I'm Kinda Betty Crocker: Coffee Creamer & Protein Balls

It's been raining a lot in Iowa lately.  And after a winter like the one we had, I'm not exactly happy about it.  Typically, I'm the type that loves the rain.  But, I feel like I've been stuck indoors for the greater part of the last 10 months and I want some fresh air, sunshine and a TAN.  Yes, a freaking tan would make me extremely happy right now.  Since complaining about the weather is probably one of the most annoying things someone can do, I will stop and move onto something positive about being stuck indoors all.of.the.time:

Plenty of time to be in the kitchen!  I've been baking up a storm this past week.  I actually perfected a ridiculously healthy lactation/brewers yeast bar that trumps my previous recipe: I'll be sharing that soon.  

Today I'm sharing with you two recipes: one for homemade coffee creamer and one for protein balls: a staple in my household.

Why make coffee creamer when you can just buy the ridiculously delicious stuff from the grocery store?  Well, unlike the stuff at the store: when you make creamer yourself- you have CONTROL over the type of ingredients you are putting into your body.  There isn't a plethora of additonal additives and dyes, all the stuff that your body doesn't need.  This recipe would work well a million ways, and I plan on experimenting more in the future with it and other flavors: I will report back to you on my progress.  But, trust me: you won't feel like a Fatty McFatterson dumping a half cup couple tablespoons of this into your coffee.  It's creamy, light and honestly, costs way freaking less then the stuff at the grocery store.

:Recipe:

1 Cup Heavy Cream

1 Cup Milk 

(I used unsweetened Almond Milk but you can use whatever you'd prefer)

2 tsp. Stevia

2 TBSP. Pure Vanilla Extract

:Directions:

Gently mix together all ingredients and pour into a container of your choice and keep stored in the refrigerator.

:Optional:

Add 1 tsp. Cinnamon (I used this and it's awesome)

or

Sub heavy cream for sweet condensed milk (will make a creamier consistency but will not be naturally sweetened)

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Now, these protein balls taste like cookies I tell ya.  They are amaze-balls.  (Get it?  Amazeballs because PROTEIN BALLS.  GET IT?  Get it?!)  Anyway, this recipe is super easy and no bake: so you don't have to turn your oven on and get your house all toasty (for those of you who are actually experiencing summer weather that this would even be a concern of yours.)  I have to usually make a double batch or make this 2-3 times a week because my family goes through them so quickly.  Depending on the size you roll, this recipe yields about 25-30 balls when about 1 inch in diameter.

:Ingredients:

1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter

3/4-1 Cup Local Honey

3 Scoops Vanilla Protein Powder

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1 Cup Rolled Oats

1 Cup Sliced Almonds

3/4 Cup Dried Fruit*

:Directions:

In a saucepan, melt together peanut butter and honey.

Add all dry ingredients and mix well.

Roll into 1 inch balls.

Store in refrigerator.

*In this batch I used 2/4 cup of craisins + 1/4 cup of diced, dried apricots.  Chocolate chips would also work well in this recipe.

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Welp, hope you guys like the recipes and have a GREAT Fourth of July Weekend!  

Brewer's Yeast Bars

A big part of my day, now that I have a newborn at home, is spent nursing (AKA- breast feeding) my little lady.  While I won't go into the amazing health benefits of breast feeding, because it can be a heated topic, I will say to those of you who are/have/plan on nursing your babe/s: WAY TO GO!

As beneficial as nursing is for both mother and child, like all great things, there are also setbacks.  For instance, becoming an incredibly immobile watering hole.  Like, seriously, I spend so many hours in my day on my butt while she gets her nutritional intake.  But, I can luckily multi-task.  I'm totally nursing as I type this.  OH YEAH.

But, sometimes it's nice for Mama to get a break. Sometimes, Mama needs to go and see The Fault in Our Stars and have a Hard Cider with one of her blonde friends, or something.  Building up a healthy milk supply and pumping is pretty important in order to do such things.

A great, great source to use if you want to increase milk supply is Brewer's Yeast.  Brewer's Yeast is extracted from the beer after the fermentation process (all the health benefits, but none of the fun part- alcohol).  The yeast is dehydrated and made into various forms (powder, pellet, capsule, for example.)  There are some amazing health benefits to Brewer's Yeast, 2 Tablespoons packs in 7 grams of protein and it is a great source of the B Vitamins:

• Folic Acid- which lowers the risk of heart disease, stroke and birth defects
• B12- which may improve memory/sharpen you mentally
• Niacin- which increases energy and is linked to DNA repair
• Thiamine- which aids in digestion and promotes your immune system

Yes, Brewer's Yeast is a super food! It is not just for use by lactating mothers, there are health benefits for everyone.  Which, by the way, rocks.  I started researching lactation cookies- and let me tell you- there are a ton of recipes out there.  

