Carrot Cake Bites

I love the ingredients in carrot cake. This is a fun way to get a mouth full of the flavors of carrot cake in a snack bite. They passed the taste test with my 3 year old grand daughter and my husband. Eating one is not enough. I hope you are having a beautiful week. 

Carrot Cake Bites

Ingredients  makes approx 16 bites

10 medjool dates Pitted

1 cup  pecans

1 cup  almonds

1/2 cup shredded carrots

1/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1 1/2 Tablespoon of coconut oil

2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of salt 

Directions

Pour all of the ingredients into a power blender and blend until crumbly. It will require you turning on and off the blender to stir with a rubber scraper to redistribute the mixture. Then when process  of blending is complete, roll the mixture into small balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy

 

Quinoa Energy Bites (gluten free)

This recipe was motivated by eating the "Aussie Bites" at Costco. I thought it would be fun to make them with out as much sugar and butter. I had all the ingredients so it was easy to whip them up. You have the option of eating them raw or baking them. I had them both ways. I enjoyed the baked version the best. The baked version reminded me of a many muffin. They are loaded with nourishing goodness that will add energy to your day.

Ingredients

1 C Old fashioned Oatmeal (gluten free)
1/2 C cooked quinoa
1/4 C sunflower seeds unsalted or pumpkin seeds
1/4 C ground flax seeds
1/4 C chia seeds
1/4 C honey or vegan sweetener
1/2 C dried apricots chopped or dried fruit of your choice
1/4 C raisins
1 tsp vanilla

Directions     makes 12

1. Pour all of the ingredients into a blender or food processor. Blend until the mixture is similar to cookie dough. It all sticks together.
2. Scoop into balls. You can eat them raw.
3. For baking version. Preheat oven to 350.  Bake in heated oven for about 8 min. Take out of oven and let cool.
4. Store leftovers in airtight container in fridge or freezer.

Chocolate Covered Cookie Dough (Low Sugar)

 It is hard to resist a spoonful of cookie dough. This is a great way to enjoy a spoonful with out the guilt. So indulge yourself with a mouthful of yum. The nice thing is they are filling too. A great little snack with protein.  #Gluten Free #Low Sugar

Ingredients

1 C cashews unsalted pieces
2 T coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 T honey or sweetener of your choice
1 C  Bob's Red Mill old fashioned oatmeal (gluten free)
1 C unsweetened shredded coconut *optional
2 T  Bob's Red Mill chia * optional
1/4 C dark chocolate chips chopped up
1/4 C dark chocolate chips
1 T coconut oil

Directions  makes 16

1. Pour into a blender cashews, oil, vanilla and honey. Blend and pulse until creamy.
2. Pour in oatmeal, coconut, chia, and blend and pulse till all combined and cookie dough consistency.
3. Stir in the chocolate chips roll into bite size balls.
4. Place on non stick pan. Place in freezer to harden about 20 min.
5. In the meantime put chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl add oil. Put in microwave about 45 seconds. Long enough to melt the chips. Stir together and let cool.
6. Take the bites out of the freezer and dip into chocolate. Place on non stick pan.
7. Place back in the freezer and and let harden about 20 to 30 min.
8. Take out and indulge yourself. Store left overs in air tight container in the fridge or freezer. Yum!

Pecan Pie Bites (No gluten, Low Sugar)

These are a fun version of pecan pie without all the calories. They only take 3 ingredients to make pecans, honey, and oil. pecans have a natural sweetness of their own so they don't need a lot of sweetener.  They will fill your mouth with a mouthful of yum. A great source of protein too. Read some of the benefits to pecans here. Pecans are loaded with nutritional benefits.

Ingredients

1 C chopped pecans
1 T coconut oil
1/2 T honey or vegan sweetener
1/2 C finely chopped pecans
1/4 C  chopped pecans

Directions     makes 8 bites

1. Put pecans in blender with oil and honey. Blend until smooth. I used the Blendtec twister jar that worked fast. It may require some pulse and stir in another blender until it reaches the right consistency.
2. Stir in the 1/2 C of pecans in a small bowl. Put in fridge until it starts to thicken about 30 to 60 minutes.
3. Take bowl out of fridge and roll into small balls. Roll into chopped nuts. Eat right away or put in fridge to harden. Store in airtight container.

