Tahini Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
My obsession with tahini is no joke. I love tahini - sweet, savory, in a sauce, in a baked good, on veggies, you name it! These bars are no exception. Tahini is made from sesame seeds, so this recipe is nut free for those with allergies. Tahini also naturally adds lots of protein, calcium (you wouldn’t guess that but it is one of the best sources), and healthy fats. The tahini also balances the sweetness in this recipe. They have that chocolate chip cookie taste but with an interesting twist and are not overly sweet but will satisfy your sweet tooth. Like I said, these are nut-free (allergy friendly), paleo, grain-free, gluten-free and refined sugar free! They make a great filling grab and go snack or dessert, or hey, even a breakfast. Hope you try them out!
Pumpkin Nut Energy Bars
I created this recipe LAST fall and I can’t believe I forgot about it. But with fall here again and all things pumpkin I’m glad I remembered it! It’s so delicious, you could enjoy this any time of year. These are my favorite type of baking, healthy, filling, and easy to grab and go. They can be breakfast, a snack or even a less sweet dessert. And of course they are meal prep friendly, you could even freeze some if you want.
Coconut Sea Salt Caramel Snack Bars (Paleo-friendly, No-bake)
These bars taste like candy if I do say so myself. I had a few toddlers taste test them and they agreed ;) However, they’re made from all whole foods ingredients. They’re super easy to whip up (you don’t even need to turn on the oven and you ONLY use your food processor) so there is minimal mess. Plus they’re full of filling healthy fats and fiber that help balance your blood sugar with the natural sweetness from the dates. So they’ll give you that long sustained energy instead of that spike, crash, then craving for another spike (we’ve all been there).
Lemon Blueberry Muffins (Paleo-Friendly)
These muffins truly encompass summer flavors in my opinion! They are a great breakfast or grab and go snack and have natural protein from the eggs and are lower in sugar. Like I said in the instructions, they are best when served warm, I love to reheat mine in the toaster oven. These can also be a great addition to meal prep!
Banana Bread Blondies
I’ve mentioned before that I have an issue where I HATE letting ripe bananas go to waste without baking with them. The benefit to you guys is lots of banana recipes! (If you haven’t already, I highly recommend you try my paleo banana donuts, banana flax waffles, granola stuffed banana cookies and my no-sugar-added banana bread!) Anyways, these blondies were the result of more ripe bananas and I thought, what HAVEN’T I made with ripe bananas … blondies! These also have no sugar added (sweetened only by banana), are paleo-friendly, gluten-free and make a great snack or dessert! They are a perfect healthy grab and go treat to add to your weekly meal prep!
Bakery Style Choco-Chip Zucchini Muffins (paleo friendly)
I don’t have kids yet (at least not kids that are outside of my stomach and that I have to feed separately from feeding myself) but I will very soon. And from what I’ve been told, lots of kids don’t love veggies. And let’s be honest, I meet lots of adults who don’t love them either. This is the perfect recipe for those people because the veggies are completely disguised in chocolate chip muffin form. And even if you LOVE veggies, this is a great way to get even more into your day. In my opinion, there is rarely such a thing as too many veggies. Anyways, this easy muffin recipe is paleo-friendly and free of all the usual suspects (grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free, refined sugar-free, soy-free) but it’s SUPER fluffy and satisfying. I hope you try them!
Cocoa Cashew No Bake Energy Bites
These energy bites seriously hit the spot… they’re fudgey and chocolatey and don’t require baking (hello summer is coming and I’m pregnant so oven-free will be KEY!). They have minimal sugar (and it’s coming from nutrient-dense sources like raw honey) plus they are packed with all my other faves - fiber, protein, healthy fats! They also have superfoods like cacao which is rich in magnesium, a mineral many Americans are deficient in. I used Thera Treats CBD dark chocolate in this because not only is it super high quality soy-free, organic dark chocolate but it has healing properties. CBD can help with pain management, anxiety, relaxation, sleep and more! You can use code CPRESS on your own CBD treats from their website if you want.
Lemon Chia Seed Quinoa Bars
I have loved lemon poppyseed muffins since I was a kid, and this recipe is a more nutrient-dense twist on that. There are so many ingredients adding protein and fiber that they are really filling and give you long sustained energy while satisfying that ever-so sweet tooth. The bars are sweetened with raw honey, which, adds even more minerals to the mix! They make a great breakfast or snack on the go.
Creamy Coconut Chia Pudding
This recipe is stupid easy. You’ll do it once and be like “that was it?” … which, is one of the many reasons I love it so much. It’s also great for meal prep since it’s easy to make ahead, very portable, and lasts most of the week. This creamy coconut chia pudding can be eaten as a breakfast, snack, or even a topping for another food (ahem waffles and pancakes!) Bonus, it is completely free of processed ingredients and is full of healthy fats, fiber and protein to keep you full for a long while! Can’t wait to hear what your favorite toppings are.
