Power Balls

OK, these are seriously my new favorite snack - and they really keep you FULL in between meals, which reduces the snacking. My niece gave me the recipe and I've enjoyed making these for the family and keeping them in the frig. They freeze nicely too (just put them between layers of wax paper). And they're GOOD for you! :)

1 cup peanut butter
1 cup honey (I use raw honey)
3 cups oats (not the instant kind)
1/2 cup milled flaxseed (you can get this at HEB, Wegmans, any health food store)
1 cup chocolate chips/white chocolate chips
1 cup any of the following - nuts, raisins, craisins, dried apricots, etc.

Mix peanut butter and honey until smooth. Gradually add in oats and flaxseed, then fold in other ingredients. You can do all this in your mixer. Then roll into ping-pong ball sized balls and place on cookie sheet lined with wax paper. When you roll them they will appear and feel kind of oily from the peaunt butter. Once chilled - they aren't.

You can get really creative with these and add different combinations. I did chocolate chip/almond ones for the kids and pecan/white chocolate chip/craisin ones for Gary. They were a hit!

I'll Have the Side of Vegetables, Please

OK, I am giddy. I have figured out how to start hiding pureed vegetables in the stuff I make and my family can't tell the difference. I know, I lead a pathetic existence. But seriously - if I'm not looking out for them, who will?

I bought Jessica Seinfeld's cookbook, Deceptively Delicious, last summer on eBay. I hadn't been able to take the time to really look at it and start pureeing the veggies until recently. My niece also told me that she was doing it.

Did you know that if you hide a 1/4 cup of cauliflower in scrambled eggs or pancakes, you can't taste it?

Did you know that you can make homemade chicken nuggets and dip them in pureed sweet potatoes before you bread and bake them? No one knows!

I have successfully hidden pumpkin and cauliflower in food this week and my kids gobbled it up (the hubby liked it too). It's an all-natural high!

I'm looking now in my cookbook for some other recipes. I steamed and pureed (and froze in 1/4 cup increments) broccoli, sweet potatoes, butternut squash and cauliflower.

Forget the fries, kids - we're having vegetables for dinner!