3 Mustard Chicken For Dinner With Mendel Bread For Dessert

Photo: Butter Your Biscuit: Click the photos for each blog’s recipe.

I was served a delicious 3 Mustard Chicken dinner by a friend, which I’m too lazy to make without a few tweaks. I don’t aim to buy 3 different mustards for one chicken dish to complicate its preparation! First, I’ll list the original ingredients, my friend’s recipe:

3 Mustard Chicken

Ingredients:

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
3 tbsp Dijon mustard
3 tbsp whole grain mustard
2 tbsp hot-honey mustard
1 to 2 tbsp honey (adjust to taste)
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Next: The 3 Mustard Chicken Dinner with Debra’s tweaks:

Photo: Sandra Valvassori

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 tbsp of any mustard - I have Dijon and yellow mustard. (Sometimes I buy spicy brown or whole grain, but didn’t for this.)
1 tbsp honey

1 cup water (I like sauce!)
1 large chicken bouillon

2 minced garlic cloves

1 medium onion, sliced

1 teaspoon of either dried rosemary or thyme (Both are tasty on chicken and look pretty. I used rosemary.)

1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes

Salt and pepper to sprinkle on the raw chicken breasts

A pad of butter to grease the pan

A sprinkle of dried parsley after it was plated

Directions:

1) Salt and pepper both sides of the chicken.

2) Whisk together the mustard, water, chicken bouillon, honey,  garlic, and spices in a bowl into a smooth sauce.

3) Butter a baking dish. Lay onion slices on the baking sheet, and arrange the chicken breasts on top. Alternately you can cook it in a 12” chef’s skillet on a stovetop, covered with a lid.

4) Pour the mustard-honey sauce over the chicken breasts, fully coating each piece.

5) Bake in a preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes or until the chicken breasts are white and tender. Alternately, simmer at midium-low on top of your stove until the chicken is fully cooked.

Photo: The CookieRookie

Let the chicken rest for at least 5 minutes before serving. Slice the chicken breasts and pour a good amount of sauce over them. Serve with potatoes and vegetables of your choice.

While hot-honey mustard is delicious and I love it, I don’t think you need to buy it for a chicken dish when you use mustard, honey, and red pepper flakes as ingredients. As noted, this dish can also be cooked in a 12” skillet on a stovetop. Steel or cast-iron skillets heat up hot and cook evenly, grilling to perfection. Drizzled in honey-mustard sauce, I bought 3 very large chicken breasts and sliced them to serve on a platter. The chicken breasts get so tender, and the sauce tastes amazing! This may the way I make chicken from now on. The dish works equally well with chicken thighs for dark meat lovers.

Mine on the stovetop

I have no idea who created this scrumptious recipe, as it's floating around the internet on all forms of social media. The finished mustard chicken from the 3 cooks I’m featuring on my blog looks amazing! Click the identifying photos to go to their blogs to compare their recipes. Making this recipe our own leads down the same road to deliciousness!

🌆🏢🥯🏙🗽🏛🌆🏢🥯🏙🗽🏛🌆🏢🥯🏙🗽🏛🌆🏢🥯🏙🗽

What a fabulous melting pot New York City is! Inspired by my Jewish friends and neighbors who’ll celebrate Yom Kippur soon, here is a simple dessert for tea(s), or when you make this mustard chicken dinner for friends. It can be made days ahead of the dinner:

 Mandel Bread is a traditional Jewish biscotti-type cookie. It is short for mandelbrot, which means almond bread. Dry, not overly sweet, like Scottish shortbread, but a different tasting cookie.

Ingredients:

3 cups all-purpose flour

From Sparks Kitchen

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

a pinch of salt

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tsp cinnamon - Traditionally, the finished rectangular cookies are rolled in cinnamon sugar, but I toss the cinnamon into the batter.)

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3 large eggs

2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup of nuts (any, chopped almonds or walnuts or pecans)

Directions:

1) Using a fork, mix the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl.

2) With a fork, mix the wet ingredients in a 2nd mixing bowl.

3) Incorporate the wet and dry ingredients. Fold in the nuts, and refrigerate for 2 hours. This prevents the dough from spreading out.

4) On a buttered baking sheet or long baking pan, shape and the dough into a long, flat, even log and bake at 350 degrees F for 25 - 30 minutes, until it is lightly browned.

