Dreamy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Happy Monday - I'm so happy to see you today one hour earlier than usual this morning - did you remember to spring your clock forward yesterday?!

This weekend's weather was absolutely to die for. The days were warm and sunny and utterly fabulous. Did you have the itch to get outdoors and get some fresh glorious air into those lungs of yours??

Clearly Spring  really is right around the corner and I think that calls for some serious celebration!!

I was going to tickle your tastes buds with a healthy entree today, but yesterday I was having a little fun in the kitchen and I've decided that this is the perfect day for an easy peasy treat. Why should we wait for Fridays or weekends for a little indulgence? Mondays are totally treat-worthy too!

Dreamy Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls
Makes 14 balls

These delicious little balls are a fabulous treat when you're craving something sweet. They taste like the inside guts of a peanut butter cup, with just a hint of dark chocolate. Store them in the freezer and take one out at a time for portion control because if they're sitting in your fridge and totally accessible, you WILL NOT be able to keep your fingers outta them!

2/3 c Dark Chocolate Dreams peanut butter
1/2 c smooth peanut butter
3 tbsp Earth Balance (or butter), softened
1/2 c icing sugar
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 graham cracker crumbs

In a large bowl, cream together your peanut butters and Earth Balance.

Add in the icing sugar and then the graham cracker crumbs and mix well.

Shape into 14 1" round balls and refrigerate for 2 hours.

They are ready to serve. How easy is that?!

Clearly anything that starts with this is going to be fabulous, wouldn't you agree?!

Just dig in and get your hands dirty :)

These are set out on mini cookie sheet that's about 1/3 the size of a normal-sized pan.

Please excuse the turd like appearance of these little morsels. I assure you they taste waa-aayyyy better than they look :-D

Three for you.....

...and eleven, er one for me. 

100% PURE BLISS.

Note  - freeze.the.balls.so.you.don't.eat.them.all.in.one.sitting. --- just suggestin'.

Are there any little treats you like to keep around for a sweets craving that you just can't seem to kick?

Did you do anything fabulous this weekend?

Have a great day,

Andrea
xoxo

Home Alone ~ My Supplies

So Derek has been gone since 7:30 a.m. and he's all set up at the Michigan International Speedway lounging in a lawn chair and sippin' a cold one, or two :-)

Me, I'm finally home from the longest work week EVER and I'm getting myself ready for a lazy and relaxing weekend. On my way home I stopped for some essential supplies:

Veggie Pizza (see, I wasn't joking about this in my last WIAW post!)

Red Wine

This is a new Merlot from Niagara, Canada and it is FANTASTIC.

Dark Chocolate - obviously!

Fresh, local strawberries - to curb my sweet tooth after I polish off that chocolate.... or maybe I could melt the chocolate and dip my berries in it...hmmmmm......

Season 1 of Dexter - I've had so many friends tell me I will love this series. Erin also mentioned she was lovin' it on her blog recently and it's been on my mind ever since, so I decided to break down and rent it. I found it at our local library, so it was a FREE rental! Yeah baby!

Don't judge if I watch the entire season by Sunday night :-D

Stuffed Frozen Kongs - a definite necessity to keep the doggies stimulated when you plan to watch 10 hours of the tube over the weekend! These ones are stuffed with sweet potato mashed with just a wee bit of cream cheese and finely diced chicken weiner.

...oh, and I can't forget about the kale :-D ....wha??? You'll just have to check back to see what I have planned for it! I have a couple of yummy and healthy recipes on the brain.

What is your all-time favourite TV series? Hands down, mine is Sex & the City!

What are your essential must-haves when you are enjoying a quiet night to yourself?

Have a fabulous weekend,

Andrea

What I Ate Wednesday - Memorial Day Weekend Edition

Hi y'all!! Sorry I've been away so long! I swear I had great intentions to blog while I was away visiting my fam, but it just didn't happen. My parents' house was buzzing with activity all weekend long ~ by the time I jumped on the trampoline and rode scooters with the kiddos, I was just too whipped to even think about putting together a sentence!

Today, is not one day in the life of my eats, but it's an ode to my fave eats while I was away...ok, maybe it's the food I actually remembered to snap before eating ~ I missed the veggie plate from Cracker Barrel, overnight oats, homemade guac, warm potato salad and veggie skewers........Luckily, I have an open invite so I'll have many more trips to share with you in the future :-). Food is something my family does very, very well.

Both of my flights were at night, so I brought along a supply of dark chocolate to munch on and to give me a boost to make it to my destination. This is seriously one of the best dark chocolates in my opinion. I was very grateful for this when my flight got delayed until 11:10 p.m. 