German Chocolate Caramel Bites (Protein)

Before chocolate. They would taste great like this too. 

I love this combination of carmel, coconut, nuts and chocolate. They are loaded with protein and low in sugar you can't beat that.  They are a wonderful healthy little snack when you need one. My family loved these. Healthy enough to eat for breakfast which I did today. :)

Ingredients

1 C full fat coconut milk
3 T honey
2 T coconut oil
1/4 C quinoa ground up * optional (excellent source of protein)
1 C almonds chopped up fine
1 C cashews unsalted chopped up fine
1/2 C dark chocolate chips
1 T coconut oil

Directions  Made 17 bites

1. Pour milk into saucepan on the stove that is on medium heat. Stir in honey and oil. Stir about 4-5 minutes until it starts to thicken.

2. Stir in the quinoa and nuts into the milk mixture. Cook on medium heat until mixture is nice and thick.

3. Scoop (I use a cookie scoop that works fantastic) on to greased surface or parchment paper. Place in the fridge to harden.

4. Melt chips and oil together in a bowl in the microwave. It should take about 1 min or less. Stir and place in fridge for about 10 min to let it cool a little and thicken.

5. Dip the bites into the chocolate and place back in the fridge or freezer to let the chocolate harden.

6. Then store in the fridge of freezer in airtight container for easy and convenient  snacking. Yum!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bites (no added sugar)

These are a fun little snack and they are loaded with protein. No added sugar without sacrificing the flavor. My goal is to cut down on the sugar in recipes whenever possible without sacrificing the flavor. They are great to make ahead and have in the fridge when you are wanting a healthy snack.

Ingredients

1 C dates soaked for at least and hour
2 T coconut oil
1/2 C canned pumpkin
1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 C chopped nuts (I used cashews)
4 T chia *optional great source of protein
1/2 C dark chocolate chips

Directions makes 12

1.Blend in blender, dates, and oil together until smooth.
2. Next add in the pumpkin and blend until smooth.
3. Then add the oatmeal, nuts, chia and chips and blend until all combined and the chips are broken down. It will require pulsing and stopping and stirring during this whole process.
4. Put the mixture in a bowl in the fridge for 20 min. for easier handling.
5. Form into balls and put back in the fridge in airtight container. Enjoy

Fudgey Peanut Butter Bites

This month's Recipe Redux theme is Bars and Bites for Brown Bags. What a fun theme! If you follow our blog, you know that we love all sorts of little bites. We are always making them for snacks and treats and in lieu of cookies. We are so excited to see all the new ideas that our healthy friends come up with this month!

These Fudgey Bites are lovely because they taste like real fudge, yet they don't include processed sugar! They store well in the fridge or freezer, and make a perfect snack. I would recommend freezing them if you are going to pack them for lunch, so then they will be a perfect consistency by lunch--or whenever you choose to have a sweet bite.

Ingredients
1 C natural peanut butter
1/4 C coconut oil
3 T almond milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 T honey
1 1/2 T cocoa

Directions  
1. In a bowl or blender stir or blend all the ingredients together until a nice creamy consistency.
2. Roll into balls and place in fridge or freezer in airtight container to let harden.
3. Enjoy!

Makes 10 bites

An InLinkz Link-up

Healthy Coconut Macaroons (Raw)

It is fun to make a yummy treat out of coconut. They are a little bite size treat thats are fast and easy to make. YUM!

Ingredients

1 C finely chopped almonds
1/2 C unsweetened coconut
1/4 C coconut oil
1 tsp of vanilla or 1/2 tsp almond extract
2 T honey



Directions   Makes 10

1. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl. Put the bowl in the fridge for an hour at least to harden.
2. Take out of the fridge scoop or form into balls and place on non stick surface. Put them back in the fridge to harden.
3. Then take them out and enjoy them. Store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge.

Frozen Banana Quinoa Bites

It has been a long time since I have had a chocolate covered banana. These little bites brought back fun memories of eating them. It is fun how you can eat certain foods and it can take you back to certain memories. These are yummy protein snack to boost your energy.

