Java Chip Almond Butter Dates

Java Chip Almond Butter Dates - The perfect pre-workout shake replacement! 

If you have been here long enough, you know I love medjool dates! Whether they’re in sweet dishes like chai latte donut holes, matcha and mint chip energy balls, and dark chocolate chip protein bites or in savory dishes like bacon wrapped stuffed dates found on my Instagram, I love them all the same. The main reason I use them in these types of dishes is because dates are a natural sweetener like pure maple syrup ( my second favorite ingredient), coconut sugar, and honey.

As you may have guessed,  dates are a healthier alternative to sugar. Stuffed dates are my ultimate go-to for a pre-workout snack because they’re also great for athletic performance. I would rather have a plant-based food source to naturally energize me than a pre-workout drink that gives me the shakes and keeps me up all night! 

So, if dates taste sweet and are used in desserts, then how can they ever be good before a workout!? Well, I’m so glad you asked! :) Here are the wonderful benefits of using dates as fuel before a workout: 

• Dates are packed with slow-burning carbs which are a main fuel source for our muscles during moderate-intensity and high-intensity exercise. The sustained release of carbs refills your body’s glycogen, the main source of energy that is expended during strenuous activity. 

• Dates contain a significant amount of potassium which is great for muscle cramps! During a sweaty sesh, you need to replenish your potassium and rebalance electrolytes so dates are helpful to prevent post-workout cramping and aid with muscle recovery. 

• They’re a super easy “on the go” snack. Whether you make the recipe or eat dates on their own, dates are super portable.

If dates don’t provide you enough energy and alertness before a workout, then this almond butter mixture will! With the addition of a superfood like maca powder (which is great for enhancing energy/mood), I have also added espresso powder. This combo will get you alert and going to the gym! I love using maca powder for this recipe because the flavor provides a honeycomb taste to the butter. By mixing, almond butter, espresso, maca, and ground cinnamon, this combination tastes just like a latte from Starbucks! 

Now, you can imagine that this almond butter mixture would be bitter considering no sweeteners, but if you dollop this on top of a date, it’s the winning combo! Cacao nibs are also bitter but, I’m telling you, if you have never tried a date before - it literally taste like sugar.

I hope you enjoy these amazingly delicious java chip almond butter dates before your workout! If you need some workout inspo, I’ve got a plank tabata and a booty workout already planned out for you.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with! 

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Java Chip Almond Butter Dates - The perfect pre-workout shake replacement! 

Ingredients

• 12 medjool dates (pitted)

• 12-24 raw almonds 

• ½ cup almond butter

• 1 tsp espresso powder (or more!)

• ½ tsp maca powder

• ¼ tsp ground cinnamon

Toppings

Cacao nibs

Directions

1. Insert an almond (or two) into each medjool date.

2. In a small bowl, mix almond butter, espresso powder, ground cinnamon, and maca powder. Spoon about a teaspoon of mixture onto each medjool date. Top each date with cacao nibs. 

3. In an airtight container, store in the fridge for up to two weeks. 

Notes

1. If you have leftover almond butter mixture, you can add about a teaspoon of pure maple syrup and spread over a piece of toast, pancakes, waffles, anything!

Chocolate Hummus

Chocolate hummus - The perfect healthy sweet treat! Vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

I’m not sure why I waited so long to jump on the “sweet hummus” train. At first, it sounded like a weird concept. Who would add sweet ingredients to chickpeas, olive oil, tahini, and lemon!? But once you take out certain ingredients and replace them with sweet substitutes, you can see how genius this concept actually is!

In the health world, you can find tahini and chickpeas in most vegan desserts. If you follow Ambitious Kitchen, you know she is the #tahiniqueen for all of her most recent desserts like my personal fav grain free tahini brownies.

What’s great about this hummus is…. it’s still hummus! Which means you can eat this as a snack, use as a spread, or for dessert and still feel good about yourself.

I mentioned this in my IG stories a few weeks back but in order to create a super creamy hummus, you need to boil the chickpeas with baking soda until the chickpeas become mushy.

I have stayed true to this tip for both my savory hummus like roasted beet hummus, and this one. The only downside of this trick is that your hummus will be lighter in color, but sometimes choosing texture over aesthetics is better.

By making a creamy hummus you could almost use this as an icing! I think I might be onto something here. So, while I figure out how to make a chocolate cake to go with this hummus, how ‘bout you check out how to make this chocolate hummus?

Feel free to add fresh strawberry sauce as the “olive oil” and chocolate chips and cacao nibs as garnish!

Looking for a protein boost?

When it comes to desserts or sweet snacks, I always seek opportunities to incorporate additional protein, such as protein powder. One of my top choices for enhancing chocolate hummus is Equip Foods' chocolate Prime Protein. This clean protein powder is one I personally use and recommend to my nutrition and personal training clients. If you're interested in increasing your protein intake, be sure to check them out and use code ROOTS to enjoy 15% off your first order today!

