Peanut Butter and Jam Sandwich Bars

These are a fun tasty snack. They could also be a fun thing to eat for lunch in place of a sandwich. It is a yummy combination of flavors your will love. I love eating peanut butter and jam together on toast. If you love peanut butter and jam sandwiches you will love these. My grandchildren will love them too.


Ingredients

1 C old fashioned oatmeal
1 C spelt flour or whole grain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 C coconut oil
1/2 C honey
1 C creamy peanut butter (natural)
1 tsp vanilla
2 eggs
1 C fruit only (no sugar) jam  flavor of your choice

Directions

1. In a small bowl mix together oatmeal, flour, and baking powder. Set the bowl aside.
2. In a medium bowl beat together oil, honey, and peanut butter. Then beat in vanilla.
3. Beat in eggs one at a time. The mixture should be smooth and creamy.
4. Beat or stir in the dry ingredients into the peanut butter mixture until all combined.
5. In an 8 X 8 square pan Scoop in half of the dough. Smooth out on to the bottom of the pan.
6. Then drop spoonfuls of the jam on top of the dough in the pan and smooth out with the back of a spoon or a spatula.
7. Drop the remaining dough on top of the jam. In spoonfuls all over. Then spread gently with a butter knife or spatula. Try not to disturb the jam too much.
8. Place in heated oven. Cooking time 20-25 min. or until golden colored. Take out of the oven and let cool for 10 min. It gives the jam a chance to thicken up.
9. Cut into squares and serve. Store leftovers in air tight container.

Raspberry Freezer Chia Jam

I love being able to enjoy raspberries all year long. The store bought Jam just not capture the same flavor. The great thing in this recipe is you don't even cook the berries so they taste really fresh. So good. I enjoyed this on pancakes the other day. The chia is a perfect thickener. Enjoy!

Ingredients

1 lb raspberries fresh or frozen or any kind of berries

2 1/2 T chia seeds

3 T honey more if you want it sweeter

Directions

1. In a blender pulse berries leaving slightly chunky. Pulse more for smoother consistency. 

2. Add chia and honey and pulse a couple more times.

3. Pour into air tight containers that are freezer safe and put in fridge. Leave a little room on top for expansion. 

4. When ready to use take out of freezer and enjoy. 

Raspberry Jalapeño Jelly

I was looking for cooking inspiration at the store yesterday when I saw a jar of Raspberry Jalapeño Jam. I usually like Jalapeño jelly, and the idea of combining it with raspberries sounded particularly exciting. But, as usual, I don't buy things without checking the label first. Waa waa--the first ingredient listed was sugar. So I decided to make my own. 

This turned out to be easy to make and especially delicious. We poured some over cream cheese and ate it with some whole grain crackers. I'm still snitching bites as I write.

Ingredients
1/2 C water
1 C frozen raspberries
1 to 1 1/2 jalapeños (depending on how spicy you want it)
1 T honey
dash of salt

Greek yogurt cream cheese and  whole grain crackers

Directions

1. Slice the jalapeño in half. We left in the seeds and didn't feel like it was too spicy. If you don't tolerate spicy things well, only leave in half of the seeds. If you like it spicy, add in 1 1/2 jalapeños and leave in all the seeds. 
2. Put all the ingredients into a small saucepan. Turn on medium heat until you get a low boil and then reduce heat to low, stirring frequently.
3. Continue to stir frequently until mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Serve over cream cheese with crackers. 

Healthier options for Hostess or Holidays Giving for friends, family, and neighbors

Canned foods

 I heard a sweet story of someone bringing a bottle of canned cherries. (which I love) To a family after their mother died. It has been years since this event happened, but it still is a very clear memory for him. It was a very thoughtful gesture that reminded him of sweet family times. Every time I hear him tell the story it gives me a warm feeling

 If you have canned goods  you want to share this is a very thoughtful gift. That would mean a lot to those who receive them.

Apple Topping

Here is where you can find a recipe for cooked apples. That would be a great gift to give away. It is wonderful to eat plain. Would be great on pancakes or waffles or in muffins. There are lots of options. You could can them or just put them in containers that go in the fridge. 

