Creamy Peppermint Truffles (healthier)

These are fun easy truffles for the holiday. I made them healthier by adding coconut milk instead of whipping cream. They are delicious treat for this time of the year without the guilt. Peppermint and chocolate are a favorite flavor combination at our house. You can either roll them in crushed nuts or candy canes. 

Ingredients

1 C dark chocolate chips or bar
2/3 C canned coconut milk
5T coconut oil
2tsp vanilla
1 tsp peppermint oil or peppermint extract
Roll in cocoa,  or finely chopped nuts, crushed candy canes

Directions   makes about 8

1. In a small saucepan on medium low heat pour in chocolate, milk, and oil. Stir until all melted and nice and smooth.
2. Take off the heat and stir in the vanilla and peppermint oil.
3. Pour into a metal loaf pan and let cool in the fridge until thickens.  
4. Take bowl out of fridge. Rub some coconut oil on your clean hands for easier handling.
5. Scrape with the side of a spoon the chocolate until you get enough for a small ball. Roll into a ball with your greased hands.
6. Put cocoa, nuts or crushed candy in a small bowl and roll the ball into the topping of your choice. I think cocoa is the best. 
7. Place in air tight container and place in fridge to harden.

Peanut Butter Fudge (Low sugar)

This is super easy fudge. There are only 4 ingredients.  It is also low in sugar. It tastes creamy and delicious. You will love it. Great treat for the holidays. Who can resist chocolate and peanut butter.  Happy Holidays.

Ingredients

1 C dark chocolate chips
2 T coconut oil
1 T honey for vegan add maple syrup
2 T natural peanut butter

Directions  made about 8 pieces

1. Place chips and oil in a bowl and place in microwave and let them cook until they are all melted. Don't over cook. It took about a minute.
2. Take out of the microwave and stir in honey and peanut butter while it is still hot. Stir until all creamy and smooth.
3. Pour into a greased container. I used a small load pan. That is about 5 3/4 long and 3 1/4 inch wide.
4. Place pan in the fridge. It hardened in about 30 min. Cut into small bite size pieces.
5. Store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge. Yum!
* Double the recipe if you want to make more.

Fruit and Nut Chocolate Bites (no added sugar)

These are inspired after eating the chocolate cherry Kind Bars. They are so expensive to buy and so I thought it would be fun to make my own healthy version of them. No added sugar either. You make them ahead and have them when ever you want them for a lot less money. Mission accomplished! Great little healthy snack. 

Ingredients

3/4  C dark chocolate chips

1 T coconut oil

1 C dried fruit (I used  1/2 C cherries and  1/2 C pomegranates) 

2 T coconut oil

5 T chia *optional

1 C cashews unsalted

1 C almonds unsalted

1/4 C dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a small bowl place chips and oil. Put in microwave for 1 minute and then stir. Then put back in for 1 min. Stir again, and place in fridge to thicken a little. 

2. In blender pour all of the rest of the ingredients. pulse and stir. I left the nuts a little chunky. 

3. Scoop and roll into balls. 

4. Dip into chocolate and place on greased surface or non stick surface. 

5. Place in fridge to harden. 

6. Store in airtight container. Enjoy!

Raw Granola

Thank you Ashlee for sharing this with me. This is a great way to satisfy your craving for an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie in a healthier way. It has the wonderful texture of cookie dough. It can be eaten with milk or plain. I would put this in the treat category, but it is a healthier treat. :) It is a great way to get your family to eat oatmeal. It got gobbled up by my family.

Ingredients:
1/2 C honey
1/2 C coconut oil melted
1/2 tsp salt * optional
1 C unsweetened coconut flakes
1 C almonds chopped
4 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 tsp almond extract *optional
1 C dark chocolate chips (* or raisins)

Directions:
1. Pour all the ingredients into a mixer except the chips. Mix until combined.
2. Pour in the chips and stir until just combined. Eat immediately or store in an airtight container to eat later. 
Enjoy!

*If you want a version with fewer calories you can cut the honey and oil down to 1/3 C for each. It tried it. It tastes good just a drier version, and it doesn't clump as much.  If you are are adding milk to it for cereal, the the drier version will work great..   

