Today was the day – I was finally going to try this new craze: the two-ingredient pancake! Banana and egg whites. That’s it. This perfect pair of ingredients has been taking over my Pinterest feed for a while now. And since I ran out of protein powder to make my regular protein pancakes, (or my favorite banana cinnamon version)  the day had finally arrived for me to jump on the bandwagon.

This has been one of the best life decision I may have ever made. No joke. My world has been turned upside down. And then when I calculated that the ingredients add up to only 300 calories, I got thrown for another loop!

Strawberry Shortcake Pancakes

1 large banana
2 egg whites
1/2 cup natural yogurt, unsweetened
8 strawberries, sliced
6 drops of liquid stevia

Thoroughly mash the banana in a bowl. Add the two egg whites and mix until completely combined. Spray a medium sized frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and place over medium-low heat. Pour 1/3 of the batter into the pan and cook until the edges start to turn golden, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook the other side until golden. Repeat this process to make the other 2 pancakes. Meanwhile, sweeten your yogurt with stevia and slice your strawberries. Once all three pancakes are cooked, create a stack alternating between pancake, yogurt, and strawberries. Enjoy the extra yogurt and strawberries on the side!

This recipe is TIU approved for M1 & M2

Microwaved Fish

4-6oz Fish of your choice
1/2 lemon
Salt, pepper, other desired spices

Place your filet of fish on a microwave safe plate. Rub the lemon onto the fish, cover, and microwave for 1.5 minutes. Remove fish from microwave and flip. Rub the new side with lemon. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and other desired spices. (I rubbed curry powder on this piece of cod.) Cover and microwave for another 1-1.5 minutes or until cooked through.

That’s it! Delicious, flakey, moist fish in less than 5 minutes plus no clean-up!

This recipe is TIU approved as one serving of protein at any meal!

Wannabe Hummus

1/4 cup chickpeas
2 Tbs. mustard

Rinse the chickpeas. Place in between two paper towels, rolling to dry them and remove the outer skin. Once all the skins are removed, mash completely with a fork. Add mustard and combine. Add more mustard if the mixture is too thick for your liking. Place on a large slice of red pepper or raw veggie of your choice, adding a layer of avocado if desired.

This recipe is TIU approved for M2 & M4

Venice sits on the the largest lagoon in the Mediterranean and is made up of 118 islands connected by 465 bridges. Water-filled canals take the place of conventional roads which limits transportation to by boat or on foot since even bikes are forbidden. To get to this secluded paradise, a ferry ride is required. But once there you can hop on a Gondola, a long boat typical of Venice, to maze through the thin alleys (although your gondolier most likely won’t sing for you like they do in the movies). But the real way to see the city is wandering on foot through the countless tiny alleys and over the many bridges.

Our first stop was St. Mark’s Square. Most people are only familiar with St. Mark’s Basilica which is incredible because it doesn’t have a drop of paint decorating it. Instead all the decorations are made completely of mosaics. But the giant plaza also is home Doge Palace, the 1st ever public library, and Caffe Florian which is the oldest coffee shop in the world. A tour guide picked up our group and led us through the maze which is Venice, feeding us history and fun facts. We passed plenty of shops featuring the famous Venetian masks and learned that the masks with the beaks were originally exclusively for doctors, protecting them when treating patients with the plague.

After the tour was lunch, gelato, an incredible glass blowing demonstration, souvenir shopping, and a picture-taking extravaganza before the sun set and we headed to the biggest feast of our entire trip. A huge antipasto platter along with endless bottles of wine were on the table upon our arrival. That was replaced by a vegetable platter and then a risotto. Those were just the appetizers to prep us for the pasta fiasco about to occur. We were warned that it was going to be a lot of food, but I was still shocked when they brought out first carbonara, then gnocchi, and then pesto pasta. And these weren’t small servings – each plate could easily be it’s own meal! Everyone was so full that when the ice cream came out at the end, many people were barely able to get down a bite, let alone the whole thing.

With very full stomachs, we ended the Italy leg of our trip. And thanks to the severe food coma, everyone was able to pass out and get a good night’s sleep in preparation for the for the day of traveling to come.

Next Stop: Vienna

Rice Krispies Treat Easter Nests
Makes 20 nests

5 cups of original Rice Krispies or Coco Krispies
1 bag of marshmallows (approx. 40)
3 Tbs. butter
1 Large bag of Peanut M&M’s or other candy for decorating

In a large pot melt the butter on low heat. Add the marshmallows, slowly stirring until completely melted and combined with the butter. Turn off the heat and stir in the Krispies until evenly coated. Immediately fill cupcake liners, pressing an indent into the center for the “eggs” to sit in. Lightly press 5-6 M&M’s into each nest. Let cool completely.

Tips and Tricks: Form the nests as quickly as possible. As the mixture cools, they become more difficult to mold.

This recipe is not TIU approved.