Getting Your Daily Dose

PROTEIN POPPERS

If you don't already have...

1 1/4 cups oats

1 1/4 cups toasted walnuts, chopped

1 1/2 cups unsweetened crisp rice cereal

1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut

1 cup dried cranberries, chopped

3 tbsp crystalized ginger

1 cup brown rice syrup

1/4 cup natural cane sugar

1 tbsp vanilla extract

pinch of sea salt

Directions:

Combine oats, walnuts, cereal, coconut, cranberries, and ginger in a large bowl and set aside. Combine brown rice syrup, cane sugar, vanilla, and sea salt in a saucepan over medium heat and stir constantly for 4 minutes. Pour over the dry ingredients, and stir until everything is evenly coated. Allow the mixture to cool for about 5 minutes, then roll into 1-inch balls with wet hands. Serve as is or use muffin liners to make these a to-go snack.

It Tastes Like Summertime

HOMEMADE FRUIT JUICE POPSICLES

Think back to those warm summer days and you can almost taste that popsicle dripping down onto your fingers. Here's a blast from the past that should have you playing in the street and getting back up on your bike in no time.

TOP 10 FRUIT POPSICLE FLAVORS

1. Berries and Soymilk
2. Strawberry
3. Orange and Soymilk
4. Lemon Lime
5. Pineapple Mango
6. Fruit Punch
7. Orange
8. Grape
9. Watermelon
10. Cran-Apple
    

I think these turned out so particularly well that I'm now determined to work my way into the pudding pop realm. Viva la popsicle!

Nothing Says Superbowl like Superfood

So when my Super Bowl Sunday Salsa was a flop, I decided to venture on to a project involving something that can't go wrong. Chocolate. My first attempt at dark chocolate peanut butter pretzels are enough to make me start considering chocoholic therapy in the near future. My favorite part are the recycled gift wrappers. Mostly because they give minor merit to my hoarding of plastic and paper bags, as I am always under the assumption that I will need them for some oncoming craft or another.


Warning: These are extremely vegan and delicious. Not for the faint of heart.

DARK CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PRETZELS

You'll need about:

1 hour

25 servings, 50 pretzels

If you don't already have...

1 bag (15 ounce) pretzels

2 (12 ounce) bags dark chocolate chips

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp vegetable oil

Directions:

1. Pour chocolate chips into a medium sized mixing bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Stir chocolate and repeat heating until fully smooth.

2. Dip pretzels into chocolate mixture and until covered. Remove from bowl by scooping out pretzels with a fork so excess chocolate can strain off pretzel and place onto wax paper.

3. Once all pretzels are covered, place sheet of wax paper into the freezer and chill until chocolate has set. This should only take a few minutes before you can remove them for the next coating.

4. Scoop peanut butter into small microwavable bowl and heat for 1 minute. Add vegetable oil to mixture and stir until creamy and thin. If mixture seems too thick, add small amounts of vegetable oil as needed.

5. With a fork sprinkle pretzels with melted peanut butter. By using a soft 'flinging' motion you can get an awesome drip effect on your pretzels.

6. Repeat with chocolate and refreeze until fully set.

Enjoy and eat peace.