Carrot Cake Energy Balls

Ask me what my favorite cake is and I’ll immediately exclaim, “Carrot Cake!” This is my adult answer. My inner 10-year-old silently responds with “Funfetti Cake.” Not gonna lie, that pure white cake scattered with rainbow sprinkles makes me smile. But carrot cake? That’s just pure goodness. Or as Tom Haverford would say, “a big ole cookie.”

This is one excited face ready to devour a carrot cake:

I’ve made my own carrot cake once. It took a long time and I made a huge mess. Was it worth it? Yes. Would I do it again? Maybe for someone really freaking special. In the meantime, I’ll keep making a (much) healthier and quicker version.

Carrot Cake Energy Bites

adapted from Baking Serendipity

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1/4 cup shredded carrots
• 1/4 raw almonds, quartered (or chopped)
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup milled flaxseed
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 cup almond butter
• 1/3 cup maple syrup

Preparation

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together oats, shredded carrots, almonds, raisins, flaxseed, and cinnamon.
2. Add almond butter and maple syrup and stir until evenly combined.
3. Place mixture in refrigerator for at least one hour.
4. Shape mixture into one-inch balls. Makes about 18-20.

This is the next best thing to carrot cake, I promise. Not only do you get a similar flavor from them, you get natural energy! Toss one back before a workout and you’re golden.

Toss two back and you might explode with happiness.

CLIF Mojo Bar Giveaway For National Trail Mix Day!

Last week I posted a list of my favorite healthy snacks. Luna bars, in particular, are made by CLIF, the maker of Mojo bars. CLIF Mojo bars are sweet and salty trail mix bars that come in six different flavors:

• Chocolate Almond Coconut
• Honey Roasted Peanut
• Mixed Nuts
• Mountain Mix
• Peanut Butter Pretzel
• White Chocolate Macadamia

Mojo bars are 70% organic and contain 8g of protein with no trans fats or processed sugars. They’re a great on the go snack, and are sweet enough to satisfy your dessert craving!

In celebration of National Trail Mix Day, August 31st, I’m hosting a giveaway! Five of you will each win FIVE Mojo bars!

• Honey roasted Peanut
• Mixed Nut
• Mountain Mix
• Peanut Butter Pretzel
• Chocolate Almond Coconut

To enter, all you have to do is…

Tell me something nice.

Yep, that’s it. Giveaway ends Friday, September 7th, when I’ll randomly pick a winner. Good luck!

My Favorite Healthy Snacks

I’ve mentioned it before – I really love snacks. Lots of little meals > 3 big meals. Here are the snacks I most often eat.

1. Greek yogurt. It’s packed with protein, is rich and creamy, and full of flavor. My favorite brands, by far, are Fage and Chobani.. My absolute favorite is Fage’s Cherry 0%. I don’t typically like cherry-flavored foods, but this is the jam.

I also really like their Blueberry 0%.

Of all of the Chobani flavors, Pineapple 2% is the one I buy the most. Just like their Passion fruit flavor, it’s very tropical.

Surprisingly, I love their Lemon 0%. It’s really refreshing!

2. Luna bars. Let’s be honest, these things are “healthier” candy bars. They’re made with 70% organic ingredients and contain many essential vitamins and nutrients. Iced Oatmeal Raisin is ridiculously good.

I’ve noticed that people either love the Iced Oatmeal Raisin or the S’mores flavor, but not both. Weird, right? My other top flavors are Peanut Honey Pretzel, Chocolate Dipped Coconut, and Blueberry Bliss.

3. Nuts! I prefer almonds and walnuts, but put me in front of a can of cashews or peanuts and I won’t deny them. First and foremost, I like plain ol’ nuts in their natural state. I buy them in bulk from either Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s.

4. Fruit. I love almost all fruit in its natural state. Bananas, blueberries, and strawberries are my favorite. I’ll also never say no to pineapple. Have I ever told you I briefly lived in Hawaii with my mom when I was 3? Yep. Check this out. Someone was eating a lot of pineapple in 1987.

5. Back to the food. In high school, chips were my weakness. Nowadays, I reach for popchips. They’re not baked or fried, but instead air-popped. They have the best flavors and are so crunchy. I have little to no self control around a bag of Barbecue or Salt & Pepper popchips.

Their newest flavor, Sweet Potato, is quite different because it’s sweet, but is absolutely delicious.

Have you guys seen the new tortilla popchips? I’m dying to try them!

6. String cheese. I hadn’t had string cheese in years until very recently when I visited my grandparents. I forgot how convenient of a snack this is. And it’s cheese. Come on. We all love it. These bad boys are only 50 calories a pop (stick?) and, well, they’re fun to play with.