My other fave travel munchie was tuscan three cheese baked Pretzel Crisps. I bought them in Nashville yesterday and I've almost demolished an entire bag! They are addictive.

Of course, I also had to treat myself to a Starbucks Skinny Vanilla Latte. What can I say, it's expensive, but it's tradition.

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We had two barbecued dinners, but only one that was captured on film. On Sunday night, we had steamed asparagus, roasted baby potatoes, tossed salad with Paul Newman's Honey Mustard dressing (another yummy first!) and while everyone chowed down on steak, I had an amazing teriyaki portabella mushroom grilled with garlic and gruyere cheese. It was huge. It was delish!

We had two amazing and noteworthy desserts. The first was a Butterfinger Pie.

 Sinful. Delicious. Ate So Much I Almost Puked.

The other dessert was a birthday treat for my neice, Bre. Initially she and I were going to make dirt & worms cupcakes, but everyone got in on the action and it became a "see who can squash the most candy into their cupcake" kind of party!! The adults and kiddos all seemed to enjoy this and the cupcakes were mighty tasty!

Before I wrap it up, I have to tell you about one final treat we had on Sunday when the weather was hot, hot, HOT!!  The kids were playing in the ginormous water blow up slide my dad bought them while the adults sat in the shade eating limeade popsicles. We had the Minute Maid pops and I am determined to develop a recipe for a homemade version this summer ~ stay tuned!

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So there you have it. Not the most healthy What I Ate Wednesday, but I certainly enjoyed every single bite of everything I ate.

 If you're looking for healthy, wholesome meal ideas, pop on over to Jenn's site to get some inspiration.

What is your favourite frozen summer treat?

Have a happy Wednesday,

Andrea

What I Ate Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!! Oh yeah kids, it's that time again already; Time for What I Ate Wednesday! Isn't nice to have a holiday Monday to help the rest of the work week fly by?!






I've found myself craving lots of fruits and veggies the past few days now that the temperatures have gotten a little warmer and the sun has started to show it's gorgeous face. Today, is all about good eats to satisfy my cravings and keep me fueled  from morning to night. It's also about being a conscious eater so I can drop these 10 pesky pounds I seem to have inherited!

Early mornings + Circuit Workout at 6:15 a.m. = Breakie on the Go. This morning I took a green smoothie to go in my all-time fave travel cup. This smoothie had frozen banana, frozen strawberries, baby spinach, water and Vega Vanilla Almondilla smoothie powder. It was really good!!

By the time I finished my workout and got to work, the growly hunger monster was starting to rear its ugly head, so I whipped myself up a banana with all natural peanut butter for a snack. I have been LOVING this snack lately!! Sometimes I get strange looks from my co-workers as I cut up my banana and smear it full of PB ~ I just smile and take a great big bite because I know they're all just wishing I'd make them a snack too :-)

Yes, I might have had a couple of nibbles before snapping this pic :-)

For lunch I had two lefover eggplant parmesan medallions (check back tomorrow for eggplant parm recipe)!Usually this goes with pasta, but I didn't want to overload myself on carbs and have a sleepy afternoon. Instead I served the eggplant parms on wilted spinach and marinara sauce. Delicious and satisfying! I also had a V8 Juice on the rocks :-)

I sipped on water all day and during the afternoon lull I had a divine piece of dark chocolate to perk me up. Ok, ok maybe I had 2 pieces ;-)

What is with that cup?! It just keeps popping up everywhere!!

I've been super busy at night trying to get the house in order, our yard looking half-way presentable and myself packed for my weekend away with the fam. I've been opting for quickie meals and tonight was about as quick as you can get. I had a 6" Veggie Delite Sub on whole wheat bread from Subway. I load my veggie subs with swiss cheese, lettuce, tomato, cukes, green peppers, lots & lots of olives and honey mustard; d-e-l-i-c-i-o-u-s!! I actually bought a footlong, so the other half will be my lunch for tomorrow. I can't wait!

This pic doesn't thrill me. The sub was much more fabulous than it looks here!

So there you have it. Another week, another post with lots of great and easy eats.

Check out Jenn's site at Peas & Crayons to see many other amazing meal ideas by some of the most amazing food bloggies on the Net.

As usual, I want to hear about your fave meal over the past week. You readers inspire me as much as my bloggie friends!

Have a happy day,

Andrea

What I Ate Wednesday

I've been totally loving Wednesdays lately! I love sharing my good eats, but I really love seeing and reading about what everyone else eats as well! Sometimes it is so easy to fall into the rut of having the same meals week after week and I'm constantly finding inspiration from my friends for new and exciting meals. Hopefully you'll get some inspiration from me to  make easy and healthy meals as well!

