Fall’s here and you know what that means … PUMPKIN SPICE!

Last October, I created a pumpkin spice recipe inspired by Diablo III. This time around, I decided to focus on another Blizzard game.

With beta around the corner, it’s time for me to start cooking up some Overwatch inspired snacks. That’s right, we’re hopping aboard the Overwatch hype train! CHOO CHOO. But this time, the hype train is fueled by PUMPKIN PROTEIN COOKIES!

Cheers love, the cookies are here!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. 1 tablespoon of pumpkin pie spice
2. 2 tablespoons of agave nectar
3. 1 egg
4. 1/2 cup, 1 teaspoon of almond milk
5. 1/2 cup, 2 teaspoons of pumpkin puree
6. 2 pumpkin pie Quest Bars
7. 1 cup of oats
8. 1 square of dark chocolate

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this recipe is about 20 minutes. Cook time is ~14 minutes. This recipe will make 9 cookies.

Each cookie contains: 6g of Protein, 4g of Fat, and 5.5g of Net Carbs

OPENING

1. Take your protein bars and cut away the orange coating. Reserve these pieces in a bowl for later.
2. Cut the protein bar into pieces and place into a bowl. Add 1/2 cup of almond milk.
3. Microwave the protein bar for 1 minute. Remove from the microwave and stir. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds. Stir until it makes a smooth liquid.

MID GAME

1. Put your protein mixture into a large bowl. Add in 1/2 of your oats and stir.
2. Pour in your pumpkin puree, agave, and egg. Stir until combined.
3. Add in your remaining oats and gently fold it into the rest of the mixture.
   
4. Pre-heat your oven to 325° F.
5. Place a piece of parchment paper on a baking dish. Use a spoon to portion out your cookie dough mixture, and drop spoonfuls onto the baking dish.
6. Gently press the cookies into disks.
   
7. Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. Let cool for 5 minutes.
   

LATE GAME

1. Add 1 teaspoon of almond milk and 2 teaspoons of pumpkin puree to your reserved protein bar coating. This will make your orange frosting.
2. Microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and microwave again for 30 seconds.
3. Microwave your dark chocolate in the same manner.
4. Place your orange frosting and dark chocolate in piping bags.
   
5. Pipe the Overwatch symbol onto your cooled cookies.
6. Eat!

GG WP, hero! Now you’re ready to save the world.

Or, you can wait for your beta access and bake cookies like me. The world needs more cookies.

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This recipe was created with support from Quest Gaming. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to learn more about how other gamers eat healthy and #CheatClean.

A while back in an interview, I was asked by Vaeflare if I had any Heroes of the Storm themed recipes in the works. I responded with this:

“I plan to write some recipes about the heroes themselves. How awesome would it be to take a bite out of Sergeant Hammer’s BFG missile?!” 

I finally sat down and created Sgt. Hammer’s smiley BFG missle… but in MEATLOAF FORM! Spreadin’ the loooove!

If you’re not familiar with Sgt. Hammer’s Heroic Ability, “BFG” or Blunt Force Gun, it’s basically a smiley missile that launches across the map.

KABOOM!

Now, this isn’t your ordinary meatloaf… This is a STUFFED meatloaf full of vegetables and cheesy goodness. It’ll explode with flavor!

This recipe has been kicked up with added protein in the form of crispy Quest Protein Chips!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 1 teaspoon of worcestershire sauce
4. 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
5. 2 tablespoons of smoked chipotle paste
6. 2 tablespoons of ketchup
7. 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
8. 5 mushrooms, chopped
9. 1/4 cup of broccoli, chopped
10. 1/4 of shredded pepper jack cheese
11. 1 onion, 1/2 chopped and 1/2 left in reserve
12. 3-6 pitted black olives
13. 1 1/2 lb of lean ground beef (I used 90/10)
14. 2 bags of Quest BBQ Protein Chips
15. 1 red pepper

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this recipe is about 35 minutes. Total cook time is roughly 1 hour 10 minutes. This makes ~5 servings.

