Hi there! Time really flies. I can't believe I have not posted an entry on here in four weeks. I am really slacking these days. I was all set to post a new zucchini brownie recipe (see the
old recipe here) a few weeks ago, but then I never got around to downloading the pictures...and now zucchini isn't really in season. I had made another awesome recipe with zucchini (zucchini, corn, and ricotta fritters) over the summer that I wanted to post, but I never got around to doing that either. But next summer I will post them! The thing is, you just don't really have much time when you have a baby in the house. It's the truth. Wendy is super active and loves to play, and she really doesn't want to nap during the day. She fights it hard. But she has a bit of a cold right now and she is actually napping (very sad for her, but I do enjoy the extra time while she is resting), so I am posting! Another thing besides having no time that changes after having a baby is food preferences. I had heard it before but didn't really believe it but it is definitely true for me. This might shock you, as it even shocks me, but I do not crave sugar much at all these days. I definitely still love dark chocolate, but I can totally pass up cookies, cakes, and other baked goods that used to endlessly taunt me. When I am craving sweet, I turn to things like
granola or
banana cookies. A new sweet and healthy treat recipe I tried last night are these peach cobbler bites, that are made with cashews, coconut, dates, and peaches! They seriously taste like little pieces of peach cobbler and I love them. Greg is a huge fan too. I got the idea when I came across
this recipe on Pinterest (follow me if you'd like at
beffy78). At first I wasn't sure because cashews are super pricey, but they have them on sale at
The Fresh Market in Annapolis on Saturdays so I bought a bunch. Then I looked for freeze dried strawberries but couldn't find them, and the alternative of using dried strawberries is ridiculously expensive (16.99 for 6 ounces - I don't think so)! So I tried them with dried peaches, and they are amazing. I think you will enjoy them too. They are great for a quick snack on the run. You can also choose not to roll them into balls and use the mixture to sprinkle onto yogurt or add to smoothies. Yum!
Oh, by the way, these are vegan, no-bake AND gluten-free. Score!
Recipe for Healthy Peach Cobbler Bites
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup of raw cashews
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut flakes
8 - 10 (or about 6 ounces when weighed with pit) Medjool dates, pitted and cut in half
1/2 tsp. of coconut oil
1 tsp. of vanilla extract
A pinch of coarse sea salt
A couple pinches of ground cinnamon (optional)
7 ounces of dried peach rings
DIRECTIONS:
Put the cashews and coconut into the bowl of a food processor fitted with a metal blade. Pulse several times until finely chopped (about 10 - 12 seconds). Add in the dates and pulse until the mixture becomes a bit sticky (about 8 seconds). Add the coconut oil, vanilla extract, salt, and cinnamon. Pulse briefly (1 - 2 seconds). Add in the dried peaches and run the food processor for about 10 seconds or until the peaches are well incorporated. Put the mixture into a bowl, put on an airtight lid, and put into the fridge for a couple hours. Then use a cookie dough scoop to scoop and use your hands to shape into desired sized balls. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.
Recipe makes approximately 30 bites
Recipe Adapted from:
Better with Cake
