Peanut Butter S'more Bites

May 1, 2020

“Maybe 2020 isn’t so much about specific goal setting as it is taking care of our mind, being kind through our thoughts, fine tuning our daily mind set, and seeking to uplift ourselves and others. Perhaps everything from there with naturally find its course.”

Here’s the deal: since having a baby 3 months ago (what!!??) and now being at home with a new appreciation for all things parenting, I’ve decided to pick this blogging thing back up! I needed a ‘me’ activity. Yes, I do consider my workout time me time, even with little Oliver sitting right there watching and giggling at me the entire time! That aside, unless you want to consider showering my personal time, I don’t have too much of it. My incredible husband (like, seriously, out-of-this-world-amazing. Does middle of the night wakeups, the bad diapers, knows when to refill my wine glass when I haven’t said a word…) suggested that I start to do something that is truly me time. While I LOVE a good workout and am so excited that we just got a lawn mower, this blog has been on the back burner (hah!) for quite some time. I’m ready to pick it back up with some TLC!

So, in quick mom fashion, here’s the DL. Having Oliver is probably the greatest thing to happen to me, to us, ever! I can’t even begin to explain the love I have for him – if you’re a parent, you know what I’m talking about. Like, right now at 9:45pm, while he is asleep, I just watch him on the monitor and want to cuddle him!! Obsessed is an understatement.

Anyways, I could ramble about him for dayssssss. Seriously. Little did I know that being a mom would take up every breathing moment of mine. Feeding him alone is a full-time job! Oh, and then my husband and I are both in graduate school. LOL. We love to take on as much as possible, clearly! With all of that + my husband working like crazy from home, I didn’t think I should get any down time, so I totally just shut off any part of my brain that wasn’t related to baby / dog / school / scheduling. But hey, guess what? Mental health needs some lovin’ too there, mama! Which is where I was like dang, I miss that blog. I’ve put so much time into this baby and then I just stopped writing. Stopped baking. Stopped experimenting. So, boom, I’m going to wipe the dust off of this thing!

I then started to write down recipes like crayzee! But not just any recipes. Healthy ones. Quick ones. Parent-friendly ones. Cause here sits a mom who has anywhere from 15 minutes-2 hours when babe is napping that I can do things. Sure, I love to let him do independent play, but I also love to play with him and watch him grow every single second! So, these recipes are a mix of healthy and slightly not, simple and quick, hell, a lot of them will probably even be raw and frozen because helloooo timesaver and what’s up Atlanta summer from March-November!

Recipe #1. Peanut butter s’mores. An eggless PB cookie + a 10-minute marshmallow + a simple chocolate dip. What more could you want!? Not your traditional s’more setup, but peanut butter is my jam – and it’s a top allergen so I should just be consuming it by the jar, right?! And I am storing these babies in the freezer, which is my place of choice to keep desserts. Something so decadent about a frozen treat to me! Also. Still no dairy for this gal, so ice cream is not an option. Probably ever again. Eye roll.

How many times have I said that I’M BACK!!? Let’s try this again. Get ready for parent-friendly, quick, minimal ingredients, healthy, TASTY snacks/goodies/what have you. This mama is making her comeback!

peanut butter cookie ingredients

Peanut Butter—4.75 oz, or ½ C

Honey—1.5 oz, or 3 TBL

Vanilla Extract—1 tsp

Coconut Sugar—1 TBL

Flour—3 oz, or 2/3 C

Baking Powder—½ tsp

Maca Powder—1 tsp

process

Preheat your oven to 350˚F.

In a medium sized bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder and maca.

In another small bowl, combine the peanut butter, honey and vanilla extract.

Add the wet into the dry, mix until combined.

Roll into balls, about 1 tablespoon in size.

Flatten each cookie and, if you wish, make a crisscross with a fork (in true PB cookie fashion!).

Bake for 10 minutes until they just begin to brown around the edges.

Remove from the oven to a cooling rack.

marshmallow

Recipe can be found here! I have cut this down into a quarter of the size, as you do not need that much!

chocolate dip ingredients

Semisweet Chocolate Chips—¼ C

Coconut Oil—2 tsp

process

Combine the chocolate and oil in a heat safe bowl.

Melting this for 20 second increments in the microwave is the quickest/easiest way to do so!

assembly

Once the PB cookies have cooled, spoon a dollop of the mallow on top.

If you have a torch, light these babies up! It’s a fun ‘indoor s’more’

Put these into the freezer to set up slightly while you melt the chocolate.

