Nutritional Powerhouse Granola Bars

I FIRMLY believe in eating breakfast! I love when my whole family can come together around the table and begin our day eating a meal together....but that is not always a reality.

My husband leaves early to get to work, one kiddo likes to eat right when he gets up at the crack of dawn...every...single...morning... and the other sleeps in later and takes a while before she is ready to eat. I don't want junky sugar laden foods to be what we all eat just because we are rushing around or need to leave quick or need something portable that can be shoveled into our pie holes in 5 seconds!

Enter granola bars... easy, quick, portable.... but have you read the label on some of them... added cheap processed sugars often in many different forms, bleached flours and very little to no protein to keep you full. Not what I would want to turn to if I don't have to.

These babies come together in 2 bowls, 1 pan, 5 minutes of prep and 13 minutes of cooking. All amazingly healthy ingredients and packed with protein to keep you full.

Let's take a quick look at the ingredients and then we will get to the recipe :)

Oats - hardy cereal grain that although hulled, this process does not strip away their bran and germ allowing them to retain a concentrated source of their fiber and nutrients. Antioxidant compounds unique to oats, called avenanthramides, help prevent free radicals from damaging LDL cholesterol, thus reducing the risk of cardiovascular disease ,Oats and other whole grains are a rich source of magnesium, a mineral that acts as a co-factor for more than 300 enzymes, including enzymes involved in the body's use of glucose and insulin secretion.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=54

Raw Honey -  Collected straight from the extractor; it is totally unheated, unpasteurized, unprocessed honey. Honey is loaded with many essential vitamins and minerals. Vitamins such as B1, B2, B3, B5, B6 as well as vitamin C are found in honey. It also contains minerals like magnesium, potassium, calcium, sodium chlorine, calcium, copper, iron, manganese, sulphur, zinc and phosphate. Raw honey has powerful anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties as well as antibacterial properties.
http://www.globalhealingcenter.com/natural-health/health-benefits-of-organic-locally-grown-raw-honey/

Grass-Fed Butter - High-fat dairy products from grass-fed cows are among the best sources of Vitamin K2 in the diet. Studies consistently show that Vitamin K2 dramatically reduces the risk of both osteoporosis and heart disease and Vitamin K2 helps to keep calcium out of your arteries. 
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7905466
http://authoritynutrition.com/11-biggest-lies-of-mainstream-nutrition/

Virgin Coconut Oil/Unsweetened Coconut - Coconut supplies an impressive 61% dietary fiber, it strengthens the immune system because it contains antimicrobial lipids, lauric acid, capric acid and caprylic acid which have antifungal, antibacterial and antiviral properties. The human body converts lauric acid into monolaurin which research has supported as an effective way to deal with viruses and bacteria that cause diseases like herpes, influenza, and cytomegalovirus. Coconut oil helps in fighting harmful bacteria like listeria monocytogenes and helicobacter pylori, and harmful protozoa such as giardia lamblia.soothing qualities.
http://www.coconutresearchcenter.org/
http://www.organicfacts.net/organic-oils/organic-coconut-oil/health-benefits-of-coconut-oil.html

Almonds - In addition to their cholesterol-lowering effects, almonds' ability to reduce heart disease risk may also be partly due to the antioxidant action of the vitamin E found in the almonds, as well as to the LDL-lowering effect of almonds' monounsaturated fats.
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=nutrient&dbid=111

Chia Seeds - chia seeds are a naturally gluten/grain free concentrated food containing healthy omega-3 fatty acids, carbohydrates, protein, fiber, antioxidants, and calcium. Chia seeds are an unprocessed, whole-grain food that can be absorbed by the body as seeds (unlike flaxseeds). Chia seeds contain essential fatty acids alpha-linolenic and linoleic acid, mucin, strontium, 30% protein, Vitamins A, B, E, and D, and minerals including calcium, phosphorus, potassium, sulphur, iron, iodine, copper, zinc, sodium, magnesium, manganese, niacin, thiamine, silicon, and anti-oxidants.
http://wellnessmama.com/4981/uses-for-chia-seeds/
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/truth-about-chia

Flaxseed - The primary omega-3 fatty acid found in flaxseeds is alpha-linolenic acid, or ALA.  The second is lignans. Lignans are fiber-like compounds, but in addition to their fiber-like benefits, they also provide antioxidant protection due to their structure as polyphenols as well as anti-inflammatory properties. Should be GROUND before using, as the body cannot use flax when still in its seed form.
http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/benefits-of-flaxseed

Hemp Seeds - Hemp can provide you with a balanced ratio of omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, proteins, vitamin A, E and D, and many B vitamins. It is also rich in sodium, calcium, dietary fiber and iron.
http://www.naturalnews.com/043230_hemp_seeds_health_benefits_blood_pressure.html

Whew!!!!!!

