Vanilla Chia Pudding with Raspberries (clean eating)

I am a big fan of tapioca pudding and rice pudding. It really reminded me of a combination of these puddings. This is a clean eating version of it without all the sugar and extra ingredients. It is fast and easy to make. It would be a great breakfast, snack, or dessert. It was a delicious mid morning snack for me today. I loved every bite of it. You can make it soft serve in an hour or you can leave for 4 hours or overnight for a thicker pudding. So healthy and good!

Ingredients

1/2 C canned coconut milk full fat

1 C almond milk unsweetened vanilla

2 T maple syrup

1/4 C chia seeds

1 C raspberries fresh or frozen and thawed

Directions    serves 2

1. In a mason jar pour in coconut milk, almond milk, maple syrup, and chia. Put on the lid. Shake the jar several times to get the seeds evenly distributed.   

2. Place jar in fridge covered.

3. Take out of fridge and shake or stir if necessary to get any seeds that are sitting on the bottom of the jar. Place back in the fridge covered.

4. It will be ready to eat soft serve in another 30 minutes. If you want it thicker wait at least 4 hours or overnight.

5. Top with berries and devour it. Yum!

Toasted Oatmeal and Almond Butter

I have toasted quinoa before for hot cereal but I have never toasted oatmeal for hot cereal. It added a nice nutty flavor to the oatmeal. It was fun to add almond butter it added to the nutty flavor and made the oatmeal a creamier texture. It is a yummy way to start your day. It also would make a great snack.

Ingredients
1/3 C Old fashioned oatmeal
1 C water
1 T almond butter
2 tsp honey* optional
almond milk
1/4 C raspberries

Directions serves 1
1. Put medium saucepan on stove medium heat. Pour the oatmeal into the pan and stir a couple minutes. You will start to smell a nutty smell.
2. Then stir water and let it cook a couple minutes until it starts to thicken.
3. Stir in the almond butter and honey. Let cook a couple minutes.
4. Take off the heat and serve into bowl. Pour almond milk on top. Top with raspberries.

Naturally Sweetened Protein Drink

So I was craving something healthy for dinner but not feeling like eating the typical dinners I make. So I came up with this recipe. I love that It is naturally sweetened by fruit. When I was making it tonight and taking pictures of it I had Britney's 15 mos old with me. He recognized it was something he wanted to partake in. He started to say "Dink, Dink. " His persistence paid off and he got His "dink" He loved it. It made me happy he was craving something healthy. He is a busy little boy, and very cute. He has a sweet smile and disposition. This would be great on a hot Summer night (Easy clean up and doesn't heat up the kitchen) too, or anytime of the day.

Here is the cute little boy with his Daddy!

Ingredients
2 oranges peeled broken apart
1/4 C frozen raspberries
1/2 C frozen blueberries
1 frozen banana
1 C washed spinach
1 T hemp seed Bobs Red Mill
2 T chia
1 T flax seed
1/2 C water

Directions
1. Pour all the ingredients in the blender and let it whirl until nice and creamy. Enjoy!

Toasted Almonds and Coconut with Steel Cut Oats and Raspberries

Happy Memorial Weekend. I hope that you have time to honor those who have given much to find for our freedom. It is also a sweet time to honor friends and family that have moved on too. Honoring their lives as well.

I had fun making this cereal this morning. It was a fun wist on the oatmeal. The toppings I used would be yummy with yogurt as well. Having hot cereal for breakfast is one of my favorites. It starts me off right. Add some blueberries to it and you have a great patriotic breakfast.

Ingredients

2/3 C steel oats

1 C water

2 T ground flax

1/4 C almond milk

1 T honey

1/2 C unsweetened coconut flakes

1/3 C almonds chopped

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp honey

dash salt optional

1/3 C raspberries or berries of your choice

1 tsp honey

2 T chia

milk for on top

Directions serves 2-3

1. If possible soak the oats the night before in water. If not put the water and oats in a pot on medium high heat. Let it come to a boil.

2. Turn down the heat to medium low. Stir in the flax, almond milk and honey. Let cook until the oats are softened. Stirring occasionally.  In the meantime.

3. I used a flat skillet if you don't have one use a frying pan. Pour the coconut on the skillet and let it turn a pretty golden color. Take off the heat and set aside.

