So last week I only accomplished exercising 3 times, this week we will aim for 5! Baby steps right! With the exercise for this chunky monkey has to be eating properly. I don't really eat a lot of crappy foods however...I have a major issue with overeating. I believe that someone getting paid a lot of money would say that I use food as a comfort/coping mechanism. Well yes I probably do that a little...but I also think that my food is pretty delicious and therefore must shove it in my face! lol!
Anyhow, if I plan accordingly and think through my weekly menu - I can usually avoid the overindulgence. I try not to make things that have a ton of leftovers - this helps me understand that I do not have to eat all 422 chicken tenders just because I made them! Yes again slightly obsessive but when you are someone who struggles daily with weight this is something I can at least think I am controlling!
Starting with a healthy breakfast gets me moving in the right direction. Seeing that I have tried smoothies, oatmeal, powerbars, cereal, and everything else under the sun I think that I have finally found something that can work not only as a great start to the morning but also can be used as a snack throughout the day.
I have made a ton of these energy bites in the past - but all of them have oats in them and I have been having a funny reaction to oats, sooooo....when I found this recipe I really wanted to give it a try. Sure enough these little bitches ROCK!
Here we go...... Start by going to your store and getting the following ingredients...
I was able to get the cashews, dried blueberries, and lemons at Trader Joes (about $12). The bag of cashews will get you 2 batches, but the blueberries will only get you 1! Then the dates and almonds are from Sams club (about $20). You should probably be able to get at least 4 to 5 batches out of the box of dates, and that bag of almonds is approximately 9 cups - so if you only use them for this then you would get 9 batches. However, if you are like me you will find all kinds of crazy other shit to use them for.
Up next..pull out CHOP-POTE-LAY and get her ready
Add the nuts and grind.... hahaha
Once that is done (won't take long at all) get your dates chopped up. Have you ever worked with dates? Before this recipe I had never really used them - eaten them yes - cooked with no! They look like overgrown raisins! Which raisins gross me out - my sister told me once that if wrinkles had a taste it would be a raisin! haha - like think about kissing an old person on the cheek - that is like eating a raisin!
Cut the pit out - you could buy them already pitted but you are gonna pay a little (okay a lot) more!
Now you need to add the blueberries and the dates to the food processor and get this gummy mess going in that bad boy!
Now that is done you need to get the lemon zest and juice in here along with the vanilla...
Once you have everything in there - get to mixin'- look at that lovely purple ball of deliciousness
Get your small cookie scoop ready
Start scoopin' ...the mixture is very sticky - you may have to clean your scooper out a few times throughout the process just to keep yourself from going insane! This is also a very nice forearem workout, much like using one of those squeezey stress balls. When I made these the first time I would scoop then make pretty balls and get the sticky crap all over my hands and scooper - I never said I was all that bright. This time though I learned from my sticky mistake and scooped all the balls first....then rolled them for storage.
The original recipe stated she got about 24 out of this - well those had to have been some huge balls - haha!!! I got 45 out of this recipe and think that they are the perfect size. I also learned the last time that they will stick to one another when they have frozen so this time I used the best thing ever....PARCHMENT paper!
Yes I know that I could save a ton of money by buying the rolls of parchement at Sams Club - however, it rolls up and hangs off my pans and well to be perfectly honest straight pisses me off. So I spend a little more and get the precut sheets. You should be able to find these at your grocery store, Wal-Mart or Target for about $4.
I dropped the blueberry energy bites in the container, then cut a sheet, put it on top and finished filling this up! From start to finish it took me about 25 minutes, and that includes my own karaoke broadway rendition of Rent!
They will stay in the freezer for a good amount of time, and I beleive that the original post stated that 3 were a serving size - so with the size of these you may get away with more! Personally though I feel like 2 is a good amount! FYI - You will bust a tooth though if you try to eat them right out of the freezer - so what I would do is pull them out while you are getting ready for work and then eat before departing. Another FYI - they will turn your fingers purple - be careful!!!
Here is the original post for these bites:
It should be another good week for being in the kitchen so lots of posts this week! I will also share the recipes from the paella class - but they were lengthy so I may have to retype them in for you! It wasn't nearly as difficult as I thought it was going to be!
Ok so with these blueberry energy bites there is no reason you should be on the struggle bus this week. Have a great start to your week!!
Happy Cookin'
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