It’s that time of year where high calorie desserts and dishes surround us and can make it hard to keep our waistline trim. Too much sugar and fat can reverse all your progress, you have been working so hard for!
Instead of eating too many sugary, high fat foods, it is important to load up on treats that taste amazing but won’t jeopardize your hard work. The best thing you can do around the holidays is get creative with your cooking and find ways to have the things you are craving without all the unnecessary sugar and fat. With simple swaps, you can turn a high calorie treat into a delicious and healthy creation! Don’t let all the temptations around you set you back, rather use them to inspire you to come up with your own healthier variations.
Check out my Healthy Gluten Free Protein Cranberry Black Bean Brownies as a healthy and delicious way to indulge a bit without really indulging… I love to use ingredients that put me in the holiday mood, such as such as cranberries. They are not a normal every day fruit I would use however, around the holidays, I start to crave them. Normally you think of all the high sugar jellies or muffins however you can incorporate them into your cooking and baking in a healthier way! Cranberries are packed with tons of nutritious health benefits including improving urinary tract health, aiding to decrease inflammation and are full of antioxidants. We absolutely shouldn’t avoid these little red berries, rather find ways to add them into our diets in a healthy and creative way.
These protein packed Holiday Cranberry Razzmatazz Black Bean Brownie Bars will not only satisfy your sweet tooth but are actually good for you! The fat comes from healthy coconut oil and only sugars are coming from the dried cranberries. The key is not avoiding things you are craving, rather, it is coming up with fun and healthy ways to still have what it is you are craving! I hope you enjoy these as much as I do. I would love to hear from you with your healthy holiday creations!
Gina Aliotti’s Cranberry Razzmatazz Black Bean Brownie Bars
Ingredients:
2 scoops Devotion Brownie Batter Protein Powder
1 (15.5 ounce, 3.5 cups) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup almond meal
3 egg whites
1 whole egg
3 tablespoons coconut oil
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1/4 tsp sea salt
2 tsp peppermint extract
3 Razzmatazz Flex Flavors (can be substituted for regular stevia, to taste)
1/4 cup dried cranberries (optional and does add additional calories and sugar)
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease baking dish or best to use mini bar baking pan that holds 6 bars. Spray dish with non stick spray.
2. Use food processor, blender or hand mixer to combine all ingredients (except 1 Razzmatazz Flex Flavor) and mix well. If you are using cranberries, fold them into the brownie batter. Pour into baking dish and sprinkle Razzmatazz Flex Flavor over top. If you are using regular baking stevia, sprinkle stevia over top to add a touch of sweetness to bars.
3. Bake in the preheated oven until when you puncture with a toothpick, it comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Allow to cool and enjoy!
Serving size: 6
250 calories
Fat: 10 grams
Sat fat: 6.5 grams
Carbs: 20 grams Net carbs: 14 grams
Fiber: 6 grams
Protein: 15 grams
Sugar: 6 grams
*The sugar comes from the cranberries. They are optional and without would drop sugar to only 1 gram per serving and carbs to only 14 grams per bar!