When using protein powder in your recipe, consider adding a scoop to your mixture. You might need to adjust the consistency by incorporating some water to achieve that perfect hummus texture, as omitting this step may result in a drier hummus.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Chocolate hummus - The perfect healthy sweet treat! Vegan, gluten-free, and dairy-free.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 canned chickpeas (washed and drained)

• ¼ cup tahini

• ¼ cup cocoa powder

• 2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Place chickpeas in a medium saucepan with ½ tsp baking soda. Cover the chickpeas with several inches of water, then bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for about 20 minutes or until the chickpeas look bloated, soft, and their skins are falling off. In a fine mesh strainer, drain the chickpeas and run cool water over them.

2. Add the chickpeas to a food processor along with the rest of the ingredients.

3. Blend until the mixture is thick and creamy. Scrape down the sides and add more water as necessary.

4. Pour into a bowl and serve with various fruits, pretzels, and cinnamon sugar pita chips!

NOTES

1. You can make this hummus without having to boil the chickpeas. The hummus may just be chunkier but the flavor is still there!

2. Looking for more protein? Refer to the notes above for my top protein booster recommendations along with some discounts!

Roasted Beet Hummus

As healthy as it is beautiful!

I can’t stop staring at this hummus. It is just too beautiful to eat. It almost makes me feel like this isn’t even hummus at all, but rather magical food made for unicorns! But once you take off your rose-colored glasses, you see that this is, in fact, made with beets.

Now, don’t beets have an earthy taste? Yes, they do. However, once you add citrus and umami flavors to this dish you will see their best side and not their dirty, earthy side.

As you can see, you can make roasted beet hummus for Valentine’s day, girl’s night out, Sunday brunch, #bachelormonday… you get my drift!

Making this for my weekly meal prep is a breeze. There are so many people asking me for healthy snacks and this one is it! I love taking ½ cup to work with veggie sticks and peppers to for my afternoon snack. With the tahini, chickpeas, and beets, this snack is super filling. Bonus - it’s a conversation starter at your job, too!

If you are obsessed about beets like I am, check out these beet recipes: refrigerator pickled beets and avocado deviled eggs.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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ingredients

• 1 can chickpeas (drained, rinsed, and deshelled*)

• 2 small beets

• 1/3 cup tahini

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

• 1/2 fresh lemon

• 1 Tbsp white miso paste

• 3 clove garlic (minced)

• S&P to taste

instructions

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Wrap the beets in tin foil and roast for 45 minutes to 1 hour until cooked through.

3. When beets have slightly cooled, remove the skin away.

4. To a Vitamix or food processor, add the chickpeas, roasted beets, tahini, lemon juice, miso, and garlic. As the mixture is blending, slowly add the olive oil. Blend until smooth and creamy; scrape the sides down if necessary.

5. Add S&P to season as you are blending. At this point, you may want to add more lemon juice or garlic depending on your preference. I like to blend for at least 5 minutes to ensure the consistency is smooth. You may need to add more olive oil or water to thin the hummus.

6. When you have reached the desired, creamy consistency, transfer hummus to a bowl and add fresh herbs and toppings like dill, parsley, sesame seeds, pine nuts, and extra olive oil.

7. The hummus will keep for up to one week in the fridge.

*This step is optional but if you have the time, it’s worth it! For a super creamy hummus, de-shell as many chickpeas as you can when rinsing.

Mindful Matcha and Mint Chip Energy Balls

A tiny burst full of superfood energy! Dairy-free, gluten-free, vegan, paleo friendly, and naturally sweetened.

Matcha to me is like a fine wine. I only want to drink it during those special occasions when the timing is just right.  Matcha is also not the cheapest thing in the world so you can probably see where I’m going with this but in all reality, I cherish the benefits and the robust flavor that goes along with it.

You see, matcha comes from the same plant as green tea but since it is made from the entire leaf, it packs in a more concentrated amount of antioxidants and beneficial plant compounds. Matcha powder can stand on its own, but why we can take it up a notch by adding cordyceps mushrooms, ashwagandha, ginger, and wheatgrass.

Okay, let’s pause. I’m sure some of you are asking, “What the heck are these ingredients and why are we adding them”?

Cordyceps Mushrooms: Improves energy, endurance, and strength while helping to reduce fatigue.

Ashwagandha: An herb that can reduce anxiety and stress, help fight depression, boost fertility and may even boost brain function.

Ginger: A spice that is beneficial for people with indigestion and related stomach discomfort.

Wheatgrass: Is prepared from the freshly sprouted leaves of the common wheat plant, Triticum aestivum. Benefits include weight loss, decreased inflammation, lower cholesterol and better blood sugar control.

So, wouldn’t that taste like dirt? I thought the same thing until I used Further Food ‘s mindful matcha powder. The matcha flavor that I love so much masks the earthy flavor of the superfood ingredients, making this powder adaptogenic (herbal pharmaceutical) and superfood enriched! If you are interested in trying their matcha powder, use fromtherootsblog10 for 10% off your first order!

Matcha can stand on its own, but combining matcha with mint and chocolate really takes these energy balls to a new level. Peppermint extract and cacao nibs really bring out the refreshing tones of matcha while being naturally sweetened with medjool dates.

