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? 

Better than Trader Joe's PB & J Bars

If you like Trader Joe's Peanut Butter and Jelly Bars, I promise you will LOVE these! They are wholesome, gluten-free, surprisingly filling, and downright YUMMY. 

Not to bag on Trader Joe's bars. They are good. My kids will eat them, as will I. But in a side-by-side comparison, these are tastier.

One thing I LOVE about this recipe is that it makes a TON, so you get a big reward for your relatively short time investment. They will fill a large cookie sheet or 9x13 AND 11x15 baking dishes. These bars keep for days (if you can keep hands off), and they are tasty served cold, medium or warm. 

The recipe involves an oat-based peanut-butter cookie dough on the bottom, your choice of jam, jelly or preserve in the middle, and more of the peanut-butter cookie on top! 

A couple of notes for the preparation process. This recipe has baking soda in it, which is the spreading leavener (baking powder is the rising leavener). So when you put the top layer of peanut-butter cookie dough on the jam layer and you see a ton of holes, no worries!! The dough will spread a it cooks.  (Before-baking pictures above; After pictures below)

Now, on to the recipe!

Better than Trader Joe's 

PB&J Bars

Makes 72 bars

Ingredients

3 sticks butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup brown sugar

3 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla

1.5 cups natural peanut butter

1.5 teaspoons baking soda

3 cups oat flour (4 cups oatmeal pulsed in blender or food processor until smooth)

3 cups oatmeal

2 cups jam, jelly, or preserves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray large cookie sheets or baking pans with cooking spray. (This recipe will make thick bars on a 14"x18" cookie sheet, or thinner bars on more pans. I like to use one 9x13 and one 10x15 baking dish.)

2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add peanut butter and mix until smooth. 

3. Mix baking soda into wet mixture. Stir in oat flour, then oatmeal. Dough will be thick, but still sticky. 

4. Spoon half of the dough into prepared pans. Dip the back of a spoon or your fingers in cold water and spread the mixture so it is covering the bottom of all your pans in an even layer.  Set the other half of the mix aside. 

5. Spoon the jam on to the bottom layer in small spoon fulls all around. Use a rubber spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it in an even layer. 

6. Cover the jam layer with the remaining cookie dough by spooning small amounts all over the top. (See the pictures above for reference)

7. Bake 30-40 minutes, until edges are brown and top is light brown. Middle will still look wet and bubbly, but will settle as it cools. Cool completely before cutting into bars. 

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. :)

No Refined Sugar Protein Brownies

My husband and I extended our January No Sugar Challenge to February...And YOU get to benefit! I am sharing another healthy treat. This one will satisfy your chocolate sweet tooth, and it packs a good protein punch!  Double WIN!

The main response we get when we tell anyone we are avoiding refined sugars and flours is "WHY???" I admit had to ponder this to give a genuine answer. 

In January, my "why" was to clean up my diet after all the holiday junk I consumed at the end of last year.  My husband and I extended it into February because we have loved the way we feel.  We allow ourselves one "cheat day" each week, but it's not a "binge day." Usually it means we eat something like waffles or chocolate chips (or both, together!). We don't go eat a dozen doughnuts and negate all the good we have done through the week!

We have also upped the ante on our workouts, so these protein brownies especially feel good after a hard bootcamp or trail run!  In fact, my husband came home from a tough snow-camping trip with our son and ate the last three (of the second batch I made)!

No Refined Sugar Protein Brownies

Makes 1 9x13 pan

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened  (can use all coconut oil, just double salt)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 cup chocolate protein powder

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish/pan.

2. In a food processor or electric mixer bowl, beat coconut oil and butter until well combined. Add cocoa powder and honey and beat well. Mix in eggs, peanut butter and protein powder until smooth. 

3. Whisk coconut flour and sea salt together, then stir into main mixture. 

4. Pour into prepared dish, and bake 13-16 minutes, just until top no longer looks wet and edges begin to darken. 

5. Cool completely. These taste best cooled or chilled. I liked them at room temperature, but loved them after they sat in the fridge a while. Store in air-tight container, or wrap individually as an easy to grab protein treat!

