Granola and Berries (Gluten Free option)

I think Breakfast is one of my favorite meals. I love when I add berries to what I am eating. It brings me so much joy to see all the beautiful colors plus I love berries and the added nutrition they add to the meal. Yum! Enjoy a great way to start your day.  It also makes a wonderful snack. 


It is wonderful to be enjoying Summer and all the fun that goes along with it. We had a wonderful family reunion with 90 of us. We love our family. It is so nice to have so many people that love you and are their to support you. I also can't get enough of this sunshine and blue sky. I love the warm nights with the slight breeze. I think that is what it will be like in heaven. 



Ingredients

Granola

2/3 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil

3 cup  old fashioned oatmeal (gluten free)
1 cup almonds chopped up coarse
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1 cup sunflower seeds
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 tespoon fresh ground nutmeg

* dried fruit optional raisins, dates, craisins etc..

Directions: Heat oven to 250
1. Melt the honey and oil together in a small bowl. On the stove or in the microwave. Set it aside.

2. Put all the dry ingredients in a bowl together. Pour in the honey mixture. Stir till all combined. 

3. Put a parchment paper on 1 cookie sheet.  Pour the granola on to cookie sheet. It will be thick. 

4. Place in the oven. Bake 30 min. Stir a couple times during cooking time.  

5. Let cool on the counter and store in an airtight container. 

6, Pour granola into a bowl add fresh berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries) and then pour on  almond milk or cashew milk poured on top.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Nutty Bites

 

 We had a wonderful weekend listening to General Conference. It is always uplifting. We had one of our daughters and her husband come in town for a visit. That was a treat. She is expecting and looks so cute. We had a big juicy turkey with the whole gang. So much to be thankful for. It was a day of Thanksgiving. 

 

 I  love nuts and have fun creating new snacks with them. This is one that I hope you will enjoy. I put in quinoa and chia for extra nutrition. Yum!

1 cup unsalted cashews
1/2 cup unsalted pecans
2/3 cup Bobs Red Mill old fashioned oatmeal (gluten free if desired)
1 C unsweetened coconut flakes
2/3 cup Quinoa flakes
1/4 cup chia
1 C honey

Directions

1. Grease a square pan. 

2. Pulse together all the ingredients except the honey. Keep it slightly chunky. 

3. In a small saucepan pour in honey.  Turn heat to medium high heat and let honey come to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until it reaches 240 degrees. Stir it often. It will turn into a nice thick carmel. Take off the heat. 

4. Pour over the nut mixture and stir until all combined. 

5. Scoop mixture into pan and press down with rubber spatula until all even. 

6. Let harden in the fridge. Cut into squares. I then put them in a ziplock in the fridge so they were ready when I wanted a snack. Yum

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Apple Sandwiches (Gluten Free)

I love this idea of using the apples instead of the bread for a fun change. You can get creative as you can add fun toppings to them. I think they are a great snack. I also think they would be perfect for a fun thing to make for Valentines.

Ingredients

apples washed
peanut butter or any kind of nut butter
chia
raisins or  dark chocolate chips or ?

Directions

1. Slice thin slices off the apple on the sides until you get to the core. Then slice the other side of the apple.
2. Spread 1 T of peanut butter on an apple slice, sprinkle on 1/2 tsp chia then top with raisins or chocolate chips. Put a slice of apple on top and tada you have a fun apple sandwich.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars (no added sugar)

I have been thinking about a new thought lately after reading a cute story and some other experiences I have had recently. The idea is "Happiness is something you decide ahead of time." I love that thought. It means to me that my happiness needs to be based on what is in my head not on the outside things that are happening around me. I know it takes work to do that. I am still working on it. So prior to my feet hitting the floor in the morning I am going to decide to be happy. I love the idea of working at improving on this. The benefits are that I will be happy each day. :)

These are fun little bars I made up the recipe yesterday. They are fast and easy to make and they have no added sugar. They are a fun little snack.

