BOMB Black Bean Brownies

When I set out to make these brownies, they were at the request of my trainer and friend, Vanessa (check her out…Bachata and Barbells). She wanted some recipes that could satisfy her sweet tooth, without completely voiding her daily workouts. I should warn you, while they are healthier…I still wouldn’t recommend sitting down and housing the entire batch. 

I’ve made black bean brownies before these completely blow all the others out of the water. Wow! This recipe is so good that I had to make a second batch. I will be honest, the second batch was necessary because I ate too many (I brought a few to Vanessa) and no longer had enough to bring to work and allow for everyone to have seconds (and I knew that they would all WANT seconds). Now, the obvious perk is that they are of course, a healthier alternative to regular brownies. Another perk – they’re easy to make!

I love recipes in which the time required is minimal and all you do is throw the ingredients into a food processor, blend, and pop in the oven. This recipe, is just that. It is that easy. That quick. If you have a dishwasher, the clean up is that simple too. 

I will list the entire recipe and portions below. I modified a recipe I found on Chocolate Covered Katie. I didn’t change much but what I did change, you would never know. The base of the recipe is 1 can of black beans (rinsed and drained). I use a colander to ensure that the bean juice is fully rinsed and of course drained. Tip: Don’t try and get fancy and swoosh around the beans – it makes a mess. Whoops! 

After blending the beans alone in the food processor, add oats, unsweetened cocoa powder, salt, vanilla extract, coconut oil  (I modified from vegetable oil), baking powder, pure maple syrup (or agave nectar), organic coconut sugar (recipes uses regular sugar). You will also need chocolate chips to fold in after everything is blended together. I used organic dairy free chocolate chips. I also folded in walnuts to add more texture and crunch. YUM. Fair warning, the batter is just as delicious as the brownies.  Once you have blended the ingredients and have folded in the chocolate chips (and walnuts, if you so choose), spread the batter into a greased 8×8 pan. The first batch I used a 10×10 pan and the brownies were thinner than I would have expected. The second batch, I followed directions and they were a better thickness. Make sure it is evenly spread throughout the pan so that all your brownies are the same size (another whoopsie from the first batch).     Stick it in the oven at 350F and let cook for 15-18 minutes. I cooked on the lower end to make sure I didn’t dry out or burn the brownies. Once it passes the toothpick test (the toothpick comes out clean), you know your brownies are good to go. Let them cool fully before cutting into them. If once you cut, you find they are too gooey inside, you can pop them in the fridge over night and they will firm up to the right consistency.     These are so yummy, I will warn you to be careful not to eat them all (or too many) in one sitting. They taste just like regular brownies but are packed full of healthy ingredients. I challenge anyone to detect the black beans in these heavenly brownies. 

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F. Mix ingredients in food processor. Bake for 15-18 minutes.

• 1 15 oz can of black beans (drained and rinsed very well)
• 2 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup quick oats
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/3 cup pure maple syrup (can use agave or honey)
• 2 tbsp coconut sugar (or omit and increase maple syrup to 1/2 cup)
• 1/4 cup coconut or vegetable oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup to 2/3 cup chocolate chips
• Sprinkle more chocolate chips on top

Recipe Link: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2012/09/06/no-flour-black-bean-brownies/

Birthday “Funfetti” Cookies

These cookies ended up being beyond delicious. Disclaimer: they are more like muffins than a true cookie but were a huge hit nonetheless. They were nice and moist, and remain as such the next day (I’d imagine longer, but those suckers didn’t stand a chance among 10 girls). They are healthy, loaded with protein, and come in at just about 50 calories per cookie. That’s my kind of cookie. Not to mention, they look pretty cool. They just scream cellllllleeeebraaation (come on, you know you sang that). I made two batches, which came out to roughly 30 cookies (okay, maybe 32, but 2 didn’t make it past the cooling stage).

The ingredients are fairly standard. I modified it a bit in that the recipe from Peanut Butter and Fitness (two things I can definitely get on board with) called for Cellucor Cake Batter protein powder, but I used vanilla protein powder and no one knew the difference (sorry, girls).