4. Pour on the almonds on to the hot skillet, oil, honey and *salt. Let them toast until light brown. Take off the skillet. Set them aside. 

5. Pour the berries on to the hot skillet with honey and chia. Stir them and heat them up until they thicken. Take off the heat and set aside.

6. Pour the oats into the bowls. Top with berries, nuts and then coconut. Pour on milk on top. Enjoy!

Raspberry Orange Ginger Swirl

Recipe Redux this month is spotlighting beverages. Have you been noticing a lot of drinks popping up in your Pinterest feed? Well, you want to add this one, too. Just as the name suggests, it's a lovely mix of frozen raspberries, oranges, and just a bit of ginger. It tastes like sunlight in the middle of winter.

Even my baby couldn't get enough of it. See?

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 1/2 C fresh orange juice
2 frozen bananas
1/4 tsp ginger
1 C frozen raspberries
1/2 C water

Directions
1. Blend together orange juice, bananas, and ginger. Pour into a small pitcher or liquid measuring cup.
2. Next, blend the raspberries and water together. (You don't have to clean out the blender prior to mixing.)
3. Pour some of the orange mixture into the two cups you'll be serving it in, until they are a little over half full. Pour the raspberry mixture evenly into both.
4. Pour the remaining orange mixture in the cups. Use a shish kebab stick (or whatever you have on hand) to gently blend the two together so the raspberry mixture shows through the sides of the cup. Serve immediately.
 You can also try this Mango Blueberry Swirl.

An InLinkz Link-up

Easy Raspberry Freezer Jam or Topping (healthy)

It is one of the most wonderful times of the year. I love making foods with fresh produce. I found these raspberries at the store. They were beautiful. I couldn't resist buying 2 flats. I came home and ate a cup of them fresh and then made the rest into jam. So yummy. I love raspberries. Raspberry jam is one of the best.You could also use this for syrup, topping, add to your smoothie. There are lots of possibilities. 

Ingredients:
Washed flat of raspberries
1 to 2 T lemon juice
4 T honey (sweeter if you desire)

Directions:
1. Pour all of the ingredients into the blender.
2. Pulse a couple times. Don't over blend.
3. Pour into freezer containers or zip locks.
4. It was so nice and thick without even adding thickener to it.
5. Put in freezer till ready to use.
6. I keep mine in the freezer sometimes in between uses. Enjoy a nice weekend! 

*Try this recipe with some of your raspberries too. 
 

Raspberry Peach Banana Smoothie (no sugar added).

It is warm around here. I am not going to complain because I love when the sun comes out and there is blue sky. It is fun to find ways to cool off. I have been enjoying the lake and sticking my feet in the river. I love water. It is so fun to enjoy the different activities of Summer. What are you doing to make it a great Summer.

This is another way to cool off by enjoying a smoothie and keeping it light at the same time. Frozen Fruit is a must in a smoothie if you want it nice and thick. :)

Ingredients

1 C almond milk
1 Cup  Sliced frozen peaches
1 C frozen raspberries
1 frozen banana
juice from 1/2 a lime
*If you want to make it green add a handful of spinach

Directions:
1. Pour in the milk first and then add the rest. Blend until smooth. 
* I couldn't leave out the raspberries. :)

Raspberry Mango Almond Coconut Crumble (gluten free)

Crumble

Yummy with a little ice cream

It is that wonderful time of year you can buy fresh raspberries. I love fresh raspberries. I found this recipe in the magazine and changed it a little. It was a yummy combination. It tasted great with a little natural vanilla ice cream. It also tasted good alone. I had some for lunch. :)
 I hope you got to honor the fathers in your life this weekend. My husband and I had both of Dads for dinner and one daughter. That was a nice treat. All of our other children were out of state. We missed them but, we had a very nice day.  I am surrounded by wonderful men in my life and I am grateful for that.

Ingredients:
2 fresh mangoes peeled and chopped up
4 T old fashioned oatmeal
4 T almond meal (ground up almonds)
3 C fresh raspberries
1/4 tsp almond extract
zest and juice from 1 lime
topping:
2/3 C unsweetened flakes coconut
1/2 C chopped almonds
5 T almond meal
5 T brown sugar or honey
1 T coconut oil
top off with dollop of cream or ice cream
and fresh raspberries

Directions: Serves 6 to 8. 

