Tag Archives: Dates

Delicious Four Ingredient Date Balls!

I have been finding myself eating a handful of pecans and banana chips and a large date or two as an afternoon or evening snack lately, so that got me thinking about making this combination into a date ball. It’s a simple three ingredient snack that is healthy and delicious with a delightful combination of sweet and crunchy, just how I like it. I love the sugariness of the dates with their deep brown sugar like flavor, and the crunch of the pecans with their sweet buttery taste, and the unsweetened banana chips are perfect for crushing and rolling the date balls in for a subtle, crunchy coating.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Pitted Medjool Dates

1 Cup of Pecans

4 Teaspoons of Tahini or Almond Butter

1/3 Cup of Unsweetened Banana Chips

Directions:

Pulse the banana chips in a food processor until they are fine crumbs. remove then and put them in a small bowl and set aside. Pulse the pecans in the food processor until ground. Place the pecans in a medium bowl. Add the dates to the food processor, and process until finely chopped. Add the pecans back to the food processor along with the tahini or almond butter, and pulse until it sticks together and is blended. Roll the date mixture into balls and roll them in the ground banana chips. Serve and store any extras in the refrigerator for a healthy snack!

Makes a dozen or so date balls.

*Four Ingredient Date Balls that are sweet, crunchy and a perfect healthy pop in snack!*

*Easy, Delicious four ingredient date balls!*

When I am baking and making sweet snacks I like to use natural sweeteners. Here is a handy guide to using them in place of cane sugar.

Pin for later! Delicious, Healthy Snack!

Lemon Fig Cake

Lemon Fig Cake on a Plate

Lemon Fig Cake

Lemon Fig Cake (Coconut Flour)

Date Sweetened Lemon Fig Cake Using Coconut Flour

Yes, I love cake, and I am a healthy eater and consider myself vegetable forward. I don’t eat refined sugar anymore. I ditched it several years ago in favor of natural sweeteners like dates, honey, maple syrup and coconut sugar. After some practice and experimentation in the kitchen, and reading a lot of cookbooks on baking with alternative sweeteners, (You should see my library, seriously. Does anyone else read cookbooks like novels?) I find I prefer the natural sweetener’s flavors over the white stuff. I like options! Dates give substance to baking, are a whole food, and have a rich flavor similar to brown sugar. Honey is distinct, light, and good for neutral baking. It does have a tendency to over brown at too high of a heat. Maple syrup is very distinctive. I think everyone can picture that flavor on their tongue. It is delicious in chocolate breads and with pecans for example, and coconut sugar has an earthy flavor and is closest in texture and application to refined white sugar.

Lemon Fig Cake Grain Free

Lemon Fig Cake

So, tada………introducing Lemon Fig Cake! Don’t worry if you think you don’t like dates, they are not predominant in the cake. They just add moistness and structure to the cake and contain a ton of trace minerals, calcium and fiber. Dates are a fruit and a whole food sweetener.

Lemon Fig Cake

Ingredients:

6 Eggs (I used local)

1 Cup of Medjool Dates (Soaked and Pitted)

1/2 Cup of Coconut Flour (here)

1/2 Cup of Apple Sauce

1/2 Cup of Dried Figs, halved

1/4 Cup of Olive Oil

2 Tablespoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Zest of 1 Lemon (organic)

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda (Gluten Free here)

1/2 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract (I use this kind)

1/4 Teaspoon of Fine Sea Salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees F. Line an 8 inch square baking pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Place the dates in a bowl, and cover with very hot filtered tap water, and soak for five minutes. Halve your dried figs from stem to base and set aside. If they are extremely dry, you should soak them as well. In a food processor with a blade attachment, crack six eggs. Pit the dates after soaking and add them to the eggs. Then, process the eggs and dates until you have just little flecks of date in your batter. Add the remaining ingredients, except the figs, and process for about one minute until the batter is a smooth creamy yellow and a thick cake batter. Scrape the batter into your prepared parchment lined pan. Now, add your figs decoratively on the top, cut side up and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched with your finger. Cool on a wire rack, then remove the cake from the pan using the parchment paper as handles.