Healthy Raw Pumpkin Seed Treats

Pumpkin Seed Treats

Pumpkin Seeds 

Well sometimes I feel a little nutty. Like the time I bought this 25 lb bag of pumpkin seeds. I had to kind of smile at myself. They will get eaten I promise. I do love pumpkin seeds. I mix a little bit of sunflower seeds with my pumpkin seeds and eat a handful or two every day. I love all the health benefits they have to offer. Here is some information I found about them.  I was intrigued recently to read about turning the pumpkin seeds into flour. I decided to give it a whirl.

First important information. Don't grind the pumpkin seeds in your grinder. At least mine got all jammed up. I was able to get it to work again but, I would not recommend it. :{  (My wheat grinder said not to grind oily seeds. I just took a chance. Not a good idea.) Grind them in a food processor or blender instead..

These were tasty little treats. When my picky  eater grandson eats one I know they must be Good. :) They are a great energy snack.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 C Pumpkin seed flour (I used raw unsalted)
2 T honey
2 T  melted coconut oil
1 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 C combination of whole sunflower seeds and pumpkin
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 T cocoa *optional
1/2 dark chocolate chips 

Directions: made about 8 to 10 
1. Blend together pumpkin flour, honey, oil.
2. Stir in the remaining ingredients. 
3. Form into balls and eat or store them in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer.

Almond Butter Treats (Raw)

These are another one of my creations. I have made a lot of different versions. It is fun to experiment and come up with something new. I shared some of these with some friends and they were a hit. So I thought I would pass along the recipe to you. I like to store them in the freezer in a zip lock or air tight freezer container. Then they are ready when ever you want a quick snack. They are very satisfying to me, and I feel like I am eating something healthy too. You really can't go wrong when you combine these yummy ingredients. :)

Ingredients:
5-6 dates (softened) You can soak them ahead of time
1/4 C almond butter or peanut butter
1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/3 C pumpkin seeds unsalted
1/3 C cashew pieces unsalted
2 T coconut oil

Directions:
1. Make sure the dates are soft. You can put them in the microwave with a little water for 30 seconds.If you haven't soaked them. 
2. Pour all the ingredients into the blender and pulse a couple seconds and  stir it and continue the same process until it reaches the desired consistency.
3. Pour the mixture into a bowl and form into balls. Put in the fridge or freezer to let harden. You can eat them soft too. Enjoy!

Here are some other ones:

1. Almond cocoa balls
2. Almond Coconut treats
3. Power Balls

Aloha Tropical Popcorn (healthy)

Aloha! Today we are taking you to Hawaii with this wonderful popcorn flavor. That does sound wonderful right now. :)  I love the tropical flavors they make a fantastic flavor combination with popcorn. The dried fruit adds just the right sweetness to it. It is wonderful to be able to make quick and easy snacks. I have been sending with family to go in  their lunches this week. Aloha!

Ingredients:
4 C Popcorn (air popped)
4 T coconut oil melted
1 T fresh orange juice
1/4 C finely shredded  unsweetened coconut or the bigger shreds would be good too.
1/4 C dried fruit (mix of pineapple, mango, papaya, bananas, berries) pick your favorite combo
1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt w/ iodine or to your taste preference.

Directions:
1. In a small bowl mix coconut oil, and orange juice together.
2. In a larger bowl pour in the popcorn. Pour the coconut oil  mixture over the popcorn and toss.
3. Toss in the fruit,coconut and salt.
4. Enjoy! 

Mixed Grain Crackers

This is what the ball of dough looked like as it was resting.
Homemade crackers any one?


This is what the ball of dough looked like.

I am always trying to find a healthy cracker. Some are more on the healthy side but can be expensive. This is an alternative way to eat some healthy crackers. They are more filling so you won't go through them as fast. :) It was fun to be able to incorporate a lot of grains into them as well. You could just use wheat flour instead of the mixed grains.
Ingredients:
1 1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal
3/4 C spelt flour
3/4 C kamut
1/2 C ground nuts I used almonds
1/4 C rice flour
1/4 C buckwheat flour
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 T ground flax
1 to 2 T honey depending on desired sweetness.
2/3 C plain yogurt, kefir or butter milk or water
* optional 1 tsp cinnamon and 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg or ? herbs would be great!

Directions:
1. Whisk together all the dry ingredients in a bowl. Then slowly fold in yogurt &, honey. Knead with your hands or spatula.

