Protein peanut butter cups and homemade shell topping!!!

I have to share this delicious recipe I found on pinterest for Crispy Peanut Butter Protein Cups. 
As usual, I didn't have all the ingredients on hand so I modified to use what I had - most notably I left out the rice cereal, and used sunflower seed butter instead of peanut butter. These would be delish with any nut butter! I can't wait to try them with almond, peanut, cashew...  

I used:

Ingredients

For the peanut (sunflower seed) butter cups

• 3 scoops unflavored whey protein powder
• 1/4 cup organic coconut oil (melted/liquid)
• 1/4 cup organic maple syrup
• 1 cup organic sunflower seed butter
•  handful of sesame seeds

For the cacao drizzle (AKA homemade magic shell topping!!!)

• 1 tablespoon organic maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon organic raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon organic coconut oil (melted/liquid)

 Since it's summer and we don't have A/C, the coconut oil did not require any heating; it was ready to go. For the cups, I just mixed everything together in a bowl, portioned it into 8 silicone baking cups and stuck them in the freezer for an hour.

Now for the most important part.... the magic shell topping!!!! I am so excited I found this recipe.  There's nothing I guiltily love more than magic shell topping on ice cream... but it's sooo bad for you. This stuff is the most amazing substitute for store-bought shell! And you can just throw together a single serving super quick whenever you want some. You just need equal parts maple syrup, coconut oil and cacao powder. So fast and easy! And it hardens just like shell on ice cream or on these frozen peanut butter cups. This discovery so makes my life right now!!!

These were so easy to make, and they are such a yummy treat for a snack or dessert. Valerie loves them - definitely a hit with kids! For 8 cups, I calculated each one to be about 337 calories, 22 grams of fat, 18 grams of carbs and 16 grams of protein. Okay so not exactly low calorie. For a lighter treat, you could have half a cup for 170 calories. I think what I might do the next time, rather than make them in cups, is to spread the mixture in a pan so you can slice off small pieces, which might make it easier to have smaller portions, rather than only eating half a cup each time.

Current obsession: Maca + cacao smoothies

I bought some maca powder at Whole Foods a while back after reading about it but then didn't use it for a couple months. Last week I finally decided to break it open. So glad I did!!!! Officially obsessed. I started by putting it in my oatmeal, along with bananas or raspberries, pecans, shredded coconut, soy milk and some cinnamon - DELICIOUS!! I love the mild, nutty flavor - some people describe it as similar to butterscotch, which I would agree with.

I kept reading conflicting articles about whether it should be eaten raw or cooked and I finally decided to just start putting it on things, specifically oatmeal and smoothies.

I also bought some cacao powder after reading about how much better it is than cocoa powder -it is raw, whereas cocoa powder has been roasted and loses health benefits in the process - and didn't do much with that for a while either. But now that I have discovered maca + cacao in smoothies, it is ON!

Yesterday I made my first smoothie with maca, which I found on pinterest. Holy chocolate ecstasy!

this is the photo from 40aprons

I didn't follow the recipe exactly - here's what I used:

• 1 ripe banana, peeled
• 1 tsp flax seed ( I always add flax but it's not necessary)
• ⅔ cup frozen raspberries
• ¾ cup soy milk
• handful of raw almonds
• 1 tablespoon maca powder
• 2 tablespoons cacao powder

Blended in the Blendtec. Oh how I love my Blendtec. This smoothie though.... OhMyGodYouGuys. So thick, smooth, chocolatey, and so guilt free. I tried a variation on it today without the raspberries, just more banana, some of it frozen.  I always keep some chunks of peeled banana in the freezer for smoothies - so easy, and our bananas never go bad. Plus I like my smoothies cold, without a lot of added ice, and frozen banana does the trick.

I also added protein powder today, and it did not compromise the deliciousness at all, so I'll definitely be making these as protein smoothies from now on! We buy unflavored whey protein. 

So, voila my latest obsession! Can't recommend highly enough trying some maca and cacao powders in your smoothies (or oatmeal). Sooo delicious, and good for you too!

Read about cacao versus cocoa here

And be sure to let me know of any other favorite uses you have for maca or cacao! I'd love to expand my repertoire!