Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

A real winner.  This is a new and improved recipe for this holiday season.  And the verdict came in with glowing reviews.  Probably the best bars we've made to date. It's healthy, delicious, and guilt-free.  Could you really ask for more?

Try it for dessert, a snack, or a healthy on-the-go breakfast.  It's all good and yummy. 

Ingredients:

• 1.5 cups oat bran blended to flour
• 1 cup pumpkin purée
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1 cup almond or cashew milk 
• 2 banana 
• 1/2 cup pitted dates 
• 1 tsp - 1.5 tsp pumpkin spice 
• 1 tsp Ceylon cinnamon 
• 1 tsp baking soda 
• Generous handfuls of chocolate chips.  I use Lily's brand stevia sweetened vegan chocolate chips. 

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend oat bran in a blender till a flour forms. 
3. Blend all other ingredients. 
4. Mix in handfuls of chocolate chips and stir into batter. 
5. Place batter in a parchment paper lined baking pan.
6. Bake at 350 for 35 mins or until toothpick comes out clean 

Chocolate-Dipped-Strawberries Breakfast Cake

Please excuse the big photo of my head....

I was conducting a workshop this week on how to make quick meals.  So the night before I quickly made a batch of my famous Mimi's bars.  In a snap, I decided to make another flavor as well that was equally as healthy.  Enter these Chocolate Dipped Strawberries Breakfast Bar.  The ingredients were all things I had lying around and the prep work was ridiculously simple.  

The real shocker was when they were nearly all eaten half way through the workshop.  They were definitely a hit!

“Word to the Wise: Oats are generally heavily sprayed with pesticides, do yourself a favor and purchase organic oats and oatbran. ”

What I love about them (in addition to how easy and delicious they are), is is that they are full of fiber.  Oat bran, which by now, you know I eat daily, is so full of really good for you fiber and protein.  It makes a wonderful on-the-go breakfast that keeps your body healthy. 

 These bars are wonderful for either breakfast or a healthy dessert.  They are also intensely moist, which I personally love!

It was a seamless process to make.  Toss in blender, then bake.  Full recipe deets below. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1.5 cups raw almonds (can sub almond butter or almond flour)
• 2.5 cups oatbran 
• 2 heaping tablespoons coconut butter 
• 3 ripe bananas 
• 1 handful of pitted dates
• 1 pack frozen strawberries 
• 1-2 cups of plant based milk
• 1 pack frozen raspberries (or another pack of frozen strawberries, bur raspberries work best)
• 1 cup sugar free chocolate chips ( I used stevia sweetened Lily's brand chocolate chips)
• OPTIONAL: coconut flakes for topping

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Blend almonds in a high speed blender until a powder is formed. 
3. Throw everything else except the raspberries and the chocolate chips in the blender. 
4. Blend until smooth.  Adjust the amount of milk until you get desired consistency.  More milk will yield more baking time and more moisture in the bars. 
5. Toss in chocolate chips and frozen raspberries.  Mix into batter. 
6. (Optional) Top the batter with coconut flakes. 
7. Throw batter onto a parchment paper lined baking pan and into oven.  Remove from heat when the outside is perfectly cooked and the inside is cooked but still slightly moist.  (About 40 minutes). 
8. When cooled, cut into bars and eat!

As with all FastBeets Recipes, please use your very own tastebuds in measuring the amounts of each ingredient.  You can't go wrong with how much of anything you add or subtract.  

I'm so happy you're making one of my quick + healthy recipes! Please make sure you share it on Instagram and tag @FastBeets so I can see your masterpiece or leave a comment below with any questions! 

xx, SS

Pumpkin Breakfast Bites

THE LOW DOWN:

If you like to run out the door in the morning with your cup of coffee and on-the-go breakfast bar, this might be your next replacement.  If you're the type who prefers muffins and scones to hot oatmeal, this might be your next replacement.

They have the consistency of a muffin, with the beneficial fiber of oatmeal or oatbran cereal (which is my nutritional hero), the good for you fats and protein from almonds and the vitamins of dates and pumpkin.  So say goodbye to muffins and their accompanying "muffin tops", and say hello to nutrition.

The ceylon cinnamon in these bars makes all the difference.  A little bit goes such a long way.  When buying cinnamon, refer to this: http://nutritionfacts.org/video/the-safer-cinnamon/

I omitted traditional pumpkin spice for two reasons: 1. I didn't have any and 2. the Ceylon cinnamon combined with the pumpkin and the dates were enough for my taste buds.  Feel free to play around with your own taste buds and add nutmeg or pumpkin spice mix of your choice.  Or play it simple like I did.  You won't go wrong either way.  

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 dates
• 1 cup almonds
• 1/2 cup steel cut oats (if you don't have this, you can totally just use all oat bran or oatmeal)
• 1 cup oat bran
• 1/2 organic pumpkin puree 
• one cup flax milk or non-dairy unsweetened milk
• 1 teaspoon ceylon cinnamon and extra to sprinkle on top
• pinch of himalayan salt or sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

METHOD:

1. Blend almonds until powdered or until it turns into almond butter

2. Blend everything in a high powered blender. 

3. Optional: Top with a bit of cinnamon, sliced almonds, raisins or currants. 

4. Place batter in a parchment paper lined brownie tray

4. Bake at 350 for about 20 - 30 minutes

5. When cool, cut into bars and enjoy!

NOTE: The batter will be much sweeter than the baked result.  If its borderline sweet in the batter, add another date or two.  The baked bites will be sweeter as a result.  

NOTE: This is great toasted on day 2 with some peanut or almond butter.