Foodie Friday: Creamy Coconut Cashew Butter

My name is Brittany and I’m a nut butter addict.

And I have no shame. I’m never without a variety of nut butters in the house, but since getting my Vitamix, they’ve only gotten better. Polish off a jar? No problem, let’s just make something else! The best part of making your own nut butter is scraping the bottom of the blender. Am I right?! 😉

Of course I didn’t bring it back to the computer with me.. like I said, no shame.

A couple months ago I found Coconut Cashews from Trader Joe’s. I figure if I can make nut butter with raw or roasted nuts, why not try this?

Go buy these now!

The result was an extremely flavorful, creamy, wonderful nut butter that I loved. What I didn’t love, however, was the added ingredients. Of course that meant the minute I ran out, I had to make my own without the extras. It’s so easy, it’s silly.

Creamy Coconut Cashew Butter

Make twelve 2 tbsp servings

Ingredients
– 2 cups cashews; roasted
– 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
– 1 tsp salt

Directions
Place all ingredients in a high-power blender or food processor and blend away! You may need to stop and scrape the sides a few times, but give it a couple minutes to get creamy.

I didn’t need to add any additional oil because of the natural oils in the cashews and coconut. I store my fresh nut butters in the fridge and they last months. I also recommend that you leave it out at room temp for a few minutes before spreading, scooping, etc to soften up a bit.

Nutritional Information
Per 2 tbsp serving

157 Calories  /  14g Fat  /  7g Carbs  /  1g Sugar  /  2g Fiber  /  4g Protein

Don’t want to stop there? Use this coconut cashew butter in my Minty Irish Powerballs for a St. Patty’s Day-approved treat 😉

Food for Thought

What is your favorite kind of nut [or seed] butter?
Are you making anything green for St. Patricks Day?

Foodie Friday: Dark Chocolate Dreamy Powerballs [Giveaway!]

Last week I got a really fun package in the mail. If you know me, you know how deep my love runs for peanut butter. Swirl it with dark chocolate and now we’re really talkin!

By the spoonful!

One of my favorite things about all of PB&Co.’s peanut butter is the short list of ingredients.

Not only was I lucky enough to get a copy of this cookbook and a huge jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams, but they’re also offering a copy of the cookbook and a 28 oz. jar to one of you lucky ducks! Wanna get in on it? Click here to enter!You’ll definitely need a jar to make my new powerballs!

Dark Chocolate Dreamy Powerballs

Makes 21 bites
Based off of the original Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Ingredients
– 1/4 cup Dark Chocolate Dreams
– 1 tbsp coconut oil*
– 1/3 cup rolled oats
– 1/4 cup Perfect Fit Protein
– 1 tbsp ground flax*
– 1 tbsp chia seed*
– 1 tbsp hemp seed*
– 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

*These ingredients can be found on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Directions
Scoop peanut butter and coconut oil into a medium bowl and microwave for 20 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well until combined.

Refrigerate the mix for 10-15 minutes until it hardens up a bit. This will make it easier to roll the balls. After refrigerating, measure out 1/2 tbsp per ball and roll to shape. Store in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer and try not to eat them all in one sitting 😉

Nutritional Information
Per 1/2 tbsp ball

45 Calories  /  3g Fat  /  3g Carbs  /  1g Fiber  /  1g Sugar  /  2g Protein

Don’t forget to enter the giveaway!But don’t worry, if you don’t win, you can still get your own copy and jar here.

Food for Thought

What would you do with a jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams?

Disclaimer: As part of Peanut Butter & Co.’s Yum Squad food blog group, I received the cookbook and a jar of Dark Chocolate Dreams in return for a blog post promoting the products. All opinions expressed are my own.

What I Ate Wednesday #55: Recovering

After the weekend that I had, I definitely needed to take a little time to get my food back on track this week. My body has appreciated the clean eats thus far for sure!

