Cocoa Date Oatmeal Cookies + Four Healthy Smoothies

Cocoa Date Oatmeal Cookies

Recipe taken from here

Dates have easily become one of my favourite snack foods. They sort of remind me of molasses in food form, I'm not sure why. I was always skeptical when my mom would pop them in her mouth as though they were candy. I decided to try them one day and fell in love with them. They are so good, when I found this recipe I knew it was going to be insanely good, and I was certainly right. Dates are an amazing fruit, and they have many health benefits as well which are definitely a bonus, especially in a baked good ;). All the more reason to eat these cookies right? I simply devoured these bad boys up they were so good, a bit sticky but totally worth the messy hands!

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 cup regular rolled oats
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2-3 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons butter (softened)
• 1/2 cup date syrup (or regular honey)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup dried dates, chopped
  

Directions:

Preheat oven to 180C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a bowl, combine flour, oats baking soda, salt and cocoa powder. Stir until well mixed. Set aside.

In another bowl, beat the egg lightly. Add butter, vanilla extract and honey/date syrup. Stir until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stir in the chopped dates.

Drop heaped teaspoons of the batter onto the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes.

Cocoa Date Oatmeal Cookies

I love smoothies for their great tastes, health benefits (depending on what you decide to put in them), that they are filling, packed with protein (again depending on what you put in them), and that they are SO easy to make and only dirty up your blender! Here are four different smoothies, I had gone on a spinach kick since I was told I was a little bit deficient in iron (getting back to dates quickly: very good for people who are deficient in iron since they are packed (for every 100g there is 11% iron!) I was incredibly skeptical about the spinach, but holy these were AMAZING smoothies. When I had told my mom I was going to make one, I was walking home from the doctors after my results, and she was incredibly grossed out since the smoothie would probably turn green, (why is that so gross? Spinach, lettuce, green peppers, green onions, those aren't scary foods, they're amazing foods, why fear the green smoothie?). Eh... I loved them, and will definitely keep playing with the flavours in which I could throw into the blender!

Vanilla Peach Spinach Smoothie

Vanilla Peach Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients:

• Handful of spinach
• 3/4 cup water
• 5-6 ice cubes
• 1 medium sized peach - chopped
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey powder

Banana Mixed Berry Spinach Smoothie

Banana Mixed Berry Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients:

• Handful of spinach
• 3/4 cup milk
• 1 medium sized ripe banana
• Mixed frozen berries (instead of putting ice)
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey powder

Vanilla Mixed Fruit Spinach Smoothie

Vanilla Mixed Fruit Spinach Smoothie

Ingredients:

• Handful of spinach
• 1/2 cup vanilla
• 1 small Activia vanilla yoghurt
• 1 medium sized peach - chopped
• Handful of blueberries
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey powder

Vanilla Strawberry Cranberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Vanilla Strawberry Cranberry Pomegranate Smoothie

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of cranberry pomegranate juice
• 5-6 ice cubes
• 5-6 medium sized strawberries
• 1 scoop of vanilla whey powder

Enjoy :)

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