Merry Christmas Plus a Chocolate Peanut Butter Recipe!

Merry Christmas eve!  Hope you are all enjoying the holidays and staying warm!  We are STILL dealing with this crazy icy weather and have spent lots of time lounging around the house. 

The dogs have been going a little stir crazy without their usual walks, so the last couple nights we have taken them out to look at Christmas lights.  They could probably care less, but the car rides at least give them some excitement.  And Jay and I have really enjoyed some beautiful displays!  I love bundling up with some hot chocolate and driving around to see what we can find.  

The last couple days I have felt more and more like my usual self.  This morning I finally spent some time back in the kitchen making some delicious (and healthy-ish) chocolate peanut butter balls.  I followed this recipe from Oh She Glows with just a few modifications. 

I know it's a little late in the game to be sharing holiday recipes, but these were just too good not to post.  And it's not like you couldn't make them at other times throughout the year. 

Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:
1 cup natural peanut butter
3.5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons flax meal

2 tablespoons whole wheat flour (this is what I had on hand - Oh She Glows used coconut flour)
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup crushed rice cereal (like Rice Chex)
1 cup dark chocolate chips
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter and maple syrup vigorously, for 30-60 seconds, until it thickens up.
2. Stir in the flax meal and flour.  You want to end up with a dough-like texture.  You can always sprinkle in more flour as needed.  

3. Add salt to taste and stir in the cereal.  (At this point, I just had to knead everything together with my hands.)
4. Shape into small balls. (I made between 25 and 30.)

5. In a small pot, add the chocolate chips and coconut oil and heat over low heat, stirring frequently. Once half the chips have melted, remove from heat and stir until completely smooth.
6. With a fork, dip the balls into the melted chocolate. Tap off excess chocolate on the side of the pot and place the ball on a plate or cutting board lined with parchment. Repeat for the rest. Save any leftover melted chocolate to drizzle on top at the end.
7. Freeze the balls for 10-15 minutes, until the chocolate is completely set.

 

Note: Once you dip the balls in the chocolate, make sure they do not touch each other!  Some of mine rolled together, and when I pulled them apart the chocolate ripped off.  They aren't the prettiest, but they still taste great!

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Homemade Peanut Butter Cookies for your Pups

There are always so many delicious human treats being shared around the holidays, but our furry friends love a special treat from time to time, too!  Since I was lucky enough to have a second snow day today, I decided to devote a bit of my afternoon to making some tasty treats for Wendy and Oliver.  After all, unlike us teachers, the poor pups are getting really sick and tired of all the snow.  I figured there'd be nothing better to cheer them up than some fresh, warm peanut butter cookies!

The great thing about these cookies for the humans making them is that they are all-natural, super easy to prepare, and CHEAP!  I get sticker shock every time I look at the price of the homemade "gourmet" treats at Petsmart or our local pet bakery, but these cookies cost just pennies.  And Wendy and Oliver (who live for peanut butter) absolutely adore them.

Peanut Butter Dog Cookies
(Recipe makes around 30 bite-sized cookies)

1/2 cup natural peanut butter
1/2 cup milk (I used almond milk)
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder

• Preheat oven to 375.
• Mix the milk and peanut butter together.  (I microwaved the mixture in a glass bowl for one minute to make it easier to stir.)  
• Combine the flour and baking powder, and then add the wet ingredients in to the dry.  Stir well.  
• Roll dough into 1-inch balls and place on greased baking sheet.  Press each ball down with a fork to flatten. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cookies are slightly browned. 
• Transfer to plate or cooling rack.  Cool before serving.  

I think Wendy and Oliver sensed that I was making something for them, because they were on extra high alert the entire time I was in the kitchen.  

They can smell peanut butter a mile away!

The dogs both agreed that the end result was worth the wait!  They give the recipe two paws up!

Banana Pumpkin Peanut Butter Soft Serve

I can't tell you how nice it is to be sitting at home in my pajamas blogging this morning instead of being at work!  Thanksgiving break could not come soon enough!

Last night, after another epic "Salad Tuesday" involving roasted sweet potatoes, Brussels sprouts, and avocado, I was craving a little something sweet.  I didn't feel the pressure to get in bed ridiculously early like I do on work nights, so I decided to whip up some banana soft serve.  

I have seen recipes for this sugar-free, vegan treat all over the web, and I've made it several times.  The basic version could not be easier.  You simply stick a frozen banana (or two or three) into a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.  The texture ends up almost identical to soft-serve frozen yogurt, and the banana is sweet enough that it really does taste like ice cream without adding extra sugar.  Some bloggers will squeeze in a bit of honey or agave nectar, but I don't think it's really necessary.