Ingredients

1 C dark chocolate chips
1/2 C natural peanut butter
2 T coconut oil
2 1/2 C old fashioned oatmeal

Directions

1. Place a sauce pan on the stove and heat to medium low heat. Pour in the chips, peanut butter and oil. Stirring constantly until all melted.
2. Take the pan off the heat stir in the oatmeal until it is all combined with the chocolate mixture.
3. Grease a 9 X 9 Pan and pour in the mixture. Smooth and flatten with a spatula.
4. Place it in the fridge. Let harden 30 min to 1 hour. Cut into squares.
5. Store leftovers in airtight container in the fridge.

Cherry Chocolate Caramel Granola Bars

This is a healthy snack. That is full of protein, antioxidants, low is sugar. My daughter says she doesn't like cherries and she really liked these. She even packed some for work. These are healthy enough to eat for breakfast too.  

Caramel

Ingredients

1 C canned coconut milk (full fat)
1/4 C honey
2 T coconut oil
1/2 C chia seeds
1/2 C unsweetened shredded coconut
2 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 C dried cherries chopped up small
1/2 C dark chocolate chips chopped in small pieces

Directions   makes 16

1. Pour into small saucepan milk, honey, and oil . Stir on medium heat. You may want to have on medium low part of the time. Be careful to not let it burn.  Cook and stir often. It should be cooked down until it becomes very thick. Like the picture above. It is soft ball stage.
2. In a medium sized bowl pour in chia, coconut, oatmeal, and cherries. Stir together until all combined.
3. Pour hot caramel over the oatmeal mixture. Stir until completely mixed together.
4. Fold in the chips.
5. Pour into square parchment lined pan or greased. Press mixture down with the spatula.
6. Place in fridge to harden. Cut into 16 squares. Store in air tight container in the fridge.

Strawberries and Cream (Coconut)

This is a great time of year to eat fresh strawberries. My daughters just went to a rodeo and they served strawberries and cream. I love eating fresh strawberries. I have been enjoying them on my hot cereal too. 

This is a healthier version of strawberries and cream. It is also great for those who can't eat dairy. I have a couple grand kids who can not handle dairy very well. So this is a great way to enjoy it.

 Ingredients

1 Can of full fat coconut milk (Put in fridge the night before.
1/2 T honey
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 lb of cut up strawberries

Directions

1. Take can of milk out of the fridge. Scoop out into a bowl only the thickened part. Do not get any of the liquid at the bottom. (Use the liquid at the bottom for smoothies or just drink it.

2. Beat with a hand mixer until it forms soft peaks. Then fold in the honey and vanilla. Place in the fridge.

3. Place cut up berries in 4 bowls and scoop a spoonful of cream on top of the berries. Top with a few cut up berries on top. 

4. Serve or store in fridge until ready to serve. Make right before eating.

5. The cream will stay good about a week in an airtight container in the fridge. Enjoy!

Oatmeal Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars

So it has been an good weekend. Our 5th child has graduated from college our daughter Deanna. We are so pleased at her hard work and efforts that helped her complete that task. She is beginning a new chapter with no homework. She is looking forward to that. It has been fun celebrating with her. It is really crazy to have 5 kids done with college. We only have 2 more to go. :) Make it a great weekend.

It is fun to come up with more recipes for yummy bars. There is a list below of 7 more yummy recipes for whole grain bars.  Here is one that I made today. It is a winner because they have great ingredients in them. I kept it healthier as an extra bonus. It would make a great addition to your breakfast, snack, or as a dessert.

Ingredients

1 1/2 C spelt flour or whole grain flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 C old fashioned oatmeal
1/3  C coconut oil
1/3 C peanut butter
1/2 C honey
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1/2 C dark chocolate chips

Directions

1. In a medium bowl measure flour, soda, salt, and oatmeal and pour into bowl. Stir around with a whisk or spoon. Set the bowl aside.

2. In another medium bowl blend together the oil, peanut butter, honey, and vanilla. Stir with a spoon until mixture is all creamy.

3. Blend in the eggs one at a time until the mixture is a nice creamy consistency.

4. Fold in the the dry ingredients into wet ingredients. Blend until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Pour into an 8 X 8 Square pan that has been greased or line with parchment paper. ( I like ceramic ones for whole grains. I think the baked item turns out better.)

