Spicy Chocolate Cinnamon Pecans {Gluten Free} {No Refined Sugar}

I'm all about nuts for a healthy fats and protein filled snack or treat, but, but a sweet and spicy chocolate nuts that are easy to make in 30 minutes are pretty much the best. 

Plus, I just came across this article with talking about a TON of health benefits for including cinnamon in your diet.  I thought this article was thorough and comprehensive; I was also fascinated as I read how cinnamon can help acne, promote weight loss, lower cholesterol, and so much more.  To be honest, after reading article I've been using cinnamon with honey to boost my immune system, and trying to include cinnamon in my diet daily.  Cinnamon seems to be quite the super-spice.  

Now, to have a bit more cinnamon in your life, and enjoy them in a healthy way give these Spicy Chocolate Cinnamon Nuts aka Mexican Chocolate Pecans a go.  They are oh so delicious and oh so easy to make.  

Spicy Chocolate Cinnamon Nuts
Recipe: Alohamora
Active Time: 15 minutes
Inactive Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients: 
4 c. pecans 
3 Tbsp butter, melted
1/4 c. maple syrup
2 tsp cinnamon
3 tsp cocoa
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp chili powder

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. silicone baking mat, or aluminum foil. 
2. Put your pecans in a medium to large bowl. 
3. In a small bowl mix the remaining ingredients together, and pour them over the pecans. 
4. Stir everything together and pour it all onto the prepared pan.  
5. Bake your nuts at 300 degrees for 20-25 minutes stirring them every 5 minutes.
6. Enjoy! 
7. Store leftovers in an airtight container. 

Happy Sweet and Spicy Chocolate Cinnamon Pecans eating!  Watch out, they are addictingly good!  

Vegan Cookie Dough Bites {Elimination Diet Friendly}

Elimination Diets are no fun.  You have to eat a sugar free, wheat/gluten free, egg free, dairy free, peanut free, soy free, and corn free diet.  Basically, you're eating nothing fun. :)

I like my sweets; if you follow my blog you know that already.  I think a little sweet every day is good for the soul.

I was really struggling on my doctor prescribed elimination diet b/c I couldn't have a sweet, but then I realized I just needed to get a little creative.  

We normally have these chocolate chip cookie dough balls in our freezer in a bag marked, "To My Love."  My husband is a big fan of cookie dough, I love my husband, and I like the convenience of cookies when you want/need.  

Since I couldn't eat the already made freezer treats (or any treats for that matter), I decided some Elimination Diet Friendly Cookie Dough Bites that I could put in the freezer were necessary for my sanity.  These cookie dough bites are kid approved.  If you are on a clean eating diet you need these. 

However, to be 100% honest these bites are good, and if you are on a diet with restrictions you will love them.  However, if you aren't on a diet these Vegan Cookie Dough Bites are probably not for you; you should make the cookie dough balls linked above.  

Vegan Cookie Dough Bites {Elimination Diet Friendly}
Recipe: Alohamora adapted from VK Rees
Active Time: 25 minutes
Inactive Time: Freeze time or about 2 hours
Servings: 2 dozen bites 

Ingredients: 
1 can (15 oz) chick-peas/garbanzo beans rinsed and drained
1/4 c. honey or maple syrup
1/8 tsp baking soda
3 Tbsp sunflower butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 c. chocolate chips (soy, nut, and dairy free)
Extra chocolate chips for toppings

Directions: 

1. Use liners in a 24 count mini-muffin pan. 
2. Rinse and drain your garbanzo beans well.  The better you drain the better your dough will be. 
3. Add all the ingredients but the chocolate chips to a food processor and process it all until the dough is smooth and mixed well.
4. Transfer the dough to a medium bowl. 
5. Add the quarter cup of chocolate chips to the dough and stir to combine everything. 
6. Using a small cookie scoop evenly distribute the cookie dough among the cupcake liners in the prepared mini-muffin pan. 
7. Top the cookie dough bites with the extra chocolate chips. 
8. Place the pan in the freezer to let the cookie dough bites freeze for at least an hour or until frozen. 
9. Enjoy! 
10. Store leftover bites in the freezer in a Ziploc, Tupperware, or any other freezer container. 