Lemon Fig Cake Batter (Grain Free)

Batter ready to bake shown above.

Servings 9

Three Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Dates are a great addition to your diet! I like to throw a couple in a smoothie to add natural sweetness in whole food form or use them to make energy bites with things like nuts and berries in them. These balls are made up of raw cacao, peanut butter (or a nut or seed butter of your choice) and dates. They are healthy and satisfying! I like to pop in these super quick and easy sweet treats when I have a craving for something chewy and chocolate. The raw cacao is loaded with antioxidants and magnesium and is a natural mood elevator. Dates are full of fiber, vitamins and essential minerals and are a whole food, natural sweetener eaten for centuries. The fat in the peanut butter or nut butter of your choice is satiating, and nuts contain protein. Use a peanut butter or nut butter with no added sugar, just salt.

Three Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls – Yummy!

Three Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Soft Medjool Dates (pits removed, if they are not soft between your fingers, soak them for five minutes in warm water)

1/3 Cup plus 2 Tablespoons of Raw Cacao Powder (like this)

6 Tablespoons of Peanut Butter (no sugar added)

Directions: Place the dates in a food processor with a blade attachment, and puree. Add in 1/3 Cup of Raw Cacao Powder and the Peanut Butter or nut butter. Blend until smooth, scraping down the sides of the processor as needed with a rubber spatula. Place the remaining two tablespoons of Raw Cacao Powder in a bowl. With a tablespoon cookie scoop, scoop the mixture into balls, roll them between your hands to form a round globe, and roll in cocoa powder. The balls can be stored at room temperature, in the refrigerator, or freezer depending on your preference. Pop these in when you need a healthy chocolate fix or a energy boost!

Three Ingredient Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

Eat Your Nutrients!

Healthier Mocha Frappuccino

It’s hot out there! We are back from Northern Michigan for the Summer, and plopped right into the dog days of August on the East Coast!

Cold blended coffee beverages really cool me down, and who doesn’t love an ice cold creamy drink when it is so hot? I sure do!

Check out my new Rooster! He was a find during my time up north this Summer! I think he is perky! Well he perks me up when I see him. 🙂

Healthier and Delicious Mocha Frappuccino

This recipe for a Healthier Mocha Frappuccino is much easier on the pocket book, you can make it at home, not to mention keeping yourself on track with healthier food choices. It has no refined sugars in it and is sweetened with 3 medjool dates that are softened. They really compliment the raw cacao and coffee to make a creamy, cold, delicious coffee frappuccino. There are just about 300 calories in it (this can vary a bit with the size of your dates) and it is a large, which is about half the calories of what would be in a commercial drink, with better-for-you ingredients. Head on over to Natural Society to read Over Seven Reasons to Eat Dates and why they are good for you. I used organic, fair trade instant coffee, so you don’t have to have a cold pot hanging around the house to make this. It is much more convenient and fresh! This is a reputable brand that I used, and you can get it in caffeinated or decaffeinated.

Healthier Mocha Frappuccino

Ingredients:

3 Softened Medjool Dates (I soak them for 5 minutes in warm water and then remove the pits)

1/4 Cup Full Fat Coconut Milk

1 Tablespoon of Raw Cacao

2 Teaspoons of Organic Instant Coffee Crystals

1 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1 Cup of Crushed Ice

1 Cup of Cold Pure Water

Directions: In a blender (I have made this with my Ninja and also my Vitamix. Any blender will do. Blend the Water and Dates until pureed. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until creamy.

Pour into a large glass and it’s ready to drink! Yummy! Sit down and relax, put your feet up, and savor the moment!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Date Sweetened Spice Muffins (Nut Free, Dairy Free, AIP Paleo)

There is a new kid in town, and it is Tigernut Flour. I used it in a previous recipe here and am really liking it. It is not a nut at all but a tuber, and it acts as a prebiotic. Tigernut Flour has been around for over 4,000 years, and contains nutritional benefits like phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins E and C.

