Have You Ever Wanted to Eat a Whole Pint of Ice Cream?

I'm going to let you in on a little secret...

A delicious, satisfying dessert for only... 

109 calories

3 grams of fat 

11 grams of sugar 

3.7 grams of protein 

+

(I'm out of Arctic Zero, so I can't take a real picture for you. So sorry!) 

To make the 109 calorie dessert, I put a serving of chocolate peanut butter Arctic Zero in a bowl and crunched 2 cookies over the top.  A true "guilt free" dessert!  One time I ate an entire pint of vanilla maple.  I didn't feel bad. At all.  I only ate 150 calories! 

Vanilla maple is my favorite.  HEB has been out of it, so I had to get chocolate peanut butter during my last grocery store trip.  It's best when mixed with a topping.  The vanilla maple is so good I can eat it by itself.  The ingredients are impressive... simple and natural. 

"INGREDIENTS: PURIFIED WATER, WHEY PROTEIN CONCENTRATE, ORGANIC CANE SUGAR, DUTCH PROCESSED COCOA POWDER WITH ALKALI, GUAR GUM, XANTHAM GUM, NATURAL FLAVORS, SEA SALT, ORGANIC MONK FRUIT"

This is the first time I have purchased the cookies.  They were low in calories, so I thought I would give them a try.  Will definitely be getting them again.   

Myarcticzero.com shows some flavors I haven't seen at the grocery store.  I have only been able to find vanilla maple and chocolate peanut butter.  

Have you tried any of the other Arctic Zero pints or bars?  What did you think?  Did you eat the whole pint? 

Allergy Friendly Treat!

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Here is a recipe I created for Chocolate Cranberry Bars.  They are gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soy free, and nut free.  I made the bars food allergy friendly so my sister could enjoy them.  But, don't let that turn you away, they are still delicious!  People with no food allergies gave great feedback too.  Let me know what you think :)

Chocolate Cranberry Scones

1/4 cup coconut flour
1 cup gluten free oat flour (I ground whole oats in a food processor to make oat flour)
1/2 cup rice flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup cocoa
Pinch of salt
6 Tbsp. coconut milk
1 banana
1 tsp. vanilla
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 Tbsp. Spectrum Naturals Organic Shortening (the only soy free vegetable shortening I could find)
1/4 cup Enjoy Life Mini Chips (dairy, nut, egg, gluten, and soy free chocolate chips)
1/4 cup craisins
Extra oat flour for kneading

1. Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Be sure to mix well so you don't get any "baking soda bites".

2. Mix wet ingredients in a separate bowl.  I used a KitchenAid.

3. Slowly add dry ingredients to wet.  This is where the KitchenAid comes in handy.  After it's mixed, add the craisins and chocolate chips.

4. Poor dough onto a floured surface.  I used a silicone mat with oat flour on top.  The dough will be slightly wet, so you have to knead the dough with the extra oat four.

5. Shape the dough into a circle and cut it like a pie.

6. Place the bars on a baking sheet and bake on 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-12 minutes.

Raw Almond Milk

A few days ago I made the mistake of reading the back of my almond milk carton. I was surprised at how many chemicals were added to give the milk a shelf life. I didn't see the point in paying extra for a healthy milk alternative to just drink a bunch of chemicals. So, I started comparing recipes and prices of almonds. I figured I could make half a gallon for under $3. Most almond milk is priced at $3-$4 per half gallon. I'm a fan of anything thats better for you and less expensive!

Raw Almond Milk
Makes about 4 cups

1 cup of raw almonds (I got them from HEB in the bulk section)
4 cups of water
3-6 dates
1tsp Vanilla extract
Cheese cloth or nut milk bag
Jar or pitcher
Blender

1. Soak almonds and dates in water for 8-10 hours (I put mine in the fridge overnight)
2. Drain and rinse almonds
3. Blend almonds and 4 cups of water in a powerful blender for about a minute

4. Poor into cheese cloth to separate the pulp from the milk (I put the pulp in the freezer and made cookies with it a few days later)

5. Place milk back into the blender and blend with dates and vanilla

6. Poor into a jar and store in the fridge for 2-3 days

Makes a great almond milk latte :)

Whipped Oatmeal

I made some delicious whipped oatmeal this morning. I'm amazed at how many different ways oatmeal can be cooked. Right when I think I have tried them all, I find a new recipe.