Breakfast

It’s been a long while but I’ve gone back to the protein pancake the past few days. It’s nice to change it up a little sometimes. I’ve been topping it with a mixture of 2 tbsp peanut flour, 1 tbsp chia seed, and a little stevia. I certainly can’t go a day without some sort of peanut butter!

*You can find Protein Plus peanut flour, chia seed, and stevia on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Lunch

Kale salads all the way! Topped with tons of veggies, the lemon basil tofu that I prepped on Sunday, and dijon hummus dressing. I just mix about 1 tbsp hummus with 1 tbsp dijon and 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar. I never actually measure, but it looks like that’s what the ratio is 😉

Dinner

BRUSSELS! My favorite! Especially roasted on the bottom rack. They get so perfectly golden brown.

I threw the brussels on top of the spaghetti squash and jalapeno sweet potato turkey chili, both prepped on Sunday. I’m telling you, all that cooking on Sunday has made this week a breeze!

Food for Thought

Do you do Sunday food prep?

What is your favorite vegetable to roast?

Pin It Party

It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Pinterest. I mean, really, I must have said it about 100 times on here! When I saw that Lindsay was having a Pin It Party, I knew I had to jump in.. although choosing just 5 recipes was not easy. I definitely play favorites!

Savory

Buddha’s Feast with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce*

Grilled Chicken Cemitas & Garlic-Chipotle Love

Chipotle Lime Sweet Potato Tofu Burgers

Sweet

Maple Cinnamon Walnut Butter

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bark

Can I throw another one in? I shouldn’t but I can’t help myself..

Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Don’t forget to check out all of Lindsay’s awesome posts to pin! What are you waiting for? Start pinning!!

Food for Thought

What is your most favorite recipe you’ve pinned?

What I Ate Wednesday #39: A Weekend of Good

I’ve been loving having the past few weekends free of wedding planning. It has definitely been nice to take my good old time with everything and not have to make it to 100 appointments; plus I actually get to spend time with Nathan! We’ve been taking this time to take advantage of some of our favorite restaurants around town too which is one of my favorite things to do with him. Highlights to follow..

[Friday Night]
Thai Arroy. If you like Thai food, this is the place to be. Their food is authentic and always delicious. It’s also not too expensive [$11 for a chicken hot pot with leftovers!] and to top it off, it’s BYOB. You can’t go wrong with good food and wine.

[Saturday]

Lunch
I’m still not sure how I did it, but I convinced Nathan to stay home for lunch on a weekend. And I made myself an epic kale salad. Seriously, there were so many awesome veggies, a sweet potato quinao bean burger, homemade dijon vinaigrette, and avocado. Everything is better with avocado!

Wedding Research
We’ve been in the market of tasting cupcakes to choose the perfect flavors. I have to say, we might have found our chocolate! The salted caramel cupcake was incredible too, but so close to the vanilla that we’re going to have to find another. Such a tough life..

Dinner
…and a movie! The most important part of the night was the pitcher of white sangria we shared during the movie. Wonderful.

[Sunday]

Breakfast
A lineup of a chocolate Shakeology protein shake, water, and Lamplighter Triple Espresso Blend from my Relay Foods order were the highlight of my post-workout nourishment. I can’t speak highly enough about this coffee; it’s so tasty!

Brunch
Lebanese Taverna. While I love this restaurant to pieces, I should have stuck with what I knew. My poached eggs were not quite what I was expecting. Nor was the fruit parfait. Still, I devoured some of their amazing bread and baba ghanoush so I was a happy camper!

We spent the rest of Sunday grocery shopping and cooking up food for the week, including Spaghetti Squash Kugel and Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bark. I couldn’t have asked for a better weekend with my fiance!

Food for Thought

What is your favorite weekend activity?

Chocolate Peanut Butter Protein Bark

Sometimes my sweet tooth tends to take over in the kitchen. Where some people might see that as a bad thing, I see it as a challenge. It’s a challenge for me to figure out how I can tame my tooth without going on sugar overload.