5) Cool the finished cookies for 15 minutes (so they don’t fall apart), then cut into rectangles, squares, or diagonals. You do you! These cookies go back onto the baking sheet for a 2nd baking at 25o degrees F for another 20 minutes. Remove and cool. I do not roll them in cinnamon sugar because I don’t want them sweeter or the mess of sugar falling off the cookies, nor do I relish getting my fingers mucked up. Avoid messes and extra dishes to wash by not creating situations for the messes to occur! 

Sparks Kitchen has ultra-fancy mentel bread stacks that can be ordered for pickup, delivery, or shipping. Even easier, and there’s no shame in buying the cookies! We can do both at different times, right?😋

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6 Better Hot Dogs

Frankly, my family doesn’t usually eat hot dogs for dinner. My practice is to buy a pack of hot dogs to toss into the freezer and add 2-3 sliced, pan-grilled links to beans or my quick vegetable meal. But a friend nudged me to eat a hot dog this past July 4th. She thought it was patriotic, so now I’m hooked on better hot dogs!

To my surprise, the price of hot dogs has risen a lot at the supermarket. No more messing around buying turkey or chicken hot dogs for the lower fat content, calories (about 80 per dog), or price for me! They too have gotten more expensive! From this day forward, I’m going for the better-tasting all-beef (accepting 130 calories; 160 is pushing it) per hot dog.

Since the cost of a package of 8 hot dogs at the supermarket is often well over $5, I headed straight to Fairway Market and bought the very best ~ Black Bear Natural Casing Beef Franks ~ a 40 oz package for $16.72; that’s 16 slightly bigger hot dogs in a package. I tossed 15 hot dogs in my freezer for later meals, eating one hot dog right away (of course with mustard and sauerkraut).

The natural casings have a snap I had all but forgotten about that the turkey and chicken hot dogs lack!

Still, I’m no foodie, so when I must buy hot dogs at the supermarket for convenience, the following brands are 100% beef with a well-balanced smoky and spicy profile: Nathan’s Famous Coney Island or Nathan’s Angus Beef, Boar’s Head Beef Frankfurters, and Sabrett’s Skinless Beef Frankfurters.

Reportedly, Costco’s Kirkland Signature Beef Hot Dogs are quite good too, although personally I’ve never eaten one. I do trust what customers say enough to include it here, and one day I have to try one as a tagalong with a Costco shopper.

Nowadays, hot dogs cost almost as much as other meats, so you might as well go for the best! No point in skimping on calories, fat content, or cost! When you decide to eat one, THE SAVVY SHOPPER recommends going all in.🙂

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Dietitians rate Applegate Organics’ Uncured Beef Hot Dogs as the healthiest option on the market - another brand I’ve never tried. It’s relatively low in sodium, fat, and calories per link, but its still a hot dog ~ processed meat!

Feel free to tell us about your favorite hot dogs.

Making German Sauerkraut

Barbecue Franks And Beans

Dump Potato Salad A One-Pot Meal

What Do You Stock In Your Freezer?

Making German Sauerkraut

These containers are great for stacking in a refrigerator.

Sauerkraut and mustard are delicious on a beef hot dog. I overruled a bossy friend who insisted I put Sabrett’s sweet-ketchup-onion topping on my hot dog. To each his own, but no, no, no, no, no, not on mine!

At home, I prefer canned sauerkraut to supermarket bagged refrigerated sauerkraut. The canned is blanched, so less raw in texture and less sour. I like the sour toned down a notch so it complements and doesn’t dominate the other paired food, like potato salad or pork chops.

Our favorite sauerkraut comes in jars from Germany, which is more costly (about $8 - $12 a jar) since it's imported.

Recently, using a medium head of cabbage (at 99¢/lb), I made my own batch of sauerkraut to see if I could match the German Sauerkraut in a jar. You only need 2 ingredients to make it: shredded cabbage and salt. You have to wonder why all forms of sauerkraut, including canned, have doubled in price. 

My recipe follows:

German Sauerkraut

Ingredients:

cabbage, a medium-large head, shredded

1 1/2 tablespoons of non-iodized salt (I used pink Himalayan.) 

