LAST DAY Dessert Challenge - Flour Less Chocolate Chip Cookies and Ready to Go Peanut Butter Truffles

Hi!

After one of those kind of weekends, you know, in between of rest and being so busy that the time is not enough, I’m finally potentiated to give you those two last recipes that we need to complete the challenge. I don’t know about you, but the last week has been so rich in content for me and I pretend to keep applying much of what I’ve learned on my normal life too.

Saturday was MY last day of eating Low Carb and by Friday I already knew that I would have to change some things around here. I had to do a few changes to keep in my life some good habits from now on, for example, I made in my kitchen certain kind of Healthy corner where I’m storing all my seeds, my cinnamon, my whole wheat bread, my green tea and other teas,  my dark chocolate, my oats and my raw honey, so hey are easy to reach in any moment of weakness or just in any moment.

I also decided to go to the market to explore my options and came back with more veggies, more seeds, more yogurts and some things that I haven’t try yet in case that I can keep discovering after. During this week I certainly had my low moments but nothing you can’t solve by giving a quick view to Pinterest…Reason why, since I came out with this idea I have been fatten a board on my account bakebypatricia with every recipe or ideas that I find potentially useful and delicious as an alternative to my normal meals.

I’m not saying I will keep a diet for ever, but I realized that loving yourself and caring about what you do with your body is more a way to live than a diet to follow, everything flows better without pressure, that’s why I decided to keep it simple and try to think a little bit more on what I eat. Below there is a list of the things that I personally learned this week and I want to keep applying from now on:

• As Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, make it worth! Add some adrenaline to it by changing ingredients that not only are good for you but are also pretty tasty like berries and seeds.
• Seeds, yes, seeds. We are not birds but what an easy way to boost any meal by adding a few tablespoons of seeds. I’ve been sprinkle them everywhere, I almost see them in ‘pastel colors’ since I learned how amazing they are. Try Chia, Line and Sesame, they are almost flavorless so you can blend them into almost anything or use them for a crunch as well..
• So, you probably don’t know it yet but I discovered that some nice Belgian Doctors did the research and found out that workout before breakfast is the best to loose weight, so I’m kind of taking that in consideration the next time I feel the ‘W’ bug is coming.
• You can always be creative and swap, swap, swap (rhythm) some meals that you are used to. One week ago I took a piece of bread every time I felt like a little whole in my belly without even knowing why, now I know there’s other options I just swap it for something closer to the fiber-protein way. Come on, don’t be lazy! You can also make any of my bites and “Keep Calm”.
• Don’t freak out at night! Take a Spoon of Peanut Butter with a piece of dark chocolate and lick it without guilt! It will even help you to burn that fat while you sleep and it will make you feel so much better about yourself!
• Try shakes! They are amazing, you can blend virtually EVERYTHING. I tell you a secret, once upon a time I got a very time-consuming job and I was getting even skinny by not having time to eat very well (oh golden times!) but that actually wasn’t so good, I was getting tired and sick for it. So I started making shakes in the mornings before I went to work, but I wasn’t the Trendy Smoothie that you would purchase in a shop. I chuck into that blender from carrots to oats, oranges, passion fruit or anything that I would have in my fridge that morning and wasn’t too bad, plus it kept me strong and alert the whole morning without taking time on preparing a meal and sitting to eat it. The best part? 0 fat, 0 simple carbs and fiber, Oh fiber!
• Kids also can love this! Teach them to appreciate good food and you will notice how even their behavior is going to change for better. When younger the better! Kids are like sponges, if you want to teach them something good, start NOW!
• Don’t ever sub-estimate a Lettuce wrap. I mean, what? They, so work! (please don’t wrap any lettuce around your body, keep reading!). They can take you out of a difficult moment too. If you hungry, if you don’t know what to do, if you are freaking out, grab a piece of lettuce and roll it up with some ham and cheese, you will see that you will feel much better after that, is better to decide when you can think clearly! (I know what you are thinking, DON’T dip it in mayonnaise, control!)

Back to the post from today, we are going to make up for the weekend, two recipes today, one will help you to satisfy that craving issue but the other… The other! Is just one of those pleasures you take when you go further. I have been looking forward to post this recipe the whole week, but I wanted to leave it for the last day of course. This time, the best is last!

