Strawberry shortcake monkey bread cupcakes recipe review

Strawberry Shortcake Monkey Bread Cupcakes...wow, that's a mouthful! A mouthful of yumminess! These "cupcakes" are gluten free and grain free, and can also be made sugar and dairy free!!! You would absolutely never know these are gluten free. They are just that good. The whole recipe can be found over at Real Sustenance. I made some very minor changes and I'll tell you what I did but go over and check out her blog because it's great! Especially if you are gluten/grain/dairy/sugar free!!! I've made these twice now (in the same week) and everyone is requesting I make them again.

The recipe says it makes 10 "cupcakes" (though I don't really find these to be very cupcake like, more muffin like) but I used a regular muffin tin and was able to get 12. It would be great to be able to double the recipe (which I haven't tried yet) but almond flour is not cheap my friends. Which brings me to the next thing...

The second time I made them I used flour I made from grinding up sunflower seeds in my vitamix. These still came out GREAT with a slightly different taste since you can really taste the sunflower seeds. I also have heard that mixing sunflower seed flour with baking powder or soda at a certain ratio can turn it green. When these first came out of the oven they were not green. After sitting for a little while they maybe had a slight green tinge, but was only noticeable because we were looking for it.

I used 1/2 ts of salt both times instead of 1/4 ts. 1/4 ts just didn't seem like enough. They were not at all salty, so I highly recommend that.

I used butter and cane sugar but there's options in the original recipe for not using either if that's something you avoid.

The second time I made them I forgot the powdered sugar glaze and it wasn't missed, so skip it if you like.

Overall these were great and I will continue to make them. Thank you realsustenance.com for this amazingly healthy recipe.

I think I may try blueberries next time...though that completely changes the name of them ;)

Cheese Stuffed Baby Peppers

These little baby peppers are so delicious and easy to make. Thanks to our long time family friend, Lori, for the great idea! This is a very versatile recipe. You can use any combination your heart desires. My favorite is mozzarella, Parmesan, and jack. I've also used cheddar. You just toss the cheese with salt, pepper, fresh chopped garlic (though I've used dried minced garlic when I didn't feel like chopping) and any other herb you would like. Great appetizer, snack, or side dish! My kids gobble these up! They can be made on a grill or in the oven with a pepper rack, or in the oven packed in a oven safe dish (I've used round pyrex dishes and packed them in there so they can all stand up. You just want to make sure the sides of the dish are taller than the peppers. The pepper rack is really awesome for this, highly recommended.)

Cheese Stuffed Baby Peppers
by Amanda @ Natural and Organic Lifestyle

1 lb baby bell peppers, organic
Approximately 1 lb of cheese, any combination  you like (parm, moz, jack, cheddar, etc)
3 cloves of garlic, minced, organic
Salt to taste (I use about 1/2 ts)
Pepper to taste (again I use about 1/2 ts)
TS or to taste of any herb you like, I've used thyme, parsely, and basil

Shred cheese and toss with salt, pepper, garlic, and herbs. Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove seeds. Stuff with cheese to the top and place in pepper rack or oven safe dish. Repeat for all the peppers. If using a pepper rack and your pepper is too small for the hole (also keep in mind they will get soft when cooking and will squish a little) stick a toothpick through the pepper across the hole to keep it in. Place on grill and cook until cheese is melted. Or place in oven at 350 degrees (though 400 works too if you're cooking something else at the same time, very forgiving) for 10-20 minutes until cheese is melted. Let cool slightly, the cheese will be hot, then serve!

I hope you enjoy these as much as we do!

Fall and Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

Fall is here in all it's glory! Beautifully colored leaves are everywhere.
Scroll down for some pictures of fall and a recipe for perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds.

 This was from a recent trip to a pumpkin farm on our third boys 5th birthday! A wonderful group of our homeschooling friends joined us for all the fun. There was tons to do, a corn maze, giant slide...