2. Rub with oil all over it. Cover with plastic and let rest for an hour or up to 24 hours.

3. I rubbed oil on it again, and rolled out on pressed it thin on a cookie sheet. Then I scored it in the sizes I wanted it. I did about a 3" square, and then into a triangle.

4. Bake in a preheated oven set at 350. Till desired texture. About 18 min. (Then they broke apart into triangles.) Take off of cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. They will continue to cook if you leave on the pan.

5. Store in an airtight container.

* You can either make these on the sweeter side or add some herbs and make them less sweet.

*Great with Hummus! Yum! I like the nuts in them too.

Nutmeg and Quinoa, Amaranth and Buckwheat Cereal

I have been very interested in getting fresh nutmeg. Fresh always adds a better flavor in spices. I have seen it mentioned in recipes and was curious about it. In my search for looking for it, I finally found it at Sunflower market. It was in a rack with other spices that come in cellophane bags. I was so excited to finally be able to try it.

To use it, all you do is take a little zester, the kind you would use for zesting an orange, and rub the nut over it. It's that easy!

The first thing I tried it in was some hot cereal. It added a wonderful flavor, and it smells so good. If you don't like the flavor of nutmeg you will not like it, but if you do like nutmeg you will love it. :) The benefit to using spices is it adds a great flavor, and you can use less sweetener. I am excited to add it to some other foods.
Some interesting health benefits that could happen, eating nutmeg in moderation.
1. Aides in digestion.
2. Anti-inflammatory
3. Improve blood circulation which can boost brain activity
4. Boost in the function of the heart.
5. Works as a detox and can stones from forming in your kidneys.
6. Promotes the the production of serotonin in your body, which can help you relax and sleeping better.
7. Can eliminate bacteria in your mouth and help you from having bad breath.. It is an ingredient found in toothpaste sometimes.

"Some like it hot some like it cold....." I love this Cereal! I had it yesterday hot, and today I had some leftovers cold. It was yummy both ways. With the spices in it, and the texture it kind of reminded me of a rice pudding. So very good! It has a lot of texture to it, and it is really healthy too.

Ingredients:
3 C water
1/3 C unsweetened almond milk and a little extra to pour on top
1/3 C quinoa
1/3 C buckwheat
1/3 C amaranth
1/3 C coconut oil
1 tsp cinnamon
2 to 3 T honey
1/4 tsp grated nutmeg or 1/2 tsp dried (featured spice) Zester worked great!
*Optional 1/3 C raisins, craisins, dates, or any dried fruit.

Directions: serves 4

1. Boil the water then stir in all the ingredients except the raisins or dried fruit. Turn down heat to low and let cook till the grains are all softened. Put on the lid. It may take about 10 min. Add more water if needed.

2. Then add the fruit and stir it in. Serve into bowls and pour a little almond milk on top. Enjoy!


* For extra added nutrition you can soak the grains overnight or even 30 min before cooking.

Almond Oatmeal Jumjills

If you have followed my blog much you know I like different kind of power balls. These are some from the past that I have made. I think it is a great size for a snack, and it is loaded with healthy goodness. I like that they are filling and help me curb my hunger. The other thing that is wonderful is that I love eating nuts, so this is a wonderful way to them too. It is a great alternate to some other snacks out there.
Ingredients: Makes 10 balls depending on the size you make them.
1/4 C dates
1/4 C water
1 C almonds
1/8 C sunflower seeds
1/8 C pumpkin seeds
1/4 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/4 C shredded unsweetened coconut
1/4 C coconut oil
2 T sesame seeds
2 T chocolate chips (dark)
1/4 tsp almond extract or vanilla
1tsp cinnamon *optional


Directions:
1. In a small bowl pour in water and dates, and set aside.

2. In a blender mix all the other ingredients. I use my Bosch, and it chops it up just fine. If you don't have a powerful blender, or food processor you could mix it up in smaller groups of ingredients. Then you could mix it together. Then pour into a bowl.

3. Then blend the dates and water in a food processor or blender. Then pour into bowl with the other nut mixture. Form into balls. I then store them in my freezer or fridge in a zip lock bag, and they harden up. Then they are ready to eat when you are ready. :)

Other snacks: 1. Nuts and oats healthy snack
2. Almond cocoa balls
3. Almond Coconut treats