Trying New Things, And Delicious Collard Greens

Do you know about the kid face? The face that is a mix between fear and disgust? When your child looks up at you and is mentally saying 

 "You can't be serious! You really want me to eat that?"

That is the face my daughter gave me last night when I placed a side of collard greens on her plate!

We have never had collard greens before! Last night we hadn't had basically anything that I served before. 

Last night was a night of trying new things. I decided I wanted to try collard greens. If I'm going to eat plant based I better branch out and eat more than spinach and romaine lettuce or my meals may get a little bit boring. I tried the greens raw in a salad before, and well they were very bitter. So I decided to saute them with some flavor.

We also tried Quinoa pasta for the first time! I loved it, it didn't taste any different to me, but it is a little bit lower in carbohydrates so that was a fantastic find it is also gluten free! The box also gave some awesome sounding recipes that I can't wait to try out!

We also tried Boca ground crumbles in our sauce in place of ground beef. Boca is soy based, but didn't taste like soy. Really I find it is a great ground beef replacement. I think the lentil meatballs are healthier since I'm sure the Boca crumbles have sodium in them, but if the lentils don't do it for you, this is another alternative!

Back to my daughter story about the greens. Well she kept saying her lettuce was wet, that was funny. My son didn't even give them a chance unfortunately, and try reasoning with and 18 month old. It's not the easiest thing. But, my daughter was required to try at least one bite. It was an enjoyable moment. 

I watched the face. It was a face for about 5 minutes trying to figure out if she liked it or not. Then she distracted herself as most 3 year old's do, and she swallowed it.  I asked her if she liked it and she said she did, so success in my mind!

I think these make a beautiful side dish. It is a nice way to add some extra greens into your diet. It uses some oil, maybe you like them raw which is probably better, but I used very little oil and liked the end result.  It is bright and colorful and for the holidays I keep thinking Thanksgiving! Awesome!

Collard Greens

1 Bunch of collard greens

2 tsp coconut oil

1/2 c sun dried tomatoes

1/2 onion

1 garlic clove shredded

1/4 c sunflower nuts

Heat oil in large skillet. Add collard greens with onion, garlic, and tomatoes. Heat for 15 minutes, mixing occasionally to make sure the greens are wilting and coated. Add sunflower nuts. Mix and heat another 5 minutes until the greens are very wilted and onions are cooked and browned. Enjoy! You can top these with your favorite dressing if you'd like or vinegar. I thought they were great without it. 

Add any nut in place of sunflower nuts. I think pine nuts, or almond slivers would be great.

Vegan Cheezy Quesadillas

One of my greatest loves, especially during pregnancy, are cheese quesadillas! I obviously don't eat them anymore. Cheese offers tons of saturated fats and really unhealthy stuff for our bodies! I don't know why I loved them so much, but lately I've been wanting a make over of a quesadilla so I can enjoy again and my kids can have some variety for lunch!

These little quesadillas took a little bit more time to make than original ones, but they were so delicious! I loved them and my kids loved them too! It's so nice to make something that turns out even better than the original and that is better for you! As you can see from the picture of my son's cute little hand they kept coming back for more!

Cheese Quesadillas

1 c raw cashews, soaked in water for an hour

1/2 c nutritional yeast

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp red pepper flakes

1 garlic clove

1/3 c milk

4 tortillas

1 can beans (any kind)

Drain nuts. Add nuts, yeast, nutmeg, red pepper flakes, garlic and milk to a blender. Blend for two minutes until completely smooth. Add beans to two tortillas. Pour cheeze sauce over the top and top with remaining two tortillas. Microwave for 30 seconds. Garnish with your favorite salsa or avocado. Enjoy

Alphabet Day's End, Zucchini Boats

Well our beloved Alphabet days has come to an end, just in time for school to start. I don't have school aged children, but my hubs is getting ready to start another fun filled semester....hahaha....not so fun actually! I guess we could look at it as one step closer to graduation! Someday it will come!

A few weeks ago my good friend described a dinner she had made out of zucchini! It sounded delightful, she put meat in hers so I wanted to find a way to make ours meatless, but have great flavor! These zucchini boats were so easy and so delicious! I was so happy with the end result. I've felt we haven't been watching as closely what we've been giving our kids the last few days since we've had some busy family get togethers or we've been on the go! So I needed, yes needed for my own guilt to pack them with something nutritious tonight! They loved these little babies, which makes mom all the more happy! These ended up reminding me of a tasty Italian meal, without all the creamy pasta sauces or carbs! So yay for us! Enjoy these easy weekend or weeknight zucchini boats! They are great!

