Why we are not all off work and out of school, sitting in our pajamas waiting on some wonderful bearer of delight to bring treats door to door is beyond me. This is National Chocolate Chip Day! We rehearse for this day all year round and it’s finally here! But, in the spirit of maintaining self-control and working toward our goals, we will not sprinkle chocolate chips on everything we eat today. Instead, we’ve found a couple of great recipes that will satisfy that sweet tooth and help you stay on course to a stronger, faster you!
Our first indulgently healthy treat comes from Thomas Cox, founder and owner of MealFit. MealFit is a meal planning service (and so much more) focused on fueling a healthy lifestyle with macro in, shopping lists, and tons of great recipes and fitness information to boot. We scoured through some of their cookbooks and we can’t wait to try this quick treat:
Dark Chocolate and Cherry Energy Bites
Ingredients:
- 1 Cup almonds
- 2/3 cup dried, tart cherries
- 2/3 cup dates
- Pinch of sea salt
- ¼ cup dark chocolate chips, melted
Instructions:
- Combine the almonds, cherries, dates, and sea salt in your food processor. Blend until a well-mixed, thick “dough” forms (3-5 minutes of processing). If your final product is too mealy, add a teaspoon of water at a time until you get a dense, dough-like consistentcy.
- After removing the blade from your food processor, roll 1 heaping tablespoon of the dough in your hands to form a ball. Repeat with remaining dough.
- Drizzle the melted dark chocolate over the dough balls and store in the fridge.
Could it get any better? Yes! These incredibly delicious treats last for weeks in the fridge and are great to freeze and thaw as needed (or just really really wanted!).
We did say a couple of recipes, right? Well, if you think she’s great on the track, just wait until you see what Shalane Flanagan does in the kitchen alongside chef and nutritionist Elyse Kopecky! This is just one of the amazing recipes in their beautiful cookbook, Run Fast. Eat Slow. Here’s a chocolate chipped dream just for you:
Ingredients
- 2 cups almond meal
- 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats (gluten-free if needed)
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- ½ cup currants, raisins, or chocolate chips (optional)
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 cup grated zucchini (approx. 1 zucchini)
- 1 cup grated carrot (approx. 2 carrots)
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- ½ cup Grade B maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- Paper muffin cups
Arrange a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 12-cup standard muffin tin with paper muffin cups.
In a large bowl, combine the almond meal, oats, walnuts, currants/raisins/chocolate chips (if using), cinnamon, nutmeg, baking soda, and salt.
In a separate bowl, mix the eggs, zucchini, carrot, butter, maple syrup, and vanilla.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, mixing until just combined.
Spoon the batter into the muffin cups, filling each cup to the brim. Bake until the muffins are nicely browned on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean—generally, 25-35 minutes.
There you have it folks – chocolate chips that will help you on your journey. So enjoy these tasty, nutrient-packed treats without the slightest morsel of guilt. Happy Chocolate Chip Day!
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