A date for the Holidays

Not THAT kind of date...

Although with my boyfriend what feels like a bazillion miles away (California), I wish it were. I'm talking about the fruit, date. 

This month, I have been working in the Medical Intensive Care Unit and all we do is eat. Generally Dunkin' Donuts or delicious homemade baked goods! And I've been dragging since Thanksgiving.

Thanksgivng Dinner

Friends gathered for "Friends-giving"...See there were vegetables! Check out the salad! 

Just SOME of the friends-giving desserts...

SO for the past two weeks, I went back to my paleo diet. It's definitely not a lifestyle for me and I could never rigidly follow the diet, but it definitely makes me FEEL better to cut back on carbohydrates and processed food. 

But no refined carbs between Thanksgiving and Christmas?! All the delicious cakes and cookies?! And it's gingerbread season. My absolute FAVORITE! Ugggh... 

Luckily, I found a great alternative that completely satisfies my sweet tooth! I was very skeptical of these recipes since I really don't like dates...unless they are stuffed with cheese...and wrapped in bacon... But these are terrific paleo treats that anyone can enjoy. 

Raw Vegan Gingerbread Men! 

And, since I only made half a recipe and thus had a half a bag of dates left, 

Brownie Balls! 

Ooh, first thing I do on vacation is get a manicure!

HOLY COW GUYS, THESE ARE AMAAAAZZZING! Make them NOW! Try not to eat them all tonight! 

To get out of my, tired, sluggish funk, for the past two weeks, I've also started every morning with this -- 7 minutes, extra energy, and I don't feel guilty when I'm too tired after work at 9pm to get to the gym. 

Every little bit counts. 

Raw Gingerbread Men

adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

Hands on time: 10 messy, fun minutes!

Total Time: 10 minutes!

What you need:

This is a for a full recipe, I only made half so I could also make the brownie balls with one bag of dates! I highly recommend a kitchen scale for this recipe. And in life, I weigh all my food, makes portion size so much easier!

• 120g of dates, if they aren't squishy go ahead and soak them in warm water for 20 minutes (about 2/3 cup)
• 40g of raw almonds (mine were dry roasted, more flavor, no salt! about 1.5T)
• 1/4 t cinnamon
• 1/4 t ginger
• 1/8 t nutmeg
• 1/8 t cloves
• 1 T crystallized ginger
• 1/16 t salt
• 1 tsp vanilla

Using a food processor, heavy-duty blender or food chopper, grind up your dates and your almonds into a paste. Then add in all the spices and the vanilla. Once combined, shape the dough into cute gingerbread men or women. I used my fingers because I couldn't find my cookie cutters, but I think they would have been prettier if I used a pre-made shape, but man, did they taste good...I may have eaten at least 2 cookies worth of dough before having the chance to shape them!

Brownie Balls

adapted from Chocolate Covered Katie

There is only one picture...mostly because I got distracted by how delicious they were to keep photographing

Again this is for a full recipe...You may actually want to double it, they are THAT good. 

• 220g of dates
• 120g of raw walnuts (about 1 cup)
• 1 t vanilla
• 4 Tablespoons dutch cocoa powder (or whatever you have on hand)
• 1/8 t salt
• 1-2 t agave (optional, I like dark, bitter chocolate, so I left it out, you could also use maple syrup if you need a little extra sweet in here)
• Chocolate chips!

Here we go again! Get out the food processor/blender/chopper and mix everything except the chocolate chips together. If you are using full size semi-sweet chips, I would coarsely run a knife through them before you add them, mini chips might work better. Stir in your chocolate chips and form into balls! I rolled a few of them in unsweetened shredded coconut. AMAZE-BALLS! 

What you get: 

A raw, vegan, paleo fix for your sweet tooth. No deprivation during the holidays here! Ginger is known for it's many health benefits including reducing inflammation, settling an upset stomach and relieving muscle cramps! Honestly, it may be voodoo but I think it really helps prevent motion sickness too, works for me at least. Nuts have healthy fats and provide protein to help fill you up on just one cookie (or two). And we've talked all about cocoa powder. Bring on the chocolate!