Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls

I am soooo in love with these.  My kids beg for them.  My husband even eats them!  I've made these with peanut butter with pure maple syrup and almond butter with honey and I think the almond butter and honey are perfect and absolutely amazing!  They are so healthy but yet feel like a dessert cheat.  This time of year with Christmas fast approaching I always find I need cookies and desserts and these really hit the spot.  Of course, much like a cookie, you can't eat juts one so at almost 100 calories a ball the calories can add up quick but at least it is good for you, not stick to your hips and butt type of calories!

Now the version in the picture is minus the chocolate and I used vanilla protein powder just because the chocolate ones looked soooo unpleasant when it came picture time so you can totally make these vanilla or chocolate whatever you like best!   The original recipe as written below uses 1/4 c. of honey, I however prefer mine with 1/8 c. of honey so it all has to do with how sweet you like them you can add or subtract it to your preference.

Chocolate Almond Butter Protein Balls   

1/2 c. almond butter
1/4 c. honey
1 scoop chocolate (soy) protein powder (*or vanilla)
1/4 c. ground flax seed
2 tbsp. cocoa (*optional)
1 c. old fashioned rolled oats (dry)
1 tbsp. coconut oil

Makes 18 large balls or 36 bite size balls.  I'm working on the exact calorie count and nutritional information for these but it is roughly 90 calories a tbsp. size ball.




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Not Your Ordinary Recipes

Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

So that time of year again when every time I go into the kitchen I come out having made something pumpkin.  Even my protein shakes have turned pumpkin these days!!  I have a protein shake almost every single day.  Sometimes it is my lunch replacement meal other times just a post workout snack.  I'm usually a chocolate peanut butter protein shake kinda gal but I was in the mood to try something different today.  Of course you can leave the oats out if you can't handle the texture it gives them but I don't mind it, I enjoy it.  I suggest keeping your pumpkin in the fridge before making this.  I don't add ice to my shakes because I have the worst blender ever so I put my pumpkin in the fridge to keep my shake cold. 

Pumpkin Pie Protein Shake

1 1/2 c. almond milk (original)
1/3 c. pure pumpkin
1/2 c. old fashioned rolled oats (dry)
1 scoop vanilla (soy) protein powder
1 ripe banana
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

Add all ingredients into the blender and puree until smooth.  We as smooth as you can get a shake with oats.  The longer it sits the thicker it will get because of the oats so you may have to adjust the amount of almond milk you add to it.  Enjoy!

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

My daughter adores these granola bars especially since she can make them entirely by herself.  This recipe was adapted from a Giada De Laurentiis recipe.  She used an entire stick of butter and I just didn't want to do that.  Her recipe called for honey but I thought the agave tasted better in this recipe.  It does have sugar but I feel the healthy things out weigh the sugar content and I even let my kids eat these for breakfast.  My daughter feels like she is pulling one over on me since it does have some dark chocolate in it.    



Peanut Butter Granola Bars 

1 egg
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup agave nectar
1/3 cup apple sauce (unsweetened)
1/4 c. canola oil
2 cups old fashioned oats
1/4 c. wheat germ 
1/4 cup ground walnuts (or any nuts you like chopped if preferred)
1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
Cooking Spray 

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.  Spray a 7 by 10 3/4-inch nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay a 6 by 18-inch piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.  In a medium bowl beat the peanut butter, brown sugar, agave nectar.  Add in the oil and apple sauce and beat until combined.  Add in the egg.  Pour in the oats, ground nuts (or chopped nuts), chocolate chips and cinnamon.  Stir to combine.  Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly to form an even layer. Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into squares and serve. I like to keep mine in the fridge.

Ranch Chex Mix

As long as I can remember my Mom, Dad and sister have made Chex mix for the holidays.  I absolutely love it.  Usually I put oyster crackers in this recipe but I can't seem to find them here in Japan so we had to go without but I did include them in the recipe below since they do normally include them.  Also the original recipe is throwing everything into a big brown paper bag and shaking it every 15 minutes or so for 2 hours but I can't find brown bags here in Japan either, so I had to bake mine.  I actually think the baking it may make it quicker and easier though we normally don't do it that way.  This is such a quick easy snack to throw out for everyone anytime.  My husband and my kids both love it.   This is something we love to have around while drinking beer and watching football!