And of course, PUMPKINS!!!
Here's Jake, our newly 5 year old =)














Perfectly roasted pumpkin seeds, YUM!

These are actually squash seeds, but they work too!

Perfectly Roasted Pumpkin Seeds
by Amanda @ Natural Organic Lifestyle

Scoop out your pumpkin and separate the guts from the seeds.
Proceed to have a pumpkin gut fight.
Clean up said fight.
Back to the seeds.
Rinse seeds very well in a strainer.
Bring a pot of water to a boil.
Add about a ts of salt.
When boiling, dump in your seeds.
Boil for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
Strain seeds and lightly pat dry. (They don't have to be super dry, just not dripping)
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread seeds out on it.
Toss seeds with a little olive oil.
Sprinkle with salt and seasonings of choice.
My favorite combo is onion salt and garlic powder, YUM! But cayenne and salt is good too. There are so many choices! Or you can just do salt.
Bake for 10 minutes.
Stir.
Bake another 10 minutes.
Stir and check for doneness. Make sure the seeds inside aren't burning. You want the outside just browned.
If needed, bake longer but check every 5 minutes or so.
Baking time can vary depending on your oven.

Enjoy fall in all it's beauty and yumminess!

What are your favorite fall activities and recipes?

Sunflower Butter and Jelly Popsicles

My 4 year old's favorite food in the world is sunflower butter and jelly sandwiches. So he just about fell over in happiness when I presented him with these! Have you ever made banana soft serve? This is like that but taking it further and freezing them into popsicles. These are so good, and good for you! You can feel guiltless eating these! You can vary this up with different nut/seed butters and different flavors of jelly/jam. Just make sure they're organic ;) These recipe was adapted from Angela's recipe This was her genius idea, I just varied it up a little. I also think this would just make a great banana soft serve recipe and you wouldn't have to wait for the looonnnngggg freezing time for the pops! I'm impatiently waiting for bananas to freeze right now, I can only imagine that I will be much more impatient for the popsicles to freeze too! But they are so worth it! Enjoy!

Sunflower Butter and Jelly Popsicles
by Amanda @ Natural and Organic Lifestyle

6 frozen bananas (when freezing, I do have to suggest breaking them into small pieces first)
2 heaping spoonfuls organic sunflower butter
1/4 cup organic milk (raw cow's milk or coconut milk)
1 heaping spoonful organic sunflower butter (to mix in later)
3 spoonfuls organic jam/jelly (to mix in later, I used my blueberry jam)

In a food processor, blend bananas, milk, and 2 spoonfuls of sunflower butter, until smooth. Stir in the rest of the sunflower butter and the jelly/jam in a swirl. Spoon into popsicle molds. Freeze for 8 hours (I know, this is soooo long to have to wait!!!) Enjoy!

Smooth banana/sunflower butter mix

With sunflower butter and jam swirled in

Homemade Graham Crackers

I am on a quest to not buy packaged food anymore...so expect some great recipes coming your way! Homemade is always better, with less ingredients, better quality ingredients, and no preservatives. I've been anti-packaged foods for awhile but due to the munchkins I would still buy some snacks. In an effort to not do that anymore, I am trying out all sorts of recipes to replace the beloved snacks my kids love. These graham crackers are pretty yummy. They don't have the exact consistency of store bought crackers but they taste great. I also like that depending on how long you cook them they can be crunchy or soft. They taste like cookies when soft! Yum! You can use these to snack on, for smores, or for sweet dips. I generally always double the recipe below. As written it makes approximately 2 dozen depending on what size you cut them. I usually only make them about 2 or 3 inches long.


Homemade Graham Crackers

Ingredients:
 1 1/4 cups organic whole wheat flour (plus some for dusting your rolling surface)
1 1/2 ts organic ground cinnamon
1/2 ts baking soda
1/2 ts good salt
2 TB cold butter,organic, cut into small pieces
2 organic egg whites, divided
6 TB organic brown sugar
2 TB honey
1 TB organic vanilla extract
3 TB organic sucanat or other organic cane sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. My oven heats unevenly so I do one baking sheet at a time. If you have a more reliable oven you can do more than one baking sheet at a time.

