Paleo-friendly Reese Cup!

I am not a huge candy person, but if there is a Reese Cup in front of me, I will eat it.  No. Questions. Asked.  Because who doesn't like peanut butter and chocolate together?  No one.  I am also aware, however, of the junk ingredients in a Reese Cup, which leaves me feeling guilty after I eat one.

Well, you guys, NO MORE GUILT.  This is a Reese Cup do-over.  Paleo-friendly and only four ingredients!!

What you need:

3 T of cocoa powder

1 T of coconut oil

A dollop of raw almond butter

Honey to taste

3-4 cupcake liners

1.  In a small bowl, mix together your cocoa powder and coconut oil.  Add honey little by little until you achieve your preferred level of sweetness.

2.  Pour half of the mixture into your cupcake liners.  Use all 3 or 4.  The ingredients are too heavy for only 1 or 2.  

3.  In a separate bowl, mix your almond butter with some honey.  As stated above, add honey little by little until you achieve your preferred level of sweetness.  

4.  Once mixed, spoon your almond butter mixture on top of the cocoa mixture in your cupcake liner.

5.  Add the remaining cocoa mixture on top of the almond butter mixture.

6.  Place in the freezer for about 10-15 minutes.

7.  Enjoy immensely.

WARNING:  This is RICH.  The cocoa powder used is 100% cocoa so it is extremely dark.  Also, since this is made with coconut oil, it will start to melt as soon as your fingers touch it.  If you don't mind the mess, then don't worry about.  

You can play around with this recipe, too.  If you don't want to use 100% cocoa powder, use chocolate chips instead and just melt them with the coconut oil.  If you use chocolate chips, you could get creative and use white chocolate chips for a white chocolate "reese" cup.  But, keep in mind, it may not be paleo-friendly anymore if you are a strict Paleo follower.

This makes one huge Reese cup, so usually I share it with my boyfriend, or the person lucky enough to be next to me.  

P.S. This is healthy.  Coconut oil has so many benefits.  It is a NATURAL form of saturated fat so it is GOOD for you.  It's not industry made saturated fat in the crap food you see on supermarket shelves.  People have been known to take one tablespoon a day to keep the weight off!  Cocoa powder has antioxidants and is a mild anti-depressant!  That explains why some days I go from monster to angel the second I eat chocolate.  Raw almond butter is a healthy fat, as well. 

Everyone have an awesome weekend!  

So eat up.  And keep it sassy.

Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee!

It's Wednesday a.k.a. Humpday a.k.a. TGI Almost Friday, which means you need a little pick-me-up to help you through the rest of the week.  We are going to share with you our recipe for Cinnamon Vanilla Coffee free of crap oils and artificial unpronounceable words.

This recipe is dairy-free, soy-free, vegan, and DELICIOUS.  With this coffee, it will be easy to make the transition from the "cream"er you think you can't live without.  I know.  I've been there.  Coffee-mate Coconut Creme was my comfort in a cup.  But, to tell you the truth, most of the creamer we buy from the store doesn't even contain cream.  What the heck?  That doesn't make sense at all, does it?

What you need:

Coffee.  I'm going to be honest.  My one cup of coffee usually contains two cups.  8 ounces just does not cut it for me.  Happy me = 16 oz. of coffee.  At least.  And I don't think it's just me. :)
Unsweetened Vanilla Almond Milk.  I put about 3-4 tablespoons into my coffee.
Pure Vanilla Extract.  I added two capfuls.  You should start with one so you can add more if you want more of a distinct vanilla flavor.
Cinnamon.  Start by adding 1/2 tablespoon at a time.  If that is not enough, you can always add more but you can't take away.  I start with 1 tablespoon but I have a cinnamon obsession.
Stevia.  Start with 1/2 a packet.  Too much could make your drink almost bitter.  You don't want that.  If you want it a little sweeter, add more.  You could probably substitute with honey, but it may overpower the flavor of the cinnamon and vanilla.

If your almond milk has been in the refrigerator you will probably need to warm your drink up a bit.  Try about 15 seconds in the microwave.

Enjoy your coffee!  Your body will thank you for switching :)

Happy Hump Day.  

Keep it sassy.

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The Extreme Clean Strawberry Jam!

