Paleo Granola MIx

I am a new (once again) mom, as you know! I am a nursing mom who needs calories, proteins and snacks to help keep milk production up! I love trail mix or granola because it is a quick grab! 

Here is a delicious snack or cereal... perfect for on the go!!! I am going to play with it a little more next time I make it. Might add some dates or dried fruits. 

and I will not over cook it!!! Yes, I over cooked this batch because baby needed me! :) It almost was a FLOP! :) 

The Ingredients:Dry
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 1/2 cups almond meal
3 cups shredded unsweetened coconut
4 cups raw slivered almonds
1 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
Wet
1 cup liquified coconut oil
1/2 cup raw organic honey
3 tsp pure vanilla extract


The Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix well to ensure ingredients are evenly distributed.
3. In a medium bowl, add wet ingredients and whisk together until well combined.
4. Mix the wet ingredients thoroughly into the dry ingredients. 
5. Divide the mixture in a thin layer onto two rimmed baking sheets. It will fill about 1 and 1/2 jelly roll pans.
6. Press mixture down with your hands or the back of a large spoon.
7. Bake until lightly toasted, approximately 1 hour. Remove pans from oven and gently stir the mixture with a large spoon. Carefully return warm pans to the oven and continue to cook for another 15 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and stir in optional ingredients, if desired. Let the mixture cool completely in the pans. 
9. To store, place a folded paper towel (to absorb any excess coconut oil) in the bottom of a lidded storage container. Add paleo crunch to container and cover. Enjoy plain or with coconut or almond milk.

ENJOY!!!!

Apple Cinnamon Cookies

A delicious and healthy fall cookie! Since I am still suppose to be laying as much as possible it was important that I find a quick and easy cook recipe. These were perfect! Did not take much time at all and I was able to rest while they baked! 

I love these cookies because it has Almonds, Apples and Cranberries. I love these cookies because it did not have flour or any sweeteners. I love these cookies because I am already dreaming up my next batch with the addition to dates.

The Ingredients:
2 cups Almonds
1 cup banana chips (optional) 
2 cups Apples, peel on
1 cup unsweetened coconut 
1/4 cup cranberries
1 TBSP Cinnamon
2 tsp Vanilla
2 tsp melted coconut oil
3 eggs


The Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350 Degrees

1. Combine all of your ingredients EXCEPT your eggs and cranberries in a food processor, pulse it until all the pieces are small but still a little chunky.  If your food processor is not large enough to accommodate everything just split it up.  I did the almonds first, then the apples.
2. Combine that mixture with the eggs in a large mixing bowl and mix well. Add cranberries and mix again. 
3. Using your hands, form the mixture into "patties" and place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet.  The size of the "patties" are up to you, or you could make the into bars.  I made mine about 2 inches across and got about 15 cookies
4. Bake until done, around 30 Minutes

ENJOY!!!!

Nut Granola Bars, take 2

My first nut granola bars, were and are a huge hit. I have had emails, comments and even fellow bloggers have blog the recipe on their sites. They are a huge hit with you and an even bigger hit at our house. 

I have been playing around with the recipe and I came up with another keeper! 

The Ingredients:

1 cup Almonds

1/2 cup Pecan

1 cup Cashews

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup cranberries

1/4 cup chocolate chips (dairy-free, nut-free, grain-free)

1/4 cup coconut flakes

1/4 cup raw honey

1/2 cup Almond Coconut Butter

1/4 cup coconut butter

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

The Directions:

Add Almonds and Pecans into the food processor and rough chop. Pour them into a bowl and add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cranberries and coconut flakes.

In a sauce pan add raw honey, almond coconut butter, coconut butter and coconut oil. Once it is smooth and creamy add the nuts. 

Pour mixture into a 8x8 (with parchment) pan and spread evenly. Put in freezer for 2 hours to chill and set. 

** Leave the nuts chunkier. You may need to adapt the amount of the liquid. Too much liquid will leave the bars more gooey. 

Nut Granola Bars

I mastered the Zucchini Spaghetti this week! If you remember, in this post, I made slices of zucchini. It was good but this time I used my mandolin and julienne cut the zucchini... 

DELICIOUS!

I added 1 cup of diced tomatoes to the sauce. 

Want some better news??? 

I made granola bars for my boys... no oatmeal and no corn syrup 

Don't those look wonderful?