I love knowing that I can treat myself to these  first thing in the morning for that burst of refreshing energy or have one as an afternoon or pre-workout snack.

Matcha obsessed? Check out these matcha and carob cookies.

I was not financially compensated for this post. All recipes, photos, and opinions are my own.

If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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Ingredients

• ¾ cup superfine almond flour

• ¼ cup coconut flakes

• ¼ cup cacao nibs or mini dark chocolate chips

• 8 pitted medjool dates

• 1 Tbsp coconut oil

• 1 Tbsp filtered water

• 2 tsp mindful matcha powder or regular matcha powder

• ½ tsp organic peppermint extract

• Sprinkle of pink himalayan salt

Directions

1. To a food processor or high powered blender, blend medjool dates until the dates form into a ball. Scoop out and set aside.

2. To the food processor, add the rest of the ingredients except the cacao nibs and blend until a fine meal is achieved - about 20-30 seconds.

3. Add the dates back in and blend until fully incorporated: not crumbly, not tacky, but more mold-able. If the mixture is too dry, add 1 tsp water in increments. Be sure to taste the dough for desired flavor. Personally, I like to add more peppermint extract to the dough.

4. Take the mixture out of the processor and transfer to a small bowl. Fold in cacao nibs or chocolate chips.

5. Scoop out 1 tablespoon amount and form into a ball. Repeat until all dough is formed into balls.

6. Chill in refrigerator for 10-15 minutes before serving.

7. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to a week in the refrigerator or freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

• Makes 10-12 balls

Chai Latte Donut Holes

Made with nutrient dense filling and a coconut butter glaze, you will soon fall in love with a healthier take on donut holes...bonus - no bake!

Starting out as a new blogger, it can be easy to follow seasonal trends. For example, my Instagram feed was filled with pumpkin spice this and pumpkin spice that for a month! Now, in all genuineness, I truly love pumpkin and all things pumpkin spice, but I know not everyone feels the same way!

So I went back to what life was like before pumpkin spice, chai spice! When I was in school, I would have collections of chai teas from coconut chai teas to dark chocolate cayenne chai tea; I was obsessed! Now that I have perfected the chai spice mix, I think this nostalgia will never leave!

I’m chasing rabbits here, the focus lies on these chai latte donut holes that are out of this world! Probably my favorite “energy balls” to date! The reason why they are called donut holes is because of the mouthwatering glaze! The glaze is made with coconut butter and coconut oil that hardens at room temperature. It provides the perfect shine while cracking just as you take a bite!

The “donut holes” are made with nutrient dense ingredients that are nothing like a real donut. Unlike a fried donut hole, you will feel satisfied eating one or two. Bonus, these donut holes are naturally sweetened with medjool dates!

The DIY chai spice mix really takes you down chai latte heaven in these bad boys. With a cup of coffee or tea, these chai latte donut holes are the perfect match!

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If you try this recipe, let us know! Leave a comment, rate it, and don’t forget to tag a photo to #fromtherootsblog on Instagram. We love seeing what you come up with!

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ingredients

Donut Holes

• 1/2 cup walnuts

• 1/2 cup cashews

• 1/2 cup almond flour

• 1 cup pitted dates (about 12)

• 1 tsp chai spice mix

• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 Tbsp water

Glaze

• 1 Tbsp coconut butter

• 2 Tbsp coconut oil

• 1 Tbsp maple syrup

• pinch of cinnamon

instructions

1. In a food processor, add all donut hole ingredients and pulse until desired consistency (picture for reference). You should blend until a tacky dough forms. You may need to add more water if the mixture is too dry.

2. With a tablespoon or cookie scooper, scoop about 1 Tbsp per ball to create 14 round balls.

3. Place balls onto a parchment lined baking sheet and put in the freezer for up to 10 minutes.

4. While the balls are in the freezer, make the glaze by adding all ingredients to a small bowl and warm in the microwave in 30-second increments until mixture is melted. (separation is natural - just stir well before glazing).

5. Take the balls out of the freezer and roll each ball into the glaze mixture using a spoon. Place back onto the parchment paper and put back into the freezer for 30 minutes.

6. Repeat the previous step again and put back in the freezer for 30 minutes or until glaze is set. You can repeat this step up to three times (or until mixture is used up) but I have found the glaze is perfect in two rounds.

7. Store donut holes in a storage container for up to two weeks or freezer for up to 1 month.

Notes

1. Even though the glaze is the best part, the chai latte donut holes will still taste just as good if you omit the glaze; they will just be chai latte balls!

2. If you would like a single serving amount of chai mix and pushed for time, simply add 1 tsp cinnamon, scant ¼ tsp cardamom, ¼ tsp ginger and a pinch of cloves. Just start slow with each seasoning and taste as you go since these spices are naturally strong.

3. With that said, if using chai is new to you or you're worried about the donut holes being too spicy, start by adding a ½ tsp of chai spice mix and gradually increase to the desired flavor.