July 2013 - Page 3 of 4 - My Whole Food Life

PB Cookie Dough Bites

July 9, 2013May 29, 2017 Melissa King 997 Comments

These little bites can be made in minutes with just a handful of real ingredients.

Peanut butter and chocolate were just made for each other and these cookie dough bites are delicious! This is a great recipe to make with your kids too. My daughter had a lot of fun rolling these into balls and sticking the chips on.

She was also trying to sneak in bites for herself as well. 🙂 I am a big fan of everything no bake. Who isn’t? 🙂 These are the peanut butter version of my No Bake Cooke Dough Bites.

PB Cookie Dough Bites

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Prep Time 10 min Serves 12 balls adjust servings

Ingredients

1 cup peanuts
1 cup gluten free rolled oats
3 T maple syrup
2 T peanut butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup water
2 T chocolate chips

Instructions

In the food processor , blend up the peanuts and oats.
Once they are ground into a course consistency, add in the rest of the ingredients except for the chocolate chips. You may need to soften the peanut butter slightly to get it to blend well.
Pulse until a dough starts to form.
Roll into balls and stick on the chocolate chips.
Place them in the fridge to set for about 30 minutes. I got 12 balls out of my batch. Enjoy!

by Melissa King

Homemade Coconut Butter (Vegan)

July 8, 2013May 23, 2017 Melissa King 186 Comments

Homemade Coconut Butter is amazing!If you have been following this blog for a while, you know that I LOVE coconut and coconut butter.

Funny thing is, I used to hate it. Now my body craves it. I guess it knows what is healthy. 🙂 I had an obsession with coconut butter ever since my first taste of Nutiva Organic Coconut Manna.

That stuff is the bomb and it melts in your mouth. It can get quite pricey, so I thought I would make my own coconut butter. It’s super easy!

So easy that I feel kind of funny calling it a recipe. Kind of like my Homemade Peanut Butter. Coconut butter just takes a bit longer than peanut butter, so be patient.

Coconut butter can be used a spread or a dip. If you use it in baking it can add a richer flavor. Coconut butter is naturally gluten free, grain free and vegan.

Homemade Coconut Butter

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Prep Time 20 min Serves 1 cup adjust servings

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut (It needs to be the full fat shredded coconut to work.)

Instructions

In the food processor , blend up the shredded coconut, scraping the sides down every few minutes. Be prepared to be patient. It takes about 20 minutes.

by Melissa King

Recipe Notes

If you use a blender , it takes about half the time, but you have to scrape down the sides more often and it is harder to manage. I liked making it in the food processor much better. I mixed it for a minute or two and walked away. Came back to mix some more a few minutes later. I just kept repeating those steps until I saw a creamy mixture. It took about 20 minutes for me. Super easy! I store mine in a small mason jar . I love mason jars. You can never have enough. I think it should keep for a couple of weeks. I keep mine on the counter top. You can store it in the fridge, but it will harden slightly. That’s it! Enjoy!

Forester Famer’s Market Exposed

July 7, 2013October 6, 2013 Melissa King 46 Comments

This was sent to me by a reader. I can see how people can be misled by looking at a product like this.

By looking at the labels and the claims, you would think the ingredient list would be fantastic. Not the case. Let me also state that this brand could have products that do not contain these harmful ingredients. This is just for the chicken breast chunks.

This is supposed to be just chicken, right? There are way too many additives in here. I am amazed that they can call this natural! Carrageenan has been called a possible carcinogen. Sugar is highly processed and has no business being in chicken. Yeast extract is a hidden source of MSG. Caramel color is also another possible carcinogen. BHA and propyl gallate may also be linked to cancer. Since this is not labeled organic, the soy in here may contain GMOs. Please check all labels. Even ones that say natural. I am not sure of a better store bought option. If any of you know, please leave an answer in the comment section.

Fruity Lemonade

July 5, 2013December 14, 2014 Melissa King 24 Comments

Who doesn’t like a refreshing cold drink in the summer? I know I love it on hot days like today. Problem is, most store bought mixes are laden with processed sugar and chemicals. Take a look at the ingredients in this Country Time Lemonade that I got off their website. Did you notice how there are no actual lemons in the ingredients??? There are, however, lots of other unwanted additives. I have highlighted some of the nastier ones.