In a food processor, mix together flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, and butter. Process until it's fine meal consistency. If you don't have a food processor you can mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl and work the butter in with your fingers. In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 egg white, brown sugar, honey and vanilla. Add this to flour mixture and stir until a sticky dough forms. I find I need to get my hands in there to get all the flour incorporated.



Turn half of the dough out onto a very well floured surface and roll out into a 10-inch square (it will be thin). Cut into 12 rectangles and transfer to the prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 1 inch apart. Repeat process with remaining dough and second prepared baking sheet if doing two at a time. Otherwise wait until after baking first batch.


Brush crackers with remaining egg white. Note that when I double the recipe I still only need one egg white to brush the tops. Sprinkle with the sucanat or cane sugar, or a mix of cinnamon and sugar. Bake for 10-12 minutes. My oven does them perfectly at 11 minutes, 9 minutes if I want them soft. They are usually done when you can smell them. They won't harden until cooled.


Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Whole Wheat Crackers

This is a great basic whole wheat cracker recipe that you can spice up any way you want. My kids actually like this recipe as is, nice and plain. I like it with about 1/4 ts garlic powder in the dough. You could add rosemary, or thyme, any herbs you like! Making your own crackers is great for your health. When you make them yourself, there are no added ingredients. No preservatives. No MSG. Nothing that you don't want in there. Try them! Once you make your own crackers you won't ever want to go back to store bought crackers again. Adapted from this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cup organic whole wheat flour
1 1/2 TB organic evaporated cane juice, sugar
1/2 ts real salt or more to taste
1/4 ts organic paprika
Optional: 1/2 ts organic garlic powder, or onion powder
Optional: 1 TB organic dried herbs
4 TB organic butter, softened
1/4 cup water (plus more if needed)
1/4 ts organic vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, salt, and paprika. Add any other herbs you would like at this time. A TB would probably be enough depending on how herby you want it. In a food processor with a dough blade, pulse together butter and flour mixture. Or you can cut it in with two forks, or a pastry cutter. You want the mixture crumbly. Mix together water and vanilla. Return mixture to large bowl and add water. Kneed together with your hands. If the dough is crumbly, add more water a TB at a time. You don't want it sticky. If you add too much water, add more flour. Divide the dough into two equal parts. Roll out one piece on a floured board until very thin. Using a pizza cutter, slice dough into cracker size pieces. Use a spatula to transfer the pieces onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake for 5 minutes and then check. You want them just starting to brown around the edges. If they aren't brown yet, give them another minute and check again. The longest I've ever gone is 7 minutes, and a few of them burned. While those are baking, roll out your second piece of dough and slice into cracker pieces. Once the first batch is done, put the second batch in the oven. You can bake both batches at the same time if you wish but you will need to rotate the baking sheets every few minutes to avoid uneven cooking and burning.
My kids like to use cookie cutters to make fun cracker shapes:

Raw Date Balls

These little balls are packed with so much punch! Dried fruit, nuts, seeds....they have it all! These babies will give you a burst of energy, curb hunger and cravings. I love to have one or two before or after a run. Before gives me the energy to get through. After helps head off hunger and helps recover. If I feel like snacking in the afternoon, I just pop in one of these and I'm good...well sometimes two =) My oldest son would eat them before wrestling matches for extra energy. I stash a few in hubbies lunch when he's going to have a long day. These would be great on hikes or bike rides. They are so easy to make, my kids can even make them. Plus they don't take more than 5-10 minutes to prepare!
Inspired by this recipe
This recipe makes 20-30  1 inch balls