Sweet Potato Toast
This recipe is SO easy it’s barely a recipe. But I find people do need instructions to make it, so here it is. I like to meal prep these and make 2-3 potatoes at once then take out a few slices when I’m hungry. They last pretty well in the fridge so it just makes it a lot easier later on.
Paleo Fudge Brownie Protein Bars
I’m pretty obsessed with these bars. They come out thinner than a brownie, and more like a protein bar thickness but they are fudgy and chewy! They are really filling from all the natural protein, fiber and healthy fats in the almond flour, flaxseed meal and collagen. Plus the cacao and CBD both give them a relaxing property. This makes them the perfect afternoon treat, when you hit that mid-day slump or after dinner treat to wind down before bed time. I used the thera treats caramel coconut drizzle flavor of CBD chocolate bars. Code CPRESS saves you 10% on their website! Recipe below.
Honey Beet Muffins
Get it it… honey beet like honey bee… ok never mind, I thought it was clever. Anyways, the honey and the beets go together perfectly in these muffins! They really compliment each other’s flavors. There isn’t too much honey, so they aren’t super sweet, but that makes them the perfect blood-sugar-balancing snack for any time of day! And they sneak in a serving of veggies, which is always welcomed! The amazing thing about beets is that they help our blood carry nitrates around our body, which means better oxygen flow, which means better heart health and cardiovascular function overall! That’s a win if you ask me. I used Cece’s Veggie Co beet noodles to take an extra step out of the process, plus they’re organic. You can find them near you here. Now for the muffins…
Gluten-free Oatmeal Chocolate Chunk Cookies
Who doesn’t love a good oatmeal cookie? These are perfectly chewy and not overly sweet, and they use almond flour instead of wheat flour so they are allergy and gut friendly! I used dark chocolate instead of raisins because who doesn’t need more chocolate in their life? Also this dark chocolate is special because not only is it high quality organic (gluten-free and vegan), it contains CBD, which, is a hemp extract that has a lot of healing benefits. CBD can help reduce physical pain, reduce anxiety and is overall calming and soothing. Since Theratreats only uses full spectrum organic CBD oil, there is no THC in it, so you don’t need to worry about any crazy side effects. I used the raspberries and cinnamon organic dark chocolate bar from Theratreats, you can use code CPRESS to save 10% off anything on their site!
Mini Chocolate Coconut Happy Muffins
You might be thinking, why are these happy muffins? First of all - how can anything mini, chocolate and coconut not make you happy? Second of all - I added “Pretty Mushrooms” bliss blend (no it doesn’t taste like mushrooms). This blend contains medicinal mushrooms which are different than the creminis or shiitakes you buy at the store. These mushrooms are adaptogens, which, means they help our bodies adapt to and combat certain stressors and imbalances. This particular bliss blend contains reishi (which is known for relaxation), cacao (which contains magnesium that also helps with relaxation and tons of antioxidants), eleuthero root (which is known for mood boosting and relaxation) and ashwagandha (which is known to help combat stress). Winning combo if you ask me. Now to this recipe - it’s paleo, grain-free, gluten-free, dairy-free and refined sugar free but not at all flavor free. And I love the mini size for when you just want something small and sweet or you can have a bunch at once for a filling snack.
Granola Stuffed Banana Bread Cookies
Honestly, the overly long name of this recipe really says it all. These cookies combine all the best things - banana bread, granola, and cookies. I mean what more could you ask for? Bonus is that they are only sweetened by the banana, and have healthy fats, fiber and protein to keep you full. So these are a great sweet treat or energizing snack! Whenever I have ripe bananas I like to make a batch for snacking on the go.
Mini Thanksgiving Feast Patties
These thanksgiving feast bites are the perfect appetizer to bring to any fall or winter party since they are all of your protein and veggies in one plus the flavor just gives you all those holiday vibes! Bonus is they take less than 30 minutes to make. I love using Cece’s Veggie Co premade veggie noodles and rice for this to keep it super quick and I love that they are all organic and high quality. Plus, adding all the veggies in there make these fit with my magic formula for a powerhouse meal or snack PFFP. PFFP stands for protein, fat, fiber, and phytonutrients. The turkey thighs provide quality protein & healthy fats, while the veggies provide the fiber and phytonutrients. Click here to see where you can buy Cece’s products near you.
Mini Thanksgiving Feast Patties
You can also rice your own broccoli and spiralize your own root veggies.