That's a lot of information, but it is good information! None of it is mine, all of it is linked to credit the authors :) Know why you eat the food you do, know what it does for your body, know how to help your own body and take cake of it!

Or just make these darn bars and enjoy the fact that they taste great and are a nutritional powerhouse! This recipe has been adapted from MANY different recipes, tweaked to fit my preferences...so please tweak to fit yours :)

Nutritional Powerhouse Granola Bars

4.5 cups rolled oats (NOT quick cooking)
1 and 1/4 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 cup raw honey
2/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup butter - melted (grass fed is optimal)
1.5 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1/4 cup raw slivered almonds
1/3 cup almond or other nut butter
2 tablespoons chia seeds
2 tablespoons ground flaxseeds
2 tablespoons hemp seeds
1/3 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

In a large bowl combine oats, flour, baking soda, baking powder, nuts, chia seeds, flaxseeds, hemp seeds and cinnamon, stir to combine.

In a smaller bowl combine melted butter, honey, coconut oil, almond (or other nut) butter, vanilla and almond extracts, stir to combine.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and using a wooden spoon gently fold everything together until all ingredients are combined.

Pour into a greased jelly roll pan with a lip (or other pans of your choice - just remember your cooking time may vary!). I used a pan 9x12 in size.

Bake for 13 minutes. Take out of oven, gently press down with rubber spatula, and cut into bars. Immediately place pan in refrigerator and store there. When bars are completely cooled you can remove the cut bars and store them in an air tight bag or covered container in the refrigerator.

There are so many ways you can tweak this recipe! Added dried fruit, unsweetened coconut, nuts, whatever fits your fancy :)

Happy Eating!!

Oven Baked Panko Crusted Zucchini Rounds

This certainly is not a new idea but it's a new take on a classic idea, and that my friends is what I am all about! There are ways to make real food taste good without all the junk and have the recipe actually be successful.

What we have here is a crunchy round of in season zucchini coated with whole wheat flour (hello added fiber), dipped in an egg/seasoned greek yogurt mixture (hello added flavor), and breaded in whole wheat panko crumbs and parmesan cheese (hello salty, crunchy goodness).

The coating actually stays on and the zucchini actually stays crunchy...please no soggy limpy zucchini. These make a fantastic snack, wonderful side dish, or even a new twist on a topping to a chicken or vegetable pot pie :)

Oven Baked Panko Crusted Zucchini Rounds

2 cups sliced zucchini rounds, about 1/4 inch each - try to make each slice similar in size so they cook evenly
1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour (any flour will work)
1 cup whole wheat panko bread crumbs
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 egg
3 tablespoons greek yogurt
1 tablespoon miced shallot
1 teaspoon minced garlic
3 teaspoons dried thyme, divided into 3
3 teaspoons dried dill, divided into 3
1 and a half teaspoons each salt and pepper, divided into 3

Preheat oven to 375 F

Slice zucchini into rounds, each around 1/4 of an inch thick

 

Sprinkle zucchini with the whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon thyme and 1 teaspoon dill
Gently mix together, making sure all rounds are covered with seasoned flour mixture

In a second shallow bowl beat 1 egg. Add in greek yogurt, minced shallots and garlic, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried dill, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper

In a third shallow bowl add panko crumbs, parmesan cheese, remaining thyme, dill, salt and pepper. Gently mix together to distribute seasoning and cheese.

Dredge flour coated zucchini, a few at a time, to the bowl with egg/yogurt mixture and turn to coat both sides, and then into the panko mixture, turning to coat.

Lightly grease a baking/cookie rack

Place dredged zucchini on a baking/cookie rack on top of a foiled lined baking sheet.

Bake 25 minutes, remove from oven and carefully remove from rack. Serve immediately.

Happy Eating!

Summer Time Pesto

There are just some things that always remind me of summer....

Watermelon, Popsicle's, sunshine, belly flops, fireworks, s'mores, staying up late, sleeping in (obviously pre-early riser children days), and BASIL!!

Basil is so sweet and summery and grows so well in the hot Arizona sunshine that I always seem to have it on hand. It grows great in an outdoor garden bed, and equally well in a small container on the kitchen counter.

Since it is so hot where I live in the summer I do not always want to turn on the oven or stove to make meals. Often, A couple slices of whole wheat crusty bread topped with fresh basil pesto does the trick! Topped with hummus, tomatoes, uncured salami.... all amazing things!!