Ingredients:
15 pitted organic Medjool dates
1/2 cup organic raw almonds
3 organic figs, chopped
5 organic dried apricots, chopped
2 TB organic chia seeds
1 TB organic raw pumpkin seeds
2 TB organic raw sunflower seeds
2 TB organic cacao nibs (or you could use organic chocolate chips, but that would make this not completely raw, but still super yummy...roughly chop them)
1 ts organic cinnamon
1/4 ts good salt

In a food processor, combine dates and almonds until ground up (see Note below). Remove from processor and scoop into a large bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients and combine well with your hands (obviously make sure you wash them well first). I kneed it like bread to make sure it's well combined. Wet your hands and roll into 1 inch balls. My kids like to make stick or carrot shapes too =) Place in a glass container that seals and store in the refrigerator.

Note: There have been a couple times I've made this and the almond/date mixture wasn't sticky enough. Not sure why. You want to be able to pinch a chunk and have it stick together really well. So to remedy it when it's not quite sticky enough, I put a couple spoonfuls of honey in the processor and mix it in.

GOT Kale Chips

GOT Kale Chips? That would be Garlic Onion Thyme Kale Chips! GOT just seemed easier to say =)
If you've read previous posts, I love kale chips. I love finding new flavors. My fav is Sour Cream and Onion Kale Chips but for the sake of saving time on soaking nuts or seeds, not to mention the price, I like to experiment with other flavors. GOT Kale Chips are very flavorful and snack-worthy! Enjoy!

Ingredients:
2 bunches organic kale chips
1/3 cup organic evoo
2/3 cup water
half an organic onion, roughly chopped
2 large cloves organic garlic
1/2 ts good salt, or to taste
pinch of ground organic pepper
1-2 ts organic thyme

In a blender, combine all the ingredients except the kale, and blend. Remove kale from stems and tear into bite size pieces. In a large bowl, toss the dressing with the kale, rub it around good to make sure it coats all the pieces. Lay out on dehydrator sheets (don't worry about spacing them too much, they will shrink down a lot). Dehydrate at 105 for 5-7 hours or until completely dry. Store in airtight containers. Great savory snack!

"Sour Cream" and Onion Kale Chips

I love Kale chips, they are strangely addictive...seriously, it makes no sense to me, but they are! Before this recipe, I had just made kale chips with evoo, salt, and pepper, and loved them just fine. Then I tried this recipe from Douglas McNish, head chef of Toronto’s Raw Aura organic and raw food restaurant, but with some changes of course =) These are soo soooo yummy. You must try them!

“Sour Cream” and Onion Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups raw organic cashews, soaked for 2 to 3 hours**

Juice of one lemon

1 1/2 Tbsp raw apple cider vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste (more can be added after dehydrated)

1 organic onion, chopped

3 cloves organic garlic

1-2 bunches of organic green kale

1/2 cup filtered water

Remove kale from stems. Tear leaves into approximately 2- to 3-inch pieces.

In a blender, combine the soaked cashews, lemon juice, vinegar, garlic, onion, salt and 1/2 cup water until creamy and smooth. Sauce should be the consistency of a salad dressing. Add more water if necessary.

Toss the sauce with the kale until thoroughly combined (use your hands) and lay out on dehydrator sheets. Dehydrate at 115 degrees for approximately 8-10  hours or until crispy.

**I've substituted sunflower seeds for the cashews because they are cheaper. They weren't as good as the ones with the cashews but they were still amazing. At first they had a very strong sunflower seed taste, but after a day I didn't taste it anymore. So if the price of cashews is a concern, try sunflower seeds! 

Raw Onion Energy Crackers

Raw seed crackers are awesome! They are packed with nutrients. Nothing better than raw seed crackers topped with organic raw cheese! You can change up the seasonings to your taste. Play with the recipe and you can have a whole variety of different flavors. The onion in this is awesome. I love dehydrated onion!

Chia is soooo good for you. It is an energy food! It aids in weight-loss/management. It has been a staple crop since Ancient Times. One ounce only has 137 calories, 4.4 grams of protein, Omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, 177 mg Calcium, 265 mg phosphorus, 44.8 mg potassium, 10.6 g dietary fiber. Put.it.in.everything.

