At my old job, I hardly ever snacked. I’m not really sure why, I just never felt the urge to snack much.
For whatever reason, at the current job I have, I must have an afternoon snack. Like, I get to the “I’m going to eat my arm off” feeling by 3pm if I don’t have something to nosh on.
Most of the time, I’m wanting a little something sweeter. Granola bars and trail mix are great, but a lot of times I feel like a bottomless pit if I eat those items and end up eating way too much.
These little date balls are the perfect solution to my afternoon hunger. Now I know I’m not the first person to ever make date balls, so this recipe is inspired by numerous other recipes. Hope you enjoy!
Chocolate Almond Date Balls
Ingredients:
- 7-8 pitted dates, boiled for 10 minutes to soften
- 1/2 cup almonds
- 1/8 cup cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon almond butter
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Cinnamon
Directions:
1. Place almonds in a food processor and chop until they are in small pieces.
2. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor and pulse until ingredients are well combined (the mixture will look crumbly.)
3. Form into balls and place into fridge for 1-2 hours before serving.
Question: Are you a snacker? Do you prefer savory or sweet?
End of the weekend already? But…I’m not ready!
This weekend was mostly dedicated to work. We had a work dinner Friday night and I had a work event all day Saturday. Waking up at 5am on a Saturday to go to work = no fun. Mad props to those who work on the weekends.
I stopped by JCP on my way home to pick up a new purse/clutch I bought recently. Free shipping to the store? Yes, please!
Once I got home I had friends and beer waiting for me, so I was as happy as a clam. Where does that saying even come from?
Anyways, Ryan and Brenton went golfing earlier in the day and we invited Alysha and Brenton over after to have a little grill out.
We got brats from The Elegant Farmer along with potato salad. I’m not usually a brat gal, I’d much rather have a cheeseburger but I will make an exception for these brats. Oh my heavens these brats are dreamy. Locals, you’ve gotta try them out! While you’re there get the apple pie too. You won’t regret it.
Sunday
I knew there was a high probability that we would miss church this Sunday and my prediction was right. With the week that we’ve had (Ryan was gone for 3 days in Chicago) we needed to sleep in.
Ryan made me a “Puppy Mother’s day breakfast” which was ah-mazing. I’m so spoiled 
My to do list was mondo long but I worked through it as much as I could. Ryan’s parents will be stopping by and staying the night on Monday after their trip to visit one of Ryan’s brothers so obviously I wanted to make some new recipes. Carol (his mom) has been wanting to try kale chips and says she can’t quite make them right so I made sure to have them on the menu.
My weekend eats are always totally random. At least there were some veggies in there…I feel like I’ve been lacking lately.
Here’s the menu for the week:
Weekly Menu May 12-18
- Sunday: Layered Raw Taco Salads
- Monday: Turkey Burgers w/ Kale Chips + Cheesy Quinoa
- Tuesday: Tilapia w/ Roasted Carrots + Couscous
- Wednesday: Brown Rice Casserole
- Thursday: Thai – Namite w/ Laurie & Alysha (words can’t describe how excited I am to try this place!)
- Friday: Grilled Pizza
- Saturday: TBD
Question: Locals: Have you ever been to Thai – Namite?
I’ve gotten into a bad habit of letting bananas go way past their prime. See, when I’m eating a plain banana by itself (well, with peanut butter of course) they have to be the perfect ripeness.
If they are even a teeny tiny bit close to be squishy I deem them not worthy of being eaten. And since I go on kicks with bananas, sometimes eating one every day, sometimes not eating one in weeks, I find myself at the end of the week with a lot of squishy bananas.
Because of course, I just keep buying bananas every week even though I might not eat them. I know, makes sense right?
I guess I should be thankful for my flighty banana eating ways because these muffins would not have been born if it weren’t for that fact.
Banana Walnut Muffins
Ingredients:
- 1/3 cup walnuts, chopped
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 ripe bananas, mashed
- 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt (I used 2% but you could use nonfat)
- 2 eggs
- 1.5 teaspoons almond extract
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.
2. In a medium bowl, whisk together flours, sugar, salt and baking soda. In a separate bowl, mix together banana, yogurt, egg and almond extract. Fold banana mixture into dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Then add the chopped walnuts.
3. Bake for 18-22 minutes or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Question: Do you like bananas?
