Green Smoothie

I didn't know what to have for supper tonight but I wanted to use up the last bit of homemade almond milk I made yesterday so I Googled "Almond Milk Smoothies" and found a recipe called Homemade Cookie Dough: Green Smoothie.  Who wouldn't want to eat healthy cookie dough for supper?  I quickly looked at the ingredients and realized I had them all handy.  I played with it a bit and here is what I came up with.  I'm sipping on it now, by the way, and it's fantastic!


1 cup homemade (or store bought) almond milk
1/2 large banana
1 cup kale with stems removed
1/3 cup oats
1/4 cup almond butter
1-2 tbsp. coconut
2 pitted dates
1/4-1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp vanilla

Blend all together in a high powered blender until smooth.

I'm not sure what kind of cookie dough it's supposed to taste like but it's smooth and creamy and bursting with flavor.  Breakfast tomorrow?

Blissful Bars

I love bars.  In fact, I live off bars, smoothies and freshly pressed vegetable juice most of the time because I can't find a minute to actually sit and eat a meal most days!  Bars are so versatile.  They are great for a snack, can be added to our kids lunches, are a great pick me up after a workout and can actually act as meal replacement in a real pinch - especially these whole foods based bars.  These are a few of my quick, easy favorites.  They are all gluten-free and vegan.


Chocolate Chip Chick Pea Blondies

1 can (15 oz) chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/2 cup all natural almond butter

1/3 cup pure maple syrup or agave nectar

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup chocolate chips plus 2 tablespoons

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and coat 8×8 inch pan with coconut oil.
2. In a food processor, add all ingredients except chocolate chips and process until batter is smooth. Fold in 1/3 cup of chocolate chips.
3. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan then sprinkle 2 tablespoons of chocolate chips on top. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean and edges are a tiny bit brown. The batter may look underdone, but you don’t want them to dry out!
4. Cool pan for 20 minutes on wire rack and cut into squares

 

 

Courtesy of Ambitiuos Kitchen

 

 

 

 

 

 

Raw Banana Chocolate Almond Bars

Bottom Ingredients:
1.5 cup walnuts
1 ripe banana
15 medjool dates

Top Ingredients:
1 ripe banana
4 tbsp almond butter
4 tbsp raw honey (or maple syrup if vegan)
1/4 cup raw cacao

 

Instructions:
1. Combine bottom ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended.
2. Spread blended bottom ingredients in a glass pan. Coat the bottom of the pan with a little coconut oil to avoid sticking.
3. Combine topping ingredients in a food processor and process until well blended, should be smooth.
4. Spread blended topping ingredients over bottom ingredients in 8x8 pan.
5. Place in the freezer for a couple hours.
6. Remove from pan, cut into squares and serve!

Courtesy of Fit Sugar

Crispy Cereal Bars

4 cups brown rice crispy cereal
2/3 cup raisins
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1/2 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup almond butter
1 cup brown rice syrup
2 tsp vanilla


Instructions:
Lightly oil 9x13 pan.  In bowl, mix all dry ingredients.  In small saucepan, combine almond butter and rice syrup.  Cook over medium-low heat until warm and bubbly.  Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour over cereal mixture and mix.  Transfer mixture to pan and use damp hands to press mixture into pan.  Chill in the fridge for 30 minutes before cutting.




Gobble Up Granola Snacks

2 1/2 cups crispy rice cereal
2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1/2 cup agave syrup
1/2 cup almond butter (or other nut butter)
1 tsp vanilla

Instructions:
In large bow, stir together cereal, oats and raisins.  Grease 9x13 pan.  Combine sugar and syrup in small saucepan over medium heat, just until boiling.  Remove from heat and add nut butter and vanilla.  Pour over dry ingredients and mix well.  Press into pan and allow to cool before cutting.

Post Workout Strawberry Banana Smoothie

With every one's New Year's Resolutions in full swing I thought I would share my favorite smoothie recipe.  Well, it's my favorite for this week.  A woman has a right to change her mind, you know.  This smoothie is great for breakfast or as a post workout shake.  It's easy to digest, high in protein, full of electrolytes, and tastes great. 

If your New Year's Resolution is to eat better, exercise more, or just get healthier in general - Good on you!  Stick to it.  Don't be part of the 78% of people who fail at living out their resolutions.

Strawberry Banana Post-Workout Smoothie

1 cup coconut water
1/3-1/2 chunk of banana
1 heaping tablespoon of almond butter
1 tbsp of chia seeds
1 scoop unflavoured or vanilla whey protein powder (or rice protein if you prefer to be vegan/vegetarian)
1 cup frozen strawberries

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.  Play with the amount of coconut water until you settle on a consistency that you like.

Cookies, Cookies & More Cookies

I don't really like cooking, in case I haven't mentioned it before.  I do it because I have to, not because I want to.  But I must say I love making cookies.  Probably because none of the kids turn their noses up at cookies and it's a sneaky way of getting healthy stuff into them without them even knowing it.  Here are my latest favorites.

