Almond Butter Freezer Fudge

Since by last post was all about the coat your teeth with sugar and put you into a coma sweet fudge, here’s a much healthier option that you can keep in your freezer all year round! 

• 2 cups of creamy almond butter (I used almond/hazelnut)
• 1/2 cup of coconut oil, melted
• 3 tbsp of raw honey, melted
• 1/2 tsp of salt 

1. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining it with plastic wrap, set aside.

2. Mix together all of the ingredients until smooth, pour into pan and freeze until firm.

3. Remove fudge by lifting plastic wrap out of the pan, cut into 1 inch squares.  Store in the freezer in an airtight container until ready to consume.

Frozen Yogurt Cupcakes

I’ve decided that cutting out a sweet treat after meals is just ludicrous! However, replacing it with a lower calorie, “healthy” treat is nothing short of genius!

I saw these on fit sugar and knew I had to make some. Especially since I was already replacing my dessert with vanilla greek yogurt with some mini semi sweet chocolate chips mixed in.

I mixed it up by using greek yogurt, then took it a step further by using coconut greek yogurt and key lime greek yogurt. The possibilities are endless. This will be an awesome recipe for hot summer nights!

The original recipe used small silicon baking cups and calorie wise it worked out to 30 calories per cup. Since I used the large cups and greek yogurt I would say that each cup has approx. 110 calories per cup.

• Silicon baking cups 
• 1 907g tub of vanilla greek yogurt (or any other flavour you choose)
• half of a ripe banana
• 1 lb of ripe fresh strawberries
• 1/3 cup if mini semi-sweet chocolate chips or other topping you choose (coconut, white chocolate chips, lemon zest etc)

1. Lay out your silicon baking cups on a baking sheet or large cutting board. (This will just make it easier to transfer the whole lot into the freezer)

2. Blend together the banana and strawberries until you have a thick puree. I needed to add about a tbsp of cold water just to get things moving, but make sure you don't add too much water as you want it to be full of fruity flavor.

3. Spoon the yogurt into the bottom of each cup so they are about half full. The pour in the puree on top of yogurt so all of the yogurt is covered. Then add another dollop of yogurt to each of the cups in the center. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips or other toppings as desired.

4. Freeze until firm, then peel off the silicon cups and store in an airtight container or wrap individually and store in the freezer.

Recipe makes 12 large cupcakes

 

Quest Bars

The quest for the perfect snack will end here, with the Quest bar!

I have heard nothing but good things about Quest bars so I figured it was time I gave them a try.
I bought a few from the local supplement store hoping that I would start substituting a bite or two after meals as dessert instead of becoming a vortex for cookies. They have flavors like, cinnamon bun, apple pie, cookie dough, and cookies and cream. (and the list goes on, it's very extensive)

Unfortunately my local store didn’t carry the cookie dough or cookies and cream which are the two flavors I really wanted to try so I bought a variety of the others to test them out. I decided that if I actually liked them and ate them (replacing regular desserts) I could order a box or two of those flavors.

As far as protein bars go these are hands down the best bars ever! They taste awesome and are high in protein and fiber, low carb and calorie. These are great for me as it’s something I can keep in my purse if I ever start to go to that angry, hungry, if I don't eat something asap I might faint or kill someone place.

So far my 2 favs are the cinnamon roll and coconut cashew, which surprised me as I'm a choc-a-holic! I've seen people throw them in the microwave (wrapper off) to warm them up and I thought it was the strangest thing until I did it to one of the double chocolate chunk favored bars! It was just like a brownie straight from the oven or a chocolate lava cake except this little treat won't leave you feeling guilty after you finish it!

Long story short, if you haven't tried one yet, your missing out! So get off your butt and go out and go grab one already! ;)

Eat More Fish.

Let’s be honest, fish kinda has a bad rap. Unless prepared properly it can be completely off putting. I love ordering it when we go out for a nice dinner because I don’t make it that often as I don’t really know how? I have my standard Maple Salmon which is great, but one can only eat so much of that. And since fish is so good for you I made it my goal to find a recipe that is easy and that I actually would eating at home.

Benefits from eating Fish Regularly

• Low in saturated fat and high in omega-3, both protect against heart disease and lower the amount of cholesterol in the blood
• Improves circulation, and reduces the risk of blood clots
• Has been proven to ease the symptoms of inflammation and arthritis
• Provides your body essential nutrients such as iodine, selenium, zinc and potassium.
• Plays a large part in preventing depression

So here’s my recipe for White Wine and Dijon White Fish. I was on board at white wine. White wine and fish go together perfectly (plus when no one is looking you can have a few glasses while preparing dinner) I say whitefish because this sauce would go nicely with any white fish such as Haddock, Cod, Halibut, or Sole. I used fresh sole and it was amazing! I paired it with steamed broccoli and a mix of brown and white rice (Andrew and I can’t agree so we compromise) and of course, a big glass of wine. ;)

• 2 servings of any white fish
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• ½ cup of white wine (plus more for drinking)
• ¼ cup of Dijon Mustard
• 1 tsp of lemon juice
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• Salt and Pepper to Taste

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the fish in a glass baking dish and season with salt and pepper.

2. Combine the remaining ingredients and pour over top of the fish.

3. Bake for approx. 20 minutes. Fish should be cooked through, firm and flakey.

Cameron Diaz – The Body Book

I must confess, I am not actually reading this book. I am listening to the audiobook. I’m a multitasker at heart and sitting still to read a book is very hard for me. Even when I watch TV I like to bake or organize something. I started listening to it in the car on my way to and from work and while on the elliptical and I must say I am really enjoying it. Not just the book but also the act of being entertained while doing two things that I normally find boring.

I am a few chapters/hours in and I am really enjoying it. She talks about food and health in a different way than I’ve heard before. She breaks it down so it’s easy to understand and it just clicks. I have a “Duh” moment every time I listen. She gets down to the basics and actually explains things, for example what exactly gluten is. I probably talk to ten people a day that are on a gluten free diet and claim it’s the devil but I have never before heard what it is and what purpose it serves. She also talks about how being hungry is a good thing and should be embraced. It’s basically your body’s fuel light blinking indicating you are getting low. And I’ve always known that whole grains are so much better than white rice, white pasta or white bread but now I know why. And that helps making better choices so much easier!

It’s definitely worth a read or a listen! I guarantee you will learn something you didn’t know before. And it’s written in such a way that it’s as much entertaining as it is informative.

Oh and if you choose to buy the audio book over the hardcover, it comes with a PDF full of pictures, charts and diagrams to better help you understand what she's discussing.

 

She released this photo to promote her book, wearing no makeup. Koodos to her! :)