Cacao Peppermint Protein Bites. V. GF.

Well if I can’t post on the first Monday of the week I’ll post on the second… ha ha.  Sorry I missed yesterday but we are renovating our master bathroom and that has overtaken my life at the moment. That’s probably the one thing that I’ve never managed to share on my blog but I do love a construction project.  I love sledgehammering walls, cabinets – whatever!  This year my resolution is to update, repaint, refresh any room in my house that I haven’t touched over the past 2 years.  We’ve updated a lot in the 11 years we’ve lived here but my master bath has always been THAT room I really hated.  And with one getting ready to head off to college, my goal was to update it as cost effectively as I could.  So with a few roadblocks this weekend that I’ve overcome… my plan is coming together.  It isn’t a whole gut job but it’s taking shape and I love it.

Onto food.  So how was your Valentine’s Day?  I made several little treats for my kids and husband that were healthier than store-bought goodies.  These were one of those treats.  My girls love peppermint (so do I) and I thought it would be fun to do a mint version.  Store perfectly in the freezer.  I opted to roll them in cacao powder but sprinkles or left plain would also work perfectly if the bitterness of the raw cacao is too much for you.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of nut butter (I used Justin’s vanilla almond butter)
2 tablespoons of Vega Clean chocolate protein powder 
1/3 cup of chopped Dark (non-dairy) chocolate
10 soft/fresh Medjool dates – pitted
1 teaspoon of peppermint extract
Optional topping:  Raw cacao powder for dusting

Directions:

Into your food processor, blend and break down the Medjool dates first into small pieces.  Then add your remaining ingredients and blend until you can pinch the ingredients between your fingers.  Remove the dough and I let that chill in the fridge or if it’s cold enough outside, there for about 30 minutes.  Then using a small scoop, roll the dough into between your palms and place on a platter.  You can roll the bites into small sprinkles, shaved chocolate or like I did – raw cacao powder for a contrasting flavor.  I store these in an airtight container in my freezer indefinitely.  Before consuming, let thaw out for a few minutes to let them soften.  Enjoy!

If your dates are a bit on the drier side – place them in a bowl and cover with boiling water.  Let them soak for about 10 minutes then drain.  Let cool and then remove the pits.  Use in the recipe as required.

The theme of this week is:: back at it.  Finished last week out 56.55.  It was a step down week to let my legs rebuild a bit.  This week the goal is increasing cumulative fatigue again. While preparing for a 50 mile race my legs need to get used to extreme fatigue and hours on feet so that’s what this week brings.  Along with running higher mileage – I do walks on the treadmill set at the highest elevation to get my legs ready as well.

Sunday:  -10 degrees with windchill and we did 11 outdoor miles
Monday: 10 progressive miles (each mile faster than the last) on the treadmill
Tuesday: 9.25 progressive miles on the treadmill/weights
Wednesday:  Planned rest day.

That’s it from here.  Time to get ready for the dog trainer and then grouting duty 🙂

Make it a great day.

oxo

 

— Knead to Cook