Recipe: Chewy Chococonut Cookies

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Everyone loves a good chocolate chip cookie, but sometimes you want to mix it up a bit. If you've had enough plain chocolate chip cookies this holiday season, check these out!

These chewy Chococonut cookies might be a bit of a tongue twister, but the flavors of the dark chocolate chunks and the chewy shredded coconut compliment each other brilliantly and make these a great change from the typical chocolate chip cookie!

They're big, soft, chewy cookies, like the kind you get from the cookie bakeries or carts at the mall. Without further ado, here's the quick and easy recipe! No dough chilling required.

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Loving Lately: New Finds

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Can you believe it's already mid September? For those who are school-aged, or have a school-aged child, it's either back to school time or school is already in full swing! 2015 is flying!

I've been fortunate enough to be out of NYC for most of the summer, spending June in Boston and July in NYC, so I escaped the bulk of NYC's summer heat. I've definitely been feeling it this month though! Flying from Germany to NYC was an instant 20 degrees Celsius increase in temperature (that's over 60 degrees Fahrenheit) and the first few days were absolutely brutal!



I eventually adjusted a bit, but I never really fully adjust to heat. I'm definitely more of a cold weather girl, so I'm ready for late September to bring the much needed relief of a cooler fall.

Anyway, with the start of fall here and the new seasons meaning lots of big changes for a lot of us (myself included - I'm not going back to school, but I'm taking a new step in my writing career and starting a new job as a children's entertainment writer for an animated television series in just a week!).

Before all the next new things begin, here are some of the latest new things that I have been enjoying!

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Wrawp Review - Raw, Vegan, and Packing Veggies!

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In theory, I like wraps. They're a convenient lunch and hold crunchy veggies, creamy spreads, and smoky tempeh perfectly. 

In reality, however, the bland flour tortilla used to create the actual wraps turns me off of the entire thing. 

Perhaps I was spoiled growing up with the best bread in the world (German bread, in case you were wondering) but wraps didn't have the textural appeal of good bread and didn't have any exciting flavors. I was quite unimpressed.

But I've recently discovered a raw vegan wrap that works for gluten-free and paleo diets (I don't do any of the above personally, but I know that many of you do).

Wrawps are made out of dried fruits, coconut, spices, and some varieties even include veggies!

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SquareBars Review

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I love protein bars - they're convenient, often tasty (I have a total weakness for chocolate flavored ones), and provide muscle-fueling vegetarian protein!

For vegans, howver, there are far fewer good protein bar options. Most bars use whey protein, have milk in their chocolate coating, or both. 

Luckily for vegans, there's a new all vegan protein bar that's been blowing up in popularity lately.

The icing on the cake (coating on the protein bar?) is that part of the profits from the purchase of Squarebars goes to a good cause!

2.5% of net sales of Squarebars go towards fighting human trafficking! Whoo!

And the bars come in three chocolatey flavors - Squarebars knows that chocolate is what we want, so chocolate is what we get. There's the classic Cocoa Crunch for purists.

Cocoa Almond for chocolate nut lovers.

...that would be me.

Last, but not least, there's Cocoa Coconut for Mounds candy bar fans who want the same taste with better nutrition. 

The bars all have similar ingredients and nutritional stats. At a bit over 200 calories and 11g of protein each, they're a great snack to help get plant-based protein in.

And they're delicious. That's huge, because who would eat them if they weren't?

They're more like a chocolate/candy bar than a protein bar in taste and texture, but definitely more like a protein bar in nutrition.

I recommend them!

Have you tried Squarebars? If so, what's your favorite flavor?

What is your favorite plant-based firm of protein?

How often do you eat protein bars?

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How to Add Superfoods to Your Day (The Yummy Way!)

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Swimsuit season may be over, but being healthy and feeling good are never out of season! As we head into the holiday season, many of us are looking for ways to stay healthy despite the diminishing availability of fresh fruits and veggies.

Okaaaaaaaay, so maybe September isn't really heading into the holiday season - but I know that I, for one, have already started with the Christmas movies!

Anyway, remember this preview that I teased you with at the beginning of last week?

The wait is over, it's recipe time! 

But first: what is it? 

A chocolate maca chia cake, that's what! 

Oh yeah, that's a whole lot of superfood in one tasty snack.

