Tag: vegetarian

Healthy Toddler Crackers

Melissa King 53 Comments

My kids love animal crackers.   Problem is, I have never been able to find a store bought brand with a super clean ingredient list.  Sure you can buy GMO free animal crackers at Trader Joes and Whole Foods, but even their brands have too much sugar for me.  So when Wholesome Sweeteners sent me a sample of all their products, I decided to use their coconut palm sugar in this recipe.

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Ideally, I would have liked to make these in animal shapes, but I didn’t have an animal cookie stamp.  I found this one on Amazon and ordered it, so I will make these again once it comes in the mail.  For now, these are just cut into tiny squares.  Since these cookies are for toddlers, I made them only mildly sweet.  My daughter loved them and I hope your kids do as well.

Healthy Toddler Crackers

Healthy Toddler Crackers

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Prep Time 20 min Cook Time 30 min

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup spelt flour (for a GF option, try using GF all purpose)
  • 1/3 cup Wholesome Sweeteners coconut sugar
  • 1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce
  • 1/4 cup coconut oil
  • 2 flax eggs (I used a flax egg replacer)
  • 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp ground vanilla bean or vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup milk (I used oat milk)

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350. 
  2. In a food processor, grind up the oats into a coarse crumb-like texture. 
  3. Add them to a bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients. 
  4. Add all the wet ingredients into another bowl. 
  5. Add dry to wet and mix only until combined. 
  6. Gather the dough into a ball and wrap in plastic.  It may be a bit sticky. 
  7. Stick dough in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to firm up a bit. 
  8. While the dough is firming, cut two sheets of parchment paper the size of your baking sheets . 
  9. Using a bench scraper, cut the dough in half. 
  10. Lay the parchment paper down on the counter.
  11. Place the plastic wrap you had the dough wrapped in between the rolling pin and the dough.  By doing this, you will be able to roll the dough out very flat and it will not stick to the counter or the rolling pin.  It will also make for easy transport to the baking sheets . 
  12. Roll the dough as flat as it can get and transfer to the baking sheet. 
  13. Repeat the same steps with the second half of the dough. 
  14. Before you place the dough into the oven, score it for easy cutting once it’s baked.  I used a pizza cutter to make squares. 
  15. Bake for about 15 minutes. 
  16. Remove the pans and very carefully, flip the pieces over.  If you have scored the dough beforehand, they should easy break into little pieces. 
  17. Put back in the oven for another 15 minutes, carefully watching them to make sure they don’t burn.

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Recipe Notes

If you have really young children, you may want to bake them a little less so they can easily be chewed. I filled a large mason jar with the crackers I made. Enjoy!

Maple Pecan Cookies

Melissa King 23 Comments

I have had it on my mind to make these maple pecan cookies for a while now and I finally got around to it.  These maple pecan cookies came out really tasty!  Maple and pecans are two of my favorite things, so why not throw them together and make a maple and pecan thumbprint cookie.

pecan ccokies 1 watermark

These are made with whole grains and no refined sugar.  I also added extra crushed vanilla bean and cinnamon to make the cookie appear sweeter than it actually is.  Did you know that spices can do that?  I was pretty surprised to first read that, but now I swear by those vanilla beans.  They are amazing!  This is a great recipe to do with your kids as well.  Since my daughter is only 3 1/2, her job is to push the pecans into the middle of the cookie.  I used raw pecans for my recipe, but they would be equally delicious with my Candied Pecans as well.

Maple Pecan Cookies

Maple Pecan Cookies

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 13 min Serves 20 Cookies     adjust servings

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350.
  2. In a food processor, grind up the 1/2 cup pecans (measure before grinding.)
  3. Add the pecans to a bowl with the rest of the dry ingredients.
  4. Add all the wet ingredients into another bowl.
  5. Add dry to wet and mix only until combined. The dough will be a bit thick and sticky.
  6. Roll into balls and place on a lined baking sheet.
  7. Press the cookies down flat with the palm of your hand.
  8. Press a pecan into the middle of each cookie.
  9. Bake in the oven for about 13 minutes.

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Recipe Notes

They should last at least a week, but you can refrigerate or even freeze to make them last longer. Enjoy!

