trader joes

Pumpkin Energy Balls

Recipes

Happy Fall! I’m taking this classic energy ball and spicing it up for the season. I use these energy balls for breakfast, pre-workout snack, mid-afternoon snack, late night snack, okay maybe I just eat them constantly throughout the day?! Although these are rather healthy and a great alternative to a sweet treat, definitely best in moderation (so keep them in the fridge and pop a couple each day throughout the week). Enjoy!

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Ingredients:
3 cups old fashioned oats
1 cup pumpkin puree (I use Trader Joe’s organic canned pumpkin)
1 cup all natural peanut butter
1 cup (about 5) fresh Medjool dates, pitted
4 Tbsp chia seeds
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1 Tbsp pumpkin pie spice

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Directions: 
In a large mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except for the dates. Remove pits from dates if you haven’t already, and mush together with your hands. It may take some TLC depending on the softness of the dates. Once kneaded into a ball of “dough”, knead into the rest of the ingredients. Roll bites into a 1-inch ball (I use my hands for best results). Place in a separate container where you’re going to store them. Refrigerate for up to 10 days. Please let me know if they make it 10 whole days 😉

Yields: About 25

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No Sugar, No Flour Pumpkin Protein Muffins

Recipes

Happy First Day of Fall! I don’t know about you, but I’m having pumpkin fever. One of my favorite parts of baking is creating new recipes or modifying existing ones to make my favorite concoctions. I’m not great at following recipes, so it’s fun to experiment with what will actually cook in the oven.

Here’s my latest.

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Protein Pumpkin Muffins (No sugar, No flour, Gluten-Free)

What you’ll need:
2 cups old fashioned oats
2 large eggs
1/2 can pure pumpkin
1/4 cup almond milk
1/3 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1tsp almond extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup honey
cinnamon
pumpkin pie spice
1/3 cup raw pecans, chopped
1/2 cup Kashi Harvest cereal (totally optional!)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a large mixing bowl, mix all ingredients together. Spray muffin pan with olive oil. Fill each cup full (they don’t really expand). Bake for about 15-20 minutes. Makes 9 muffins.

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11 Purchases at Trader Joe’s You Won’t Be Mad About

blog posts

If you’re lucky enough to have a Trader Joe’s near you, then you probably know what I’m talking about when I say it’s the most fun place to shop. Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things to do in the first place, but there’s just something special about TJ’s and all their fancy treats. Living in downtown Chicago, I walk to get my groceries. This means I can only buy what I can carry. Trader Joe’s is the closest to me, so I do most of my shopping there. So much self-control not to buy the entire store! (Unless I bring my boyfriend, then a million more items are added to my *our* baskets. I have some go-to items that I always pick, but you know you can’t go there and NOT sample the treat of the day! So I usually buy whatever that is too…. Don’t you?

If I had to narrow down my list of top picks:

Just Mango Slices (dried, chewy mango with no added sugar)

 

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Creamy, no salt.

 

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It’s the same price for the individual packs. Perfect for work or on-the-go.

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I dare you not to eat the entire bag.

 

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Strawberry Austrailian Licorice

 

 

 

2 Buck Chuck- but who am I kidding, any wine will do.

 

 

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Thai Peanut Dressing (Hint: perfect for homemade pad thai)

 

 

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Baby Beets- ready to slice into a salad

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Great with the savory crackers!

 

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A slighhht waste of money since they’re gone in 2 seconds but still worth it.

Veggie and flax tortilla chips– for all chips and guac needs.

I’m not really sure there’s something I don’t like at this store. But as all groceries go, I try to stick to the perimeter of the store where the fresh and healthiest items are. Okay, and the free samples and wine. Trader Joe’s has great options for all food needs and also the coolest treats ever. Am I right?!