Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

With Halloween this weekend and Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years right around the corner, you may be attending office parties or be getting invited to other holiday parties with friends! 

These Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls are a perfect fit for any party. They are my go to "crowd pleaser." With few ingredients and a decent shelf life, these treats can be made easily and ahead of time. 

Ingredients:
18 oz crunchy peanut butter
2 sticks of butter
2 1/2 cups of graham cracker crumbs
1 cup of coconut
1 lb of powdered sugar
1 cup of crushed pecans
2 bags (11.5 oz each) of Hershey's Milk (or semi-sweet) Chocolate Chips

Directions:
Mix everything together except the chocolate chips. I usually start by using a fork to incorporate everything, but end up mixing it my hands because the mixture gets so thick.  Once thoroughly mixed, roll the mixture in 1 inch balls and place on a paper towel.

This is how the mixture should look after everything has been thoroughly mixed

Before melting the chocolate and dipping the peanut butter balls

Once all of the mixture has been rolled, it is then time to melt the chocolate. You can do this by either setting up a double boiler, or simply melting the chips in the microwave (if you do this, make sure you stir the chips every 30 seconds to keep them from scorching).

Once the chips are melted, start dipping and rolling the peanut butter balls in the chocolate. Set the chocolate dipped balls to the side on some wax paper or aluminum foil to harden. Once dried, place balls in an air tight container!

I made about 70 balls with this recipe, though I varied the sizes a little bit. 

Also, this dessert can be make with other nut butters. I once made these for someone with a peanut allergy, but I substituted the peanut butter with sunflower butter and they were just as good! So, please experiment and let me know what you come up with!

 Enjoy!

State Fair Detox

For the last ten days, the North Carolina State Fair has been in town. If you are from, NC and are familiar with the fair, you know it consists of indulging in fried food and sweets. Its one of the times of the year that my "health morals" are non-existent.

Fortunately, I was able to go to the fair TWICE this year! Unfortunately, that probably did some damage to my health...turkey legs, blooming onions, fried Oreos, fried cheese, fried pickles, funnel cakes, sodas...the list goes on.

Everyone encounters times like this when they "fall off the wagon" when it comes to their health. And while few days of indulgence isn't going to kill you, its important to realize this and try to get back on track in the days ahead.

For me, my week ahead is going to consist of a little extra exercise and some time in the sauna.

It's Food Day!

Been wanting to change your diet and lifestyle? Start today! There's no better day to make these changes than on Food Day! For more information on Food Day and what it stands for, check out http://www.foodday.org/about #FoodDay2014

Videos

One of my best friends (loalamode.wordpress.com) shared this video with me. I hope it motivates you as much as it did me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lsSC2vx7zFQ

Fitness

As far as my fitness philosophy goes, I feel that you have to really want it in order to achieve it (when talking about fitness level and changing your body). It takes dedication to succeed. 

Lifestyle

I created this section because I believe that being healthy isn't a temporary "diet." "Healthy" is a lifestyle. You have to learn how to live a healthy lifestyle in order to make the best of your health.

In this section I will be posting tips and tricks on how to live a healthy life without even knowing it! I promise...it's not as hard as it seems!

Desserts

coming soon

Lunch

coming soon