I don’t eat much store-bought candy these days, but when Halloween rolls around, I find myself eyeballing those Reese’s peanut butter pumpkins. I know it’s basically the same as a peanut butter cup, but for some reason, the pumpkin always tasted better to me. Maybe a better peanut butter to chocolate ratio? Maybe the eye-catching Halloween packaging? Let’s be real, though- that peanut butter filling is so good.

But that filling is also full of not-so-healthy ingredients (sorry, Mr. Hershey! xoxo). All it took was a few pantry ingredients to create a satisfying version of my own with no refined sugars. Hooray! The pumpkin cutter I used is from Pampered Chef, but I’m sure you could find one this time of year at your local baking/craft store. You could also roll them into balls, or cut them into another shape, or save this recipe for a few months so you can knock of the Reese’s peanut butter eggs come Easter time.

If I had the time and/or patience, I would make these to hand out to trick-or-treaters. Though I’m not sure parents let their kids accept homemade treats anymore. Sad times. Must go cheer myself with a pumpkin.

I felt like a real genius with this one, you guys.

This crazy Thai/Mexican fusion taquito idea just popped into my brain and would not leave until I made it happen. All I could think about was peanut sauce for days. Days! Then another idea called Chicken Satay Lettuce Wraps became best friends with the taquito idea and I had no choice but to go full force with it.

Here’s how it’s gonna go down.

You’re going to put some chicken in a crockpot with some coconut milk and forget it. Then you’re going to remember it, shred it, mix it up with some other goodies and stuff it into some lettuce and then into your face. And you’re going to have to set aside half of the filling before you dig in because you will probably eat it all without thinking about it, then be super-bummed when you remember the whole taquito thing. So set it aside, for the love! Then the next day, remember it again, roll it up in some tortillas and dip those gems into the peanut sauce.

Go visit MPMK for the Lettuce Wraps and Peanut Sauce recipes.

 This is a double duty crockpot dinner, people! You don’t want to miss it.

What’s up!?

The toddlers have amazed me by sleeping for TWO HOURS so here I am- bringing you some cookies. I wish I could bring them to you personally, but the inmates are running the asylum around here and they just won’t let me out!

I’m surprised at how much I’ve been in the kitchen this week. These kids are always hungry! We finish breakfast and 10 minutes later they’re asking for snack. I don’t know what people do with multiples- so many dishes, so many sippy cups and so many growing mouths to feed at one time. I salute you, mothers of multiples/childcare workers/mothers of many- you are keeping this world turning.

Some important things:

No refined sugar, no eggs, no dairy- great if there are allergies in the family (unless you’re gluten or wheat-free, sorry. You have to make the cookies out of something!) Easily adaptable with whatever nut butter you prefer or have on hand and you can mix in anything you like- chocolate chips, chopped nuts.. cacao nibs taste amazing, too. They’re easy to mix, scoop and bake. Kids will gobble them up. You can make (and eat all of) them in under 30 minutes.

I was going to feed these cookies to the babies when they wake up as their afternoon treat, but they are just sitting there on the counter calling to me.. they’ll never know what they missed, right?

(Just kidding. I will exercise some self-control and only eat one.. or two. Definitely not more than four or five. Gotta make sure I have enough for their second/third snack-after-snack.)

I’ve got another sugarless baking experiment for you today, imaginary internet pal!

I know you’ve been there- middle of the afternoon, no snacks handy, craving hits.. and you think to yourself, “how can I make myself a treat before the kids wake up??”

I immediately thought of no-bake cookies (and also thought I was some kind of genius for coming up with that.. DUH, Natalie.). The banana takes the place of refined sugar in this recipe. If you’re not into the whole sweeten-stuff-with-bananas thing, this recipe isn’t for you. The banana isn’t overpowering, but you can taste it in there.

I was a fan, husband was a fan, toddler was a fan. They tasted plenty sweet to us without the sugar, but that could be because we aren’t eating any real sugar and our taste buds have changed. I had a little cookie-fruit-pizza-bite-thingy yesterday morning at MOPS (you’ve been on Pinterest, you know what I’m talking about) and it tasted SO SWEET. A month ago, I would have downed a handful of them and started looking for something else. Hooray for detoxing!