Zucchini Boats

3-4 zucchini squash, cut lengthwise in half

1 C of canned or frozen corn

1-2 C cooked quinoa or brown rice

1 C chopped carrots

1 C peas

1/2 onion

2 cloves garlic

1/2 C green beans

1 T Italian Seasoning 

2 T nutritional Yeast (optional)

1 tsp Mrs. Dash seasoning, (optional)
1/4 C sunflower nuts, for some extra crunch

1 jar of spaghetti sauce (or 1 recipe of easy marinara sauce)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spoon out the inside of the zucchini squash so just the rind is left. Place the spooned squash in a large bowl. Add onion to skillet with a tsp of olive oil and saute, add garlic and finish cooking until garlic is fragrant. Add vegetables, nuts, rice or quinoa, sauce, and seasonings to bowl and stir well. Try and have the zucchini mashed up a bit so you don't have enormous chunks of it. Spoon mixture into the rind of the zucchini. Place on a large cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Serve with salad and garlic bread, yum!!!!

Hawaiian Haystacks

As summer is kissing this year good-bye I feel the need to take full advantage of all the delicious, sweet fruit out there! Pineapple is one of the greatest gifts given to this earth! Okay, I'm sure there are a lot of other awesome things, but isn't pineapple so delicious!

I mean you throw it in some ice cream or make a tropical smoothie and you can be sitting on beach getting tan while there's a blizzard going on outside (I don't know why you'd eat ice cream during a blizzard, but in case you do...I'm sure that's how you feel)

Tonight I was missing Hawaiian haystacks. We haven't had them FOREVER! I also haven't made them with anything but cream of chicken soup before or without ham....and those two ingredients just aren't going to fly with me anymore. So I tried two sauces. The ginger vinaigrette and I made a creamy version of the dressing by using cashews. I'm still not sure which I like better. I'm also very open to another saucy idea so leave a comment if you have a tasty creation! I was satisfied with the Asian swing of these haystacks, and honestly I didn't miss the ham...yes you can do meatless and have a flavorful meal! Enjoy the last big of summer with chunky, tangy pineapple over your haystacks....you can thank me later :)

Hawaiian Haystacks

2 C uncooked Brown rice

1 C green onion

1 pineapple, chopped

1 C sweet peas

1 C corn

1 onion finely chopped

1 C shredded carrots

Rice Chow mein noodles, tortilla strips ( I used these) or nuts for some extra crunch 

* other toppings

Black Beans

Red Bell Pepper

Mango

Broccoli

Mushrooms

black olives

cashews

Ginger Vinaigrette Recipe 

Cashew Ginger Dressing

1/3 C raw cashews

1/2 T ground ginger

2 garlic cloves

1/3 C soy sauce

1/4 C almond milk

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

Cook rice in rice cooker until very tender. Two options: you can leave your vegetables raw or if you're like me and have an onion texture issue you can saute some together for a stir fry taste. I sauteed the onion, peas,  carrots and corn for 5 minutes in a skillet to tenderize the vegetables. For the Cashew dressing add all ingredients to blender and blend for 2 minutes until completely smooth. Add pineapple, choice of dressing, and vegetables to the rice. Top with chow mein noodles. Enjoy

Before Cravings...After Cravings

Things I used to eat before changing my lifestyle make me cringe at times. The worst part is I knew things were bad for me but I still ate them. I guess I didn't understand to the full extent why they were bad for me, which is why I'm so excited to launch our eBook...we go over the why!

This is what I used to crave before...literally! Does it look good to you? I would've eaten this whole thing

This is what I crave now! 

I am amazed at how my tastes and desires have changed! I love it, because I love my food! I rarely have guilt after I eat, and rarely when I get up for seconds! I still watch some things that I eat. I take it easy on pastas still because of the carbs, but when I do indulge in my lovely pasta it is filled with delicious vegetables like this! No grease drizzling down my chin with this!

Changing a lifestyle can be tough, but it really does change and evolve over time, I promise! And it's worth it! Keep working hard, try new recipes and take food off your list of frustrations and things to worry about!