Each serving contains: 34g of Protein, 16g of Fat and 2g of Net carbs.

OPENING

1. Set a small pan on high heat. Add in your olive oil.
2. Saute your chopped garlic, mushrooms and broccoli.
3. Let them cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

MID GAME

1. In a large bowl, combine your worcestershire sauce, salt, pepper, paprika and ground beef.
2. Crush 1 bag of protein chips and add it to the meat mixture. Add in 1 tablespoon of chipotle paste. Stir to combine.
   
3. Lay a large sheet of plastic wrap on a flat surface.
4. Put your meat mixture on top of the plastic wrap. Squish the meat against the plastic wrap to make it flat.
5. Place your sauteed vegetables on top of the flattened meat. Be sure to leave about an inch of room on each side. The ends will require about 2 – 3 inches of space.
   
6. Grab the edge of the plastic wrap and begin rolling the meatloaf on top of itself.
7. Place the meatloaf in a baking dish.

LATE GAME

1. Shape the meat into a “missle” shape — one side pointy, the other side flat.
2. Cut small wedges out of the red pepper. These will be the “fins” of the missle. Place them in a circular formation on the flat end of the meatloaf missle.
3. Mix your ketchup and chipotle paste. Spread this mixture over the pointed 1/2 of the missle.
4.  Cut a mouth and eyes out of your remaining piece of onion. Place them on to the meatloaf.
   
5. Slice pupils from your olives. Place them on top of the onion.
6. Crush your remaining bag of chips. Sprinkle them over the un-sauced portion of the meatloaf.
7. Cut an olive in half. Use a straw to poke a circular piece through the olive. These will be the rivets. Place them on the edge where the sauced portion touches the chip-coated portion.
8. Pre-heat you oven to 360° F. Cook the meatloaf for about 50 minutes – 1 hour, or until done.
9. Eat!

GG WP!

Now you’ll have a tasty and protein-packed meal that will keep you and your Heroes team fed.

It’s a very very smiley meatloaf…

See you in the Nexus, hero!

But make sure you duck — never know when that BFG is going to fire from across the map!

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This recipe was created with support from Quest Gaming. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to learn more about how other gamers eat healthy and #CheatClean.

Growing up, I would play A LOT of N64 games. It was basically an after school ritual for me — I’d come home, eat a snack and then immediately become glued to the television and my console.

One of my favorite games is Super Smash Brothers. I would play hours on end and when I returned to school the next day, I’d jump into these deep discussions about why I thought Kirby was a really awesome character to play. I mean, c’mon, he basically can steal anyone’s special! Plus, that   ↓ special? HE TURNS INTO A ROCK TO CRUSH HIS ENEMIES!

Because I enjoyed playing Kirby so much in Smash, I eventually rented a copy of Kirby 64 from Blockbuster. Yeaaaah, that was quite a while ago.

Admittedly, I still don’t know what Kirby is. I just know that he’s a happy little dude who LOVES to eat. So, I’m sure he would appreciate having his imaged turned into a tasty popsicle!

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. 1/2 cup of strawberries
2. 1 1/2 cups of almond milk
3. 1 scoop of Quest Banana Cream protein powder
4. 1 scoop of Quest Strawberries & Cream protein powder
5. 2 tablespoons of white chocolate, melted
6. 8 sliced almonds
7. a few drops of blue food dye

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this takes about 10 minutes. Chill time for this is about 6 – 8 hours. Decorating time is about 15 minutes. This makes 4 servings.

Each serving contains: 11g of Protein, 1g of Fat, and 1g of Net Carbs

You will need a round ice popsicle maker for this recipe.

OPENING

1. Combine your protein powders with almond milk in a blender. It should have a fairly thick consistency (think pudding!).
2. Reserve two of your strawberries, and slice the rest. The remaining two will be used to make the mouth and the blush.
3. Add your sliced strawberries to your protein mix. Blend the strawberries into the mix.

