Creamy Choco-Minty Oatmeal

 Breakfast, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Native Sun Recipe, Quick and Easy, Six Ingredients or Less, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  2 Responses »
Dec 242012
 

Mint and chocolate are one of my most favorite flavor combinations.  I love that aromatic freshness with the rich chocolate.  When I noticed that the chocolate mint coconut milk was on sale at Native Sun I just had to give it a try…..but what to do with it other than put it in coffee or drink it straight….somehow the oatmeal idea popped into my head and I thought that sounded like a fun option. If you like chocolate and mint I think you’ll like this too!

Creamy Choco-Minty Oatmeal

 If you are looking to save calories you can simply make the oatmeal with water and then pour a bit of the chocolate mint milk on top – but if you can splurge on this creamy version it is well worth it.

This recipe is not overly sweet so feel free to add some additional agave or honey if desired and for Mila lovers – this is a perfect recipe to stir a Tbsp into.

I know what I’ll be making for breakfast on Christmas morning!

Creamy Choco-Minty Oatmeal

 Creamy Choco-Minty Oatmeal

Serves 1
Vegan, Gluten Free
Printable Recipe
**Items on sale now at Native Sun Natural Food Market, Dec 7 through Jan 6 2013

Ingredients

1/2 cup rolled oats** (for gluten free diet be sure to use gluten free oats)
1/2 cup vanilla un-sweet non-dairy milk
1/2 cup chocolate mint coconut milk (plus extra for topping at finish)**
1/2 tbsp agave (or local honey for non-vegan)
Dash of coarse sea salt
Dash of cinnamon
5 vegan chocolate chips (or regular semi-sweet for non vegan**)

Directions

1. Mix oats through cinnamon in a small sauce pot. Bring to a boil over medium high heat – reduce heat and cook about 5 to 6 minutes or until desired thickness.

2. Spoon into a bowl and top with extra chocolate mint coconut milk and chocolate chips.

Nutrition Facts
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving 

Calories 286.9
Total Fat 9.5 g
Saturated Fat 3.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 328.0 mg
Potassium 100.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 48.2 g
Dietary Fiber 6.0 g 

Sugars 19.1 g
Protein 5.5 g
Vitamin D 12.5 %
Vitamin E 25.0 %
Calcium 15.1 %
Iron 12.3 %
Magnesium 2.1 %
Riboflavin 2.2 %
Thiamin 10.0 % 

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Theresa’s No Bake Energy Bites and Inspirational Women Series Continues with Andrea Peltier!

 Articles and Reading, Dessert, Egg Free, Favorites, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Snack, Vegetarian  3 Responses »
Dec 192012
 

Happy Holidays!  Before I get to the last of my rolled cookie recipes…..(this one posted because of MANY requests)….

….I want to show some love to an amazing lady I met through my Lifemax business – Andrea Peltier.  This is my second post in my “inspirational women” series and in this world of negativity and chaos it is so nice to share a little something positive and uplifting about someone.  Is there anyone in your life you can do the same for today?  Just wait and see how great it makes you feel! Besides – who doesn’t love a good story?

Andrea is the mother of three – in fact, we met up at a convention last October in Orlando and she brought her four week old baby while her husband is deployed overseas.  He will not be back until April and will then get to meet his beautiful baby,  I was so impressed with her fitting her children into her life and showing them the importance of being self-confident and self-sufficient – these kids will definitely be a step ahead in life.

Andrea is on the right from a recent party.

  I caught up with Andrea again recently at a recent Christmas party, during which we had a white elephant gift exchange and (though my donation was a chia pet) I ended up with the most amazing gift – two handmade ornaments that said “health” and “wealth” with a card that noted how many times the ornaments we choose have meaning to us and are symbols of what we love and desire. SO true.  I fell in love with these ornaments and shared one with my dear friend Jodi for being an amazing business partner and friend.  (I’ll have to order us another set so we can each have both Jodi!)

Andrea – thank you for inspiring me to take the initiative to get up and out and live life – no excuses!

If you would like to order handmade ornaments from Andrea please contact her at PAndreaE5@gmail.com.

 __________________________________________

Now – for these COOKIES!

I know I have now posted several variations of these round cookies so this variation is the last.

This recipe, that originated with my friend Theresa, has been passed around so many times to various business partners because it is SO amazing.  Peanut butter, chocolate and coconut make this cookie more like a decadent girl scout Samoa than a healthy energy bite! Everyone that eats these cookies asks where they can find the recipe so I made them for a recent KyV Farm workshop.

I love that I was able to start a business with so many inspirational women AND a food that has 3000mg of plant based Omega3′s and can be used as egg replacer in raw cookies.   This is a GREAT way to get lots of Omega 3s into kids without having to get them to swallow a huge pill or eat fish, and I love that they can help with making these.