Its summertime in a bowl :) Fresh, lemony, rich, nutty amazing-ness in a bowl! Its so simple, but when you add pesto to a dish it elevates the flavor profile to a whole new level.
Adding it to warm fresh pasta is amazing, topped on crusty bread is heavenly, scrambled into eggs is scrumptious, dolloped onto a searing hot piece of steak is phenomenal!

The recipe that follows is for basil pesto, but the beauty of pesto is that you can substitute many different greens and nuts and still come out with a great product!
Some to try:
Kale and Walnut
Cilantro and Pepita's (pumpkin seeds)
Arugula and Cashews
Basic Summertime Basil Pesto
2 cups packed basil (washed and dried - really pack it in)
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2.5 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
3 small cloves garlic, crushed and roughly chopped
2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
In the bowl of a food processor add 1/3 cup (half of the called for amount) extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, and salt

Crush garlic cloves with your hand or the back of a large knife and roughly chop (garlic gets better the longer it sits out exposed to air)

Wash, dry and pack in the basil to a 2 cup measuring cup (or some combination of cups to equal 2 cups)

Measure out pine nuts and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until you just smell them (do not let them burn or color too dark, just warm enough to wake up and release oils)

Measure out Parmesan cheese

Add everything to the oil/lemon juice/salt mixture in food processor and whirl for a few seconds to combine. Scrape down the sides and then whirl on and off for a few minutes while drizzling in the remaining 1/3 cup of extra virgin olive oil (stopping every once in a while to scrape down the sides of the processor)

Taste and readjust seasonings to your liking, and empty into your serving/storage bowl. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and I like to top with the main ingredients so people know what is in the mixture (in case people are vegan they would be aware that there is cheese in this version so they could avoid it, etc...)

Pesto is  best when chilled for at least an hour so that the flavors can really meld together and intensify.

Enjoy and Happy Eating!!!

Cinnamon Swirl Crumb Muffins

So today was the last day of school for my oldest kiddo today....the end of kindergarten. Looking back at her first day pictures and now her last day pictures she has grown up so much :-/, I am still undecided about how I feel about this!

It was a half day, so we had time just her, me and the little man before he went down for a nap. She asked if we could bake together, so that is what we did :)

You have heard me say time and time again that baking is NOT my thing. Cooking is great, baking - not so much. I have never been a great rule follower, so the precise measuring of ingredients required in baking does not usually jive with my style...but when the kids ask to spend time in the kitchen with you...you do it..... and if all results tasted like these, I'd bake all day long.

These were good... like 12 gone in 2 days good....like seriously contemplating telling my child I don't know what happened to the last muffin while I brush crumbs off my shirt kind of good.

Cinnamon Swirl Muffins

Makes 12 standard sized muffins

• 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup honey
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1 egg
• 1 cup milk (I used almond, I imagine any kind will work)
• 1 tsp ground cinnamom
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

for the crumb topping:

• 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tbsp softened butter
• 1/2 tsp of cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

for the cinnamon swirl filling:

• 1/3 cup melted butter
• 1/4 cup pure maple syrup (or honey)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line one 12-cup muffin pan with greased silicone liners (or just grease you muffin tins really well - I used coconut oil to grease)

Make the crumb topping: Combine all ingredients until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the filling: whisk together all ingredients until well combined. Set aside until ready to use.

Make the muffins: combine flour,baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together honey, oil, egg, and milk. Pour wet ingredient mixture over dry ingredient mixture and stir with big wooden spoon until just combined.

Add batter to each of the prepared muffin cups (I used an ice cream scoop). Top each muffin cop with about 1/2 to 1 tablespoon of the cinnamon/maple syrup filling and swirl around into batter using a toothpick, skewer, knife, etc...

Cover muffins with butter/sugar crumb topping

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Let cool in pan for a few minutes before carefully removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

So I guess baking isn't all that bad after all :) These were great muffins but making them with the kids was even sweeter :)

Happy Eating!

Crazy for Cream Puffs

Oh how I love little, hand held sweet treats!!

Of course, it means I end up eating oh about 20, but in the moment when you are eating a small little bite of a decadent dessert it doesn't feel all that bad for you :)

Moderation is key...a key I have apparently misplaced, lost or mailed away!

Let's talk cream puffs!! I LOVE cream puffs! Plus these cream puffs are made from whole wheat flour, woo hoo!!!

They are not as complicated as you may think they are!! Much like all of my food, it just looks harder than it is...but shhhhh don't tell my secret! Let everyone ooohhh and aaahhhhh over the food please ;)

Ingredients

1 cup whole wheat PASTRY flour

½ cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup water

4 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

 

You read that correctly, that it IT!!! This is more about technique than ingredients... 5 ingredients and 1 is water!

