Saturday, March 12, 2016

Rise and Shine Power Cookies

Sometimes nothing "traditional" quite cuts it for breakfast... cereal, waffles, toast, even scrambled eggs and bacon don't seem to sit right, especially if you (like me) start work early and your digestion doesn't seem to wake up until about 10:30! Rather than packing a baggie of plain dry cereal (as a meal, mind you - I eat plenty of Nature's Path Envirokidz Cinnamon Jungle Munch® Cereal by the handful when I'm peckish), why not opt for something just as portable and convenient, yet more substantial (and definitely "sweet tooth" satisfying)?

While playing around with some of the goodies Nature's Path sent me a while ago, I came up with a cookie that, for me and many of the people I shared it with, is the perfect "bring along breakfast" solution. Normally, you'd never see a nutritionist advocating cookies for breakfast - and I'm not saying these should be for every day of the week, but having one in my lunchbox for those days when I wake up late (!) or am otherwise rushing around allows me to still have a balanced protein / complex carb meal at my leisure. Gluten and dairy free, they're also great for sharing (which is what I did at the Rise Up And Shine II Plan Canada Dance Fitness Fundraiser) last month, and my most recent experiments making them with flaxseed and Homemade Egg Replacer were successful too - meaning these could be (almost) vegan as is, and fully vegan using a vegan granola and either agave or maple syrup for the honey.

Rise and Shine Power Cookies

However you slice (drop?) it, these gigantic, gluten free cookies are 100% a meal in themselves - packed with vitamins, minerals, protein, fibre and healthy fats, not much in the way of added sweetener, and a delicious hearty texture from the Qi'a and Honey Almond Granola. If you're like some of my gym instructors, you'll enjoy grabbing one to eat after your sunrise bootcamp (and before your next training session), whereas sleepy-eyed students can tuck in at school while their parents nosh on their way to the office. Wherever you enjoy them, they are a delicious way to stay full and energized till lunch!  

Rise and Shine Power Cookies


Rise and Shine Power Cookies
Makes 14
1/2 cup Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread
1/2 cup Go Lo High Protein Almond Butter (or your favourite almond butter)
1/4 cup Truvia Natural Sweetener Brown Sugar Blend
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup Natural Traditions Brown Rice Bran and Germ Powder
1/4 cup sweet rice flour
1/4 cup teff flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1/2 cup kinako
3/4 tsp guar gum
1 tsp baking soda
5 cups Nature's Path Gluten Free Honey Almond Granola
1/4 cup Nature's Path Qi'a™ Superfood (Original Flavour)
1/4 cup raisins, soaked in hot water and drained
  1. In a large bowl, beat together the "butter", almond butter, Truvia, honey, vanilla, eggs and salt until well mixed.
  2. Add the rice bran, flours, kinako, guar and baking soda, beating well.
  3. Stir in the granola, Qi'a™ and raisins.
  4. Cover loosely and let stand 45 minutes at room temperature (or chill overnight).
  5. Heat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment.
  6. Scoop 1/4 cupfuls of dough onto the sheets and flatten slightly.
  7. Bake for 13 minutes.
  8. Cool on the sheet for 15 minutes before moving to a wire rack.
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 422.2
Total Fat: 19.5 g
Cholesterol: 26.6 mg
Sodium: 167.1 mg
Total Carbs: 54.2 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.7 g
Protein: 10.8 g

No comments :

Post a Comment

Thanks for the feedback!