April Reader Recipe: Amber’s No Bake Dessert Balls

In my Reader Recipes series, I am highlighting one F&F reader a month so they can share their favorite recipes with all of you.  This month’s recipe comes from reader Amber, who blogs over at Amber Cooks.  Thank you, Amber, for sharing your reader recipe!

Reader Recipes

These came about after dinner one night.  My boyfriend has a major sweet tooth and really wanted a little something, so I went into the kitchen, threw all the sweet stuff I had into a bowl, and voilà!  No bake dessert balls were born.

One thing that I really like about these is that you can make them your own.  I always switch up what chocolate I use and what nut butter I use to see what combos we like best.  Or you could go the energy route and add some flaxseed or chia seeds, making these a great snack on your way to the gym!  Personally, I like to eat a couple for breakfast on my way to work (if we have any leftover by morning, ha).

No Bake Dessert Balls 1

Things you’ll need:

  • 1 cup dry old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup nut butter (I’ve used creamy and reduced fat peanut butter and almond butter — both have worked great!)
  • 1/3 cup honey
  • 1 oz. semi-sweet / dark / white chocolate, roughly chopped (I’ve also done a combo of dark and white chocolate chips that was a big hit!)
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Optional:

  • 1/2 cup ground flaxseed
  • 1 tbsp chia seed

Directions:

  1. Add all ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl and mix until well incorporated.
  2. Chill in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
  3. Roll into balls.

No Bake Dessert Balls 2

I like to spray my hands with a little olive oil cooking spray so the balls don’t stick to my hands in the rolling process.  Store in an airtight container in the fridge.  Enjoy!

If anyone is interested in being featured on Reader Recipes, please email me at akaralekas@gmail.com.  I’m open to any recipes (healthy or not), you just need to be willing to write up a little post about it and photograph your food.  Would love to feature you, and you do not need to be a blogger to participate!

March Reader Recipe: Slesh’s Coconut Shrimp

In my Reader Recipes series, I am highlighting one F&F reader a month so they can share their favorite recipes with all of you.  This month’s recipe comes from my bestie, Slesh, who has experimented with different primal recipes for about a year or so now.  Thank you, Slesh, for sharing your reader recipe!

March Reader Recipe of the Month

Yay!  Thanks Athena for inviting me to write a recipe for you.  I have been an avid fan and supporter for F&F since the beginning!  Hope everyone enjoys this post!

I got this coconut oil, and I had NO idea what to do with it.  “They” say that coconut oil is better to cook with because it has a high smoke point.  Well, so what?  The smoke point is the point where oil can actually become toxic for you (“bad” fat versus “good” fat).  So cooking with oils with higher smoke points makes it easier to fry up something that isn’t as bad for you.  Here’s more info.

I decided to make coconut shrimp, something I rarely indulge in, but LOVE to order once in a while.  I adjusted a few recipes and tried to make this a little healthier than at the restaurants.

Coconut Shrimp

Serves 2, gluten-free!

Ingredients

  • 15 jumbo to extra jumbo, pre-cooked frozen shrimp, thawed
  • 3/4 cup of raw shredded coconut (Market Basket has it for like $4!)
  • 1 tbsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/8 tsp curry (more if you love the curry)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • Coconut oil

Directions

Take the tails off your shrimp, and set aside.

Coconut Shrimp - Tails Off

Crack two eggs in a bowl and whisk.

In a separate bowl, mix the shredded coconut (you could use the sweetened baking kind, just know that the sugar intake will be higher because of this), cayenne pepper, curry, generous sprinkles of salt, and dashes of pepper.

Coconut Shrimp - Spices

Set up your dipping station.

Coconut Shrimp - Dipping Station

Then scoop out your coconut oil.  You may notice if it is cold in your kitchen, as it is in mine, then your coconut oil will be ROCK solid.  DO NOT FRET!  It will melt very quickly on the stove.  Just work at it with a good spoon, you’ll get it.  As you scoop, place in a pan on medium heat.  You’ll want enough oil to coat the pan and then some (maybe 1/2 to 1 centimeter deep).

Coconut Shrimp - Coconut Oil

Let the pan heat, and spot check it by sprinkling literally ONE DROP of water to see if it sizzles.

WARNING:  If you use too much water it will splatter everywhere, and someone more brave than I may need to come help.  Thanks, Will!

Take your shrimps, and dip one at a time (or two if you are ambidextrous) into the whisked egg, then into the shredded coconut mixture, and place in oil on the pan.  As you place the shrimp in the oil, be mindful of the splattering, and keep a cover for the pan available if it gets out of control.

Coconut Shrimp - Coating

Let cook on one side until golden brown, and then flip over.

Once the other side is golden, turn off the stove top, remove shrimps from oil, and place on a plate covered with some paper towels.  This will help degrease the shrimp.

Coconut Shrimp

Wait to cool, and then ENJOY!

I paired this with some mango salsa I made the night before, but you can also just squeeze a little lime juice on top, it’s just as good.

I plan on holding a giveaway for coconut oil later in March.  If you don’t want to miss out, please hop over to Bake ‘n’ Bits, browse through similar recipes, and sign up to follow my blog.  Keep an eye out for other coconut oil based recipes.

Peace, love, and puppies,

-C

If anyone is interested in being featured on Reader Recipes, please email me at akaralekas@gmail.com.  I’m open to any recipes (healthy or not), you just need to be willing to write up a little post about it and photograph your food.  Would love to feature you, and you do not need to be a blogger to participate!

February Reader Recipe: Julia’s Mediterranean Dip

In my Reader Recipes series, I am highlighting one F&F reader a month so they can share their favorite recipes with all of you.  This month’s recipe comes from my supervisor Julia, who made this tasty dip for a group lunch at work over the summer.  Julia also built up her plank time during my 31 Day Abs Challenge!  Thank you, Julia, for sharing your reader recipe!

February Reader Recipe of the Month

This is the easiest dip, so that is why I love it!  Being middle eastern myself it just seems like a good choice to combine all these ingredients.  My mother first made it, and then I “borrowed” it from her.

Mediterranean Dip

In an 8×8 or any other casserole dish, just layer the items in the order below!

Julia's Mediterranean Dip - Ingredients

  • Bottom Layer:  Hummus – I use plain, but you could get creative with other flavors
  • Next Layer:  Tabouli – Cedar’s has a good one!
  • Next Layer:  Crumbled feta
  • Top Layer:  Seedless cucumbers cut up in small pieces

Julia's Mediterranean Dip

Again, this is the easiest dip.  Serve with pita chips, pretzel chips, crackers, carrots… basically anything!  Plus with feta as a layer, I thought it was a great choice for Fitness & Feta!

Julia's Mediterranean Dip

If anyone is interested in being featured on Reader Recipes, please email me at akaralekas@gmail.com.  I’m open to any recipes (healthy or not), you just need to be willing to write up a little post about it and photograph your food.  Would love to feature you, and you do not need to be a blogger to participate!

Off to Two A Day Tuesday!  I can’t wait for 1) high intensity circuits, and 2) my new playlist.  Which includes NKOTB.  Just sayin!