The Ingredients:

1 cup Almonds

1 cup Pecan

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

1/4 cup cranberries

1 TBSP coconut flakes (I would have used more but I only had a TBSP)

1/2 cup raw honey (1/4 cup honey 1/4 cup molasses) I might only do a total 1/4 cup next time

1/2 cup Almond Butter

1/4 cup Coconut Oil

The Directions:

Add Almonds and Pecans into the food processor and rough chop. Pour them into a bowl and add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds, cranberries and coconut flakes.

In a sauce pan add raw honey, almond butter and coconut oil. Once it is smooth and creamy add the nuts. 

Pour mixture into a 8x8 (with parchment) pan and spread evenly. Put in freezer for 2 hours to chill and set. 

ENJOY!!!! 

Part of  Real Food Wednesday

Meatball

Happy New Year!!!!

Happy 2011!!!! I am looking forward to another WONDERFUL year!

I set Resolutions - don't keep em!  

This year though... I am going to be able to keep mine. 

Here is what 2011 has in store for me! 

** I am going to write in a journal, every day/night!!! I am going to write of my blessings! 

           

 --- Thank you, Twelve Months of Bliss and All Kinds of Goodies, for giving me this idea... I am also going to be writing daily happening of the boys (quotes or sayings). 

** Nutrition and Fitness.

(Vegetables, some fruits, grass fed meat and nuts)

(No dairy, No Grains, No Legumes)

--- We will continue on our eating adventure. (which I will be documenting!)

 I will continue working out and getting back into shape! :)  (which I will also be documenting)  

**I plan on cooking a fish dish at least once a week. 

** I plan on cooking 2 - 3 new (Paleo) dishes a week.  

Why do we choose resolutions that are impossible to keep?? Why do we wait to start a resolution until January 1? Why can't we just start a resolution in March or in September or when the idea comes to us??? 

I think that my resolutions are practical and worth keeping! They are simple enough that after a few weeks, I will still want to keep them. They are challenging at the same time, that I will have to push myself (and remember) to do them! I am excited to start the year and really excited to see if I am able to make it the WHOLE year achieving my goals! 

HERE IS TO 2011!!!!

Almond Meal - just in case you didn't know what I mean.

 I leave my Almonds roughly chopped - personal preference!

Don't over crowd the meatballs. I think I saw that on Rachel Ray once. 

The Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb grass fed ground beef

1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 red onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced 

2 TBSP Parsley

Garlic Powder

Ground Pepper

Homemade Tomato Sauce

Homemade Tomato Paste

1 cup Almond Meal

The Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, add ground beef, onion, garlic and yellow bell pepper. Add seasonings and mix well!

In a large frying pan add a little Olive Oil. Ball of meat mixture into meatball size. 

Do not add too many meatballs into the pan. 

Brown all sides of the meatballs. 

In a large soup pan add tomato sauce and start to boil. Add brown meatballs to tomato sauce and cook for 10 minutes. 

 

ENJOY!!!!

Join Kimi at The Nourishing Gourmet for her Nourishing Resolutions carnival today, and link up yours!

Tuesday Twister

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

I am have a gluten intolerance. A lot of people do, just don't know it.

I try to be Gluten Free, well limit the households Gluten but this is a challenge to me. I am not going to lie and say I have been Gluten Free - I HAVE NOT. I know, I need to be and I am working on it. I love bread. I really do... Fresh warm delicious bread or how about cookies!!!!!

I am really going to do this! I am going to research and get cookbooks and read books and I am going to do this.

Dinner is easy to be Gluten Free. I just need to work on breakfast and lunch. I will do this!!!! I am open to Gluten Free recipes!!! Maybe, even a Gluten Free bread recipe! :)

To get me going on this quest, I made these delicious cookies... These are great! Full of FLAVOR!!! These are rough measurements... I am terrible about EXACT measurements! I get too excited! :)

Almost Oatmeal Raisin Cookies

The Ingredients:

1/2 cup pitted dates that you chop into chunks

3/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup macadamia nuts

1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1 teaspoon coconut oil (you can use butter but coconut oil is better!)

1 Egg

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp vanilla extract

The Directions:

Put nuts, dates, coconut, oil, and cinnamon in the food processor with the S blade on it. Pulse until nuts and dates are broken down and it resembles loose crumbs.

Pour into mixing bowl and add in egg and raisins. Use your hands to mix together.

Use an ice cream scoop to get uniformly sized cookies. Form into patties like you would burger meat. You should be able to make about 6-8 cookies.

Put on ungreased baking sheet into an oven that you have heated to 350. Space evenly on the cookie sheet.

Bake for about 25 minutes. You will know they are done when they look golden brown and delicious.

Cool on a wire rack and enjoy!