Well….Happy Tuesday! I am on my way back to Boston after a wonderful visit to the Big Apple. This trip was a mix between business and pleasure….but since I love my career, it felt a bit more like one big trip of pleasure. The best part, of course, was spending some well-needed one-on-one time with my daughter, Chelsea. We usually hangout as a family….which is AWESOME…but having time with my kids individually is really special.
Chelsea and I love to eat healthy but yummy foods–we both have a bit of a sweet tooth and we are REALLY good at spending money! 🙂
My work this week involved a photo shoot. Complete with a makeup and hair stylist. How cool is that? I met the editors of a book I am working on….can’t really say any more about that (confidential)…but I am excited to share the details once it is published!
I do love NYC. So much to see and do…
Even on a gray day, NYC is a special place.
Before I headed out on Sunday, I did do a bit of creating in the kitchen…so thought I would share my latest treat.
I thought I would try a no-bake sweet made with whole grain oats, peanut butter and a few extra yummies.
This is one of my favorite recipes to date.
A great re-fuel after a run, a quick healthy snack and a dessert rolled up in one. 
So…I mixed some rolled oats, oat bran, all natural peanut butter, vanilla paste, walnuts, a bit of unsweetened coconut, a drizzle of maple syrup and a handful of semi-sweet chocolate chips in my food processor.
Then I rolled them into balls and froze ’em. That’s it.
I tried them right away at room temperature and liked them.
BUT, they taste even better cold! mmmmm….
Chocolate Peanut Butter Bits
Ingredients
- Serving size: 2 balls
- 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 cup oat bran
- 1/3 cup all natural peanut butter
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1 teaspoon vanilla paste or extract
- 1/4 cup walnuts
- 1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- 1 Tablespoon maple syrup
Instructions
- Toss all the ingredients in a food processor fit with steel blade.
- Pulse until mixture starts to blend up--but still has some texture (about 1-2 minutes)
- Drizzle a bit more maple syrup if too dry to roll into a ball.
- Make about 12-14 balls. Freeze and enjoy.
Sharie
Question: I am attempting to communicate my FODMAPs intolerance to my internal medicine doctor(s) in the context of my general health condition. So far, I have tried to “educate” three internists on my dietary constraints and none of the docs are receptive to acknowleging the issue. The only know about lactose intolerance and celiac disease. Any thoughts for tools or resources (e.g., medical journal publications?).
katescarlata
Sharie There are many great publications. Certainly they can access articles I have written on the topic. Here are a few links:http://todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/072710p30.shtml and http://todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/030612p36.shtml
Tell your doctors to research articles written by Peter Gibson as well- he has some general overview articles–the doctors will have resources to access full articles where lay people often do not-unless you pay for subscriptions.
Morgan
New to your blog but loving it! Just began following FODMAP and seeing a huge change thankfully. Are all the recipes you post following a FODMAP diet? The Choc PB Bits look great!
katescarlata
My recent posts are low in FODMAPs…when I first started the intention of my blog was to just post about living a well-balanced life–and then I noticed the majority of my followers were interested in FODMAP info! So, I listened….and morphed my blog to a primarily low FODMAP living blog. SO>>>most recipes in the last year or more are low in FODMAP unless I state otherwise–but my earlier posts and those included under my “fun recipes tab” are not. Hope that helps. And if you are not sure, just reach out and ask!
Morgan
Thank you Kate I appreciate it 🙂
Melodie
I’m a FODMAP mom, new to this, trying to help an adolescent adjust to his new eating lifestyle. Fortunately, he enjoys cooking. So, we are able to overcome some obstacles by appealing to his interest in trying new recipes. So, thanks for the recipe above. I assume it is FODMAP friendly?
I have a question about chocolate. I learned on your site that chocolate has not been tested. I saw it a different site as a “no,” but it was listed in the dairy section of their lists. So, I assumed perhaps they were referring to milk chocolate since lactose is an issue? Does that sound like a reasonable assumption?
So, my question is, what do you do for chocolate in your recipes? Is there a brand or type of chocolate that you buy that is better than others? My friend gave me a recipe for gluten free brownies that she says her family loves, but they are not lactose intolerant. She suggested replacing the cream with almond milk, but I don’t know what to do to replace the chocolate chips, or whether or not that is even something to be concerned about. So, hard to know how strict to be with every single ingredient. What do you suggest for recipes that call for chocolate chips or similar ingredients?
Thanks for this site.
It has been a great help already!
katescarlata
Melodie-
Great questions and there is definitely some ‘grey’ area that we all meander around in the world of FODMAPs. I have not seen actual data on chocolate but cocoa has been included in the low FODMAP diet in research so I am assuming small amounts will be tolerated and low FODMAP. I recommend a semi-sweet chocolate chips-which are low lactose. Cocoa powder should be okay in reasonable servings. I would replace the cream with lactose free milk in the recipe. Bear in mind, sweet treats contain a ‘fructose load’–in other words, sweets generally have a fair amount of sugar, which is NOT considered a FODMAP per se, but when consumed in large amounts provides a large dose of fructose (table sugar is fructose + glucose) and this can be problematic for some. So..if you make sweets, try to limit serving size to one brownie per sitting, not half the tray!