Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies (NO Refined Sugar/Flour}

These are a great treat that you don't have to feel guilty about eating!

I made them some time ago and forgot about them.  I get sooo many photos taken and recipes get lost in the pile of 'to post'...it's a good thing I guess cause I don't fall behind, but I don't always get caught up either.

UGH!

I love making treats using natural sweeteners, like dates, in this recipe. The recipe also has honey, coconut oil, almond or peanut butter...and the list of wholesome goodness goes on. 

I love trying new recipes like this one, so I was very happy to find it at 
Tessa The Domestic Diva. As her blog proudly proclaims, she shares "Wholesome Allergy-Friendly Living ideas and recipes".  Please stop by and check her out. 

I have a couple of other recipes 'in the waiting room' (or, truth be told...the pile=) to be shared.  I keep RAW no bake protein balls handy in the fridge and enjoy a couple with my morning coffee.  MMM sooo good!  And...good for you.
That recipe is coming one of these days. 

You can have your sweets, without the sugar & flour!
These are large cookies too!

Do hope you'll try these yummy lovelies. I plan to make them again this week. 

I used my own Homemade Sugar Free Chocolate Chips in this recipe. 
What a kick!!!!  That recipe only uses 3 main ingredients...coconut oil is one of them.  Coconut oil has many health benefits! 

If you want to read more...here's links to read about the Many uses of Coconut Oil
and Health Benefits of Coconut Oil. 

HEALTHY CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
(NO REFINED SUGAR OR WHITE FLOUR) 

1/2 c. packed pitted dates, chopped (about 6 - 8)
1/4 c. hot water
1/4 c. coconut oil
1/4 c. honey 
(or other liquid sweetener...like agave nectar?) 
1/4 c. ground flax or chia seeds
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 c. almond butter (Oh how I love thee!)
(or peanut butter)
1 c. quick-cooking oatmeal (or quinoa flakes...I've not seen those?)
1/2 c. almond meal flour 
(can make your own by whirring whole almonds in coffee grinder or 
food processor) 
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1/2 c. sugar free chocolate chips 

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheet with parchment paper or lightly grease.

Soak dates in boiling water a few minutes to soften. Puree in food processor.  Add coconut oil, honey, flax seed and vanilla; pulse until well blended.  Add almond butter and blend.  Sprinkle the soda and salt evenly over mixture, followed by oatmeal and almond meal flour; pulse until well blended. Stir in chocolate chips.  

Drop large spoonfuls onto prepared cookie sheet. Bake  12 - 15 minutes. Remove from oven and let stand about 5 minutes before removing to a cooling rack. 
(otherwise they will fall apart) 

Yield: about 12 - 15 large cookies. 

Don't eat them all at once! ;-}

Linked to Weekend Potluck

Perfect Peach Cobbler {Sugar Free Option}

This is an easy and delicious dessert that goes together quickly.

Our daughter-in-love, Lyn had given us a jar of homecanned peaches, using Splenda.

So when I saw this recipe at Sweet Tea with Cindy I knew I would be making it with those peaches.

It was wonderful and we enjoyed every tasty bite.

This makes a great dessert, after school or even bedtime snack.

I prefer my fruit cobblers warm...and with ice cream or whipped topping! (I just didn't have any on hand to add to the picture!)

Of course, you could use sugar-sweetened peaches if you prefer. 

PERFECT PEACH COBBLER - EASY!

1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

3/4 c. sugar or sugar substitute, (plus 1 Tb. - optional)

1/2 c. milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/4 c. butter, melted

1 (29 ozs) can yellow cling sliced peaches (in heavy syrup)
(I used peaches canned with splenda...you can purchase them that way also)

Preheat oven to 400.

Mix flour, baking powder, sugar, milk and vanilla in bowl; set aside.

Drain some juice off the peaches (you can leave the juice in for a moister crust). 

Cut the peaches into bite sized pieces. Pour into

9" X 9" casserole dish.

Pour batter over top. May sprinkle a little sugar over the top if you'd like.
Makes some pretty 'sparkles'. *-*

Pour melted butter on top of batter - bake 30 - 45 minutes or until golden brown on top.

Serve warm with ice cream or whipped topping.

Guest Post: Veronica's Cornucopia - Oreo Cookie Cake

Veronica is one of my newest blogging buds, but we've become fast friends through email. 

It's so fun to get to know more about other bloggers, and I have really enjoyed knowing Veronica more and appreciate her sense of humor and outlook on life. 

She has won a lot of Blue Ribbons at the Kansas State Fair...red, and white ones too.  So you just gotta know she knows her way around the kitchen. 

She's quite the cake baker/decorator also and when I saw her Oreo Cake, I asked if she'd be willing to share with my readers.

Thanks so much Veronica....'the stage' (um...the kitchen) is all yours Sweetie...

