Almond Butter STUFFED Brownie Bites {Recipe ReDux}

Happy Mother’s Day!

I have a chocolate-y treat for you today that you won’t want to pass up. They’re gluten-free, paleo, and sweetened with fruit! Dried plums, to be specific. But don’t go running!

When was the last time you tried a dried plum? They’re delicious! A little sweet, a little tart, and chewy like candy. Not to mention, each serving is just 100 calories, provides 3g of fiber, 293mg of potassium, 16mg of magnesium, and more vitamin K than any other fresh or dried fruit. And in honor of May’s National Osteoporosis Month, why not give them a try?

Almond Butter STUFFED Brownie Bites

Makes 16 brownie bites

Ingredients

• 3oz. California Dried Plums [about 12-15 dried plums]
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbsp milk [I used cashew milk]
• 2 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
• 2 tbsp coconut oil; melted
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp almomd butter; divided
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup coconut flour
• 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt

For the Frosting

• 1/4 cup chocolate nut butter*
• 2-4 tbsp milk

*If you don’t have chocolate nut butter, you can sub regular nut butter and add cocoa powder. You will need to increase the amount of milk if you do this.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place the dried plums in a food processor and process into a paste. You may need to stop and scrape the sides down a few times.
3. Add the vanilla, milk, applesauce, coconut oil, and 1/4 cup almond butter to the bowl and process until smooth.
4. Add in the egg and pulse a few times until just incorporated.
5. Add the remaining dry ingredients to the bowl, pulse a few times to get it started, and finish incorporating completely by hand.
6. Using a 1/2 tbsp, scoop the mix into 16 mini muffin tins.
7. With a 1/2 tsp, scoop almond butter on top of the brownie bite base.
8. Finish off with another 1/2 tbsp of the mix to cover the almond butter and place in the oven for 8-9 minutes.
9. While baking, make your frosting. Add the ingredients to a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir together until smooth.
10. Remove the bites from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.

Nutritional Information
75 Calories / 5g Fat / 6g Carbs / 2g Fiber / 3g Sugar / 2g Protein

Now who wouldn’t want to snack on that today?! And because I can’t make these for my mom today, you should!

Don’t miss out an all of the California Dried Plum recipes from all of the other ReDux-ers!

And, of course, happy mother’s day to my mom! I wish I could be with you today to celebrate how awesome you’ve always been and always are for me. But hey, if you want to come out here again, I have some brownie bites waiting for you!

Food for Thought

Are you a dried plum fan?
How are you celebrating your mother’s day?

Disclosure: I received free samples of California Dried Plums mentioned in this post. By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by California Dried Plum Board and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.

Pin It Party #6

I mayyy be running on fumes [and some serious caffeine] today, but it’s a good day because my college roomie and her hubs are here! They got in late last night and will be staying with us until next Wednesday. We have so much planned over the next week from wine country [obviously] and hiking to bars and baseball. It’s going to be a ton of fun and super exhausting but I’m ready for it.

In the meantime, Lindsay is hosting another Pin It Party today so, of course, I’m playing along! If you missed the last parties, check them out!

Pin It Party #1
Pin It Party #2
Pin It Party #3
Pin It Party #4
Pin It Party #5

And if you’re not following me on Pinterest yet, get to it!

Strength + Cardio HIIT Workout

Full Body Strength AMRAP Workout

Basil Cotija Stuffed Chicken with Honey Balsamic Glaze

Baked Cajun Haddock & Veggies with Sizzlefish

White Chocolate Peppermint Peanut Butter Cups

Food for Thought

What kind of posts do you want to see more of on the blog?

