flour, and 2 teaspoon vanilla extract, in a blender. Blend until completely smooth, scraping down the sides as needed.
3. Pour the batter into a parchment-lined 6-inch round baking dish and smooth the top.
4. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 45-50 minutes, until the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly.
5. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill for at least 8 hours, preferably overnight, before serving.

Semi-Success: Coffee-Chocolate Cheesecake

Sunday, August 30, 2026

Maybe without the coffee, or half the coffee, this Coffee-Chocolate Cheesecake from TheChefOutWest wouldn't just taste like coffee to me? Who knows! We'll try the standard chocolate cheesecake next.

Semi-Success: Almond Croissant Baked Oats

Wednesday, August 26, 2026

These Almond Croissant Baked Oats would be alright without the almond extract or maybe with the almond extract halved? Otherwise, not so bad.

Recipe: Chicken Chorizo Pasta Bowls

Sunday, August 23, 2026

These Chicken and Chorizo Bowls from SarasHealthyKitchen are pretty good! Could imagine making them again.

Ingredients

• 100g diced chicken breast
• 50g uncooked orzo
• 1/4 onion, diced
• 1 Tbsp Greek yoghurt
• 1/2 tsp minced garlic
• 80g chopped tomatoes
• 50ml chicken stock
• 20g diced chorizo (I suspect one could use pepperoni here)
• A few handfuls of fresh spinach
• 20g grated mozzarella
• Salt and Black pepper
• Paprika

Instructions

1. Add everything except the cheese and chorizo to an oven-proof bowl. Stir well.
2. Cover loosely with foil and bake at 375°F for 25–30 minutes, until the orzo is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
3. Remove from oven, sprinkle the mozzarella and chorizo over, then return to the oven for 10 minutes until melted and golden.
4. Allow to cool slightly before storing in airtight containers.

Success: Roasted Red Pepper Tofu Pasta

Wednesday, August 19, 2026

This Red Pepper Tofu Pasta from FoodWithFeeling is alright. But maybe I just don't like roasted pasta that much? Probably won't make again. 'Added a couple handfuls of fresh spinach, because most things are better with it.

Recipe: Fudgy Protein Brownies

Sunday, August 16, 2026

These Fudgy Protein Brownies from PrettyDeliciousLife came out pretty good! Once again, not amazing, but a great satisfying/filling chocolate snack. It's one of the many recipes that does not call itself "peanut butter + _insert_chocolate_option_here" that should call itself peanut butter brownies....but the peanut butter is at least not terribly overwhelming here.

Ingredients

• 16 oz cottage cheese
• 1 c natural peanut butter
• 1 c unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 scoop protein powder (optional)
• 3 Tbsp chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Prepare to bake. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees farenheit. Line an 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper for easy removal and set aside.
2. Blend cottage cheese until smooth.
3. Transfer the cottage cheese to a mixing bowl and add peanut butter and the remaining dry ingredients (not the chocolate chips).
4. Using a fork or silicone spatula, mix the batter until combined. This batter will be very thick, much thicker than traditional brownie recipes.
5. Scoop the batter into the prepared pan, smooshing down with the back of a spatula until it is evenly distributed in the pan.
6. Top the batter with chocolate chips and bake for 15-20 minutes for fudgy brownies or 25 minutes for cakey brownies.
7. Once finished baking, leave them in the pan to cool.

Fail: 3-Ingredient Chocolate Chip Cookies

Wednesday, August 12, 2026

Unsurprisingly, these 3-Ingredient Cookies from FoodieFromVT are weird and come out nothing like the video. Taste like peanut butter and protein powder. Not ideal. Never again.

Semi-Fail: Chicken Pesto Bake

Sunday, August 9, 2026

This Chicken Pesto Bake from StayFitMom doesn't look that appetizing, and it tastes fine...but not particularly exciting. Will not make this one again, but perhaps look for a different one?

Recipe: Baked Ziti Meal Prep

Wednesday, August 5, 2026

This High Protein Baked Ziti from TheBalanceNutritionist with some fresh spinach added in is pretty good. Could be worth making again!