Happy Vegan and Elimination Diet Friendly Cookie Dough Bites eating! 

100 Calorie Skinny Feels Good Chocolate Cake Bites {Sugar Free, Flourless}

I have a good friend who had a birthday last week.  She's fun and crazy, and I always have the best time talking with her whether it's about our crazy lives or just crazy things in general. We both like to be healthy and we like to run and workout together.  It's fun having a friend you can workout with, but besides all things good for you she enjoys sweets almost as much as I do.  

Last week for her birthday I asked if I could bake her a treat.  She loves many of my cookies and bars especially my Cookies and Cream cookies, but I'm pretty sure she likes everything I bake.  She has never told me she didn't like something so I thought this would be fun.   

When I asked her if I could baker her a treat she said, "YES!" but then proceeded to tell me she was doing a sugar-free challenge for a couple weeks with a friend (I never believe in those but I think people that can do them are impressive and strong) and the treat would need to be sugar free.  

I thought I could handle coming up with a sugar-free treat no problem.  She then told me she feels better when she eats gluten-free.  Now, I thought sugar free and gluten free aka flourless (b/c there's no need using fancy flours and ingredients no one has, I'm all about keeping it simple) would create a bit more of a challenge, but I was up for it.  

What I came up with, and what I even surprised myself with its tastiness is this Skinny Feels Good Chocolate Cake.  It is rich, moist, and sweet and surprisingly tastes good, plus it is refined sugar free and flourless so it's naturally gluten free.

If you believe that nothing tastes better than skinny feels, and you are wanting a healthy chocolate treat then bake this delicious cake up.  You can bake it in a pan for a cake to stick a candle in or you can make 100 calorie cake bites.  

Skinny Feels Good Chocolate Cake {Sugar Free and Flourless aka Naturally Gluten Free}   
Recipe: Alohamora Open a Book
Active Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Time: 20-25 minutes
Servings: 20 cake bites, 1- 8in or 6in cake

Ingredients: 
4 oz unsweetened baking chocolate
1/2 c. butter, unsalted
3 eggs, large
1/4 c. cocoa
3/4 c. applesauce, unsweetened
1/4 c. honey
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees if you are making a cake. Use a flour baking spray to grease a 6 inch or 8 inch springform cake pan.  You don't have to use springform pans, but I like the way it looks to just pop off the sides.  Preheat oven to 325 degrees if you are making cake bites and use a flour baking spray to grease your mini-muffin pan.  
2. In an oven safe bowl, on the stove (double boiler or stirring often), or in the microwave melt your unsweetened baking chocolate and butter. If you are melting it in the oven I just place it in an oven safe bowl and pop it in the oven as the oven preheats.  Though melting it in the microwave is equally easy. I've melted it in a large 4 cup measuring cup and then used that bowl to add everything else.  It basically can be a one bowl cake which is awesome! 
3. When the chocolate and butter are melted stir them together using a spatula or fork until it is smooth.   
4. Add the remaining ingredients and using a whisk or a fork stir to combine everything together.
5. When adding the honey be more liberal and add more if the batter tastes bitter.  Every chocolate is a bit different, and the extra honey will help the flavor.  You can add just a little bit more applesauce too, but not too much or it will affect the consistency. 
6. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan or mini-muffin pan. 
7. Bake the 6 inch or 8 inch cake pans at 350 for 17-22 minutes.  For a 6 inch pan I was closer to 20 minutes and for the 8 inch I was closer to 17 minutes.  Bake the cake bites in the mini-muffin pan at 325 for 14-18 minutes.  Bake the chocolate cake until a toothpick no longer comes out wet and the center looks cooked.  A toothpick may come out somewhat dirty b/c of how moist the cake is, but it will look done rather than wet.
8. Allow cake to cool for at least 5 minutes before enjoying. 
9. Enjoy cake plain, with milk, as a quick sweet snack, with melted peanut butter drizzled on top (to add protein of course) or whatever else you so desire. 
10. Store leftovers in the fridge or on the counter in an airtight container.  I for some reason think this moist cake tastes amazing cold.  
11. Enjoy!

Happy 100 Calorie Skinny Feels Good Chocolate Cake and/or Bites eating!  Now this is a cake you can feel good about eating.