{skinny} chocolate peanut butter pie

One my bestest friends' birthdays was about a month or so ago, and at her party {with 2 friends. I feel so honored.}, along with a humungo chocolate laden cake, there was a cute little peanut butter pie. I opted for the pie because gosh dang it, I love my peanut butter! I took a bite, took a few more, and then seconds, and maaaaaaybe thirds. When she told me that it was healthy, the angels started singing. "How in the what is this healthy?", I thought to myself. Well apparently the crust was made from dates and the pie part was peanut butter and bananas.  Thank goodness it was healthy though, because that made up for the fact that I ate like a quarter of the pie by myself. No shame. 

Anyways, since that glorious day of discovery so long ago, I've been thinking about this pie. Non. Stop. Almost every day. ALMOST. As you can tell, my thoughts are mostly consumed of sprinkles and pretty pastries and brownies and healthy pies.  It's kinda weird. I seriously have no idea why I've waited so long to make this pie. It's SO quick and easy and you TOTALLY can't tell it's healthy, I promise! Pinky promise! If I never even found out that it was healthy, I'd still say it's the best peanut butter based dessert I've ever tasted. I'm not joshing here, people. 

I'd have to say, I think the healthy chocolate crust is my favorite part of the pie. It's made with dates, honey, cocoa powder, and cookie crumbs. I know that sounds rather unappetizing, but it results in a super chewy, chocolaty crust- the perfect base for… PEANUT BUTAAAAAAAAAH! The pie part is  SUPER easy. If you feel like leaving the crust off, I'm sure you could, and you could have this ready in just a couple minutes. The filling is made of pureed bernerners, honey, peanut butter, vanilla, and a little bit of powdered sugar. Pour that into the crust, plop it in the freezer, and wait for a few hours. I know. It sucks to wait. But if you don't freeze it, you'd be left with a gooey gloppy peanut buttery mess. Which aaaaaaaactually doesn't sound too shabby. 

Just be classy and freeze it.

This pie is GREAT to just make ahead and keep in the freezer for when you get those cravings for something sweet. It makes it easier to have something healthy on hand instead of caving in and eating a package of cookies or something NOT healthy. The best part is, you can eat like half the thing if you're feeling real crazy. Yah, be like me. 

{skinny} chocolate peanut butter

crust: 

1 c. dates

1 c. cookie crumbs/graham cracker crumbs

1/3 c. cocoa 

1/2 c. honey

filling: 

3 ripe bananas, mashed

1 1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp. honey

3 tbsp. powdered sugar

To make the crust, combine the dates, cookie crumbs, cocoa, and honey in a food processor or blender. Press into a round pie dish and set aside. In a large bowl, combine the bananas, peanut butter, and honey. Add in the powdered sugar and stir until smooth. Pour into prepared crust. Refrigerate for 2+ hours or until firm. 

mini no-bake lemon cheesecakes {for two}

As I'm writing this, I'm realizing something... I ate two lemon cheesecakes for lunch. Before you go and think I'm some crazy fat kid, they weren't entire cheesecakes. Seriously, I do have some portion control. Not a lot, but SOME. So they weren't big ones. Just cute little tiny ones made in ramekins. See? It's all good. You can continue thinking I'm a skinny little runner. Thank you for your cooperation. 

I can totally justify this though. Justifying is one my skills... 

Why didn't I go running this morning? Because I needed more sleep so my brain would work good for school. Why do I need to buy that nail polish? Because my collection is lonely and needs a new friend. Why did I lounge around in sweats and a t-shirt all day? Because why waste close when you're not seeing any humans... Other than your family. But they don't count. Why did I eat two mini cheesecakes for lunch? Because I'm all for balanced meals! Cream cheese {dairy}, lemon {fruit}, and graham crackers {carb}. Derrrrrrr!

I made these in the middle of the day as I was studying for an exam. When I really get into studying, I forgot to do a lot of things. Likeeeeeee eat. And brush my teeth. However, my brain can only work for SO long, ya know? My noggin was fried, so I decided to take a break and make cheesecake. It's only logical. 

