Your guide to everything under the moon, the Amber Moon, 3/31/24
What a gorgeous weekend!
No track meet, so I got to be outside all weekend! Backyard is slowly getting organized. Seeds & seedlings are in the ground. Chicken ez-up is in place, so they’ll have shade when it gets hot. Pool is slightly repositioned. Still needs a good clean, but that’s for another weekend.
Also did some more work in my front flowerbeds & got a few more things in the ground. It’s so nice feeling productive.
And I pulled the last of the cabbage and fed it to the chickens. They’re lovin’ it!
Amber Eats: nut butter parfait, of sorts
For snacks, I typically have a nut butter blend on hand for pairing with apples or dark chocolate… or sometimes, by itself. A few weekends ago when it was over 80, I got to thinking I’d like something a little cooler for summer.
Let the playing begin!
So I looked in my frig… what do I have that would go well… oh, plain coconut milk yogurt. Hmmm…. then people were posting a kind of “peanut buster parfait” using yogurt on my IG feed, and that got the wheels turning.
Each batch has turned out a little different, and I’ve liked them all. Two parts yogurt to 1 part nut butter = much creamier, lighter. As the ratio gets to 1:1, it almost becomes a dense cookie of sorts (the kind you’d need to keep in the frig bc of the yogurt).
And then there’s the different forms of chocolate: melted from a bar or chip, or made from powdered cocoa and a liquid. Both are good, just a different texture.
As for what you use to form them… I’ve used a silicone muffin pan (pictured), as well as ramekins. Lined muffin tin would probably also work. The frozen ones (muffin pan) you’d need to set out for a bit to let thaw before eating. The ramekins, no such wait is necessary. (You also can’t turn the ramekin out like the pic above.)
Nut butter blend
Back when my food issues were at their peak, the only nut butter I could eat was cashew. A small amount of coconut butter also worked on occasion. I got in the habit of combining the 2, and preferred them that way. In the past year or so, I’ve been able to add other non-peanut butters back in – almond butter has become the mainstay, although walnut butter makes me happy. So I’ve made almond butter my base, and then add cashew & coconut. Way better than straight almond. Blah.
The other part of this blend is the “good stuff” – per roughly 1 c of nut butter I add:
- 2T ground flax,
- 2T Toasted quinoa – cuz none of my nut butters are crunchy, and I prefer texture,
- 2T egg white protein powder, cuz being post-menopausal, I need more protein,
- agave or liquid sweetener to taste – you need more liquid after all that dry stuff,
- MCT oil – if I’ve got the agave taste right and still want it creamier.
You can totally use your own protein powder. Egg white is the only one I can do, and it doesn’t add flavor. So keep that in mind when trying other varieties.
How creamy really depends on you and what you want to do with it. Creamier is better for the pic above, and that’s the recipe we’re starting with here. So just a little bit creamier than regular nut butter.
Toasted Quinoa
Measure & rinse thoroughly your quinoa, then toss it in a pan on medium until it starts popping. Ta-DA! It’s toasted. While warm, add to nut butter. It makes stirring everything in easier.
Putting it all together
So, pick your nut butter of choice, and blend in all the good stuff.
Which yogurt will you use? I suggest starting with plain, and then you can try vanilla your next batch. Let the nut butter flavors come through. The yogurt I’m using, Higher Harvest Plain, is 5.3 oz., a little smaller than usual. It makes 3 servings for me. If you’re using an 8 oz cup, you will get more. The proportions are still the same.
Add to medium bowl:
- Plain Yogurt (e.g. 8oz)
- 1/2-2/3 the yogurt amount worth of nut butter (e.g. 4-5oz)
Stir/whisk until well blended. Taste. How’s the sweetness? How’s the nut buttery-ness? What does it need? Add more liquid sweetener if needed. Add a tablespoon more nut butter if not nutty enough. Mix again. Taste again. Adjust again, if needed. Good to go? Spoon 3T into each ramekin/silicone muffin cup. Put in frig (ramekins) or freezer (muffins). Let set for about 30 min.
The chocolate
I can only do 100% dark chocolate. You can totally use whatever level you prefer.
What’s your Chocolate skill level?
Easiest – cocoa powder (2T for every 3 ramekin/muffin until you start playing on your own), 2 T butter. Bitter? Cut down on butter (1.5T), and add some liquid sweetener. Nuke it a few seconds, blend it, pour over the nutty part. Start with about 1 tsp per ‘muffin’, and then go back thru til evenly coated and you are out of chocolatey goodness.
Higher skill level? Shave your baking chocolate bar (2 squares per 3 ramekin/muffin, or to taste), do the melty thing, keep in from seizing, and top your ‘muffin.’
Enjoy!
I posted a pic of this food on social media. and after hearing the ingredients, my registered dietitian commented “love the omegas!”. So not only does it taste good, its got omegas, protein, and 3 pre/pro-biotic foods to help your gut flora.
If you try this, let me know, please! I’d love to hear how you vary it for your taste.
Taylor & virtual updates
Not seeing a time slot you need? Ask, please. I can add you to my waitlist.
- Tues, 4/2, 12-2p open
- Thurs, 4/4, 1130a & 2p
- Tues, 4/9, 1245 (45 min only)
- Thurs, 4/11, 315p
Openings subject to change. This is a reflection of this exact moment in time!
Austin updates
With vacation updates coming in, as well as some personal travel, commitments and a July 4 long weekend, Fridays in Austin are a bit of a mess. I’ve got some longer Fridays in Austin, but I’ll also be missing some Fridays… I’m gonna list out the Fridays I’ll be in town just so you’re in the know, and on the 2 days with longer hours, there is overlap… so if a Taylor appt gets scheduled first, Austin slots decrease. I’ve gone ahead and added/adjusted Wednesdays and Fridays thru EOY2024 in the scheduler, for as things stand now.
Fridays I’ll be at the Austin studio: 3/29; 4/12; 5/24*; 6/7*, 21*; 7/19; 8/2… and then back to normal every other week until end of October. * = appointments available starting at 12n instead of usual 130p.
Openings:
- Wed 5/1, 445p
Yep, that’s it for a bit. I’ve also got a waitlist for Austin appointments – contact me to get on it.
Online & in-person group shenanigans
You can register for Track thru the City of Taylor.
Viniyoga, Pilates & EUTM are online & thru the studio.
Thank you!
I really appreciate you reading this far! If something caught your eye, made you think, made you laugh… drop me a note – I always love to hear about it!