Although you should keep sauerkraut simple, you can add optional flavors or textures to your batch if you wish --

Optional: I sprinkled in bay leaf powder (or 3 bay leaves work). I diced a carrot just to add color to the kraut. Some people like to toss in garlic or caraway seeds, which I didn’t do.

Directions:

4 days of fermenting

1) Mix the shredded cabbage and salt thoroughly. I used a fork and didn’t massage it. What am I, a masseuse? You can taste it to know if the salt is incorporated throughout.

2) Pack the sauerkraut into glass jars or food-grade plastic containers. 

3) Let it sit at room temperature for 7 days to 4 weeks. No need to add water, as the salt draws the water out, turning it into a pickled juice.

My sauerkraut, weighing 2 pounds, is fermenting and starting to look like sauerkraut. How exciting that it's coming along without effort! I don’t aim to go into the sauerkraut business, but it’s great to know where your food comes from and what goes into making it! We’ll use this batch as condiments whenever we need a bit of sour and crunch, like on Fairway’s beef hot dogs. Fermented sauerkraut keeps in the refrigerator.

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Keeping Produce Fresh

Photo and more info from USDA - here.

We eat a variety of fruits and vegetables in my home as part of a healthy diet. A confession: I wash and refrigerate potatoes and refrigerate onions, which we’re not supposed to do. The reason why: I have a Manhattan-size, not a suburban-size kitchen, so I lack a cool dark place to store a bag of produce, and if I had to buy one potato or onion at a time, I'd lose the motivation to cook. I dislike having a job before I start a job!

Not including the above compromises, I try to follow as closely as possible the ways experts tell us to keep produce fresh. But it gets confusing. Certain fruits and vegetables release ethylene, a natural gas that speeds up ripening. Let’s learn which ones.

High-ethylene produce includes apples, bananas, kiwi, avocados, tomatoes, and peppers. What the USDA calls ethylene-sensitive produce includes leafy greens, mushrooms, broccoli, cabbage, and cucumbers. If we mix high-ethylene produce with ethylene-sensitive produce in the same crisper drawer, they will spoil sooner rather than later.

We’re supposed to keep apples, bananas, oranges, lemons, limes, avocados, potatoes, and onions at room temperature, but I don’t -- except to let avocados or bananas ripen at room temperature -- before tossing them into the refrigerator. Immediately, you can refrigerate berries, leafy greens, cauliflower, green onions, mushrooms, and peas.

Ways to make fresh produce last longer include storing the high-ethylene produce and ethylene-sensitive produce in 2 separate crisper drawers. There’s usually a slide knob on the outside of each crisper drawer to set for high- or low-moisture produce also. Plus I bought thin plastic bins to store like produce together, which I place outside on the shelves of my refrigerator since all my produce won’t fit into my crisper drawers. I also have refrigerator liners, which absorb moisture inside the refrigerator to some extent. Moisture and poor air circulation greatly contribute to food spoilage.

Food experts tell us not washing produce keeps them fresh longer (which frankly I also ignore). I wash berries, leafy greens, and a stalk of celery before tossing them in my refrigerator. Remember, I dislike having a job (washing celery or potatoes) before starting a job (cooking ). Washing produce also keeps my refrigerator and refrigerator liners cleaner. 

Often I slice or dice and freeze celery, peppers, and mushrooms to keep them from spoiling. Mostly I buy bags of frozen peas and mixed vegetables (diced carrots, peas, green beans, and corn) instead of fresh peas or mixed vegetables. 

Once produce like an onion or apple is cut, I store it in a Rubbermaid plastic food container, not plastic wrap, as I’m slightly afraid of the chemicals in plastic wrap touching the food.

Photo: Dreamtime free royalty image

What my family loses by my storing produce such as potatoes or onions in our refrigerator instead of at room temperature is some flavor, but not enough flavor that we detect it. Certainly we’d notice a difference if we had the luxury of farm-fresh produce, but we don’t. (Sometimes the freshness of supermarket produce is also questionable.) We deal with the compromises of city life. Our main objective is to get healthy food into our pie-holes before it welts, tastes bad, grows eyes, stems and fuzz, or decays! At least we’re eating a variety of imperfectly stored produce rather than not eating produce or rotted produce, right?

Do you have any hacks for keeping produce fresh?

