I am almost done with the didactic portion of PA school. I can’t believe how fast these 3 past semesters have flown by. I think that is a good thing because to be honest, it has been one of the hardest things I have had to do in my life.

Not only because of the amount of material I had to memorize and learn in such a small period of time, but because leaving my family and moving 2 hrs away from home and seeing my kids only twice a month was the worst part.

I have actually 3 more semesters to go but I hope and pray that these are much easier on me and my family. We shall see.

Because of school, I haven’t had much time to get in the kitchen to cook and bake as I have wanted to, however, since we had about 4 days off this week, the minute I got home I started my cooking  baking marathon. I kid you not, I probably made 6 different recipes that day. I really don’t know what it is but the urge to get in the kitchen, especially after a while, it is just normal for me.

These almond butter oatmeal chocolate cookies come from my friend Erin’s blog Meaningful Eats. Her recipes are all gluten free so make sure you go ahead and visit her blog. She has awesome recipes and photography.

I have been wanting to make some skillet brownies for quite as long as can remember as well. I have this gluten free recipe that I want to tackle soon so most likely it will be my next baking project. We shall see.

Until then, I hope you like these almond butter oatmeal chocolate cookies. You can half the recipe and make less cookies  if you like but for me, well I wanted these to last a bit longer.

Enjoy!

Almond butter oatmeal chocolate cookies

Yield: 48 cookies

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/3 cup gluten-free rolled oats
• 2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon celtic salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 16 oz almond butter
• 1 cup unrefined sugar
• 4 eggs
• 4 tsp vanilla extract
• 8 oz dark chocolate bar

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line 4 baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the almond butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla until smooth, about 2 minutes.

With the mixer on low, slowly add the oats, baking soda, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Stir to combine mixture. With a spatula stir in the chocolate. The dough will be very sticky!

Scoop 2 tablespoon rounds of dough onto the prepared cookie sheets. Bake each batch for 10 minutes. Cool 5 minutes before removing from the cookie sheet. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

NOTE: I made a large badge but you can half the batter and make less cookies.

Recipe slightly adapted from Meaningful Eats

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A few days ago I was able to make something really indicative of Halloween and of course I made it healthier than typical treats consumed around this time.

For this recipe, I wanted to use chocolate so I figured since we also consume a lot of almond butter and I have never made chocolate cups before I thought, why not?

These dark chocolate almond butter cups turned out great. My kids loved making these ahead of time to share with their friends later on. This recipe it is easy to make with the kids, especially those from 6 to 12 years old. If you like you can use peanut butter instead of almond butter but for use almond butter is what we liked best.

Around Halloween I like to make sure my kids hydrate with just water. Sometimes it is really hard to get them to drink since they are super busy with school and activities so when ever hydration is needed I only like to make sure they drink plain water.

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I hope you like these Dark chocolate almond butter cups. They are great to make with the kids and a fun treat to share with their peers.

Enjoy!

Dark chocolate almond butter cups

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 11 cups

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 20 oz dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Directions:

Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with muffin paper liners.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave in short increments, stirring after 30 seconds, for about 2 minutes.

With a small spoon distribute melted chocolate into each muffin cup.

Meanwhile, in a medium bowl combine almond butter and maple syrup. Place small spoonfuls of almond butter mixture on top of the chocolate layer.

Portion small spoonfuls of the remaining chocolate into each cup and freeze for about 20 minutes.

Serve at room temperature.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Nestle® Pure Life® . The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Dark chocolate almond butter cups appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have been making my own little bites for the longest I can remember. All you have to do is place all the ingredients in the food processor and let it do its job. You will obtain an amazing tasty dough and all you have to do afterwards is roll them out into little balls.

I have made several flavor bites before and they are awesome. Making your own flavors is super easy so get creative and try out your favorite ingredients. These bites are great for on the go, as a snack and don’t forget, you can easily make them vegan and gluten free.

Next time I make these chocolate protein bites I am going to double if not triple the batch. They always disappear in no time so I know making more will last us longer. They are just the perfect snack for my kids.

For the protein bites make sure you visit my friends at Nuts.com You will be able to shop and purchase any other healthy ingredients you may need for your cooking and baking such as nuts, dried fruits, grains, flours and much more, so make sure you browse around. Their products are top notch.

I hope you like these chocolate protein bites. Until my next recipe,

Enjoy!

This recipe is sponsored by Nuts.com The opinions and text are all mine. The end.

The post Chocolate protein bites appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I like making healthier substitutions for all my desserts. When you cook your own food and make your own desserts you are in total control of what goes in so for this almond butter chocolate mousse I used nothing but healthy ingredients.

Instead of using heavy cream I used coconut cream and to keep it dairy free I also used plant based Silk Dark Chocolate Almond milk. It was truly the bomb. It was actually my first time using this version of almond milk and it was just perfect for this dessert.

You can sign up to receive the Silk newsletters for their coupons. If you use their products you should take advantage of their many coupons they offer. They have a wide variety of new products so I am sure you will put the coupons to good use.

Silk’s new package is nice and slick. Check it out!