Not only did I put together a sweet treat that I’m pleased with, but Nathan also likes it and he’s not much of a protein powder guy. I may have done a little St. Patty’s Day-inspired jig when he said he liked it. Don’t judge.

Ingredients
– 3 tbsp coconut oil
– 3 tbsp Perfect Fit Protein
– 3 1/2 tbsp dark chocolate cocoa powder
– 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
– 15-20 drops liquid stevia or 2-3 packets powdered stevia
– 3 tbsp peanut butter; divided [I used Peanut Butter & Co. Crunch Time]
– 1 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut
– Pinch of sea salt [Optional]

Additional Optional Toppings
– Chocolate chips
– Peanut butter chips
– Nuts
– Dried fruit
– Sunflower seeds or pepitas

Directions
Cover a small 8″x6″ pan with aluminum foil.

Scoop coconut oil into a small bowl and microwave about 15 seconds until liquified. Mix in protein powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, stevia, and 2 tbsp peanut butter until everything is well combined. Adjust sweetness to taste.

Pour the mixture onto the pan. Scoop the remaining 1 tbsp of peanut butter into a small bowl and microwave 15 seconds until liquified. Pour on top of the chocolate mixture and swirl with a knife. Sprinkle the top with shredded coconut and a little sea salt.

Store this in an air tight container in the refrigerator or freezer.

Nutritional Information
For 1/12th of the recipe [This is difficult to measure as they break up into uneven sized pieces]

60 Calories  /  5g Fat  /  2g Carbs  /  1g Fiber  /  0g Sugar  /  3g Protein

Food for Thought

How do you tackle your sweet tooth? Do you have a favorite go-to recipe?

Foodie Friday: St. Patrick’s Day Recipe Round Up

What would a fun holiday be without a fun holiday recipe round up? I’m pretty sure you said “not fun” and I agree! And while I’ve never been big in partaking in the celebrations, I can certainly hop on board with the food- and drink-based excitement of it all.

[Breakfast]
Breakfast Reuben Sandwich – Closet Cooking
Corned Beef Hash with Carrots & Thyme – Coconut & Lime
Green Monster Spinach Smoothie – Iowa Girl Eats

Alright, so the smoothie might not be a traditional St. Patty’s Day treat, but with all of the treats around, you might want to have this recipe on hand for the next day 😉

[Snacks & Meals]
Honey Beer Bread – Gimme Some Oven
Reuben Rolls with Thousand Island Dip
Avocado Feta Dip – Two Peas & Their Pod
Corned Beef & Cabbage Soup – Skinnytaste

I love the twists on traditional fare, especially turning a heavier dish, like Corned Beef & Cabbage, into something lighter.

[Sweet Treats]
Minty Irish Powerballs – Barr & Table
Creamy Lime & Avocado Tart (Vegan + Gluten Free) – Eating Bird Food
Guinness-Milk Chocolate Ice Cream – Brown Eyed Baker
Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes – Brown Eyed Baker
Skinny(er) Shamrock Shake – Skinnytaste

A few indulgent options and a few healthier options as well. Take your pick! 🙂

Food for Thought

How will you be celebrating St. Patrick’s Day this year?

Minty Irish Powerballs

With St. Patrick’s Day right around the corner, I had to take advantage and make something green. And because my original powerballs were such a hit [read: gone in an instant], why not play with that recipe? These new “Irish” powerballs are fun and delicious.

Makes 15 balls

Ingredients
– 1/3 cup homemade cashew butter [I chose cashew butter over other nut butters because of the lighter flavor, but any nut butter will work!]
– 1 tbsp coconut oil*
– 1/3 cup rolled oats
– 3 tbsp Perfect Fit Protein
– 1 tbsp ground flax*
– 1 tbsp chia seed*
– 1 tbsp hemp seed*
– 2 tbsp cacao nibs
– 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
– 1 tsp ground cinnamon
– 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
– 1/4 tsp mint extract [adjust according to taste]
– 30 drops green food coloring

*These ingredients can be found on iHerb.com. Use code ZAF482 to receive $5 off of your first order.