Ranch Chex Mix

4 c. Corn Chex
4 c. Rice Chex
2 c. pretzel sticks
4 c. Oyster Crackers
1 package of dry powder Ranch Dressing mix
1/2 c. vegetable oil
3 tbsp. dill

Preheat oven to 300 degrees.  Add chex, pretzels and crackers to a large bowl.  Pour the oil over the mix and toss until everything is completely coated in the oil.  Sprinkle over the powder Ranch and dill while stirring and then continue to toss to make sure to evenly spread the seasonings over all pieces.  Bake 15 minutes.  Allow to cool for about another 10 minutes before serving. 

Fruit & Nut Granola

I love granola and love that it is such a quick easy thing to make and you can throw anything you like into it.  No one in my house eats it but me but that's certainly alright with me because that just means there is more for me!  I normally like to use cranberry juice but didn't have any on hand so used a bit of orange juice instead and I really liked the hint of orange flavor it gave it.  You can always modify your granola recipe to include your favorite goodies!

Fruit & Nut Granola

2 c. old fashioned oats

1/2 c. dried cherries

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. sweetened coconut

1/2 c. chopped pecans

1/2 c. chopped almonds

1/4. c. honey

1/4 c. maple syrup

1/8 c. brown sugar

1/8 c. orange juice

2 tsp. cinnamon

Place honey, syrup, brown sugar and orange juice in a saucepan on medium-low heat until sugar is dissolved.  Toss oats, dried fruit, nuts and coconut into a bowl.   Add cinnamon and toss to combine.  Pour syrup mixture over the top.  Bake 300 degrees for 20-30 minutes.  Pull out of the oven and stir every 10 minutes to prevent burning.  Allow to cool completely before storing. 

Nachos Supreme

My husband has been asking for Nachos for a while now.  Usually he waits until 9:00 pm at night after I've spent all day chasing after my two little ones and cooking and cleaning all day.  By then all I want to do is sit down and put my feet up for 30 minutes before I go to bed.  So he convinced me to make him Nachos for dinner tonight.  This was the first time my 3 1/2 year old has ever had Nachos before.  Seeing the combination of cheese and chips (both of which she rarely eats) on one plate had her sitting at the table just giggling.

You can use any kind of tortilla chip you like for this recipe.  I put mine all on a baking sheet and stick them in the oven at 300 degrees while I make everything else so they are warm when served.  I washed my canned black beans and put them in a small pan with chicken stock and cumin and simmered for about 10 minutes.  I did nothing fancy with our chicken.  I used thin sliced boneless skinless chicken breasts and simply put a bit of taco seasoning on each side and seared them off in a pan and then shredded.  The only real work was making a cheese sauce and getting some guacamole ready.  With my guacamole I find simple is the best for us, especially since my 8 month old loves to eat it too.

Nacho Cheese Sauce

1 1/2 c. half and half
16 oz. of cheese (I use PepperJack)
2 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. flour
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/8 c. chopped jarred jalapeños

Melt butter in a saucepan.  Add in flour and whisk until well combined.  Slowly pour in half and half while whisking to prevent lumps.  Once heated add in the cheese, jalapeños, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer to allow to thicken.  Pour over your nachos or use for a dipping sauce.  If your sauce is too thick add a bit more milk, if it is too thin add a bit more cheese.

Guacamole

1 ripe Avocado
1 fresh lime, juiced
Salt & Pepper to taste
Pinch of garlic powder
Pinch of onion powder

Simply scoop out the Avocado and place in a bowl with lime juice.  Add in the other seasons to taste.  This is a recipe I usually just eyeball so taste as you go to not add to much garlic or onion powder as I honestly don't measure, this was just a guess.

Pile your nachos high with all your favorite toppings and enjoy!

Granola

I turned on Food Network this morning and Giada was making granola.  I love granola.  She used Cranberry Juice which I'd never seen before and thought, "Wow, that looks good".  So, I made granola.  I think I've eaten about half of it so far.  This is a chewy granola, not overly crunchy.  YUM!

Cranberry Nut Granola

1/2 c. unsweetened cranberry juice
1/3 c. pure maple syrup
2/3 c. light brown sugar
2 c. old fashioned oats
1 c. sliced almonds
1 c. pecan pieces
1 c. dried cranberries
1 tbsp. cinnamon

Heat juice, syrup and brown sugar over medium heat until sugar is dissolved and juice thickens a bit.  Pour over oats, nuts, cranberries and cinnamon.  Bake 325 for about 20 minutes, stirring about half way through.  Allow to cool.