Healthy Holiday Treats – Picky Toddler Approved

 

So you know I am a nutritionist.

I desperately do not want to be the helicopter Mom who doesn’t let her kid have any sugar at parties …..

But at the same time … I do. Ha!

My toddler boys are very active. VERY ACTIVE. And when they have lots of sugar (I curse you Halloween!!), they turn into tiny tornadoes. Literally, they burst into spirals of destruction and dirt – leveling my home. They have such a hard time listening. Obedience seems out of the question… and it’s not their fault.

Then, I end up frustrated and more likely to yell. So, I often find myself torn between allowing them to indulge and participate vs. avoiding the sugar spiral of parental gloom.

This especially becomes a battle during the holidays when treats and well-meaning family and friends are everywhere! (I curse you crystal bowl of holiday M&M’s!)

Here is how I have managed to deal with this dilemma so far. I always offer to bring the cookies! I have a few healthy cookies recipes that I consider pretty guilt-free and even nutritious. My boys love these treats! I always have frozen dough in the freezer so I can bake up a batch quickly when spontaneous events occur.

Of course, we still end up in situations where I allow some ice cream or birthday cake. And no, it has never resulted in a tranquil evening. But – I have few tranquil evenings anyways….

But these healthy cookies just reduce the number of times I end up frustrated with my sugar-tornado-children. These days, I am all about any way to reduce frustration and enjoy them more. So that’s why I am sharing our favorite recipes.

I have tweaked these recipes for a while now and am really excited about how they have turned out. They are nutrient-dense and very low sugar. Both are gluten-free and dairy-free (if you use vegan chocolate chip), and the Garbanzo Bean cookies can be made nut-free if you use sunflower butter instead of peanut butter, so they are great for kiddos with these restrictions.

Yes, I said the phrase “bean cookie”. Have an open mind. These are delicious! And obviously, they provide MUCH better nutrition than any commercial dessert you would buy at the store. They are perfect for picky eaters and hard-working Mommies alike 🙂

Happy Healthy Holidays!!!!

Xoxo, Dr Young

 

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Garbanzo Bean Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cans garbanzo beans (chick peas), rinsed*
• 5 teaspoons vanilla (real is best!)
• Rounded 1 c. Peanut butter
• 1/3 c. honey or syrup (I mix both together)
• I super-ripe banana
• ¼ c. melted coconut oil
• Pinch of salt if using unsalted peanut butter
• 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
• ½ c. coconut flour
• 1 ½ c. super dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cocoa)

Directions:

• Blend Garbanzo Beans, vanilla, peanut butter, honey/syrup, banana, and coconut oil thoroughly in a food processor or good blender.

*Note – I have made these cookies countless times. I only peeled the garbanzo beans once. Honestly, it did make the texture better. But, if you don’t have the time (and if you found this website, that’s probably you), they turn out just fabulous leaving the skins on. If your toddler has some constipation issues then definitely leave the skins on!

• Mix baking powder, coconut flour, and salt together.
• Scoop the garbanzo bean mix out of the blender and combine with the coconut flour mix.
• Stir in the chocolate chips.
• Refrigerate the dough for a few hours (this makes it less sticky and much easier to work with).
• Roll into balls. Will make about 32 cookies
• Grease a cookie sheet and bake the amount you would like for 12-14 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Freeze the rest on a baking sheet for a few hours, and then transfer them to a Ziploc bag for long term storage once frozen.

Note – Since these cookies are made out of beans, they are good for about 3-4 days. Then, they start tasting like… beans. So I suggest cooking smaller batches and freezing the rest. Then, you can pull out however many cookies you want and bake them fresh. Fresh warm cookies are always best anyways!

 

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Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Ingredients

• 1 ½ c. Oat flour*
• 1 teaspoons baking powder
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• 1 ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• ½ teaspoon cloves
• Pinch of nutmeg

• 1 ¾ c. walnuts (buy the “pieces” since they are cheaper!)
• 1 egg
• ¼ c. plus 2 tablespoons melted coconut oil
• ¼ c. brown sugar
• ¼ c. maple syrup
• 1 c. canned pumpkin
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 2 c. oats
• 1 c. super dark chocolate chips (Use raisins, or sunflower seeds instead for more of a “breakfast cookie” feel)

Directions:

• Blend walnuts, egg, coconut oil, sugar, syrup, pumpkin and vanilla thoroughly in a food processor or good blender.
• Mix oat flour*, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg together in a separate bowl.

*Note – If you don’t have oat flour on hand – just put some oats into a food processor and blend up until you have a powder/flour consistency

• Scoop the pumpkin/walnut mix out of the blender and combine with the oat flour mix.
• Stir in the oats and chocolate chips.
• Roll into balls. Will make about 32 cookies
• Grease a cookie sheet and bake the amount you would like for 13-15 minutes at 350 degrees.
• Freeze the rest on a baking sheet for a few hours, and then transfer them to a Ziploc bag for long term storage once frozen.