Hello Peanut Butter Truffles! because I have been talking about peanut butter so much and haven’t come out with anything interesting yet, I hope someone took their time to read about it so I don’t have to say it… Ok, ok, you didn’t come here for me to send you somewhere else, did I? Peanut butter is heavy in calories, yes, but in a portion of it i more important the content of protein and fibers that will actually are going to melt your fat away while keeps you full for much longer and also helps you to feel much better when you eat something you enjoy. My favorite combination is with chocolate, of course, but make sure you go for some dark or pure chocolate, low sugared but enough to get you some endorphins.

These bites are filled up with Choco-Chips and rolled in Sesame Seeds. They are ready for a fast breakfast before work or school, you only have to grab one and spread it over sliced Apple, Banana, or both maybe! Keep them refrigerated all the time because they melt down very fast becoming on a really sticky but delicious mess. It’s your choice to add sweetener or not, I opted for loading them already with honey so they are really ready to go!!

And for the last recipe of the Challenge I brought these, nice chewy, crunchy, tasty, HEALTHY!! Flour-Less Chocolate Chips Cookies that I love so much! Oh my God, make sure you keep this ones on your pantry for a while! Sweetened with honey and pinch of cinnamon. Just be kind with them, please! Remember that almonds, as all nuts, are pretty dedicated in the heat and they can burn so easily!! (I wish I wouldn’t know this so good -.- ). So, keep an eye on them while they are in the oven!

I almost get a violent attack from some cookie criminals in the surroundings...

Something else that I want to add, is that I just realized that in around one month I passed from 30 followers on My Instagram Account to almost 130 and I’m just very happy about that. It’s true that it’s not much at all, but just letting you know that each one of you is important for me and I really makes me feel honored and really each person that is interested on checking out what I have been cooking makes a huge difference for me.

Ok it’s time for chocolate cake… Um sorry, I haven’t gone to Spain yet hehe. In a few weeks better!!

Lua's favorite pattern (designed by herself) Cookie-Milk-Cookie-Milk...

Da daaa...

Peanut Butter Ready-to-Go Truffles

Ingredients

1/2 c Peanut Butter

1/4 c Bitter Chocolate Chips

1 tbsp. Raw Honey

Pinch of Cinnamon

Sesame Seeds and Cocoa to roll them

Procedure

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Refrigrate until gets a firm consistence.

Make little balls with two teaspoons and carefully place them in one of the 'rolling' ingredients.

Cover all the surface and form rounder balls with the hands, not for long, only to get a bit of shape.

Place the balls in a cold plate and keep refrigerated.

Serve with apple sliced, Banana or both. Also works nice with whole wheat bread.

Flour-less Chocolate-Chip Cookies


Ingredients


1 1/2 c Almond flour
1/2 Dry Coconut processed or Coconut flour
3 tbsp. Honey
1/4 c Bitter Chocolate Chips
1 Egg Yolk
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1/4 tsp. Baking powder
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
Pinch of Salt
Pinch of Cinnamon



Procedure


Preheat the oven to 170 C° (my oven is too strong so I decided to preheat mine to 160 C°)

Place together in a bowl the almond flour, the dry coconut and the chocolate chips.

In another bowl mix the egg yolk, the honey, the olive oil, the salt, the cinnamon and the vanilla.

Pour the liquids on the dry ingredients and work it as a dough until everything in integrated.

If is too dry add a tablespoon of milk or water until the dough unifies.

Form little balls and place them on a baking sheet covered with wax paper or a silicon mat.

Flat the balls to get cookie size.

Bake until the sides are golden. Stay next to the oven after the first 5 minutes, I'm traumatized!

Let them cool down before you eat them.

DAY FIVE - Oats Pancakes (Only five Ingredients)

Happy Friday!

The week is almost finished and today I was thinking on breakfast… Breakfast time, the best meal of the day. Normally many of us ignore how important it is to start with our days. Most of the times, going to work, the school, the kids, the dog or any other thing, let us without time to sit in peace and eat something nice, is even common that the only days of the weeks that the family sit together to have breakfast is on the weekends, but there’s many quick and easy options that I have been discovering through this week, as I’m a person that hates to eat every day the same.

