Chocolate Carmel Corn (low sugar)

Did you know that popcorn is a great way to get fiber in your daily diet. Popcorn is a wholegrain. The problem is some of the unhealthy additives that can get added that make it a non healthy choice. I have enjoyed air popping the popcorn and adding a little coconut oil and salt and it makes a great snack. I have even enjoyed it plain for less calories. This is a fun way to eat it when you are feeling like a healthy treat option. It is low in sugar and tastes delicious. Great for an after school snack or a fun treat for the holidays coming up. I enjoyed combining two wonderful flavors carmel and chocolate for a great treat.

Ingredients

8 C popped popcorn
3 T coconut oil
salt to taste

Chocolate Carmel Sauce

1/4 C honey
1/4 C dark chocolate chips
2 T oil
2/3 C full fat coconut milk

Directions

1. Pour oil and salt to taste on warm popped popcorn.
2. In a saucepan pour in honey and chips and let melt on medium heat.
3. Stir in the oil and milk until all combined. Beat together with wire whisk.
4. Continue to stir on medium heat stirring constantly. It will thicken as you cook it.
5. You want to cook it to about * hard ball stage about 165 degrees.
6. Drizzle the mixture over the corn let sit for a few minutes and then toss.
7. Enjoy eating immediately.

*Hard ball stage. Fill a small bowl of water with cold water. Drop a small amount of chocolate carmel into the water, and it should form a soft ball in the water. It will feel like a soft ball when you touch it pliable but keeps its shape.

Parmesan Basil Popcorn is on Buzzfeed

Grain Crazy shared a link.

Posted by Britney Schetselaar Rule · 5 hours ago

We were featured on Buzzfeed this morning! Proud our Parmesan Basil Popcorn could be shared. It is delicious!

Community Post: 13 Crazy-Awesome Popcorn Recipes For Netflix Marathons

www.buzzfeed.com

These impressive recipes would make Olivia Pope proud. Start chomping while re-watching Season 3. Or OITNB . Or anything.

Kettle Corn

I have enjoyed eating kettle corn through the years. I was really excited when I found out how to make it at home. I have tried this recipe with a couple different kinds of oil. I used coconut oil today, but they are all good. I like the fact that popcorn has nutritional benefits, and that I can use less sugar when I make it at home. It is nice to make it yourself so you know what ingredients are in the recipe. Popcorn is one of the foods I gets requests for from my kids, its easy, and always a favorite.
Ingredients

2 T. coconut Oil or Olive oil
1 T. honey or sugar (You could use 2 T. of honey or sugar for sweeter version)
1/3 C Popcorn (I heard its good to store popcorn in the freezer)
salt to taste

Directions

1. Put medium pan on the stove I set my stove on 7 Med High
2. Put oil and honey or sugar in stir until it gets hot. A couple min. You may see a little stream of smoke come up.
3. Add the popcorn. I let it heat up for a minute.
4. Place the lid on the pan. Turn down the heat to med heat. Wait for it to pop let a few pop about seconds.. Shake pan about  5 seconds place back on heat and wait about 10 seconds. Then shake again. Continue the process until popping stops. 5. Take the pan off the stove holding the lid at the top. Shake the pan up and down 3 times.
5. Pour into bowl and do a couple shakes of salt and you are ready for a treat! :)

Chocolate Cherry Almond Popcorn (healthy)

Chocolate Cherry Almond Popcorn

It has been fun exploring the world of popcorn and all the possibilities that you can make with it. This recipe is a wonderful combination of yummy ingredients. Popcorn is a healthy snack and it is easy to prepare as well. So you can have fun creating your own versions too. It has been fun to send them as snacks for my family this week. :) Have a great weekend.  

Ingredients:

4 C popped corn air popped

4 T coconut oil melted

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/4 C dark chocolate chips

1/4 C dried cherries

1/4 to 1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 C chopped almonds * optional 

Directions:

1. Pour popcorn in a bowl. In a small bowl mix oil, and extract together. Then pour oil mixture over the popcorn. Toss in the chips, cherries and nuts*. Salt to desired taste preference. Enjoy!  

Apple Pie Popcorn (healthy)

This is a way to enjoy apple pie without all of the calories.:) It was a fun snack and treat at the same time. I love all the spices that are in it, so that  makes it even better.

Ingredients: 
4 T coconut oil melted
1/4 tsp vanilla * optional
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp allspice
4 C popped corn (air popped)
1/4 tsp to 1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 to 3/4 C dried apples
*fresh nutmeg grated on top if desired


Directions:
1. Mix the oil, vanilla*, and spices together in a small bowl.