Participating in these link-ups. 

Fudge Mint Morsel Cookies

Cookie exchanges are one of my FAVORITE holiday traditions.  So much food love in one place. When we lived in Iowa, I had some dear friends who hosted a BIG cookie exchange each Christmas season. Their goal was for at least 12 to participate, and everyone brought 12 dozen cookies. So each guest would leave with a dozen each of 12 different kinds of cookies. As a cookie lover, this was the peak of sweet foodie fun for me! 

This year I am taking one of my tried and true treats to a friend's cookie exchange. These used to be called "Bunco Cookies," because I brought them several times to a Bunco group I was in for a few years. I would use chocolate-white chocolate striped chips in and on top of them and they were DIVINE. But those chips are hard to find, so I recently pulled the recipe back out and put regular chocolate chips in the dough, and melted an Andes mint on top when I pulled them out of the oven. WOW! Instant love. 

So whether you are making cookies for a gift exchange, a party, Bunco, or to enjoy with your family, these will be a surefire hit!  Soft, fudgey cookies with lightly crisped edges and a coating of minty chocolate on top.

Fudge Mint Morsel Cookies

Makes 4 dozen

Ingredients

1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons cocoa powder

2 1/4 cups flour (all-purpose or whole wheat work)

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened

3/4 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup packed brown sugar

2 large eggs

2 cup chocolate chips

48 Andes Mints, unwrapped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment, silpat or cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together cocoa powder, flour, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

3. Beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and mix well. Gradually stir flour mixture into wet mix.  Stir in chocolate chips. 

4. Drop by heaping, rounded teaspoons (I use a 1/2 oz cookies scoop) onto prepared cookie sheets. Bake 7-8  minutes--no longer. Cookies will be soft when you pull them out.

5. Place 1 Andes mint onto each cookie within 1 minute of pulling them out of the oven. Let them sit 2-3 minutes, then spread the melted Andes with the back of a spoon using a small circular motion. Carefully remove to cool and allow topping to set.  Store in an air-tight container. 

Participating in these link-ups.

Perfect! Whole Wheat Ginger Cookies

I chose the word "perfect" to describe these cookies for good reason.  I can honestly say I wouldn't change a single thing about how these turned out. I made a second batch, just to be sure.  

Lightly crispy edges and chewy, soft insides make these delicious (and because they are 100% whole wheat--nutritious!) cookies unsurpassed. This will be a new go-to recipe, especially during the fall and winter months when ginger, cinnamon and cloves smell so warm and comforting. You can unplug that scented wax warmer while making these babies. Your house will smell AMAZING!

One thing that is unique about this ginger cookie recipe, is it doesn't call for molasses. I love molasses cookies, but I don't always have it on hand. What I do always have around is maple syrup. I decided to put maple syrup in the recipe and couldn't be more pleased with the results!  

Perfect Whole Wheat Ginger Cookies

Makes 3 dozen

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour (all-purpose works)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) butter, softened

1 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup 

1 egg

1/4 cup granulated sugar (for rolling)

Dash of ginger, cinnamon, cloves (for rolling)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350.  Spray or line cookie sheets.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda salt and spices.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and brown sugar. Add maple syrup and egg, beating well.  Pour in flour mixture and stir well. Dough will be thick. 

4. In a small bowl, stir granulated sugar with a dash of each of the spices. Using a medium cookie scoop or tablespoon, make 1-inch cookie dough balls. Roll each ball in sugar, and place 3 inches apart on cookie sheets. 

5. Bake 9 minutes, or until very light brown on edges. Middles should rise, but still look un-done when you remove the cookies from the oven. Wait 2-3 minutes to remove from cookie sheets to cooling rack. The cookies will flatten as they cool, and firm up so they hold together nicely. Store in an air-tight container.

Participating in these link-ups. 

Candy Pretzel Owls

We had some kitchen creativity time on Sunday. It was rainy outside, and we were needing some hands-on production. I came up with these cute owls and even made a video tutorial to share how to make them!

