Tonight I copying one of my favorite bloggers at A Better Bag of Groceries by doing a Trade up’s post. Though she tends to Trade up to foods that are higher rated on the NuVal scoring system and I am not 
Instead my trade ups are things I learned from the HCG diet. Basically I learned that a lot of foods I had been eating had added sugars and/or oils and how can I buy or make a better version of that particular food.
So today my trade ups are based on two foods Bill and I eat a lot of.
First up
Almond or cashew butter.
Many times we would buy the raw versions from the store but just as many times we would buy the roasted variety with added oils and salt and sometimes sugar in them.
Instead Bill and I have started buying raw nuts:
And simply grinding them in the food processor.
Voila! Almond/cashew butter with no added anything.
Honestly once you cleanse your taste buds from all the added sugars, you don’t need them and ground up nuts taste fabulous on their own
Next Trade up
Homemade energy balls (hee hee).
Bill and I thought we were being healthy when we would buy clif bars or other organic granola bars.
We realized they too were loaded with junk. So we have taken to making our own energy balls (hee hee). Honestly these taste exactly like Lara Bars but much cheaper. Love Lara bars and we still buy them just in case we run out. Yes, we have a fear of running out of energy bars in this household. I also have a fear of running out of toilet paper but that is another story…….
Start with 2 cups of medjool dates:
Add an equal amount of raw pecans:
Grind them up in the food processor until course:
And then roll them into balls.
And bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes. The house will smell like xmas-I kid you not!
These are addicting so be careful.
Next up a trade up for a homemade pre-workout energy bar……
Stay tuned
Do you have any trade ups you can share with me?
Both Recipes look awesome, a much better choice:))
Loving the trade ups. It’s amazing what we buy assuming it’s healthy and it’s somehow made unhealthy by unnecessary additions.
Love this post! Both recipes look great, especially the homemade nut butter!
By buying raw almonds instead of those with added oils or salt, you actually are trading up for higher NuVal scores! The energy balls look great! I have to try this recipe. Yum! I’m glad my Trade Up Tuesday could be your inspiration!
Both look great. I have tried to make my own nut butter before but have trouble getting the right consitency.
I have to get a food processor!!!! These both look awesome! I’ve never made my own nut butter before but lately I’ve been dying to!
so making coconut butter is just as easy. I do not have 14 bucks in my budget to indulge in coconut butter but I love it so, so I make my own.
I have been making my own salad dressings too.
I don’t have it down yet, but I don’t cringe anymore after pouring just vinegar (balsamic) and mustard and oil vs..all the stuff you typically get.
YAY.
GREAT JOB Kalli. we are SO on the same page!
Have a great day.
Do you need a really good processor to get the dates down to a mush(?) consistency? I had these exact same dates/pecans except the girl who made them ended up putting vanilla in it. They were SO good! I was surprised, lol.
I make my own salad dressings and yogurt. A trade-up I do involves using the yogurt in place of mayonnaise. For the recipes I use the mayonnaise is more for moisture than flavor and it works for me.
I love the trade ups. I’ve really been dying to make my own nut butter lately. We’re well stocked at the moment though, so maybe when we run out I’ll give it a go. Have a great day Kalli.
Great posts, aren’t food processors wonderful? For an even better trade up, try home made hemp seed butter by throwing shelled hemp seeds into a food processor (I use the small cup on mine). It’s about the same calorie wise, but has more complete protein and less fat. And a little cinnamon and stevia make it an awesome breakfast spread.
I don’t have a trade up to share, but am glad I read this comments as they are all awesome ideas!
I’ve been thinking more about what I eat and how much “not real food” ingredients or added are in them, so I appreciate reading these trade ups!