Directions
Scoop cashew butter and coconut oil into a medium bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Add your green food coloring to this mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well until combined. Refrigerate the mix for 10-15 minutes until it hardens up a bit. This will make it easier to roll the balls.

After refrigerating, measure out 1 tbsp per ball and roll to shape. Store in an air tight container in the fridge or freezer and hide from everyone else in the house 😉

Nutritional Information
Per 1 tbsp powerball

117 Calories  /  9g Fat  /  6g Carbs  /  2g Fiber  /  1g Sugar  /  4g Protein

Food for Thought

Do you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Do you have any favorite St. Patty’s Day foods?

Foodie Friday: National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day!

Let’s be honest, I celebrate peanut butter everyday. Personally, I think everyone should. Peanut butter is delicious and nutritious and should be a balance part of every diet; and by balanced, I mean feel free to replace meals with jars of peanut butter. [I wish I could!]

I want you to celebrate National Peanut Butter Lover’s Day the right way, so I’ve compiled a list of sweet and savory peanut butter recipes. Enjoy!

Sweet

Hail Merry Peanut Butter Coconut Banana Bites

Healthy Banana Peanut Butter Cups*

Peanut Butter Cup Protein Shake*

Peanut Butter Wonderful Powerballs

Sweet Potato Dippers

Savory

Buddha’s Feast with Spicy Thai Peanut Sauce*

Peanut Chili Baked Tofu*

Tilapia Stir-Fry with Chili Peanut Sauce*

And of course, don’t forget to top any of your favorite oatmeals or sweet scrambles with peanut butter. It’s just wrong not to! 😉

*These recipes were made using peanut flour, but you can substitute regular peanut butter.

Food for Thought

What is your number one go-to peanut butter? Do you prefer other nut or seed butters over peanut butter?

What I Ate Wednesday #32: Groupon Date Night

Have you entered my Peanut Butter & Co. giveaway yet?

I don’t know about you, but for me, sometimes Groupon is wayyy off on their deals for months, and sometimes they’re spot on. For months. Which means we end up with a ton of deals! On Saturday, we decided to cash in. Impromptu date night courtesy of Groupon? Sure!

[Breakfast]
Oh, like you really expected to see something other than a sweet breakfast scramble? Of course, my lightened version of it..

I also snuck a Powerball before my workout 🙂 Have you tried them yet? So tasty!

[Lunch]
I had planned on meeting my brother at Panera and devouring another Power Chicken Hummus Bowl [so good!] from their hidden menu, but when I walked around the place for 10 minutes without finding a single seat open, I decided to hit the road!

Off to Cosi! I always like to pretend like I’ll try something new there, but their Asian Salmon Salad is so delicious that I just stick to that. Creature of habit? Me? 😉

[Dinner]
We braved the cold and headed out, Groupon in hand, to Blue Hill Tavern. We started off with some hot, fresh rolls. I snagged the walnut raisin before Nathan even had a chance! I was feeling awfully fancy so I ordered myself an elderflower white cosmopolitan. Sounds fancy, tasted like a cosmo.

Appetizer
Garde Manger – Chicken and pork terrine with spicy homemade ketchup & smoked duck breast with candied orange jam and walnut raisin crostini.

Entree
Seared blackened tuna with grilled baby bok choy, rice, and butternut squash puree. Do you see the size of those pieces of tuna?! Fabulous. I ate it all!

Nathan ordered a rabbit and dumpling stew. It was so full of flavor and definitely very filling! He was lucky enough to end up with some leftover.

Dessert
I really had no choice in the matter. It was being ordered whether I liked it or not! [Spoiler alert: I liked it!] Really though, what’s not to like about a cinnamon butter tart with homemade cinnamon ice cream? Exactly. There is nothing to not like!

[Snacks]
– Carrots & a Laughing Cow veggie wedge
– A piece of black bean powerbake mixed with some coconut peanut spread. It was heavenly!

Food for Thought

Do you make my purchases on Groupon or other similar websites?