So, it’s no secret that I have a sweet tooth. My favorite food is birthday cake. I get that that does not bode well for my health and waistline, but I come by it honestly. My whole family is full of dessert loving people. Nolan has been a sweets lover from the beginning, but Brady has always been my healthy eater. He’s always preferred a fruit smoothie to desserts. So, in an effort to appease mine and Nolan’s sweet tooth, but not forgo Brady’s healthy ways, we tried a few new dessert recipes this weekend.
The first was inspired by our love of Rice Krispie treats. Traditional Rice Krispie Treats are full of rice cereal, butter, and marshmallows. Delicious, but no nutritional value. I decided to use that same rice cereal but combine it with bananas and some all natural peanut butter. We made them into bite size balls and stuck them in the freezer. The result was a sweet, gooey, moist, ball of peanut butter goodness. It took about 5 minutes to come together and a half hour in the freezer to set.
Choco-Peanut-Banana-Rice Balls
Ingredients
3 Cups Rice Cereal
3/4 Cup Peanut Butter
A squirt of honey
1 Tablespoon Cocoa Powder
1 Ripe Banana
All we did was throw the peanut butter, banana, and honey in a large pot and heat until melted. Once it was liquid-y we added the cocoa powder.
We added the rice cereal and stirred it into the peanut butter mixture. We took it off the heat and let it cool for about a minute or two.
Then we used our hands to roll the rice mixture into bite sized balls.
We stuck the plate full of balls into the freezer for about a half hour to let them set. Then they were ready to eat!
We kept these guys in the freezer so they were nice and cold when we wanted one. They never got super hard so they were always ready to eat. This batch lasted us less than a day.
Now on to dessert #2 of the weekend…
Since the weather has cooled off so much lately, I’ve really been in the mood to make something pumpkin flavored. I LOVE my Grandma Dot’s pumpkin bread recipe, but I’m saving that one for when I’m really ready to indulge. Today we tried a Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Muffin recipe I found on Pinterest that is low in added sugar and gets it’s sweetness from bananas and some protein from Greek Yogurt. I’m posting the link to the recipe, but note that we added about a 1/2 teaspoon salt (because I really think it enhances the flavor of baked goods) and half a teaspoon of ground cloves (it’s in my Grandma’s recipe and SO tasty with pumpkin.) These are so great for a breakfast on the go or a sweet treat in the evening. The kids loved this one and have a blast any time they get to help bake!
Here’s the recipe…
http://www.thirtyhandmadedays.com/2014/09/chocolate-chip-pumpkin-muffins/
‘Tis the season of Pumpkin!
our blessed adventures 