Can be multiplied very well. This makes one dehydrator sheet full.

Ingredients:
1/2 cup organic raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup organic raw sunflower seeds
1/2 cup organic chia seeds
1/2 cup organic sesame seeds
1 cup water
2 cloves organic garlic, crushed
1 organic onion, diced
1/2-1 ts real salt, or to taste
1/4-1/2 ts organic garlic pepper
A couple shakes kelp flakes

Combine water, garlic, and onion, stir. Let it soak while gathering the other ingredients.  Combine seeds and seasonings well. Pour in water mixture and mix well. Spread onto one dehydrator sheet, 1/4-1/2 inch thick. I use a piece of parchment paper on a regular dehydrator sheet because I don't have the solid sheets and it works well. Dehydrate at 110-115 degrees (you can dehydrate at a higher temp for less time but will no longer be "raw") for a couple hours. Once it's pretty firm but still pliable, pull out to slice. Take a pizza cutter and make slices to the desired size, flip (I slice mine, carefully, on the parchment on the dehydrator sheet, place another dehydrator sheet and holder on top, press the two together and flip. If your parchment paper won't easily peal off, dehydrate for another hour or so.) After flipped, place back in dehydrator for another few hours. Once hard and crispy, they are done! Enjoy topped with some yummy raw cheese!

You could bake these, you lose some nutrients that way, but it would still be better than buying crackers. I'd say bake for 30 min or so before flipping. Then bake another 30+ minutes until desired consistency.

80 Healthy Organic Snacks

For a printable PDFDOWNLOAD FILE
After reading some other "snack" lists that were saturated with processed foods I decided to create a healthy, minimally processed, organic snack food list. I was very inspired putting this list on paper because there are so many snacks I forget about on a daily basis that are SO easy to prepare. So instead of grabbing a granola bar or chips from the pantry, try some of these....

 

1. 1 oz organic raw cheese

2. A handful of raw organic almonds

3. A handful raw organic sunflower seeds

4. Sweet and Spicy Nuts 

5. Frozen organic grapes

6. Ants on a log (organic celery with almond butter and raisins)

7. Organic homemade granola bars

8. Sliced organic apples with organic almond bar

9. Organic berry medley (strawberries, raspberries, blueberries)

10. 1 frozen banana blended with 2 tsp cocoa powder

11. Organic popcorn, not microwaved (try seasoning with herbs instead of butter)

12. Organic apple sandwiches- slice apple in rings, top with organic nut butter, raisins, chocolate chips, and granola, top with another apple ring.

13. A handful organic cashews

14. A handful organic walnuts

15. Banana Crumb muffins

16. Herb Balsamic Tomatoes or go even easier with just slicing tomatoes and topping with herbs

17. Organic Kale Chips

18. An organic orange

19. Sliced organic cucumber with organic garlic salt and dill

20. Smoothie popcycles -  use leftover smoothies to freeze for yummy treats

21. Parfait - make your own yogurt to have on hand all the time. Top with fruit and granola.

22. Organic homemade hummus with pita chips - simple hummus with garbanzo beans, tahini (or sesame seeds), a couple cloves of garlic, salt, and a splash of lemon juice.

23. Hard-boiled, organic eggs

24. Baked jalapeno poppers-I make a big batch and keep them in the freezer

25. Veggie Sushi Rolls

26. Berry lemonade smoothie

27. Sliced mango

28. Sliced kiwi

29. Watermelon-especially good on HOT days!

30. Organic beef jerky - dehydrate your own and it's much healthier, and cheaper than buying organic beef jerky

31. Sliced cantelope

32. Banana Bread Smoothie

33. Blended Salad - put mixed greens along with any other veggie and a dash of salt in the food processor. TONS of nutrition in a few bites!

