Blueberry Hemp Snack Bars

I am learning a lot about myself, not to mention how to “deal with” and manage people from running our yogurt store and starting a new business. While managing (mostly) high school kids has proven to be a big challenge, it also brings about growth….and who couldn’t use a little stretching?

Thank goodness for the weekend though! It’s been a week of emotional ups and downs at work and I am ready a rest day to recharge.

Experimenting in the kitchen, particularly with baking, is a stress relief for me so you know where I was headed after a long week! These blueberry bars are made with oat flour, along with a bit of protein powder, juicy blueberries and earthy hemp seeds. While I planned on making buckwheat bars, I’ve been eating buckwheat like crazy and ran out so oat flour was next in line

These bars are a great snack, breakfast or a light dessert. Feel free to substitute the blueberries for your favorite berry or fruit. If hemp seeds aren’t your thing, add in chopped nuts, seeds or even chocolate chips!

Blueberry Hemp Snack Bars

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup oat flour (I grind my own using gluten free oats – buckwheat would probably work)
2 scoops of vanilla protein powder (about 65 grams)
2 Tbsp flaxseed meal
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup coconut palm sugar or date sugar (or other granulated sweetener)
1/8 tsp sea salt
2 eggs, whisked
2/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tbsp hemp seeds (if you don’t like the earthy taste of hemp, feel free to substutite 1/3  cup your favorite seeds or chopped nuts)
3/4 cup blueberries (frozen or fresh- blackberries, cherries, raspberries or a combo can be substituted)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 8×8 pan or large loaf pan with parchment paper (or grease well). Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together all the dry ingredients (flour through salt).
3. Stir in the eggs and applesauce just until combined them fold in the hemp seeds and berries.
4. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 14-16 minutes or until just firm on top and a toothpick comes clean.

*Due to the protein powder, be careful not to over bake or it will cause the bars to be dry! Depending on the size pan used, you may have to adjust the baking time. Mine were done right at 15 minutes in my little toaster oven.

Here’s to a restful rest of the weekend and a fresh start to the week!

Triple Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

Pomegranates were one of my favorite fruit discoveries as a teen. I remember the excitement of carefully peeling the pomegranate “skin” back to reveal the bright and crunchy red arils that would burst in my mouth. I still love pomegranates to this day, but I find the peeling part a bit more tedious when I am on the go.

So when I saw already peeled and ready-to-eat arils at Costco for a decent price, I happily added the package to my cart with a big smile on my face. I’ve added these little jewels to my yogurt, oatmeal and smoothies along with just munching on them as a snack…mmmmm!

This creamy smoothie is one of my new favorite ways to enjoy pomegranate – it’s thick and creamy and full of antioxidants. I’d say that’s pretty decent way to start my day!

Side note: Come to think of it, I should make time to peel a pomegranate; maybe it would be therapeutic and a stress reliever…well, that’s if I am not starving, right?

Triple Berry Pomegranate Smoothie

1 cup fresh or frozen mixed berries (I used the combo of blueberries, strawberries and raspberries)
1/4 to 1/3 cup pomegranate arils (or you could sub pomegranate juice if desired)
1 to 2 scoops plain or vanilla protein powder (I used brown rice, optional)
1/2 ripe avocado
1-2 Tbsp chia seed, Mila or flax seed, optional for added nutrition
1 1/2 cup nondairy milk (almond, coconut, rice, soy or hemp)
ice cubes, if desired (I didn’t use this since I used frozen berries)

Directions

1. Add all ingredients into a blender (I used a high powered Health Master) and blend until smooth. Pour into glass(es) and enjoy!

Serves two (cut recipe in half if single serving is needed)

Note: I used a high powered blender in this recipe as opposed to my Magic Bullet to help blend/crush the seeds of the berries and pomegranate

Tropical Berry Energy Bites

One thing that I have been lacking lately is energy. While a lack of sleep and stress is part of my problem, another issue is eating out for too many meals and snacks. Eating out usually isn’t an issue for me since I prefer cooking my own meals, but our recent schedules haven’t allowed much time for me to be in the kitchen

So in attempt to combat my urge to grab something quick from a grocery store or restaurant, I made these little bites for an easy and quick snack for the times I am running around at work. I keep them in our walk-in at the yogurt store and they are ready to eat at a moment’s notice when a hunger pang comes along. The combination of healthy fats from the coconut butter, the staying power from the protein powder and the quick energy from the fruits help hold me over until my next meal

While very delicious in this first attempt, I plan to increase the amount of berries next time for flavor and color. I’d like to try these with different fruits as well and nut butters for a little variety. I also learned to keep all ingredients (except the melted coconut butter) at room temperature for a more uniform consistency…the cold berries I used in this batch hardened the coconut butter more quickly than expected but it doesn’t affect the flavor!