1. Heat oven to 400. Great and 8 X 8 pan.

2. In a bowl stir together gently the first 6 ingredients. Pour into greased pan.

3. In a small bowl fold together the topping with a fork. Spread on top of the filling.

4. Place in oven.  Bake for 10 min. Then cover with foil loosely and let it cook another 30 min.

5. Serve in bowls and eat plain or serve with ice cream or whipped cream and top with some more berries.

Whole Grain Strawberry Tart

This was a fun recipe to make. It was rewarding to hear and see my children's reactions. They were so excited about it. :) It was nice to incorporate some healthy changes to make it healthy, without sacrificing the flavor. It is fun to be able to use the strawberries while they are still in the store. I love to eat berries!

Ingredients:
Tart crust:
2 C whole grain flour ( I used spelt and kamut )
1/3 C powdered sugar or other dry sweetener
1/4 tsp salt
2/3 C coconut oil or butter

Filling:
6 C fresh cut up strawberries washed and cut into bite size pieces
2 C frozen raspberries
1/4 C honey
1 tsp Ultra gel or 2 tsp cornstarch

Directions:

1. Spray 11 1/4 " tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray.

2. In bowl pour in flour, salt and sugar. Cut in the oil, until it is all combined.

3. Pour into tart pan. Press with finger tips, making it even on the bottom and going up the sides.
Poke some holes in the bottom with a fork to prevent it from puffing up. Cover with plastic wrap and place pastry in the freezer for 15 min. It helps the pastry from shrinking while cooking.

4. Preheat oven to 425. Bake for 12-15 min. Till light golden.Cool on wire rack. Do not remove from pan till cooled.

5. Thaw out raspberries, and then pour in a mesh strainer that is over a bowl. Smash and stir the berries in the strainer to release the juice. I ended up with 1/2 C of juice. I put the remains of the raspberries in a Zip lock in the freezer to use in my smoothies.

6. Pour the 1/2 C juice into saucepan along with honey. Heat on low heat. Then add the ultra gel or cornstarch until thickened. Let cool a few minutes.

7. Pour the mixture over the strawberries. I just wanted a slight coating if you want more sauce you can double it.

8. Then remove tart from pan. I left the bottom piece of the pan on for extra support, not necessary though. Pour the strawberry mixture into the tart right before serving. (So it doesn't soften the tart too much.)

* You could also sprinkle powdered sugar, or a dollop of whipping cream. You could also spread a small layer of cream cheese mixed together with a little sweetener on the bottom prior to putting in the berries. There are a lot of possibilities.

Whole Grain Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Valentine's Day is one of our favorite holidays around here! I love thinking about the people I love and I feel like it means spring is coming soon. We decided to dedicate some recipes to the holiday of love this week. We declared yesterday a day of cooking and I got two of my daughters involved in the fun. And, less you think cooking always goes right in this house, only two of our four recipes actually worked. Boo. But we did have two successes.



Our Whole Grain Oatmeal Bars were one of those successes. They have a nice granola-y crunch that is satisfying and hearty.

Ingredients

1 C 6-grain rolled oats (or plain rolled oats if that's easier)
1 1/2 C rolled oats
2 1/2 C whole grain flour (I used a mixture of spelt and Kamut and oats, equal parts)
1 tsp baking powder
3/4 C coconut sugar (or your favorite sugar alternative)
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 C coconut oil, melted (or your fat of choice--the original recipe called for butter)
1 C raspberry preserves (or your flavor of choice) I had some frozen raspberry puree I used :)
1/2 C unsweetened flaked coconut

*A note about coconut oil and coconut sugar. They do not taste like coconut. They are simply fat and sugar alternatives that I feel are better for me.

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2. Combine dry ingredients in large bowl. Stir in vanilla and coconut oil until crumbly.

3. Set aside 1 C of crumb mixture and press the remaining amount evenly into a 9x13 baking pan.

4. Spread preserves over the crumb mixture. Mix coconut with the remaining crumb mixture and sprinkle over the preserves.

5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until coconut is lightly browned. Let cool before serving.