MID GAME

1. Carefully pour the mixture into each popsicle mold.
   
2. Freeze for 6 – 8 hours.

LATE GAME

1. Heat your white chocolate until it melts. Carefully add 2 drops of blue food coloring. Stir the food coloring into the chocolate.
2. Dip the end of an almond slice into the white chocolate. This will create the blue part of Kirby’s eyes. Repeat this step for 7 more almond slices.
3. Let the chocolate on the almond dry.
4. Add more blue food coloring to the white chocolate. You’ll want the chocolate to be as dark as possible.
5. Using a toothpick or a chopstick, gently drizzle the dark chocolate above the blue part of the almond. Be sure to leave a white space at the top. Allow the chocolate to dry for about 5 minutes.
6. Remove your popsicles from the freezer and take them out from their molds.
   
7. Slice your strawberries and cut out shapes to create Kirby’s mouth (basically cut out a “D”) and blush.
8. Dampen the back of the almonds and strawberries with water. Then, lay your popsicle horizontally (I used a mug to hold up mine) and adhere the almonds and strawberries to the pops.
9. Place the popsicle back in the freezer for 2 minutes.
10. Remove from the freezer and eat!

Ta-da! It’s KIRBY! GG WP.

Now you’ve got this portable Kirby to nibble on during the warm summer days!

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This recipe was created with support from Quest Gaming. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to learn more about how other gamers eat healthy and #CheatClean.

We’re headed back to Draenor for another delicious treat! This time, we’re looking to the skies for our meal… It’s RYLAK CREPES!

As a Hunter, it’s always awkward to create a dish from a beast that could have easily been one of your own companions.

LOOK AWAY, MOCHI! JUST… LOOK AWAY.

 However, I’ve gotta eat somehow… You can’t fight the Iron Horde when your stomach is rumbling. Besides, those Rylak crepes do look mighty tasty.

In Draenor, Rylak crepes only require five Rylak eggs. Unfortunately, since I couldn’t find any Rylak eggs where I live, I had to improvise with a few more ingredients.

Rylaks are predators, so I would assume that any dish made from them would be packed full of lean protein. My version of Rylak crepes features chicken breast and Quest protein!

UNIT COMPOSITION

FOR THE CREPE

1. salt
2. 2 tablespoons of olive oil
3. 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour
4. 1 scoop of Quest protein powder
5. 2 eggs
6. 1 cup of milk

FOR THE FILLING

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 3 tablespoons of olive oil
4. 1 egg
5. 1/2 cup of whole wheat powder
6. 1/2 scoop of Quest protein powder
7. 2 bags of Quest BBQ protein chips
8. 1 lb of chicken breast, cut into strips
9. 1/2 cup of arugula or baby spinach, washed
10. 1/3 lb of asparagus
11. 2/3 lb of fingerling potatoes, cut into fries

FOR THE SAUCE (optional)

1. 1 tablespoon of honey
2. 2 tablespoon of mayonnaise
3. 2 tablespoon of mustard

BUILD ORDER

Total prep time for this dish is about 45 minutes. Total cook time is about 35 minutes. This will make about 4 servings. Each serving contains about ~57g of protein.

OPENING

1. Preheat your oven to 350°.
2. Open your bag of chips to let out the air. Then, crush the chips in the bag to create the crispy coating for your chicken.
3. Place your sliced chicken, 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, mixed egg and crushed chips into separate dishes. This will be your dredging station.
   
4. Add in 1/2 scoop of protein powder to your whole wheat flour and mix to combine.
5. Take your chicken breast and dip it in the whole wheat flour. Then, dip it in the egg. Then, lightly coat it with the crushed chips. You will want to different hands for this to avoid getting the flour and egg mixture stuck to your hand (something that Alton Brown refers to as “club hand”).
   For example, use your left hand for the flour to egg portion. Then, use your right hand for the egg to chips portion.
6. Place the coated chicken strips on baking sheet lined with aluminum foil.
   