Have you ever checked the ingredients on the back of your favorite jelly/jam jar?  These are the typical ingredients in one of the leading brands of strawberry jelly: Strawberries, high fructose corn syrup, corn syrup, sugar, pectin, citric acid.

Um, can you say ew?! Next time you take a bite of that jelly, imagine it going straight to your ass. Because it is. Your body is going to convert all of that gross, processed sugar into bad fat. And we don't like bad fat.

Luckily, I came across this fool-proof recipe on one of my favorite blogs, Eating Bird Food.  I am a HUGE advocate of "The less ingredients, the better it is for you."  This jam only has FOUR ingredients and corn syrup is NOT one of them!

What you need:

2 cups of fresh, organic strawberries. If you don't get organic, wash them, wash them, wash them! Did I say wash them? If you missed our "Clean Fifteen, Dirty Dozen" post, strawberries are one of the dirty dozens aka one of the fruits that are sprayed with pesticides. Did you know that the farmers/workers who spray fruits and vegetables with pesticides wear face masks because the pesticides they are spraying are toxic and potentially deadly if inhaled? Yet, we eat them. That makes perfect no sense. Rant over. I apologize.

2 tablespoons of chia seeds. I got mine from Trader Joe's because they are only five bucks. If you buy them elsewhere you will be paying at least $9.00 or $10.00. Chia seeds can help lower your blood pressure and they also help to flush fat out of your body. They have a ton of fiber too, so they make you full faster!

2 tablespoons of water.
Sweetener. I used one packet of stevia. Feel free to use a tablespoon of honey, maple syrup (the real kind, or raw, cane sugar. Don't use that artificial crap. Just don't do it.

Cut the leafy part off of the strawberries, and either mash them with a fork or put it in a blender. I am lazy; therefore, I blend.

Transfer the blended strawberries into a mason jar, or container of choice. Add your chia seeds, your water, and your sweetener, then give it a good shake.

Pop it in the fridge for 45-60 minutes and voila! You now have the simplest form of CLEAN, healthy strawberry jam you can make! This recipe is so easy, you can make this with any of your favorite fruits: peaches, blueberries, raspberries, etc...

BONUS: One tablespoon of this jam is only 7 CALORIES! That's right. Seven. Calories. The leading brand of strawberry preserves has 50 calories per tablespoon.

This will go great spread on toast or a rice cake, or even mixed into some plain greek yogurt! I hope you all enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Stay clean. And keep it sassy.

45 Calorie Cinnamon Bun Smoothie

Does anyone else ever crave cinnamon rolls on a regular basis?  I always crave them because I never eat them. You know why I never eat them? Because when I want a cinnamon roll, I want the good kind.  Not the kind you buy from Kroger, but the kind you get from Cinnabon.  And one cinnamon roll from Cinnabon has 880 calories, 36 grams of fat, 17 grams of saturated fat, 127 grams of carbs, and 59 grams of sugar.  Holy crap.

THAT folks is why I never eat cinnamon rolls.

Lucky for you, today I have cured our cinnamon roll craving.  The Cinnamon Bun Smoothie is vegan with only 45 calories, 3 grams of fat, 2 carbs, and ZERO grams of sugar.  Best of all, it doesn't taste like cardboard!!  Yay!!

What you need:

1 cup of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
5-6 ice cubes
3 tsp of ground cinnamon
2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
1 packet of stevia
Blender

Put all ingredients into your blender and mix! SO easy. I had to throw my Cinnamon Roll Quest Bar in the picture too. Surprise, surprise: it is my favorite flavor in the All Natural Line. :)

Aside from being good for your waistline, this smoothie also has other health benefits. Cinnamon is SO, I repeat, SO good for you. Here is how:

1. Helps control blood sugar.
2. Antioxidant. Cinnamon is one of the top seven antioxidants in the world.
3. Reduce weight. Cinnamon may help reduce hunger pains and sugar cravings. YES PLEASE.
4. Prevent colds, sore throats, and coughs. Some people claim that at the first sign of a cold, drinking Cinnamon Tea may prevent the cold because of its antibacterial properties.

So next time you are craving an 880 calorie cinnamon bun, you have a 45 calorie alternative. And don't forget to thank yourself for two things: 1)not clogging your arteries and 2) not feeding yourself shit.

Until next time, keep it sassy.