Nut and Cookie Butter

 Nut and Cookie Butter 

 

I enjoy making nut butters in my VitaMix. My recipe is simple...3 cups of nuts. I blend the nuts until a smooth consistency is achieved. Today I used roasted and unsalted peanuts.

 

Sometimes I make small batches of unique nut butters. Cinnamon is a favorite in our household. 

 

Today I made two small batches using HomeFree Treats. One batch used two packages of Crunchy Organic Ginger Snap Mini Cookies and another batch used Crunchy Vanilla Mini Cookies. The texture and flavor of both batches was great. It is a sweet treat to enjoy on the banana bread that I just made!

PB HomeFree Protein Bites

 I was looking to make a twist on a tried-and-true favorite snack. I took one of my favorite cookies and combined it with my PB Protein Bites Recipe and HomeFree Chocolate Mint Cookies. 

 

I substituted HomeFree Chocolate Mint Cookies for 1/2 of the oatmeal in my original recipe

 

Base Recipe Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Oats (DRY)
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
• 1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal
• 1/3 cup Honey (or sugar)  (Sub Maple Syrup to make Vegan)
  
• 1 tsp Vanilla

 

 HomeFree Cookie Remix Recipe Ingredients: 

• 1/2 Cup Oats (DRY) 
• 1/2 Cup HomeFree Chocolate Mint Cookies (Crumbled)
• 1/2 cup Peanut Butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
• 1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal
• 1/3 cup Honey (or sugar) (Sub Maple Syrup to make Vegan)

 

The result was a crunchier bite. You can add more chocolate flavor by adding additional chocolate. You could add more mint flavor by adding mint flavor in place of the vanilla in the original recipe.

A New No Sugar Added Nut Butter in Town

Love finding products that have NO SUGAR ADDED! Since diabetes runs in my family, I try to find TASTY ways to eat healthy.

One place I look to avoid added sugars is in nut butters. I found Legendary Foods Peanut Butter Cup Peanut Butter recently and ENJOY it! who does not like CHOCOLATE and PEANUT BUTTER? 

 

After my workout yesterday, I added some to a rice cake and topped it with pepitas and hemp seeds. The flavors and textures were satisfying and it was a great recovery snack. Decorate your bread or rice cake with a smiley face or pattern and make it fun for a child too!  (TIP: Let a child "top" it to join in the healthy food preparation to make cooking and eating healthy fun. See picture below for an idea posted before.

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We are all looking for the secret to aging gracefully. I believe Life is a canvas; a masterpiece waiting to be created through food, fitness, family, and friends. 

 

 

NOTE: All of the Legendary Foods flavor profiles are unique, I cannot wait to use each one in recipes and share with you!

Cinnamon Nut Butter

I love to make homemade nut butters and have blogged about that before. In the spirit of the holidays, I decided to add CINNAMON to the nut butter. Not only is cinnamon a flavor that reminds me of the holidays, family, friends, and cool weather, but also it has health benefits! I love to incorporate cinnamon into my diet as it helps fight diabetes (which runs in my family), it helps prevent cognitive decline (which runs in my family), fights inflammation, has anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits, and helps fight cancer. If you like the flavor of cinnamon, as I do, then why not add it to your favorite foods!

PICTURE: WARM CINNAMON NUT BUTTER ... straight from the Vitamix!

The recipe is simple. It requires about five minutes of your time, three cups of nuts, and a powerful blender (I use a VitaMix).

Base Recipe:
3 cups of nuts ... add to a Vitamix and Blend until as creamy/crunchy you prefer your nut butter
Store in an airtight container ... or package and give as a gift!

Cinnamon Twist
Add 1.5 cups of nuts to Vitamix and blend.
Add 1/4 cup of cinnamon and 1.5 cups of nuts and blend
NOTE: Change the amount of cinnamon based on personal taste. This gives a cinnamon flavor but does not lose the nut butter base...the flavor is layered.
Store in an airtight container ... or package as a gift!

PB Protein Bites

I LOVE these! All food should be this fun! Finger food that is good for you and tastes so good you WANT to lick your fingers! These PB Protein Bites can be made as small or large as you wish. The stir-ins can fit your personality, the special occasion, or your dietary needs.

Base Recipe Ingredients:
1 Cup Oatmeal (DRY)
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (or nut/seed butter of choice)
1/2 cup Ground Flax Seed Meal
1/3 cup Honey (or sugar) (substitute Maple Syrup to make VEGAN)
1 tsp Vanilla

I use Bob's Red Mill Gluten Free Oats and Ground Flax Seed Meal

Optional stir-ins:
coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, toffee pieces, dried fruit, protein powder, and cinnamon

Directions:
Add ingredients to a mixing bowl/electric mixer
Stir until incorporated
Roll into balls (size is up to you...I generally try for ping pong ball or golf ball size
Refrigerate in an airtight container for about 30 minutes

OPTIONS:
Use a different nut butter if you prefer or have a peanut allergy
Use agave instead of honey, reduce to 1/4 cup
Some store bought peanut butters have more sugar in them than others, if you wish to cut down on sugar, reduce the honey in half
Use homemade or natural nut butter in place of mass market "brands". Stay Tuned for my nut butter recipes!


Each time I have made this recipe I have made the BASE recipe and HALF way through making the balls, I add a stir-in or two so the batch has variety.

Perfect for an on the go snack! Can be used as a post game snack, mid day pick-me-up, or a desert!