Ingredients: SUGAR, FRUCTOSE, CITRIC ACID, CONTAINS LESS THAN 2% OF MALTODEXTRIN, NATURAL FLAVOR, ASCORBIC ACID (VITAMIN C), SODIUM ACID PYROPHOSPHATE, SODIUM CITRATE, MAGNESIUM OXIDE, CALCIUM FUMARATE, SOY LECITHIN, ARTIFICIAL COLOR, YELLOW 5 LAKE, TOCOPHEROL (PRESERVES FRESHNESS). CONTAINS: SOY.

You can almost guarantee that the soy products contain
GMOs. This is easy to make and much better!

If you don’t want a drink, you can make these into popsicles using these molds. I made mine using a juicer, but you can use a blender and strain if you like, or just make it into a lemonade smoothie! I got the idea for this after I saw all the fruits that came in my co-op basket.

Fruity Lemonade

Fruity Lemonade

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Prep Time 5 min

Ingredients

2 lemons (remove rinds, but leave as much white as possible)
3 mangos (skins removed and pitted)
4-5 cups honey dew melon cubed
1-3 T of raw honey or maple syrup

Instructions

If you are using a juicer , juice all ingredients except for the honey.
Take a taste.
Add 1-3 T raw honey or maple syrup depending on how sweet you like it. I personally love the tarty flavor.
If you are using a blender juice the lemon separately.
Add the rest of the fruit and the sweetener into the blender with the lemon juice.
Blend for about 90 seconds.
Serve immediately or store for later. I got about 32 oz of juice out of mine. Enjoy!

by Melissa King

Healthy Key Lime Tarts (Vegan and Paleo)

July 3, 2013June 1, 2017 Melissa King 62 Comments

Healthy Key Lime Tarts. One of the things I think of during summer is healthy key lime tarts. I knew I had to find a way to make a healthy key lime vegan tart recipe.

My father-in-law loves all things key lime and he loved this key lime tart recipe! I had him come over and taste test them. If you like my Key Lime Larabars, you will love these key lime tarts!

I had soaked some cashews because I was making some Smoky Sweet Potato Tacos and the recipe called for a maple cream.

I thought they were plenty sweet and didn’t end up making the cream part. The tacos were bomb though!

I used the extra cashew cream in this recipe. These little tarts are vegan, grain free, gluten free and raw. I hope you enjoy them as much as we did.

Healthy Key Lime Tarts

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Prep Time 2 hr Serves 5 - 6 servings adjust servings

Ingredients

For the crust

1 1/2 cups almonds
1/2 cup pecans
8 medjool dates pitted
1-2 T coconut oil (optional)
1/2 tsp salt

For the filling

1 cup cashews (soaked overnight and then drained)
1/3 cup canned coconut milk
3 T honey or maple syrup
Juice from 2 key limes (even more if you like a super tart flavor)

Instructions

For the crust

Soak the cashews overnight and then drain and rinse.
In the food processor , grind up the salt, almonds and pecans until they are a course/crumbly texture.
Add the dates and pulse until a dough starts to form. You may need to add a couple tablespoons of water or oil if the dough is not holding well.
Press the dough into individual greased tart pans . I have the kind with the removable bottoms. Makes it real easy to remove them afterward. I got five out of my batch. It helps to use wet hands while forming the dough into place.
Once all the dough is formed in the cups, place in the fridge for 30 minutes to firm the dough back up.

For the filling

While the dough is firming back up, you can start on the filling. Throw the cashews, coconut milk, sweetener and lime juice in a blender and blend until smooth. I used my Vitamix . Take a taste. If you like it a little more tart, add some more lime juice.
Pour the contents into the tart shells and let chill in the fridge for a couple hours. That’s it!

by Melissa King

Healthy 4th of July Ideas

July 2, 2013July 2, 2013 Melissa King 2 Comments

We are coming up on yet another holiday. I seriously can’t believe it’s going to be July! Didn’t we just start this year? I swear, once you have kids, time flies! Anyway, I thought I would give you some healthy inspiration for July 4th.