Once the chocolate is melted, dip each cookie halfway into the chocolate.

When you are finished coating in chocolate, place the tray in the freezer.

I have found that there store best in the freezer, as they are a nice refreshing treat!

Recipe makes 16 PB S’mores

Bon Appétit!

Coconut Chocolate Tart

August 9, 2018

“When you get to a place where you understand that love and belonging, your worthiness, is a birthright and not something you have to earn, anything is possible”

— Brené Brown

I believe I say this with each recipe, but dang, this gf/df coconut chocolate tart is making mama proud this week!

As I (think?) mentioned, your girl has joined the dairy free club! I always insisted that I just ate too much whenever I was getting sick from ice cream, pizza, lattes ... but guess what? I stopped consuming dairy and BOOM! my stomach issues are almost nonexistent!

I'm sure that story was so whatever to y'all, but sometimes I just need a disclaimer, okay?!

I'm currently transitioning my life to a place that I want, not what annnyyyyone else wants, and it feels SO damn good. See that quote up at the top? Yeah, we're all worthy of every single happiness and we need to stop tricking our minds to think otherwise. It breaks my heart that I was really self-sabotaging, I was telling myself I had to do x, try y, be z all for every. one. else. Then these past few months I said screw that, get your booty back into school because you want to, make a decision for your career that's going to make you happy, join that kickboxing gym you've had your eye on for months because it'll make you feel like a badass (and hopefully become one soon enough!). I was tired of letting my anxiety control my life - no one's letting that happen but me!

Et voilá! My (soon to be) M.S. in Nutrition + my degree in baking + my LOVE for sugar has all brought me here. All brought y'all this recipe! I'm honestly so in love. Like a few notches below my love for my pup and husband (...yes, you see who I put first there, oops!). First off, we all love a good graham cracker crust. This one happens to have some coconut sugar, maca powder (hellloooo salted caramel taste and energy boost) and it's all combined with coconut oil! How could it not be a winner? And what else - uhh how about a layer of toasted coconut then topped with a dairy free chocolate filling. AH I need a slice right now, please. The filling is so dang simple: coconut milk + 70-80% dark chocolate + coconut oil. Add some coarse salt after it has set and THERE YOU HAVE IT! Something so beautiful.

With the help of my amazing husband, who tried everything I asked/begged him to, the perfect gluten free/dairy free coconut chocolate tart was born! Ohhhh and is it a beauty. It is just one of those desserts that I know will become a staple because 1. it's quick, 2. minimal and clean ingredients, 3. it will satisfy all of those dietary restrictions, and 4. IT'S SO FREAKING GOOD! I'm not kidding. I mean I just screamed that at you, didn't I?!

Decided to go light on the rambling today because, I mean, you need to just get to the photos, to the recipe, get yourself a bit covered in coconut and chocolate, and have yourself a sweet evening! You can thank me in about 4 hours when the tart is finished and you're on your third piece ;)

crust ingredients

Graham Cracker Crumbs—5.5 oz, or 1 ½ C

Coconut Sugar—1.75 oz, or 1/3 C

Coconut Oil, melted—5.5 oz, or ½ C

Maca Powder—1 tsp

Coconut, toasted—1 oz, or 1/3 C

process

Preheat your oven to 350˚F.

Spread the coconut onto a sheet tray and toast for ~10 minutes.

You want the coconut to be a nice, golden brown.

While coconut is toasting, combine the crumbs, coconut sugar and maca powder (optional!) in a medium bowl.

Melt the coconut oil over low heat. Once melted, pour over the crumb mixture.

Mix to combine.

This should be a wet-like-sand consistency.

Press the crust into a tart shell—pie shell also works fine!

Bake in the already preheated oven for 8-12 minutes, until slightly more golden.

Allow to cool completely before sprinkling the coconut flakes evenly in the bottom of the crust.

Store wrapped in freezer until ready to use.

tart filling ingredients

Coconut Milk—10 oz, or 1 ¼ C

Chocolate, 70%—5 oz

Coconut Oil, melted—2.75 oz, or ¼ C

process

Scale out all of your ingredients separately.

Melt the coconut milk over low-medium heat.

Once it begins to simmer, pour over your chocolate (chopped, in a heat proof bowl).

Allow to sit for 5-10 minutes.

Stir with a spatula or wooden spoon until the milk/chocolate mixture is homogenous and smooth.

Add in the coconut oil, stir.

Once all of the ingredients are completely combined and smooth, pour into your prepped graham crust shell.

