Tag: snack

Easy Apple Pie Bites

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On August 16, 2016

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Recipes, Savor, Vegan

I’m SO happy to be back in my kitchen!

After spending two weeks in upstate New York and the Pacific Northwest for vacation, Bill and I were both looking forward toĀ being home.

We hadn’t been home forĀ 48 hoursĀ before I was busy experimenting with new recipes. This one turned out to be a big hit with my husband’s men’s softball team (and their fans!).

apple-pie-bites

I’ve made about dozen different recipes for no-bake energy bites, so I was trying to come up with a flavor combo I hadn’t tried before.

Sooo, I tried apple pie in August…why not? šŸ™‚

Our friend, Matt, said these were the best things I’ve ever made, so I knew I had to share the recipe with all of you…and the quickĀ video for how to make it. My husband, Bill, has been a BIG help making techie things like this happen.

Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RSM6Fd10IYU

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats
  • 1/2 cup walnuts
  • 1/2 cup almonds
  • 2 teaspoonsĀ ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract or vanilla powder
  • 1/2 cup apple, peeled and chopped (Granny Smith works best)
  • 1/4 cup raisins
  • 3/4 cup Medjool dates, pitted (DON’T use deglet dates…they’re not as chewy!)
  • 1/4 cup shredded coconut (optional)

Directions

  1. Add oats, walnuts, almonds, spices, and salt to the food processor and process for about 20-25 seconds or until it reaches a coarse meal.
  2. Add the vanilla, apples, raisins, and dates, and process until it forms a ball. You may have to stop the processor, break apart the dough chunks and process again a few times to blend it all together.
  3. Roll dough into 1-inch balls and roll in shredded coconut. Store in fridge or freezer.

Sunbutter Buckeyes {Nut-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo}

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On August 25, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, My Story, Paleo, Products I Use, Recipes, Savor, Tips & Tricks, Vegan, Vegetarian

When I was a kid, I lovedĀ everything about going back to school.

From our annual trip to JC Penney to buy fall clothes (which was kind of irrelevant because we wore uniforms) to hitting up Staples for our back-to-school supplies, I was in heaven.

IMG_1306

I was a picky eater as a kid, so I brought some interesting lunches to school like carrot sticks, yogurt, fruit and crackers or chips, since I didn’t like sandwiches.

I know other parents struggle with feeding their kids healthy food, so I’m here to give you options for them and you!

As Iā€™ve been gearing up for a cooking class Iā€™m teaching about Yummy Snacks for Healthy, Happy Kids on September 16th, Iā€™ve been doing lots of research and recipe testing to make sure the workshop and recipes areĀ awesome.Ā Click here to register (we’re capping the class at 30 so make sure you sign up soon!).

After finding out that a lot of schools now have peanut and tree-nut restrictions these days due to increased concerns about food allergies, I started testing out more recipes made with seeds instead of nuts.

My friend, Missy, a rock star mama of three, tried the original version of these a couple of weeks ago. She loves sunflower seeds and since theyā€™re made with sunbutter and sunflower seeds, she was a fan.

You can leave them as sunbutter bites, and they taste great!

But, she offered one suggestion to make them irresistible to kids.

Sunbutter Buckeyes

Dip them in chocolate.

Thatā€™s how I came up with these Sunbutter Buckeyes.

All they needed was a little hintĀ of chocolate toĀ turn them from Bites into Buckeyes šŸ™‚

My friend Tim and Katie’s son, 20-month old son, Jack,Ā tried these the other day and his smileĀ afterward wasĀ all the approval I needed!

IMG_1365
I’ve since taste-tested them with over a dozen moms and kids (from 18 months to 8-years old),Ā and they were a hit.