For me the food is all about variation, I think very badly that it's not healthy for your psyche to get used to the same cereal with milk every morning. That’s why today I will use this post to share some ridiculously easy and delicious ideas to have a nice breakfast in any situation and of course, I will give you the recipe for these Pancakes made with only five ingredients that will blow your kitchen up with the sweetest smell. I topped them with this non sugared raspberry jam and a spoon of cream cheese for a little indulgence. I also made them in as crepes by adding a little bit more milk** and served them with fresh Strawberries and Honey.

Here is a list of the nicest breakfast that I had this week:

• Apple and Banana Slices with Peanut butter and Chocolate Chips. It’s simple, delicious and the kids also love it!
• Greek yogurt topped with a few spoons of the Crust from my Cherry Crumble and some Frozen Blueberries. (I made the Crust apart and stored in an airtight container as I mentioned in the post, it was the best idea I ever had)
• Poached eggs with ham and avocado. If you are a more salty kind of person, this is your kind of deal.
• Bush-berries and Cucumber Smoothie with Muesli. Fresh and crunchy, it will bring some fiber to make that belly work it out!
• Veggies and Cheese Omelet. Keep bringing proteins to your life with this one.
• Tuna salad Lettuce roll ups. I proved that Lettuce doesn’t have anything to envy to a piece of bread, it’s great!
• Gaby’s Oats Shake (straight from my mom’s imaginary recipe index). Make it in the blender with Ice, ¾ c Oats, 1 c Milk, 1 tbsp. Vanilla extract and 2 tbsp. Honey. Yummi!

All these options will bring you back on trail only by adding some good stuff to your mornings. Give them a try and if you even have a little bit more time, you always can add 30 minutes of work out before the breakfast so you burn the bad and bring the Godies on!

Now, back to the Pancakes, make them for breakfast or for lunch, you won’t ever notice that some common things are not in there ;-). I like to spice my pancakes a little bit always with some Nut Muscade and Cinnamon but you can just leave them on the basic version. The only thing I will beg you, please don’t forget the pinch of salt! It’s the only thing that never can change, in the sweet universe you are always going to need a balance, acid, salty, crunchy… And this bit of salt might be a Pinch Salt for the pancakes but a Big difference on flavor for the Desserts of the World. (Sorry I couldn’t help the joke xD)

Let’s get the Pancakes Party started!

DAY FIVE - Oats Pancakes.

(5 Small Pancakes or 5 Crepes)

Ingredients

1 c Milk**
1 ½ c Oats
1 tbsp. Honey
1 tbsp. Vanilla Extract
1 Egg

Pinch of salt

Optional Additations

1 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Nut Muscade.

Procedure

Add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until the oats its fine and the mix is homogeneous.

In a Pancake pan (preferably) preheated on medium temperature and oiled with canola oil, pour the mix in (portions and let it set until the surface has little bubbles).

Flip the Pancake and let it toast for a few seconds, then take it to a plate. Repeat the process until the mix is over.

Raspberry Jam

Ingredients

1 c Frozen Raspberries

¼ c Water

2 tbsp. Honey

1 tsp. Vanilla Extract

Procedure

Add the raspberries and the water to a pan and heat it to medium high temperature until the juice came out and started bubbling.

Break the structure of the fruit with a fork and let it bubble for around one minute to reduce the juices but not too long.

Turn the heat off and add the honey and the vanilla. Mix well together and it’s ready to pour over the pancakes or in a very clean glass jar to be eaten later.

**If you are going for the crepes, light up the mix with ½ c more of milk. Then make sure you spread it in the pan at the moment of cooking to make it be thinner.

DAY FOUR - Decadent Cherry Crumble I’m One year in Belgium!!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to make something special, this time not only for you dear fellows, but also to celebrate two very important things that have a place today. One is that today is the fifth day I haven’t eat any refined carbohydrates and I feel great! I thought I couldn’t make it but, yes, I wasn’t so impossible I only had to work for it and not give up, it’s only two more days to go but it doesn’t look difficult to get there anymore, I still have a lot to learn from this kind of life. Which takes me to the Second reason to celebrate this day, one year ago my dream of coming to live in Belgium and create this beautiful family with my Fiancé started to come truth. We had to work so hard for it! But here we are, ready for more and now everything seems to be so normal, like it would have been always just pink and flowers... But it hasn’t and we even got to think that it wouldn’t be possible.

