Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies (gluten free, dairy free, sugar free)

I know, they sound gross, but they are so good for being so healthy! Very coconuty-tasting, which I like.

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cookies

yields 1 dozen cookies

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut oil at room temp or palm shortening

1 egg at room temperature

1/4 coconut crystals (coconut palm sugar)

2 Tbs. honey

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups blanched almond flour

2 Tbs. coconut flour

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces (dairy free)

1/4 cup dairy free chocolate chips

Directions:

1. preheat oven to 350

2. place the shortening and egg in a food processor and process for 15 seconds

3. add the coconut crystals, honey, and vanilla. Process again until combined.

4. add the flours, baking soda, and salt. Process for 30 seconds.

5. Scrape down the sides and pulse again if necessary to fully incorporate the dry ingredients.

6. stir the chocolate in by hand.

7. use a large tablespoon to scoop balls of the dough, placing them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Lightly press them down to flatten, making disks about 1/2 inch thick.

8. Bake for 10 minutes, until the cookies are browned around the edges. Cool on a wire rack.

Easiest White Chili

We had this the other day at a friend's house and it was so delicious.  She said she makes it all of the time because its so easy- you just throw everything in the pot and simmer.  To make it even easier, grab the rotisserie chicken at your grocery and zero prep involved!

White Chili
From Lizzie Davis

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 pound cooked, shredded chicken
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can chicken broth
1 jar salsa verde, 7 oz.
1 small can diced green chilies, undrained
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. crushed coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. cumin
2- 16oz. cans cannellini (white kidney) beans
3 Tbs. lime juice
1/4 tsp. pepper

Top with: Sour cream, shredded cheese, lime wedges, tortilla chips

Saute garlic in oil in large pot for 1 minute.  Stir in tomatoes, chicken broth,  salsa, chilies, and spices.  Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer 20 minutes.  Add chicken and beans; cook 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.  Stir in lime juice and pepper.  Serve.

The Ultimate Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies

Yeah, I know...another chocolate chip cookie recipe.  This one definitely deserves a turn in your regular cookie rotation though.  Its our new favorite and its incredible. I bought Maldon Sea Salt off of amazon and it transformed the flavor, making these totally irresistible.  And, that extra little sprinkle of salt also makes them look very fancy, which makes them great for giving away...which you'll want to do because if these are around, you're going to eat every single last one.

The Ultimate Salted Chocolate Chip Cookies
From Barefeet in the Kitchen

• 1 3/4 cups light brown sugar
• 1 cup butter melted
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 cups all-purpose flour *
• 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• Maldon flaked sea salt  or coarse sea salt
• GLUTEN FREE ALTERNATIVE:
• 1 ¾ cups brown rice flour *
• ½ cup tapioca starch *
• ¼ cup potato starch *
• 1 teaspoon xanthan gum *

1. Place the sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add the hot melted butter and beat until smooth. Let cool for a few minutes before adding the eggs and vanilla and beating once more.
2. Whisk together the dry ingredients and slowly add them to the wet ingredients. Stir to combine. Add the chocolate chips and stir well to make sure they are evenly distributed. Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour, or until thoroughly chilled.
3. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Scoop the dough into golf ball sized balls and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. (Remember, just three cookies to a baking sheet!)
4. Bake for 16 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle with Maldon salt. Let cool for 1-2 minutes on the baking sheet and then remove to a wire rack. Enjoy!

Notes

The size of the cookie will determine the texture. If you want a giant bakery-style cookie with crisp edges and a perfectly chewy center, follow the recipe exactly and make the cookies huge. (Just three to a baking sheet, seriously!) There is no way to get that perfect texture without the giant cookie (Rachel here- I've made them small and they turned out bakery perfect and perfectly textured). Trust me on that, okay? I made some of the cookies smaller and they were really good, but the giant ones were so much better! The finishing salt is really important here. There aren't a lot of fancy spices and ingredients in my kitchen, but Maldon flaked sea salt is a key ingredient in these cookies. You can buy it in some grocery stores, but I found the best prices by far on Amazon. (I promise that if you buy it, you'll use it for more than just these cookies!) However, if you don't want to buy a fancy salt, coarse sea salt or even kosher salt will work. Just be extra careful when sprinkling the salt on the cookies, as the smaller grains of salt can quickly make them "salty" instead of giving just a hint of salt with the sweet cookie. Last but not least, don't let the oatmeal in this recipe deter you from trying them. There is barely a hint of oatmeal flavor, but it provides a chewy texture that can't be beat.

Slow Cooker Sante Fe Chicken

This is now in our regular dinner rotation- we all LOVE it.  Its really versatile, in that I can make it into a salad, a Mexican rice bowl, a taco/burrito, or eat it straight up.  Its really good and very easy.

Serving size is 3/4 cup and macros are F: 3, C: 17, P: 24

Slow Cooker Sante Fe Chicken

From Skinnytaste

24 oz (1 1/2) lbs chicken breast

14.4 oz can diced tomatoes with mild green chilies

15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained

8 oz frozen corn

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

14.4 oz can fat free chicken broth

3 scallions, chopped

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp cayenne pepper (to taste)

salt to taste

1. Combine chicken broth, beans (drained), corn, tomatoes, cilantro, scallions, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt in the crock pot.  Season chicken breast with salt and lay on top.  Cook on low for 8 – 10 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours.  Thirty minutes before serving, remove chicken and shred.
2. Return chicken to slow cooker and stir in. Adjust salt and seasoning to taste.
3. Serve over rice or tortillas and with your favorite toppings.

Instant Pot: Cook high pressure 25 minutes, quick or natural release.

Chocolate Chip Power Balls

I've made a LOT of protein balls, but these are by far the very best ones I've ever had.  They are so so so good- taste just like cookie dough. :) 

Chocolate Chip Power Balls

Adapated from Clean Eats and Treats

• 2 cups old fashioned oats 
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 2/3 cup honey
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1/2-1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I used Ideal Lean French Vanilla) and 1 scoop Collagen Peptides
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• dash of sea salt

We made these with a hand mixer and broke the oats down a little so they were smaller.  Also, the gram measurements for the peanut butter is 266 (for those who have a kitchen scale).  I also used Trader Joe's coconut chips (which are sweetened) and broke those apart as well because they're big.  Biggest problem? Eating just one!