By J. Dowden and J. Bessinger

In preparation for the upcoming first EVER DaSilva Family Olympics, which will involve some unhealthy treats (and a ton of fun), I figured I could try to balance them out with one of the “150 Healthiest 15-Minute Recipes on Earth.”  That makes sense right?  Since Cooper is now a crazy animal man-child, most of my meals are in snack form and on the run.  Therefore, I decided to try out Jonny Bowdens “Antioxidant Cocoa Oat Dreams.” 

 (P.S.  I kind of lied about picking them because I eat mostly in snack form, I do eat in snack form but I mainly picked them because they contain peanut butter and cocoa, and that is all I really ever want to eat.) 

This recipe is quick and is actually very easy to make, although it does contain some pricey ingredients.  Does almond meal really need to be $11.00?  Yikes!

The Cristal of Ingredients

Here is the recipe:

1/4 cup milk
¼ cup coconut oil
1/3 cup xylitol
¼ cup of natural peanut butter
2 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp. of vanilla extract
1 ½ cups of quick cooking oats
½ cup dried unsweetened coconut
½ cup of almond meal (aka gold)

Directions:

1. Place milk, coconut oil, xylitol, peanut butter, and cocoa powder in a small sauce pan over medium heat and stir until melted and well incorporated.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla
3. Mix oats, coconut and almond meal in a large bowl and mix.
4. Pour cocoa mixture over the dry mix and mix until well incorporated
5. Form loose balls around a tbsp. each and place on wax paper
6. Cool in fridge for 30 min to an hour to firm them up
7. Enjoy!

Little PB Chocolate Meatballs of Love

Yields: 25 Calories: 84 per nugg

Despite the fact I am not a huge coconut fan, I actually really enjoyed these little tasty nuggets.   ButI felt befuddled by the claim they were one of the “Healthiest Foods” EVER.   It made me want to know what makes it so healthy? Therefore, I decided to pull out my handy dandy “The World’s Healthiest Foods” book by George Mateljan to find out.

Here are the highlights:

Coconut and Coconut Oil: Has a large amount of lauric acid which is considered heart protective.  Properties in coconut are also believed to help with digestion and absorption.  Finally, there are also claims that coconuts have antiviral properties but many of those claims are still in preliminary phases.

Almond Meal (Almonds):  Are a good source of vitamin E and have a concentrated amount of monounsaturated fats which are good for a healthy heart.  They are also said to have antioxidant properties.

Oats: are rich in dietary fiber and heart healthy.  They can lower cholesterol and also contain avenanthramides which are a powerful antioxidant.

Peanuts: Have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. They are also rich in niacin and folate, which are B vitamins which play a role in having a healthy heart.

Low Fat Milk: has a rich supply of vitamin D and calcium which is critical for developing healthy bones.

Cocoa: Has been shown to decrease blood pressure and cholesterol.  It has also been shown to be an antioxidant and even possibly have the potential to prevent heart disease.  It also tastes really good.

DISCLAIMER **xylitol is touted as a natural sweetener.  But let’s be real it is processed.  It comes from fibers inside fruits and veggies.  It is said to cause stomach distress.  I will not claim this to be healthy because sweeteners are such a controversial subject and I’m not really looking to make claims that could be misleading, since I do not know the long term effects of the product.  It is simply what was written in the recipe.  I am sure you could experiment with stevia or honey if you would like instead.  At $16 a canister that I spent at Whole Foods, I wouldn’t even mind just using real sugar… but I digress.

In Conclusion:

Yes.  I agree this was not the most exciting post.  However, as I said, I like these treats and you probably will too.  I will snack on these until the Olympic cupcakes and popcorn torches are made for our Super Olympic DaSilva Party this weekend!  Then let’s be honest here, on Saturday morning these bad boys are going in the freezer until Monday, when I am going to be lying in bed reflecting on all the bad food choices that I made.  Then they will be resurrected from the depths of the deep freeze and have their chance to shine again, like a true hero.  GO TEAM USA!