This post title makes me smile.  🙂

I haven’t gotten to exercise for 2… 3… 4 days and I am restless.  Mom is still having a helluva time trying to recover.  This means I refill a lot of water and juice glasses (hydration is key!), I make tons of PB + crackers, and – my favorite outlet – I bake.  It also means that this post has taken me 3 days to finish.

Some people go to spas, I can relax with a late-night grocery store trip.  No lines and I can wander around inspecting new items without running over screaming kids (sorry if that was your kid’s toe…).

Part 2 of my relaxation method is creating.  I love to cook/bake/thrown stuff together in the kitchen.  I like trying new things.

Cookie dough balls.  Sans egg.

But first, we all know that in order earn dessert, veggies must be eaten.  Yes, Mom.  It finally stuck.

When life gives you 1/2 a leftover roasted butternut squash, make Butternut Hummus.

It sounds weird, but it is good.

Butternut Hummus

• 1/2 Roasted butternut squash
  
• 2 T EVOO
• 2 Garlic cloves
• Salt & pepper
• 2 T Tahini

Place ingredients in food processor, blend until smooth.  Add crackers, cucumber slices, zucchini sticks, and enjoy!

Notes: You can add anything to this!  Try rosemary, cumin, red pepper flakes, lemon, cilantro, cinnamon… butternut tastes good with it all!

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Good job eating your veggies.  Now you may have dessert, courtesy of Angela at Oh She Glows.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Balls

• 2/3 C Raw, unsalted cashews
• 1/4 C Oats
• 3/4 C Spelt flour (can sub other flour)
• 1 tsp Sea salt
• 5 Medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 1 tsp Vanilla extract
• 3 T + 2 tsp Pure maple syrup
  
• 2- 3 tbsp Dark chocolate, chopped
• 1/3 cup Dark chocolate, melted, for dipping

Place cashews and oats in food processor until finely crumbled.  Add in the flour, kosher salt, and roughly chopped dates. Process until fine.

Add vanilla and maple syrup.  Blend until the mixture comes together in a ball. If too crumbly, add more syrup or a tiny bit of water.

Stir in the 3-4 T of chopped dark chocolate.  Roll into balls (about 2 tsp in size).

In a double boiler or microwave, melt 1/3 cup of dark chocolate in a small bowl.  Now dip each ball into the chocolate and place on baking sheet.

Freeze for 1 hour or overnight to set.

Makes about 20 balls.

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I am pretty sure there aren’t any of these left in the house.

Now that I have these down, I’m looking forward to making more flavors.

What should be next?  Cinnamon Roll?  Pumpkin Pie Spice?  S’Mores???