Chocolate Chip Cookies:

• 2 cups almond flour
• ¼ cup of coconut oil, softened
• 3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 350F.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the almond meal and baking soda.  Then add the coconut oil, maple syrup and vanilla extract and mix well.
• Fold in the chocolate chips, than drop batter by rounded tablespoons onto a baking sheet lined parchment paper.
• Bake at 350F for 9-10 minutes, until the edges are golden brown.
• Allow to cool completely 

This quick, easy and totally yummy recipe comes from Kylie Delfino of The Nourished Self .


The second one I make about twice a week is as follows:

No-Bake Paleo and Gluten-Free Cookies

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped almonds
11/2 cups semisweet or dark chocolate chips
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup honey
1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut flakes

Preparation

1. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.

2. Process nuts in a food processor until very finely chopped (almost ground). Set aside.

3. Combine chocolate, almond butter, olive oil and honey over low heat in a medium saucepan 2 to 3 minutes or until it has a smooth consistency and chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and stir in coconut and nuts.

4. Drop by tablespoon or teaspoonfuls onto parchment-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes or until they harden. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

 This recipe comes from Ingredients, Inc. 

Love them :)

Spelt Pancakes

Almost every Saturday and Sunday morning my kids ask me for pancakes.  Truth be told, I am so sick and tired of making them that I try to invent something new every weekend just to avoid making the same old thing.  But after a little bit of complaining (from me, not the kids) I usually cave and make them.  I don't eat them myself because I don't function well on a high carb breakfast.  If I eat carbs for breakfast I just feel like going back to bed so I stick to my trusted protein smoothie variations seven days a week.  I also have an intolerance to eggs and the recipe calls for an egg so I really wouldn't feel well if I ate them.  My husband and kids love them though so they must be good.

My six year old daughter took these pictures, by the way :) That's the size of pancake she eats!!!

Spelt Pancakes

1 3/4 cups spelt flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 1/4 cup vanilla rice milk (or soy or almond)
6 tsp olive oil
3 tsp maple syrup
1 egg
1/3 cup fresh blueberries, mashed banana or chocolate chips (optional)

Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.  Blend wet ingredients in blender on a low speed until all ingredients are blended together.  Mix wet ingredients into dry.  Fold in blueberries, bananas, or chocolate chips if desired.  Poor a few tablespoons of batter into greased frying pan and flip when golden. Top with pure maple syrup and/or fresh fruit and enjoy.

P.S. I use the teaspoon to measure the olive oil because if you use the same spoon and follow with the maple syrup the syrup will not stick to the spoon.  The oil will make it slip right out.  Makes the measurement more accurate and clean up much easier :)

Raw Vegan Chocolate Pudding

I got this recipe from a girl named Elke Kasanda http://energychef.com/.  She came to do a presentation on raw food at my school one day and this is what she made.  There was only enough for each of us to try a little bite.  It was like heaven when I put it in my mouth.  How could something this healthy taste this rich and yummy?  It was like Heaven.  I had to get the recipe to make more because one bite wasn't going to cut it.  Everyone at the workshop agreed that it was decadent.  She could have made 10 batches and we still would have licked the plates at the end to get every last bite.

This recipe is so healthy I have even let my kids eat it for breakfast!  It's full of good fats to keep them full until snack time and these same healthy fats provide them with brain food.  Of course, it's more of a treat but I can assure you it's way healthier than every single one of the conventional breakfast cereals marketed as kids breakfast food.  Reese's peanut butter puffs???  C'mon!

Anyway, here it is:

Raw Vegan Chocolate Pudding

8 Medjool dates pitted and soaked in filtered water for at least 30 minutes
1/2 cup maple syrup
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 medium sized avocadoes
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup filtered water


Place all ingredients in food processor and puree until smooth and creamy.  Serve and enjoy.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

OK, these seriously are the best cookies I have ever had.  Everyone in my house loves them.  It is not uncommon to go through all 18 in one evening....we are a family of five, after all, and daddy is 6'3" and 220 pounds!  They make the house smell wonderful and you can be sure if someone visits they will be leaving with some to take home.  They are so simple but they must be cooked for exactly 8 minutes or the bottoms burn.  It took a few trial runs but I have it down to a science now.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

1/3 cup almond butter
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 cup cane sugar/sucanat
1/3 cup vanilla rice milk
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 cup spelt flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup non-dairy chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Oil 2 baking sheets and set aside.
Wisk together first five ingredients until smooth and creamy.  Add remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto the baking sheets.  Leave room between the cookies because they flatten out as they cook.  Bake for exactly 8 minutes.  Remove from oven and let cool for 15-20 minutes before transferring them to a plate or they will break apart.  Makes about 18 cookies.