I have a sweet tooth, too

I’ve always had a sweet tooth. In fact, I even get called out for snacking before dinner. The MAJOR difference between my snacking years ago vs. now is the quality of my snacks. I used to live off of sour gummies and now I live off of nature’s candy – fruit! The key to snacking is to choose whole foods, or close to it.

minimally processed  ·  few ingredients  ·  no refined sugar  ·  no gluten  ·  no dairy or vegan

 

Craving Crunchy?

Kale chips (made with nutritional yeast to taste like CHEESE, high in protein, fiber & B12)

Seasnax (seaweed snacks with wasabi, onion or chipotle flavor)

Raw veggies with salsa, guacamole, or hummus

 

Craving Sweet?

Fresh fruit or a homemade smoothie

Packs of almond butter (like Justin’s) squeezed onto banana or apple

Super-dark chocolate or raw cacao nibs

Homemade treats

I love making my own easy sweet treats and keep them on hand in the refrigerator for dessert each night. Yes, I eat dessert almost every night! My goal is to choose just a few ingredients that are refined-sugar, refined-flour, dairy and gluten-free. I sometimes incorporate egg – but this can usually be substituted for a flax egg. I’ve made many, many cookie recipes – but below is the recipe for one my favorites right now. You can keep them in the fridge or freezer for a long time – just pop one out each night for dessert (and heat it a bit if you’d like!). These are sooo easy to make!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free (optional vegan)  •  makes about 2 dozen cookies  •  adapted from Detoxinista.com

Ingredients

• 1½ cups almond flour

• ¼ teaspoon baking soda

• pinch or two of sea salt

• ¼ cup pure maple syrup or raw honey

• 2 tablespoons coconut oil, melted

• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

• 1 whole egg, or flax egg

• ½ cup dark, dairy-free chocolate chips

• optional: 3 tablespoons crushed walnuts

Instructions

1. Preheat your oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with a Slipat or parchment paper.

2. If making flax egg – add 1 tablespoon ground flax seed to 3 tablespoons water, mix, and set aside in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes!!

3. In a large bowl, combine the almond flour, baking soda and salt and mix well. In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup (or honey), coconut oil, vanilla, and egg/flax egg, and mix well.

4. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture, and mix until you have a smooth batter. Add chocolate chips and walnuts (optional).

5. Drop tablespoons of batter onto a lined baking sheet.

6. Bake at 350 for 10 minutes, or until golden around the edges, turning the pan half-way through baking time.

7. Let the cookies to cool on the pan for about 5 minutes, and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Serve warm or store (can we kept at room temperature for a few days, or in the refrigerator/freezer for a longer shelf life).