I loved this recipe because the oatmeal smells like cake while it's cooking!

Whipped Oatmeal
Serves 2
245 calories per serving (without toppings)

1 cup water
1 cup coconut milk (can use milk of your choice)
1 cup oats
1 large banana
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch of salt

Bring the water and milk to a simmer.

Add the banana and oats.



Add the salt and vanilla while whisking.



Once the banana disappears, stop whisking, place a lid on the pan, and turn to low.

When the oats are soft, remove from heat and serve with your favorite toppings. I used almond butter, coconut, flax seed, raisins, and craisins.

Tortilla Soup

I stumbled across a tortilla soup recipe the other day, and even though it's 100 degrees outside, I gave it a shot. It ended up being super easy, quick, and so tasty. In fact, I liked it so much, I ate it three days in a row! The soup actually tasted the best the next day.

The soup recipe is from The Cooking Photographer.

The recipe calls for vegetable broth, but I used half vegetable and half chicken. Chicken broth doesn't change the flavor much, I just used it because it's what I had at the time. I also substituted the large list of spices for cumin, garlic salt, pepper, and chili seasoning. I topped my soup with cilantro and organic blue corn chips.

How Much Water Do You Need?

Ever wonder how much water your body actually needs to stay hydrated?

I have been doing some research to find an answer to that question.

Here's what I found...

You need half of your body weight, in ounces, of water per day.

Sounds simple, right? Unfortunately, it gets a little more complicated than that. Every time you drink caffeine, sweat, take a hot shower, exercise, or drink alcohol you are taking water out of your body. If you participate in any of these activities, you will need to increase your water intake for that day.

Every 8oz of coffee you drink, 80oz of water is being pulled out of your body.

Depending on the intensity of your sweat generating activity, 50-80oz of water can be lost per hour.

Example:
Weight - 150lbs
Water needs per day - 75oz
8oz of coffee consumed - negative 80oz
1 hour of exercise - negative 60oz
2 hours in the heat- negative 80oz

Actual water needs per day for 150lbs person = 295 ounces = 36.9 cups = 8.7 liters = 2.3 gallons

That's a lot of water! I find it's much easier to stay hydrated when I carry a water bottle that holds at least 1 liter.

Flourless Pancakes

As I sit here, sipping on a delicious green smoothie that I wish was bottomless, I realized that I post a lot of breakfast recipes. I promise I don't cook just breakfast foods. My schedule has been crazy lately, so my only time in the kitchen has been early mornings. I have been making a lot of quick and easy salads to bring with me to work for lunches and dinners. While on the go, I have also found a new liking for sugar snap peas (can be found fresh and pre-washed in the produce section at most grocery stores), Bumble Bars, and Go Raw bars (the bars are from abovesalt.com). I keep them around so I'm not tempted, after a long day, to grab a pastry at Starbucks or a cupcake from Gigi's Cupcakes. However, you must try Gigi's Cupcakes at least once. They are easily the best cupcakes I have ever had. I hate to admit it, but they are even better than my dark chocolate mousse filled cupcakes topped with coffee ganache. Ok, before I start craving a cupcake, here's another breakfast recipe... or dinner if you would like.

Flourless Pancakes

1 cup ground millet
1 cup ground spelt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups almond milk (can use any milk, but I thought almond milk tasted the best for this recipe)
1 beaten egg
1 Tbsp melted butter

-Mix dry ingredients in a bowl then add the milk, egg, and butter. I mixed it together in my VitaMix blender so I could easily poor the batter in the pan.
-Heat a very small amount of butter in the pan until it is nice and hot. Pancakes cook best when the pan is very hot.
-Poor some batter on the pan. The batter is thin, so you don't need much. When you see bubbles on top of the pancake, flip and let cook about a minute longer.
- Top with fresh fruit and honey