Dessert

Almond Dream Dessert Bites Review

October 16, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

For the record no one asked me to do this review. Recently I was checking out the freezer section at my local Sprout’s when I saw these little yummy looking bites. I picked them up, looked over them, then put them back. The lady next to me said, “those are really good.” She told me how she will often have three pieces (serving size is 15) after dinner for a nice little treat.

I decided to try them. When I got home and got the groceries put away you better believe I tore into that little container. I ate one and it was heaven. Yes, I’m sure I could have eaten the whole container but I did not. After all these are not a health food, but sometimes you need something a little on the junk food side.

Since these are made with almond milk they are non-dairy but they don’t taste different from the normal treats I grew up eating. It kind of reminded me of Snickers ice cream bars.

All in all I loved it. These probably wont make it into my shopping cart every week because I try not to eat this type of dessert often. These are perfect for an occasional treat and very tasty. I think they will make the perfect after dinner taste of chocolate that often crave.

Have you tried these Almond Dream Dessert Bites? What did you think about them?

Party Worthy Parfait

October 2, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo 19 Comments

Welcome back to day 2 of the Vegan Month of Food, a.k.a The Vegan MoFo. Today I’m setting my sights on the parfait.

Making parfait’s are super easy if you have kids they can help or make their own. If you own a large glass bowl or trifle dish they can make a perfect center piece for a party or make these in individual glasses like I did. These are healthy enough for an on the go breakfast but tasty enough for dessert too.

Parfait

Ingredients

Vegan yogurt (I use coconut, almond or soy milk yogurt)
Diced fruit of your choice (apples, berries, or bananas)
Granola
Nuts and/or seeds
Vegan chocolate chips (hey I’m not judging)

Layer granola, yogurt, nuts/sees, then fruit.
Repeat step 1 two to three times to fill your container.
Refrigerate until ready to serve

Serve

This was a big hit at my Healthy Cravings group served as a dessert. We ate the leftovers for breakfast and lunch for a few days after. A few of my favorite variations include Cinnamon granola with diced apples, Almond granola with mixed berries, granola with vegan chocolate chips and bananas. I like to top this with chia seeds right before serving. My son thinks they are sprinkles! 🙂

This recipe is kid friendly, omni friendly, and gluten-free if you use gluten-free granola.

What is your favorite parfait combination?

Cheating

July 26, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo Leave a Comment

Do you cheat…on your diet? I don’t.

I don’t cheat because I don’t make anything off limits. I know this probably sounds ridiculous, but is it really?

I’m the kind of person that as soon as I make something “off limits” can think of nothing else. If I decided to go off of sugar/chocolate/coffee I would crave it. Heck, if I decided to forgo eating broccoli I would probably dream about it until I caved.

After I transitioned to a Plant-Based diet I’d occasionally “decide” to have something that most people would consider a cheater food. One example of this is dairy. After the first few weeks off dairy I didn’t crave it any longer. One date night (after months off dairy) my husband and I decided to share a small piece of cheesecake, go ahead and shake your head in horror. I woke up 2 days later with intense pain, mostly in my arm, shoulder, and neck. I could barely use my arm or care for my children. The pain was severe that day and slowly let up, it took about 4 days for complete relief. I always have a bad reaction to dairy and can tell if I eat in inadvertently.

For me dairy is not in the “off limits” category but it is in the “totally not worth it” category. I will never go back to eating dairy. Really I don’t miss eating meat either. I miss the convenience of running through a drive thru for a quick meal. Thank God for bean burritos!

Last weekend I took my son to a birthday party, I didn’t know what the food situation would be so I grabbed a Lara Bar just in case. I wasn’t going to be snobby or rude about any of the food but I also wasn’t going to eat something I wasn’t comfortable with just to make someone else comfortable. I was very happy to see fruit, veggies, “veggie straws” and a six-foot party sub with all of the trimmings. I could have eaten my Lara Bar but I was happy to eat what the hostess provided. I did take the meat and cheese off of 2 slices of sandwich much to the dismay of one of the party goers, until I offered it to him. He then determined that I was a good person to eat near because he could have what I didn’t want. Do you know what else happened? I loved my sandwich, I had been craving a sub but I didn’t want to eat the processed meat, blech. Thankfully the mustard was the secret ingredient that made the lettuce, tomato, and onion sandwich a masterpiece. I loved it!