Link Love #80

Just like that our quiet couple of weeks without company is about to end. My college roommate and her husband are getting in late Wednesday night and staying with us for a week! They’ve never been out to San Francisco before so they’re definitely in for a treat. Do you remember how crazy we went when my parents came out last year? Yea.. there will be plenty of eating, drinking, and hiking! Get ready for some more delicious pictures 😉

Health

The Naked Truth: When Is Our Body Finally Good Enough? – Lifting Revolution

The Naked Truth: When Is Our Body Finally Good Enough? – Lifting Revolution
Why it is okay to gain a few happiness lbs – Darwinian Fail
So you want to study nutrition? Dietitian, Nutritionist, or Nutritional Therapist? – Gluten Free Rosie
Eat to Beat the Common Cold? Part One: Review of Vitamin C – Food & Nonsense
Using the stages of change model to adopt new fitness and nutrition habits – FitKnitChick

Fitness

Rock Your Body Workout – Fit Foodie Finds & Ambitious Kitchen

Rock Your Body Workout – Fit Foodie Finds & Ambitious Kitchen
Why Kettlebell Swings Aren’t a Good Exercise for Cardio – Trainer Paige
Don’t Skip a Beat: How To Train Using Heart Rate Monitoring – FitFluential
3 Creative Core Moves that Work Balance and Strength – Cotter Crunch
Stay on Track Workout – Coconuts & Kettlebells

Food

Green Goddess Hummus – Cookie + Kate

Green Goddess Hummus – Cookie + Kate
Microwave Peanut Protein Pancakes with Chocolate Chips {Gluten/Grain Free, Super Simple, Low Fat + Low Calorie} – Food Faith Fitness
Bahn Mi Spring Rolls – Minimalist Baker
Healthy Bananas Foster Donuts – The Almond Eater
Meyer Lemon Poppy Seed Morning Buns with Blueberry Passionfruit Glaze – Half Baked Harvest
Almond Butter Fudgy Chocolate Eggs – Peachy Palate

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Link Love #79

Today is the last day to enter my MealEnders giveaway!

It’s my favorite day of the [blogging] week. Time for some link love.. catch up on all the goodies you might have missed! Enjoy 🙂

Health

The Perfect Snack When You Are Feeling… – The Nutty Nutritionist

The Perfect Snack When You Are Feeling… – The Nutty Nutritionist
Why Saying No Matter for Your Well-being – Crop Tops & Kale
4 “Healthy” Hidden Sources of Sugar – The Fit Cookie
‘But I Don’t Want to Look Like You’ – Gabby’s Gluten-Free
A Plant-Based Nutrition Q&A – Hummusapien

Fitness

The Gym is Everywhere – FitFluential

The Gym is Everywhere – FitFluential
7-minute barre squat burner – Fitnessista
Move It Monday: 10 Variations Of Kettlebell Squats – Lifting Revolution
5 Side Plank Variations to Try – Pumps & Iron
Another Super Sweaty 7-Minute HIIT Workout Video – To Live & Diet in L.A.

Food

Korean Style Fried Shrimp Rice Bowls with Kimchi + Crunchy Noodles – Half Baked Harvest

Korean Style Fried Shrimp Rice Bowls with Kimchi + Crunchy Noodles – Half Baked Harvest
Beet and Black Rice Seafood Salad with Lemon Lime Vinaigrette – Cotter Crunch
Bacon Asparagus Potato Frittata – Reluctant Entertainer
Fried Avocado Tacos with Creamy Jalapeno Sauce – Avocado a Day Nutrition
Slow Cooker Quinoa Energy Bar Recipe – Food Faith Fitness

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Foodie Friday: Asian Sesame Broccoli with Spicy Sriracha Peanut Sauce {Giveaway}

If you ask me, peanut butter goes with everything. Sweet, savory, salty, spicy. Let’s do it!

As part of the Peanut Butter & Co. Yum Squad, I was given the opportunity to create a recipe using their peanut butter and a mystery ingredient. That mystery ingredient just so happened to be a staple in my house—Sriracha.

Peanut sauce fits right in with our typical meals around here and I had a recipe on hand I’d been wanting to try. Adding in the sriracha was the right pop of flavor that I knew would be perfect.

