Chocolate Chip Treat Balls

Now that summer is coming to a close, all our guests have departed and our celebrations are winding down, I decided to get back to my healthy eating kick again. So, wouldn't you know it that I got a craving for chocolate chip cookies. But I solved that problem real fast by making these "healthy" chocolate chip cookies. This is a Hannah Freese, RD recipe so, of course, it's a healthy one. It's one of those no-cook type of cookie that tastes like a cross between a granola bar and a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. It immediately satisfied my chcolate chip cookie craving and I made them in about 15 minutes. They are made with oatmeal, pecans, hemp seeds, peanut butter, milk of your choice, and dark chocolate chips. I had all the ingredients in my kitchen since I started following her eating plan five years ago. I can't believe it's been that long. It was September 2020 when I joined her 12-week program to fix my broken metabolism. That was how she advertised her program and three of my sisters had also joined her program and had success. So, I hopped on the bandwagon and lost 25 pounds and lowered my inflammation immensely. I know that because I had my second knee replacement during that time and I was so much less swollen during my rehab than the first time. Joint replacements are NOT fun and they are a lot of work but lowering my inflammation helped a lot. So, I still try to stick to her guidelines. She has since discontinued her program but I still have hundreds of her recipes since I was in her "alumni program" where we got recipes every month. I printed them all off each month and tucked them away for future use and now here we are. And it is good timing because my chocolate chip cookie craving has been satisfied. Each cookie ball has:

Calories 173
Fat 13g
Carbs 11g
Fiber 2g
Sugar 4g
Protein 4g

That is a lot healthier that a regular chocolate chip cookie so I can say that I didn't go off of my healthy eating plan. Plus, they are very satisfying since they are 68% fat. In other words, you don't feel like eating very many before your craving disappears and it disappears fast. The fat is all from healthy sources so it is good, satisfying fat. So, go ahead and indulge. I think I will store them in the freezer and get one out whenever I feel like a little treat. They might help me get through the Halloween-candy-temptation-time-of-the-year that is soon coming up. Keep this recipe handy, folks!

Make 14-16 balls

1 cup oats

1 cup pecans

2 Tbsp. hemp seeds

1/2 cup almond butter or peanut butter (smooth, runny)

1 Tbsp. maple syrup

1 Tbsp. canned coconut milk or milk of choice

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (70% or higher)

1. Add the oats, pecans and hemp seeds to a food processor. Blend until the mixture resembles bread crumbs.

2. Pour mixture into a bowl. Add the almond butter, maple syrup and milk. Mix until a slightly sticky dough forms.

3. Fold in the chocolate chips.

4. Roll the dough into approximately two-inch balls and place on parchment paper on a cookie sheet and chill for 15 minutes.

I rolled them a little smaller because you don't need a lot to satisfy your sweet tooth so you might get a few more balls. You can eat them as is or refrigerate them for 15 minutes to firm up. Store them in the freezer for a quick treat when you get that craving for something sweet or store them in an airtight container for up to five days.

Trader Joe's Gluten-Free Oatmeal, Peanut Butter and Chocolate Chip Cookies

I don't have very many gluten-free cookies on my blog because quite frankly, I usually don't like gluten-free. But occasionally, I do find a good recipe and this is one that is from the back of the Trader Joe's oatmeal and it's a good one. My friend brought some over to our house last weekend when Nick and family were here for our birthday celebrations and we all loved them. My friend lives a few blocks away and we walk the neighborhood together on weekends. We can easily go 5 miles in no time, talking non-stop. She loves exploring our neighborhood as much as I do and we discover so many favorite little spots. We even found a property with a horse (or more like a pony, I should say.) The views are always quite lovely, too. Bruce and I had our thirty-ninth wedding anniversary on July 18th and I made a point of walking past the house where we had our wedding reception. I told my friend, "Thirty-nine years ago today, t...

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Sylvia's Scenario

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