Easy Holiday Truffles

      Its December, and the holidays are upon us! I love the holiday season for many reasons! I love the holiday spirit, I love with cold days when all I want to do is sit by the fire with a good book, I love the decorations, and of course I love all the festive food! :)

     Unfortunately, holiday food isn't known for being overly healthy! And while part of it being the holidays is indulging a little bit, its nice to have some healthier treats to keep everything in balance! I love super simple and easy to make recipes, and that's just what these Holiday Truffles are! They are delicious, rich, easily customizable, super easy to make, and also a bit more on the healthier side! I also think they make great gifts to give to anyone who loves chocolate, and isn't that every one? Another perk about these amazing holiday truffles is that, if you use semi-sweet choc. chips or darker, they are vegan! What more do you need to know? You have to make them, now!

Ingredients:
1 1/3 cup Dark Chocolate Chips
7-8 TBS Almond Milk
Flavoring of choice: I used some Young Living Peppermint oil, Cinnamon, and espresso powder for mine!
Coating of choice: I used candy canes, cocoa powder, and cinnamon.

See how simple this recipe is already? Most people are busy during the holidays and don't have time to make treats for parties, guest, or to give as gifts! These are a perfect solution!

Add your choc. chips and milk to a bowl and stir well.

Heat in the microwave for 30 sec. then stir. If it needs more time, heat for 20 sec. stir, and if it needs even more, just do 10 sec. burst(stirring in between each time) until it is nice and smooth!

Then add in your flavoring. If you are using an extract or liquid flavoring, less is more! Just add a tiny bit at a time. If you are using the espresso powder, rub it together in your palm to get rid of any big chunks.

Taste it to make sure it taste amazing! :)

Then pop it in the fridge to chill for around 30 minutes, or until it is firm to the touch. While it is chilling out, you can prepare your coatings!
I crushed my candy canes and put them in a bowl, mixed some cinnamon and cocoa powder together in another bowl, and just added cocoa powder to a third bowl!

 

If you use the candy canes, make sure you crush them pretty finely!

When the truffle mix is firm, take it out of the fridge. Use a spoon to scoop out desired amount, and roll it between your hands to form a ball shape. Then coat it in your coating! I am warning you, it is a messy job!

Place them on some parchment paper in a container for easy storage! I like to write the flavor of the truffles on the paper so I can keep them separate!

 

I rolled the cinnamon flavored ones in a mix of cinnamon and cocoa powder.

The peppermint ones I did a mix of the candy canes and just cocoa powder. I rolled the coffee ones in just plain cocoa powder as well!

 

These are one of my new favorite holiday treats! My favorite flavor that I made was the coffee, but I also loved the peppermint ones! The cinnamon ones remind me of Mexican hot chocolate! There are endless flavor combos out there to try, so get creative! I think some orange juice instead of the milk would be really yummy in the summer or fall!

 

 

Make sure you make plenty so you can share with your family and friends, or give away as gifts! I do recommend hiding a few if you want any for yourself! :)

Please share this post and my blog with your family and friends to spread some holiday cheer, and some healthy lifestyle vibes to everyone!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, and on Tumblr @ justrunningforfood. Make sure you follow the blog to stay up to date on every new post!

New Post every Friday!!


Happy Holidays!
H. Banana

Scary Pumpkin Potaotes!

Happy Halloween! 

     These is nothing scary about these adorable pumpkin sweet potatoes expect that they are Scary Delicious! They are a great way to get in the mood of the upcoming holiday, and still have something healthy!

 

   I love these pumpkin sweet potatoes because they are so easy to make, customizable to whatever flavors you want, and so healthy too! Who says Halloween 'treats' all have to be unhealthy? At first I wanted to do something sweet and healthy to celebrate Halloween, but then I got to thinking....Halloween doesn't have to be all about the sweet stuff! Lets do something savory to celebrate the holiday!
Another great thing about these sweet potatoes is that they can be made vegan, oil-free, and sodium free if you wish!

Scary Sweet Potatoes! (Yes, sweet potatoes are sweet, but more to the savory side of things!)

1 Sweet Potato
Olive Oil (Optional)
Salt and Pepper (Optional)
Seasonings of Choice( I used a Jerk Seasoning, Pumpkin Pie Spice, and a Curry Powder- separate on different slices of potato)

You can go sweet, spicy, savory, or salty with the seasonings!

Start by preheating your oven to 350 F. Then wash and pat dry a sweet potato. You can always do more than one, I was just making 1 portion at the time! :) Then, use a sharp knife and cut slices out of the potato. BE CAREFUL!

 

Then, use a smaller knife to make the pumpkin faces. You can cut all the way through the potato, or you can just cut part of the way through. Its up to you really! :) Then toss them in the oil( if using) and place them on a foil-lined sheet.

I'm sure with practice, my pumpkin faces will improve! These are so tasty, I am sure I will be making them time and time again!

Sprinkle the seasonings on the slices. If you are using a powder, rub the powder in a bit. Then sprinkle on salt and pepper as desired.

Super cute! Now they are ready to bake! Place them in the oven for around 35-45 minutes. The time depends on how thin or thick you cut your slices. To check if they are done, just poke them with a fork. If they are soft, then they're done!