Embrace your inner 10-year-old and buy a bag of these.

7. Cottage cheese + jam. Sorry if you just threw up after reading that. It’s a great combo, I swear! Cottage cheese packs a punch of protein, and if you buy a lower sodium or low-fat kind, is a great post-workout snack. Top it with some jam for extra flavor. Just try it! +

8. Carrots + hummus. Sabra’s Roasted Garlic hummus is the best! +

9. Avocado + toast. It’s one of the most simple, yet delicious, snacks I eat. Just top a piece of toast with a couple avocado slices, drizzle with honey, top with salt & pepper, eat munch away.

10. COOKIES! Of course! Can’t stop, won’t stop. These aren’t healthy, but I could never leave them off my list of favorite snacks. ;)

What’s your favorite snack?

Are you team Fage or Chobani?

Favorite Luna bar flavor?

The Friday Five 7.20.12

1. What I’m Reading: Though I’m still reading Gone Girl for book club, I picked up a heavy stack of books that I had put on reserve at the library.

The one I’m most excited to peruse is The Naked Foods Cookbook.

2. What I’m Eating: We’re pretty fortunate to have a cafeteria at Blackbaud, even if it means that Rachel and I spend a silly amount of money there, just out of convenience. This week, I had a delicious lunch: sundried tomato wrap with turkey, feta, roasted red peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, lettuce, avocado, banana peppers, and hummus. Why does a wrap/sandwich always taste better when someone else makes it?

3. What I’m Listening to: Another good song by The Airborne Toxic Event.

4. Recipes I’m Bookmarking: Carrot, Almond, and Raisin Energy Bites.

5. GIFs I’m Loving: 

WHEN I’M TOO LAZY TO PUT ON MASACARA

So true!

WHEN I FIND THE MOTIVATION TO GO TO THE GYM

BEFORE:

DURING:

Happy weekend, friends!

New Favorite Foods

I love updating you guys on new foods that I’ve scouted out or become a fan of.

I ended a sentence in a preposition. Sorry! It would have sounded awkward otherwise, and though I usually epitomize the word awkward, I try to keep my writing a little less, um, weird. Onto the food!

1. Blue Diamond Salt ‘N Vinegar almonds.

Not only will these satisfy your salty craving, you get a dose of protein and fiber. They’re very delicious without being a sodium overload.

2. Publix all natural salsas.

Rachel and I picked up a tub of the medium salsa on Saturday. It’s really good! The ingredient list is clean, it’s got a great flavor, and isn’t too chunky. Chunky salsa is nasty.

3. La Croix Peach-Pear sparkling water.

They now sell this canned at Target! It’s definitely  my new favorite La Croix flavor. On another note, I’m still not over how awful the Coconut flavor was. Blech.

Let me tell you a secret: Sometimes if I don’t like a bottle of wine, I add a bit of sparkling water to it. Then bam! I’ve got a tastier, more refreshing glass of happiness.

4. Fiber One 90 Calorie Chocolate Chip Cookies

They’re soft, pack 5 grams of fiber, and contain only 8 grams of sugar. It’s a treat! I highly suggest nuking one in the microwave for about 15 seconds. Mmm!

5. Tropicana Trop50 Raspberry with Green Tea.

Amanda and I used this to mix with our vodka on the boat the other day. It’s only 50 calories per 8 ounces – a great mixer for a lower calorie beverage. Oh, and say hello to Svedka, my favorite vodka. It’s fairly inexpensive and very smooth.

6. Zone Perfect Perfectly Simple nutrition bars.

I was recently sent some samples of these bars and am so grateful! Upon opening the wrapper of the first bar I tried, I thought they looked just like Larabars. They’re SO much better. They’re quite dense, but more nutty and flavorful, with a short list of ingredients.  My favorite was the Cranberry Almond.

7. Buddy Fruits.

Ok, ok. this is definitely glorified fruit puree, but I can be a sucker for cute branding/packaging. I’m every marketer’s dream come true. But hey, moms! Don’t you think your kiddos would much rather get their fruit and vegetable requirements through these? Adorbs.

For the record, the only reason I tried these was because you can get the applesauce packets in the kids meals at Chick-fil-A. True story.

8. Jazz Apples.

These aren’t a new find, but more of a re-discovery thanks to Boding. We found these at Target of all places. They’re the best apples! Gotta love one of God’s most precious gifts to us – fresh fruit!

What new food products have you recently discovered?

Tell me your favorite a)packaged good and b)fresh fruit or vegetable.