No Bake Gluten Free Energy Bites - 2 Kinds! (Easy to make in a dorm room!)

 

I don't know why, but I have had the worst craving for granola bars lately. 

 

 

Most granola bars contain gluten, so that means they are out for me. I have taken a liking to a couple gluten free varieties, but you have to really watch the sugar levels in the nutrition info. My favorite brand is "All-But-Gluten" and my second favorite is "Enviro-Kidz". Both can be found at Walmart.

Though these are great when on-the-go, gluten free granola bars can be really expensive (like 4-5 dollars per box). On a student budget I find it's sometimes easier to make my own 'packaged' types of food.

I love peanut butter and was looking for a high-protein snack so one variety I made is peanut butter. The other, of course, since it's autumn and I have a ton of pumpkin in my fridge, is pumpkin spice.

These are super tasty. The batter was good on it's own! The best part is I have tried and tested making them on a piece of wax paper on my dorm room floor, so I know it is possible for EVERYONE.

 

 

Before getting started I should note not to be afraid to experiment with these. If the consistency isn't right I just rearrange the mixture a bit (it's really difficult to mess these up). ;)

Also, if you want to shape them into bars rather than bites, just place the mix in an 8"x8" square baking dish or pan, chill, and then slice into bars. Good luck and enjoy!

 

For Peanut Butter Energy Bites

You will need:

1 cup gluten free oats

1 medium-sized extra ripe banana (make sure it is ripe...it's difficult to mix if it's not soft)

2 tsp. ground flax

1 small handful of raisins

1 small handful of unsweetened coconut

3 heaping tbsp. of organic peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)

 

1. Put all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl

2. Stir/mash together the ingredients with a fork. (They may seem dry, but the more you stir, the more the oats soak up the moist ingredients)

3. One the mix is stirred well and at desired consistency, scoop tbsp.'s full and squeeze firmly in hand to make dense before rolling into balls.

4. Place on wax paper (or in containers) and refrigerate...or freeze for a delicious frozen treat

 

 

For Pumpkin Spice Energy Bites

You will need:

1 cup gluten free oats

1 medium-sized extra ripe banana (make sure it is ripe...it's difficult to mix if it's not soft)

2 tsp. ground flax

1 small handful of raisins

1 small handful of unsweetened coconut

3 heaping tbsp. of pumpkin puree

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 packet of Truvia

 

1. Put all ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl

2. Stir/mash together the ingredients with a fork. (They may seem dry, but the more you stir, the more the oats soak up the moist ingredients)

3. One the mix is stirred well and at desired consistency, scoop tbsp.'s full and squeeze firmly in hand to make dense before rolling into balls. - This is especially important since the pumpkin will make these bites extra moist

4. Place on wax paper (or in containers) and refrigerate...or freeze for a delicious frozen treat

 

Movie Snack-Time! - Watermelon Feta Salad

Okay. So I was definitely a bit skeptical about this at first...

 

 

...but my skepticism quickly faded.

I am not a fan of ordering in high sugar, high fat foods for movie nights. My boyfriend used to love to order pizzas for movies, and I happily participated, until all my food allergies erupted. Not that I'm complaining. It was these allergies that taught me that I had to take a healthier road.

I really wanted sweets this past movie night, but at the same time I wanted the saltiness of a bag of chips, and the satisfying feeling that comes from protein rich meals.

I was Pinteresting it up for snack ideas...(surprise)...when I came to a watermelon feta salad. I had watermelon, I had feta...why not?

I just crumbled a tiny bit of feta over a few pieces of melon to start...but that quickly turned to giant chunks (as you can see) upon tasting it.

The tangy-saltiness of the feta and the sweetness of the watermelon are so complementing to each other. I have been eating this all week...(I even ran out of feta and had to get more just for this salad). The best part is it's high in fiber and protein and is super hydrating. Guilt free!

If you like watermelon and you like feta, you will love them together! Let me know what you think. Yum!

Chunky Monkey Smoothie

 

This is an excellent smoothie for a quick and lasting energy boost and a healthy alternative to a sweet treat.

