Paleo Peppermint No Bake Brownies + 5 Tips for a Guilt Free Holiday Season
Paleo peppermint no bake brownies are the perfect way to enjoy the festive flavors of the season! Sweetened naturally with dates and flavored with my favorite essential oil, peppermint, these brownies make the perfect snack or sweet end to a meal! Paleo, gluten free, grain free, dairy free and no sugar added. Well, hello!
As I've been getting back into blogging and re-organizing and updating the blog, I realized I had SO many recipes on this space! And they are all insanely delicious and NEED to be shared again! While my information has shifted to more content and less recipes, I would still like to periodically share new recipes with you and also give these old recipes some love too! I made these this weekend to re-photograph them, and y'all..these ARE SO GOOD. How did I forget how delicious these are?! They taste like a soft thin mint...and considering that's my favorite Girl Scout cookie, I was in heaven eating these up!
P.S. Nothing wrong with eating the real deal thin mint, too.
Original post:
I am ALL about enjoying the holidays with food. Food is meant to be enjoyed, savored and eaten with loved ones. Over the next couple of months I fully intend to enjoy multiple pieces of pumpkin pie, red velvet cake and fried turkey (Yup, fried. #imfromthesouth).
This time of the year tends to be when people "ditch their diets" and "give up on eating healthy". You guys already know how I feel about dieting...so let's chat about my 5 tips for a guilt-free holiday season.
Tip #1: Don't feel guilty for eating. Period. No. Guilt.
I don't care if its a kale salad or the most indulgent food you could possibly eat. Enjoy it. Savor it. Taste every bite and let go of the feeling of guilt. It is not serving you and is most likely making you overeat as a result of the restriction you give yourself about feeling guilty for eating.
Tip #2: Don't skip meals.
Yea, yea, yea. I know EVERYONE does this. Especially on the day of the holiday leading up to the big meal. But this only encourages you to overeat. If you are extremely hungry when you go to eat Thanksgiving on Thursday, you are likely to eat past the point of fullness and eat foods you do not truly even enjoy. Which brings me to tip#3.
Tip #3: Only eat foods that you truly enjoy.
Most of the time we are eating foods during the holiday season just because it is there. Before your next holiday meal, party or gathering I encourage you to walk around and assess which foods are available. Which foods have you been waiting all year to try? Which foods could you easily pass on?
Personally I don't care much for stuffing, mashed potatoes, ham and rolls. But I LOVE turkey and all the gravy, sweet potato casserole, any green vegetable smothered in bacon (like my maple bacon Brussels Sprouts) and macaroni and cheese (my grandfather makes the best!)
Tip #4: Move your body.
In whatever way you enjoy. If you want to go to the gym, great! If not, that's fine too! Go for a walk! Do some yoga! Play a game with your family (do people actually do this? I am so bad at sports I cannot imagine that actually being fun- but if its your thing, do it!)
I always bring work out clothes with me when I travel, but I only work out if I'm in the mood. I am not going to go to bed early just so I can work out in the morning or miss out on sleep to work out. But, if there's a free moment where I can squeeze in some movement- I go for it! When traveling I love to continue walking my dog daily and doing yoga if the opportunity presents itself!
Tip #5: Enjoy yourself.
One day out of the year is not going to ruin your goals or your efforts to change your habits. Let go, truly embrace the holiday, spend time with loved ones and in the words of my favorite show (Parks and Rec, obviously), treat yo'self.
Paleo Peppermint No Bake Brownies
Author:
Victoria Myers RD/N, LD/N
Ingredients
1 cup dates, pitted
½ cup almond butter
½ cup almond meal
3 T cacao (or cocoa) powder
2 T water
2-3 drops essential peppermint oil
Dark chocolate crust:
1 oz 85% dark chocolate
1 teaspoon coconut oil
Instructions
Place dates and almond butter in a large food processor and blend to combine.
Next add the almond meal, cacao powder, water and peppermint oil. Blend until the mixture becomes thick and combined.
Pour mixture into a 8*8 pan covered with parchment paper (or just make sure the pan is well coated). Use your hands (you may need to oil them too) to form an even layer for the brownies. Place the brownies in the freezer for thirty minutes.
Now, make the dark chocolate crust. Simply place the dark chocolate and coconut oil in a small pan over medium heat. Once heated and combined, pour over brownie mixture and use spatula to spread evenly over brownies. Place back in freezer for thirty minutes. Brownies can be kept in the freezer or refrigerator.