First preheat your oven to 350F. While thats heating, as always, you want to mix the wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. I feel it’s important, especially when using eggs since it’s much easier to scoop out any broken shells.

For the dry you will need 1/2 cup oats, 2 1/2 scoops of vanilla (or cake batter) protein powder, 1/8 tsp baking powder, and 3 tbs Jello vanilla pudding mix (sugar and fat free). 

As for the wet, you will need ripe (funky looking) bananas. {See picture below.} Mash the bananas until you have about 3/4 cup – I used 1 1/2 bananas, 1/4 cup greek yogurt (plain or vanilla), 1 egg, 1 egg white, and 1 tsp vanilla extract. {Full recipe below}

After mixing the ingredients separately, add the wet ingredients into the dry. Once the ingredients are blended together, fold in the sprinkles. I chose the candied sprinkles that look like little balls. ( 🙂 )  I can’t say I measured the amount, but I used enough shakes to add lots of color.

I threw some more on that ***** after I tablespoon-ed the mixture onto parchment paper.

Finally, you stick ’em in the oven for about 15 minutes, although, as always, I went under and cooked them for about 13 minutes. You’ll want to watch them. I checked the bottoms as an extra measure. When the bottoms were golden brown, I made a judgement call and pulled them out and put them on a cooling rack.

I let them cool for about 15 minutes or until they are cool to the touch. I put them in a sealed tupperware and saved (most of them) until I could share them with the birthday girl the next day.

Recipe

Preheat oven to 350F. Bake for 13-15 minutes. Cool.

• 1/2 cup quick oats, ground
• 2.5 scoops vanilla protein protein powder
• 3 tbsp sugar free/fat free Jell-o vanilla pudding mix
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white
• 3/4 cup mashed banana
• 1/4 cup non-fat Greek yogurt
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• SPRINKLES (or Jimmy’s for you weirdos)

Recipe Link: http://www.peanutbutterandfitness.com/2014/05/birthday-cake-protein-cookies.html

Vanilla Protein Banana Pancakes

Saturday mornings have become my favorite of the week. Not only can I sleep in and NOT have to go to work (woo hoo!), but I have also been on a journey to find the best healthy pancakes on Pinterest. I recently started using Nature’s Bounty Chocolate and Vanilla protein powders and have loved experimenting with them in recipes, other than just in a simple (albeit delicious) blended smoothie. From brownies to pancakes (which is what brings you here), I have experimented with quite a few of each and am dead set on narrowing down my favorite Saturday morning go-tos.

Today’s batch was definitely my top vanilla pancake that I’ve found so far (Link to Willowbird Baking site below). They come out extremely fluffy, which others have disappointingly not. They’re really easy to whip up in under 15 minutes and most of the ingredients you should already have in the house (if you have protein powder, that is).

This recipe contains mashed bananas, which makes the pancakes nice and sweet (see: Brownie “Bites”) without having to add any sugars or too much syrup.

Mash the banana with a fork. Really get aggressive and make sure they’re good and mashed. I use a large fork, but keep wishing I had a potato masher (which thank you Amazon Prime, will be here on Monday!)

Next you want to add one 1 scoop vanilla protein powder, 1/8 tsp of baking powder (optional, but makes a  difference), and 2 egg whites (a substitute by choice not by recipe.)

Mix the batter thoroughly to make sure there is no protein powder residue. Next, pour the mixture into a pan. Wait for the pancakes to start to bubble; or in my mind make holes and then flip them over with a spatula.

Ahh, perfect! Wait about a minute, check the sides for any doughy looking areas, then they are good to go!

Last step, the best step….plate and devour. I added a sprinkle of my fave homemade granola (duh!) and some fresh blueberries. Feel free to go wild on your toppings. Enjoy!

Recipe link: http://willowbirdbaking.com/2015/01/20/four-ingredient-protein-pancakes-16-simple-healthy-meals/