Health & Fitness

BEYOND JUICE RAW NUGGETS

These are a marvel!

And a marvel inspired by one of my favorites spots in Michigan. There are a few locations of Beyond Juice, two right down the street from where we live and I go there all the time! I first went for their fresh juices and amazing smoothies. Then I tried their awesome food, which inspired this awesome recipe.

Let’s be honest, we are human! Sometimes we need a little something sweet. And I will never buy those things at the store that scream “vegan” or “sugar free” or anything else that is just a euphemism for “fake” and “unknown products” or other things that I can’t even pronounce. And please follow my lead there. Just because something is vegan doesn’t mean that it is healthy!! There is still the same amount of sugar usually, and other products that are fake and unknown just to make the recipe edible.

All you need is a food processor to make these, so clean up time is super quick! As the ingredients are processed together, don’t worry that it doesn’t look like it will congeal. It shouldn’t look like cookie dough or any other normal cookie “dough” that you are used to. It should still look a little crumbly, because as you form the balls in your hands, the moisture of the ingredients will help form the nuggets.

Now, if you do start to form the nuggets in your hands, and the ingredients crumble apart, no matter how tightly you mold them, add a little more agave! All you’ll need is another pinch or two. You don’t want the combination to be too moist because then they’ll be super sticky! And if you have the other problem? Too wet? Add some more oats and raw cashews. Or… if you’re of the mind… add some protein powder! It’s a great way to boost the nutrients of these already awesome nuggets.

BEYOND JUICE RAW NUGGETS

// makes 12-15 small nuggets//

15 medium medjool dates, pitted

1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews

1-2 tablespoons of shredded coconut

1/2 cup gluten free rolled oats

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon of dairy free chocolate chips, *plus more for garnish

pinch of salt

1 tablespoon almond butter

Make sure all of the medjools are pitted before proceeding! Otherwise someone will bite into one of these nuggets and get an unpleasant surprise :-O

Once you’ve checked that box, put all of the ingredients in a food process, and pulse for 15 seconds at a time until you have reached desired consistency. Like I said above, it won’t be a totally smooth “dough” like you are used to. It will be almost completely processed but appear a little crumbly.

Using your hands, take about 1-2 tablespoons of the mixture into your hands and pat together and mold in your palms to form a ball. If you want to make them the same way that the juice bar does, lightly push the molded ball onto a piece of parchment and use your finger to form a dent in the top of the nugget. Then fill the dent with your dairy free chocolate chips!

SKINNY BANANA BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

Pancakes don’t have to be unhealthy!

Pancakes get a bad rep for being a glutenous brunch cheat meal. I mean, the word ‘cake’ is in the name! But what you get at iHop and at your favorite breakfast spot doesn’t have to be the only time you get to eat pancakes during the week! I truly believe that you can make anything healthy, and this recipe proves it.

The biggest issue with most pancake plates is not only the maple syrup that people use (in buckets) to garnish them, but also the amount of sugar! Restaurants use sugar to make the pancakes taste good and even sometimes they whip heavy cream to make the pancakes light and fluffy! I mean… totally unnecessary.

My recipe uses natural sweets like bananas, and instead of cream or anything super heavy I use a healthy and low-in-sugar yogurt that (BOOM) is also high in protein. Gluten-conscious? I use gluten free oats and oat flour. So when you look at the contents, it’s basically a bowl of oatmeal. No, really. It’s super close!

This recipe gives you healthy carbs in the fruit and oat flours, which will give you a great source of energy to get you through the morning. Since it has a bit more protein? It’ll keep you full throughout that morning too! Want to give it a little extra boost? Add a scoop of your favorite protein powder to make it a great post-workout breakfast.

So, yes, you can have your pancake and eat it too. And it won’t ruin your diet for the week, and it won’t leave you craving more sweet and unhealthy foods throughout the day.

Just make me a promise? That you won’t douse these in maple syrup??

SKINNY BANANA BLUEBERRY PANCAKES

// serves 2 people //

1 banana

2 egg whites

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 cup siggi’s vanilla yogurt

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup oat flour

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 cup blueberries

Mash the banana and whisk in the egg whites, vanilla extract. Add in the yogurt until completely combined

Mix together all of the dry ingredients and then add in the banana mixture. Once almost combined, mix in the blueberries.

These make about 5-6 pancakes that are medium – large in size. You’ll know when they are done cooking on one side by the bubbles on the side

PUMPKIN SPICE PANTRY COOKIES

I name these ‘pantry’ cookies because I determined their ingredients by what I had left in my pantry 🙂 resourceful and delicious!

These are derived from my love for peanut butter, pumpkin spice, fall, and well… cookies, duh! Disclaimer: these are not “healthy healthy”. Meaning they are vegan, etc. but they still have a solid amount of sugar. So, maintain self control when they come out of the oven. Just a little.

The only peanut butter product that I use in my baking is Nuts ‘N More, because of their high protein, low sugar and fat. I know, it’s not natural, etc. but if you knew how much peanut butter I eat and cook with, well then it’s worth it! I’m not kidding. I think I lost one or two pounds just by switching out peanut butter products. Hmmm, is that too much pb?

You can mix up the goodies in these as you please! If you don’t care for vegan chocolate or carob or cacao, you can mix in other types of chocolate. Same with the dried fruit. Don’t care for dates? Maybe try raisins!

PUMPKIN SPICE PANTRY COOKIES

// makes 18 – 20 medium cookies//

1 cup sugar

1 cup Nuts N More Pumpkin Spice Peanut Butter

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/3 cup oat flour

1/3 c rolled oats

1 1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 cup unsweetened almond milk

1/2 cup vegan chocolate chunks

1/4 cup sliced almonds

1/4 cup pitted and chopped medjool dates (about 3)

Preheat the oven to 350º and prepare two baking sheets. Either with parchment paper or baking spray.

Cream together the peanut butter and the sugar in a stand mixer until well combined. Add in the vanilla extract while it’s mixing. In a medium bowl combine the dry ingredients and whisk together.

Fold the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture until completely combined. Wet your hands to spoon about 20 balls of dough. Bake for about 10 minutes, or until they turn a light golden brown on top.

*They do not fall like normal cookies, so don’t bak too far. The longer they bake the harder they get because of their sugar-consistency. They may feel soft, but as they cool they will continue to cook and harden.