Nighttime Mama Brownies

It's 9:30 at night, I am heading to bed, but find myself in the kitchen. What do you do?

This used to scare me so much! LOL because I had always heard "don't eat after 7pm or you'll gain weight;" but that's not entirely true. Here's why;

You essentially need to intake less calories than you burn, so if you have eaten clean all day and paid attention to your portions, you may actually need a bedtime snack. That being said, if you often find yourself feeling this way before bed, maybe it's time to keep a little food journal for a day or two and reevaluate where you're being deprived or start to plan so that a night  snack is part of your routine going forward.

If you try this and see that your body reacts well - great. If you try it and aren't convinced it's the best thing for your body, fine. Here are some things you can do instead of grabbing that snack (because for me, night snacks are the one time I almost always only want junk & can't actually eat anything else)

- Drink a caffeine-free herbal tea
- Do something you enjoy that will give your brain the relaxation it's actually craving
- Break out a quickie core workout (you'll feel too accomplished to treat your body like junk)
- & (one of my favs) Put on something skimpy - you'll definitely feel more confident and sexy if you aren't bloated or full ;)

And if you do want to try something sweet at night, check out these yummy chocolate brownies. 

​1. Mix (or even better, food process):
- 1 cup nuts (or 1/2 cup nuts and 1/2 oats - oven roasted even!)
- 1/2 cup nut butter
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 cups dates
- 1/2 cup cacao powder
2. Press mixture into saran wrap and freeze until slightly hardened
3. Cut into bars and store in fridge or freezer

They freeze great, so you can grab them as you want them, they're clean and as a bonus, totally holiday party-friendly!

Do you have a night routine? Does it include a snack? 

Alright, mama, may bedtime be quick and your coffee be stronger than your kiddos!
Kay