34. Blended salad meets smoothie

35. Organic raisins

36. Organic seed crackers

37. Raw organic cheese dipped in organic mustard

38. Organic dried fruits - avoid any with sulfur, dry your own is the best idea!

39. Dried veggies used as chips with hummus or other healthy dips

40. Homemade organic macaroons

41. Homemade Pina Colada "Ice Cream" - Keep some of this in the freezer! You won't be sorry!

42. Chicken and Chile Wrap -  I like to keep the cooked chicken and chiles in the fridge for a quick snack with a small tortilla. It's also good to have on hand for throwing in packed lunches.

43. Organic pistachios - my kids love cracking open these babies!

44. Quick organic apple crisp - slice an apple and place in a small baking dish. Top with maybe a tb of organic butter, sprinkle with oats, cinnamon, and brown sugar. Bake until soft.

45. Organic olives - get the ones stuffed with garlic, Mmmm!

46. Homemade organic pickles - store bought is ok but it's a great idea to can them in the summer when cuc's are plentiful!

47. Homemade pickled green beans -  green beans are something in the produce section that are always cheap! So pickle some with tons of garlic, dill, and if you like spicy -some hot peppers!

48. Handful of organic blueberries - frozen ones are fun to eat in the winter

49. Handful of organic raspberries

50. Sliced banana topped with organic sunflower butter

51. Grape tomatoes - my kids love popping these into their mouths!

52. Salad with homemade dressing - my fav afternoon salad is organic mixed greens, green onions, organic sunflower seeds, and a little shredded organic raw cheese. I prefer this with an organic ranch dressing but I've never found a recipe that was just right, so -Try this dressing - Balsamic dressing

53. Cinnamon raisin ezekial bread topped with some organic homemade butter

54. Mango Guacamole

55. Grilled pineapple with organic bbq sauce

56. Guacamole -avocado, tomato, onion, garlic, cilantro, salt and lime

57. Pico de gallo-Tomatoes, onions, jalapeno, cilantro, lime, salt.

58. Tortilla rolled up with organic sunflower butter and organic jelly - kid fav around here!

59. Taco roll-up - Tortilla spread with sour cream, salsa or guacamole, shredded organic raw cheese, beans, and green onions.

60. Baked tortilla chips - Slice tortillas into triangles, spray with olive oil - sprinkle either organic cinnamon and sugar, or try a savory blend. Bake until crisp.

61. Baked potato chips - Slice organic potatoes real thin, I use a slicing blade on food processor. Spray with olive oil, sprinkle with salt. Feel free to flavor with any herb combination after baking. Bake until crisp.

62. Organic bean salad - Any combination of organic beans (kidney, garbanzo, black, green bean, etc) tossed with organic italian dressing.

63. Organic peach

64. Organic apricot

65. Organic sweet potato fries -  Sliced and tossed with a little olive oil and salt. Bake at 400 for 10-15 min. My kids love dipping them in real organic maple syrup.

66. Chopped organic veggies dipped in organic ranch dressing

67. Quick chicken salad - Chop leftover organic cooked chicken, toss with homemade mayo and green onions.

68. Burrito in a bowl - Toss together organic black or pinto beans, organic diced onion, shredded organic cheese, organic salsa, organic sour cream.

69. Organic whole wheat banana bread

70. Fruit cabobs - any combo of organic fruit on a skewer, great for kids!

71. Organic bread dipped in balsamic vinegar and herbs - Keep this bread on hand -Yummy bread

72. Make your own tortillas for completely homemade wraps

73. Kiwi-Dew Juice

74. Other fruit smoothies - blend frozen fruit with organic raw milk or orange juice

75. Organic fresh carrot juice

76. Make a big salad at the beginning of the week and dish some out as needed (different salad every week)

77. When making soup or chili, make a big batch and freeze small portions to whip out for snacks

78. Pomegranates - So messy, but so worth it, and so fun for kids

79. Organic Dates

80. Organic fruit leather-puree fruit and spread on parchment paper and put in dehydrator. Follow instructions for your dehydrator. We like to do a mixed berry combo with a little honey.

