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Life has been moving SO fast lately! Last time I checked my calendar, it was summer... and now it's fall in New England! I actually prefer the fall and I don't think it lasts long enough! There's usually no spring or fall in New England and we either get 90 degree days or 30 degree days! So, I'm thriving in this fall weather where I can cozy up but not have to put on tons of layer to walk outside. When the seasons change, we change. Our needs and desires change with the weather and the seasons because our primal ancestors had different needs with the seasons changing in order to stay alive. Summertime is a time for letting go, having fun, enjoying the outdoors, eating fresh and local produce and getting some extra sunlight! In the fall, we start to retreat back into our homes a little more, add some extra layers of clothing to stay warm and eat more comforting foods to prepare for winter. The fall time is also a time of gathering, giving thanks and bringing back our focus from the relaxed summertime.
With the colder weather approaching, I've found myself spending more time with friends and family and putting more attention and energy into my work. The cooler weather is more stimulating for me and I seem to work better when it's not too hot outside. With my busy schedule coming up, I wanted to make a quick snack that I could grab when I wanted something sweet, full of healthy fats and hold me over until my next meal. I talked a lot about fats and nut butter in my previous Instagram post so if you haven't seen it yet, you can check it out here. One of my go-to snacks that is comforting and filling is always almond butter. It's so creamy and so easy to eat. But that's also the problem... it's too easy to eat! So, I was inspired to make some almond butter bites that were actually bite size portions! When picking a nut butter, you want to make sure that it has clean and natural ingredients. As I mentioned in my Instagram post, a lot of nut butters can have fillers and man made ingredients to improve the taste and texture. So, you're not really getting 100% peanuts when you buy Skippy peanut butter; you are getting peanuts mixed with synthetic fillers to temporarily make your taste buds excited. Once those synthetic ingredients enter our body, we will become inflamed because our body is reacting to a foreign substance that we are not meant to digest. So if you don't know the ingredients, DON'T BUY IT! The best nut butters are organic and contain only one or two ingredients including the nut itself and sometimes salt is added to it as well. Eat clean and feel good! These coconut almond butter bites are also amazing for portion control because like I mentioned, its super easy to eat the entire jar of nut butter if you're not careful ;)
Coconut almond butter bites
Ingredients
1/2 cup coconut flour
1 cup almond butter
1/3 cup organic maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
Handful of cacao nibs
Method
Mix the coconut flour, almond butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract all together until it is cookie dough like
Add in cacao nibs and stir until mixed in
Take a cookie dough scoop or ice cream scoop and form about 1 inch balls
Roll balls of dough and place on parchment paper lined tray
Enjoy either frozen or room temp! (They will keep longer in the freezer!)
If you make these coconut almond butter bites, let me know by sharing a pic and tagging @inspirednutritionandhealth I would love to see how they came out and what you think of them!
Also, you don't have to use almond butter! If you use another type of nut butter I would love to know how they come out! I'm always excited to experiment with foods :)
Happy Tuesday!
Katie