Candied Nuts

Here is a fun idea. Giving your neighbor some candied or smoked nuts. You could also just give them plain nuts with nothing done to them. Nuts are always a treat in my book. They are a great thing to eat and to share.    

Homemade Fruit Topping or Jam

Here is a recipe for a healthier fruit topping or jam.You could use any kind of fruit. You could also can it if you don't want to make it a freezer jam. I used to love to go to my aunts she always had yummy freezer jams for breakfast. Foods can bring back so many fond memories.     

Homemade Granola

Here is a  yummy granola recipe. It would be a fun treat to package up and give away. A lot of people never make it. It could be eaten plain or in yummy parfaits. Some other granola options: raw granola   maple almond whole grain granola       
 and soaked granola.

Also mulling spices is fun too.

It is fun to think of fun healthy options to give to friends, family and neighbors. There are so many unhealthy options during the holidays it is nice to finds some healthy ones to share.  We can make the world a healthier place. Happy giving.

Healthy Sweet Pocket of Raspberry Jam Muffins (wholegrain)

What are you doing to enjoy your Summer. I having been on a mission to do something fun each day, before Summer vacation is over. Sometimes at the end of Summer I think of all the things that I wish I had done. So that is why I am working on doing something fun each day. It has been a lot of fun. I have created some impromptu gatherings that have been a lot of fun. It has been fun to enjoy family time and the great outdoors. I love to soak up all the outside time that I can. So what do you do in the Summer time when all the world is green ..? (from a song I sang at church when I was younger.) It has been fun to get peoples responses. Make the most of Summer it is slipping by way too fast.

I found a version of this recipe in a magazine and changed it up to make it healthy. It was a great way to use this. The berries tasted great in them. You could use any kind of berries. It had been a while since I had made muffins. It was a nice treat. 

Ingredients:

2 eggs

2 T honey (More if you want sweeter)

3/4 C of rice milk or any kind of milk

1/4 C coconut oil

2 C spelt flour

2 1/2  tsp baking powder

1/4tsp salt

1 1/4 C raspberries (replace with any kind of berry)

1/2 C raspberries preserves all fruit. (You could use any kind of berry)

Directions: Heat oven to 375  makes 12

1.Beat together in a bowl eggs, honey, milk and oil. Set aside 

2. Pour into a new bowl flour, baking powder, and salt. Fold in the wet mixture. 

3. Fold in berries until just mixed.

4. Scoop out one cup of batter and set aside.

5. Grease muffin tins. Pour in the remaining batter into the cups evenly distributing. 

6. Pour 1 tsp of preserves into the center of each muffin tin on top of the batter.

7. Then evenly distribute the 1 cup of batter on top of all the muffins. 

8. Place in hot oven and bake for 15 to 20 min. Cool on cooling rack. Enjoy!

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. 
 

Easy Frozen Strawberry Jam or Syrup (Healthy)

A couple of days ago I went into the store to find they were having strawberries on sale at $1.00 a lb for a flat. Thanks to California Farmers they were beautiful. I love strawberries. One of the tricks I have found to good berries is they smell good. These smelled good and they tasted wonderful. The best I have had all season. It makes a big difference to have fruit that is a natural sweetness then you don't have to add much sweetener. That makes me happy. This process could be used with any fruit you use for jam or syrup. You will have to adjust the sweetener according to how sweet the fruit is.

I really like using Ultra Gel as a thickener for all kinds of foods dressing, jam, syrups, gravies etc... The cool thing is that you don't have to heat up the food to use it. I found it at my local grocery store Maceys.

Ingredients:
10  C blended up strawberries or fruit
1-2 T fresh lemon juice
5 T honey* You could add more if you want it sweeter.
2 T ultra Gel * You could add more if you want it thicker.
5- pint plastic containers with lids

Directions: Makes 5 1 pint containers.
1. Pour all of the ingredients into the blender pulse until all combined. Don't over mix. 
2. Pour into pint size containers. Leave some room on the top for expansion. 
3. Put in the freezer until ready to use. 
4. Could be used as jam, syrup or a sauce topping. You could also just add it to your smoothie.  Enjoy!  

*I wash off the berries with water 1 to 2 T baking soda and about 1/2 to 1 cup vinegar and let it soak for a little bit. 
* I put the leftovers back in the freezer and pull it out again when I want some more.