7. Lightly drizzle 1 table spoon of olive oil over the chicken strips.
8. Bake them for about 14 minutes. While your chicken is baking, prepare the rest of the filling.

MID GAME

1. In a medium sized pan, add in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Set it on medium high heat.
2. Once your olive oil comes up to temperature, place your sliced potatoes in the pan.
   
3. Let them cook for about 2 -3 minutes on each side or until browned.
4. Once they’re crispy, remove them from the oil and let them dry on over a paper towel. This paper towel will be used to absorb any extra oil.
5. Steam your asparagus or boil (you can cheat by throwing them in the microwave for about 2 minutes in a dish with water!).
6. Carefully wipe your skillet with a paper towel. You will be using this same skillet to make your crepes.

LATE GAME

1. In a bowl, whisk together 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour, 1 scoop of protein powder and 1 cup of milk. Add in salt for seasoning.
   
2. Set your pan to medium heat.
3. Pour 2 tablespoons of olive oil into a small bowl. Dip a paper towel into the olive oil and use it to coat the pan with olive oil. You will be doing this between each crepe.
4. Use a ladle or measuring cup to add your crepe batter to the pan. Quickly swirl the pan to ensure that the batter evenly coats the surface of the pan.
   
5. Allow the crepe to cook for about 1 1/2 minutes. Then, flip it over.
   
6. Continue cooking for another minute and a half. Remove the crepe and repeat the process. Be sure to wipe down the pan with olive oil.
   
7. Once you’ve finished making all your crepes, it’s now time to assemble them. Place a fresh crepe on a plate.
8. Place your asparagus, spinach/arugula, chicken, and potatoes in the center of the crepe.
   
9. Then, roll the crepe up and use a toothpick to hold the crepe in place. ‘
10. OPTIONAL: Create a honey mustard dipping sauce by combining mayonnaise, honey and mustard.
11. Eat!

GG WP!

As you can see, I had a lot of fun making this recipe. Hopefully you’ll have as much fun as I did!

Happy travels, adventurer!

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This recipe was created with support from Quest Gaming. Follow them on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to learn more about how other gamers eat healthy and #CheatClean.

Welcome to my Inn!  — err, kitchen. As many you may already know, I have a terrible and soul crushing obsession with Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. I JUST CAN’T STOP, OK?

I’ve made a few Hearthstone in the past, such as Hearthscones and The Polenta Coin, but it has been a while since my last Hearthstone recipe. But, I’m here to fix that because…

JUSTICE DEMANDS RAVIOLI.

…I’ll see myself out.

This recipe is extra healthy as it combines whole wheat flour, lean turkey and Quest protein powder. We’re all ’bout those GAINS!

Whole wheat causes the dough to be much more denser, so you will want to roll the pasta sheets as thin as possible.

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. salt
2. pepper
3. 1 1/2 scoops of Quest protein powder
4. 1 cup of water
5. 1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
6. 3 tablespoons of olive oil
7. 2 sprigs of rosemary
8. 6 cloves of garlic, sliced
9. 1/2 onion, diced
10. 3 eggs
11. 1 cup of spinach
12. 1 1/2 cups of ricotta cheese
13. 1/4 lb of ground turkey

BUILD ORDER

Prep time for this recipe is about 40 minutes. Cook time is about 25 minutes. This will make 3 servings (3 large raviolis). There may be some left over filling.

Each serving will contain about ~22g of protein.

OPENING

1. Place your whole wheat flour and  1 scoop of protein powder on a flat and flour-dusted surface.
2. Make an indent and crack your eggs. Using a fork, mix the eggs. Once the eggs have been mixed, add in the water and begin slowly incorporating the flour into the liquid to create the dough.
   
3. Fold the dough in on itself until you can create a large dough ball. Cover the dough with a slightly damp towel. Allow the dough to rest for about 30 minutes. During this time, prepare the turkey filling.

