PB&J Energy Bites

Yum.  You know those totally-amazing but completely-bad-for-you peanut butter balls that show up at Christmas time?  THESE are an excellent, good-for-you stand in the next time you're fighting a craving!

The "jelly" here is figurative and manifests in the form of dried cranberries.  Really you just want some kind of sweetness/tartness to offset the salty.

These called for chocolate chips, which would be amazing no doubt, but we're currently trying to avoid sugar, desserts, sweets, etc, so I opted for dried cranberries instead.

Ingredients:
-1 c dry oatmeal
-2/3 c coconut flakes
-1/2 c peanut butter
-1/2 c ground flaxseed
-1/2 dried cranberries (or chocolate chips!)
-1/3 c honey
-1 tsp vanilla

1.  Place oatmeal and coconut in the food processor and pulse to desired texture.

2.  Stir all ingredients together in a bowl until thoroughly mixed. 

3.  Let chill in the refrigerator for half an hour. 

4.  Once chilled, roll into balls of whatever size you would like. 

5.  Store in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 1 week.

Credit:  Pinterest via Gimme Some Oven

Homemade Lara Bars

The ever-popular, ever-expensive Lara Bar.  Here is a homemade version.  These need to be refrigerated to hold their shape, but I prefer them even more out of the freezer.  Just sayin.

Ingredients:
-2 c raw whole almonds
-1/2 c chopped dark chocolate (or choc chips)
-3 c whole, pitted dates
-1 c dried, unsweetened cherries
-2 T almond butter

1.  Line a 9 x 13 straight-sided pan with a piece of parchment paper, so that the paper hangs over the long sides.
2.  Place the almonds in your food processor and pulse until finely chopped. Add the chocolate and pulse again until finely chopped. Pour mixture into a large bowl; set aside.
3.  Place half of the fruit in the food processor and process until a paste forms and clumps together. Add 1 T. of the nut butter and 1/2 of the almond/chocolate mixture; process until evenly combined. Scrape into the prepared pan.
4.  Repeat with the remaining fruit, nut butter and almond/chocolate mixture. Scrape into the prepared pan.
With slightly wet hands, press the mixture evenly into the bottom of the pan. Fold the excess parchment over the bars to cover, and use something flat and heavy to press down firmly on the mixture until it is smooth (I used a small cutting board).
5.  Chill for at least two hours. Using the parchment paper as a guide, transfer the bars to a cutting board. Cut into desired shape and size.

Credit: Pinterest via Donuts, Dresses, and Dirt

Rice Krispie "Treats"

Ingredients:
2 c puffed rice (or puffed quionoa)
1/2 c almond butter
3-4 Tbs agave
1 tsp vanilla

1.  Combine almond butter, agave, and vanilla.  If mixture is too firm, heat it in the microwave.
2.  Add puffed rice and stir to combine.
3.  Press mixture into a small container and freeze for 30 minutes.
4.  Cut into pieces and store in fridge or freezer.

Sesame Granola Bites

I'm baaaaack!  We've been so blessed since bringing honey #3 into our house; I haven't had to cook a meal since she's been born thanks to our VERY generous friends and family!!  But now, I'm on a rampage.  My almost-2-year-old wants to snack.  And snack, and snack, and snack some more.  Weary of giving him apple slices, string cheese, and gold fish, I wanted to come up with some more interested and fortified snacks to offer.  Here is one:

Sesame Granola Bites

Ingredients:
1/3 c oats
1/3 c shredded coconut
1/4 c almonds
1/4 c walnuts
1/4 c sunflower seeds
1/3 c sesame seeds
2 Tbs chia seeds
 4 Tbs ground flax
1/3 agave (can sub maple syrup)
1/3 c almond butter
2 Tbs mini  chocolate chips (optional)

1.  Line a 8x8 or 9x9 pan with parchment paper.
2.  In a food processor, pulse the oats and coconut flakes until finely ground.  Remove to a bowl.
3.  Then pulse the almonds and walnuts to your desired consistency.  (I have a toddler so I ground them fine, but older kiddos and grown ups might prefer a roughly chopped nut.)
4.  Add the ground/chopped nuts to the oat and coconut mixture.
5.  Stir in sunflower seeds, flax, and sesame seeds.
6.  In a glass bowl, combine the almond butter and agave and microwave for 30 seconds to soften.
7.  Stir butter mixture into oat mixture until well combined.
8.  Press into parchment-lined baking dish. Store in fridge.

Raw Brownie Fudge

Simply life changing.  Seriously.  Try it.  (AND notice that there is NO sugar, could you ask for more?)