Asian Sesame Broccoli with Spicy Sriracha Peanut Sauce

Serves 4 as a side dish
Adapted from Gimme Some Oven Asian Broccoli Salad with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients
– 1 large head of broccoli
– 1 cup shelled edamame
– 1/2 cup sliced green onion
– 1/2 cup peanuts; chopped
– 1/4 cup toasted unsweetened coconut flake
– Sesame seeds for garnish
– 1/4 cup Peanut Butter & Co. The Bee’s Knees
– 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
– 1 tbsp lite soy sauce
– 1/8 tsp toasted sesame oil
– 1-2 tbsp sriracha
– 2-3 tbsp hot water to thin the sauce

Directions
Boil a large pot of water, add the broccoli florets, and cook for about 30 seconds. Drain the broccoli and add the edamame, green onion, peanuts, and coconut flake.

For the spicy peanut sauce, mix the remaining ingredients together, except the sesame seeds. Pour half of the sauce over the broccoli and mix well. Drizzle the rest of the sauce over top of the broccoli and top with sesame seeds.

Feeling a little extra saucy? Drizzle some more sriracha on top! What could be bad?

Giveaway Time!

Click here to win a #MysteryIngredient package from Peanut Butter & Co!

Food for Thought

What would you make with the mystery ingredient?

Link Love #76

Another quick pop-in to say hi! Yesterday we pigged out on some dim sum and went over to Baker Beach. Nathan and I had never been there before and it was beautiful! Except for the naked man walking around trying to get into everyone’s pictures.. Luckily mine made it out crack free 😉

I’ve had some catching up to do of my own on all of the great blog posts around the interwebs from last week and in case you missed some too, here ya go!

Health

How Many Calories do Runners Really Need – Run to the Finish

How Many Calories do Runners Really Need? – Run to the Finish
5 Red Flags That Show You’re Taking Healthy Eating Too Far – MindBodyGreen
Understanding Fasted Cardio and Fat Loss – Born Fitness
3 Tips to Restore Balance in Your Life – FitAspire
How to Know When You Need a Rest Day (or Week!) – Lifting Revolution via fANNEtastic food

Fitness

5 Reasons You Should Try Bodyweight Training + A New WAHM Workout – Mussel FIT

5 Reasons You Should Try Bodyweight Training + A New WAHM Workout – Mussel FIT
You, Too, Can Pushup! – Katrina Elle
Four 30-Minute Workouts – Peanut Butter Fingers
You Only Get Better By Doing: The Mastery Kettlebell Workout – Lifting Revolution
6 Exercises for a Strong Back – Happy Fit Mama

Food

Short Rib Pho French Dip Banh Mi with Thai Basil Chimichurri – Half Baked Harvest

Short Rib Pho French Dip Banh Mi with Thai Basil Chimichurri – Half Baked Harvest
Bacon Gouda Chive Dip with Secret SUPERFOOD Ingredient! – Cotter Crunch
Fried Chicken and Waffle-Tots with Honey – Climbing Grier Mountain
Deep Dish Dark Chocolate Cake with Almond Butter Swirl – A Clean Bake
PB&J Grain-Free Breakfast Cake – Yeah…immaeatthat

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from last week?

Link Love #75

With my parents coming out to visit us tomorrow, I’ve been thinking a lot about how different things are this year then when they visited last year. A year ago, we were pretty fresh to the bay area; just about 2 1/2 months in. We took them all over the place touring, tasting, and pretty much making this place our own. I had just gotten my NASM book to start studying and aside from the occasional web design gig, I was completely jobless. It was a strange feeling and it was downright hard. I had Nathan, but good lord it was hard to meet people when I was at home all the time.

One year later, I have 3 jobs—2 of which are personal training at gyms—and a list of clients that thankfully keeps growing. Some friends have quickly come and gone, and others have become good friends. Like a spending-the-Jewish-holidays-with-her-family kind of friend. We’re living in a new area of the east bay and loving how much we have at our fingertips and how easy it is to get around. Things are moving in the right direction and I’ve said it before, the move to California has been such a great learning experience.

