January 24, 2012

Today's blog post is a collection of interesting articles/videos and recipes.    First up is a great little video about the benefits of exercise.  I was interested in what Dr. Evans had to say, but the video is totally captivating and I found I was really enjoying the writing as much as listening.  Hope you enjoy it as well:

Peanut Butter Chocolate Crisp Squares

Thanks to Meaghan, here is a great low cal, healhty snack.  Everyone needs a treat once in a while! Why not make your own, with real ingredients, instead of buying something prepackaged.

Spray an 8×8 or 9×9 baking dish with nonstick spray.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup peanut butter (or any nut butter)

1/2 cup agave nectar (or honey or brown rice syrup)

2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 cups crisp rice cereal (rice crispies)

1 – 2 scoops of chocolate protein powder (I used one scoop.)

1/4 cup water or unsweetened almond milk

**Optional: 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

In a small sauce pan on low heat, gently heat up the nut butter, agave nectar, vanilla, cocoa powder, and salt until it all melts together. You could probably microwave this & frequently stir it, but don't blame me if it starts on fire.

Remove from heat and stir in 3 cups of crisp rice cereal. (this is also the time you'd add your optional chocolate chips, or nuts)

Let it cool until it's just slightly warm and then add your chocolate protein powder. I used one scoop and just kept working it in. You may need to add a couple spoonfuls of water to get the powder worked in.

Pour the mixture into your baking dish and press it down evenly. Place in your freezer for about 5 – 10 minutes until it firms up. Slice into 9 squares.

Enjoy!

Nutritional Information:

Protein: 9 grams

Carb: 26 grams

Fat: 7 grams

Calories: 203 calories

And something to think about:

Till next time,

Narina