Tropical Berry Energy Bites (inspired by my Chocolate Covered Cherry Bars and Carob Covered Coconut Protein Bars)

Ingredients

2/3 cup coconut butter, melted
1 large banana (I used a nearly-ripe banana but a well-ripened one would increase the sweetness and the banana flavor)*
1/3 cup fresh, chopped strawberries (cherries or mango would be also be yummy)
2 scoops of unsweetened plain or vanilla protein powder (could probably omit if needed)
pinch of sea salt
pinch of pure stevia powder OR 2 Tbsp honey or agave (optional for sweeter fudge)
1/4 tsp coconut extract and/or 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. In the bowl of a food processor, add the banana and strawberries and blend until combined. Add remaining ingredients and pulse or blend until well combined.
2. Divide mixture into a mini muffin silicone mold/pan (or you could use a parchment lined loaf pan) and freeze until hardened. Pop out the individual bites and enjoy!

Makes about one dozen mini muffin-size bites

*If bananas aren’t your thing, you can substitute 1/4 cup of nut butter in it’s place –  cashew butter or macadamia nut butter would pair well in this tropical theme! Or simply increase the amount of coconut butter to 1 cup.

Recipe Notes: I used cold, refrigerated strawberries which caused the coconut butter to immediately freeze and clump. For a more uniform look, use room temperature berries and banana. Next time I will also increase the amount of strawberries to get more of a berry flavor

Instant Chocolate Blueberry Cake for One

Yesterday, I wanted cake and I wanted it right then and there. No waiting around for it to bake, my patience wouldn’t hold out for that. To satisfy my dessert craving without going overboard on portion size, I whipped up a single-serving and instant chocolate cake studded with juicy blueberries and topped with a quick protein yogurt glaze.

Bye bye cravings, you’ve just been satisfied. A bonus – it only took me 6 minutes from start to finish.
This cake is moist, high in fiber and protein and guilt-free. Now that’s the kind of cake I could eat everyday…plus my waist line would thank me

Instant Chocolate Blueberry Cake for One

Ingredients

For cake
2 Tbsp oat flour
1 Tbsp chia seed
1 Tbsp flaxseed meal (ground flaxseeds, I grind my own)
2 tsp raw cacao powder or cocoa powder
1-2 tsp coconut palm sugar or granulated sweetener to taste or pinch of pure stevia extract
small pinch of sea salt
dash of ground cinnamon, optional
1/4 tsp baking powder
10-12 blueberries (cherries or raspberries would probably work well here too)
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 egg white, beaten
2 Tbsp non-dairy milk (I used unsweetened vanilla almond milk)
2 Tbsp unsweetened applesauce

For protein glaze topping 
2 Tbsp plain yogurt
1 Tbsp vanilla whey protein powder

For garnish
chocolate shavings, chocolate chips or cacao nibs
additional blueberries

Directions

For cake
1. Grease a ramekin with coconut oil/butter/ghee and set aside.
2. In a small bowl, mix all dry ingredients (flours through baking powder). Add in remaining ingredients and stir just until moistened.
3. Spread evenly into prepared ramekin and microwave for 1 minute and 20 seconds (may need more or less time depending on microwave, always start with less and add time if needed. Let sit for 3-4 minutes while preparing glaze, then remove from ramekin or serve directly from dish.

For protein glaze
1. In a small dish, combine yogurt and protein powder and stir. Let sit for one minute and stir again until smooth (the lumps should even out after sitting). Spoon over cake and garnish with extra berries and cacao nibs/chocolate chips and serve!

*You could probably bake this at 350 F for about 25 minutes or so until cooked through but I haven’t tried this. If you do, please let me know how it turns out!