No Bake Haystack Cookies – { Easter Edition }

If I’m being 100% honest, I’m not actually into BIGGG social gatherings. I like to stay in my bubble, and if the crowd gets too large I have a mini { massive } panic attack. However, one way I can be bribed into big parties is… FOOD. Typical.

Themed parties are the best kind of parties and these cute Bird’s Nest “Cookies” are perfect for any Spring/Easter parties you may have coming up.Why? Well,

one: they are super cute.

two: they take like zero time and only 4 ingredients.

& three: they’re bite-sized! (Maybe 2 bites hehe)Maybe it’s just me, but I love tiny foods. I like to graze and pick at foods when I’m at a potluck or tailgate… or anywhere I can get away with it.

I’m the weirdo reaching for the broken chunk of brownie or the reason there’s a random 1/3 of a cookie gone. I even go as far as making my boyfriend make me a “baby” pancake every time we make pancakes. Sorryyy but I just want to try it all! SO, back to the “cookies” — If you’re into butterscotch or have a thing for peanut butter you will adore these little guys!

P.S. – Not a butterscotch gal? Sub white chocolate or peanut butter chips and get the same haystack effect. (The peanut butter turns the white chocolate a pale brown) YUMM.

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Festive + Delicious Bird’s Nest Cookies

• 11 oz. butterscotch chips
• 1 cup creamy peanut butter
• 12 oz. chow mein noodles
• Cadbury Mini Eggs

1. Stir the butterscotch chips in a large saucepan over low heat until melted.
2. Add a little bit of the peanut butter to the chips to keep the texture smooth and from burning. (Especially if you have white chocolate which burns easily!!)
3. Remove from heat, stir in the rest of the peanut butter until smooth.
4. Add chow mein noodles and stir until evenly coated.
5. Drop spoonfuls onto wax paper & shape into nests. Let cool until set.
6. Top nests with mini eggs.

(Makes approximately two dozen cookies – amount will vary depending on the size you make them)

Happy Spring :)

x, elizabeth

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White Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Bites

WHITE CHOCOLATE PEANUT BUTTER PRETZEL BITES

— a post-valentines day post <3

I hope you all had a faaabulous Valentines weekend because I know I sure did :) I spent Saturday afternoon baking these yummy little PB poppers and PB s’mores brownies while Michael was at work. I wanted to share this recipe because 1.) they were a HUGE hit. I mean sweet and salty.. you can’t go wrong.. and 2.) they’re incredibly easy. Hope y’all will give ’em a try xx

What You Need:

• 1 bag white chocolate chips
• 1 bag peanut butter chips
•  1 jar peanut butter
• 1 bag waffle pretzels   

+ Step 1: Line a cookie sheet with wax paper or foil. Spread a generous amount of peanut butter on your pretzels and place another pretzel on top to make little pb sammies.+ Step 2: Place pretzels in the fridge to cool the peanut butter. This way it will keep together when they sandwiches get dunked in the white chocolate || YUM.+ Step 3: Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or stove, but be careful!! White chocolate looooves to burn. Toss your PB sammies in the chocolate and coat them generously [ and i mean generously ] with chocolate.

*{TIP}* –> I like to melt my chocolate and place the bowl on top of another bowl filled with warm/hot water. Kinda like a make-shift double boiler. This keeps the white chocolate from hardening so quickly. Otherwise you keep having to re-heat it and lets be honest.. that’s just a million more chances to burn the stuff.+ Step 4: Melt the peanut butter chips and drizzle it over the little gems once the white chocolate is cooled.

..aaaaaand you’re done! Simple right? But SO good. And again, if your boyfriend is like mine he doesn’t want some lame dessert with hardly any PB or chocolate. So don’t be afraid to completely load them up with peanut butter and coat them in chocolate!! Even double dip the things if you’ve got time.— enjoy xx                         

My Greatest Secret: PB2

Anyone that knows me, knows about my peanut butter o b s e s s i o n. It’s seriously the greatest food in the world. I often get asked the question “Is peanut butter good for me?” The answer is yes, peanut butter is very nutritious! The problem I have, and I think many other people have, is actually having one serving size of the stuff. 2 tablespoons!? Um.. Yeah.. I end up eating about 1/2 cup. Or maybe the whole jar? Whoops :)

This brings me to my greatest secret: PB2!!!

PB2 is a powdered peanut butter that has 85% less fat than peanut butter. You just mix it with water!

Peanut Butter vs PB2

Peanut Butter: 190 calories, 16 g fat, 7 g carbohydrates, 8 g protein, 3 g fiber, 0 mg sodium.

PB2: 45 calories, 1.5 g fat, 5 g carbohydrates, 5 g protein, 2 g fiber, 94 mg sodium.

PB2 is an excellent alternative if you are counting calories or are like me and can’t control yourself around normal peanut butter. PB2 is less sweet than normal peanut butter, but what you eat it with can really change that.

My favorite ways to eat PB2:

PB2 + honey + banana sandwich

PB2 + Natural Jelly sandwich

PB2 + Animal Crackers

PB2 + Pretzel Crisps

PB2 is also a GREAT topping on pancakes, banana bread, ice cream, or mixed in with smoothies! I’ve even used it as an icing before and it worked out great. I definitely recommend it if you’re a peanut butter lover!

Some Things Aren’t Meant To Be Healthy

I’m typically the queen of finding alternatives to my guilty pleasures.. but there is one I have definitely struggled with: P U P P Y  C H O W. I have tried every Pinterest recipe out there and it just isn’t close to the original. I’ve come to the conclusion that some things just aren’t meant to be healthy.

I am a firm believer in not giving up any foods when trying to live a healthy lifestyle. Depriving yourself leads to craving and then binging. Some foods you just can’t match! I will never be able to give up Adam’s Cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory, Sweet CeCe’s frozen yogurt, or my momma’s pumpkin cake. And that’s OK :) I know there will always be healthier options, so the “trick” is to not eat cheesecake five times a week. Knowing when to say no is key, but saying yes on occasion is important too.

After trying all the completely unsatisfying “healthy” puppy chow recipes, my craving was at an all time high and I ended up making a white chocolate cake batter puppy chow. I know it’s not healthy.. but it’s not meant to be :)