Place in refrigerator for at least 3 hours so the chocolate filling can set.

Once set, sprinkle some coarse salt on top, slice and enjoy!

Bon Appétit!

Toasted Oat Granola Bars

July 26, 2018

Indecision steals many years from many people who wind up wishing they'd just had the courage to leap - Doe Zantamada

Some big changes have happened in the last few months and I am LIVING for them! Between traveling, work, this beautifully hot summer, going back to school (whaattt?!!), and just life in general, this girl has been oh so busy but just oh so happy! What’s with these changes? Well I decided to stop being so. damn. indecisive. The meditation quote at the top is honestly something that hit me so hard, something that truly resonated with me, and I’m not going to forget it!

Sooo let’s just get into a quick recap, and then why you’re all really here, for those drop dead gorgeous granola bars, which I cannot stop eating, but guess who doesn’t feel bad about it? ME!

Family trip to Costa Rica in July? AMAZING. I believe this was my first “guilt free” trip, aka I was okay that I didn’t work out everyday, I was fine eating all of the tacos and drinking all of the piña coladas, and I was loving floating in the ocean for a week! Boom. That’s growth right there ladies and gents. And now it’s hot AF in Atlanta, but who’s surprised there, pushing me to embrace the sports bra and shorts running life, which I’m also truly enjoying! Never in a million years would I have even dreamed of doing that, but look at me go! …in all honesty, it’s less laundry to wash that way, so maybe it’s just a life hack for you!

Onto my training. I’ve been in race training mode since the spring of 2017. That’s over a year of nonstop training, which helps busy my mind and keep me on a tight schedule, which I’m all about. Between June 2017-July 2018, I ran a 10k, 2 half marathons, 1 marathon, and a shit ton of miles, which may not seem like anything crazy to runners, but between working 2 jobs, trying to sleep, actually see my husband and have a social life, it was a LOT. I never gave myself more than a week of a “break,” and as of now, it’s been 3 weekssince the 10k on July 4th(oh heyyyy best race everrrr!) and I’m okay with it! I love a schedule, I mean come check out my daily to-do planner, but running whatever miles my body is in the mood for – whether it’s 2 or 10 – has been beautiful. Am I itching to sign up for a fall/winter half? Abso-freaking-lutely. Will I? …probably! But hey, loving this moment I’m in right now!

Okay, so also, KICKBOXING – what is UP. Just started, and shout out to Vesta Movement for kicking my behind. I’m obsessed. Like to the point where I just want to be hella strong like the women at this gym, want to get a bag for our house and practice all. day. long. Watch out running, you have huge competition here! Runner’s high is something unreal, but the power you feel after an hour of kickboxing and strength training is insane! Try it. Seriously!

And lastly, school. After over a year+ of going back and forth,errr being indecisive,I’ll be going back to school in the fall for my Master’s in Human Nutrition! I tried it once in college, and partying took priority then, but now that I’m slightly more mature and focused, I’m doin’ it! Ohhh the dream, back to school at 28! But the day that I am a nutritionist that bakes kick ass healthy pastries, girl, I’ll be living! Just wait, my friends ;)

AND NOW! This recipe. I’ve been trying to create this for soooo dang long! A no bake, simple ingredient, tasty AF, healthy, filling bar. I’ve been so pleased with my last few recipes, and this isn’t any different! It’s such a killer snack, and I mean, your girl is the #queenofsnacking. My recent food sensitivities have really screwed with me, so having to get a touch creative while sticking to my simple ingredients has been a ride! Nut allergy? Try sunflower butter!It’s also GF, (almost) raw, packed with protein and so insanely good that I have made these bars once/week. Yeah, my husband and I are in love … with each other, but mainly with these granola bars. YUM. It’ll take you a total of 5 minutes to make once the oats are toasted, and then let them chill for ~1 hour and then snack time! Crumbling them up a bit and putting on top of my smoothies has been a dream—and after an hour long session of punching and kicking a bag, doing burpees, lunges, and even a nice hilly run, these satisfy every craving you’ll have! They also give you a bit of energy with the maca powder (optional!), refuel with that protein and any sweet cravings you’re having, the dates + raisins + coconut sugar are there for you.

If you read all of this, THANK YOU! Life has been a beautiful thing recently, just took me realizing how my indecisiveness, lack of chill and overall worrying about everything contribute to the crazy anxiety in my life! But hey, y’all got a bomb ass recipe out of this, so you’re welcome, and enjoy it, babes!!