Last night, I decided to make the recipe a bit more interesting by adding in some other ingredients that I had on hand. 

I used:

1 frozen banana

1 heaping tablespoon canned pumpkin

1 tablespoon peanut butter

A hefty shake of cinnamon

After it was all blended up, I topped it with some of these Cacao Sweet Nibs.  Cacao is a Mayan superfood that is full of antioxidants and is known to be one of the highest dietary sources of magnesium.  

Did you notice the doggy photo bombs in the last two pictures?!  Too cute. 

The recipe made just enough for one person (although I'm sure I could have eaten more), and it really hit the spot.  

This morning I am headed to a doctors appointment and then plan to tackle the grocery store to pick up some ingredients I need for a couple of Thanksgiving side dishes. 

I am bringing a Brussels sprouts dish to my aunt's tomorrow, which I am going to base loosely off this recipe:

Maple-Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Toasted Hazelnuts

For a dinner with Jay's family on Saturday, I want to bring one of these:

Quinoa Salad with Pecans and Cranberries or The Best Shredded Kale Salad.

I will let you know how it goes!  Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Pumpkin Banana Bean Bars

Hello everyone!  Hope you are having a great weekend!  We kicked off the weekend early at a trivia night to raise money for the Oklahoma Children's Hospital on Thursday.  Our table may not have won first place, but we had a great time!

The rest of the weekend has been pretty laid back so far.  I did some shopping yesterday and couldn't resist picking up a few new holiday decorations.  This is our first year in this house, and my head is spinning with ideas.  I can't wait to decorate!

I also made a yummy new recipe that I saw in a "Forks Over Knives" newsletter for pumpkin bean bars.  They are vegan, gluten free, and full of plant-based ingredients.  It does feel a little strange dumping a whole can of beans into a dessert, but I promise you will not taste them at all!

Pumpkin Banana Bean Bars

Serves 9

Ingredients:

• 15 ounces white beans (I used Great Northern)
• ½ cup canned pure pumpkin
• 2 whole bananas
• 3½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (I just used cinnamon)
• ¼ cup pure maple syrup
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons peanut butter
• ½ cup instant oats

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Drain and rinse beans. Combine all ingredients except oats in a food processor, blending until smooth and creamy. Stir in oats then transfer to a square baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean and the center is firm to the touch. Allow to completely cool before slicing or eating (the bars firm as they cool). The pumpkin flavor also intensifies the next day (make in advanced if possible).

Note: If you only have rolled oats, send them through your food processor first to chop them up so they are smaller and more granulated like instant oats.

I also added about a half cup of chocolate chips, making them even more delicious! These bars would be a much healthier option to bring along to an upcoming Thanksgiving dinner...I would eat one over pumpkin pie any day!

I'm off to enjoy a lazy Sunday morning before heading to a baby shower brunch and then hitting the grocery store. See you later!

Salty Sweet No-Bake Oatmeal Nut Butter Balls

I try not to eat too much added sugar, but after dinner I love to have a little something sweet.  Most nights, after we have finished up all of our to-dos for the day, Jay and I sit down together and watch a show before bed.  (Currently, we are watching the entire West Wing series from the beginning...it is sort of old school but I love it!)  We often used to have a little ice cream while we watched (back in the day when I was still eating dairy), and now it's like my brain automatically associates TV time with dessert.  The rest of the day I could take it or leave it, but, as soon as we sit down to watch our show, I start craving sugar!

Most nights, a square or two of good dark chocolate will do the trick, but last night we were all out and I could not get dessert off my mind.  It was already pretty late in the evening and my energy was lacking, so I wanted to make something easy and somewhat healthy that I could throw together without turning on the oven or dirtying a bunch of dishes. 

Of course, I immediately checked my "something sweet" Pinterest board for inspiration and decided to try my hand at some no-bake oatmeal balls.  They were roughly inspired by this recipe, but I added in some carob chips and sea salt, among other things, to give it that salty sweet flavor I love. 

The cookies turned out great...we ate more than our share last night, and I'm sure the rest won't last long.  Luckily, they are super easy, so I can always whip up another batch.  And they are full of fiber and healthy fats, so you could eat them anytime, not just for dessert.  

Here is my recipe:

• 1 cup old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed
• 1/4 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup peanut butter
• 1.5 tablespoons honey
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegan carob chips (or chocolate chips)
• 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a bowl.  Roll dough into balls and refrigerate for an hour or so (if you can wait that long!).

There are so many different variations you could try with this recipe based on your taste preferences and what you have on hand.  I can't wait to make it again!