Flourless Banana Protein Muffins

Want the perfect pre-workout pick-me-up?  How about the ideal recovery snack? Or maybe you just want something yummy that you won't feel like you need to run 5 miles to make up for eating. ;-)

I made two batches of these--with half of them as mini-muffins and half as full-size, so 72 muffins in all. SEVENTY-TWO. And do you know how long they lasted in my home (which includes 1 man and 2 teenage boys)??  Less than 24 hours! I didn't know if I should be horrified or flattered.  

And here is all the math from my experience made into an imperfect equation for my Algebra 1 student:

72 muffins / 3X < 24hrs = 0

Therefore, the muffins were consumed at a rate of 3+ muffins/ hour. So my husband and two sons each ate an average of 1/hour for 24 hours. Of course, my younger 2 kids and I ate a few. And my husband and sons were gone on a camping trip for the first 18 of those 24 hours, so the math gets complicated. But, what isn't complicated is the recipe.  So we will move on to that.

Flourless Banana Protein Muffins
Makes 24 Regular/ 48 Mini Muffins

INGREDIENTS:
2 Ripe Bananas
1 Cup Peanut Butter
1/2 Cup Honey
2 Eggs
1 Scoop Vanilla Protein Powder (I like THIS kind, and THIS kind)
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Cup Chocolate Chips (mini work best)

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Grease/ line muffin pans
3. Blend all ingredients except chocolate chips in blender or food processor
4. Stir in chocolate chips
5. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake 11-13 minutes for mini-muffins; 14-16 minutes for regular muffins.

Guilt-Free Cookie Dough Balls

Six ingredients. No baking. Wholesome blend of protein, fiber, and healthy fats.  And they seriously taste like a scoop of cookie dough. No joke. My kids even requested them in their lunches!

Here's what you'll need: 

Guilt Free Cookie Dough Balls

Makes about 24

Ingredients:

3/4 cup Coconut Butter (not oil)

3/4 cup Almond/ Peanut Butter (I have made them both ways successfully)

1/3 cup Maple Syrup

1/2 cup Vanilla or Cookies and Cream Protein Mix

1 cup Rolled Oats

1/4- 1/2 cup Chocolate Chips/ Cocoa Nibs

Directions:

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except chocolate chips/ cocoa nibs. Process until well mixed. Stir in or just barely process in chips/nibs. Form 1 inch balls and store in refrigerator. 

SO easy, right? 

Crio Bru Truffles

These rich, chocolatey no-bake truffles are full of healthy, energizing, guilt-free ingredients, and they whip up in a jiffy!  As the sole sweetener in these morsels, dates compliment the chocolate and nut flavors beautifully. 

One of my favorite healthy ways to get my chocolate fix is drinking Crio Bru. If you haven't tried it, you should! It is a drink made from brewing ground, roasted cacao beans. It is full of antioxidants and important minerals, gives me a natural boost of energy, but it doesn't have the addictive high-caffeine-content that coffee does. 

After I brew my Crio, I like to save the damp grounds to use in recipes. They add rich chocolate flavor, fiber, and all of the health benefits of the brewed drink!

My entire family loved these truffles. I had to hide them in the freezer so my husband was sure to get some before they disappeared!

Crio Bru Truffles

Makes 18-20 

Ingredients

1/2 cup Crio Bru grounds (previously brewed and well-drained, but damp)

1 cup of raw pecans, walnuts, or cashews

1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

10 Medjool dates, pitted

4 tablespoons cocoa powder, divided

1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

1. Line a small cookie sheet with wax paper. Measure 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder into a small bowl, and set aside. 

2. In a medium food processor or blender, process damp Crio Bru grounds and nuts until finely chopped. Add coconut oil, dates, 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder and sea salt. Pulse on high 5-10 seconds at a time, scraping the bowl as needed, until all ingredients are well incorporated. 

3. Using a medium cookie scoop (or your fingers), form 1.5 inch balls. Roll the balls in the bowl of cocoa powder, then set on the wax paper.  Once all the dough is used, place the cookie sheet in the refrigerator for 30 min to 1 hour to set.  Tasting is allowed. :)

Peach Fruit Leather By-The-Foot

Millions of peaches...peaches for free...

Okay, I didn't get them for free--just on a good sale.  But I was so excited to make something with them.  And this fruit leather has been a hit around here! 

My kids LOVE Fruit By the Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, fruit snacks--so much so that I rarely buy them. I joke that they are like crack in my house. If my kids know any of these items are in the house, that is ALL they want to have for snacks until they are gone! And they are mostly sugar. Not really a health food.

Well, these fruit snacks ARE healthy.  No refined sugar. Packed with real fruit. And yummy! They actually taste like peaches! Mmm, mmm. 

Here's how to make 'em: 

You'll need: About 10 medium peaches and 1/3 cup of honey; cooking spray, plastic wrap, and cookie sheets with sides.

1. Follow the directions to peel peaches found here on Our Best Bites. 

This process is an AWESOME time saver. 

2. Remove the stones from the peaches, and put the peeled halves in a blender with 1/3 cup of honey.

3. My 10 peaches made about 6.5 cups of puree. I kind of wanted to pour some on ice and just drink it. It looks tempting, huh?

4.  Cover a couple of walled cookie sheets, with plastic wrap. Make sure it is firmly over each edge. Spray it lightly with cooking spray, then pour the puree on to the pan, spreading it until it is 1/4 inch thick everywhere.

5. Place in an oven set to 175-200°.  Bake for 6-8 hours.  You can do this overnight, but I suggest the lower temp, longer cooking if you are leaving it unchecked.  Otherwise, check it at about 5 hours. The liquid content of peaches varies, so yours may take less or more time, depending on how juicy your peaches were. 

6. Remove from the oven when it is the texture of a fruit roll-up--sticky but not wet. This is what it will look like when you remove it from the oven.

7. Once it has cooled, roll it up with the plastic still on. Cut the roll into 1-2 inch pieces. I did this using a pair of kitchen scissors. A sharp knife would work as well. 

These are easy grab-and-go snacks. I store all of them in zip-lock bags in the pantry. Now my kids can snack on REAL FRUIT all they want to!

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