Creamy Garden Pasta

1 package of whole grain pasta or gluten free pasta (you can also use rice instead of pasta)

1 crown chopped broccoli

1 C frozen corn

1/2 red bell pepper

1/2 onion

1 large handful of spinach

2 cloves garlic

1/2 C raw cashews

1 1/2 C non-dairy milk

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1/4 tsp nutmeg

dash of paprika

dash of red pepper flakes

Cook pasta according to package directions. After you strain the pasta add spinach to the bottom of the pan and place the hot pasta over the top so it wilts. Add 1-2 tsp coconut oil or olive oil to a skillet. Add broccoli, corn, onion, and pepper to the skillet and saute for about 5-7 minutes. Meanwhile, add remaining ingredients to the blender for the sauce. Blend on high for 2 minutes until cashews and sauce are completely smooth. Pour sauce over vegetables in skillet, heat together for another 2 minutes, then pour over pasta and spinach. Toss well so pasta is well coated! Enjoy

Have you lost cravings for certain foods? Or what do you still crave that you want to get rid of?

Rumbi Voodoo Salad

Today I decided to throw my kids for a loop and instead of doing "U" day we'll do "V" for alphabet days!!!

Honestly....it's because I just couldn't wait to try and recreate this salad.

Island foods to me have the most amazing flavors! I adore the sauces with fruit pour over coconut rice or noodles! I feel like I'm sitting on a sandy beach sipping pineapple juice with my little umbrella every time I eat a savory bit of coconut or mango! Delicious.

Well although my husband and I don't eat out much for the mere fact that we can't find a whole lot of healthy foods when we eat out, I did fall head over heals in love with my last salad from Rumbi Island Grill. If you haven't eaten there it's awesome! Unfortunately it doesn't span the country. It's only found in a few states in the West. But no tears....that is why I've recreated the salad for you here! So you can bring this savory salad with tangy dressing to your own dinner tables. I changed a few things from the original salad. It had feta cheese crumbled over it, but I didn't put it in my own. I also added nuts and seeds to mine as well as a few mandarin oranges! So tasty

This salad does include chicken. If your are looking for vegan options or vegetarian, it's simple to just take the chicken off. It will still be amazing, I promise! If you enjoy Asian sauces or ginger you will drink this dressing by itself!  Enjoy

Rumbi Voodoo Salad (2 salads)

4 C romaine lettuce

1 C tortilla strips

1 C cooked chicken, cubed

1 C raw cashew nuts

1/2 C almonds

1/4 C sunflower nuts

1/4 C celery

1/4 C mandarin oranges 

Ginger Dressing

1 T ground fresh ginger root (if using already ground ginger use 2 T)

1/3 C olive oil

1/4 C rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 C low sodium soy sauce

1 1/2 T honey

Place lettuce on plate and top with remaining ingredients in the desired amounts. 

For the dressing, place all the ingredients in a high powered blender and blend for one minute until everything is very well combined and there are no chunks. 

Pour a tablespoon over salad! Enjoy

Optional toppings

Carrots

broccoli

feta cheese

rice noodles

beets

corn

beans

rice

quinoa

etc.

source: Rumbi Island Grill

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

Crisp, chilled lettuce. You complete me! Summer is a beautiful time to take advantage of green salads and all the wonderful nutrients they give our bodies~

I also love lettuce wraps. I love having everything I would put on a sandwich without the bread and it really gives people with a gluten free need a list of tasty options.

These passed few days I've felt myself stretched thin and I am feeling it in my muscles today. I probably know I haven't been drinking as much water as I should be and I might have been eating too much of my mint carob fudge! When I make these silly decisions I feel it in my back. The only way to describe it is it feels almost like a charlie horse right in the center. Luckily I work in an environment where I'm surrounded by occupational therapists and physical therapists. However, I still came home really sore, but at least I've been guzzling my water like a maniac today :)

When the soreness sets in I bring out the Crock Pot! Simple, no brainer, dinners! This was totally simple and totally tasty! I savored each bite and loved the lettuce wrap addition! We used quinoa as our grain filling and it was perfect! I love flavor without a lot of ingredients that I had to think about and throw in. This meal contained basically my two favorite things, lettuce and quinoa. ~bliss! Play around with this, it's the slow cooker, you can do almost anything you want :) Enjoy

Teriyaki Chicken Lettuce Wraps

1 lb organic boneless skinless chicken breast

1/2 C water

1/2 C low sodium teriyaki sauce

2 garlic cloves minced

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 C cashews (optional)

1 head bibb or romaine lettuce

Combine all ingredients to Crock pot except the lettuce. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Cook on high for 4-6 hours. Serve with quinoa or brown rice. Wrap chicken and grain in lettuce leaves. Use remaining juice from Crock pot as a dipping sauce! Enjoy

 

No Bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie (GF)

 Okay, this may be a somewhat fast post...we're on mini vacation and heading to the lake ASAP for some fun boating and tubing....so here we go!

