Spring Break is approaching it’s final days, then it’s back to school for the last of the 2015-2016 school year. I will need something to get my motor running……… Cranberry Almond Energy Bites.
I am always running later than I want too! I start getting ready for school early enough, but somewhere between the shower and the door……..I think I enter a time warp, or fall into a black hole…….anyway, I am always running out the door.
But, I believe in the power of breakfast. After a good nights sleep you need to refuel your tank. But, for the running late me, it needs to be a grab and go, eat in the car kinda thing. Cranberry Almond Energy Bites are certainly that kind of breakfast.
Loaded with oatmeal, almonds, and almond butter, you will have all the protein you need to start your day. Chia seeds and flax add an additional health boost and cranberries and coconut add a bit of sweetness.
Since I have been on Spring Break, and doing Spring Break things…..no alarm, a few extra hours of sleep…..it will be hard to get back into the groove.
I have a plan, or I should say I made a plan. I made the Cranberry Almond Energy Bites this week, and I am already for that first day back to school. I can grab a couple of the bites and a cup of joe and head on out the door! Hopefully on time……..but, lets not get hysterical!
If you need that make ahead grab and go breakfast, try these bites. A big shout out to The Creative Bite for the recipe I found on Pinterest.
For now, I plan on enjoying my last few days of Spring Break!!!
Bake oatmeal, almonds and coconut for 8-10 minutes at 350°, stirring after 5 minutes. Allow the mixture to cool. (My coconut was already toasted so I did not add it to the oatmeal and almonds)
In a medium bowl microwave the almond butter for 20-30 seconds until runny, add the baked mix along with flaxseed, honey, chia seeds and cranberries to the bowl.
Form into 1.5″ balls and refrigerate. I used a small ice cream scoop to make sure they were uniform. Store in an airtight container refrigerated for up to one week or freezer for 3 months.
Notes
To make shaping the balls easier I sprayed my hands with coconut spray. I also rolled them in extra coconut and almonds for a pretty look!
Need a quick grab and go breakfast treat? Cranberry Pistachio Breakfast Cookies are just the ticket!
I am always looking for a quick and easy grab and go breakfast. Granola bars are great, but I want to know …….and be able to pronounce the things that are in my food.
I know this is odd, but I do not like cooked oatmeal, I love how it smells….must be a texture thing. But, I love it in a baked item. Weird right?
Oatmeal is good for you and can help reduce cholesterol, can help stabilize blood sugar, and may reduce the risk of heart problems when combined with a heart healthy diet. Plus in these cookies it tastes awesome.
While I admit the other items in the cookie may not be the lowest in fat or sugar, they all have certain benefits.
Pistachios…my new favorite nut, as I eluded to in the Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake post earlier this week…..are cholesterol free, sodium free and lower in fat than other nuts. They have potassium, and fiber. Adding pistachios to carb rich food such as rice and pasta may have a glucose and insulin lovering effect.
Everyone know the benefits of bananas, plus they can replace fat in baking so, double score for the banana.
I know, I know, dried cranberries have sugar, but buy the low sugar variety and keep your consumption at a reasonable amount and it’s all good!
Same goes for coconut. It is enjoying its day in the sun, but as it is high in fat content be mindful of its consumption.
Mixing the cookies was easy. ai used a ring for a mason jar as a mold to ensure that all the cookie were round and of the same size.
Another thing I discovered is that the longer these cookies set the better they taste, the flavor just sorta blend to gather and complement each other.
For this recipe I used as much organic as I could find to increase the benefit. The combo of all the ingredients gives a fiber filled, cookie that keep your sugar level even and a boost of energy to last you for the morning, until that mid morning snack, which could be another Cranberry Pistachio Breakfast Cookie!
Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake the perfect springtime desert.
I must confess, I am a new pistachio lover. I guess I had never really tried them…..they seemed like a lot of work and they were green……I wasn’t too sure about a green nut!
Well, surprise, surprise ……they are awesome!! Fresh out of the shell, they complement sweet or savory dishes,I even tried salt and pepper flavored ones, in the words of Rachael Ray…….yummo!!!
The light green color of this bundt from Pinterest caught my eye. I remember with fondness when ‘Watergate” salad, then cake were popular. I was a Senior in High School when the Watergate Scandal broke.
The Jello Company had just introduced Pistachio pudding, and created a recipe using their new product, called Pistachio Pineapple Salad. Everyone was taking this new salad to parties and rumor has it that the name Watergate Salad, stuck was because it was full of marshmallows, bananas, and nuts and covered with fluff…..just like the Nixon administration.
The cake was made even more popular by being named Watergate Cake with Cover up Icing. The scandal, as all scandals do became the stuff of memories, but he cake has endured.
This cake is not a Watergate cake, it more of a crumb bundt cake. A scratch cake with pistachio pudding. I never was very good a homemade cakes in the past but have developed a late life talent…….you can teach an old dog new tricks!
The cake is simple to put together and bake, due in part to the bakers best friend……the bundt pan. I currently have two bundt pans and will continue to buy different shapes. I love the contours that they create.
OK, so the secret to getting that perfect eye-catching visual of a bundt cake are:
Make sure to spray or brush the pan with non stick spray, or butter. Make sure you get in every nook and cranny. If you hold the pan to the light you can see that sheen that the coating gives you will be in business. If you see any dry spot make sure to get them covered.
Sprinkle the coated pan with flour, or cocoa if you are making a chocolate bundt. Again making sure to get the flour in all the nooks and crannies. Just keep tilting and tapping the pan. Don’t try to use your fingers or you will pull off the coating.
Be sure to tap out any excess flour.
Fill the pan and bake. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes on a wire rack before attempting to un-mold.
To un-mold, run a butter knife around the edge of the pan and the tube in the middle. Don’t push the knife down the sides or you will ruin the pans effect.
Place a large plate on top of the bundt pan, and invert the pan in one fluid motion, holding the plate tight to the pan. You might need to jiggle or tap the pan to remove the cake. You will feel when it gives.
Then ta-da you have the perfect bundt cake!
Frosting of bundt cake…… needs to be a glaze. First its easy, and second you need no cake decorating skills needed!
For this cake, what else but a pistachio glaze and why not add a bit of that pistachio pudding to give it that green hint. Mix the pudding mix, and please use instant not the cooked pudding mix, with the water before adding to the powdered sugar. It makes for a smoother glaze. The recipe for the glaze can be tweaked to the consistency you desire.
Give the glaze a couple of minute to set up before garnishing with the pistachios or they will run down the side of the cake with the glaze. Your garnish with be a border if you do not wait!
Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake would make a great Easter cake with its light green color and the pretty visual of your bundt pan.
Or may throw a 70’s Watergate Party ……..for a blast form the past.
Either way enjoy this easy, pretty, Pistachio Pudding Bundt Cake!
