Quick Chocolate PB Protien Bars

Ever had "chocolate drop cookies", or "quick chocolate oatmeal cookies"? I think there are several more names for them, but they are the kind of cookies that you boil some stuff, then add some oats, then drop them on wax paper until they cool and this all takes about 15 minutes. Sound familiar?

I remember my husband's mother making those one of the first times I visited them. They are a family favorite in his family. I'm also not sure if this cookie phenomenon is just a southern thing or not, but if you aren't from the south I think you probably still like chocolate and peanut butter together, (Who doesn't, right?) so you will most likely enjoy these protein bars.

I adapted this recipe from my MIL's quick cookie recipe. Notice, I did not call these a "cookie" in the title. That is because I made these less sweet and packed them with more natural protein so you feel good about having them and starting the new year off right.

Secretly, I wanted to make the cookies; however, decided to adapt a healthier option so I could feel good about eating more of them :)

Quick Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bars

Yields 1 9" x 13" pan full, amount depends on how you cut themIngredients

• 2/3 cup non-dairy milk
• 3/4 cup coconut oil
• 3-5 heaping Tbsp of cocoa powder (depends on your desire for chocolateyness)
• 3/4 cup coconut sugar (**you can substitute a liquid sweetener like honey- see note below)
• 1/4 tsp + pinch of sea salt
• 1 1/2 cup unsweetened peanut butter (will also work with almond butter or sunbutter, but check for added sweeteners as that will make the finished product much sweeter)
• 1 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 4 cups oats (I use a gf variety from Trader Joe's)
• 1 cup chopped sunflower seeds (can be pulsed quickly in your food processor)
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (can substitute another nut like pecan or even peanuts)

Method

• In a large sauce pot, bring the milk, coconut oil, cocoa powder, coconut sugar, and sea salt to a boil. While you are waiting on this to heat up, have your nut butter and vanilla ready nearby.
• Boil for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally until the mixture "makes tracks" in the pot as you stir (or if you have some on your spatula, and you let it cool a bit and run your finger over the spatula, your finger swipe should make a clear track with the mixture not running over that part on the spatula)**see note if using a liquid sweetener.
• Once this consistency is achieved, turn the heat off on the stove-top and stir in the nut butter and vanilla until fully combined.
• Then stir in your oats, sunflower seeds, and walnuts.
• Press into a 9" x 13" glass pan and wait for them to cool (can stick in fridge if you are getting impatient :). This should take about 30-45 minutes on the counter top. Then cut them into the size bars you desire and eat!
• Feel good about eating more than one :)
  

**Note: if you use honey instead of coconut sugar, simply boil for 3-5 minutes longer before adding the peanut butter, vanilla, oats, nuts, and seeds)

This recipe is linked up to:


Happy Healthy 2012 Everyone,
Eryn

Ruth Allen's Cranberry Dessert

This post is in honor of my neighbor across the street. She is also a mother of three (all under 5). In fact I wrote about her here in my Conversations That Help series.

The other day I was over visiting and she told me about a dessert she tried for her family. So really this dessert is not my idea at all- just my take on what she told me she had tried that her family seemed to love. Amidst the chaos of six kids we sometimes have conversations :) Our family definitely loved this version of Ruth Allen's Dessert and I have made it a couple times since. It's a quick and easy holiday dessert, but can also be made anytime cranberries and citrus are in season. It's also pretty hard to mess up, which I also love :)

There are a lot of different substitutions, as you will see in the recipe below. My family prefers it with apples and cranberries with grapefruit juice in the filling and with walnuts in the topping- but get creative and see what your family loves. (Again it's really hard to mess this up :)

Ruth Allen’s Cranberry Dessert

Yields: 1 9x13 glass pan

Ingredients

For the fruit part:

• 2 cups fresh cranberries, diced (or chopped by pulsing in a food processor a couple times)
• 4-6 large medjool dates or 8-12 diglet dates (depending on the size of your sweet tooth)
• 1/2 cup orange or grapefruit juice (or any other citrus you have on hand; however, I don't reccomend lemon or lime), can be fresh or from a carton
• 2-3 large apples or pears (or a mixture of both)

For the topping:

• 1 1/2 cups walnuts or pecans or mixture
• 1 1/2 cup oats (I use gluten free oats from Trader Joe's)
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 Tbsp coconut oil, or butter, or dairy-free butter sub like Earth Balance

Method

• Preheat oven at 350 degrees Farenheit. There is no need to grease the pan you use.
• Pulse all the fruit part ingredients in a food processor or just dice the apple, cranberries, and dates the old fashioned way, fill the pan, and then pour the fruit juice over the top.
• For the topping, pulse all the dry ingredients in a food processor (If you do not have a food processor, you may also Just finely chop the walnuts and use the oats whole. It will work that way as well).
• Then pulse in (or cut in with a fork or pastry blender) the butter or coconut oil until the mixture barely sticks together. Then sprinkle evenly over the cranberry apple mixture.
• Bake at 350 F for 25-35 minutes until the fruit mixture is boiling and the topping begins to crisp.

This post has been linked up to:

Cranberry Carrot Slaw

During the winter months you usually don't think of raw or mostly raw foods as the go to food for the Holidays. You just want some comforting warm food that sticks to your bones right?

Well, I'm that way for sure. I have to make myself eat a little raw when it's cold outside. So I came up with the Thanksgiving themed slaw and tried it out on the husband and the kids. Since baby boy kept asking for "mo, mo, mo", I thought it was a hit :) I've been super blessed with kids who are GREAT eaters! I think I will make this at our Thanksgiving family get together.

Cranberry Carrot Slaw

Serves: 8-10Ingredients

• 3 large carrots, chopped into smaller chunks for easier processing
• 1/2 small head of purple cabbage, chopped into chunks for easier processing
• 2 green onions, diced
• 1 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup of healthy mayo (I recommend the olive oil Earth Balance or the grapeseed oil Vegenaise)
• 1/3 cup dried unsweetened unsulfured cranberries (it's hard to find unsweetened dried cranberries, so I usually buy the organic kind which does have some sugar but I feel good about the fact that there are no GMOs at least)
• 1 large apple of choice, diced small

Method

• In a food processor, or Vitamix on speed 3, pulse or process the carrot, cabbage, green onions, vinegar, salt, and mayo all at once until you reach a slaw consistency.
• Then stir in the cranberries and apple pieces.
• Then you're done! A quick (which is my main motivation these days in thinking up recipes) side dish for Turkey day for sure!

This recipe has been linked up to A Gluten Free Holiday- be sure to check out other healthy holiday recipe ideas here: