These "cookies" rock. But before I get to that . . . not surprisingly I've failed to do a timely update about finishing our 4-week detox. We hit the 4-week mark about a week ago. This week we've started adding back wheat and diary into our diet, fairly slowly. As for the effects of the detox, overall, I felt really good. I didn't really struggle with cravings, I had a lot of energy, was in a good mood, and a cold/allergy flare up that I had been fighting (and losing to) for months subsided. While all that was great, the most substantial benefit for me was that my face cleared up drastically. I had struggled with really bad break outs for about 7 months and had tried lots of solutions, including prescriptions, with little improvement. This has been by far the most encouraging improvement since the break outs started. I was encouraged to find that it has even stood up pretty well to reincorporating whole wheat and small amounts of dairy this week. But, because of the crazy mess that my face had become before the detox, I'm pretty motivated to stick to the 80/20 plan as a lifestyle thing.
Ok, now to the recipe.
I found this recipe on Pinterest a while ago, and I really wish I had tried it earlier. It was so easy and delicious, a perfect snack that satisfies the craving for sweets and chocolate. It's also hearty enough for breakfast or a pre-run energy boost. I'll make a double batch next time.
Continue reading for my modifications, but you can find the original recipe
here. I found that the date paste alone was not enough to hold the cookies together for me. After following the recipe, before shaping them into cookies, I mixed together about a
teaspoon of ground flax seeds and a tablespoon of water to make a gel which I added to the mix along with about a
tablespoon of coconut oil. Oh, and I also added
pecans because I like them :) These additions really improved the consistency and flavor of the cookies.
