The Best Healthy Brownies and why I eat Paleo

I have been eating Paleo for close to three years now. I started with a 6 week challenge at my Crossfit. I thought it would be fun to try something new and push myself. Little did I know how much I would love eating this way. Don’t get me wrong it was really hard at first to not steal a bite of my daughters peanut butter and honey sandwiches or grab that tortilla chip when we went to Mexican food. I had a bad habit  of stealing little bites or finishing off my girls plates, it helped to break that habit. The advantages out weighed those cravings and soon they went away. I really never feel stuffed or bloated. I was also amazed at how my performance in my workouts improved and my outlook on my body image improved. I did loose some weight, but my body fat and inches was where I noticed the biggest change.  I wasn’t eating bad before, but I wasn’t aware or knew what all the ingredients were that I was putting into my body. I would eat bread occasionally and I did have dairy. I was always careful about reading the food labels and making sure that there was no added sugar in sneaky spots. I wanted to know when I was having a sweet, not have it show up in my pasta sauce or my bread! But I am always consistent at not eating packaged products that I don’t know how to pronounce the ingredient. Our girls eat what we eat and have always been good at trying new things and loving veggies and healthier snack options. My oldest especially is good about knowing what will hurt her stomach or not make her feel good if she eats too many sweets or unhealthy foods.

I have to have a little sweet once in awhile, ok basically daily. When I make myself a treat is always Paleo. My husband eats very healthy and works out daily and he will hate that I say this but he is blessed with a good metabolism.  So I do make his favorite cookies that are non-paleo but they are always from scratch. He does like these brownies and so do my girls.

These Brownies are my go-to treat. I normally always have some in my freezer to save me when I am craving some chocolate. It is only four ingredients! Unsweetened Cocoa Powder, Walnuts, Dates and Almonds. I found this original recipe HERE.

Healthy Brownie
2 cups walnuts
2 ½ cups Medjool dates, pitted (I have used just regular dates and they worked ok, but you will need about 1/2 cup more)
1 cup raw cacao ( I just use Hersheys Cocoa powder that is 100% cacao and unsweetened)
1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ tsp. sea salt

Directions below-

Place walnuts in food processor and blend on high until the nuts are finely ground then add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine. I have made this in the blender, it is a lot harder to do but it can be done. The trick I found was to cut the recipe in half. I just got THIS new food processor and it changed my life!

This is what it looks like all ground up together.

Then add the dates a couple at a time and mix well before you add more dates. After you have added all the dates it should stick together. It is still crumbly and it won’t look like a normal brownie mix. Once you press it together it will sick and resemble the look of a brownie. Test it before and make sure that when you pinch it together it stays, if not add more dates.

Press the mixture inside a baking pan. I used tin foil (parchment paper would be better) so I can easily lift the entire batch out and cut up to freeze for those cravings. I used a 13×9 pan. Mine are pretty thin, I like to keep them on the small side. But if I was making this for someone I would use a smaller pan and have them be thicker to look like a real thick brownie. I chopped up the almonds in the food processor and spread them over the top. You can mix in the brownie mixture too. Place in the fridge for a little bit before cutting, it will make them easier to cut and help them stick together.

These taste great right out of the freezer and last for a few months. Hopefully these will satisfy your sweet tooth in a healthier way! Find all my other recipes HERE and my most popular Paleo Blog Post- “How I survive eating Paleo” and “My Paleo Meal Prep Meals”.

I also make this a couple times a month because it is my families favorite, my Paleo Pot Pie recipe that you can find HERE.

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