Italian Herb Dressing Recipe

Melissa King 20 Comments

Italian Herb Dressing.  When I asked you awhile back about what kind of healthy dressing recipes you would like to see, a popular answer was a vegan Italian dressing.

I had already created a Balsamic Vinaigrette.  So I created an vegan herb dressing for you.

 

Italian herb dressing

 

This healthy salad dressing is super easy to make as well.  I used dried herbs, because that is what I had on hand.  Feel free to use fresh ones as well.

This dressing would make a great marinade as well.  I am thinking of marinating some vegetable kabobs in this and then grilling them.  Yum!

Italian Herb Dressing Recipe

Italian Herb Dressing

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Prep Time 5 min Serves 1 cup     adjust servings

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup olive oil
  • 1/3 cup white wine vinegar
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp thyme
  • 1/2 tsp oregano
  • 1 tsp basil
  • 1 1/2 tsp honey or maple syrup (I used honey)
  • pinch salt

Instructions

  1. Mix all the wet ingredients in a bowl .
  2. Mix all the dry in another. 
  3. Add wet to dry and whisk until combined.

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Recipe Notes

Another way you can mix is to throw everything in a covered container and shake well. Keep in mind that since this is a homemade dressing, the oil will try to solidify in the fridge. If you plan on using the dressing, just pull it out a few minutes before you need it and then shake well before using. I got close to 1 cup of dressing. It should last in the fridge a couple weeks. Enjoy!

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups (Vegan)

Melissa King 110 Comments

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups.  Let’s face it.  We all need a little something sweet every once and a while.  Who says you need to give up peanut butter cups?  While I will never eat Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups again, I will have a homemade peanut butter cup every now and then!

 

clean eating peanut butter cups

 

I made these with homemade peanut butter and also almond butter.  Both worked out well, but I think I liked the peanut butter cups better.  Most homemade peanut butter cup recipes call for powdered sugar.  This does not.  I just dropped some freshly made peanut butter in the middle of these.

So much better that way and also much less sugar too!  The chips I used are from Enjoy Life.  You can also make your own chocolate with 1 cup coconut oil, 1/2 cup cacao powder and a few tablespoons of liquid sweetener.  Or you could melt a couple of bars of dark chocolate with a bit of milk.  Any way works.

The Enjoy Life chips have a pretty clean ingredient list and are gluten free as well.  They do contain a bit of processed sugar which is why I gave some other options.  I have tried the chips and the coconut oil chocolate.

I chopped one of these homemade peanut butter cups and ate it in my 5 Minute Banana Ice Cream.  OMG!  Best.Thing.Ever.  A healthier dessert option.

If you don’t want to use chocolate chips, you can use my 3 ingredient chocolate recipe in this video.

Looking for more candy recipes?

 

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups

Clean Eating Peanut Butter Cups

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Prep Time 10 min Cook Time 20 min Serves 12     adjust servings

It's a healthier version of a Reece's Cup.

Ingredients

  • 1 bag chocolate chips (I used Enjoy Life gluten free and soy free chips)
  • 3/4 cup almond milk
  • Roughly 3/4 cup peanut butter or almond butter

Instructions

  1. Get out a couple of muffin tins and line them with paper or silicone cups. . I used standard sized muffin pans, but the mini cups would work well too.
  2. Using a double boiler, melt the chips and milk in a glass bowl, stirring constantly to get the lumps out. It makes a great arm workout.
  3. Once the chocolate and milk have combined and are smooth, pour a little bit of chocolate in the bottom of each muffin cup.
  4. Place them in the freezer for about 20 minutes to set.
  5. When they are hard, pull them out and put a dollop on nut butter on top of each one.
  6. Fill the remaining cup with chocolate.
  7. Repeat until all the cups are filled.
  8. Place back in the freezer.

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Recipe Notes

I would give them a few hours to set. Actually, I store mine in the freezer as well. I think they would get too soft in the fridge. That’s it!

Homemade Fig Newtons Recipe

Melissa King 168 Comments

Homemade Fig Newtons for you.  Before we cleaned up our diet, Fig Newtons were a big staple around here.  We all know how fig newtons are often touted as a healthy cookie option for kids.  But if you ever looked at the ingredients, most are not good.