I've been having some awesome eats lately. Check it out.






Of course, being the creature of habit that I am, I start my day off drinking a warm glass of lemon water with a dash of cayenne pepper.

On mornings when I go to the gym before work, I've been laying off the green smoothies because that requires the blender, which creates a whole lotta doggie chaos at 5:30 a.m. My dogs love the kitchen and are always lurking around hoping that I'll drop something. If they hear the blender come on, they both come running. The problem is, they are in our bedroom and Derek doesn't exactly appreciate being woken up jumped on by 2 rottweilers at that time in the morning :-)

So, instead of a green smoothie, I make myself and quick and easy breakfast of strawberry-flavoured greek yogourt with some chocolate coconut granola. Soooo delicious!

For my mid-morning snack, I've been sticking to fresh fruit. Pears have been my fruit of choice lately.

So sweet, so juicy....I CANNOT wait until we start getting some fresh, local fruit!

For lunch, I had some of the super-filling energy boosting protein salad I made on Sunday. I still am totally loving this salad ~ it's awesome because it keeps me satisfied until dinnertime.

For dinner, it was a honey veggie stirfry with a piece of panfried teriyaki tofu.

This was soooo good!! I used to think I always needed to have some sort of grain (rice, pasta, etc.) with stirfry, but this was delicious and satisfying all on its own!

I was late eating dinner because I went to a 6 p.m. spin class right after work, so I didn't even have a snack before bed!

Have I made you jealous?? I had some seriously good and healthy eats lately!! Believe me, if I could, I would come and cook for each and every one of you :-) At the very least, I hope I've motivated you with some healthy meal ideas. Check out Jenn's WIAW page for even more motivation!

What was your fave meal of the day??

Happy Hump Day!

Andrea

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones

I've been dreaming about dark chocolate raspberry muffins all week. Sadly, when I went to the grocery store to pick up my supplies, the raspberries were in a very poor condition, so I ended up with these.

You can't really tell from that picture, but these strawberries were HUGE! See... 

And I was happy to discover that they were super sweet & juicy ~ much better than I expected!

Oh, I also picked up some of this....

Strawberries and dark chocolate. There really aren't many other combinations that can compete.

Once I got home, I started searching for muffin recipes, but surprisingly there weren't very many that looked very good. So I turned to my new cookbook, "eat, drink & be vegan" by Dreena Burton. I found a raspberry chocolate chip scone recipe that inspired me. So I set to work making some dark chocolate strawberry scones. Derek was working last night, so I had nothing better to do. The challenge is to not eat all of them before he gets home! Being home alone can get me into trouble because no one knows whether or not I've stuck to my diet (with the exception of Dora & Hank of course...& they'll never tell ;-)

Dark Chocolate Strawberry Scones

Inspired by eat, drink & be vegan

These scones would make a really nice side to a brunch with family and friends. The chunky strawberry and dark chocolate is an awesome combination. The scones aren't very sweet, which is the way I like it, but if you like your scones sweeter, you might want to adjust your sweeteners. 

PS - they're vegan too! 

2 c spelt flour (I'm not sure, but whole wheat flour might also work)

1/4 c agave nectar (white sugar or honey would be ok)

1/2 tsp sea salt

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 coconut oil, melted (canola oil would work)

1/4 c dark chocolate chunks

1/4 c + 3 tbsp almond milk (any milk would do)

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

2/3 c chopped strawberries

1 - 2 tsp spelt flour - for dusting counter

1 tsp almond milk

Pre-heat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl combine your flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt. Add in your oil and mix well - flour will be crumbly. Stir in chocolate.

In a separate small bowl, whisk together the milk and vanilla. Add your wet ingredients to the dry and add the strawberries. The dough is going to be wet, heavy & sticky. You might have to use your hands. Place dough on a floured surface and shape into a circle that is about 7" in diameter and 3/4" thick.

 Cut the circle into 6 equal wedges.

I admit that I am not the most accurate or neat cutter. I blame it on the chocolate chunks - they got in the way of a neat line!! Luckily cutting accuracy did not affect the taste.

Place the wedges on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. The recipe suggested that the tops be brushed with soy milk. I brushed mine with almond milk although I'm not really sure that made any difference in the way that the scones look once baked.

These look really ugly! I swear they weren't so bad looking in real life :-)

Bake for 14 - 16 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through. Remove them from the oven and  cool on a cooling rack.

Serve warm with your favourite cup of tea.

I enjoyed mine with Earth Balance, but they would be really delicious with fresh cream and strawberry jam!