 

 

 

You will need:

1 medium to large size banana

1 heaping tablespoon of peanut butter (or nut butter of your choice)

1 cup chocolate coconut milk (or chocolate milk of your choice - also works with regular milk if you add  teaspoon of cocoa)

1/4 oats (cooked or uncooked)

1/2 cup of ice

 

1. Add milk and ice to blender and blend until nearly smooth

2. Add banana, oats and peanut butter to the mix (and now cocoa if you are choosing to use non-chocolate milk) and blend until smooth

3. Serve and enjoy!



Chocolate Avocado Pudding...that actually tastes like chocolate pudding

I was skeptical to try this, but it is a delicious way to get those heart-healthy fats, especially for those who don't like avocados! It actually tastes an smells like chocolate pudding.

 

 

 

You will need:

1 avocado

1 heaping teaspoon of cocoa

2 packets of Truvia or 2 big tbsps. of honey

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk (or creamy milk of your choice)

1 stemmed cherry to garnish (optional)

 

1. Cut, peel and pit the avocado and add to the blender.

2. Add in milk and blend the avocado and milk together.

3. Mix in cocoa and Truvia/honey and blend until smooth.

 

*Note: I prefer anything chocolate to be more on the bitter side, so don't be afraid to taste test and add more or less cocoa or sweetener as you desire!

 

Serve and enjoy!

 

I got this idea from http://www.mindbodygreen.com/ which is an incredible blog to check out for health and wellness. I did modify the recipe to make it my own, but I would recommend testing out their version as well!



Guiltless Iced Chocolate

Today I had a terrible caving for chocolate (surprise...), but I didn't want to indulge so I managed to come up with this super low-cal, low-fat, dairy-free...but delicious treat!

 

You will need:
1 cup of ice
1/2 a cup of unsweetened coconut milk (or milk of your choice)
1 rounded teaspoon of cocoa
1/2 a packet of Truvia
1 dollop of light Cool Whip

1. Add ice and milk to blender and blend almost completely.
2. Add cocoa and Truvia to the mix and finish blending until desired thickness.
3. Pour and add a dollop of Cool Whip to the top and voila! Chocolatey deliciousness without the guilt!

Cauliflower Crust Pizza

I tried my hand at cauliflower pizza crust last night as an alternative to my usual store-bought, gluten-free pizza crust. Turns out it's amazing, and even my gluten-eating family liked it! Definitely a must-try! 

 

 

This super easy crust takes about ten minutes to construct. The hardest part is steaming the cauliflower...like I said, super easy!

You will need:

1 cup of steamed cauliflower grated or mashed
1 egg

1 tbsp. of Parmesan cheese
2 tsp. of basil
2 tsp. of parsley
1 tsp. of oregano
1/2 tsp. of Italian spice

1 small mixing bowl

1 potato masher

1 small pizza pan or baking dish

 Precooked desired pizza toppings (the crust is not in the oven long enough to cook most toppings, but veggies can be left uncooked)

Pizza sauce of your choice

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Prepare and cook all desired pizza toppings (I just cooked up some ground beef and Italian sausage and diced some green pepper, onion, and added some canned mushrooms).
3. Mash steamed cauliflower well (I started off by grating it and got lazy, and found that a potato masher is equally effective).

4. Add egg, cheese, and spices.

5. Mash mix with a fork and mix well.

6. Put the mix in a greased pizza pan (I just used cooking spray). Make sure to spread at least 1/2 inch to 1 inch thick - I made mine waaay to thin the first try)

7. Bake at 450F for 12-15 min. or until edge gold AND middle is crisp (you do not want the middle to be uncooked, bleh)

8. Add pizza sauce and PRECOOKED toppings and place back in the oven until toppings are hot  (should take about 5 minutes).
 

Super tasty! Good luck!

Low Fat, Low Cal, Dairy Free Mocha Frappe

Sure. It might not sound so appealing at first because how can anything so good for you really taste that good? Well, it's possible. I was just messing around the other day, and was trying to create my favorite frozen beverage dairy-free for lactose intolerant me.

You will need:
- 1 cup of ice
- 1/2 cup of coffee
- 1/2 cup of chocolate coconut milk
- 1 pkg. Truvia or Stevia

In a blender mix all ingredients until desired consistency. Taste test (as I had to do this to make sure I got the desired bitterness of the coffee or sweetness of the Truvia) to personal taste.
Pour and enjoy!