Chewy Peanut Butter, Flax Seed and Chocolate Chip Cookies

     This recipe makes some tasty chewy cookies! And no flour is needed to make them! I used my small coffee grinder to grind the flax seeds and in my opinion, you don't even taste them in the cookies (but they add protein, fiber and omega-3 fatty acids). The apple sauce helps add moisture that the flax seeds take out.

Ingredients:
1 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/2- 3/4 cup chocolate chips

Directions:
   Put all ingredients except chocolate chips in mixer. Mix for 1-2 minutes until well blended. Fold in chocolate chips. Put dough in fridge for about 30 minutes before forming balls and putting on cookie sheet. Makes about 15-20 cookies depending on how big you make them. Bake at 350 degrees for 9-12 minutes. I recommend checking them at 8 minutes just in case because of oven/cookie sheet variances.

Practically Paleo Chocolate Zucchini Muffins

   
      I call these muffins "practically Paleo" because I use regular chocolate chips in them. I don't follow the Paleo diet but I had some coconut flour that needed to be used up and I find Paleo baking interesting because it's a challenge to make yummy tasting treats without the standard ingredients like flour and sugar. I adapted the recipe I found on this blog.

    They turned out pretty delicious and I would make them again, but I have to admit it's the chocolate chips that really make them worth baking.

    I was out of paper baking cups so I put the batter in a greased muffin pan. For easy clean up, I would recommend washing the pan soon after taking the muffins out since the recipe is egg heavy. I didn't do that of course and had a hard time getting the pan clean.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 coconut oil
• 1/4 cup honey
• 6 eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup shredded zucchini
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips 

     Mix together wet ingredients (you may need to melt coconut oil first, but this usually isn't necessary in sunny Florida) except for zucchini and chocolate chips. In a separate bowl mix together dry ingredients, then combine with wet ingredients. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Bake in oven at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. Makes 10-12 muffins.

Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie

Smoothies are delicious and there are so many different ways to change them up. Here's a recipe for my latest version of Strawberry Banana Pineapple Smoothie.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup your choice of milk (I used almond)
• 1/2 cup pineapple juice
• 1/4 cup oats
• about 8 medium sized frozen strawberries
• 1/2 a frozen banana - quartered
• Mint leaves and/or honey (optional)

Blend milk, oats, mint leaves and honey until well blended. Add banana, strawberries and pineapple juice and blend until desired consistency.

Homemade Chocolate Syrup

   I love chocolate syrup. However, the ones sold in store have a lot of unnecessary ingredients such as high fructose corn syrup, artificial flavor, red 40 etc. So I found a recipe to make my own and it was very quick and easy. I put it in a vinegar bottle I had previously cleaned.

This recipe is from the book Tightwad Gazette. Although it's delicious, I plan to try using less sugar next time I make it.

Chocolate Syrup:

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1 cup water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/8 tbs salt
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract

Mix cocoa and water in saucepan on stove while heating it on medium to dissolve. Then add sugar and stir to dissolve. Boil for a couple of minutes, then add salt and vanilla. Turn off heat and once cool pour into clean jar. Makes about two cups of chocolate syrup. Store in refrigerator.