We've been at my parent's house for the night and I made this with my mom in mind. She's really cutting back her sugar intake at the moment and also has Celiac Disease, so she is all gluten free all the time. I knew that for our alphabet day "P" I wanted to make something with pumpkin, I had originally set out to make pumpkin cookies, but this mousse pie sounded a bit more fun! I think traditional pumpkin pie needs to run for cover this Thanksgiving! I had my mom be my critic since she is a pro at gluten free. She said it tasted really nice and she felt like it was healthy with no guilt. The original recipe is made with vanilla ice cream, I made it with bananas. She said if you want more of a dessert taste than use ice cream. We both suggest Coconut milk Ice cream, it's lower in calories, fat, it's vegan and it's all around healthier. If you'd like a yummy tasting no guilt, really healthy treat, follow the original recipe. Some things that are officially on my budget wish list since staying with my parents, a nice food processor and a nice fandangled camera!!!! Love it!

No bake Pumpkin Mousse Pie

4 frozen bananas

1 C canned pumpkin

1 T vanilla
1/4 C almond milk

1/2 tsp cloves

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 C coconut sugar or agave

Crust

1 C almonds (or almond meal)

1/4 C brown rice Flour
1/2 C almond butter (or any nut butter)
1/4 C agave or honey
1/2 tsp almond extract

For the Crust: place almonds in food processor and process until they are a flour. It tastes better smoother and less chunky so if you'd like just use almond meal. Add processed almonds to medium bowl. Combine with brown rice flour. Combine agave, almond butter and almond extract to small bowl. Microwave for a few seconds until it's melted together slightly. Combine wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Mix well, you're probably going to have to use your hands, so get in there and get dirty! Smash crust on the bottom of a spring form pan.
For the Mousse: Add bananas, almond milk and vanilla to  food processor and process until you have a soft serve consistency. Add pumpkin, coconut sugar, and spices to the soft serve and process until completely combined. Spread topping over the crust and place in the freezer to set up. *Personally I liked it better thawed out and more mousse like, so after it has set up, I would move it over to the fridge so it thaws a bit before eating it, but it you'd like it frozen go for it! Store in freezer or fridge, it should keep for 2 days in the fridge. Enjoy

*remember if you'd like to use already made ice cream try the coconut milk ice cream instead of the bananas!

Quinoa Garden Burger

A few weeks ago my hubs took me out for a nice dinner. It can be really challenging to find healthy food to eat when you go out to eat. We settled on a local restaurant and much to my surprise they had menu that was entirely vegetarian!!! Wow, I was impressed. I ordered a really flavorful garden burger and I loved it. I knew I had to recreate something similar at home where I knew for sure everything that was going into it!

I'll admit I've never had much luck with garden burgers. They either are really bland or they fall apart. It's been quite disappointing.

After playing around a little bit I decided instead of rice I wanted to use quinoa with the beans and vegetables. I wanted to have kind of a southwest burger that had some kick to it. I will say I think I should've added a few more spices, but this has turned into the best garden burger I've made! I was really happy with how it turned out. Thank goodness! It makes me feel much better knowing that I've got natural, whole food in these babies and very low sodium! You can add different vegetables, or use rice instead of quinoa. You can change the beans you use, these are very versatile!

I was worried that I would spend two hours making them, but they were put together really quickly that is always a plus in my book! Make these your own, and you will adore them! Enjoy

Quinoa Garden Burger

2 C cooked quinoa

1 can white beans, drained and rinsed

1/2 red bell pepper

1 C frozen corn

1/2 C chopped green onion

3 carrots, grated

1/2 C sunflower nuts

1/2 T cumin

1 tsp chili powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 T Mrs. Dash seasoning

1 tsp taco seasoning (optional)

Chop vegetables and combine with seasonings in small bowl

In a large bowl combine cooked quinoa and beans and mash together. You can leave some beans whole or mash them completely! Get a great arm workout while you cook! Combine quinoa mixture with vegetables in the large bowl.

Shape into small patties and place them in oiled skillet. Cook over medium heat until browned on both sides. Be careful not to let them burn, however you don't want the insides to be mushy and cold. 