You’ll love them, too! šŸ™‚

sunbutter buckeyes2Sunbutter Buckeyes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
  • 1/2 cup sunflower seeds, unsalted
  • 1/3 cup shredded coconut
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 cup Medjool dates, packed and pitted (about 10 dates)
  • 1/3 cup sunflower seed butter
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup Enjoy Life chocolate chips
  • 1 teaspoon coconut oil

Directions

  1. Combine pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, coconut, salt and cinnamon in a food processor until it reaches a fine meal.
  2. Add dates,Ā sunflower seed butter, and vanilla, and run food processor until all ingredients are combined.
  3. Roll doughĀ into tablespoon-sized balls and put on parchment paper in refrigerator to chill.
  4. Make your own double burner to melt the chips. Fill a small saucepan with 1 inch water and place a small glass bowl on top. Set the burner to medium lowĀ heat. Put chocolate chipsĀ and coconut oil in the glass bowl and stir until melted.
  5. Remove bites from fridge and dip halfway into chocolate. Set on a sheet of parchment paper and put in fridge to harden (about 10 minutes).

If you haven’t already, make sure you sign up to come to the Yummy Snacks for Healthy, Happy Kids workshop in Baltimore on Wednesday, September 16th!

Homemade Pizza Combos {Paleo, Vegan}

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On May 26, 2015

In Clean Eating, Dairy-Free, Gluten-Free, Paleo, Recipes, Vegan, Vegetarian

If you grew up in the 90s or knewĀ a kidĀ who did, chances are you at least knew about the tasty snack gems known as Combos.

These little hollowed out pretzel logs were stuffed with all sorts of flavor-packed goodness, from cheddar cheese to pepperoni pizza.

I could houseĀ a bag of Combos in a matter of minutes, and my absolute favorite flavor was Pizza. They were addictive!

And after taking a look at the ingredient list, I can see why.combos info

As a kid, I couldn’t have cared less about the ingredient listsĀ ofĀ the foods I was eating.

(Which would explain why things like Toaster Strudels, Gushers, Fruit by the Foot, Sour Patch Kids, Dunkaroos, Funyuns, and Little Debbie Swiss Rolls were perfectly permissible snacks on a regular basis :))

But, as an adult, who feels better than I’ve ever felt, I do care.

I don’t follow a strict set of “rules,” per se, but I do make sure that the food I eat is real (not a chemical concoction), whole (an avocado vs. a Cheeto), unprocessed (is a plant vs. made in a plant) and health-promoting.

I prioritize the “fuel” I put in my body and make sure it’s high quality, going to give me energy, and make me feel good…because I like feeling good.

Don’t you? šŸ™‚

I was inspired to “upgrade” Combos and bring some of the same flavors to a healthy snack bite. When Bill and our friend, Brian, tried one for the first time, theyĀ said it tasted like Pizza Combos…YES!

One of the best parts is that they are no-bake, so they come together quickly. These are snacks you (and your kids) could have every day!

paleo poppers pizza bites

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1/2 teaspoon fine grain sea salt
  • 1 small clove garlic,Ā chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 3 tablespoons almond butter
  • 2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes (I used Trader’s Joe’s jarred ones, since they were soaked in olive oil. If you only have dried tomatoes, soak them in hot water for about 30 minutes to soften them and add 1 teaspoon olive oil to the final recipe for moisture.)
  • 1/4 cup hemp seeds
Some of the ingredients in this yummy recipe!

Some of the ingredients in this yummy recipe!

Coating (Optional but awesome)

  • 1/4 cup raw cashews
  • 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Directions

  1. Process almonds in a food processor until they reach a fine meal, about 30-45 seconds.
  2. Add remaining ingredients through hemp seeds and process for about 60 seconds, or until the mixture looks like this and clumps together.clump The longer you process, the longer the oils from the nuts and seeds release and bind everything.
  3. Form the dough into 1 inch balls and set aside.
  4. In a mini food processor (or the bigger ones you just used), make the cashew coating, and process until it reaches a fine texture.
  5. Roll the dough balls in the coating and store them in a glass container in the refrigerator.
  6. Enjoy!IMG_9367

    And this is what my kitchen looked like afterwards...:o)

    Aaand this is what my kitchen looked like afterwards…:o) It’s okay to make a mess.Ā It makes me feel like a mad scientist!

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