Venison and Pork Apple Breakfast Sausage

Oh man, I am really sorry this post is coming up so late! Today is my birthday (whoo!) and I actually took the day off, so you would think that this would have gone up with my morning coffee. However, I went out with friends last night and lets just say that 29 year olds don't bounce back like 21 year olds. Damn. I had to go eat some BBQ ribs to get me back up and going!

Ok, on to the food...this sausage totally hits the spot! So, I used venison AND pork as you will see. I was given some venison and I am not usually one to enjoy the gamey taste, but I am good at masking it! Venison is such a lean meat that I am learning to love more. I am trying to get experimental with it. If you have favorite ways to use venison (steaks or ground) please post in the comments! And before I get the question...yes, you can make this with exclusively pork too :) 

Gather up:

• 1/2 lb pork sausage
• 1/2 lb ground venison
• 1/2 apple, diced
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 onion minced
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon sage
• 1/2 teaspoon rosemary
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• butter, ghee, or coconut oil for pan

1. Add everything except the butter/ghee/coconut oil to a large bowl and mix really well. I just dive right in with my hands
2. Divide sausage into about 8 equal balls and flatten with your hands
3. Heat a cast iron skillet over low heat and add your cooking fat. Add patties and let cook until browned on both sides and cooked through. I let mine cook for about 6-8 minutes on each side. I don't wanna eat raw pork...mmmmkay? Cooking on low will let you cook them for longer without burning them!

If you follow my portion control system, you can use your red container to measure out your patty size! You may need to make 1 red into 2 patties though :) Once you figure that out I would roughly count this as: 1 red, 1 tsp. Technically pork sausage is not on the 21 Day Fix approved list, but once we know our bodies we can wiggle a little (if you need assistance with this, email me! brittanylerbakken@gmail.com)

Banana Oat Waffles

If you follow me over on Instagram (@BrittanyLerbakken) or Facebook, you can see that I have been on a waffle kick. Lucky for me, the meal plan I follow with Hammer and Chisel allows for them. These waffles are incredible and honestly don’t even need any toppings – they are so flavorful all by themselves! I personally have been topping mine with 2 teaspoons of natural peanut butter and serving them alongside two eggs! My husband enjoys adding half a banana. One thing I love about these is that I can make a batch for the whole week and then just pop them in the toaster on my way out the door! 

Banana Oat Waffles

Serves 4

Gather Up:

• 2 cups of rolled oats (gluten free if you prefer!)
• 1 cup of unsweetened almond milk
• 1.5 tsp of pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 1 large banana
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• 1 packet of stevia

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat waffle maker and spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. Blend all ingredients in a blender until almost smooth.
3. Measure out 3/4 cup of batter (or whatever your waffle maker can hold)
4. Pour batter into waffle maker and cook. I cook mine on the highest setting and then I add 2 extra minutes to the cook time so I get crispy waffles. You will need to test your waffle maker to get the desired crispiness!
5. Enjoy with fruit or peanut butter!

If you are following the 21 Day Fix or Hammer and Chisel meal plan, these count as 1.5 yellow and ½ a purple. 

xoxo,

Brittany

Protein Blueberry Muffins

I got quite a response on Facebook about a recipe for these muffins! As promised:

Recipe adapted from Tone It Up (Makes 10 muffins)

2 1/2 cups vanilla or chocolate protein (I prefer brown rice and I specifically use Perfect Fit)

1 1/2 cups egg whites

3 Tbs walnuts, crushed

2 Tbs ground flaxseed

3/4 cup almond milk, unsweetened

1/2 cup blueberries

1 banana, mashed

1/4 cup applesauce, no sugar added

2 Tbs coconut oil

1 1/2 Tbs cinnamon

3 tsp baking powder

pinch of sea salt

Combine liquid ingredients in large bowl and mix well. Combine dry ingredients in separate bowl. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the liquid ingredients stirring constantly. Add more almond milk if needed for a smooth thick consistency. Carefully fold blueberries into mixture without mashing. Spray cupcake wrappers lightly with fat-free cooking spray and place in muffin pan (I used the silicon cups and it was super easy!!) Scoop batter into cups. Unlike traditional muffins, these won't rise. So overfill to get the rounded top.

Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or util a toothpick comes out clean!

For 21 Day Fixers: I would say 1 muffin is 1 red, and maybe 1/4 purple?! 1 banana and 1/2 cup blueberries over 10 muffins isn't much :) I usually just say 1 red and roll with it, but you could count for the purple if you are a stickler :)

Enjoy!

xoxo,

Britt