My healthy fig newton recipe is so much healthier than store bought ones and a fig newton you can feel good about giving your kids. These fig newtons also taste better in my opinion. You definitely need to try them.

Homemade Fig Newtons

These are made with whole grains and no refined sugars, unlike the real cookies.  The real cookies contain high fructose corn syrup. 🙁  You can also use the recipe as a base to add in your own fillings.  If you filled these with fruit, they would almost taste like a Nutri-Grain bar as well.

The possibilities are endless.  I also added a little cinnamon to the dough to spice it up a bit.  I think it turned out well that way.  One other thing to note is, using the coconut oil will not make them taste like coconut at all, but it does help add a sweetness to the cookies.

Another great thing about this recipe is that it freezes well.  So you can make up a huge batch and freeze some for later. I suggest storing them in an air-tight container with a piece or parchment between each row of cookies.  That way, you don’t have to worry about them sticking together.

Homemade Fig Newtons

Homemade Fig Newtons

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Prep Time 1 hr Cook Time 15 min Serves 16 cookies     adjust servings

A healthier version of the classic cookie.

Ingredients

    For the cookie

    For the filling

    • 15-20 figs (I used dried Turkish Figs I got at Sprouts)
    • 1 T maple syrup
    • water

    Instructions

      For the filling

      1. In a food processor, grind up the figs, 1 T maple syrup and a bit of water. You want the figs to be the consistency of peanut butter so only add a bit of water. I think I used about 1 tablespoon.
      2. Blend into a paste and set aside.

      For the cookie

      1. Preheat oven to 350.
      2. In one bowl mix all the dry ingredients.
      3. In another bowl, mix the wet.
      4. Add dry to wet and mix only until combined. Be careful not to over-mix. The dough will be sticky and a bit wet.
      5. Gather it in a ball and wrap it.
      6. Put the dough in the fridge for about an hour to firm up.
      7. Once firm, roll the dough onto a floured surface. I tried to roll my dough as square as possible.
      8. Once the dough is rolled out, spread the fig mixture onto half of the dough.
      9. Once the fig mixture is spread, fold 1 half of the dough onto the other and cut into squares. I cut mine into about 2×2 squares and used a pizza cutter to do so.
      10. Place on lined baking sheet and bake for about 12-15 minutes.
      11. I got about 16 out of my batch.

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      Recipe Notes

      They should last a couple of weeks, but you can refrigerate them to make them last even longer. Enjoy!

      Save Money By Making Your Own Hummus

      Melissa King 125 Comments

      You can Save Money By Making Your Own Hummus!!  Hummus is probably one of the easiest things you can make yourself.  It takes only minutes to make.

       

      save money making your own hummus

       

      Most store bought versions contain unwanted additives as well as GMOs.  If you look at the ingredients in Sabra’s Classic Hummus, they are as follows:

      Cooked Chickpeas (Chickpeas [Garbanzos], Water), Tahini (Ground Sesame), Soybean Oil, Garlic, Salt, Citric Acid, Potassium Sorbate Added to Maintain Freshness, Natural Flavors. Classic Hummus

      Why is there soybean oil in hummus?  Traditionally, it’s made with olive oil….and you certainly would not use natural flavors if you made it in your own kitchen.  According to Wikipedia, Sabra is partly own by Pepsi.  You know the soda people?  They spent a lot of money lobbying against GMO labeling.

       

      If you didn’t know, my mother in law is Turkish and this is her hummus recipe.  It is really good!  I have not tried freezing it, but I am sure you probably could.  For more videos, you can subscribe to my You Tube Channel.

       

      Save Money By Making Your Own Hummus

      Homemade Hummus

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      Ingredients

      • 2 cups cooked or 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed
      • 1/4 cup tahini
      • Juice of 1 lemon
      • 1-2 tsp cumin (I used two)
      • 3 cloves garlic or 2 tsp garlic powder (I use real garlic)
      • 1/2 tsp salt
      • 1 T olive oil

      Instructions

      1. Process the chickpeas in the food processor or blender to get them started.
      2. Then add all the remaining ingredients until everything is smooth and well mixed.

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      Recipe Notes

      If it is too thick, just add a bit of water until you get the consistency you desire. That is it. Sometimes I drizzle a bit of oil over the top. Enjoy!