Last year, I was psyched to just see my parents again after almost 3 months. This year, while I’m just as psyched to see them again, I feel like we have so much more to show them. And not by showing them around the city, but by showing them what our lives have evolved to since they visited last. Shoot, we’re even giving them a place to stay this year.. it’s like we’re real, live grown ups!

And with that, a few things to share with all of you. Enjoy!

Health

How to Live in Harmony with High-Fiber Foods – Kris Carr

How To Live in Harmony with High-Fiber Foods – Kris Carr
Eating for Health & Eating for Abs. Do you know the difference? – Food & Nonsense
FYI Friday – Nutrients Requirements for Active People – Calcium & Vitamin D – Pretty Little Grub
11 Ways to Manage Stress and Feeling Overwhelmed – Love, Life, Surf
Because Being Healthy Means Not ALWAYS Being Healthy – fannetastic food

Fitness

DOMS: The Truth About Muscle Soreness & How To Recover Faster From Workouts – Lifting Revolution

DOMS: The Truth About Muscle Soreness & How To Recover Faster From Workouts – Lifting Revolution
Body part splits or whole body workouts | the pros and cons – FitKnitChick
30-Minute Jump Rope + Strength Training Workout – Pumps & Iron
Upper Body + Cardio Workout – Peanut Butter Fingers
Fit Tuesday Workout – Fitnessista

Food

Beef Barbacao Bowls – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen

Beef Barbacao Bowls – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
Gluten Free Breakfast Power Bowls to POWER Your Day – Cotter Crunch
Irresistible Super Fudgy Chocolate Brownie – 1000 Lovely Things
Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Cookies – Running with Spoons
Apple Fritter Bread – Averie Cooks

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Sushi, Beer, & 70s

The countdown is seriously on now. My parents will be in town this Wednesday! Our place has really come together over the past week or so and the guest room is actually looking like a real guest room instead of a storage unit. That day bed that we got from IKEA is awesome.. it actually slides out into a king size bed! It’s quite cozy, too. [Your welcome, guests ;)]

Friday we finally went out for sushi. This place is about 50 strides from our front door and has the best prices and quality around. I got a spicy scallop roll that was delicious but the star of the show for me was the salmon kama. This char-grilled salmon collar was only $5.95 and it was the bomb diggity!

They also have hamachi kama that I think I’ll have to get next time I go. Which is probably going to be Thursday with my parents. Woohoo!!

Sunday was a little crazy nuts for me, but that’s totally because of the Pliny the Younger release at Cato’s, right down the street from us. If you’re not familiar with Pliny the Younger, Russian River releases it once a year and only distributes limited kegs to select bars. And each bar only gets 1 keg so when it’s gone, it’s GONE!

Doors opened at 11:30 but people were lined up at before 10 a.m. when I went down to the gym to train, which just so happens to be 3 doors down from the bar. [Uh oh..] I had to work yesterday so we originally decided to skip Pliny but when I got out from training and working out at noon to see the line wasn’t too bad, we went for it. It didn’t hurt that the weather was gorgeous. I didn’t mind standing outside in the sunshine! Long story short, after waiting an hour for our tokens, we got the last ones.

I ran over to work and ended up having to run back and forth to cash in my token. Whoops! Haha 🙂 It was a fun experience but now that we’ve had it, we’ll save our time for another line.

Anyhow, that was definitely the highlight of the weekend. Coming up this week is going to be a lot of fun times with my parents. I can’t wait 🙂

Weekly Meal Plan

Sunday – Roast split chicken breast with orange sesame sauce, roasted potatoes, and side salad

Monday – Leftover roast chicken and lemony carrot salad with mustard seeds and feta
Tuesday – Quinoa crusted chicken with roasted potatoes and brussels sprouts
Wednesday – Leftover quinoa crusted chicken and Asian broccoli salad with peanut sauce
Thursday – Saturday – Out! Mom and Dad will be here 🙂

Food for Thought

What’s the longest you’ve waited in line for something?

