Five 'Clean' Desserts

This is a Pinterest inspired post!!!!

Since giving birth, my body is not the same...ya know what I mean? And I have recently run out of the excuses “I am breastfeeding” and “I just had a baby”. Yeah, we’re going on 7 months now! So in addition to a new workout plan, I have decided to explore more options for eating ‘clean’. I used to be really good at it, but I will admit... I used pregnancy and breastfeeding to splurge! Sugar and pastries are my weakness, but I can easily cleanse myself of these with a few days work. Since I still have an extreme *sweet* tooth, I have started to cook/make more clean desserts so I can still feel like I am indulging while eating healthier...if you will!

What is clean eating?  “The soul of clean eating is consuming food in its most natural state, or as close to it as possible. It is not a diet; it's a lifestyle approach to food and its preparation, leading to an improved life - one meal at a time (Cleaneatingmag.com).” It also includes making sure that you consume enough water (they recommend 2 liters a day- seems easy compared to the 4 liters they recommended during pregnancy!), eating 5-6 times per day, eating healthy fats, reading (and understanding) labels, and doing your best to avoid processed and refined foods.

Anyway, before I get too lengthy, I will go into these 5 desserts that I have recently tried and I LOVE! Yes, these are all my pictures and all things that I have made- they are not tough! What I love about them is that I already had most of the ingredients in my pantry! Maybe they can help you to make a switch to cleaner eating- my goal is to eat about 90% clean by the time I am done with my 90 day challenge.

I tried to add the recipes how they were given to me, but I added my own variations too that you can see. Here we go!

Peanut Butter Protein Bites:

• 1 cup (dry) oatmeal (I used quick oats)
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1/2 cup ground flax seed(make sure it's ground. If not, you will be finding seeds in your teeth for days!)
• 1/3 cup honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
• 1 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips (find 'clean' chips if you want. I think I found these at Fresh 'n' Easy)

Stir all ingredients together in a medium bowl until thoroughly mixed. Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. I just took a clump in my hand and started rolling. Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.I have seen other variations of these also, where someone added chia seeds and coconut flakes. Sounds good to me!

Brownie Cupcakes:

• 1 Can Black Beans 540mL (rinsed thoroughly)
• 2 Egg Whites and 1 Full Egg (I used 2 full eggs)
• 1/3 Cup Plain Pureed Pumpkin
• 3 Tbsp Cashew Butter (I used regular butter and it worked. Next time I will use almond butter)
• 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 1/8 Tsp Salt
• 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
• 6 Packets Stevia (I did not add- not needed)
• 4 Tbsp Agave or Honey (I used honey and agave nectar- running low)
• 1/2 Cup Dark Chocolate Chips (Or clean chips. See above recipe for link)

1. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. Spray your muffin tin with olive oil spray or line with cupcake liners.
3. Place all ingredients excluding chocolate chips into your food processor and blend until smooth scraping down the sides occasionally. (I used my blender- it worked!)
4. Remove blade and with a spoon stir in chocolate chips.
5. Spoon batter evenly into muffin tin.
6. Bake for 20 minutes.
7. Let cupcakes set for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.

Tip - Feel free to add chopped walnuts or almonds to these brownies.
Tip - Let cupcakes completely cool before icing.

FROSTING Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Plain Pureed Pumpkin
• 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder
• 2 Scoops Chocolate Protein Powder (Optional) (I added 1 scoop of Shakeology)
• 2 Tbsp Honey or Agave (Agave Nectar again)
• 1/3 Cup Cashew Butter (regular butter again)

1. Stir all ingredients until completely smooth.

Tip - Cashew Butter will blend more smoothly if it’s at room temperature. If not, use your food processor to make your icing whipped.
Tip - Make your own piping bag by simply filling a ziplock bag with your icing and cutting the very tip of the corner off. So easy!

Ice your cupcakes as desired and place on a plate for serving!

Almond Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• 2/3 c. almonds (I used sliced almonds)
• 1/3 c. cooked oatmeal
• 3 tbsp honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/2 c. chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Add all ingredients except chocolate chips to food processor and blend (I used my blender- did not blend well. They stayed chunky but still worked and tasted good!). Scrap batter into a bowl and add chocolate chips. Drop dough by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 20 minutes and let cool before enjoying.

Primal Fudge:

1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup high quality cocoa powder
1/2 cup smooth almond butter (I used natural peanut butter. SO GOOD)
1/4 cup raw honey or maple syrup (Agave Nectar)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Melt coconut oil.  Blend all ingredients together in a food processor or blender.  Pour into paper-lined muffin tin cups or silicon muffin cups and fill half-inch full.  Makes about 1/2 dozen. I did a double batch to fill an entire cupcake tin. Put in freezer for 20-30 minutes.Take fudge out of liners and store in an airtight container in freezer. Do not let sit out- coconut oil melts at room temperature!

These are literally MY FAVORITE right now. I can't make them too often because I eat them like they are my meal! Next time, I may add quick oats because they already taste like no-bake cookies!

Zucchini Bread:

• 2 cups whole wheat flour ( I only had white...can't wait to make it with wheat!)
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 2/3 cup honey (or agave nectar)
• 1 generous cup grated zucchini (about 1 large zucchini) (I used WAY more. Like 2 1/2 cups)
• 2 tablespoons unsweetened apple sauce
• 2 tablespoons safflower or olive oil (olive oil)
• 1 whole egg
• 1 egg white
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon zest
• 3/4 cup plain, non-fat yogurt

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Oil loaf pan with olive oil (I used an OO spray).
3. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda and nutmeg.
4. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the honey, zucchini, apple sauce, egg and egg white, olive oil, lemon zest and yogurt. Mix well.
5. Using a wooden spoon, stir the flour mixture into the wet mixture and blend well.
6. Pour the batter into the loaf pan and place in the oven.
7. Bake for 50-60 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
8. Note: You may need to cover this loosely with foil if the top starts to get to brown.

This bread is more dense and could be a little more dry than your typical zucchini bread. Of course, that could have been the extra zucchini I added too. Oops. I warmed up a slice and spread either a little bit of butter or almond/peanut butter on it. So yummy!

Let me know if you attempt any of these and what you think! REMEMBER: These are not necessarily HEALTHY, they are just clean. Still enjoy them in moderation! You may have a difficult time doing this with the primal fudge though...

Here is my Pinterest board for clean eating. I am constantly adding more!