DIY Healthy: Fudge-y Chocolate Brownies (with black beans!)

Okay, darlings, let's be real.Who doesn't LOVE chocolate? We've all had those  days, when after a long day full of work, all we want is to crash on our couch and enjoy chocolate. But after getting our fill (and then some), we inevitably feel bad. With this recipe you can enjoy all the goodness without the guilt! These brownies are a snap to whip up and they are primary made of black beans! Yes, black beans. BLACK. BEANS. We were a little skeptical at first too, but with the rich brown color, mixed with cocoa, coconut oil, and chocolate chips (don't leave these out!)- we got a batch of unbelievable, tastes-just-like-the-real-thing brownies! Instead gushing about these for longer, we're just going to go right ahead and cook up another batch. And we suggest you do too!

Ingredients (recipe adapted from here):

1. Black beans (1 can)

2. Quick cooking oats (1/2 cup)

3. Chocolate chips (1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp)

4. Coconut oil (1/4 cup)

5. Almond milk (1 Tbsp)

6. Cocoa powder (2 Tbsp)

7. Maple Syrup (1/4 cup)

8. Stevia packets (3-4)

9. Vanilla extract (2 tsp)

10. Baking powder (1/2 tsp)

11. Salt (1/4 tsp)

Steps:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 8x8 pan.

2. Wash and drain the black beans.

3. Put all the ingredients, EXCEPT the chocolate chips, into your food processor. Process until smooth.

4. Fold in chocolate chips.

5. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle 2 Tbsp of chocolate chips on top.

6. Bake for 18-20 minutes.

7. Let brownies cool for at least 10 minutes.

8. ENJOY these scrumptious brownies!

DIY Eats: Two-Ingredient Strawberry Fudge

It's almost Valentine's Day, darlings! Or in our case, Galentine's Day! Whether you're spending it with your sweetie or with your bestie, V-day is always the perfect occasion to indulge your sweet tooth! You might just need a break from all that decadent milk chocolate (a very short break, in our case!), and this quick fudge is the perfect sweet treat for that. It's just two ingredients (yes, two!), and you can be creative with your presentation. Be careful, this fudge is pretty darn sweet!

What are your V-day plans? We'll be spending our night in our silky pjs, surrounded by chocolate and watching our favorite hollywood heartthrobs! Follow along on Instagram and Facebook to see how we're enjoying our night.

DIY Eats: Butter Pecan Cheesecake

The holidays get a little crazy and hectic, so you need all the help you can get. This quick and easy, no bake dessert is perfect to whip up and your guests will have NO idea that it's so simple. We just discovered the pretty ingenious use of coffee creamer to add almost any flavor to your cheesecake. It's pretty concentrated, so your dessert will be so flavorful. We can't wait to try a peppermint mocha or pumpkin spice! These cute little pedestal dessert cups are the perfect size and style to amp up the presentation of your treat.

But the best part of this recipe? The bowl you get you lick at the end! :-)

DIY Eats: Lightened-Up PB Frosting

Our first experiment in frosting was surprisingly delicious! Most frosting, though delicious, are  filled with things that are really not good for you. But not this one! With simple ingredients from your pantry, you can whip up this frosting/icing/dessert all by itself in just a few minutes. The cream cheese gives it a very rich quality with almost no harm to your beautiful figure. We ate our batch right up- on our fave low-guilt brownies from Trader Joe's, our favorite healthy oatmeal cookies, and then with a spoon right out of the bowl. 

We can't wait to make it again! 

Let us know how you like it!