I have been experimenting with it in the kitchen during the last month, because I am all of a sudden reacting to nuts and nut flours. 😦 I also have found it is a good idea to rotate my food to avoid developing any other sensitivities. Also, after being almost two years free of SIBO and following a Low FodMap diet, I slowly added in safe starches to improve gut motility and feed the good bacteria I have been working so hard on. I was pleasantly surprised to find everything improved, and the SIBO did not return. I have been using Tapioca Starch, Arrowroot, and eating White Rice occasionally, all with very positive results.

Since I started my blog to empower myself to eat delicious foods on a restricted diet, the blog is evolving, as I have healed and have added in new ingredients, always seeking optimal health, energy and just plain feeling good. The addition of starches not only has helped my overall digestive system (in moderation), but is also helpful post workout for me!

All that aside, this recipe took some time, and I had some flops, but I have to say, I am very, very happy with the results here! It is a muffin that is dense, with a pleasing, (not gummy, ewwww!) texture. The muffins are sweetened with just dates and have other whole foods in them like carrots, green plaintains, coconut oil and applesauce. I could eat them every day.

Date Sweetened Spice Muffins (Nut & Egg Free, AIP Paleo

This recipe makes 16 muffins. They freeze well also!

Date Sweetened Spice Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line two muffin pans with 16 paper liners and set aside.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dried Medjool Dates (about 8 large, soaked in warm water for ten minutes, pits removed)

2 1/2 Cups Shredded Carrots

2 Green Plantains (Difficulty finding plantains, Walmart has them. Plantains are cheap!)

1/2 Cup Applesauce (no sugar added, preferably organic)

1/2 Cup Tigernut Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Flour

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (melted)

2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder (homemade corn free recipe here)

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Mace (or Nutmeg may be substituted if not AIP they are very similar)

Directions: In a food processor, puree the green, peeled plaintains, that have been cut into chunks, with the applesauce and dates (drained after soaking) until very smooth, about three to five minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together your dry ingredients. Add the carrots to the pureed plantain mixture and puree until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and melted coconut oil. Pulse until thoroughly incorporated.

Scoop into the muffin papers with a muffin scoop.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes until the muffins spring back when touched with the tip of your finger. I used a convection oven, so the cook time is a little shorter than a conventional oven. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy and Blessed New Year!

Not recommended for those with SIBO

Cinnamon Date Thumbprint Cookies

I hope you all had a wonderful Memorial Day Weekend! The kids are all back in school now, so our routines are changing. We made this delicious cookie this weekend that I wanted to share with you. Thumbprints are such a fun cookie to eat and make. I especially enjoy making them with my children because the process is very hands on and fun.

Here is a delicious version of a thumbprint cookie that has just the right amount of cinnamon and a date filled center.

Also, don’t forget to enter the giveaway! It is posted under Products I Love. The giveaway ends Monday, September 8th, and is a very modern Cooler that is eco-friendly, light and functions so much better than the cheap styrofoam ones. It is hosted by Rafflecopter, so just click on the link on the giveaway page, and it will take you there to enter.

So, here is the new cookie recipe! It makes 18 cookies.

Cinnamon Date Thumbprint Cookies

Preheat your oven 350º degrees F.

Ingredients:

For Cookie:

1 1/2 Cups Blanched Superfine Almond Flour

6 Tablespoons Coconut Flour

1 Tablespoon Grass Fed Gelatin

1/2 tsp. Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1 Tablespoon Cinnamon

1/2 Cup Coconut Oil

1/4 Cup Clear Honey

1 Tablespoon SCD Legal Vanilla Extract

In a small bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl cream your coconut oil, honey and vanilla extract. Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until incorporated thoroughly. Scoop tablespoon sized cookies onto two parchment lined baking sheets two inches apart and make a thumbprint in the center. I used a tablespoon cookie scoop.

Filling:

4 Medjool Dates, Pits Removed

2 Tablespoons Hot Water

2 Tablespoon Finely Shredded Unsweetened Coconut

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

1 tsp. Fresh Lemon Juice

Pinch of Himalayan Pink Salt

Puree the filling ingredients together until smooth. I used my small Ninja chopper for this, but anything that will puree fairly small amounts will work fine. Scoop a teaspoon of filling for each cookie and place it in the thumbprint.

Bake 20 minutes, then cool. I hope you enjoy these cookies like we do! Also, remember the great giveaway! I use my cooler all the time!