I also used maple syrup which is vegan and a much healthier alternative to regular sugar. You can also use honey if you like, they both will work find for this dessert.

I like to use almond butter in place of peanut butter even though I might use peanut butter once in a while. You can use which ever you like, the chocolate mousse will still turn out perfect so if you like the peanut butter chocolate combo go for it.

I am all about making quick, no bake desserts lately and I think I will have a few more in store for you before the summer is over.

Let me know if you get to try this almond butter chocolate mousse. I hope you like it as much as we did.

Enjoy!

Almond butter chocolate mousse

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 3 servings

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup coconut cream
• 1 cup almond butter
• 2 tbsp silk dark chocolate almond milk
• 1/4 cup maple syrup

Chocolate sauce

• 1/3 cup chocolate chips, vegan
• 1 tbsp coconut oil

Directions:

In a small mixing bowl place the mousse ingredients. With a hand held mixer mix ingredients until you obtain a smooth mixture. Divide mixture between small glass jars.

Melt the chocolate chips with the coconut oil and add a 1-2 tbsp to each jars. Swirl the chocolate with the mousse and place in the fridge for about 3-4 hrs to set.

You can add some extra whipped coconut cream chopped nuts and chocolate sauce over the mixture before serving.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Almond butter chocolate mousse appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

On another note, my school adventure pretty much starts today. I am moving all the way up North to Poughkeepsie and to say that I am super excited is an understatement. It has been a long road to be able to accomplish just getting accepted into the program so I am really happy about that.

This chapter in my life is going to be full of challenges and sacrifices since I am leaving the kids behind for 2 years, however, I think the rewards are going to be huge in the near future.

Lucky for my the school is only 2 hours away from were my family lives so I will be able to visit them almost every weekend. Shew…

All day yesterday I was prepping my meals for the week. I don’t intend to gain weight or become unhealthy while in school so sticking to a tight schedule as far as meal planning an exercise routine is concerned is what I intend to do.

I believe it really doesn’t take much to have a meal plan in place. Just a bit of invested time at first to gather ingredients and recipes for the week ahead is pretty much it. Then devoting just an afternoon cooking for the week and you are done.

I think this method is better because it saves time doing food shopping and cooking through the week. All in all in a much better way and it saves time in the long run.

I was able to make chocolate almond butter overnight oats, caribbean rice and beans, gazpacho, pasta and the Acai superfood bites which will be my snack of the week. If this doesn’t last me I will prepare something simple like a wholesome salad a couple of times if any and I should be good to go.

Anyways, if you have noticed, these Acai superfood bites have no dates so for those that despise them this recipe is for you.

Enjoy!

Acai superfood bites

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 20 bites

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond butter
• 1/2 cup protein powder
• 1/3 cup flaxseed meal
• 1/3 cup Acai powder
• 1/3 cup maple syrup
• 2 tsp Mexican vanilla
• 1/2 cup hulled hemp seeds
• 1/3 cup cacao powder
• 1-2 tbs water

Directions:

In your food processor add all the ingredients except the hulled hemp seeds and pulse until you obtain a paste.

Place the hulled hemp seeds in a plate. Form balls with the paste and coat with the hulled hemp seeds.

Store bites covered in a glass container in the fridge for at least 1 week.

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I normally spend about $1.50 per bar, which is very expensive, especially because my family easts them often. A box won’t last me even a week so now making my own will be a lot better.

This time around I also added flaxseed meal to them. I like to incorporate fiber when ever possible and if you are also prone to have high cholesterol the soluble fiber in these bars will help you lower it naturally.

I also used Sunwarrior organic raw plant-based chocolate protein powder. They have several flavors you can choose from. They even have a neutral flavor so if you would like to have total control in that regard this type maybe best for you.

My friends at Sunwarrior are also giving away some protein to EG4L readers. Just comment below and let me know how you would use it. I will pick a winner 1/31

I used a total of one cup of protein powder for these easy protein bars, so quite a bit. They have about 20 grams of protein per little square so that is pretty good.

I also tend to use almond butter instead of peanut butter. I like it better but if you are on a nut free diet sunflower seed butter will also work.

This is not going to be my only time making protein bars. Stay tuned because I have other flavors and combinations coming your way.

Enjoy!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sunwarrior. The opinions and text are all mine.

Easy protein bars

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 12 bars

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oat flour (2 1/2 cups rolled oats to make your own)
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup Sunwarrior protein powder
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup almond milk + 3 tbsp
• 3 tbsp flaxseed meal

Drizzle

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbs coconut oil

 

Directions:

Line a 8 x 8 baking pan with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

To make your own oat flour, add the rolled oats to a food processor and pulse until completely pulverized. Add all the bar ingredients to a stand mixer and mix until combined. It should be like cookie consistency. If you noticed it is crumble like just add a bit more almond milk and combine ingredients until you obtain a dough consistency.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and with a spatula flatten it out. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.

Lift the mixture out of the pan and cut into squares. In your microwave, in a safe microwave bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil at 30 seconds intervals. When the chocolate is completely melted drizzle it over the bars.

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