November 2019 – Green Cupcake

Hey Greencupcake Family! I wanted to bring a fun recipe this week. It is perfect for a mid week pick me up. These Energy balls will hopefully give you the burst of energy to make your week better. 🙂

I used some medjool dates as the base for these energy balls. Dates are one of the easiest foods to incorporate into your diets. They are nutrient rich and a fantastic sweetener substitute. They are part of the Palm Tree family and have many different varitations of the delicious fruit. Mejool Dates is one of the more popular and for good reason they have a rich almost caramel taste. Aside from tasting like a sweet dessert dates have a number of other amazing benefits. Dates are a great source of Dietary Fibre which promotes digestive health. They are also rich in minerals like selenium, Manganese, copper and magnesium which are important for bone strength and health. Dates are also anti-inflammatory and can reduced blood pressure due to the source of magnesium. Dates are packed with carbohydrates which makes them a natural energy booster. Dates have a naturally sweet and have a great nutritional profile making them the perfect addition to your daily diet.

Here is everything you will need for the Energy Balls. This recipe makes 8 Energy Balls.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Medjool Dates

1/3 Cup of Almonds

1/3 Peanut Butter

1 Tbsp Chia Seeds

1 Tbsp Dark Chocolate

2 Tbsp of Shredded Coconuts

Chia Seeds, Almonds, Nut butter, Dark Chocolate , Dates.

This is the easiest recipe, all you will need is a food processor.

I used dried Dates and I let them soak in warm water for 2 hours prior to using them.

Step 1: I removed the seed and pulsed them in the processor until they became soft and chopped well.

Step 2: Chop Almonds by hand or in processor. Then add the chopped dates back to processor with Almonds. Add the chia seed, chopped Dark Chocolate and Nut butter. Pulse until the mixture creates a dough.

Step 3: Roll into medium sized balls and set aside.

Step 4: You can refrigerate them here and enjoy them just like this! I chose to roll them in Shredded Coconut.

Step 5: Place them in refrigerator for 1 hour too firm up. Enjoy!!

These Energy Balls are so rich and perfect for an afternoon snack.

I hope you do try these, if you do tag me on Instagram @greencupcaketo

What is your favourite afternoon snack?

Until next time,

Hey Everyone!! It has been a while and I am happy to be back and bring this fall appropriate recipe. These are my Apple and Cinnamon Waffles with Apple Caramel topping. The waffles are so light and full of juicy apples. The warm caramel apples topping is delicious and a perfect addition to these waffles.

I love Cinnamon year around but it is particularly amazing during the colder weather.

Cinnamon is a spice that is made from the inner bark of trees scientifically known as Cinnamomum. Cinnamon has been used as a medicine in traditional Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine for centuries. Known for its benefits like aiding in digestion and gastrointestinal issues. Here are just a few other commonly known benefits of Cinnamon:

1. Cinnamon may help treat Type 2 diabetes.

2.. Cinnamon could lower your bad cholesterol (or LDL).

3. Cinnamon has antimicrobial properties.

4. Cinnamon can help treat the symptoms of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

5. Cinnamon has anti-inflammatory properties.

6. Cinnamon has antioxidant benefits.

Here are some cinnamon benefits you may not have known:

Cinnamon is a natural insect repellent.
Combat acne
Freshen breath
plump up lips

Now to the recipe:

Here is what you will need:

1 cup of flour

2 tsp of Baking Powder

1 tbsp of Coconut oil

1 Tsp Cinnamon

1 Tsp Honey

1/3 cup Almond Milk

1 tsp Vanilla Extract

1/2 Large Apple Cubed.

Topping Ingredient:

2 tsp Honey

1 tsp Cinnamon

1/2 Apple Cubed

I started off by chopping my apple into cubes, I used half an apple for the waffles and half for the caramel topping.

The topping was extremely simple I suggest starting the caramel and apples before making the waffles so they have enough time for the apples to soften and the caramel will thicken.

In a medium skillet on low add your honey and apples and allow to simmer for 10 mins. Add you Cinnamon after 10 mins and stir for another 5 mins. Thats it! after 15 mins the caramel will form and apples will be soft.

In large bowl combined your dry ingredients and mix well, then add your wet ingredients and make sure to get the lumps out complete, This will make the waffles super light. Then fold in your Apples. **Tip: Do not overfill the waffles machine ( I made a huge mess) the batter is very light and expands quite a bit. So just enough batter no more no less.

After they are cooked in the waffle maker, stack them and top with your Caramel Apple Topping and ENJOY!!!