Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Brownies

2nd Barbell Strength class back from maternity leave under ma'  belt! i used class as my warm up and went downstairs to get a solid back workout in afterwards.  i'm taking my time, trusting the process, and sticking to my 6 Pack USA plan these days.  i want to maintain balance and not go crazy with the exercise this time around. no need!  well, as long as i'm sticking to the nutrition part of the plan too.

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 baking has been on my brain this week.  why?

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most likely cause Sonny surprised Chiso and i with this really, really, magically, delicious lemon bundt cake tuesday from Nothing Bundt Cakes, ugh.  he says they were randomly giving out free mini bundt cakes to the companies in his office building. is that not the best marketing strategy ever?? um, it worked cause now i want one and will most likely use them for a future event. that reminded me of HEB's and Whole Food's sample stations throughout the store. if you feed me while i shop, well hey, i'm coming back there again and again to spend my money. and eat. and buy things that were never on my shopping list. and blow my grocery budget. genius. ok anyway, soon as i eat white sugar i just want more, more, MORE. sugar addiction is real. real annoying.   Chiso was super happy but yall know how i am around large amounts of my trigger foods!!! womp, womp.  i couldn't let all my work from the past few weeks go to crap so i did have a small piece, cut Chiso some, and threw it out.  my very preggo sis-in-law was the first person i thought to give the leftovers to, but that's just evil lol! i would have taken a bite every single time i entered the kitchen until it was all gone, SMH. we are all for minimizing waste when possible, but this was a game time decision that had to be done. so, that's how these brownies came about. i was so excited about whipping them up regardless cause i haven't baked anything sweet since i was waiting around trying to get Dego outta this tummy. these are naturally sweetened for the most part; the chocolate PB2 does contain sugar but not a mind-blowing amount like Mr. Bundt cake up there. i used agave nectar but you can use honey as well. it's up to you!  heck you can also use full fat peanut butter if ya want.  just melt it in the microwave a little first for better mixability.

IMG_20140828_173837 Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Brownies

the stuff: (source)

  • 1 whole egg
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 cup chocolate PB2
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • *optional* 1/4 cup rolled, uncooked oats (either leave them as-is or grind them into a fine flour)
  • 1/2 cup light agave nectar
  • 1/2 cup water + 1 tbsp water
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1/4 tsp sea salt
  • 3/4 cup mini chocolate chips
  • 1 tsp vanilla

do this:

  1. combine eggs, vanilla, agave nectar and water in a small mixing bowl.
  2. combine PB2, cocoa powder, oatmeal, baking soda, salt, and chocolate chips in a large mixing bowl.
  3. add the wet ingredients into the dry and stir until combined.
  4. pour mixture into an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 pan coated with no stick cooking spray.
  5. bake for 30 minutes on 325 degrees or until an inserted coupon comes out clean.

recipe makes 12 brownies.  nutritional stats can be found on my Instagram post at the moment until i add them here!

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before i go, thank you to Rosa from Enlightened Ice Cream for the coupons!! i cannot WAIT to pick up my samples at my Sprouts Farmers Market soon.  these bars are low in calories (70), high in protein (8g) and fiber (5g), 20% of the RDA for calcium, and contains only 2g of fat and 3g of sugar.  It's made from rBST-free milk, is gluten free, and contains no added sugars or artificial sweeteners!  i like. review coming soon.

nite!

le

happy fit & clean 2013!

 

 well, it's here. the new year is underway.... i'm just happy and grateful to be here. soon as i opened my eyes today i made a Facebook status that said  'if you woke up this morning, you were SUPPOSED TO!! thank God! now, go and be YOU.' i'm excited and so ready to live His purpose for my life. it's time!

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the day after Christmas, i had all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed.  thanks to my driver and brother Matt for this hot photo.  what a day!  i was knocked out and didn't feel a thing, but the 3rd day was definitely the worst as the swelling was at its peak.  howeverrrr,  it's all over and done with now FOR GOOD!

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6 days later i'm still healing and struggling to chew and it sucks.  i can only do so on one side for now, and i'm not supposed to eat any crackers, chips, popcorn- anything that crumbles and can get stuck in those crevices back there.  this foodie is ready to EAT.  so while my family gets to eat Papa Johns :shock:, i'm on baby food status. how i've been surviving:

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oh and let's not forget i couldn't exercise! no food = no energy = no activity = boo. this entire pint of Arctic Zero came in handy.

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however for breakfast, i cooked my oats as normal with vanilla creme stevia and unsweetened vanilla almond milk, then i sliced up a banana and threw it in the blender with them. this pic translates to how i felt that morning :lol: BLAH

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before bed one night, i whipped out some cottage cheese to get some protein in.  i made some of my healthy chocolate sauce and drizzled some on top along with a dash of cinnamon.

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 aaaand for dinner, i got fancy and made some roasted squash and onion soup.  i roasted the veggies in the oven until soft, tender, and charred, then threw them in the blender along with some low sodium vegetable broth, nutritional yeast flakes, black pepper, liquid aminos, sweet smokey paprika, and sprinkled some goat cheese on top.

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i was trying to make a balanced meal in a glass and this actually turned out ok!  fruit, greens, healthy fats, and carbs.

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 i'm outta protein powder, but a scoop of vanilla would have been perfect!

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i ate it with a spoon though, no straws allowed yet.

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no gym for 4 straight days and i felt like a weak, wet, limp noodle.  lost a couple of pounds of both fat and muscle for sure.  this is why i LOOOOVE my complex carbs combined with hitting the weights (oatmeal, sweet potatoes, whole wheat bread, etc) - without them i'm flat and squishy.

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sunday was my first day back in the gym and i made some green eggs for real!  liquified frozen spinach + egg whites then scramble!  shredded a little almond cheese on'em that melted on top.

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got a nice welcome back 700+ calorie burn in my boxing shoes which happen to be perfect for weight lifting.

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 definitely getting a few pairs of these in more crazy colors!

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i hope you enjoyed your new years eve WHATEVER you did last night!!  Chiso surprisingly checked out at 9:30... SCORE.  i know! soooo Sonny and i enjoyed a quiet evening at home and popped open a bottle of  the good stuff - sparkling welches red grape juice cocktail. we had a quiet, intimate toast to end a great year and welcome an even better one!

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this morning was the Commitment Day 5k-  did you get up and go run in your city?

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it rained. it was windy. it was cold.

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but that didn't stop these people from coming out in their raincoats, hats, and umbrellas!  it was still a fair turnout and i was honored to participate.

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i ran with my sister-friend Shabakka; she showed up and showed out!  we had just finished up.

i saw a few familiar faces along the way though and i was definitely looking for some!  i'd like to give a huge CONGRATS and shout out to one of my readers and fam, Ivy!!!  you did it! way to start 2013 STRONG.

20130101_103644 you know i wore my watch. couldn't tell ya what my time was though...let's say around 24 min or so.

that's my holiday wrap up!  i'll leave you with one of the quotes i'm really feelin':

'don't tell people your dreams, show them.'

here's to a fit & clean 2013! (thx Dami;)

le