Serve warm with all the burger fixins you want! For a gluten free option try them in a lettuce wrap, or just eat the patty with a BBQ dipping sauce! 

Yes I love pickles, and I added a big fat one to my burger :)

Healthy Nutty Crunch Salad w/ Orange Chia dressing

After our fun celebrating today with Harry Potter and the almost overwhelming sweetness from our Homemade Butter Beer I remembered what I had planned for our Alphabet Day "N" day! For a reminder of Alphabet Days, here is the link.

Thank goodness for "N" day, it's one of those meals that just makes you want to pat yourself on the back for eating something so healthy, but it tastes so good! If you are like me I like some texture to my salads, I don't want just a boring, lettuce, rabbit bite! Give me some ziiiing, ya know! Well this was just what I wanted! I loved the orange dressing as well, it made it really sweet and I just love citrus. Surprisingly it was the celery that tasted so wonderful with the orange to me! This is no wimpy salad either! I had a HUGE plateful, because I could! It's full of the healthy fats from the nuts, why not add tons of low cal nutritious greens, I had it topped with quinoa and I didn't feel any ounce of guilt with the dressing...score!!!! When your looking for a quick meal for lunch or dinner and you don't want any heat in your house, put together this bad boy and you'll be satisfied I'm sure!

Nutty Crunch Salad

3-4 C Romaine lettuce

1/8 C cashews

1/4 C Whole Raw Almonds

1/8 C rice noodles

1/4 C cooked quinoa (optional)

1 celery stalk chopped

Other optional toppings

tomatoes

apples

blueberries

flax seeds

sunflower nuts

sesame seeds

avacodo

beans

carrots

broccoli 

etc.

Combine all ingredients to a large bowl and toss until completely combined

Orange Chia Dressing

1 peeled Navel Orange

2 T chia seeds

1/4 C almond milk

2 T agave (optional, you could use a medjool date for sweetness if you'd like also)

Combine all ingredients to a blender. Blend until completely smooth, about 90 seconds. Pour over top of salad! Enjoy

Tootie Fruity Freeze Cups

It was a nice hot day today, so after dinner I wanted to make a treat that would cool us down. It still is "F" day for our alphabet days and we are honoring fruit today, so what more could I do than a delicious fruit cup. I wasn't sure how they would turn out, since I just invented them today :) Well, I invented the filling, for the crust I used the berry pie crust and just put in a cupcake pan instead of a pie dish! It worked out really great, they actually popped out easily, that's the part I was most worried about do you know what else is great, they are gluten free and vegan, what do ya know! 


*I also think if you want to do a revamp of the berry pie you could put it in cups like these and have mini berry pies!!!!

 I did a banana filling, and after you pop it in the freezer for a couple hours it comes out much like a banana Popsicle in a crust...Next time I think I'm going to puree all the fruit and turn the whole thing into a fruit freeze instead of topping it with the fresh fruit, not that it wasn't good, I just want to shake it up! Go ahead and play around with it, it's quite simple to make, it just needs time to set up, make it your own! Enjoy

Tootie Fruity Freeze Cups

1 recipe of berry pie graham pie crust (link above)

1 fresh banana

1 frozen banana

1/3 C agave or raw honey

2 T fruit jam (optional)

1/3 C almond milk, or any non-dairy milk

2 T cornstarch

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 tsp cinnamon

cut fresh fruit

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare pie crust according to directions. Smash crust into cupcake pan. Bake for about 8 minutes. Watch closely, these are smaller so they will burn much faster! Set aside to cool slightly. Add frozen banana and almond milk to blender and blend until broken up and blended slightly. Add fresh banana, agave, jam, vanilla, and almond extract. Blend until very smooth and no banana chunks. Add contents of blender to a small saucepan, heat over med heat, add cornstarch and cinnamon, whisking constantly, until it seems quite thick. Pour banana mixture into the crust cups and put in the freezer for about 2 hours to set up. Remove from freezer and top with any fresh fruit you'd like. I used raspberries and nectarines! If you don't like it so frozen, take it out earlier so it more of a soft banana filling! 

*Just so you are aware, the filling thaws quickly. So if you have left overs cover and store in the freezer.

"D" day treats and snacks, Dip day!