First, you start with some chia seeds.

I used Nutiva White Chia Seed (2 Tbsp.) mixed with rice milk (1/2 c.) to make a chia gel - just combine the two and let the mixture sit for five to ten minutes! Room temperature is fine.

Next, I mixed in 2 Tbsp. of Foods Alive Cacao and 1 Tbsp. of Foods Alive Maca Powder, as well as a dash of cinnamon, two tablespoons of honey, a teaspoon of baking powder, a dash of salt, and a tablespoon of almond butter. 

I put the mixture in the microwave and microwaved on medium-high for four to five minutes. It really depends on the strength of your microwave, so keep an eye on it!

If you are lucky enough to have access to some fresh fruits, despite the end of summer, top with fresh fruits! Some mulled hemp seed (I used Foods Alive mulled hemp seed) make a delicious superfood topping, too!

But sometimes you just don't feel like making something.

Easy as this recipe is, sometimes you want immediate satsifaction.

Nutiva's O'Coconut taste just like candy, but are perfectly portion-controlled and full of super foods!

What are your favorite superfoods?

What's your favorite fall activity?

When do you start getting into the holiday spirit?

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Have Your Cookies And Eat Them Too

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Back to school is well underway - or rather, almost forgotten by now in face of the return of routine - and it's finally starting to feel like autumn.

There are lots of wonderful things about fall and winter and the advent of the holidays. But they aren't exactly known for helping with health goals! Spring and summer are all about eating right and getting fit, but fall and winter, with the holidays and colder weather, are more about comfort foods and coziness.

It's like:

But too much of that and you feel like:

After all, fall and winter encompass a lot of months.

I'm all about healthy being fun and more desirable (even purely on a hedonistic level) than unhealthy. So there's no reason not to indulge your cold weather cravings - but indulge it the healthy way most of the time!



Betsy's Best Bar None are a healthy alternative to your traditional cookie. Normal cookies are great for now and then, but these Whole Food Rounds are something you can enjoy daily without concern as a healthy source of energy - and protein!

Each cookie has 5g of protein and each packet has 2 cookies (so, let's be honest, that's the realistic serving). All that protein is vegan, paleo, organic, non-GMO, and filler-free.

It's also, as advertised, whole food protein and not protein from whey or soy isolates or pea proteins.

The nut-free and grain-free recipe is not only paleo-friendly but also perfect for allergen-free diets or schools with strict nut-free lunchbox rules.

They're certified vegan, gluten-free, 100% organic, certified kosher, and non-GMO. There's pretty much no healthy diet that these don't fit into!

There are six flavors (the sixth is Orange Poppy Seed) and I tried five of them.

The flavors are all inventive and delicious. I honestly enjoyed all of them, even the Lemon Coconut! Usually that type of flavor isn't my thing (I'm all about all chocolate everything for bars and cookies) but the dense texture made it work!

The chocolate flavors were, of course, my favorite.

Especially the dark chocolate because, well, dark chocolate.

As you can see, these aren't masquerading as a candy chocolatey treat - they do taste like healthy food and they aren't interchangeable with an Otis Spunkmeyer double dark chocolate muffin, but they're deliciously hearty with nice dark chocolate chips.

They taste good, they're good for you, and they're good for the community!

I find the story behind the cookies particularly fascinating and it's definitely another good reason (though the taste and nutrition are really enough) to buy these!

Betsy's Best Bar None was founded in 2011 in Portland, Oregon not just to create a healthy snack for people of all different dietary requirements to enjoy, but also to provide those transitioning out of the prison system with gainful employment. That's a hugely important part of breaking the cycle!

Do something for your health while helping others rebuild their lives! That's such a perfect double-win situation!

Have you tried Betsy's Best Bar None Whole Food Rounds?

Which flavor looks best to you?

What's the last thing you did to give back to your community? Can't think of anything? Order some of these and you just did!

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Protein The Right Whey: SimplyProtein Review

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I love protein bars, especially chocolate ones, but let's face it - it isn't hard to love something that's chocolate covered in chocolate with a layer of caramel, some nuts, a layer of nougat, and some more caramel under a final layer of chocolate.

Oh yeah, and maybe some soy nuggets or something tossed in there. Because, you know, protein.`

Do you even lift, bro?

