Please forgive for not posting yesterday. It was a sad day in our household. One of our furry friends passed away yesterday. I tried to keep in mind eating healthy or doing something healthy, but I failed. There are just some days, aren't there?
I figure no one would blame me for not sticking to my strict diet yesterday.
Sorry to be a downer for the first part of the post :'(
I cried quite a bit, I'm not even sure it's really hit home that she won't be here in the house anymore...following my hubby up and down the hallways. She was his buddy. (Here come the water works again.) We will miss her.
She was a warrior. I won't explain the details, but she was very old and very sick. It was not good her last day.
She was a warrior though. Knowing the stories about her past, I knew she was a fighter. I even had a glimmer that we might do some expensive treatments but...it was to late.
I found peace in her ease though that she is no longer hurting or sick.
Ugh! So what do you do? How do you stay strong in a time like this?
I didn't do well. I ended up eating soy free, dairy free ice cream...a few dark chocolate pieces of dark chocolate...not bad right?
Well, I had Chinese food...nothing like good old chalk full of soy, making me totally sick Chinese food...and you know what... it didn't make me feel any better. I know you're not judging me though.
At the end of the night though, I forgot I had to throw something together for a work thing today...in search of something cheap, easy, chocolaty, healthy...AND comforting?? That's a hefty bill....
I remembered this rumor of making brownies with black beans instead of flour...I decided to search the inter-webs for the best recipe.
And I stumbled across this amazing blog. The minimalist baker...I think the best tag line from the blog was "All recipes require just 10 ingredients or less (sometimes 7), one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. While we aren’t strictly a vegan or gluten free blog, many of the recipes are special diet-friendly and those that are are noted as such. We simply love experimenting in the kitchen and providing a wide array of recipes for our audience."
This is right up my alley. This couple (Or the wife really) did an amazing job on vegan brownies. They have the best recipe. You can find the original recipe here
I made two versions. 1 totally vegan, and then one with honey instead of sugar for a slower rise in blood sugar. More PCOS friendly.
Remember all those things I needed? I found them all in one bite size chocolaty goodness. It was everything I needed.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2.5 tbsp of flax seeds + 6 tbsp of water
3 tbsp of coconut oil
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 tsp of sea salt (I used regular salt, it's all I had on hand)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of raw sugar (I used regular white sugar for the first batch and honey for the second. I haven't pitched my ingredients from when I switched to the new diet, since last year...call me cheap...I just want to use what's in my cabinet.)
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Put flax seed and water into the blender. Pulse for about 30 seconds and then let sit for about 2-3 minutes
3. Grease a regular muffin pan with your choice of grease. For a soy free option you can use a basting brush to brush each slot with coconut or olive oil, otherwise whatever you chose to degrease with.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse, blend, puree until well blended. Should be the consistency of a regular bowl of brownie dough. However if it's too thick add a tablespoon of water at a time. My first batch with regular sugar was thick but the second with honey it was more like chocolate frosting.
5. Use a spoon to portion out the batter evenly into the muffin slots (Before I put them in the oven I put soy-free, dairy-free mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life on top of the brownies. I taste tested them and they were delicious. You can also add whatever additional toppings you might enjoy on these nutritious bite size treats.)
6. Bake for 20-25mins
(I made 2 batches, so 24 servings. This is the first batch with sugar)
Over on Dana and John's blog they have great tips for storage and all of the nutritional information. Their blog post says to let cool for 30mins after you pull it out of the oven.
This is what was left after my meeting at lunch...
Seriously, they're amazing.
I figure no one would blame me for not sticking to my strict diet yesterday.
Sorry to be a downer for the first part of the post :'(
I cried quite a bit, I'm not even sure it's really hit home that she won't be here in the house anymore...following my hubby up and down the hallways. She was his buddy. (Here come the water works again.) We will miss her.
She was a warrior. I won't explain the details, but she was very old and very sick. It was not good her last day.
She was a warrior though. Knowing the stories about her past, I knew she was a fighter. I even had a glimmer that we might do some expensive treatments but...it was to late.
I found peace in her ease though that she is no longer hurting or sick.
Ugh! So what do you do? How do you stay strong in a time like this?
I didn't do well. I ended up eating soy free, dairy free ice cream...a few dark chocolate pieces of dark chocolate...not bad right?
Well, I had Chinese food...nothing like good old chalk full of soy, making me totally sick Chinese food...and you know what... it didn't make me feel any better. I know you're not judging me though.
At the end of the night though, I forgot I had to throw something together for a work thing today...in search of something cheap, easy, chocolaty, healthy...AND comforting?? That's a hefty bill....
I remembered this rumor of making brownies with black beans instead of flour...I decided to search the inter-webs for the best recipe.
And I stumbled across this amazing blog. The minimalist baker...I think the best tag line from the blog was "All recipes require just 10 ingredients or less (sometimes 7), one bowl, or 30 minutes or less to prepare. While we aren’t strictly a vegan or gluten free blog, many of the recipes are special diet-friendly and those that are are noted as such. We simply love experimenting in the kitchen and providing a wide array of recipes for our audience."
This is right up my alley. This couple (Or the wife really) did an amazing job on vegan brownies. They have the best recipe. You can find the original recipe here
I made two versions. 1 totally vegan, and then one with honey instead of sugar for a slower rise in blood sugar. More PCOS friendly.
Remember all those things I needed? I found them all in one bite size chocolaty goodness. It was everything I needed.
Ingredients:
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
2.5 tbsp of flax seeds + 6 tbsp of water
3 tbsp of coconut oil
3/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 tsp of sea salt (I used regular salt, it's all I had on hand)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup of raw sugar (I used regular white sugar for the first batch and honey for the second. I haven't pitched my ingredients from when I switched to the new diet, since last year...call me cheap...I just want to use what's in my cabinet.)
1 1/2 tsp of baking powder
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Put flax seed and water into the blender. Pulse for about 30 seconds and then let sit for about 2-3 minutes
3. Grease a regular muffin pan with your choice of grease. For a soy free option you can use a basting brush to brush each slot with coconut or olive oil, otherwise whatever you chose to degrease with.
4. Add the rest of the ingredients. Pulse, blend, puree until well blended. Should be the consistency of a regular bowl of brownie dough. However if it's too thick add a tablespoon of water at a time. My first batch with regular sugar was thick but the second with honey it was more like chocolate frosting.
5. Use a spoon to portion out the batter evenly into the muffin slots (Before I put them in the oven I put soy-free, dairy-free mini chocolate chips from Enjoy Life on top of the brownies. I taste tested them and they were delicious. You can also add whatever additional toppings you might enjoy on these nutritious bite size treats.)
6. Bake for 20-25mins
(I made 2 batches, so 24 servings. This is the first batch with sugar)
Over on Dana and John's blog they have great tips for storage and all of the nutritional information. Their blog post says to let cool for 30mins after you pull it out of the oven.
This is what was left after my meeting at lunch...
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