MID GAME

1. Set a large skillet on high heat. Add in 1 tablespoon of olive oil.
2. Saute 2 cloves of garlic and your chopped onion.
3. Add in your ground turkey. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Add in your spinach.
5. Once the turkey has cooked, remove it from the heat and place in a large bowl. Allow the mix to cool for about 10 minutes.
6. Add in your ricotta cheese and remaining protein powder. Stir to combine thoroughly. 

LATE GAME

1. To prepare your pasta sheets, break your dough into four sections. Using a rolling pin (dusted with flour), roll your dough sections into sheets small enough to fit through your pasta machine. Dust your pasta machine with flour. You will want your pasta rolled out on the thinnest setting possible.
2. Once your pasta has rolled out, cut out circles (I used a 4″ cookie cutter).
3. Cut out 4 long triangles and 4 short triangles. This is to create the points of the Hearthstone star.
4. Place the triangles in alternating fashion on top of a circle. Place about a tablespoon of filling in the center of the circle.
5. Place another circle of dough over the filling and crimp the edges together. Create the Hearthstone logo using a thin strand of dough.
6. Set a pot of water to boil and season with salt. Cook your raviolis for about 5 minutes and remove.
7. While your raviolis are cooking, prepare your sauce by combining your remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic and rosemary in a hot pan. Allow the garlic to brown. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
8. Plate your ravioli. Then, drizzle your rosemary olive oil sauce over the ravioli. Make sure to place some toasted garlic over the ravioli.
9. Garnish your plate with rosemary sprigs.
10. Eat!

GG WELL PLAYED!

Now that you’ve learned how to make Well Played Ravioli, GET IN THERE AND COOK, MAGGOT!

Also, woohoo, Happy Birthday Hearthstone! <3

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This recipe was created with support from Quest Gaming. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about how other gamers eat healthy and #CheatClean.

Have you seen my bear Tibbers?

I always thought Annie was an awesome character despite the fact that I rarely played her. She’s just this adorable little girl who mercilessly controls this gigantic blood-thirsty shadow bear and burns her enemies to a crisp. Awwwe! SO CUTE!

LOOK AT HOW AWESOME THAT BEAR IS! whaaaat!

I decided to spice up these macarons with chili pepper because Tibbers is literally a bear on fire:

Yay, Tibbers!

In addition to having a fiery kick, these macarons are also packing protein. Yep, protein! If you’re going to be playing League for multiple games, you’re going to need something to curb your hunger.

I recently found out that my favorite protein bar brand, Quest Nutrition, has begun reaching out to gamers to help promote healthy eating habits. They are big supporters of eSports and they currently sponsor one of my favorite teams: Team Liquid.  TAEJA and SAVJZ HWAITING! 

Their gaming division, Quest Gaming, reached out to me and sent me a gigantic box of goodies! WHAAAAAAAAAAT!

SO MANY DELICIOUS THINGS TO EAT!

You can imagine how insanely happy I was to basically get a whole box of new fancy ingredients to play and cook with. They also sent me boxes of Cookie Dough which is my all-time favorite flavor of Quest Bar and I am trying very hard to not have Cookie Dough Quest Bars for every meal. THEY TASTE LIKE REAL COOKIES… THIS FEELS LIKE CHEATING. 

This very special protein-packed Tibbers macaron recipe has been created with the support of Quest Gaming and Quest Nutrition. <3

I’ve decorated the macarons to represent the plush version of Tibbers and the actual shadow bear Tibbers from Annie’s ultimate.

UNIT COMPOSITION

1. 1 teaspoon of vanilla
2. 2 tablespoons of dark chocolate powder
3. 2 teaspoons of cinnamon
4. 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
5. 3 teaspoons of stevia
6. 1/2 cup of almond meal
7. 1/2 scoop of Quest protein powder
8. 3 egg whites
9. 1 vanilla almond crunch Quest bar, chopped
10. 1 cup of almond milk
11. 1 square of dark chocolate, chopped
12. white chocolate, chopped
13. OPTIONAL: yellow sprinkles

BUILD ORDER

Prep time is roughly 55 minutes (25 minutes idle time to allow the macarons to rest before baking and about 15 minutes to allow the macarons to cool before decorating) Cook time is about 18 minutes. Decorating time is about 15 minutes. This makes 4 servings.

