We are dropping this cookie dough bite recipe that you can eat on the regular! Is this some kind of joke? NOPE! Get ready for mouth watering, tempting little bites that will satisfy your sweet tooth and boost your workout recovery. Too good to be true? Nah, this is Elevated Nutrition!

Here at Elevated, we believe that a good healthful diet is filled up with delicious and satisfying health focused foods 80-90% of the time (depending on your goals) while the other 10-20% are “flex” foods where you can have a cookie or some less “healthy” options. Your nutrition program should let you live a little and have a good time, not feel a slave to salads. We LOVE to upgrade traditional desserts and recipes and make them taste better than they were with an added nutritional punch!

Although, you must be warned, learning how to cook delicious and healthy treats is a blessing and a curse! As a dietitian, I have been told that I “ruin” people because the Elevated treats taste soooo good that the junk food my clients used to eat (doughnuts, cookies, fried food, etc.) really just doesn’t taste that great anymore. Just as you can become more sensitive to salt after cutting back on it in your diet, you can also retrain your taste buds to fully fall in love with REAL FOOD!

So if I you are one of the clients I have “ruined”….

CONGRATULATIONS!

It’s definitely a feeling of accomplishment when you know you can whip up a dessert that is 100% more satisfying than something you would buy from the store. Top it off with exceptional nutritional density that leaves you feeling good and energized makes this an easy sell to anyone.

These cookie dough bites were created with the gym goer or on-the-go athlete in mind. They are simple to make and wonderfully portable.

Chock full of cashews, oats, and maca powder these little babies are powerhouses for any one struggling with energy levels, mental focus, or sexual health.

Lepidium meyenii or maca is a Peruvian starchy root that has been cultivated for over 2000 years. It grows exclusively in the Andes between 4000 and 4500 meters in altitude. Traditionally it has been used as a food supplement for its medicinal properties.

According to an article published in Evidence Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, “experimental scientific evidence showed that maca has nutritional, energizer, and fertility-enhancer properties, and it acts on sexual dysfunctions, osteoporosis, benign prostatic hyperplasia, memory and learning, and protects skin against ultraviolet radiation. Clinical trials showed efficacy of maca on sexual dysfunctions as well as increasing sperm count and motility.”(1)

There are three main strains of maca root:

• Yellow maca root which has the least potency and appears to be widely available in grocery stores in America.
• Red maca root, the second most potent has positive effects on mood, energy, the reduction of chronic mountain sickness. (2)
• Finally, black maca root which in research trials has shown to be the most potent and is effective in increasing libido, sperm count, and embryo survival, as well as reducing blood glucose levels. (1, 2)

If you have been struggling with being energized, staying focused, or are trying to improve your sexual health, these cookie dough bites can pack a powerful punch for you. You can find maca root powder at a variety of grocers such as Trader Joes, Target, Native Sun, Whole Foods, Publix, or any local health food store. The majority of the varieties that you will find on the grocery shelves will be from the yellow maca root. Red and black maca root varieties can be found at Amazon.

Please comment below on how the Recovery Cookie Dough Bites turn out for you! We love to hear your story and feedback!

References:

1. Gonzales GF. Ethnobiology and Ethnopharmacology of Lepidium meyenii (Maca), a Plant from the Peruvian Highlands. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2011;2012:193496. doi:10.1155/2012/193496
2. Gonzales-Arimborgo C, et. al. Acceptability, Safety, and Efficacy of Oral Administration of Extracts of Black or Red Maca(Lepidium meyenii) in Adult Human Subjects: A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study. Pharmaceuticals (Basel). 2016 Aug 18;9(3). pii: E49. doi: 10.3390/ph9030049.