Skip to Content

blog post

Date Bites

So, I’m out of my adored Larabars, but I’m trying not to go to the grocery store until this month is over as we’ve already used up our monthly grocery budget.  I decided I’d try and make a substitute until I could get my hands back on the real thing.

Here’s what I used:

  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup apricots
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • desiccated coconut for rolling

You wanna pulse the nuts separately first, until they are pretty tiny but not dust.  Next, add the fruit and lemon juice.  I found that my food processor was not quite sturdy enough to handle the whole pieces of date and apricot, so I ended up chopping the second half of them into smaller pieces before adding in.  When its as mashed as you like, stop.

I was able to roll these without coating my hands with oil or anything.  Sticky but fun!

Just plop the little balls into the coconut and pat it in.

To me, there is no comparison to the original, though these did turn out quite delicious.

I liked the small size too, perfect to pop in my mouth right before a morning run, which is exactly what I plan on doing tomorrow!

Date bites

Easy snackable date bites are like homemade Larabars in a bite-sized form.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Yield: About 6 bites

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup cashews
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 1/2 cup chopped apricots
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 1 tbsp. lemon juice
  • desiccated coconut for rolling

Cooking Directions

  1. Pulse nuts in food processor until small then add other ingredients.
  2. Pulse to combine completely.
  3. Roll into balls and roll in desiccated coconut.



blog post

Mamey Smoothie

Holy. Mother. Of. Pearl.

Tasting this smoothie was a total bliss moment.

I have been longing for summer to end and for fall to break (for, you know, the 2 weeks we get to enjoy fall in Georgia before it just crashes into winter.)  This smoothie tasted like fall in a glass.  It was flavors of spiced pumpkin pie and creamy nog and butternut and warm honey all wrapped up into one.

Here’s what went into the blender:

  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup mamey pulp
  • half a frozen banana
  • tbsp. chia seeds
  • tsp. cinnamon

I will be making this again and again.  If you can get your hands on a mamey, grab it, it is pure autumn joy!

Mamey smoothie

A smoothie made with an unusual fruit: mamey. It has the autumnal flavors of pumpkin pie with a fruity hint of cherry.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Yield: 1 serving

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup coconut water
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • 1/2 cup mamey pulp
  • half a frozen banana
  • 1 tbsp. chia seeds
  • 1 tsp. cinnamon

Cooking Directions

  1. Blend all ingredients until smooth.


blog post

Taste Test: Mamey

Found a new food!  Meet the Mamey…

I’ve seen this fruit almost every trip to the farmer’s market and always wondered about it but never dared to take one home until now.

Wikipedia describes the mamey’s flavor as a combination of pumpkin, sweet potato, and maraschino cherries with the texture of an avocado.  Turns out this is a pretty spot-on description, though I found the described cherry flavor to be more of a general fruitiness rather than a specifically cherry taste.

Very glossy and fatty like an avocado.

Check out at this crazy-looking seed!

I hollowed it out…

…and saved the pulp to make a smoothie with.

Details on the resulting smoothie tomorrow!