Ingredients:
2 cups whole walnuts
2 ½ cups Medjool dates, pitted and quartered
1 cup raw cacao or unsweetened cocoa
1 cup raw unsalted almonds, roughly chopped
¼ tsp. sea salt

Directions:
1. Place walnuts in food processor and blend on high until the nuts are finely ground.
2. Add the cacao and salt. Pulse to combine.
3. Add the dates one at a time through the feed tube of the food processor while it is running. What you should end up with is a mix that appears rather like cake crumbs, but that when pressed, will easily stick together (if the mixture does not hold together well, add more dates).
4. In a large bowl (or the pan you plan on putting the brownies in), combine the walnut-cacao mix with the chopped almonds. Press into a lined cake pan or mold. Place in freezer or fridge until ready to serve (it is also easier to cut these when they are very cold). Store in an airtight container.


Credit: Recipe from My New Roots

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

I'm baaaaaack. After my longest hiatus since starting this blog, I'm back in the kitchen!! We've been doing some pretty major remodeling at our house and my entire creative energy was poured into that project leaving me scrambling for my go-to recipes for dinner. I've been making some of the oldies but goodies posted right here on this blog.

HOWever, I'm back, and with my all-time absolutely favorite recipe of all time! I have a sweet tooth to end all sweet teeth and indulge WAY too often. One of my weaknesses is raw cookie dough - bad for you on so many levels. This recipe is a no-guilt, so-true-to-taste substitution. I'm enjoying my fair share, but I get a special kick out of giving these to my kids as a snack or dessert!! Trust me, make a double or triple batch while you're at it. They won't go to waste.

Raw Cookie Dough Bites

Ingredients:
-2/3 c raw almonds
-2/3 c raw walnuts
-2/3 c rolled oats*
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1/8 tsp salt
-1/4 c agave nectar
-2 tsp vanilla extract
-dark chocolate chips or chunks to taste

1. In a food processor, process the almonds, walnuts, oats, cinnamon and salt to a fine meal.
2. Add the agave nectar and vanilla and process to combine.
3. Next, add chocolate and pulse to just combine.
4. Rolle the dough into balls and place them on a cookie pan lined with parchment paper. Place the pan in the freezer for about an hour to firm up. Once firm, store balls in an air tight container in the freezer.

*Use Bob's Red Mill oats for a truly raw and gluten free option!

Raw Granola Bars

First, I challenge you: If this sounds like something you wouldn't like, I dare you to try it anyway. It's like nothing you would expect. I'm not a fan of coconut or dates, but I LOVE these!

Second, I can't wait to share this recipe with you! This is another recipe from our "raw food" theme week at Mom's Group, made by a friend. I am indebted to her for introducing me to these! What an awesome, healthy, easy-to-make snack for my granola bar loving family.

Seriously, try them...

Raw Granola Bars
Ingredients:
-2 c raw almonds
-3 c shredded coconut
-2 c chopped, pitted, dates
-1 Tbs coconut oil
-the zest of 1 orange or lemon

1. Put the almonds in the food processor and process until they become a fine grain/dust.
2. Add the coconut and continue processing until finely ground. Put the coconut/almond mixture in large mixing bowl.
3. Put the chopped dates and coconut oil in the food processor. Process until they create a paste. NOTE: The coconut oil is extremely important here. Without it, my processor moaned and groaned and almost broke the blade because the dates were too sticky.
4. Add date paste to the almond/coconut mixture. Add zest and thoroughly combine all ingredients. (I found it easiest to take off my rings use my hands.)
5. Press mixture into a 9 x 13 pan. Refrigerate. (You can serve them before refrigerating, but they are super crumbly. Refrigeration helps hold them together.)
6. Cut, serve, and enjoy!
3.

Apple Cereal

My awesome Mom's group meets weekly and each week they choose a theme for the refreshments and ask for volunteers to provide them. Always up for a challenge in the kitchen, I signed up for the "raw foods" week. Most of the appealing raw food recipes I found involved dehydrating something at some point. Now that was a little more of a challenge than I was up for this week. Then, happily, I stumbled upon this recipe. It was an interesting combination of ingredients and everyone seemed to enjoy it. While I'm pretty sure I'll never be on an entirely raw food diet (oh, how I LOVE my cooked food, especially in the winter!), this was fun and something I would definitely make again.

Fair warning, I'm not a fan of specifying ingredient quantities in something like this where you can really adjust according to your own tastes, so below is my best guess of what I included but you should feel free to adjust according to your own taste.

Apple Cereal (for a single serving)

Ingredients:
-1 apple, finely chopped
-1 banana, small dice
-1 palm full of almonds, chopped
-1 pinch of coconut
-splash of almond milk
-drizzle of honey
-sprinkle of cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in large bowl and serve immediately (unless you don't mind the appearance of browned apples and bananas!).