Friend of the Devil is a Friend of Mine

I've never been so Grateful for a snack! Devils on Horseback are dates stuffed with an almond and then wrapped in bacon. Dates are an autumn seasonal fruit that is high in vitamins A and K, iron, potassium, fiber and anti-oxidants. An almond is a crunchy nut that is low in saturated fat and high in calcium, folic acid (HELLO PREGNANT LADIES), magnesium and phosphorus. And then there's bacon. Bacon is not so good for you, but it is soooo good. Actually, you can make the bacon part of the dish better for your body by using low sodium bacon with no nitrates. 

This finger food is a traditional christmas item, and it's GOOD. My dad made it when my grandparents came over for dinner one night because he's been eating them at his work, Table (a fancy famous restaurant in Asheville), and he thought they were awesome too. Here is the recipe:

Cut some pitted dates in half (each whole date will make one devil on horseback).
Put one almond each inside and close them up.
Take a strip of bacon and wrap the now almond-stuffed date in it.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, or until bacon is crispy. Enjoy, you little devil!

Hot (Chocolate) Stuff

I know you like it. You like it just as much as anyone would, but I can assure you, I like it more than you ever would. I'm loco for cocoa. I love hot chocolate! But, we don't have hot chocolate very often, and when we do, we don't want to drink the disgusting processed kind from a packet. Instead, we make our own from cocoa powder. We sweeten it with sugar, but you could sweeten it with agave nectar, honey, or anything you think would be good in hot cocoa. You can get the cocoa powder at your local Ingles market. The recipe is on the side of the chocolate powder container. Next time you're loco for cocoa, try this. come on, we all know you'll love it!

Peanut, Peanut Butter (Balls)

I love snacks. How about you? Yeah, I thought so. Most of the sweet snacks out there aren't very healthy. We make a snack that's sweet AND healthy, if you can believe it. They're called Peanut Butter/Protein Balls. They are perfect for on the go, to put in lunch bags, and lots more. Including the refrigerating process (which takes 15 minutes) they take about 30 minutes to make. The following list is a recipe for these delicious balls. Let me know what you think by posting a comment (you need a google account to do that). Try me! Like me!

Peanut Butter/ Protein Balls:

3/4 cup nonfat milk powder

1/2 cup ground flaxseed (also okay to use whole flaxseed)

1/2 cup peanut butter (the less sugar the better)

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup crushed cereal (I use oatmeal that I first zap in the food processor)

Combine first two ingredients. Add peanut butter then honey and stir to mix well. (This takes some elbow grease! Make sure all ingredients are well blended.) Stir in any combination of the following (or anything else you think would be yummy):

1/3 cup raisins

1/3 cup Craisins

1/3 cup sunflower nuts

1/3 cup chocolate chips

1/3 cup walnut (chips)

Now roll into balls and then put the balls into a bowl of the crushed cereal to coat them. Refrigerate until firm (about 15 minutes).

TIP: Every time I make this, I wish I made more. Double the recipe!!

Pizza Go!

 You know what the top-selling fast food in America is? Pizza. I know, trigger word: fast-food. If you love pizza but don't want as much unhealthiness as chain pizza restaurants, make it homemade, like we do. You can get the crusts at the store. We get the Mama Mary's Whole Wheat made-with-honey pizza crust (it comes in a 2-pack) at Ingles. We load it up with pepitas, pepperoni, and veggies, like green peppers, black olives and onions. Plus, you can load it up with WAY more toppings than a pizza place would give you. AND you can put different toppings for each person! Try it. You'll love it!