I love a fun snack that really can be a whole family affair! This idea for Alphabet Days was really to involve my kids in learning, so these two snacks were really fun because they were able to help out a lot. Do you want to know something that makes it even better...no baking, I'm so sick of my hot oven in the middle of July...sweet. To go along with "D" day I decided to have a chocolate dipping sauce that would harden for a little extra sweetness. Don't be fooled though, the chocolate sauce is made with natural ingredients and the super bars are chuck full of nutrients! That's why I call them super bars, they have three major super foods all rolled into them! These were simple to make and kids can easily help you assemble them. The super bars just take some time to set up in the freezer before they are ready to be gobbled up! My family specially sets aside one night a week for a "family night" we teach lessons about values and we of course always have a treat, I thought this would be a perfect  family night snack! Enjoy

Graham Cracker Sandwiches

8 full graham crackers

All natural peanut butter

Break graham cracker pieces so they are in the smallest pieces they can be, spread peanut butter in desired amount. Sandwich peanut butter in between crackers. Set aside. Dip in fudge sauce (recipe at the bottom)

Super Bars

3 c oats

1 c chopped almonds

1 c chopped cashews

1 c dried blueberries

2 T ground flax seed

2 T chia seeds

1 c natural peanut butter or almond butter

2 T coconut oil

3/4 c raw honey, or mixed with agave

1/4 tsp vanilla (optional)

1/4 c chocolate chips (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients in large bowl. In small microwaveable bowl combine coconut oil, honey, peanut butter, and vanilla. Microwave for 30 seconds, then stir until all ingredients have melted together. Combine wet ingredients with dry ingredients. Stir and fold together until completely combined. Smash into a baking dish until the bottom is completely covered. Put in the freezer for about an hour to stand up. Take them out and cut them into squares. Dip in chocolate sauce if desired! Store in the fridge! These are great for workout recovery!

Chocolate Sauce

1 T peanut butter or other nut butter

1/4 c cocoa

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c agave

combine all ingredients into small sauce pan. Heat over medium, whisking continuously until all the ingredients have turned into a thin chocolate sauce. Pour into a bowl so you can dip your snacks. This might firm up in the fridge if you'd like to use if for ice cream or something instead, so you may have to re-melt it down!

yes we got some slobber mixed in with ours, our sweetie couldn't keep her hand off the chocolate! :)

*For gluten free option be sure and get gluten free graham crackers and gluten free oats!!!

Cashew Cheeze Dip

This little spread/dip was really easy and really flavorful! Bring some gum though, just warning you :) I wanted to have something besides chocolate for our Alphabet Days "D" dip day, so I found this recipe at whole food mommies and thought I'd try it out. I found some yummy whole grain crackers in the natural food section and thought it went really well together. I think it's a fun unique way to shake up the typical cracker cheese ball!!!

Cashew Cheeze Dip

1/4 c sun dried tomatoes

1 c cashews, soaked

2 cloves garlic

2 T parsley

2 green onions

1/2 c nutritional yeast

juice from a lemon

1/2 tsp salt

Place cashews in small bowl and cover with water. Soak for 2 hours. Drain and combine all the ingredients into a food processor or high powered blender. Blend or process on high, scraping the sides as needed. When the nuts have been smoothed it should be processed enough. You can serve it as it is right out of the blender or you can put it in ice trays and let it set up in the fridge! Serve with crackers, or use it as sandwich spread!!!! 

Cashew Thumb Print Cookies

If you want a healthy cookie without loosing the sweetness...here you go! I loved these! They are adapted from this recipe at ohsheglows! They were awesome and such a fun cookie for the kids to help with! I love the nuts in this recipe and the flavor they bring, combined with the fruit filling, you've got a winner in my book! This is our double "C" cookie for our Alphabet days, Cashew Cookies!

Another Bonus of these little babies, they are gluten free! How great is that! I'll admit I'm not awesome at gluten free breads and most sweets, but these don't taste any different than other cookies! I'd eat these even if I didn't enjoy eating healthy :)

Cashew Thumb Print Cookies

1 1/3 c raw cashews

1/4 C brown rice flour

2 T ground flax seed

1/4 tsp + 1/8 tsp sea salt

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 c cashew butter (or almond butter)

1/4 c maple syrup (I actually used honey and agave mixed and it worked awesome!)

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/3 c coconut (optional)

1/2 c fresh berries

Place cashews in high powered blender and blend until they are ground into a flour consistency (you can leave it slightly chunky if you want more crunch) Whisk ground up cashews with all other dry ingredients. In a separate bowl combine wet ingredients. If the cashew butter isn't soft and drips, melt wet ingredients for 20 seconds in the microwave to make them soft! Mix wet ingredients into dry ingredients.

