Black Bean Sesame Noodles with Edamame & Chicken

Ingredients:

• 3-4 ounces Organic Black Bean Spaghetti Noodles from Explore Asian
• ¼ cup all natural peanut butter
• 1/2 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
• 1 clove crushed garlic
• ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 tbsp. toasted sesame oil
• 1 tbsp. rice vinegar
• 1/2 tbsp. honey
• 1 bell pepper, sliced thinly
• 1 cup cooked, organic edamame
• 1-2 scallions, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh chopped cilantro

Optional: sesame seeds + red hot chili flakes

Directions:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook noodles according to instructions.

In a large bowl combine peanut butter, ginger, garlic, soy sauce, sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, and honey. Toss warm noodles into the sauce and top with the peppers, edamame, chopped up scallions, and cilantro. Gently toss everything together until well combined and all the noodles are lightly coated in the sauce.

Top with sesame seeds and red hot chili flakes.

Makes 3 servings

Cinnamon Raisin Energy Bites

Ingredients

3/4 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup rolled oats

1/4 cup ground flax seed
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup Protein Powder (Optional - I used Chocolate)

Instructions

Pour peanut butter and honey into a medium bowl and microwave for 20 seconds to soften. Add remaining ingredients and stir until thoroughly mixed. Let mixture chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Roll into 1″ sized balls and place on wax or parchment paper.

Notes

Store in an airtight container and refrigerate them. Adapted from: http://blog.candiquik.com/cinnamon-raisin-energy-bites/

Chocolate Peanut Butter Pie (Pioneer Woman Recipe - Modified)

This is adapted from the Pioneer Woman's recipe. I used half the sugar and cream cheese she did to cut the fat and it was perfect. 

Ingredients

FOR CRUST

25 whole Oreos
4 Tablespoons Butter, Melted

PEANUT BUTTER FILLING:

1 cup Creamy Peanut Butter
5 ounces Softened Cream Cheese
1/4 cup Brown Sugar
1 package (8 Ounce) Cool Whip, Thawed

Directions

CRUST:
Crush the Oreos until they’re fine crumbs (I used a processor). Pour melted butter over the top and stir with a fork to combine. Press into pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 5 to 7 minutes, or until set.

Remove from oven and allow to cool completely.

FILLING:Beat the peanut butter with the cream cheese until smooth. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth. Add in the thawed Cool Whip and beat mixture until smooth, scraping the sides as needed.

Pour filling into crust, evening out the top with a knife or spatula. Chill for at least an hour before serving.

Peanut butter banana bites

These are a fun little snack when you need just a little sweet without breaking the calorie bank for the day. Super easy and at 50 calories each you cant go wrong.

• 2 bananas
• 2 Tbsp peanut butter
• 1 Tbsp milk
• 1/4 cup powdered sugar
• 4 oz dark chocolate

1. Slice the bananas into 1/2 inch bites. Stir the next 4 ingredients together until smooth and pipe on top of the banana pieces.
2. Melt 1/2 of the chocolate on a low heat setting in the microwave or double broiler and stir in the rest of the chocolate. (Your just lowering the temp of the chocolate so it doesn't melt the other ingredients.)
3. I stuck a toothpick in each piece and used a spoon to pour chocolate over the top of each banana and it seemed to work well.  Put on wax paper and put in fridge until they set.

Giada's Peanut Butter Granola Bars (Modified*)

Peanut Butter Granola Bars

Ingredients

• Vegetable cooking spray
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted*
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
• 1/3 cup miniature chocolate chips

Directions

Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Spray a nonstick baking pan with vegetable cooking spray. Lay a piece of parchment paper in the pan, allowing the excess paper to hang over the sides. Spray the parchment paper lightly with cooking spray.

In a medium bowl, using a hand beater, beat the egg white until frothy. Stir in the peanut butter, brown sugar, and honey. Add the melted butter, oats and almonds. Stir to combine, then add the chocolate chips.

Using a rubber spatula, spread mixture into the prepared baking pan, pressing lightly to form an even layer. Bake until the edge of the mixture begins to brown, about 20-25* minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for at least 1 hour. Cut into 1-1/2-inch squares and serve. Yields 24 bars.

* I found that if I decreased the butter from 1/2 c. to 1/4 c. and increased the cooking time from 15 min. to 20-25 min., they stayed together better.