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The Healthy Food Staples in My Home

I’m not against health food stores, but for convenience, most of my pantry/refrigerator food comes from either a supermarket or Fairway (for deli-type foods, sushi, and fresh-baked goods). I also order dry foods from Walmart and buy milk and eggs from Target Express (they are everywhere in Manhattan; there is no brick-and-mortar Walmart).

The following are healthy food staples I always buy and never let myself run out of stock. I’m not going to list ultra-common spices like salt or pepper, common condiments like mustard, ketchup, or mayonnaise, or common beverages like coffee or tea. I know people who don’t drink milk or only buy a quart of milk for coffee, or never have eggs at home, so I’m listing them. We drink gallons of milk and always have enough eggs for cooking or baking.

Healthy Food Staples that are always In My Kitchen

1) milk, eggs, and all-purpose flour.

2) mushrooms, celery, carrots, tri-colored bell peppers, and onions. Onions last. I chop and toss mushrooms, bell peppers, and celery into the freezer, so when I cook vegetables, soups, stew, pizza, or omelets, I have them ready to incorporate.

3) Oatmeal - one-minute flaked - For cereal or to use as breadcrumbs.

4) Organic cider vinegar, extra-virgin olive oil, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and Cajun spice. There’s nothing wrong with regular cider vinegar; I just think the organic, containing a mother, tastes better.

5) Greek yogurt - If I make potato or macaroni salad, I’ll boost the protein by substituting some of the mayonnaise with Greek yogurt.

6) Avocados, bananas, and berries (strawberries, blueberries, or both).

7) Canned salmon - Salmon patties are great for fast, last-minute dinners.

8) Bread and saltine crackers

9) Bags of frozen mixed vegetables, including frozen lima beans. Who decided to remove lima beans from mixed vegetables? Not me! I return them.

10) Potatoes - My favorite starch. I never get tired of potatoes.

11) Extra sharp New York Cheddar. Other types of cheese come and go, but extra sharp cheddar is always and forever in my refigerator.

12) 1/2 - 3/4 pound deli sliced ham - A pound was always too much, and we had to eat it before it went bad. We grill ham with eggs in the mornings or make sandwiches for lunch.

We eat beef, chicken, rice, pasta, corn, and a variety of other fruits and vegetables, too, but they come and go. The listed foods above are like our basics, so we always restock them before we run out.

How about you?

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A Sprinkle of Nutmeg

Photo: Williams Sonoma - Peugeot nutmeg grinder

Nutmeg is a spice made by grinding the seed of the nutmeg (or Myristica fragrans) tree into a powder. I have a nutmeg grinder to do the job. The spice adds a warm, nutty flavor to both sweet and savory dishes. It’s also fragrant, and a sprinkle goes a long way.

Eating nutmeg has many health benefits, and yet too much of a good thing is dangerous! Never consume more than a pinch up to 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg. Over 5 grams (which is 1 to 2 nutmegs) is toxic.

As it happens, nutmeg is a potent spice. It is packed with antioxidants and anti-inflammatory compounds. The rich flavonoids, cyanidins, and essential oil in nutmeg protect our cells from stressful oxidation and harmful free radicals. Nutmeg also contains myristicin and eugenol, which block enzymes responsible for chronic inflammation. A pinch of ground nutmeg reduces bloating and treats diarrhea. Spinkled in warm milk or tea, nutmeg promotes better sleep. The essential oil of nutmeg, made into a mouthwash, fights oral bacteria to protect our teeth and gums and treats bad breath. Animal studies have shown that nutmeg lowers cholesterol and triglyceride levels. Its potassium content regulates blood pressure and improves circulation. The analgesic properties in nutmeg can help to ease muscle, menstrual, and arthritic pain.

My family uses ground nutmeg to flavor our stews, soups, vegetables, eggs, rice pudding, and some of our baked cakes and cookies. We tend to use spices like nutmeg to reduce our reliance on salt or sugar to flavor our food.

Sprinkling nutmeg on your food regularly will not only boost its taste, but also your health!

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Dietitians Say These 9 Are Better Than Protein Bars

A Homemade High Protein Drink

I buy my senior Mom Walmart’s Equate (30 grams with 1 gram of sugar) protein drink to supplement her diet because she doesn’t eat lunch. On Thursday I tried to re-order two 12-packs, but couldn’t have it shipped! It’s because Walmart put it on sale and removed the shipping option. We have no Walmart brick-and-mortar stores in Manhattan for pickup. Rats! So no Equate protein drinks until the shipping option returns.

