I've been away from the blogosphere for a little while, so here's my triumphant return!  First grad school got in the way then I had a few medical hiccups, but now I'm both spring-breaking and healthy.

This recipe is one of my favorites when I'm craving something sweet.  All of the ingredients store well so I always keep them on hand.  It's thick for a smoothie, more like a sherbet consistency that I eat with a spoon.  If you wanted something you can drink you could add more alterna-milk or water.  Because it's thick I use my food processor to blend it, but if you have a sturdy blender that would work too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup frozen berries (I like raspberries or blackberries)
1 Tbsp peanut butter or other nut butter
1/2 Tbsp maple syrup or honey or brown rice syrup
1/2 Tbsp high lignan flaxseed oil (I like Barlean's)
Approx. 1/4 cup alterna-milk (hemp, soy, almond, coconut)

Very complicated preparation instructions:


Place all ingredients in blender/food processor and blend until smooth.  Place in a cup and go crazy with a spoon!

Nutrition Info:

240 kcal
13g sugar
6g protein
3g Omega 3's
 
 
I almost put the word "recipe" in quotes up top, because this is really more of an assemblage than a recipe!  This is a favorite sweet snack of mine.  The flavor and texture is reminiscent of a much more sugary treat- the richness of the chocolate, the creaminess of the peanut butter, the chewiness of the date.  Four of these is usually just about right for a satisfying snack, which contains about 250 calories and 5 grams of fiber.

Ingredients:
  • 4 pitted deglet noor dates
  • 1 Tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1/2 ounce *dark chocolate
*I use Theo's 84% Dominican Republic Single Origin.

Overly Fussy Instructions:

Smear a little bit of peanut butter on each date.  Break up chocolate pieces and stick on top, using peanut butter as an adhesive.  Enjoy!
 
 
I got together with some fellow nutrition students at Bastyr University and made a series of short educational videos in honor of Food Day.  They cover a range of nutritious topics from healthy cooking to nutrition label reading.  For more information on Food Day check out their website.
 
 
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I made this up out of desperation for something sweet this evening, and it turned out great!  It's got all the qualities I value most in dessert- chocolatey, creamy, and sweet.

Ingredients:
  • 1 banana (could be frozen, but I didn't have the patience for that)
  • 1 avocado
  • 3 Tbs cocoa powder
  • 1/4 cup brown rice syrup or honey*
*I used both, because that's what I had!  You could also use maple syrup, anything sweet and syrupy.

Directions:

Put everything in a blender or cuisinart.  If you don't use a frozen banana, you may want to chill the pudding in the fridge for a couple of hours.  If it still looks a little too green, add a tad more cocoa powder.  This recipe makes enough for about two generous servings!