Of my goodness! How adorable are these? No, not a scary way to celebrate Halloween but defiantly fun and festive! And, if you don't celebrate Halloween, they still are fun and easy to use for a number of different occasions!

I hope you enjoyed the Halloween inspired blog post! If you try this recipe, let m know what you thought! Please share this post with your family and friends to spread the love of healthy living!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett. Please like and follow the blog to stay up to date on all things healthy!

New Post Every Friday! Happy Halloween!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana

Pumpkin Muffin Tops!

These are the kind of muffin tops that you do want! :) They are healthy, soft, pumpkin-y, spiced, and delicious! Also, they can be made completely Vegan!

 

   Fall is officially here, and with it comes pumpkin flavored everything! Most of the popular Fall treats aren't that great for you, but thankfully there are some great healthy choices too! These muffin tops are the perfect example, since they are both healthy and plenty pumpkin-y to satisfy your fall cravings and keep you feeling great at the same time!

   I am calling these muffin tops because I baked them in a ( leaf and pumpkin shaped) whoopee pie pan, so they are a bit thinner than muffins. I love the way they turned out! Beautiful fall shapes, super moist and soft, and a great serving size to help you not over eat!

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cup Whole Wheat Flour
2-3 tsp Pumpkin Pie Spice or Cinnamon
1 tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbsp Ground Flaxseeds
8 Tbsp Water
1/2 cup Coconut Oil- room tempt.
1/2 cup Honey(or Maple Syrup if you want to keep this completely Vegan)
1/2 tsp Vanilla
1 cup Canned Pumpkin
1/4 tsp Salt

First, we need to make our Flax Eggs! We aren't using eggs in the recipe, so that it can be Vegan( if you use the maple syrup)! If you've never made a flax egg, don't be scared of them! They are super simple!

Add your ground flax to a bowl and add in the water. Stir well- you'll notice it go really thick. Leave it to the side while we get on with the recipe.

Add the flour, pie spice( or cinnamon), baking soda, and salt to a bowl and stir to combine. Then add in the rest of the ingredients, including the flax egg.

 

Stir well, making sure to mix the flax egg in well. Then, grease a pan and spoon in your batter. If you don't have a whoopee pie pan, you can use mini muffin tins, regular muffin tins or a 8x8 baking pan.

I wanted to use my whoopee pie pan because of the fall shapes! :)

 

Make sure to press the batter into all the little corners. I like to give the pan a little tap on the counter to help it settle.
Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes for the whoopee pan and mini muffin tins. For the regular muffins or 8x8 baking pan, 12-15 minutes. To check that they're done, just stick a tooth pick in the center. If it comes out clean, they are done! Also, they will smell really good!

 

Let them cool for 5-6 minutes before removing them from the pan.

Eat them fresh from the oven, or store them in an air tight container for a few day- but I doubt they last that long! I love how festive, delicious, pumpkin-y, healthy, and cute these little muffin tops are!

I enjoyed my(1st) tasting with a warm cup of coffee and a good book! They are the perfect afternoon snack, dessert, and they are even healthy enough to have for breakfast!

I really hope you try these delicious and healthy fall treats! If you like them, please share this post with a friend and family member to help them celebrate fall on the healthy side!

Please follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett, and now on Tumblr @ Justrunningforfood.

New post every Friday!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana

 

Almond Joy Cookies

Almond Joys are a wonderful blend of almonds, coconut and chocolate! Those flavors seem to go so well with each other, like a match made in heaven! My family is a fan of Almond Joys, so when I made these healthy Almond Joy inspired cookies, you better believe they went over well!

They are so delicious, you won't believe they are made without refined flour, butter, refined sugar or eggs! These cookies are the perfect thing to make to satisfy a sweet tooth and stay on the healthy side!

So, let's get into making these Healthy Almond Joy Cookies!

Ingredients:
2 cups Almond Flour
3/4 cups Coconut Flour
1/4 cup Shredded Unsweetened Coconut Flakes
1/4 cup Sliced Almonds
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/4 tsp Salt
1 tsp Vanilla
6 tbs Honey
1/2 cup Coconut Oil - Melted
1 tsp Almond Extract

Start by mixing together the dry ingredients( all but the cocoa powder) until its lump free.

Then add the wet ingredients and mix well until it becomes a sticky dough.

Next add in the cocoa powder and mix it in. I kept mine marbled but you can mix it together fully if you want. I just like the look of the marble!

 

Grease a baking sheet and roll tablespoon sized balls of the cookie dough and place them on the sheet. Press the dough balls down a bit, because they won't spread a whole lot.

 

Heat oven to 375 F and bake for 10-12 mins or until they start to go golden. They smelled so amazing while they were baking!

Remove them from the baking sheet and let them cool a bit before enjoying! I loved these cookies so much and my family did as well! We ate them for a mid afternoon snack!

I also think they look really cool and pretty with the marbled effect!

Let me know if you try these cookies and how you liked them! Also, share this post with a friend! Follow the blog to stay up to date on all my post! You can follow the blog on Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H. Banana