Banana Crumb Mini Muffins

I like mini muffins because you can eat more than one and not feel too guilty about it. Plus they are perfect for kids! Try these super yummy banana muffins...and don't forget the crumb topping!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour, organic
1 ts baking soda
1 ts aluminum free baking powder
1/2 ts sea salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup organic cane sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup organic milk
1/3 cup organic butter melted

Crumb topping:
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
4 TB organic white whole wheat flour
1/4 ts organic cinnamon
2 TB organic butter, soft

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease or line your mini muffin cups.
In a large bowl, mix together 1/1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg, melted butter, and milk.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.
Spoon batter into muffin cups.

In a food processor (or in a small bowl with a fork) mix together crumb ingredients until mixture is crumby.
Sprinkle over muffins.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Enjoy!

Kale Chips

Ok, seriously, these are MUCH better than they look! I tend to not be able to stop eating them. You could flavor these any way you want. Below is a basic yummy recipe. They crisp up nicely like chips!

Ingredients:
1 bunch organic kale
Olive oil
Garlic Salt
Pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Remove kale leaves from stem and rip or cut into bite size pieces. Toss with olive oil. Spread the leaves out on a parchment lined baking sheets or lightly oiled baking sheet. Sprinkle garlic salt and pepper over all the leaves. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until crispy. Enjoy!

Sweet and Spicy Nuts

Yummy! These are so good! Though with the high price of organic nuts I can't make them too often because my kids plow through them so fast. If we don't act fast, my husband and I don't get any! Great party appetizer, snack, etc.

Ingredients:
3 cups organic nuts (Above I used almonds. I've also used cashews, pecans, walnuts, or a combination)
1/2 cup organic brown sugar
1/2 ts organic cayenne
1 ts sea salt
1/2 ts organic coriander
1 ts organic nutmeg
1/2 ts organic cinnamon
1 organic egg white
2 tb oil (coconut or olive oil)

In a large bowl, mix sugar everything but the nuts. Once mixed, toss with the nuts. Spread in a thing layer on a large baking sheet covered in parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes at 300 degrees. Stir them around a couple times. Now if you forget to stir while baking (not like I've ever done that or anything) stir them as soon as they come out of the oven. Let them cool. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two weeks (If they last that long!!)

Organic homemade granola bars

These are great! My kids gobble them up. This recipe is for a double batch because they eat them so fast! I was inspired to start making my own granola bars because my kids would want to eat multiple granola bars a day. As I saw money flying out the window with each individually wrapped organic granola bar going into their belly, I decided to start making my own. They actually prefer these. They are a hearty snack they love! Feel free to cut everything in half if you don't want two pans, it'll work fine.
Ingredients:
4 cups organic rolled oats
1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar
4 TB organic seeds (I've used : Flax, sunflower, chia, sesame, etc)
2 cups organic unbleached wheat flour
1/2 cup organic chocolate chips
1/2 cup organic raisins
1 1/2 ts sea salt
1 1/2 ts organic cinnamon
1 1/2 cups honey
1 cup oil
4 ts organic vanilla
2 organic eggs beaten
 
(Options: Any dried fruit can be used. I've used dried cranberries and that was really yummy. Chop any larger pieces of dried fruit. Coconut adds a nice flavor. 1/2 cup organic almond or sunflower seed butter can be added with no consistency problem. You could substitute some of the honey with maple syrup. Be creative, mix it up, and make these YOUR bars!)
Line two baking dishes with parchment paper. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl (oats to cinnamon). Make a well in the middle and add all wet ingredients (honey to eggs). Mix well, hands are best. Divide evenly between the two pans. Wet your hands and press the mixture down into the pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. The edges will be brown when done.

Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Do not let them cool completely or they will be too hard to cut. With a wet sharp knife cut squares, or rectangles, whatever you prefer.

Let cool completely in the pan and then remove with a metal spatula. Store in an airtight container.