 Roll dough into small balls and place them on a cookie sheet. Puree fresh berries or fruit in blender until it is a sauce.  With your thumb push down into ball so there is a little bowl in the cookie.

 Fill bowls with fruit sauce.  Place in the oven and bake at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes! Watch closely! Let them cool in the fridge for 15 minutes! Enjoy

*If you don't want to use fresh berries, by all means use already made jam! It tastes great no matter way! Or you could put some chocolate chips in the bowls and melt them during baking so you have a chocolate cookie!

Banana Peanut Butter Crunch Rolls

Ready for the easiest snack in the world! My daughter ate all of these, she didn't leave any for her younger brother...nice huh. All you need is three things! Bananas, natural peanut butter, and cereal. I used cinnamon Honey Bunches of Oats, but I think a rice cereal would be good, try and not use the super sugary cereals. It's super fast, and quite healthy! A perfect little snack for your little ones or you too :)

Don't be jealous of my bear plate, I know it's awesome :)

Banana Peanut Butter Crunch Rolls

1 banana

2 T natural peanut butter

1/4 crushed cereal

Cut up banana into slices, roll into peanut butter so the sides are coated. Dip peanut butter covered sides into crushed cereal! Serve chilled or right after they are rolled! Just don't let the bananas start to brown! Enjoy

*for gluten free be sure and use gluten free cereal

*Vegan options use, vegan rice cereal or another vegan cereal

Walnut Zucchini Bread

This little creation was a back up plan if another little creation failed...which it did...miserably! I'm so glad it did though. This bread turned out so great! I love all the flavors meshed together and the nice crunch of the walnuts! It was quite easy to make, with low sugar, and you can't even tell! It tasted sweet and yummy! I will be keeping it for sure. I played around with my chocolate chip zucchini muffin recipe to work out this bread, I didn't make a ton of changes, but enough to make them different! Enjoy

Walnut Zucchini Bread

2 c spelt flour (or all purpose)

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 c coconut sugar

1/4 c agave

2 c shredded zucchini

1/4 c coconut oil

1/4 c applesauce

2 eggs (or flax eggs)

1 T vanilla

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 c crushed walnuts

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients in medium bowl and whisk together. Melt coconut oil and combine all wet ingredients in small bowl, including zucchini. Combine wet and dry ingredients until batter is very moist. Pour batter into bread pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes, or until golden on top and bread is baked through! This is AMAZING  warm out of the oven, enjoy!!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

These were AWESOME! I debated whether I should put them on here, they aren't the worst thing you can eat, but they aren't the healthiest recipe I've got on here, but I have a crush on them and my family does too, so I had to share them. I got the idea from a doughnut recipe at this link, but it turns out I don't have a doughnut pan, and apparently no stores near by choose to carry a doughnut pan. So I played around with the idea of a bunt cake, but then I didn't know how long to bake it, then I thought of doughnut holes, but the batter is to thin you can't form the ball...next thing I know my husband just walks in a takes one look at my predicament and says "why don't you just do cupcakes!" ding ding, they would bake the same amount of time as the original recipe and the glaze would be really nice on them. I tweaked the flour just a bit in my recipe, but they still tasted great. I don't know if I got a cookie vibe, so try them out and let me know if you can think of something else to call them. I also think they would be great without the chocolate....whhhhaattt did I just say that? Yes, I think the cinnamon and other sweet flavors make it nice without adding chocolate! But you decide for yourself!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cupcakes

1/2 c non-dairy milk

1/4 c earth balance (or another margarine) melted

3 T applesauce

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar)

1 c all purpose flour (I used Spelt Flour)

1/2 c sugar

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 c  semi sweet chocolate chips (optional)

Glaze

1/4 C + 1 T non dairy milk

1/4 c cashew butter

2 T margarine, melted

1/4 c flour

1/4 c sugar

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Whisk wet ingredients in medium bowl. Sift in dry ingredients and mix together. Fold in chocolate chips if using. Fill greased muffin tins 1/2 full and bake for about 12 minutes. Meanwhile place all glaze ingredients in blender or food processor and blend until all combined and smooth. When cupcakes are done, remove and let cool for about 15 minutes before you put the glaze on. These will keep about 3 days! 

*tip don't add glaze until your ready to eat one to avoid the cupcake from getting soggy!