Meanwhile, I’m making her a homemade high-protein drink alternative:

Homemade High Protein Drink

Ingredients:

1.5 cups (12 oz) milk - 12 grams of protein

1/2 cup (4 oz) Greek Yogurt - 12 grams of protein

1 tablespoon peanut butter - 4 grams of protein

banana, small, or 1/2 large - 1 gram of protein

3 whole walnut kernels - 3 grams of protein

= 32 grams of protein

Directions:

Toss into a blender or food processor. Pour into a glass. Add a straw.

Optional: Tossing in strawberries, cherries, blueberries, or a tablespoon of cocoa powder gives the recipe different flavors and adds nutrients. To further vary the drink, feel free to occasionally add 1/4 cup of chia seeds or oatmeal flakes. Both have protein and fiber.

Many high-protein drinks call for whey protein, but if you have to buy whey protein, you might as well buy the Equate or Ensure already-made drinks. Equate (Walmart’s brand) costs $1.67 each.

Every day I give my Mom 5,000 ius of vitamin D and a multi-vitamin, both drugstore brands.

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Homemade Rum Cake

Rum Cake courtesy of Good Cakes and Bakes here.

Perhaps it’s because of the endless daylight that causes me to bake more cakes in the summertime. I also like to do more hosting and entertaining in the summer, so there lies the excuse to bake a cake. I also like to try new recipes. Baking a rum cake seems easier than making a 2-layer cake (at least psychologically).

Homemade Rum Cake

 

Cake Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1  cup dark brown sugar (or use half granulated and half brown sugar if you wish.)

3 large eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup buttermilk (Sour cream can be used.)

1/3 cup rum

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup of chopped nuts - pecans or walnuts

Directions:

1) Cream the butter and sugar together. Add the eggs and beat.

2) Add the buttermilk and rum.

3) Mix the dry ingredients in one mixing bowl and slowly incorporate them into the wet mixture.

4) Add the vanilla extract.

5) Toss 1/2 cup of chopped nuts onto the bottom of a buttered bundt pan. Bundt pans are traditional for rum cakes, but use a round or square pan if you wish.

5) Pour the batter into the bundt pan evenly.

6) Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 60 minutes or more until done in the middle.

7) Let the cake cool, but remove it while still warm by loosening and turning the bundt pan upside down.

Rum Cake Frosting Ingredients:

3 tablespoons butter, softened

3 tablespoons rum

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Powdered sugar, start with one cup 

The rest of the chopped nuts

Directions: 

Mix all the ingredients. Use as much powdered sugar as needed. Start with a cup. After the cake is completely cool, frost it. Top the frosting with the remaining chopped nuts. Roasting the nuts on a cookie sheet before using them improves their flavor, but I’m often too lazy to do it.🎂

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Dietians Say These 9 Are Better Than Protein Bars

Two unopened boxes of these are in my cupboard. The taste and texture are good.

Years ago, I ate protein bars for convenience and to satisfy a sweet tooth, but I always got tired of the taste, texture, or cost of the various protein bars I tried. Many were chalky or too dense. Nowadays, if I crave a candy bar, I’ll eat a candy bar and only rely on a protein bar if I have an appointment that will cause me to miss a meal, like taking a long train or car ride, or waiting for a driver’s licence renewal -- and usually the latter can be renewed online. So I don’t eat them regularly anymore, and as it turns out, nutritionists think real food is a better option than protein bars (or drinks).

The following recipes come straight from an email sent to me from Real Simple magazine, which I'll share. The article says the following snacks make eating protein bars for their convenience unnecessary. The recipes come from dieticians. 

So without further ado, here are the 9 recipes from Real Simple, directly quoted below + linked. I take no credit for researching, compiling, or writing them up, but I know enough about nutrition to understand that it is great advice. Consider my blog your electronic recipe box:

''1. Homemade Energy Balls 

Mai Duong, a registered dietitian at Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, CA, recommends whipping up a batch of energy bites for a quick, on-the-go snack. To do so, mix together one cup of rolled oats, one-fourth cup of nut butter, and one-fourth cup of chopped dried fruit. Shape into four balls and refrigerate before snacking. Each bite contains roughly 7 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber, according to Duong.

