Monday, October 27, 2014

Reboot-style Nutella

Today, the vision of soft pumpkin cookies wouldn't leave my mind (I blame my addiction to Foodgawker for this). And when I pictured these cookies, I saw them with chocolate. But not just any chocolate. No little chocolate chips in this daydream. I'm talking about thick, fudgey frosting in the form of something like Nutella. Nutty, really sweet, and kind of fall-ish. 

 But here's the problem. I'm in the middle of my six-week Reboot and the leader cannot falter!! That means a jar of Nutella is a big no-no for now because I'm staying clear of (to name a few) refined sugar, artificial flavors, and I'm really watching my dairy intake as well. Beyond those nutritional prerequisites, the Reboot is all about minimal foods coming from packages. So that means I need to make this Reboot-style Nutella from scratch.

Fast forward to this afternoon, and I'm feeling pretty stoked since I have all the ingredients on hand: 2 cups of hazelnuts from Trader Joe's, 10 Medjool dates, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk, 2 tsp vanilla, 2 tsp coconut oil, pinch of salt.

Here's what I did. I put the hazelnuts in my food processor and blended them until a nut butter was formed. This took about two minutes. I think mine could've been puréed for a bit longer as it was still a bit chunky. Next I added the pitted dates one at a time and blended until smooth. Then I added the rest of the ingredients one at a time and mixed until combined. 

That's it! It took me no time at all and seriously folks, this is going to make a fantastic dessert served with apple and banana slices or strawberries. And I won't feel one bit guilty swirling a spoonful into my oatmeal or Greek yogurt in the morning. Or how does a banana-Nutella-spinach smoothie sound? I'm all over it!

Hope you give this a try the next time you crave pumpkin cookies (ha! Who needs 'em when you have a spoon!). 

Mission Reboot-style Nutella: Accomplished  

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Blueberry-Almond-Oat Scones and crazy mornings with kids

With school back in full swing (3 different drop off times and 3 different pick up times - are you kidding me?), I'm finding it more of a challenge to get a good breakfast in. I'm NOT a breakfast skipper, its like religion to me. So for these hectic mornings, it's so good to have a back-up plan for when sitting down at the table is not an option. I'm a big fan of scones - and while this recipe isn't exactly a scone (its way healthier), it's the smarter cousin to a scone - and also related to muffin tops and soft, chewy cookies. You'll definitely want to make these gems... and freeze a few for those blissful mornings when you can't find your keys, can't remember if you brushed your teeth or if your children can't find socks or their library book and the dog gets out the front door while you are half dressed, and did I mention you forgot to feed the puppy? Of course, these also make a perfect post-workout snack with a cup of chamomile tea in between drop offs and pick ups. And no, I won't judge you if you make a tea-based hot toddy - there's some crazy stuff that happens at kid-homes between 6:30 and 8:05 am!!!

Back to the scones…these are loaded with good for you stuff. Just check out the star ingredients: homemade oat flour (so quick and easy to make), oats, sesame seeds, sunflower seeds, almonds, blueberries, chia, raw honey, hemp seeds, coconut oil and organic peanut butter. There's no getting around it - even if you don't love these as much as I do, you'll be getting some pretty stellar nutrition that will keep you full for hours. Reboot-approved for weeks 5 &6!


Mission Super Healthy Scone: Accomplished

Blueberry-Almond-Oat Scones
makes 8

Ingredients:

  • 3/4 heaping cup oat flour (blend heaping 3/4 cup oats in your food processor until fine and powdery)
  • 1/4 cup raw honey
  • 1/4 cup organic peanut butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
  • 1 small banana, peeled
  • 1 egg (you can also use a flax 'egg', 1 Tbsp flax meal + 3 Tbsp water, let rest for 5 minutes)
  • 2 Tbsp coconut oil
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, optional 
  • 3/4 cup oats
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 Tbsp each chia seeds and hemp seeds
  • 1/4 cup sesame seeds
  • 1/3 cup slivered almonds
  • 2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
  • 1/2 cup frozen organic blueberries
Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350. In your food processor, pulse 3/4 cup of oats until flour-like in consistency (about 1-2 minutes).  Set aside in small bowl.

2. In the empty food processor, add banana, honey, peanut butter. Puree until very smooth. Add the egg and pulse until incorporated. Add the coconut oil and the vanilla and blend well.

3. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oat flour, oats, salt, baking soda, baking powder, chia, hemp, and sesame seeds, and almonds and sunflower seeds. Mix until combined. Fold in the frozen blueberries gently. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.

4. Divide batter into 8 cookie-like portions on a lined baking sheet (I use a Silpat). Bake for about 12 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven to cool. Scones will keep fresh for 3 days in a sealed container, so freeze what you won't use right away. 

*for breakfast, I'd add a 6 oz cup of low-sugar greek yogurt to go with the scone (like Siggi's Vanilla or coconut, or Goats milk greek yogurt); but this is fine on its own as a snack.