So as you can see, I never “cheat” I might decide to eat something in the “I don’t want to admit to eating this category” but not usually. In case you’re wondering there is also a “I don’t normally eat this but I will this time” category. That includes things like fries, restaurant salad dressings that are likely to have oil, and restaurant hummus. It could also include random things from the clearance section that contain a way too many ingredients but I’ve had a tough day and need chocolate now! Hey I never claimed to do this perfectly.

So are you a cheater? It’s okay, you can admit it, you are in good company. Or you can take my approach, it takes the pressure off of being perfect and just strives for being better. Try to make choices you can live with, not choices that are gonna kill you.

Chocolate No-Bake Bites

May 17, 2012 by Holly Yzquierdo 15 Comments

When I want a delicious chocolate treat I reach for these Chocolate No-Bake Bites. They are the perfect summer treat when it is too hot to turn on the oven.

Years ago, I would make the most delicious chocolate no bake cookies. You know the ones, they have a ton of butter, milk, peanut butter and oats. Yeah, I loved those!

This version is much healthier for you although not necessarily a “health food.”

I almost always have all of the ingredients I need (thanks to my pantry staples). These can also be made allergy-friendly by using gluten-free oats and a peanut butter substitute like SoyNut Butter or SunButter.

Chocolate No-Bake Bites

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Cocoa
2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana
¼ cup peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter)
1 cup oats (use gluten-free if needed) added ¼ cup at a time.
¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Step 1 – Mix

Mix together cocoa, agave, and vanilla in a medium-sized mixing bowl. This will take a little while to do but it will come together. Once these 3 ingredients are mixed together they look and taste like Hershey’s syrup that we put on ice cream as a kid, it isn’t quite as sweet but it is close.

Step 2 – Mash

Mash in banana and stir.

Step 3 – Mix in Peanut Butter

Mix in peanut butter, you can add another ¼ cup for a stronger PB taste.

Step 4 – Stir in Oats

Stir in oats, ¼ cup at a time. If your mixture looks to dry don’t use all the oats.

Optional: add in the chocolate chips.

Step 5 – Spoon onto Wax Paper

Spoon onto a wax paper lined plate and place them in the freezer or far away from little hands that might dig in too early. You could smooth them into balls or flatten them into cookie shape if desired.

I store these in the freezer and grab one or two out for an after dinner treat. I left a few on the counter and they did “set up” nicely but not as well as my old-fashioned dairy-filled version that is off-limits. My recipe made about 17 small bite sized cookies.

For more delicious desserts check out my Dessert Page!

Yield: 15 Bites

Chocolate No-Bake Bites

Chocolate vegan cookies that you don't have to bake!

Prep Time 20 minutes

Additional Time 1 hour

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Cocoa
2 Tbsp agave or maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla
1 banana
¼ cup peanut butter (or other nut or seed butter)
1 cup oats (use gluten-free if needed) added ¼ cup at a time.
¼ cup vegan chocolate chips (optional)

Instructions

Mix together cocoa, agave, and vanilla in a medium-sized mixing bowl. This will take a little while to do but it will come together. Once these 3 ingredients are mixed together they look and taste like Hershey's syrup that we put on ice cream as a kid, it isn't quite as sweet but it is close.
Mash in banana and stir.
Mix in peanut butter, you can add another ¼ cup for a stronger PB taste.
Stir in oats, ¼ cup at a time. If your mixture looks to dry don't use all the oats.
Optional: add in the chocolate chips.
Spoon onto a wax paper lined plate and place them in the freezer or far away from little hands that might dig in too early. You could smooth them into balls or flatten them into cookie shape if desired.

Notes

Store in freezer

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Almond Dream Dessert Bites Review