Powerhouse Cookies - Even Toddlers Love Them

I love cookies, but who doesn't, right!? But, I don't love all the stuff that most cookies have in them. And, let's face it, most everyday cookies, while delicious down to the last bite, are really just empty calories.  They  don't really have any healthy nutritional value, and personally, I want to get the biggest bang for my buck, so to speak. I try to think of everything I eat as fuel and medicine for my body because your body is only going to feel as good as the food you are fueling it with. As my anatomy teacher and doctor always says, if you fueled yourself with twinkies for years and years, your body is going to start to become like the structures of a twinkie (soft and squishy) because your body doesn't have much to work with when you are only fueling it with twinkies. Makes sense, right!

But...we all have our weaknesses. Mine is dark chocolate! But, dark chocolate has lots of great antioxidants, so in moderation, it is great, which is why I added some dark chocolate chips to my cookies, but without the chips, they are even vegan!

So, last Saturday morning I pulled a bunch of stuff out from my pantry and threw it all in my food processor (one of my best friends in my kitchen!). Here is what I had:

Talk about a powerhouse group of food!! We have whole grain from the rolled oats, protein from the natural peanut butter, healthy omega-3's and anti-oxidants from the chia seeds, natural sugar from the bananas, and even something to help balance out your endocrine system with the maca powder. If you don't know much about maca powder, great! Neither did I until about a year ago, so let me explain:

Maca is really a root that naturally grows in the Andes mountains of Peru. This root has been used as a food source for hundreds of years, and many Peruvians also use it for its medicinal purposes. The root is packed with nutritionally-rich substances which contribute a good balance to your daily diet. This root is full of minerals and vitamins including calcium, mineral magnesium, iron, vitamin C, and even vitamins B1, B2, B6, and B12. On top of that, it also includes fiber and tons of fatty acids. Maca offers help to balance out our endocrine system, such as the adrenals, pancreatic, pituitary and thyroid gland. To sum this up in one word: HORMONES! For both women and men, so you really can't go wrong with this stuff! I will say this, it does have a strong stringent flavor, which is why I add it to things like smoothies and cookies. And it doesn't take much. One serving is 1 tsp. I came across maca powder after I had my little one and I definitely think it helped balance out my post pregnancy hormones!

POWERHOUSE COOKIES

• 2 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 4 ripe to very ripe bananas
• 1/4 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup chia seeds
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp maca powder
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips (omit for vegan option or use carob chips)

First, preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Then, throw all your ingredients into your food processor, except for the chocolate chips, then blend until it is without lumps. It should be a dough-like consistency. Next, add in the chocolate chips and pulse until the chips are mixed in.

Now, spoon your dough onto your cookie sheet. These cookies do not spread much at all, so spacing on your cookie sheet isn't much of an issue.

Then, place in oven and bake for 10-12 minutes (it is better to slightly under bake than it is to over bake these). Then remove from your oven and let cool on sheet for a few minutes before you place on a wire rack to finish cooling.

Now, inhale these tasty little treats! I mean, thoughtfully eat one by one...

These little guys don't last very long in my house. And the best part is, I don't hesitate to feed them to my little 15 month old. She loves them!! And I love feeding them to her!

So, the question is, do these taste as good as your everyday go-to cookie recipe? No, they don't. To me, they taste even BETTER because knowing something is honest-to-goodness healthy fuel for my body makes it taste way better than the alternative! I believe that if we start thinking about our food with that mentality, it will really change how we view and taste our food.