Ingredients

• 16 oz ziti
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb lean ground beef
• 1/2 lb Italian ground chicken sausage, raw with casing removed or chopped fully cooked sausage
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 5 c marinara sauce (tomato basil is good)
• A few handfuls of fresh spinach
• 1/2 c water
• 1/3 c basil, chopped small, more for topping
• 1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• salt + black pepper to taste

Cheese Layer

• 2 c shredded mozzarella, divided in half
• 16 oz cottage cheese
• 1/2 c parmesan or nutritional yeast
• 1/4 tsp Italian seasoning
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• Pinch of black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large deep skillet, heat oil on medium heat. Add garlic and onion and cook for 2 minutes until garlic is fragrant and onion begins to soften.
4. Add ground meat and sausage. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Continue cooking until meat is just cooked through.
5. Reduce heat to low and add sauce, water, basil and seasonings. Simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add additional salt and pepper to taste.
6. While the sauce is cooking, make the cheese layer. Add cottage cheese, 1 cup of mozzarella, parmesan cheese and seasonings to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
7. Add pasta and spinach to the ground meat sauce and mix until combined.
8. Add half of the pasta mixture to the bottom of a baking dish. Next, add the cheese layer by adding dollops of cheese mixture and smooth to mostly cover the pasta. Add the rest of the pasta and then top with 1 cup of mozzarella cheese.
9. Bake for 25 minutes until cheese is melted and golden brown.

Fail: Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep

Sunday, August 2, 2026

Meal prepped this Chicken Tikka Masala Meal Prep from DamnDelicious, but it doesn't taste much liek chicken tikka masala. It's good, I guess, and healthy. But I will not make again. Will look for a different recipe.

Recipe: Protein Pumpkin Loaf

Wednesday, July 29, 2026

While the Chickpea Pumpkin Loaf is pretty good, this protein pumpkin loaf is even better.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c pumpkin purée
• 2 eggs
• 1/3 c maple syrup
• 1/4 c Greek yogurt
• 2 Tbsp [Olive/Avocado/Coconut] oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 3/4 c oat/almond flour
• 1/4 c protein powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 c chocolate chips + more for topping

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350°F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. In a bowl, whisk the pumpkin purée, eggs, maple syrup, Greek yogurt, oil, and vanilla.
3. Add the flour, protein powder, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Mix until combined, then add the chocolate chips.
4. Pour into loaf pan and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top.
5. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in the pan before serving.

Recipe: Chickpea Pumpkin Loaf

Sunday, July 26, 2026

This chickpea pumpkin loaf is pretty good. Satisfies the sweet tooth without making you want to eat half of it in one sitting! Chocolate and pumpkin pie spice is hard to beat...

INGREDIENTS

• ~1 c chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1/2 c smooth almond butter
• 1/3 c pumpkin purée
• 1/3 c maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 3/4 c almond flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3 c chocolate chips + more for sprinkling

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
2. Blend the chickpeas until completely smooth.
3. Add the almond butter, pumpkin purée, maple syrup and vanilla and blend until smooth.
4. Add the almond flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
5. Spread into your prepared pan and sprinkle with extra chocolate chips.
6. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes, or until edges are set and the center is still slightly soft.
7. Let them cool completely before slicing.

Watercolor: Glazing

Wednesday, July 22, 2026

While many folks do not care for watercolor because it shows everything...that can be used to some nice effects.

These are just some initial practice, playing around with the technique. Learning, always learning.

Painting: More Acrylic Ink!

Sunday, July 19, 2026

Highly productive!

Sort of have to be, as the dried out leaves/ferns are waaaay more difficult to work with. They become too delicate to pull cleanly off dried pieces.

At least I have my paint assistant to lend a paw.

Painting: Botanical Acrylic Ink Diptychs

Friday, July 17, 2026

Scale is a finicky thing with these acrylic ink pieces. Too large, and they look like wallpaper!

So I started splitting my 11x15s in half with tape. Really like the effect of these split diptychs.

Painting: Acrylic Ink without the Botanicals

Wednesday, July 15, 2026

With all this botanical printmaking, I did experiment a bit with not using leaves and ferns, to some interesting effects.

And then there's when you use botanicals...but the final pieces don't really look like you did!

Still pretty though!

Painting: Large Acrylic Ink Botanical Prints

Sunday, July 12, 2026

Lots and lots of experiments with different foliage...dripping ink on top, pressing into ink, water levels, etc. etc.

Some come out great, others come out murky and looking like wallpaper!