Single serving recipes on this blog are definitely among the most popular. You guys love that stuff! I thought I'd feed your obsession with some cheesecake. It's no bake. It's super quick. It only makes a little, so you don't have a whole PAN of cheesey cake laying around. And holy gracious, it's creamy, sweet, and tangy. 

Yooooooou're super duper welcome. 

mini no-bake lemon cheesecakes {for two}

crust: 

2 tbsp. butter, melted

1/2 c. graham cracker cumbs

1 tsp. cinnamon

cheesecake:

3/4 c. cream cheese

1 tbsp. lemon juice

1 tsp. vanilla

yellow food coloring {optional}

1/4 c. powdered sugar

2 tbsp. white sugar

First, prepare the crust by combining the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and cinnamon with a fork. Press into two small ramekins and set aside. Next, make the cheesecake filling by whipping the cream cheese, lemon juice, sugars, and vanilla. Add in the yellow food coloring drop by drop until you get the desired color. Pour filling into ramekins. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour. 

Sweet & Salty Granola Bars

Christmas-time in Namibia is quite depressing. At least coming from America where Santa Clause and candy canes are everywhere you look, it is. Around here, there are …No Christmas decorations. No Christmas activities. No Christmas church services. No Christmas music. NOTHING. 

If you were to walk into our funny little town, you'd have no idea we're approaching December 25th. So yah, it's a little weird! Plus, it gets to about 90º every day. Something about watching Elf in 100 degree weather is a little confusing. And I can't enjoy a cup of cocoa without sweating my buns off twice as much as normal. 

Oh, my life. 

In other news, I made some super yummy granola bars that I know you guys will love! Since it's, ya know, a zillion degrees down here, and you kinda have to be crazy in the head to turn on the oven, I decided something no-bake would be wonderful. 

TA-DA!

These are no-bake, stinking delicious, have a SUPER short list of ingredients, and come together in a matter of minutes! Plus… they're kindaaaaaa healthy. Not super healthy, but better than eating a huge doughnut. 

{mmm… doughnuts.}

Sweet & Salty Granola Bars

1 1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

3/4 c. honey

2 c. oats

3/4 c. peanut M&M's, chopped

1/2 c. peanuts

1 c. pretzels, chopped

In a small saucepan, melt together the peanut butter and honey over low heat. About 5 minutes should be good. In a large bowl, combine the peanut butter/honey and oats. Fold in the M&M's, peanuts, and pretzels. Press the dough into a 9x9 pan. Cover and refrigerate for 2+ hours or overnight.

Puppy Chow Popcorn

You guys. I have serious issues. 

{promising start to a post, I know.}

You all know the band "fun.", right? I'm TOTALLY OBSESSED. They're super cool and hipster and awesome. In one of the videos though, the guy was wearing something that resembled jeggings. It was a little weird and gross. But other than that- SO COOL! They're music is fun too! Especially "We Are Young"… My word, seriously can't stop listening to it. Like, I listened to it about 10 times while I was doing school today. I'm not even joking! Usually music makes it harder for me to concentrate on whatever I'm doing. But I got 94% on my English test. So thank you fun. !!! 

Aside from my music issue, I have a food issue. A couple weeks ago, I wanted popcorn. Ok, cool, right? Then I figured "What the heck. Everything's better with chocolate!" So boom- chocolate happened. And you OBVIOUSLY can't have chocolate without peanut butter. The two are like BFFS!  BUT WAIT… Puppy chow has chocolate and peanut butter! So after much debating, I melted some peanut butter and chocolate, poured it over the popcorn, tossed it with some powdered sugar. And holy gosh, something amazing happened at that moment. 

Behold! I present you with puppy chow popcorn!

 

I mean, you guys obviously know what popcorn is. Or at least, I hope you do. And you know what puppy chow is… Why not combine the two! With only  4 ingredients, you can whip this treat up in mere minutes… WHICH is a little scary. But hey, it's worth the love-handles. 