 

Let's walk through this step by step

 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F, line a baking sheet with parchment paper

 

 

Combine butter and water together in a heavy bottom pan over medium heat

 

While butter is melting, fit an icing bag with a tip and place it in a cup for stability... this is NOT necessary, you can use a plain zip-loc style bag with the tip snipped off... just DO NOT snip the tip until you are ready to pipe.

 

 

When butter is melted into the water, reduce heat to low and add your flour and stir until mixture forms a ball. 

 Remove from heat. Stir in eggs, one at a time, beating until dough is smooth.

 

 

Fill your pastry or zip-loc bag

 

Pipe golf ball sized rounds onto a parchment lined baking sheet

 

 

Using the back of a spoon, dip it into water and gently press the tips down making a smooth surface

 

 

Bake puff shells for 25 to 35 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. The puffs should be golden/crisp or they may collapse. Remove from oven and cool completely.

 

At this point you can use another bag fitted with a small tip and poke your cream puff and fill with filling of choice....  Vanilla whipped cream, pastry cream, chocolate buttercream, lemon curd, etc...

The possibilities are endless!!!

 

Happy Eating!

Cooking Night Information!!

Well to say that I am overwhelmed at the response is an understatement....maybe THE understatement of the century!

I am so incredibly excited to be offering these classes and I am even more excited that there are so many other people out there who want the things I want out of cooking: Real food for real families that tastes great and is not hard to make!

Here is the class list as of now

Sunday March 30th - SOLD OUT
Whole wheat Pasta, with spinach variation
Fresh Ricotta
Whole wheat citrus curd tart

Monday April 14th - 1 seat left
Whole wheat carrot cake pancakes with maple cream
Whole wheat pop tarts
Egg cups
Mini green smoothies

Sunday May 4th - SOLD OUT
Caramelized onion, shallot, sausage savory whole wheat tart
Zucchini ribbon salad with roasted almonds, tart cherries, shallot vinaigrette and pomegranates
Grilled maple nectarines with infused mascarpone

Sunday June 1st - SOLD OUT - Summer Salads/Refreshing TreatsWatermelon, feta & basil salad with balsamic reduction
Pecan crusted strawberry balsamic chicken salad
3 homemade all real food salad dressings
Healthy (no added sugar) popsicles
Citrus Granita

Sunday June 29th SOLD OUT- Barbeque Ready
Mayo free warm red, white and "blue" potato salad
Caprese salad "pops" with fresh basil pesto
Red, white and blue muffins (and other ideas for a healthy July 4th celebration)
Homemade chocolate

You get to leave having helped prepare and sample all of the food, plus you get food to take home with you, its the best deal around!

Exciting Things Coming!!!

I've been gone forever, I'm sorry!!

But I am back and have really exciting news to share.

I am going to be offering small, in home cooking classes :)

Nothing huge, just a start of something that will hopefully grow!

Here is all the info...

Real Food for Real Families
Healthy, Nutritious, Great tasting food the whole family can enjoy

·        Do you want to feed your family healthy, great tasting meals free from preservatives and artificial additives, but don't know where to start?

·        Are you worried your picky eaters aren't getting enough nutrition?

·        Is your family busy, but you don't want to settle for fast food all the time?

·        Do you want to cook from scratch, avoiding boxed foods full of sodium and additives, but don't think you have the time?

·        Are you convinced healthy food doesn't taste good?

·        Do you just want more information about cooking with 'real' food?

 

If you or someone you know has ever asked one of those questions, these classes are for you!  Come prep, sample and take home food your whole family will enjoy!

What is included:
      All the food and supplies (2 to 3 separate meals or components)
      Written recipes and information
      Hands on cooking instruction, tips and tricks

Cost:
      $35.00 per person, $30.00 per person if you and a friend sign up together
A MAXIMUM of 6 people in each class, so sign up TODAY!

Class topics change monthly, but some things you could look forward to enjoying and

taking home include:

Fresh whole wheat pasta
Green Smoothies and smoothie packs
Easy breakfast sandwiches
Chicken quinoa bites
Baked eggplant stacks with fresh pesto
Homemade ricotta cheese
Nut Butters

Stuffed chicken roll-ups
Sweet Potato crust quiche
Easy Vinaigrette salad dressing
Vanilla bean creme brulee
Apple Turnovers
Lemon chia seed muffins
Coconut milk rice pudding

I am so excited for all that is to come, plus I will still have lots of recipes coming :)