For those of you that haven’t heard of this amazing food, Mila, and want to know more – click here.

 Theresa’s No Bake Energy Bites

Serves about 24
Vegetarian, Gluten Free
Printable Recipe

Ingredients

2 cups rolled oats
1 cup creamy peanut butter (or nut or seed butter of choice)
2/3 cup honey
2 cups shredded coconut
1/2 cup Mila
3/4 cups mini semi sweet chocolate chips
3 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp salt

Directions

1. Mix all ingredients; refrigerate 30 minutes; roll into 24 1-inch balls and store in an air tight container.

Nutrition Facts
24 Servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 217.1
Total Fat 12.2 g
Saturated Fat 2.7 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 2.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.8 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 53.1 mg
Potassium 91.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 24.9 g
Dietary Fiber 3.3 g
Sugars 15.3 g
Protein 4.7 g

Vitamin B-6 2.6 %
Vitamin E 5.3 %
Calcium 1.8 %
Folate 2.0 %
Iron 4.0 %
Magnesium 4.3 %
Manganese 4.6 %
Niacin 7.2 %
Phosphorus 5.8 %
Riboflavin 1.2 %
Selenium 1.2 %
Thiamin 2.3 %
Zinc 2.2 %

*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.

Chocolate with Sea Salt Toast

 Breakfast, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Food Find, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  1 Response »
Mar 072012
 

I have written several posts featuring Justin’s Nut butter; Peanut Butter Cup Toast, Baked Monkey Oats and Chocolate Hazelnut and Peanut Butter Baked Oats but there was one more version that was calling my name. The idea was suggested in a comment on my peanut butter cup toast post by Lynn at The Actor’s Diet.

Chocolate with sea salt – brilliant!

I have a feeling no one will be too mad at me.  I just love simple recipe ideas, and tweaking them just a bit can make things fresh and exciting, even when using similar ingredients.

Chocolate and sea salt is my favorite dessert flavor by far, so to make it for breakfast feels sinful.  And at 6 grams of dietary fiber, 8 grams of protein and no cholesterol, it’s actually good for you too!
SWOON.

Chocolate with Sea Salt Toast

Serves 1
Vegan, Dairy Free
Ingredients
1 slice Ezekiel Bread
2 Tbsp chocolate hazelnut butter, I used Justin’s Nut Butter
Sprinkle of coarse sea salt
Directions
1. Toast bread; spread hazelnut butter over evenly, sprinkle with sea salt.
Nutrition Facts
1 Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories            270
Total Fat          16.5 g
Saturated Fat    2.5 g
Polyunsat. Fat   0.0 g
Monounsat Fat  0.0 g
Cholesterol       0.0 mg
Sodium             310.0 mg
Potassium         75.0 mg
Total Carbs       25.0 g
Dietary Fiber    6.0 g
Sugars               7.0 g
Protein              8.0 g

Peanut Butter Cup Toast

 Breakfast, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Kid Friendly, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  3 Responses »
Feb 262012
 
Toast.
What else can I cover in chocolate, peanut butter and bananas?
I think I’ve got a problem.
Peanut Butter Cup Toast
Peanut Butter Cup Toast
Serves 1
Vegan

Ingredients

1 slice sesame Ezekiel Bread
1 Tbsp chocolate hazelnut butter, Justin’s
1 Tbsp natural chunky peanut butter (or smooth)
1/2 banana
Sprinkle of ground flax
Sprinkle of Mila

Directions (Kind of embarrassed to even post this.)

1. Toast bread; spread with hazelnut and peanut butters; top with banana, flax and Mila.

Nutrition Information
Per Serving

Calories 320.2
Total Fat 17.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 120.5 mg
Carbs 35.6 g
Fiber 5.9 g
Sugars 9.7 g

Baked Monkey Oats

 Breakfast, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  1 Response »
Feb 162012
 
Baked Monkey Oats
Baked oats are so satisfying that I made it again this morning. This recipe is very similar to the last but uses fresh bananas……next time I might put a bit of ground flax seed on top as well. YUM!
The nutrition info below is listed for either one or two servings, depending on how hungry you are.
Or you could do like I did and eat all the bananas and nut butters off the top first and then be too full to eat the rest of the oatmeal.
Baked Monkey Oats

Baked Monkey Oats

Baked Monkey Oats
Serves 1 to 2
Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Ingredients

1/2 c gluten free rolled oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill
Dash to 1/8 tsp sea salt
½ tsp alcohol free vanilla extract
1 c unsweet vanilla almond milk (or dairy free milk of choice)
½ Tbsp Peanut Butter
½ Tbsp Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, or other sweetener of choice (Optional but not used in this recipe)
1/2 banana, sliced

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Mix dry ingredients in a small ramekin; pour in almond milk and vanilla extract.

