I’ve been at the top of my snack game lately, you guys. Wanna know why? I’m gonna tell you even if you don’t!
During my recovery from my binge eating disorder I’ve been able to start letting go of certain food rules I used to hold very close and dear.
The rule that’s the subject of this post? That snacks have to be nutrient dense, vegetable, protein or fruit based.
SEE YA LATER, STUPID RULE!
I’m not sure if you’ve ever visited Kylie @immaeatthat’s blog, but good GOLLY it’s been revolutionary in my recovery. Everything she writes just hits home for me and you can be 100% sure I’m going to go on and on about her, her recipes and posts frequently on my blog. I feel real good about it.
The recipe for these pretzels is actually based on one of Kylie’s recipes. She regularly posts what she eats in a week and her favourite meals and snacks, and reading her posts is so ridiculously refreshing for me because she is the definition of an intuitive eater. If she wants it, she eats it. She doesn’t follow any rules, guidelines or meal plans. She’s a dietitian and whole heartedly believes that you should just eat whatever will make you satisfied.
Over the past few weeks since I’ve been reading her blog, I’ve been asking myself some very important questions, one of which is: what kind of snacks would truly satisfy me? My first thought was “carrot sticks and hummus would be a great snack!” which immediately sent up a red flag for me because that’s a snack I used to religiously eat and plan for in my rigid and restrictive meal plans during the peak of my disordered eating.
So, clearly, when I asked myself what kind of snacks would truly satisfy me, my ED’s voice tried to shout its nonsense first. “YOU SHOULD HAVE CARROT STICKS AND HUMMUS BECAUSE THAT’S WHAT CLEAN EATING BLOGGERS WOULD EAT.”
Then, myactual voice jumped in. “That’s great for them, but I’m not a huge fan of that for a snack. I want to eat what I feel like eating. And sometimes I just want chocolate in the afternoon or after dinner. And you know what? That is not a bad thing AT. ALL.”
“Okay, but just make sure it’s a chocolate-BASED snack that isn’t full of sugar. Maybe make some date balls with cacao,” My ED responds.
“….. Nope. I’m going to start including honest to God, sugar and fat filled snacks into my daily routine. If I start to have enough of it to satisfy my craving every time I feel like it, it’ll leave me truly satisfied, which won’t make me restrict and binge.”
Of course, as soon as that thought came into mind my ED tried to butt in with some bullshit about gaining more weight if I eat chocolate every day. But then I just printed out this recipe and pulled out a jar of peanut butter, a bag of pretzels and some chocolate chips, and I got to work. Because my ED’s voice has been way too loud for too long. And it can eat my shorts.
Chocolate and Peanut Butter Pretzels
Recipe only very slightly adapted from Kylie’s recipe of Yeah… Immaeatthat
Ingredients
– 200g bag salted pretzels (you’ll have some leftover)
– 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips, divided
– 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
– 3 tablespoons coconut oil
Method
1. Line a baking tray with baking paper and set aside. Place 1 cup of the chocolate chips and 1 tablespoon of the coconut oil into a heatproof bowl and microwave in 20 second intervals, until the chocolate and coconut oil have melted together and the mixture is beautiful and smooth.
2. Using 2 skewers, dunk the pretzels into the melted chocolate and hold above the bowl so that any excess mixture can drip off. Place onto the prepared baking tray and place in the freezer for 10 minutes.
3. Melt the peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil in the microwave, using 20 second intervals until it’s thinned out and is deliciously runny. Pull the pretzels out of the freezer and dunk them into the peanut butter mixture, letting any excess drip off again. Pop into the freezer again for 10 minutes once all of the pretzels are covered.
4. Melt the remaining chocolate chips and coconut oil in the microwave. Take the pretzels out of the freezer and, using a teaspoon, drizzle the melted chocolate over the pretzels until you’ve used all of the mixture. Pop back in the freezer to set, and keep them there ’till you’re ready to snack on them.