Donuts.Damn, they smell good. Walking into a donut shop can test even the most dedicated healthy eater when that wave hits the olfactory nerve. When my daughter was getting married, I had to go into a cake and donut shop to place an order for her. Everyone else was walking about like nothing was amiss, but my reaction was:
In my previous life, I would and could scarf down an entire box of donuts and hoover up every single piece of sugar flakes left behind in the box for good measure. Of course, the rest of that day was a total loss. I would feel lethargic and miserable as my poor internal organs dealt with the overload of sugars, simple refined carbs, untold additives and grease, with no usable calories whatsoever.
As I felt the brutal full frontal attack of the delicious aroma in that shop, I had to remind myself of the time I slammed several donuts while working on a landscape and mowing crew. We were doing the Pulaski Heights church on Kavanaugh and N Cedar, and it was a big job cleaning all the leaves during the fall. With my bubble gut back then, all those donuts plus nonstop walking and raking and lifting…well…that’s a recipe for disaster.
There is no place to hide on those streets. If you drove down Kavanaugh on a fall Saturday morning circa 1989 and saw a giant pile of dead leaves with a teenager’s head sticking out of the top like some nightmare version of a snowman, that was me…and I’m sorry for any lingering psychological damage.
Homer Simpson is famous for loving donuts, and he’s not wrong. I still love the idea of a donut, just not having to hide in a pile of dead leaves as an emergency bathroom or what it does to my waistline. Of course, around here, remaking foods is what we do.
There are plenty of healthy alternatives for homemade donuts, but most are complicated and involved, and not worth the time or effort. I have found a fix for that. These donut holes are packed with protein, only take about 15 minutes to make, and taste absolutely delicious.
The main ingredient, believe it or not, is greek yogurt. I know, right? Sounds crazy, but it works. Not only are we avoiding all the terrible nutrition I listed before, but now we are having little protein bombs that would change Homer Simpson like this:
Or me like:
Seriously, folks, if you love cake donuts, this is a perfect substitute. It’s easy to make, tastes incredible, and you won’t say “D’oh!” the next time you try to put on your favorite jeans. Enjoy.
No “D’oh!” Protein donuts:
Ingredients
1/2 cup grass fed greek yogurt (plain or vanilla flavored)
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup almond flour
2 tbsp coconut flour
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice and nutmeg
1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup powdered monkfruit sweetener
Coating: 1/4 cup monkfruit sweetener and 1 tsp cinnamon
Instructions:
Mix the flours, baking powder, salt, and spices in a large bowl. Mix the yogurt, vanilla extract, and powdered monkfruit in another bowl and then combine with the dry team:
Line your air fryer tray with parchment paper and a hit of non-stick spray. If you don’t have an air fryer, you can bake at 375 for 10 – 15 minutes, depending on your oven:
Use a spring loaded disher to scoop out the mix and place evenly on the parchment:
Air fry for 10 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack:
Toss in the coating mixture and enjoy. They are great on their own or crumbled up with some low carb vanilla ice cream:
See the list of all Jason Murphy’s recipes at www.mysaline.com/jason-murphy.