Each macaron contains about 8g of protein, and less than 1g of sugar. Since these macarons contain protein, they will be a denser and spongier than your standard French macarons.

If you want a more traditional filling, you can make a ganache by pouring heated cream over your dark chocolate.

OPENING

1. Sift your almond meal to remove clumps.
2. Pour your sifted almond meal into a bowl and add in your chocolate powder, cayenne pepper and cinnamon.
   
3. Add in 1 teaspoon of stevia. Stir to combine your dry ingredients.
4. In another bowl, combine your egg whites with your remaining stevia. Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
5. Begin folding in your egg whites into the almond mixture. You will want to divide your whipped egg whites into thirds and add them in separate portions.
   

MID GAME

1. Preheat your oven to 300° F.
2. Place a piece of parchment paper on a flat baking sheet. Place about 4/5 of your dough in a piping bag (or plastic bag). Cut off one of the corners of the bag (you’ll want about a 1/2″ hole) and begin piping 8 circles onto the parchment paper.
3. Take another piping bag and fill it with your remaining dough. Cut off one of the corners of the bag, but you will want to make the hole as small as possible. Pipe two small circles at the top of 4 of the piped macaron circles. These will be Tibbers’ ears.
4. Once you’ve finished piping out the shapes, allow the macarons to rest for 25 minutes.
5. After the macarons have rested, bake them in the oven for about 18 minutes. During this time, prepare the filling.

LATE GAME

1. Set a small pan on medium heat. Add in your almond milk.
2. Take your vanilla almond Quest Bar and break it into pieces. Add it into heated almond milk and allow the bar to melt. Stir occasionally.
3. Add in your extra vanilla. Stir to combine.
   
4. Once the bar has completely melted, remove from heat and set aside.
5. When the macarons have cooled, take your chopped white chocolate and melt it using a microwave. Place the white chocolate in a bowl and microwave for 10 seconds. Stir, and microwave for another 10 seconds. Repeat this process until the white chocolate has melted.
6. Take one of the macaron shells with ears and dip the bottom half in white chocolate. Then, using a small spoon, drop small circles on his ears.
   
7. Melt your dark chocolate. Using a spoon, drizzle an oval shape above the white chocolate to create Tibbers’ nose. Wait a few minutes to allow the chocolate to harden before proceeding to the next decorating steps.
8. Now it’s time to decorate for each style:
   FOR PLUSH TIBBERS:
   Drip a toothpick in melted white chocolate. Draw an “X” on the left side of the bear’s head. For his right button eye, combine cayenne powder with white chocolate to create a red-colored mix.
   Using a small spoon, drizzle a dot of the red-colored white chocolate on the right side. Then, melt your dark chocolate. Use a tooth pick to draw 4 black dots on the red circle to replicate the look of a button.
   FOR SHADOW BEAR (Ultimate) TIBBERS:
   Draw two triangles out of white chocolate in the center of the macaron shell. These will be Tibbers’ glowing eyes. Pour yellow sprinkles over the white chocolate.
   Using a small brush or tooth pick, gently brush away the excess sprinkles.Dip a toothpick in the dark chocolate. Draw zigzags in the white chocolate to create Tibbers’ teeth.
9. Place the decorated macaron shells in the fridge for about 5 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
10. Now, take the remaining macaron shells and flip them over so that the rougher side is revealed. Using a butter knife, spread the almond filling evenly on the macaron.
11. Remove your macaron shells from the fridge and gently press them down on top of the filling to complete your Tibbers macaron.
12. Eat!

GG WP, Summoner!

Now you can much away on these delicious macarons while incinerating the enemy champions in your next match. Don’t be a scaredy cat!

Bear hug! <3

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This recipe was created with support from Quest Gaming. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter to learn more about how other gamers eat healthy and #CheatClean.