She put the chocolate in the coconut, she ate 'em all up. That's how that song goes right? Chocolate & coconut > lime & coconut. For sure.  When I was at the Garden of Life Blogger Summit back in May, I met Sophie Jaffe, a Cali-based yogi and creator of Philosophie superfood products. She was kind to send me some of her products to try out and I have to say her Cacao Magic Superfood Blend is delicious!! Especially for baking and making energy bites. I try to make a batch of energy bites or protein balls every week for when I need a quick little pick me up and for something sweet after lunch or dinner (let's be real, this is the main reason).

Choco-Coconut Superfood Bites 

At the Garden of Life Blogger's Summit I also learned the key to making these energy bites from Moreya's FitBites demo...always use boiling water!! It breaks the oats down so you end up with a truffle-type consistency. It makes all the difference! 

These lil' things are truffley, chocolatey, nutty and filled with superfoods. In addition to the superfood blend, I used chia seeds for an extra superfood kick and of course chocolate chips, the superfood of all superfoods. You could totally just sub in chocolate protein powder or regular protein and some extra cocoa powder for the superfood blend. 

[yumprint-recipe id='27'] Enjoy!! 

What's your favorite superfood?

Happy Monday! I know you need a little extra energy (who doesn't on a Monday afternoon?), so I'm sharing these delicious Trail Mix Energy Muffins. They could also be called "clean out your pantry muffins" because there's a lot of fun add-ins in these. Why skimp on all that goodness? The more the merrier! These are perfect for that pre-workout munch or even as part of your breakfast! They're full of complex carbs, healthy fats and natural sugar.

Here's what you'll need: 

• 1 cup almond flour
• 1/2 cup regular flour
• 1 cup oats
• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 2 oz. dark chocolate or about 1/4-1/3 cup (I used 1/2 of a large hershey's dark chocolate bar and chopped it up)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/3 cup egg whites
• 1/3 cup plain greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup raw honey

Here's what to do: 

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F
• Mix together all of the dry ingredients
• Add in the greek yogurt, honey and eggs
• Mix together well - the consistency should be thick
• Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray (or line with muffin liners)
• Spoon in the batter to fill the muffin tin about 3/4 the way to the top
• Bake for 18 minutes, or until golden brown

I will definitely be making these again for next week!

Enjoy :)

- Rach

I love having homemade snacks on hand when I am really busy and need to grab some quick energy. Store bought protein and energy bars are usually so expensive! I stick to either Lara Bars or Kind Bars because they have the cleanest ingredient list and are delicious, but I just cannot afford them every week. It's super easy to throw together something similar with ingredients that you probably already have on hand. Yesterday I threw together Peanut Butter Oat Energy Bites. These are an example of how you can make your own. I always stick to minimal ingredients (makes it the easiest) and make sure I have a protein, healthy fat and carb to cut the hunger and give me sufficient energy. I also tend to add in some sweetness in the form of chocolate. Always chocolate.

The key with making these is the consistency. I have found that a no-fail formula is to have about three to four dry ingredients and only one to two wet ingredients - one of which should have some binding power (like a nut butter.) For example, in these bites, I included almost equal parts protein powder and oats. I then added in equal parts chia seeds and chocolate chips. After adding three tablespoons of peanut butter, I mixed everything together and slowly added one tablespoon at a time of almond milk. This is key!! You don't want the mixture to be overly dry or wet. It should be like a really thick cookie dough that you can easily form into balls or bars. These are truly so easy to make and you can play around with so many different flavors and add ins.

Ingredients: 

• 2 scoops vanilla protein powder
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1 tbsp chia seeds
• 2-3 tbsp chocolate chips (I got a little heavy handed with this ingredient)
• 3 tbsp peanut butter
• 3-4 tbsp almond milk (could also use water)

Directions:

• Combine protein powder, oats and chia seeds and mix
• Add peanut butter and mix well (mixture should be a bit crumbly - cue to add more liquid)
• Add almond milk or water one tbsp at a time and mix
• When mixture is at a dough-like consistency, fold in chocolate chips or any other add ins
• Roll into balls and place on wax paper
• Store in fridge or freezer

Enjoy!!

Rach