Date & Protein Chocolate Cookies – For Workouts, For the Win!

This post sponsored my Bard Valley Natural Delight Dates. However, all content, opinions and enthusiasm are my own!

Growing up, Dad had a joke in our house that cookies eaten outside of normal dessert consumption hours were called “Breakfast Circles,” or “Energy Rounds.”  This soon became my line of defense when Mom caught me with my hand in the cookie jar. Thank goodness, my Date & Protein Chocolate Cookies need no explaining away! Date Chocolate Protein Cookies

These little rounds of goodness are loaded with quality and sustaining energy my family needs to smash through the day’s goals – both physically and mentally. My youngest teenager and I are the athletes of the family and my older two boys are the “math-letes” – bodies and brains BOTH need healthy carbs (backed by a bit of protein) to optimize performance. My cookies, made with absolutely no refined sugar (only Medjool dates and a few other smart ingredients), make the perfect snack to fuel running, workouts, sports practice, and racing to the head of the class! Read on to get the recipe and all the delicious, body-boosting benefits: Continue reading

Paleo Sichuan Medjool Date Sauce

What’s spicy, sweet and oh-so nice to eat? My Paleo Sichuan Date Sauce! I was looking for a sugar-free, soy-free, corn starch-free way to replicate one of my favorite take-out dishes and came up with this amazing sauce — it’s now the secret  wham-bam-kapow to my Paleo Kung “Power” Chicken!

Paleo Kung Pao Sauce swetened with Medjool Dates

March is National Sauce Month and this easy sauce recipe makes a feisty sidekick on everything from vegetable side dishes to an entire side of salmon.

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Sweet Rewards – Chocolate Date “Candy Bar” Bites (Recipe)

jennifer fisher - thefitfork.com - chocolate date candy barsMy major food weakness is that I have a sweet tooth, especially for anything chocolate. I can’t pass a bowl of M&Ms without stuffing my mouth (and pockets) and know through extensive experimentation that truly “there is no wrong way to eat a Reese’s.” When I thought it would be a sneaky idea to hide chocolate chips from myself in the freezer, I realized the next morning they taste better frozen! There is no keeping me from chocolate. Period.

While I am focused on eating healthy most of the time, I’m definitely not a food denier. What’s the point in living? However, since chocolate, in some form or fashion, will probably continue to be part of my (daily) life for the next 50 years, I decided to search around for some healthier options that I could indulge in every so often. I love me a batch of these Chocolate Date “Candy Bar” Bites; a recipe based on a friend’s treat and tweaked to my tastes. These fudgy bites are packed with no-guilt, wholesome ingredients and are raw, gluten-free, vegan and Paleo-friendly, if that matters to you. They also taste completely dreamy and make a great workout reward — and that matters to me!

chocolate date candy bar bites ingredient

Chocolate Date “Candy Bar” Bites Recipe

  • 1 1/3 cups pitted medjool dates
  • ¼ cup organic cocoa powder
  • 2 teaspoons coconut oil, melted
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 6 ounces Enjoy Life® Semi-sweet Chocolate Mega Chunks, chopped (reserve 2 tablespoons for sprinkling on tops) *

Place pitted dates, cocoa, melted coconut oil, vanilla and water into work bowl of food processor; pulse until well combined. Add almond flour and chocolate chips; continue to pulse until mixture creates a cohesive ball.

Roll dough into three ropes approximately 12” long. Press remaining chopped chocolate chips into the top of rolls. Cut each roll into 8 pieces.

Serves 24

*Note you can use whatever brand of chocolate chip you like, but if you are trying to keep a vegan diet or a dairy, gluten, and/or soy-free diet, please read the manufacturer’s ingredient label.

date fudge nutrition