Scrumptiuos!

These are fantastic, but I am still set on making some raspberry muffins. I promise that you will have a recipe from me as soon as our raspberry supply is replenished with some healthier looking berries.

Wishing you another fab weekend!

Andrea

I'm Gonna Have to Face It...I'm Addicted to Cashew Butter

I don't know what it is about me & cashew butter, but I am addicted to the stuff. I find myself standing in the pantry dipping animal crackers into the jar and if I can't find any dippables, then I will even resort to my finger --- gross & I probably shouldn't admit it in writing, but sadly it is true <sigh>  I told you, I have issues :-)

One of my all-time favourite snacks used to be banana slathered in Skippy peanut butter and chocolate. What a classic and fail-proof combination!

My cashew butter obsession has now spilled over into this snack, although I have tried to convert it into something a little bit healthier (I saw this on a blog quite a long time ago and I can't remember where exactly, so I can't take full credit for this cute little treat).

Banana with Cashew Butter & Carob Chips
1 large banana, sliced lengthwise
2 tbsp of natural cashew butter
10 - 12 carob chips (or milk chocolate chips taste phenomenal as well)

Spread the cashew butter onto each banana half & then sprinkle with carob or chocolate chips....and enjoy!

Sooooooooo Good!!!

This is often a snack that I will make when we are cleaning the house - I cut into bite size chunks and we grab a bite everytime we pass through the kitchen. It just brings us a little joy during not so joyous chores such as dusting :-(

A banana smothered in Chocolate Cashew Butter Dip would also be divine!!

Wishing you some happy snacking and a very goodnight!

Andrea

Veggie Plate with Hummus and Chocolate Cashew Dip

What a great long weekend it has been with my mom! We have been to the movies, visited with family, gone out for dinner and brunch, driven all over Southwestern Ontario searching for a book that I have been wanting to buy and eating.....lots and lots of eating CARBS!!!

We have had banana cake, sweet potato cornbread, ravioli, gnocchi, spaghetti, toast and the list goes on and on. Today, I decided we needed to amp up our veggie and fruit intake and add some healthy dips to go along side for a healthy lunch.

I had some organic carrots, pears, kiwis and apples that I need to use up, as well as some leftover green onions from Saturday night's dinner. I also added some vegetable crackers that I needed to use up.

Doesn't that look refreshing?? I have been craving something green for days!

It won't take you long to figure out that I am a total sucker for dips. In fact, I can eat an entire bowl of dip in one sitting, so it's best if I have some healthy choices that I can whip up quickly and easily rather than digging into store bought dips that are full of fat and empty calories.

Hummus
Adapted from Oh She Glows

1 19 oz can organic chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 tsp spicy Herbamare (sea salt)
3 cloves of garlic
juice from 2 fresh organic lemons (approx 5 tbsp)
3 - 4 tbsp of water
1 tsp Frank's red hot
1/2 c tahini
1 tbsp olive oil

Put all of the ingredients into a food processor and process until smooth. Unfortunately my food processor bit the dust today, so I had to blend this in batches in my very old blender :-( 

Right before serving, drizzle with an additional tbsp of olive oil and sprinkle with paprika.

This hummus is fantastic~it tastes great with fresh veggies, on crackers, in veggie wraps or on whole grain toast.

I also wanted to have something sweet, so that I could dip my fruit. I have been having a love affair with cashew butter lately and I only had a wee bit left in my jar....what better combo than to mix my favourite nut butter with a chunk of chocolate? The only question more pressing is why has it taken me so long to try this combination??

Chocolate Cashew Butter Dip
2 - 3 tbsp of all natural cashew butter
1 square of dark chocolate

Place in microwaveable dish and heat in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir after each 30 seconds.

Absolutely decadent!

I really loved this dip with the apples. I think it would also be divine with animal crackers.

This was such a great lunch - it was satisfying and healthy and provided us with lots of fruits and vegetables that our bodies were so badly craving.

My mom really loved the hummus (I did too), but I really loved my chocolate cashew butter dip. Thank goodness I only had enough to make a small little bowl because I finished every last bit!

Wishing you a wonderful Monday evening and lovely end to your long holiday weekend (if you were lucky like me to have one).

Andrea

PS - If you're craving something a little sweeter and more decadent, check out my girl, Kris's, contest at i heart wellness. Enter to win 6 of her bakery's decadent Chocolate Chip "Chips Enjoy" Cookie Sandwiches - they are vegan and gluten free!! Click the link above to enter. I'd wish you all good luck, but you're going to have to beat me to get these tasty treats!!