2. In a medium size bowl pour in popcorn. Toss the coco0nut  oil mixture into the popcorn.

3. Shake in the salt. Stir in the apples. Grate fresh nutmeg on top if desired.

(I didn't even miss the sugar!)  

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! 

Almond Joy Popcorn (healthy)

It's February . . . and love is in the air. . . . Oh wait, or is it chocolate? :) Recipe Redux decided to do the theme of chocolate. While moderation is the key with all sweet foods, you can pair chocolate with healthy foods to make a snack that both satisfies cravings and gives you a health benefit. We decided to pair our chocolate with popcorn, a la a favorite little candy bar of ours, Almond Joy.

Here are some of the health benefits of popcorn:

• Popcorn is considered a whole grain, so it has some of the same nutritional benefits as brown rice or whole wheat.
• Popcorn has a lot of healthy antioxidants to protect you from free radicals.
• Popcorn contains B vitamins that can give you an extra boost of energy.
• Air-popped popcorn only contains 31 calories per cup. (At least, before you add anything.)

You can also check out our Parmesan Basil Popcorn that we posted yesterday. We've declared this week Popcorn Week on our blog, so check back later for some of our other favorite unconventional combinations. They're delicious!

Almond Joy Popcorn

Ingredients
4 C air popped popcorn
2 Tbsp coconut oil (you could also use a different kind of your choice)
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/3 C coconut
1/2 C dark chocolate chips
1/4 C chopped almonds
1/8 to 1/4 tsp salt

Directions
1. Melt coconut oil. Add almond extract to oil (carefully if your oil is hot!)
2. Slowly pour oil over popcorn, tossing as you go.
3. Top popcorn with coconut, toss again.
4. Add dark chocolate chips and almonds. You don't really need to toss it at this point, because the almonds and chips are so heavy they will fall to the bottom as you eat it.
5. Enjoy immediately!

*If desired you could shake on a little powdered sugar to make it sweeter.




Check out some of our other Redux friends' posts for this month! There are lots of healthy chocolate treats!

Parmesan Basil Popcorn healthy)

I went over to my mom's last week and we had a lot of fun experimenting with popcorn. It can be a healthy treat if you don't put too much butter or salt on it. It's a whole grain and it can actually have a variety of flavors. Plus, it's simple to make!

So we decided to call this popcorn week!

Our first installment is this awesome Parmesan Basil Popcorn. It tastes like really good Italian bread with the spices. I particularly liked the pop of the fresh basil. This would be a great dish as an appetizer for a fancy Italian meal.

Check back later this week for these other popcorn flavors:

Almond Joy Popcorn
Citrus Delight Popcorn
Aloha Tropical Popcorn
and
Apple Pie Popcorn

But now for the main feature of today . . .

Parmesan Basil Popcorn

Ingredients
4 C freshly air-popped popcorn
2 Tbsp coconut oil (or another oil of your choice)
1/4 C finely grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 tsp salt (you can always add more to your taste)
3 to 4 Tbsp chopped basil

Directions
1. Melt the coconut oil and slowly pour over the popcorn, tossing as you go.

2. Add the cheese, salt, and basil. Toss again.

3. Serve immediately.


Come back tomorrow for Almond Joy Popcorn for our Recipe Redux of the Month!

Parmesan Popcorn

I hope that you had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. I love Mother's Day! My husband and children fix an amazing dinner. The best part is the love that goes into it. It is a happy time. I got to be with all of my children except for one. I loved a wonderful phone call from her. :) I LOVE being a Mom! It is a wonderful part of my life.

Popcorn reminds me of Spring. We sing a wonderful song. "Popcorn popping on the apricot trees." My grandson loves it and so do I. Popcorn can be a great treat if you put the right ingredients on it. Hear is another recipe we love.

My daughter said this recipe tastes like bread sticks. :) It is a lot faster to make than bread sticks.

Ingredients:

8 C freshly air popped popcorn
1/8 C grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/4 tsp dill weed
3 to 4 T olive oil
pinch of salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Pour Popcorn in bowl.

2. In a small bowl pour in spices and cheese. Stir until all combined.

3. Drizzle the oil on to the popcorn. Start out slow you can always add more. Toss to get the oil on the popcorn.

4. Sprinkle cheese mixture over the popcorn and toss a couple time. Add salt and pepper to your preference.

Now all you need is a good movie. =) Enjoy!