Paleo Waffle Recipe

Even if you've chosen to eat healthy clean and paleo, you can still have fun with sweets and treats every once in awhile. "Clean cheating" is PERFECT because even though you shouldn't eat like this all the time, you don't have to feel guilty when you do. I know I personally miss waffles a lot, so I decided to experiment with some paleo waffles for those mornings when you need a little something extra to brighten your day.

Alright so these kind-of have the appearance of whole grain waffles, or something gross like that but they're actually CHOCOLATE waffles because I found some 62% dark chocolate (dairy free and organic) in my pantry and decided to give it a whirl. In all honesty they LOOKED plenty chocolaty when I made them, but didn't taste very chocolatey at all so if you want to be healthier you can skip that step entirely. OR if you want to be unhealthier you can add MORE chocolate than I did (I only used 2 squares of the bar). OR if you're feeling crafty you can try throwing some chocolate protein powder into the blender. If you do, let me know how it turns out. I think I'll be trying that next time.

For this recipe you're going to need:

• 8 eggs
• 2 tablespoons coconut flour
• 2 ripe bananas
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla
• optional dark chocolate (I grated mine with a cheese grater to mix it in to the batter, but it was a lot of work, and didn't taste very strong so I think I'll stick to protein powder in future trials) or chocolate protein powder
• Coconut oil to cook with

You could also use vanilla protein powder and drop blueberries into the waffle iron before baking. Ooooooooh :)

You also need a blender.

Prep time: 5min

Bake time: Varies depending on size of waffle iron. My waffles took approximately 5min each.

Makes: Approximately 6, but you can make 8 if you have a smaller waffle iron

• Preheat your waffle iron
• Combine all ingredients in a blender until smooth and somewhat frothy (this only takes a minute or two max)
• Coat the iron lightly with coconut oil. I like to spoon some out of the jar, and drop it onto the hot iron while it's a solid, because it's easier for me to spread around when it's not pre-melted. Just personal preference
• Pour waffle batter into iron, adjusting amount for desired thickness. I liked my waffles pretty thin because they took less time to cook, and were chewy instead of soggy
• Cook until done. It's kind of hard to tell when they're golden brown, so I poke my waffles with my finger when I check them to see if they're soft and spongy, or if they need to cook longer. I don't know if that's smart or not, but I work in fine dining so I'm used to touching hot things. Make good choices :)

 This is the finished product for me. I tried some plain, and they taste very good. Vaguely of banana. Great results for such a simple recipe- will definitely be doing this again!

As I said above I tried to make mine chocolate, but it didn't taste like anything so I ended up spreading mine with a no-sugar-added (and chemical/sugar supplement free) dark cherry spread. That was DELICIOUS. My younger sister is a rather picky eater, but even she enjoyed these.

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 150
Fat (g): 8.3
Carbs (g): 12.3
Protein (g): 7.9
*Protein (g) 25.9

*Protein if you added 1 scoop of either chocolate or vanilla protein powder

The fat is from the eggs, the carbs are from the bananas. If you're looking for a more protein-dense breakfast I recommend adding a scoop of either vanilla or chocolate protein powder to the waffles for sure. If you do that you will consume approximately 18g protein more per waffle, which makes this a PERFECT breakfast for athletes and bodybuilders. Great source of carbs and protein. Not bad for a clean cheat :)

Compare to nutrition facts in a Bisquick Belgian Waffle:
Calories: 360
Fat (g): 18
Carbs (g): 39
Protein (g): 9

Jeanne's Bars

Just in case any of you were actually successful with your healthy eating lately I'm gonna go ahead and throw a wrench in it. I've had this recipe for FOREVER, and I used to make these (and eat them) all the time back when I cared less about what I'm putting in my body. That being said, cheat days happen, and it's summer so we should be allowed to have a little fun with what we eat.

Technically these are PEANUT BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP BARS but I call them Jeanne's Bars because my best friend's step mom is famous for making them and this is her recipe. I have made a few changes, but I'll let you know what they are in case you don't want to make them. 

This is what you're about to get yourself into. I'm sorry for the crappy photography, and also for the lack of pictures on this post- this is the only one. It's actually just a snapchat that I sent to my boyfriend before I brought him a pan of these as a surprise dessert. I didn't plan ahead, and didn't realize I'd feel like blogging tonight. Oops. Maybe I'll update this in the future so I can include more pictures. You'll just have to trust that these are AMAZING.

You're going to need:

• 1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1/3 cup softened butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla (CHANGE: I use 1 heaping teaspoon of Mexican vanilla)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp flake salt
• 1 1/2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 cup optional chocolate chips for topping
• CHANGE: 1/3 cup extra peanut butter (that would mean you need 5/6 cups peanut butter total- it's just easier to measure it separately, and you will need it separate for the recipe anyways)
• CHANGE: approximately 2 tablespoons extra packed brown sugar 

Prep time: 15 min

Baking time: 25-35 min

Serves: 16

Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9x9 pan (8x8 works too), and set aside.

• In a medium bowl cream together the peanut butter and butter. 
• Gradually blend in the white sugar, brown sugar, egg, and vanilla.
• Mix together until light and fluffy
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.
• Stir into the peanut butter mix.
• Fold in the chocolate chips until they are spread throughout
• MY CHANGE (optional step): In a mixer combine extra peanut butter and extra brown sugar and beat until well mixed (it will look like gooey frosting). Fold in loosely with the remaining dough so that clumps of extra peanut butter remain (don't mix in very well). The reason for this extra step is to create bites of melted peanut butter along with the bites of melted chocolate chips. The bars are honestly amazing either way.
• Spread into pan and bake for approximately 25-35 min (I always slightly under-bake because they get harder as they cool).
• Remove bars from oven, sprinkle optional chocolate chips on top (I never actually do that step or include that ingredient), and allow to cool completely before cutting into squares.

Voila! These bars are heavenly. You'll both thank me and hate me after you try them. Paleo sabotage! AAH. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do, and let me know in the comments if you'd like more fun (and unhealthy hehe) dessert recipes in the future.