Link Love #74

Holy cannoli! I don’t know where all the time has gone but this is my 500th post! I never thought when I started this blog 3 years ago that it would become what it is today. I love having it as an outlet, creative or otherwise, and a way to share some wonderful information I find from across the web. I’m also so grateful for all of you readers that come back day after day to read, comment, and share. So a huge thank you to all of you!

Health

Is it possible to eat too clean? – Love & Zest

Is it possible to eat too clean? – Love & Zest
What Does It Take To Live a Balanced Life? – Cotter Crunch
Can Sweet Potatoes Help You Lose Weight? – PopSugar
Where Dietary-Fat Guidelines Went Wrong – Time
Mega Omegas – The Muffin Myth
Five Things Beginners Need to Know About Getting Lean – Eat to Perform

Fitness

12 minute workout to tone you up – Purely Twins

12 minute workout to tone you up – Purely Twins
Cupid’s Shuffle Partner Workout Challenge – Lifting Revolution
10 Workouts You Can Do in a Hotel Room – Pumps & Iron
10 ‘crunch-free’ exercises for a stronger core – FitKnitChick
18 Partner Workouts – Diary of an Ex Sloth

Food

Roasted Blood Orange Oatmeal – Kara Lydon The Foodie Dietitian

Roasted Blood Orange Oatmeal – Kara Lydon The Foodie Dietitian
Jamaican Jerk Veggie Burgers – Oh My Veggies
Homemade Dark Chocolate Almond Butter Cups – Mommy Run Fast
Idiot Proof Creamy Tomato and Curry Butter Lobster Pasta – Half Baked Harvest
PB&J Granola Cookie Clusters – The Nutritious Kitchen

Food for Thought

What’s one of your favorite posts from the past week?

Link Love #73

I have to admit, I totally expected yesterday to feel like 2 days. And today? Oooh, it’s a doozy! But there were a few things that made the day a little easier. Before I even got out the door, I got a picture of this little cutie.

I can’t believe how big she’s getting! And look at those little curls. Gah she’s the cutest!

And finishing up my shift at my first job, a gym member came in with this guy.

Such a sweet dog. I wish they came in earlier so we could have played more! Sometimes it’s the little things that make the day better. And to make your day a little better..

Health

How Weight Training Can Help You Keep the Weight Off – The New York Times Well

How Weight Training Can Help You Keep the Weight Off – The New York Times Well
Key Nutrients for Marathon Training – Elisa Zied via Carrots ‘N’ Cake
Why You Should Think Twice About Vegetarian and Vegan Diets – Chris Kresser
How to Eat Clean: The Do’s and Don’ts of Healthy Clean Eating – Clean Eating Veggie Girl
Stop Hacking Life – Carla Birnberg

Fitness

5 Ways to POWER UP Your Push Up – Cotter Crunch

5 Ways to POWER UP Your Push Up – Cotter Crunch
Weekend Warrior 2: The Trifecta Workout – Lifting Revolution
Legs + Abs + Arms Boot Camp Workout – Peanut Butter Fingers
Barre Ab Burner {Video} – Fitessista
Build a Better Butt – Pancake Warriors

Food

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Tart – Eating Bird Food

Paleo Chocolate Coconut Tart + Healthy Valentine’s Day Desserts – Eating Bird Food
The Last Chili Recipe You’ll Ever Need – Coconuts & Kettlebells
Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars – Lexi’s Clean Kitchen
Nutella Oatmeal Cookie Shake – How Sweet It Is
Cuban Fish Tacos with Citrus Mango Slaw + Chipotle Lime Crema – Half Baked Harvest

Food for Thought

What was one of your favorite posts from the past week?