Enjoy!

Puppy Chow Popcorn

12 c. popped popcorn

1/2 c. creamy peanut butter

1/2 c. chocolate chips

1 3/4 c. powdered sugar

In a small bowl or coffee mug, melt the chocolate and peanut butter; about 15 seconds. Stir until smooth. In a large bowl, pour the chocolate/peanut butter over the popcorn. Add in the powdered sugar. Toss until everything is evenly coated. 

{no-bake} homemade fruit & nut energy bars

Awhile ago, a recipe fro homemade Cliff Bars popped in my inbox from Brown Eyed Baker and I thought to myself "Genius. Just genius." I've been looking for some new, healthier recipes for breakfasts, snacks, and pre-run fuel. 

These energy bars fit the bill. They're loaded with grains, nuts, and fruit. They'll fill ya right up, boost your energy, and cure your case of the Sweet Tooth. There's so many different variations you could come up with, my mind is spinning. 

{no-bake} homemade fruit & nut energy bars

3 tbsp. dried cranberries

3 tbsp. chopped dried apricots

3 tbsp. chopped dried kiwi

3 tbsp. chopped pitted dates

2 tbsp. pumpkin seeds

1 c. puffy rice cereal {I used the African equivalent of Rice Krispies or Cheerios}

1 1/2 c. oats

1/2 c. honey

1 mashed banana

In a large mixing bowl, combine the cereal, oats, nuts, and dried frit. Add in the honey and mashed banana. Press the mixture into a 8x8 pan lined with parchment paper. Press another piece of parchment paper on top and refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Once the bars have firmed up in the refrigerator, remove from the pan, cut into squares, and wrap individually with plastic wrap. Store in the refrigerator. 

{no bake} Honey & Oat Cereal Peanut Butter Bars

I'm happy to say, I'm pretty sure I'm getting over this cold slash flu slash weird African sickness slash I don't know what. 

Although I really hate when I wake up in the morning with a dry throat and a crusty nose like a 2 year 

old. Gross.

And it'd be just dandy if I was a tea-drinker, but in all honesty, I hate tea. With a burning passion in my soul. 

Seriously, last time I drank it I nearly barfed. I'll stick to hot cocoa, coffee, and hot apple cider, thankyamuch. 

 

I'm REALLYYYYY hoping I'll be well enough to run tomorrow morning. And if I want to, I need to get at it early because, guys… it's getting quite hot now. We've been spoiled since we've arrived here with chilly mornings and days with spring-like weather. 

It's ending now. And then I'm going to die of a heat stroke because I can no longer run at 9 or 10 am. 

WHYYYYYYY? OH WHYYYYYYY? 

Anyways. All that being said about this stupid hot weather, I'll be whipping out some more no-bake recipes. I know it's a little late for you people, but just read along, drool, bookmark, and pull 'em out when needed. 

At first, I was thinking about calling these no bake peanut butter cookie dough bars. Because at one point, they were like LEGIT peanut butter cookie dough. 

Then my mom told me to add some of this Honey & Oat Special K stuff we had sitting around. 

I did. 

She tasted one and said it needed some more.

But I liked it, so I left it alone. {love you, mom!}

Then after reading in my room, I walked out into the kitchen and she was sitting there pressing more cereal into the dough. 

And that my friends, is the story of how peanut butter cookie dough bars turned into Honey & Oat Cereal Peanut Butter Bars.

So glad we had this conversation. 

{no bake} Honey & Oat Peanut Butter Bars

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 c. creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

1 c. milk

1 c. powdered sugar

1 1/2 c. oats

1 c. flour

1 c. salted peanuts

1 3/4 c. Honey & Oats cereal

In a large mixing bowl, combine the melted butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and milk. Stir until smooth. Add in the oats, powdered sugar, flour, peanuts, and cereal. Press the dough into a 9x13 pan. Refrigerate for at least two hours {the longer the better.} Cut into squares.