Paleo Brownies

I don’t follow a paleo diet (although I tried it a few years ago to see if cutting dairy out would affect my allergies – it didn’t). I just love my oatmeal, greek yogurt, and all things with gluten in them too much to give it all up.

 

I like to try paleo baked goods once in a while and have been browsing recipes for paleo brownies. Most of what I found had combinations of almond butter, coconut oil, grass fed butter, and fancy ingredients that I didn’t have on hand. Additionally, the recipes had lots of healthy fats but you definitely would want to limit yourself to one brownie. These are free of refined sugar and flour, are super fudgy, and aren’t 300 calories a piece.

• 1 cup Almond Flour
• 1 Egg
• 1/3 cup Pure maple syrup
• 1/3 cup Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/3 cup Applesauce (no sugar added)
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp Sea salt
• 1 tsp Baking powder

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl and pour into an 8×8 greased pan. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool completely before cutting into squares. Serves 9.

Nutrition Stats: (for 1 brownie)

Cals: 128

Protein: 4 grams

Carbs: 15 grams

Fat: 7 grams

Sugar: 11 grams

Crispy Chicken Strips & Honey Mustard Dipping Sauce

These photos aren’t pretty; I’m really not a food photographer but I promise these taste amazing. I love these with homemade sweet potato chips (I might share that recipe soon). It tastes just as good as a basket of deep fried gluttony.

• 1 lb or less Chicken breasts, cut into strips
• 2 egg whites  (or one whole egg)
• 1 cup Panko Crumbs (or almond meal for a paleo take)
• 1/4 cup Parmesan Cheese (grated)
• 1 tsp Salt
• 1  tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 tsp Onion Powder
• 1 tsp Paprika
• 2 tsp Dried parsley (optional)

For the sauce:

• 1/4 cup Plain greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon grainy Dijon mustard
• 1 Tablespoons Honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk the egg whites in a bowl and mix the remaining ingredients together on a plate. Dip chicken strips into the egg whites and then roll them in the crumb mixture. Bake on a baking sheet with a cooling rack (this prevents you from having to flip them to get the other side crispy. Bake for about 15 minutes, depending on the thickness of the meat. Meanwhile, mix the Honey Mustard sauce ingredients together. Then dunk to your heart’s content. Serves 4

Nutrition Stats: For 3-4 strips and 2 tbs of sauce

Cals: 254

Protein: 33 grams

Carbs: 21 grams

Fat: 3 grams

Sugar: 5 grams

 

 

50 Calorie Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

If I could sit around all day and eat brownies as big as my face, I would. Honestly. But I’ve noticed that a high brownie consumption correlates with shrinking pants.

I love brownies so much I was craving them at 9am when the thought occurred to me to try to make a healthier version. Luckily, these brownies are healthy enough to eat for breakfast. These are super fudgy and so good that I had to leave the room to keep from eating the entire pan. I’ve been playing around with almond meal in pancake recipes and was happy to find that its natural sweetness bodes well for brownies too. If you don’t have any on hand – you can make it yourself or just sub another part oats.

Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies

• 1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
• 1/4 Cup Almond Meal (if you don’t have any on hand, just sub another 1/4 cup oats)
• 2 Egg Whites
• 1 5.3oz. container of Low Fat Vanilla Greek Yogurt (don’t use plain non fat – the brownies will taste sour!)
• 1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
• 3/4 Cup Stevia (I used Stevia in the Raw)
• 1/4 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk (or skim)
• 1 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
• Pinch of Salt
• 4 Tbs PB2 or Peanut Flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Blend all ingredients except for PB2 in a blender or food processor. Batter will be thin. Pour into an 8×8 pan sprayed with cooking spray. Bake for 10 minutes.

To make peanut butter swirl, mix the PB2 with 3-4 Tbs of water to get a thinner consistency. If you don’t have PB2 – just sub 4 tablespoons of regular peanut butter (but warm it in the microwave first). Using a knife, swirl the peanut butter mixture into the batter.

Bake for 10 more minutes. Wait until completely cool to cut into brownies. Then do a face dive into deliciousness. Makes 12 brownies.

Stats for one brownie:

Cals: 50

Carbs: 5 grams

Protein: 4 grams

Fat: 2 grams

Sugar: 2 grams