Um, okay. I don't. But even as a relatively girly actress-writer-model-nerd, I can tell that it's a little off for a protein bar (originally intentioned as a health food) to come in with the same sugar, saturated fat, etc. as a same size candy bar. Sometimes more!

There's absolutely nothing wrong with eating candy bars. I do. But when you want a protein bar, you generally want a protein bar health food, not a candy bar.

I recently learned of SimplyProtein, a brand of protein bars and other protein-packed snacks that's definitely not on the candy bar spectrum. All of their products have plenty of protein and just a bit of sugar.

So, of course, I had to know - eh, meh, or oh yeeeeah? 

I got to try a wide range of their products, because they're not just protein bars. 

I tried two protein bar lines, SimplyProtein Whey and SimplyProtein Bars, as well as the SimplyProtein Crunch (I was hopeful that this would be like granola - long story short: YES), and SimplyProtein Chips.

Let's start with the protein bars, since that's what brought me to SimplyProtein.

They not only have nutrition labels that read like a nutrition label should, but they're also perfectly portioned snacks and actually delicious. They're sweet and match their advertised flavors without being cloying. Everything in life doesn't need to taste like a fried Oreo, thank you very much.

In fact, I'd prefer if it didn't. As much as I like Oreos and all.

Of the two lines, I preferred the original to the SimplyProtein Whey as a personal preference. Both had spot-on flavors, but I liked the denser, more Chewy-bar-like consistency of the SimplyProtein Bar , while the SimplyProtein Whey was more of a rice krispie treat-ish consistency (which has never really been my thing, even back when I was a wee lass).

That's obviously going to vary based on what you're into.

The SimplyProtein Crunch was my next favorite from their line, because I lovelovelove all things granola. 

This was definitely a puffier granola (definitely more Kashi Go Lean Crunch than Bear Naked), maybe even more like granola-inspired cereal than flat-out granola.

 Then again, it never claims to be granola. That one's all me. 

I loved that it had killer protein, a decent sized serving (some granolas pretend 1/4 cup is a serving - psssshaw, maybe for an infant), and nuts, seeds, dried fruits, and FLIPPING HUGE CLUMPS making it the shizz. 

Thank you, SimplyProtein. Thank you for making my Greek Yogurt-topping dreams come true.

It's also sweet enough to make a healthy ice cream topping for a protein-packed dessert! Win, win, - dare I say it? - win! 

Last up are the SimplyProtein chips, which were also delicious and great for chip lovers. 

Salty snacks can be unhealthy in large amounts (though, if I want to be facetious, so can water), so it's nice to have a healthy option that still has crunch and chippy satisfaction for savory snackers.

Every time I see a healthy lifestyle infographic suggesting swapping chips for raw veggies and dip, I raise an eyebrow. 

Sure, raw veggies and dip are delicious and sure, that's a great smart snack, but let's be real - the crunch from a spear of raw broccoli and the crunch from a Dorito are no more closely related than a drugstore bodice-ripper and A Tale of Two Cities.

These chips are great with ice cream - crudites? Not so much.

I'm not buying it.

SimplyProtein Chips actually do satisfy that same time of crunch craving. And they do it delicious and, in my opinion, more satisfactorily since there's none of that heavy in your stomach feeling after. Awesome!

Have you tried any SimplyProtein products?

What's something you've tried recently that you really enjoyed?

What's your protein bar pet peeve?

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Recipe: Vegan Thai-Inspired Sticky Rice with Mango

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Vegan Thai-Inspired Sticky Rice with Mango

Makes ~1 cup (1-2 servings)

* 1/2 c. uncooked short-grain white rice (I recommend sushi rice - or, to really approximate the Thai version, sticky rice!)

* 1/3 c. water

* 1 1/3 c. coconut milk

* 1/3 c. white sugar

* 1/6 tsp. salt

* 1 tsp. white sugar

* Pinch salt

* 1 tsp. cornstarch (tapioca starch might be even better, if you have it)

* 1 mango, peeled and sliced

* Optional sesame seeds, to top (I skipped them, since I didn't have any on hand)

1) Combine rice, water, and 1/2 cup coconut milk in a pot.



2) Bring to a boil over high heat and simmer for around 20 minutes, until liquid is fully absorbed.

Be careful not to let it burn on to the bottom!