Ingredients

2 mashed ripe and soft bananas
1 C cooked quinoa
1 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 C ground up cashew powder or cashew butter
1 tsp vanilla
2 1/2 T honey
1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 T coconut oil
1/4 C dark chocolate chips
1 T coconut oil
1/4 C cashews chopped up

Directions  Makes about 10

1. In a medium sized bowl blend together, bananas, quinoa, oatmeal and cashews.
2. Then stir in vanilla, honey, cinnamon, and oil.
3. Put in freezer or fridge for about 20 min to harden up.
4.Take out of fridge or freezer and form into balls.
5. Place back in the freezer to harden about 30 min
6. In the meantime soften the chips and stir in the oil. Place in fridge to thicken a little.
7. Take the bites and the chocolate out of the fridge.
8. Roll the bites in the chocolate and then the nuts.
9. Place on greased cookie sheet or flat pan.
10. Once they are frozen eat and store leftovers in an airtight container in the freezer.

Italian Quinoa Bites (So good!)

I had a great day yesterday. I got a happy letter from my son in Michigan. He is doing great on his mission. I love Mondays when I hear from him. I went on a long walk and it started to pour. It felt refreshing. I was soaked from my head to my toes. It was crazy but so fun at the same time.

This is  one of the recipes I created yesterday for our Quinoa book. We are making the book gluten free too. We are finishing all the recipes up for the end of this month. So I am posting this one. A lot of them we are not posting. I love quinoa because it can be savory or sweet and both are delicious. These are the bomb. These have the great Italian flavors I love without all the calories.I loved them. A great combination of yumminess. So healthy too. Winner! Winner! Great for a snack or meal.

Ingredients

1 C cooked quinoa (I used red)
1 egg beaten
1 1/2 T coconut oil
1/4 C grated Parmesan
1/4 tsp crushed rosemary
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp basil

Directions  makes 8

1. Pour all ingredients into a bowl. Blend and stir until all combined.
2. Place in the fridge for 15- 30 min to let it harden.
3. Take out of fridge heat oven to 350.
4. If you have a small scooper it works best. Scoop into scooper and press it against the bowl to press it all together.
5. Drop on to cookie sheet. Continue until all of the mixture is gone.
6. Place in hot oven. Cook 8-10 min.
7. Take out and eat hot. Sooo Soo good. Enjoy!

Multi-Grain Protein Bites (Raw)

So my little boy  has grown into a man. He has grown out of sitting on my lap, but he has not grown out of my heart. He is serving a mission for The church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I am going to miss him a ton. He will be gone for 2 years. I am very grateful for his example, and the things he has taught me, and will teach me. It was really hard to say goodbye. I am glad that is over. A new chapter of my life begins. This says my feelings well...

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I made these yummy protein bites. They are loaded with yummy things for you. The cool thing is that it only takes one or two to be very satisfied. They are a great snack to have on hand.

Ingredients

2 C old fashioned oatmeal

1/2 C uncooked quinoa well rinsed

1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut

1/2 C unsweetened almond milk

1/4 C chia

4 T honey

3 T coconut oil

3 T peanut butter

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 C chopped up dark chocolate chips

Directions makes 24 balls

1. Pour all of the ingredients into a bowl except the chocolate chips until combined. Then stir in the chocolate chip pieces.
2. Put bowl in the fridge for at least 20 min. To let it harden.
3. Take out of the fridge. Form into balls or use a small cookie scooper.
4. Place on parchment or wax paper on top of a cookie sheet.
5. Put bake into fridge and let harden about 30 min. Eat and enjoy.
6 . Store leftovers in an air tight container in the fridge.

Yummy Chocolate Cashew Protein Bites

So I can never have enough of different versions of these protein bites. They are great to have stored in the fridge when you need a healthy snack. I love that they have a crunch to them and a touch of sweetness. They also are packed with some nice protein in them.  They are filling too. You may want to double the recipe.

Ingredients

1 C cashews
2 T chia seeds
2 T hemp seeds
2 T coconut oil
1 T cocoa
1 T honey (substitute for vegan version)

Directions  makes 5-6 bites

1. Blend up the nuts first in the blender. I left them a little chunky. You can decide your preference.

2. Pour in the remaining ingredients. Pulse until all combined. You may have to stir with a rubber spatula in-between pulses.

3. Pour into a bowl and form into balls. Put in fridge to harden. Enjoy!

4. Store in airtight container in the fridge. Yum!


More protein Bites
Chocolate peanut butter candy bites

Dark Chocolate Cashew Truffles