Cashew Cookies

You know me...I love healthifying cookies!! My kids love them and I love experimenting and throwing in ingredients that are in my pantry. Here's a new one that is great refigerated or frozen. You can add Protein Powder, or other seeds and nuts. I love to play around and throw in whatever! 

Ingredients

1 C cashews

1/2 C oats

1.5 TBSP honey

1 TBSP Peanut butter 

1 TSP vanilla

3 TBSP Carob Chips

• Directions
• In a food processor, combine oats and cashews until they reach a flour consistency. 
• Add in remaining ingredients except for chips. Process for a few minutes, until doughy consistency forms. It may still seem a big crumbly, but will feel like dough when you press it. 
• Mix in Carob Chips
• Form and press into inch sized balls and transfer to a plate. The chocolate may melt a bit since the dough will be warm from the processor. This is ok!  Can be refrigerated or frozen :)

                                   

Keep It Simple Cookies

Keep It Simple Cookies!!

Ingredients

2 large bananas (can be a few days old for easier mashing)

1 cup quick-cooking oats

Mix-ins of your choice (I used dark carob chips and a pinch of cinnamon)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.

2. Mash the bananas in a medium bowl. Add the oats and whichever mix-ins you choose (I recommend a handful of dark carob chips, crushed walnut pieces, cinnamon or raisins - I chose dark carob chips and cinnamon) and mix.

3. Shape into balls with your hands and place on a baking pan covered with parchment paper (I used parchment instead of greasing the pan). Press down into a disc shape if desired.

4. Bake for 12-15 minutes (mine were done after 12).

5. Enjoy!

YIELD: 12-16 cookies 

PREPARATION TIME: 5 minutes 

COOKING TIME: 12-15 minutes

You can turn these into Protein bites, by adding protein powder!! Our favorite is RAW PROTEIN from Garden of LIFE. Besides Shakeology, we've never seen anything so nutrient packed, especially in a protein powder. This has organic sprouted quinoa, organic millet sprout, organic flax seed sprout, and so on. Finally a protein powder that is 100% clean and has ing's that are doing amazing things for your body! We had ours shipped from the Vitamin Shoppe online and it came the next day with free shipping. 

I got my Carob Chips at Winco in their bulk section. I know they're also available at Whole Foods and other Health stores.  Unlike chocolate, carob is naturally sweet, low in fat, high in fiber, has calcium, and no caffeine. And because chocolate is linked to migraines and caffeine-sensitivity for some people, carob definitely has its advantages. Carob comes from the pod of a tree that grows along the Mediterranean Sea. The pod contains a sweet, edible pulp. Once dried and roasted, the pulp is ground into a powder called carob flour (but more commonly referred to as "carob powder"). It's similar to cocoa powder in color and can be substituted one-for-one in recipes, but carob is unique with its own special flavor and texture. If you've never tried carob, you're in for a treat. It's sweet, mild and packed with pectin, a soluble fiber. Traditionally, it was used to soothe an upset stomach. The chips are sweeter so you don't need to use as much as you would with regular Hershey's chocolate. 

There's so many options to do with this cookies. I like to add in trail mix and random nuts and seeds. They're so versatile and HEALTHY! 

Dream It, Believe It, Achieve It

We all have goals, but are they goals or just wishes?? I've always had tons of wishes. I would cut magazine pictures and cover my walls with them when I was little. I would dream about who I wanted to be, but I absolutely did NOT believe I could do it. Those wishes were for other rich, talented and successful people. Well, after I got married and had kids right off, I really lost my identity. I became even more discouraged of where life was taking me and I felt lost and behind. When I finally decided to start my journey with Beachbody, I made a dreamboard. And it's currently the background on my computer, and I'm slowly checking things off the list. I am striving each day, to grow into the person that I need to be to fulfill my goals. It's not enough to just look at it, you have to WORK FOR IT!! 

 When obstacles come, and perhaps a certain dream didn't happen on the day that you had it happening..OH WELL!! It doesn't mean you quit. It is always TOO EARLY to quit. So get back to work, and just adjust the date, and REFUSE to not have a goal happen!! 

Those physical goals I have are not going to happen by me looking at a picture of a fit girl with a toned stomach and arms. As hard as it is for me to make the time each day, it's non-negotiable. We are all busy. I get so tired of that excuse. None of us are just sitting home on the couch all day. So sacrifice and MAKE time and SCHEDULE those 45 minutes into your day each day. It's as important as showering and getting dressed each day. You need that energy and those endorphins to be the happy, optimistic person that you are!! 

Don't get discourage by how far away those dreams may seem. Look back at how far you've come. I was so blessed that day in this picture, but I was crushed inside by how far away "the girl I wanted to be" was. I dreaded pictures, I dreaded seeing people. I felt so stuck.
Never give up!! Try a little harder each day and keep your eye on the prize. It will come!!