2. Bake about 40 minutes and top with peanut butter, hazelnut butter and bananas.

Nutrition Facts

1 Serving
Amount Per Serving

Calories 315.3
Total Fat 12.8 g
Saturated Fat 0.8 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.1 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 355.8 mg
Potassium 426.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 44.6 g
Dietary Fiber 8.1 g
Sugars 9.3 g
Protein 9.6 g

Nutrition Facts
2 Servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 157.7
Total Fat 6.4 g
Saturated Fat 0.4 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 177.9 mg
Potassium 213.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 22.3 g
Dietary Fiber 4.1 g
Sugars 4.7 g
Protein 4.8 g

Nutella Baked Oats Goes Vegan for Valentines Day with Justin’s!

 Breakfast, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  No Responses »
Feb 132012
 

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie that’s Amore.

Ahh romance is in the air.

What am I doing for my hubby of ten years this fine Valentines Day you ask? He will be getting a VERY romantic scrub down.

On the house. Yes, I’m getting the house pressure washed.

As if that wasn’t romantic enough, I’m throwing in the driveway and front walk too.

Yup, that’s me, the hopeless romantic.

And this dish will be a perfect breakfast in bed for that special someone in your life. Or in my case, myself. The hubbs isn’t much of a breakfast eater, and hey, he’s getting that scrub down remember?

Sometimes you’ve gotta do something nice for yourself. Mmmm……melt-y chocolate and peanut butter for breakfast. It almost looks like a dessert.

But looks can be deceiving. Yes it IS melt-y chocolate hazelnut and peanut buttery goodness, but it’s almost savory as opposed to really sweet.

Justin’s Hazelnut Chocolate butter doesn’t have as much sugar as Nutella so the taste of the cocoa and hazelnuts really shines through. For a sweeter taste just add a tablespoon or so of good quality maple syrup or sweetener of choice.

Chocolate Hazelnut and Peanut Butter Baked Oats
Serves 1 to 2
Vegan, Gluten Free, Dairy Free

Ingredients

1/2 c gluten free rolled oats, such as Bob’s Red Mill
Dash to 1/8 tsp sea salt
1 tsp raw cacao powder
½ tsp alcohol free vanilla extract
1 c unsweet chocolate almond milk (or dairy free milk of choice)
½ Tbsp Peanut Butter
½ Tbsp Justin’s Chocolate Hazelnut Butter
1 Tbsp Maple Syrup, or other sweetener of choice (Optional but not used in this recipe)
6 almonds, chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Mix dry ingredients in a small ramekin; pour in almond milk and vanilla extract. 

2. Bake about 40 minutes and top with peanut butter, hazelnut butter and almonds.

Nutrition Facts

1 Serving
Amount Per Serving

Calories 337.9
Total Fat 15.8 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1.4 g
Monounsaturated Fat 2.2 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 355.4 mg
Potassium 222.5 mg
Total Carbohydrate 34.7 g
Dietary Fiber 6.2 g
Sugars 3.5 g
Protein 9.8 g

Nutrition Facts

2 Servings
Amount Per Serving

Calories 169.0
Total Fat 7.9 g
Saturated Fat 0.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.7 g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.1 g
Cholesterol 0.0 mg
Sodium 177.7 mg
Potassium 111.2 mg
Total Carbohydrate 17.4 g
Dietary Fiber 3.1 g
Sugars 1.7 g
Protein 4.9 g

Coconut Pudding with Godiva Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt and Cayenne

 BPBD - Before Plant Based Diet, Dessert, Vegetarian  17 Responses »
Mar 162011
 
 
Coconut Pudding with Godiva Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt and Cayenne
 
This is definitely an adult dessert. 
 
Velvety, lightly sweet, a bite of dark chocolate, crunch and saltiness from sea salt and heat from cayenne.  If you are looking for a cupcake this probably won’t cut it.  If you are looking for a complex dessert with interesting layers of flavors then this will fit the bill. 
 
This has a fair amount of fat and protein and minimal carbohydrates so it won’t leave you craving more sweets and it will be very satisfying.
 
Make sure you use the Godiva Dark Chocolate because I’ve tried others and it is the best.
 
Coconut Pudding with Godiva Dark Chocolate, Sea Salt and Cayenne
***4 WW Pts Plus
3 (4.5 ounce) servings
 
Ingredients (What I used is in the parentheses.)
 
