Junkless Peanut Butter Cups

Happy Halloween! For the kids, it’s all about the candy and for the adults, it’s either about boozing while wearing a ridiculous outfit or waiting for the kids to pass out so you can have your crack at their loot. Either way, your health doesn’t take first priority.

While this may seem like the perfect opportunity to cheat a bit, keep in mind, the next two months are perhaps the most tempting, so play it safe with a more healthy alternative to processed sugar, artificial colors, and a host of other horribly addicting bad stuff.

Ingredients: 1/2 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup cocoa powder, 1 tablespoons (or to liking) almond milk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 3 tablespoons of agave or maple syrup, 1 jar of peanut butter, small size cupcake liners

Directions: Mix together oil, cocoa powder, almond milk, vanilla and agave or syrup. Without the almond milk, the mixture will lean towards more of a dark chocolate taste. If to your liking, add less milk. If not, add more.

Fill each mini cupcake liner (recipe makes about 13-how appropriate 😱) a little less than halfway. Glob an appropriate amount of peanut butter into each as shown above. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes.

After confirming that each cup is solid, top each one off with the remaining mixture. Make sure peanut butter is covered. Refrigerate again for 10-15 minutes.

These are great if you’re having a party or just for something fun to do with your kids for the holiday. We don’t recommend handing these out to trick-or-treaters because Halloween is the one holiday where homemade treats are not appreciated 😱. Snack wisely and have a happy and safe Halloween 👻🎃!

Roasted Chickpea Coleslaw

Coleslaw can easily tow the line between healthy and unhealthy. It all depends on how you dress it. We all know mayo gives it the full flavor, but also the full fat content. But this blog’s purpose is to find ways around the bad ingredients without sacrificing flavor. Plus, this recipe adds something unique in the form of roasted chickpeas for added protein and crunch.

Ingredients: 1 can of chickpeas, 1 12 oz pack of broccoli (or cabbage) slaw, 1/4 chopped onion, 1 tablespoon of chia seeds, 2 tablespoons of yellow mustards, 2 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of agave nectar

Directions: Drain and rinse the can of chickpeas. Toss with any desired spices (black pepper, garlic powder, sea salt and nutritional yeast were used here). Bake on 350 for 20 minutes. Broil for 5. They should have a nice crunchy yet moist consistency.

Toss slaw mix with onion and chia seeds. Add wet ingredients and mix thoroughly. You can add the chickpeas before the dressing or on top of you prefer.

You’ll find that the mustard and vinegar provide a great tangy flavor, balanced with the sweetness of the agave. Plus the chia seeds give additional moisture once they gel. Makes a great BBQ side or a vegan meal all on its own.

Almond Crusted Chicken Tenders

We all can agree that we miss fried food. The savory flavor, the crunchy shell it’s encased in, and the lack of silverware needed to consume it all make up the magic that is fried food. But the carbs and oil needed to make that magic happen come with a catch (kinda like a Disney movie). So getting creative is necessary when plain old grilled chicken has gotten old (which it will. After about the first week).

Ingredients: chicken tenderloins, 1 bag of almonds, clove of garlic, 2 eggs

Directions: Process the full bag of almonds and the clove of garlic. Add whatever spices desired (just pepper and salt were used here). Crack eggs in separate bowl and mix thoroughly.

Dip each chicken in the egg and then mix rigorously in the almond mix until completely covered. Place on baking sheet. Once all chicken has been coated, bake on 350 for about 20-25 minutes. Broil for 5 minutes for added crunch.

These were served with sweet potato wedges (recipe below) and salad. Thinking about pitching this to McDonald’s to replace the Happy Meal. Or maybe an Adult Happy Meal. The Amicable Meal :).

Sweet Potato Wedges: Cut the sweet potatoes into wedge shapes. Toss with olive oil, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Bake for 30 mins on 350.

Avocado Chicken Salad

As I’ve said before, even the most delicious of meals can get boring day in, day out. But, any protein can be spun a different way (#leftoverremix). And given the good feedback that was received for the Avocado Egg Salad, as well as the leftover roasted chicken, Avocado Chicken Salad just seemed like the perfect thing to share. First, every last morsole of chicken has been picked from the bones. I have spared the photo of the chicken carcass (very visceral and Game of Thronesy). Next, the shredded chicken has been seasoned with lemon juice, salt and pepper. For the cream factor, about 3/4 of a very large haas avocado was used. Also, to give it a little bit of a twist, yellow mustard and a pinch of hot sauce has been added, as well as onion and about 2 teaspoons of chia seeds. While chia seeds don’t exactly add any flavor, they do give a bit of extra moisture. When diluted in liquid, the seeds omit a gel (don’t freak out, you won’t even notice it) that is beneficial for your digestive tract. Why not include that in your meal?