2. Turkey Roll-Ups

Need something a little heartier? Sahar Berjis, a registered dietitian and CEO of Inner Health and Wellness, recommends making roll-ups using a wrap and some deli meat like turkey. She suggests serving some hummus and red bell pepper on the side for a little extra nutrition. “It’s protein-packed with a satisfying crunch,” she says. The exact amount of fiber and protein will vary depending on the wraps you choose.

3. Chia Berry Jam Parfait 

Make your own high-fiber, low-sugar jam to top Greek yogurt. Bonus: it’s super simple! Just thaw a half-cup of frozen mixed berries in a jar until soft and mix juice from half a lemon, a drizzle of honey if desired, and two tablespoons of chia seeds, instructs Juliette Jorgenson, a registered dietitian with Providence St. Joseph Hospital in Orange County, California. “Cover and let gelatinize in the fridge overnight, and you'll have perfectly gooey high-fiber jam,” she says. Add it to Greek yogurt and top with ground flaxseed, nut butter, and bananas for even more fiber and protein, Jorgenson suggests. Depending on the yogurt and berries you use, the jam and yogurt will contain roughly 13 grams of fiber and 16 grams of protein, Jorgenson says.

4. Frozen Yogurt Bark

Try one of Berjis' go-to frozen treats. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, add dollops of Greek yogurt, top each one with berries, chia seeds, and nuts—then freeze. A typical serving of Greek yogurt contains roughly 16 grams of protein, depending on the brand you use, and fiber will vary based on the toppings you choose. 

5. Lentil Dip or Salad 

This easy-to-prep idea from Eu Nee Tan-Verdugo, a registered dietitian with L.A. Care Health Plan, can be customized to fit your taste and time constraints. Mix precooked lentils, feta, and for an easy dip that you can add on top of whole-wheat crackers. “You can also add edamame and cubed cucumber to make it a salad,” she says. A 100-gram serving of cooked lentils contains 9 grams of protein and nearly 8 grams of fiber, according to the USDA.

6. Roasted Legumes 

2026 is the year of the bean—and for good reason. Legumes are loaded with fiber, protein, and antioxidants, which help keep your heart, gut, and cholesterol healthy. Dana Henderson, a registered dietitian at L.A. Care Health Plan, likes roasted edamame or fava beans for an easy, portable snack. A 100-gram serving of edamame contains roughly 12 grams of protein and 5 grams of fiber, according to the USDA. Or try Berjis’s go-to: roasted chickpeas. “They’re crunchy, portable, and surprisingly addictive,” she says. 

7. Higher Protein Hummus 

Give your hummus an extra nutrient boost with this tip from Duong. Combine one cup of drained and rinsed garbanzo beans, a half-cup of reduced-fat cottage cheese, two tablespoons of tahini, plus lemon juice, garlic, parsley, and salt in a food processor. Blend until smooth and serve with a cup of carrot chips. You’ll get roughly 6 grams of fiber and 7 grams of protein, she says. 

8. Cottage Cheese Bowls

Or make cottage cheese the main character by adding your favorite toppings. If you prefer savory, Berjis suggests topping your bowl with cucumber and tomatoes. For something sweet, Jorgenson recommends adding berries and flax. A half-cup of cottage cheese with a half-cup of berries and one tablespoon of flax meal contains roughly 14 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber, Jorgenson says.

9. Dates With Nut Butter

“This is the perfect sweet treat,” says Jorgenson. Just split open a few dates, remove the pit, and add in your favorite nut butter. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt and freeze for about 30 minutes. The nutrition information will vary depending on the nut butter you choose, but Jorgenson estimates that three dates and two tablespoons of peanut butter contain 8 grams of protein and 6 grams of fiber."

Why are nutritionists against our dependence on protein bars? (1) Many protein bars and shakes contain metal levels that exceed recommendations. (2) Some have too much sugar. (3) They are more expensive than real food. (4) You can’t beat Mother Nature. Real food has all the protein, vitamins, and minerals we need in the right balance. These 9 recipes are budget-friendly and should satisfy every palate, sweet or savory. Enjoy!

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