(holding her blue ribbon and sweepstakes-winning carrot cake!
She's so humble I had to ask about it! - Marsha) 

Hi, my name is Veronica, and like Marsha, I'm a good cook (well, I'm an OK cook) but I'm a better baker! I'm 32 years old and have been baking since I was about nine. It started out of necessity, because sweets weren't allowed in the house. Strangely enough, I discovered all the ingredients necessary for making them in the pantry, so without Mom's permission, I just started following the recipes I found in cookbooks and newspapers, and creating sweet treats for

myself

the whole family. Despite the "no sweets" rule, no one ever tried to stop me, most likely because my parents were too happy eating the fruits of my rebellion to protest!

Over time, my specialty became cake, and I've come a long way since my first cake that overflowed the pan and created a huge burnt mess on the bottom of our oven. Today I have won several ribbons at our state fair for my cakes (you can see some of my award-winning recipes here), and I'm happy to report I haven't burnt a cake on the bottom of the oven in over a year. :)

I'd like to share a blue-ribbon winner with you today that is the most popular recipe on my blog right now, despite having posted it almost 2 1/2 years ago! This Oreo Cookie Cake is stuffed with crushed Oreos both in the cake and in the frosting and despite not liking Oreos (sorry!), I love this cake. Love it! I don't know what it is about incorporating the Oreos into a white cake, but it is just so, so good. The icing in particular--I could just eat a bowl of it with a spoon.

Ready for the recipe? On your mark, get set, BAKE!

Oreo Cookie (or Cookies 'n Cream) Cake

Printable recipe

Printable recipe with picture

Cake

1 Box white cake mix

Eggs, water and oil as called for on the box

~OR your favorite white cake recipe

15 Oreos, crushed

Frosting

1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened

1 (16 oz) box powdered sugar

1 (8 oz) container Cool Whip, room temperature

15 Oreos, crushed

¼ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Optional

extra Cool Whip & crushed Oreos for decoration

Cake: Grease and flour two 8" pans. Prepare cake according to package directions (or recipe directions), stirring in the crushed Oreos to the batter before dividing between prepared pans. Bake as directed on box or in recipe. Remove cake layers from oven and allow to cool completely on cooling rack.

Frosting: In mixer, cream the cream cheese and sugar. Add vanilla, mix well, and stir in Cool Whip. Mix well. Fold in crushed Oreos until well blended & frost cooled cake. If desired, pipe Cool Whip swirls around the top of the cake and pipe a border on the bottom, and sprinkle crushed Oreos over the Cool Whip. Refrigerate cake until ready to serve and refrigerate any leftovers.

* Cake may be baked in a 13 x 9 inch pan or you can even make cupcakes; change the baking time according to the package instructions or your recipe.

Recipe source: Veronica's Cornucopia

3 Bommin' Bean Dishes {Blast from the Past}

What a yummy dish. I love surprising folks with a 'secret' ingredient. 

Even those who don't care for sauerkraut, love these beans.

I serve over 200 folks on the street for a local "Bean Days" festival and these

get raves again and again.  Another easy 5 ingredient recipe. 

Kraut 'n' Beans

This simple recipe is best with fresh green beans, but frozen make for a great dish too.  MMM good!

Easy Old-Fashioned Green Beans

This is one of the best bean salads I've ever tasted. 
Simple and delicious..using canned beans, you can make it any time of the year. 

Tasty Three Bean Salad

Pina Colada Oatmeal Smoothies

We drink a lot (!) of smoothies at our house.  Sometimes hubs just isn't in the       mood for a warm breakfast and so we'll share a smoothie. 

I was so happy to see this recipe at Calculus to Cupcakes. The recipe comes down the line from Martha Stewart...somewhere back in it's beginnings. I LOVE Pina Colada anything....and had everything on hand too.  That always makes a recipe a winner with me. 

And it's a healthier recipe.  That always grabs me by the neck too. 

The Greek Yogurt adds protein, the oatmeal adds some more, and I even added half a scoop of protein powder too.  Not only delicious, but it will sustain us for the morning too. 

Just in case you've never had oatmeal in a smoothie before, the oatmeal gets ground up and you don't even notice it. 

This recipe makes 4 servings, but can easily be halved. 

PINA COLADA OATMEAL SMOOTHIES

2 -1/2 c. pineapple

1 c. fat free Greek yogurt

1 c. dry oats

1 - 14 ozs. can light coconut milk
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
1 scoop vanilla protein powder, optional

2 c. ice

Place all ingredients except protein powder & ice into the container of a blender or food processor.  Process/blend until smooth.  Add the p.powder & ice and process/blend until it reaches the desired consistency you love most.

Pour, Serve & Enjoy!! 

Linked to Weekend Potluck
             Scrumptious Sunday
             Gooseberry Patch Roundup - Smoothies