136. Springtime Snacks

Springtime Snacks

In case you haven’t noticed, I love peanut butter.  Chocolate + PB is one of my faves, but some people (inexplicably) prefer other flavor combinations.  My sister and Josh, for instance, like chocolate-mint treats while Timmy and Hannah are in the chocolate/PB camp with me.  So today I wanted to be more flavor tolerant and am sharing two of my favorite springtime snacks – a Shamrock coffee shake and Grasshopper Cookies.  Both of these were inspired by Chocolate Covered Katie’s Healthy Shamrock Shake.   My favorite part of the CCK method is that she uses spinach to achieve a green color.  Spinach is good for you, FYI – didn’t you watch Popeye growing up?  And you don’t taste it since the banana and mint flavors are strong.  If you are opposed to putting spinach in your treats, though, try it without.

Mint Java Chip Shake

1)   At least ½ of a CCK Shamrock Shake (I use frozen leftovers) To make a faux shamrock shake a la CCK:  I usually blend 1 frozen banana, ¼ cup or less  frozen spinach, a bit of almond milk and a few drops of peppermint extract.  Drink what you want and freeze the rest (e.g. in ice cube trays or I use silicon muffin liners)

2)   ½ c milk of choice

3)   espresso shot or strong coffee, cooled

4)   handful of chocolate chips

• Drop the rest of your frozen shake (I usually use around ½ a cup of the frozen leftovers), ½ c milk of choice, and a cooled shot of espresso or strong coffee into the blender (I use my Vitamix).  Blend blend blend.
• At the end, drop in a handful of chocolate chips and blend very gently – you just want to cut them up a bit, not puree them.
• Enjoy!  It was my friend F who introduced me to the world of caffeinated convenience offered by a Starbucks drive-thru.  She also educated me about java chip Frappuccinos – I haven’t had one in a long time so I’m not sure if they’re still offered, but at the time I thought the little bits of chocolate (big enough to chew but small enough to get through the straw) were wonderful.

 

Grasshopper Cookies

I saw a Pin that said you could make cookies by just mashing ripe banana with oats.  I tried it, with some modifications.  It worked!

Preheat Oven to 350

**This is a small batch – about 7-8 cookies.  I like small batches since I experiment a lot and my mobility issues require that my food fits in the toaster oven.  Small batches are good for regular people too, though, since you can whip up a batch with minimal effort and share it with a loved one for a teatime or any time treat.

Ingredients

1. 1/2 banana
2.  scant 1/8 c frozen spinach, thawed (You could try more or less – I just used the chunk that fell out of the bag first. )
3. splash of peppermint extract
4. 1/4 cup of sliced almonds
5. splash of milk for blending (I used coconut bc that’s what was in the fridge)
6. Handful of shredded coconut
7. Handful of chocolate chips  (I considered using cacao nibs but then I was like, Seriously?  I just put spinach in my cookies.  So I went with cc’s.)

• Blend ingredients 1-5.  I used my Vitamix – you could try the food processor or reglar blender.  I just wanted the batter to be smooth so I pulverized it.
• Mix in the coconut and handful of chocolate chips by hand.
• Scoop onto baking sheet (greased or w. parchment paper) and bake for 15 minutes at 350.

Other Recipes are here.  Yes, I seriously eat like this.