3) Mix in another 1/2 c. coconut milk, 1/3 c sugar, 1/6 tsp salt. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

4) Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

I left some space in the bowl to add mango slices after.

5) Make sauce by combining remaining coconut milk, sugar, salt, and cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.

6) Arrange mangoes in bowl. 

7) Pour sauce over the mixture (sorry, I don't have a post-sauce photo, but it's fairly similar).

ENJOY!

What is your favorite dessert?

What is your favorite cuisine for dessert?

What is your favorite recipe? Links are welcome, if it's on the web!

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Recipe Review: Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies

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It's been a while since I reviewed someone else's recipe, hasn't it? Sounds like it's time to head back to the kitchen (and with a recipe instead of just whimsy and spices)!

Today's recipe is Averie Cooks' Soft and Chewy Oatmeal Coconut Chocolate Chip Cookies.

Here's what the cookies look like on her blog:



Here's what they look like in real life:



Huge difference, no? They were still delicious (they look big - they were big. Like mall cookie or bake sale big, but that's not in the recipe - I made them like that because I didn't want to want to bake batch after batch of cookies, or I wouldn't make it to the library before closing time).



I also made a few changes to the recipe, though, so perhaps they do look like they do on her blog if you follow the recipe down to the letter. Since I didn't have brown sugar, however, I used a mix of white sugar and honey. Since I was out of coconut oil and there wasn't a Whole Foods or other overpriced hippie food store (I love Whole Foods, but they are what they are) around the corner, I used melted margarine instead of coconut oil.

Coconut oil solidifies differently than melted margarine, so that could likely explain rising/shape differences.

Still, the batter looked delicious and I had to beat the children away with a spoon (kidding! No child abuse here) since there's an egg in it and raw eggs are a babysitting no-no.

The cookies were still delicious, however, and all of the different flavors made them more interesting than a typical chocolate chip cookie.

I would definitely like to try this again when I have brown sugar and coconut oil on hand, because I think this recipe has keeper potential.

If, you know, I actually followed it properly.

 What are some of your most useful baking subs for missing ingredients?

Do you like lots of flavors or a few simple flavors?

What should I bake or cook next?

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Endulge Your Sweet Tooth!

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[Sic]?

Nope, it's endulge in the title for a reason.

Atkins Endulge treats are low-carb, low-sugar candy bars that provide diabetics, dieters, or just someone who's trying to watch their sugar intake with a way to indulge their sweet tooth! The ingredients list is pretty long and there are some artificial ingredients, however, so it varies from person to person how they feel about using those things versus natural sugar.



There are a whole assortment of sweet treats, with several parallels to popular candy bars. I tried four of their treats - chocolate candies (reminiscent of M&Ms), chocolate peanut candies (reminiscent of peanut M&Ms), chocolate coconut bar (think Mounds), and nutty fudge brownie.

The chocolate coconut bar was sweet and coconutty and Mounds fans would be sure to love it. There wasn't any sort of weird artificial taste, like with some artificially sweetened desserts (definitely not a Jello situation). It's perfectly chewy and the only thing that I would want is a thicker chocolate coating because I prefer a higher chocolate : coconut ratio.



It's pretty much spot-on with the Mound bars in terms of chocolate : coconut ratio, though, so that's probably just me and my chocoholic preferences.



The Chocolate Candies are pretty spot-on for M&Ms, which aren't my favorite candy in general, but are tasty. There's no weird artificial sweetener aftertaste and the chocolate is smooth and creamy. Yum!

Chocolate Peanut Candies

The Chocolate Peanut Candies are great if you're a fan of peanut M&Ms. They're not quite the same, but they do have a good strong peanut flavor and the nice crunch of the peanuts. The chocolate coating itself isn't that amazing, it's more dominated by the candy coating flavor (think: Smarties) but still good!



The Chocolate Brownie wasn't really like a brownie in my opinion. When I think brownie, I think fudgy, rich, stick-to-your-teeth ooey gooeyness. But brownies also don't have these nutritional stats:



That's why these are great to alternate with the real thing. They're still chocolatey and delicious, if not as decadent!



Some of their other treats look pretty great, too - especially the caramel nut chew bar, peanut butter cups, and chocolate caramel mousse bar!

Have you tried any Endulge products?

Do you have any diabetics in your family?

What are your favorite candy bars?

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