If you’re looking for a quick and refined-sugar free cookie, give this one a try. But it’s okay if you don’t- I know my girl Marianne will (this post is really just for her anyways). Better get crackin’- nap time is almost over..

 What. What???

That sounds totally weird.

Are you wondering how white beans and cookie dough could possibly be friends?

I applaud you for actually reading this post and not just moving on to the next blog.

After stumbling upon lots of bean-related desserts in the blog world- black bean brownies, white bean bundt cake, etc- I figured it was time to jump on the bandwagon. With some inspiration from Idlewife, I raided my pantry and whipped up some white bean cookie dough.

Now, I know you have some questions, so let me answer them.

1. No, this does not taste exactly like regular cookie dough. How could it? It’s base is 2 cups of beans, not 2 cups of granulated sugar. Come on now.

2. No, this does not taste like hummus. Sure, it’s made of beans, but there’s other stuff in there, too!

3. Yes, it tastes really good. I like to spread it on apples or just eat it with a spoon, frankly.

This is a nice transition treat if you’re looking to cut down on the sweets but still want to enjoy something special to eat. It keeps well in the fridge and it’s good in the freezer long term, but it gets too hard for ready snacking.

I know it seems strange.. but you should give this one a try. It takes less time than baking cookies and is pretty good for you, all things considered. If not for you, maybe use your husbands and kids as guinea pigs. Mine couldn’t tell the difference.

If you spend any time on these vast internets searching for recipes (which you probably do since you’re reading this blog), you may have noticed the trend in bite-sized snacks. There are the sweeter types like cake balls/cake pops and cookie dough balls as well as healthier versions like raw energy balls. I’ve been wanting to create my own version for quite a while, and I finally got around to experimenting.

My version has the typical granola bar-type ingredients- oats, peanut butter, honey and chocolate chips- but also includes something a little different.

Have you heard of chia seeds?

 I know you’ve at least heard of Chia Pets, so let’s start there. Yes, chia seeds are the same seeds that sprout like magic on those crazy old planters. But what you might not know is that they are the latest trendy ingredient in the health food world. The seeds are rich in Omega-3 fatty acids, full of fiber and contain a variety of essential minerals. They are comparable to flax or sesame seeds and are especially popular in the world of gluten-free baking (you can make a slurry of chia seeds and water that acts as an egg replacer).

 The folks at Bob’s Red Mill just started carrying chia seeds and were kind enough to send me some to experiment with. I tried two variations of these energy bites- the recipe you see here and a second version using dates and coconut as the base (similar to a Larabar). The coconut version did not set up as well as I’d hoped and didn’t taste nearly as delicious as these bites do. I really love the way this recipe turned out.

 I hope you’ll give these little bites a try. They have just the right amount of sweetness to be considered a treat and enough healthy ingredients to make you feel good about eating them. I would especially recommend them for pregnant, nursing or just plain busy mamas- they give you a great boost of energy and will satisfy your hunger on the craziest of days. Enjoy!

‘Cause, you know.. sugar’s vegan. (Woo hoo!)

Breakfast was a peanut butter banana wrap with almond milk.

Lunch was the salad bar at Lane’s.

Snack was (too many!!) vegan chocolate chip cookies.

Dinner was leftover pasta.

Let me just tell you about this banana wrap.  I make this for breakfast ALL. THE. TIME.  It’s my go-to, seriously.  Thank goodness I can still eat it!  I usually use honey, but I can handle the small switch to agave nectar.  So, so easy and quick- a great snack, and a hit with the little ones.

And these chocolate chip cookies?  Hold the phone.  I didn’t know butter-less, egg-less cookies could be so yummy!  They remind me of my pumpkin chocolate chip giants without the pumpkin.  Where have these been all my life?  Someone restrain me.

Vegan baking can be pretty awesome.

I need more nutrients (even with all my vitamins above, haha).. I’m tired!  But that could also be all the running around after my baby, who knows.
The vegan trial is really making me think about what I’m putting in my mouth.  If I’m not sure, I won’t eat it, but if I’m sure, I might overdo it (seriously, someone hide the cookies).  I should really apply the discernment to my normal diet.

Recipes below..