Hi. Hope you had a fabulous Fitness Friday :)
10 days ago I posted a tweet out of frustration from trying to make sundried tomato pesto in my blender. I don’t recommended it.
I grew up with a full-equip kitchen, including a food processor and a KitchenAid stand mixer. I thought this was normal – how could you not have these in your kitchen!? Well, went I went off to college, those two things didn’t join in my dorm room, nor have I acquired them in my nomadic college student years. So… I quickly learned how to survive without the former. You can make cookies by hand and sometimes you may have to do without fresh, homemade pesto.
Fortunately, I don’t have to “suffer” any longer. Last Sunday, on my 22nd birthday, I opened a big box from my mama.
What recipe was up for pulsing first?
Chocolate Espresso Energy Bites
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1 c. chopped pitted dates
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1/2 c. raw almonds
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1/2 c. raw cashews
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1 T chia seeds
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1/2 T unsweetened cocoa powder
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1/2 T instant espresso powder
Pulse all ingredients in a food processor until the mixture begins to stick together. Roll into balls. Store in the refrigerator.
Makes approx. 16 balls.
When I told my mom about the new flavor I planned to make, she seemed wary. I thought the unsweetened cocoa could perhaps give them a bitter taste, but the super sweet dates took care of that issue. Chocolate + coffee is one of my favorite flavor combos – ever – and these nutritious bites did not disappoint. YUM!
See Recipe Page for additional chewy, vegan & GF energy bites.
After whipping a batch of bites, I wasn’t quite done playing with my new toy, so I swirled together my Green Goddess Summer Pesto (I added 2 garlic cloves to the recipe).
It was immediately incorporated into tonight’s dinner.
Pizza: Rudi’s GF crust topped with homemade pesto, steamed zucchini & yukon gold potato, crimini mushrooms, red onion, chevre, parm & fresh black pepper
Salad: Homegrown greens, avocado, tomato, onion, olive oil + rice vinegar
There’s something about pizza on Friday nights. They just go together… like chocolate and coffee ;)
Friday Fitness
Keeping myself accountable, I did the speed workout yesterday that I was suppose to complete Wednesday. I was still feeling pretty icky yesterday, but I gave it and go and definitely surprised myself: I ran both 1600 repeats @ 6:45 pace. I can’t remember the last time I ran on an outdoor 400m track, so I wasn’t sure how my body would handle. I believe I’m getting faster as I get older stronger. I guess aging isn’t all bad ;)
Today, I ran the 2 easy miles scheduled for yesterday via the treadmill (8:20 pace), in addition to some BodyRock and free weights. I miss strength conditioning at the WREC.
Long run #2 + GF pancakes in the morning…
Goodnight all!
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If you have a food processor, what do you use it for most?
Do you prefer speed training or long, endurance runs?
{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }
Dang, you are super fast Hillary! Way to go! :)
haha things can get tricky without those tools. I believe I could die without my KitchenAid stand mixer… ;) I need to get a betta food processor… or a Vitamix!!
I just recently got a food processor! That thing is awesome :)
long endurance runs! i kind of like the mindset that i’m just gonna go and however fast i go is fine and i’m just going for a loooong time — it’s kind of relaxing!
Nice job speedy! I can only dream of a mile at 6:45 :)
Those bites look delicious!
those look delicious and full of energy :)
My grandmother gave me her neglected Cuisinart food processor last year. At first, I wasn’t sure what to do with it, but now I couldn’t go without it! If only she would surprise me with a Vita-Mix… ha!
Happy Birthday!!! I make breadcrumbs, hummus, pesto, and applesauce with the processor. Those things are just like round coffee-flavored Larabars!!! :)
Yes, they are! I wonder why Larabar doesn’t have a coffee-flavored bar already.
Hi Hillary,
For some reason, mine won’t stick together. I even tried adding a few more dates and I’m just stuck with what seems to be a very dry crumbly mixture. Any ideas on how to fix it?
That’s strange – if you added the same amount of dates, I can’t see why it wouldn’t come together. Did you use a food processor? Make sure you pulse the mixture long enough – after several minutes, the ingredients should start to form one large mass. Also, may look crumbly, but perhaps all you need to do is try to roll them into individual balls? My other suggestion would be to add additional sweetener, such as agave, brown rice syrup, honey, or maple; though, that might make them too sweet. I hope they turn out!
Thank you!!!! I did not pulse them long enough. Once I let it go for a couple of minutes, they all started to stick together! I had just resorted to eating them with a spoon, but the balls are much nicer! ;)
Hmm… I’ve looked for espresso powder before and haven’t been able to find it. I wonder if I just don’t know what it looks like. Dates? These sound great!
You should probably be able to find it next to the coffee :)