Long Run Cake Bites

I have been inspired by the use of black beans all over the Internet in use in recipes- a little blown away that I could actually create a tasty treat using black beans seems pretty Great to me. Black Beans are both carb loading fuel and protein Fuel. I love that combination of nutrient diversity in a food group! Certainly Beans are becoming a favorite of mine! Black Beans pack a phytonutrient punch with the skin of the black bean being loaded with flavenoids!

The Fiber in Black Beans keeps your Digestive Tract Healthy & Happy! Don't worry so much about the fiber affects of this food- remember in fact this healthy fiber will steady and control your bowel movements (Hey Us Runners Need to think about this stuff- especially if you want to use this to fuel a long run- certainly don't want to take a big potty break 15 miles into a 20 mile run- Although truth be told you just may anyways no matter what you eat! ha! The joys of distance running is clearing the guts!)

I can go on all day about Black beans and the cardiovascular health benefits and the antioxidant and ant-inflammatory benefits to Black beans that all People need (especially athletes!) but lets' move onto this delicious recipe.

Here is a Great "Clean Eating" Long Run Cake Bite!

Ingredients

1.5 cups of wheat flour

tbsp baking powder

tsp salt

1 can rinsed 15.5 oz black beans

1 cup Agave (you could use simple sugar *1.25 c.* - but I would highly suggest you aim for the Agave- it has a low glycemic index which means while you run it will enter your blood stream gradually and make it easier on your body controlling blood sugar!)

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla

1 cup of Unsweetened Applesauce

1 cup of cocoa

1/4 cup of coffee

1/2 cup of all natural peanut butter (optional- I could not resist!)

Optional:

Toddler Sneeze *If you don't have one- let me know- I'll send my son over - he is sure to always sneeze in my baked goods - Every Time ;-p *

Runner Chia or Truvia- Optional

Directions:

1) Preheat Oven to 350'

2) prepare muffin pan with a spritz of cooking spray for non stick

3) Mix Flour/cocoa/baking powder in large bowl

4) blend beans and applesauce

5) blend eggs/agave/vanilla

6) blend the beans/applesauce with the eggs/agave/vanilla

7) add the wet mix to the dry mix

8) add your peanut butter and stir

9) place about 3-4 tbsp of mix into a muffin pan and top with dark chocolate (optional)

Bake for about 15-20min until it a toothpick comes out dry-

Makes about 24 cake bites

Nutritional Facts:

125 calories as

20 carbs

3.5 protein

3.5 Healthy fats

Eat two Just before a Long Run and get 250 calories = 40 carbs 7 protein 7 fats