And what do I do best when there is celebration? Yeah baby is baking time!

Today I decided to make something significatively more special than the other recipes of this week, as normally I have been posting easy treats that can satisfy you quickly when you are about to jump into the Nutella jar. But the recipe from today is something that even when is not too complicated, it takes more procedure and requires that you have more than a few minutes to dedicate yourself to the kitchen and blow that dust off of the oven. (no, of course in my oven there’s not dust but you know, I’ve seen cases…!)

The Cherry Crumble was just a Go-to too ‘Go-to’ to be ignored, really. First, it’s cherry season! And second, come on, cherries are just delicious, beautiful and they were in my fridge, what else can I say? In fact, is the first time I ever buy cherries and I only tried them once before but I knew exactly what I wanted to do with them from the first moment and finally today the planets aligned on the Cherry favor! Something else about Cherries is that they are actually ideal for any kind of diet as they are full with the whole story about the fiber, vitamins and all those wonderful things I’ve been talking about so much. In fact, I found this to detail it much better for you. Ain’t I a sweetheart?? ;-) hehehe… You don’t have to answer that.

My words are always be too short to describe this creation. Oh Sweet Gooey! It was FANTASTIC!!! I didn’t expect it would come out in so perfect but it was, and more than that. Sweet, as the beautiful cherries I used, I didn’t need much to enhance their flavor and the smell coming out of that pan was just heaven, who said house aromatizers? I make Cherry Crumble at home… It was juicy and intense, but topped with that crust made with almonds, oats and sesame that elevated the texture and cut the sweetness. Everything just worked.

The magic of this recipe was the best part of everything. The cooking of the cherries released the pectin in the peels and everything became in a delicious jam in cuestion of minutes, all this with the addition of only a few tablespoons of honey, at the time that the crust, could have been baked apart perfectly and be kept on an airtight container for breakfast of craving times, it’s delicious and crunchy, but on this occasion I opted for add it to the cherries while it was still raw, so part of it would absorb the juices of the cherries while the top got gold and crispy.

Oh no, I can’t believe I keep talking!! I better stop torturing you and pass to the recipe right away…

One more thing, don’t be shy to leave your comments as you pass by… I want to know what are you thinking about the Dessert Challenge!! And if you really like what you read over here, you always can Subscribe to my Newsletter so you get everything straight at the security of your your Mailbox ;-). Soonish there’s many nice surprises I want to share with the world, make sure you are around to enjoy them too!

Cherry Crumble - 6 portions 8’’ mold

Cherry Jam

Ingredients

5 c Cherries (Cut in half and without seed)

4 tsp. Honey

1 tbsp Vanilla extract

½ tsp. Lemon grated zest

Procedure

Cut the cherries in half and make sure you take every single seed out of it. (you don’t want to break anyone's teeth) After a few patience minutes of cutting, pulling and some red nails I ended up with this this.

Place the Cherries in a pan with the honey and cook on a medium hight temperature removing constantly until the cherries release their juice and starts to reduce. (about 10 minutes)

Turn the heat off and add the vanilla and the lemon zest. Set aside to chill.

Crumble Crust

Ingredients

1 c Almond Flour

¼ Oats

2 tbsp. Sesame Seeds

2 tbsp. Honey

2 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tbsp. Vanilla extract

Pinch of Cinnamon

Pinch of Salt

Procedure

Place the almond, the cinnamon, the oats and the salt in the food processor and give it a few pulses until the oats gets a finer texture.

Place it together with the rest of the ingredients and combine with a spatula. or with the hands, the consistency should be a certain paste, similar than cookie dough but doesn’t hold together so good.

At this point, you can convert this crust on a pie crust by smashing it in the bottom of a pie mold or simply bake it like this on a baking sheet to get the snack I was talking about.

Assembling

Place the cooled cherry jam on a oven safe mold.

Make little balls of the dough and break them over the cherries leaving some spaces without cover. This is where subjectivity show off, you can add as much or less as you like it, I like it with muuuuuch, but I wanted to make it look pretty, so I baked the rest on the baking sheet and added it when serving.

Serve warm, it makes a beautiful match with Vanilla Ice Cream or with English Custard. All possible into the challenge options ;-)

I hope you end up with a plate like mine!