They can also be made in smaller batches in the microwave, which was the method I used to test the idea. 

Enjoy!!

https://youtu.be/OyqZyyCtHaY

Participating in these link-ups. 

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

Did you know you can make a delicious pumpkin pie WITHOUT evaporated or sweetened condensed milk?? 

I have always made my pumpkin pies using the traditional recipe found on the back of the Libby's Pumpkin can. And it is a definite winner. But, this past Sunday I had a pie crust, eggs, sugar, spices, vanilla, a can of pumpkin, and NO canned milk.  I did, however, have other forms of milk, among them: Sour Cream.

So I substituted sour cream for evaporated milk. I didn't do a straight substitution; because of the density of the sour cream, I used less of it.  

This pie cooked up beautifully, and my family scarfed it down with nothing but praise for its texture and flavor!  I LOVE when an experiment becomes a new recipe success! 

Sour Cream Pumpkin Pie

Makes one 9-inch pie

Ingredients

1 9-inch unbaked pie crust

1 15 ounce can pumpkin puree

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon ginger

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, beat pumpkin and sour cream until smooth. Add sugar, spices, and vanilla, stirring well. Beat in eggs, one at a time.

3. Pour into pie crust.  Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 350 degrees and bake 30-35 more minutes, until middle of pie is set (no longer liquid).

4. Cool completely before serving. Store in refrigerator. 

Participating in these link-ups. 

Protein & Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

This summer FLEW by for our family and fall has sneaked up on me like a ninja in the night. I didn't do HALF of what I had planned to this summer, but one thing I did do was go blueberry picking-- twice! So, my freezer has an abundance of blueberries.  

So although blueberry season is over, I wanted to share this new-favorite recipe I developed that uses blueberries (fresh or frozen!) and is full of healthy redeeming value. You can feel good about your family indulging in these puppies!

I had to hide away two of these bars to photograph soon after I made them because they were disappearing so fast! They were yummy right out of the oven, but also once they cooled.  They have a buttery, whole-wheat and oatmeal crust, a sweet, lemony tofu-based filling, and are topped with blueberries and more buttery wheat and oatmeal goodness. 

The whole wheat, oatmeal and blueberries provide a significant amount of healthy fiber, and the tofu adds a shot of protein that make these bars not only yummy, but pretty darn healthy for a delectable dessert! 

This was my first experience using tofu in a dessert. I was a bit apprehensive. I didn't tell my family what was in these until they had tried them.  I was THRILLED that they turned out so well and were so enjoyed! Win-Win!!

I made these at night and quickly snapped a picture of them right out of the oven.  Although it's a bit dark, I'm glad I did. This pan was attacked soon after this photo was taken.

Protein and Fiber Rich Blueberry Bars

Makes 32 bars

Ingredients

Crust and Topping:

2 cups whole wheat flour

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 cup oatmeal

1 cup salted sweet cream butter, softened

Lemon Tofu Filling:

24 oz firm tofu, drained

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup lemon juice

1 tablespoon lemon extract

Blueberry Layer:

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup lemon juice

3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350. Line a 10"x15" baking dish with aluminum foil.  Two 8"x 8" or  9"x 9" square dishes will work. Coat lightly with cooking spray.

2. In large mixing bowl, whisk wheat flour, powdered sugar and oatmeal together. Cut in softened butter until well incorporated (I used my cookie-dough paddles for cutting in the butter).  Reserve 2 scant cups of this mixture in a separate dish, and press the rest of it into the prepared pans. 

3. Using the same mixing bowl (no need to clean out the crumbs), beat the tofu, sugar, vanilla, lemon juice and extract together. Mixture may seem chunky (no worries!).  Spread the tofu mixture evenly over the first layer.

4. Sprinkle sugar, lemon juice, and flour over the blueberries and mix gently. Spread the berries over the tofu layer. 

5. Sprinkle reserved crust mixture over the top of the blueberries.  Place in center of oven. Bake 50-55 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Store in refrigerator. 

Participating in these link-ups.