6. Place the pan in hot oven. Bake for about 20 to 25 min. or until done. Cool on wire rack and cool, Cut them when they are all cooled. Enjoy!


Here are some more bars:


Moist Oatmeal Bars

Oatmeal chocolate bars

Moist Wholegrain Pumpkin Bars

Whole Grain Date Bars

Whole Grain Date Apricot Bars

Whole Grain Fruit Bars

Whole Grain Raspberry Oatmeal Bars

Chocolate Cherry Oatmeal Cookies

These were an effort to make a granola-bar-like cookie. They are healthy and a treat! They would make a great addition to a school or work lunch--a touch of sweetness without the guilt.

Ingredients

1 1/3 C coconut oil
3/4 C honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
2 eggs
1/4 C almond butter
4 C whole wheat flour (I used kamut flour.)
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1 C rolled oats
1 C dried fruit (I used dried cherries. You could also use raisins.)
1 C shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 C chocolate chips (optional)


Directions

1. Melt together honey and coconut oil until it's creamy. Combine with all other ingredients in a large bowl.

2. Form into 1-inch balls and place on cookie sheet. Flatten gently.

3. Bake for 10 minutes at 250 degrees Fahrenheit.

Whole Grain Blender Waffles with Berries

Blender waffles with Berries

This is a fun idea for a fast and yummy breakfast or snack. I loved being able to used the mixed grains in them as well. They had a great consistency and flavor. I served them at a class I taught and they really liked them. That is always a good thing. :) I hope you enjoy them as well.   

Ingredients:

1 ½ c. grains wheat or I used 3/4 C Spelt and 3/4 C Kamut

2 ¼ c. warm water & ¼ c. dry powdered milk (or 2 ¼ c. milk)

3 eggs

1 t. salt

1 T. honey

1/4 C ground flax* optional 

1 T baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/3 C oil

1/2 C Whole Grain flour (I used a Spelt mixture pf spelt, quinoa, brown rice and amaranth)

1 tsp cinnamon *optional

1/4 to 1/2 C Water to make it the right consistency
Berries for on top

Directions:

1. Pour grains, water and powdered milk into the blender. Let it blend 4 min or until smooth. Then just add the reaming ingredients (Except for the additional water).  Blend for about 2 more minutes till smooth.

2. Let the mixture sit for about 5-10 min to let it rest. Add additional water 1/4 C at a time to get to the right consistency. Blend in blender till all combined. 

3. Pour on to greased waffle iron or skillet and cook until they are done. 

4. Serve with berries. Yum! :)   

Golden Potato Vegetable Soup

I was riding in the car today and heard them talking about soups on the radio. I love eating soups of all kinds. I like to incorporate a lot of different vegetables into them. It's a great way to get the family to eat vegetables. :) They started talking about a potato leek soup and I couldn't resit trying it out. It is a perfect meal for a winter night. We enjoyed it. I served it with homemade tortillas, that I made into quesadillas. It was a great meal!


This is what the finished product looked like. I even made my own vegetable broth for the base. You can do that, or buy it already made at the store. Hooray for soup!

Ingredients:
3 C leek, chopped
4-5 C gold Yukon potatoes, cut in cubes
3 C vegetable broth*
3 C water
2 tsp thyme
small bunch of fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
2 T olive oil
1 T butter

Directions:

1. In big quart pan pour in oilve oil and butter. Turn on to medium heat. Add the leek and let simmer a couple minutes. (Make sure you wash the leek in all the nooks and crannies.)

2. Scrub the potatoes and leave the peels on. Cut them in to cubes. (I love the cooked skins on yukon potatoes--they aren't even noticeable.) Add to the leeks.

3. Pour in the water, broth, salt, pepper, and thyme. Let cook until potatoes are soft. About 20 minutes. Put on the lid. I left it on low till ready to eat. I added the fresh parsley about 5 min before serving. Enjoy!

*I made homemade broth by putting about 5 C water, 3 peeled carrots, half an onion (cut up), garlic clove. salt and pepper and simmered it for about an hour. Then poured the whole mixture into the blender. This made extra broth than needed for the recipe. I put the extra in the freezer for later.