1 block farmer cheese, (Friendship)
1/2 cup light coconut milk, (Native Forest)
1/4 non-fat plain Greek yogurt, (Chobani)
2 packets stevia, Sweet Leaf (if you don’t mind the added carbs use a Tbsp of honey or agave)
1 tsp vanilla extract, (Simply Organic)
2 squares Godiva 72% Dark Chocolate, chopped (about .75 ounces)
Dash coarse sea salt
Dash cayenne pepper, (Frontier)
 
Directions
 
1. Mix cheese, coconut milk, yogurt, vanilla and stevia in high speed blender or magic bullet.
 
2. Divide mixture into three cups, about 4.3 ounces each, top each with 1/3 of the chocolate, pinch of salt and pinch of cayenne.
 
Nutrition Facts
**4 WW Pts Plus


3 (4.5 oz) Servings
Amount Per Serving


Calories 173.5
Total Fat 11.0 g
Saturated Fat 7.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 23.3 mg
Sodium 346.3 mg
Potassium 2.6 mg
Total Carbohydrate 4.5 g
Dietary Fiber 1.0 g
Sugars 3.4 g
Protein 11.9 g


Vitamin A 5.2 %
Calcium 2.8 %
Iron 5.5 %

Raw Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cup Truffles

 Dairy Free, Dessert, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Kid Friendly, Raw, Soy Free, Vegan  4 Responses »
Feb 152010
 
Weekend visits with my grandmother while I was growing up were magical.  First on our list to do was a trip to Kings Castle Land.  Upon arriving at this small amusement park in Whitman, Mass you would cross a drawbridge over a moat.  As a child I found this sort of thing very entertaining. 
Nothing is better than a drawbridge and moat.  
Ok maybe there are a few things just as good.
Such as a roller coaster, petting zoo with very cute goats, play ground, slides, house of mirrors and the most wonderful gift shop you ever saw filled with all kinds of enchanting trinkets and toys.
Now for the Debbie Downer part.  Very sadly, the park closed in 1994 and became a used car lot and later a Stop and Shop but the memories from there are irreplaceable.  Is that even legal?  To crush childhood dreams for a used car lot and a Stop and Shop?  Well it most definitely should not be.
Back to the point.  Secondly on our list of things to do was to head for the local natural food stores.  My grandmother followed a macrobiotic diet which is grain and plant based and promotes whole, unprocessed foods. I love the smell of the small, local natural food stores.  Don’t you?  They just smell healthier.  Maybe because they don’t use harsh chemicals for cleaning.  While we were there she would buy me dates rolled in coconut flakes.  Have you ever had those?  There is no candy out there that can compare to how sweet and soft they are with just the right hint of coconut. 
Fast forward to 2010.  I came across a charming blog called Chocolate Covered Katie. Here I was reminded of those date rolls my grandmother always bought me because she makes what are called Fudge Babies.  Aside from the memory factor what appeals to me about them is they are raw and contain no butter, white sugar and white flour that severely tamper with my insulin levels.  And no one likes an insulin level that has been tampered with.
Raw Pumpkin Peanut Butter Cup Truffles
Vegan, Gluten Free


Ingredients

1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup dates
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3 Tbsp agave nectar
2 Tbsp peanut butter
2 Tbsp flax seeds
1 tsp cocoa powder, I used Hershey’s Special Dark
1/2 cup rolled oats, I used Bob’s Red Mill
1/4 cup carob or chocolate chips sweetened with natural sweetener such as SunSpire
2 Tbsp PB2 Chocolate (optional)
Directions
1. Add the puree through rolled oats to a food processor; blend well, scraping down the sides of the food processor frequently until mixed to desired consistency.
2. Fold in carob or chocolate chips. 
3. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls into balls and place in small muffin cups. Sprinkle with optional PB2 chocolate and a few carob or chocolate chips.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chickpea Spread

 Beverage, Dairy Free, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Soy Free, Vegan, Vegetarian  2 Responses »
Jan 032010
 

I came across this post for a chocolate chickpea spread quite a while ago and finally decided to try it this morning.  My goal for this year as far as weight goes is to lose 6 lbs in the short term and eventually 3 more ideally. 

I always want a small piece of chocolate right after lunch so I wanted to try this as a healthier alternative that would take care of the sweet craving. 

I got my wish, it definitely has a deep chocolate flavor and I only used two tablespoons of the Hershey Special Dark cocoa powder.  I tested it out this morning after I made it on the middle of my toast I had cut out.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Chickpea Butter
(Altered from this recipe on BitterSweet)

1 (15 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
2 Tbsp natural peanut butter
3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp Hershey Special Dark cocoa powder
1/3 cup organic agave nectar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2 – 4 Tbsp strong coffee

Directions

1.  Mix everything but the water together in a food processor.   Mix thoughroughly.

2.  Add coffee in a slow stream until desired consistency is reached.