I decided to use "The Best Damn Lactation Cookies You'll Ever Eat" from Just Mommies as a guide.  (Yes, the inclusion of the word damn is what sold me.)  I changed a few things to make it healthier and I also decided to add coconut because of all the health benefits and dark chocolate because it's delicious.  I also spread them out in a pan and made bars instead of cookies.

Here is my modified- healthier recipe.  I'm calling them Brewer's Yeast Bars because I think everyone can eat them, and saying they are just for aiding lactation would probably greatly decrease the chance, of say, a man, eating the bars.  They are kid approved (Abram and Eva loved them.) So, you know they are good!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Old-Fashioned Oats

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

3/4 Cup Splenda Brown Sugar

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Baking Soda (not powder)

1 tsp Cinnamon

3 Tablespoons Brewer's Yeast (the most important ingredient!)

1 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips

1/2 Cup Shredded Coconut

1 Cup Butter (Earth Balance is recommended)

4 TBSP Water

2 TBSP Ground Flax

1/2 Cup Apple Sauce

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Mix together flax and water.  Allow to sit for  few minutes until the mixture thickens up.  

In a separate bowl, cream together butter and brown sugar. 

Add in the flax, apple sauce and vanilla extract.

In another bowl, mix together the flour, brewer's yeast, salt, baking soda and cinnamon.

Mix the dry ingredients and wet ingredients together.

Fold in the oats, coconut and dark chocolate.

Grease a 9x11 pan and press the mixture into the pan.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the middle comes out clean.

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Viola!  A delicious, healthy bar that everyone can enjoy!  But, it also has the added benefits for nursing mothers!

I do plan on subbing the butter with a cup of solidified coconut oil in my next batch.  I'll let you know if it works!

Foodie Penpals & My March Box

After our move from Minnesota to Iowa, I took a few months off from Lindsay @ The Lean Green Bean's awesome penpal program: Foodie Penpals.

I was a devoted participant. Every month until our move, for over a year, I was sending and receiving a package full of goodies to/from a stranger across the United States.

What is Foodie Penpals exactly?  Here's an explanation taken straight from The Lean Green Bean:

• On the 5th of the month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
• You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal!
• The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
• You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
• Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you can choose to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month.

Sounds pretty simple, right?  Well it is.  And it's fun!  You have until the 4th of the month (for instance, if you wanted to participate in April, you have until April 4th) to head HERE and sign-up to be a part of the program. This is where I try and peer pressure you into totally doing it.  So-- DO IT!

Can you really disagree with One-Eyed Wyatt?

Now it's time to share with you the box of delicious treats I received from my incredibly kind penpal, Mary.  She doesn't blog otherwise I'd totally be promoting the poop out of her.  (Hi Mary!  If you're seeing this- you were so fun to shop for and I loved our quick emails back and forth!)

-Maple Bacon Kettle brand Potato Chips (crunchy & full of flavor!)

-Salazon Organic Dark Chocolate Bar with Sea Salt & Coffee (my husbands favorite thing in the box)

-Kind Bar (seriously, who doesn't love these?)

-3 pack of Ferrero Rocher (I didn't tell her I loved these & she got them anyway- score!)

-Harvest Rice Sticks & Citrus Chipotle Chickpeas from her Nature Box subscription (I really, really liked the Rice Sticks.  The chickpeas weren't bad but they just haven't been my favorite in general recently.  Ah, pregnancy!)

-Sample of Baby & Me vitamins from MegaFood + Sample size of Salamandra Naturals Lavender Oats Soap that she received in her Conscious Box Subscription (that soap smells glorious and I'm hoping to connect with the company and get a few sample to giveaway to you awesome readers!)

I got quite the haul, right?  I unfortunately did not have the foresight to snap a photo of the box I put together for Mary but I can promise you it was equally (at least I hope!) awesome.  

Have you guys tried any of the goodies in my penpal box?

Have you participated in Foodie Penpals?

If you have not, does it sound like something you'd like to do in the future?

Foodie Penpal reveal day is actually scheduled for March 31st... but I'm posting a bit early because *squeal* I'm taking part in Melissa Maygrove's COVER REVEAL!  So, I'll see you Monday!