No-Bake Energy Bites

My sister (EK) came home from school the other day with a bag of groceries all excited about making these "energy bites." She said someone at school had made them for a class and she wanted to try it out herself. The balls are made up of oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, coconut flakes, ground flaxseed, vanilla, and mini chocolate chips. EK made her first batch without chocolate chips. I had never heard of them so I was excited to see what it tasted like. They are sweet, granola-type, chewy balls. They were so good, I couldn't get enough of it!! 


Recipe:
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/3 cup honey
1 cup coconut flakes
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips


Instructions:
1. Mix ingredients in a medium bowl until everything is thoroughly incorporated.
2. Place bowl in refrigerator and let chill for half an hour.
3. Once chilled, roll the dough into balls and enjoy!
4. Store balls in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to one week.

I took a bag of these balls to the house over spring break and they were gone in no time! Also, EK split up the 1/2 cup of peanut butter with 1/4 cup Nutella and 1/4 cup peanut butter and those were definitely my favorite!! 
Super fast, super yummy.

Garlic Cheddar Biscuits

Coming back to school after spring break is definitely a reality check. I spent the week in Destin, Florida and had a great time!! Each night over the break two different girls prepared dinner for the rest of the house. The night my friend and I cooked dinner we made pasta (quick and easy). It consisted of bow tie noodles, squash, broccoli, grilled chicken, and a cream sauce. We boiled the pasta and microwaved the squash and broccoli. The cream sauce was premade and the chicken was left over from the night before. All-in-all: pretty easy! 

This week in my NHM 253 class (Food Science) we learned about the different kinds of flour. So, naturally, we baked in lab. My group was assigned to make garlic cheddar biscuits. 

Recipe: 

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups cake flour

2 tablespoons granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons baking powder

3/4 cup cold butter

1 1/2 cup grated sharp cheddar cheese

1 1/2 cup milk

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon parsley

1 teaspoon italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon minced garlic

1/2 cup melted butter

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

2. Sift flours, baking powder, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Blend in the spices.

3. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Blend in the grated cheese and cut the mixture with the pastry blender again.

4. Add the milk and mix until a soft, sticky dough forms.

5. Place small spoonfuls of dough on to a shiny cookie sheet containing parchment paper. Coat the surface of each biscuit with melted garlic butter (1/4 tsp. garlic with 1/2 cup melted butter) using a pastry brush. 

6. Bake for 15 minutes. AFter baking, brush surface again with melted garlic butter.

Before:

After:

This is one of the few times something hadn't gone wrong in the NHM 253 lab for my group!! I was pretty excited and really impressed when the biscuits turned out to be delicious!

Get Moving: for a cause

This past weekend, on March 4th, I ran my 5th half marathon! It was the "Rock and Roll New Orleans Marathon". This run was benefitting the American Cancer Society. I had run in this race twice before and had a great time again this past weekend. It took me around an hour and 50 minutes, not too bad for having the stomach but the week before!


Running a half marathon is no easy task. Especially having not trained as much as I usually do. This race was definitely harder to get through. The Rock and Roll series have bands playing on stages throughout the run. So, at about every mile or so a new band is cheering you on and rocking out. The bands made it easier but when it came down to it I was so glad to be finished!

The first thing I did was go to the expo to pick up my number, t-shirt, and all the other things I needed for the race the next day. 

I was so excited, but surprised, to see that the race was filled up. It was completely sold out! Awesome news for the American Cancer Society!!

Finishing the race was definitely a tough one...

So happy when it was over though!!

One of my favorite things about visiting New Orleans, Louisiana is the food! At one restaurant I had a crawfish pasta. It consisted of noodles, peeled crawfish tails (which I absolutely adore), some peppers, and an Alfredo sauce. It was amazing!! I felt like I was eating pure culture. Then, while walking along the street, I saw a place that makes caramel apples. My friends and I decided to go in. I bought a chocolate covered banana and it was amazing. I'm talking the best-banana-I've-ever-eaten kind of amazing.

Whenever you're traveling make sure to grab a bite of the local food, you never know what you'll end up with! 

Get Moving: for a cause - find a local walk or run near you. Chances are the money is going towards a good cause and it'll get you active for the day! (maybe you'll even get a t-shirt)