Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

UPDATE:  Look below recipe for a simple way to shape and store these granola bars without dirtying all your pans!

These are our families current favorite granola bars!  Great for a quick filling healthy snack.  Full of essential fatty acids and protein.  Not to mention simple to make and super tasty!

Pour melted mixture over dry ingredients.

Spread on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper that has been sprinkled with carob chips.

Press into pan and flatten out evenly.

Sprinkle with more carob chips and lightly press them into the bars.  Chill then cut into bars.

Chewy No-Bake Granola Bars

4 cups Rolled Oats
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup chia seed
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped nuts or ground flax seed

Combine above ingredients into large bowl and stir together.

2 cups All Natural Peanut Butter
2/3 cups honey
3/4-1 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 drop natural butter flavor (opt.)

In a saucepan on low heat melt these ingredients together just until melted.  Pour melted mixture over oat mixture in bowl and stir until well coated.  Then turn onto parchment paper cover cookie sheets that have been sprinkled with carob chips.  May use one or two cookie sheets depending on size of sheets and how thick you want your bars.  Press mixture into pan and then sprinkle with more carob chips.  Lightly press carob chips into bars.  Chill until hardened.  I like to put them in the freezer.  Cut into bars after chilled may wrap them individually I usually just layer them into a tupperware with parchment paper in between.  I store them in the freezer.



UPDATE:  

I figured that since these didn't need baking then why should I use up all my cookie sheets making them!  Plus how often to you have plenty of room in your freezer for 2-3 cookie sheets.  So I found my biggest tupperware type dish.  It's about 10x13.  Then I put in a sheet of parchment paper sprinkled it with the carob chips and then started layering.  This recipe did about 3 layers but I could have fit a least that many more if I had wanted to make more bars.

Then I put the lid on them and froze them and when they were all set up I could just pull out a layer at a time.  Just be sure you put parchment paper in between each layer.

There it is one layer pulled out two more layers are still the in tupperware.  Super convenient, doesn't dirty as many dishes and they can easily be stored that way until ready to use.

Spice Labels: Free Download

A while back I decided I needed some new containers for my bulk herbs and spices.  I also knew I wanted glass with a wide mouth opening.  Have you ever priced out jars like that?  They are kind of pricey or maybe I'm just cheap but I wasn't going to pay that much.  I thought wide mouth canning jars would be the best bet.  I always have lots of those around....problem is I use them for canning and a quart wasn't quite big enough.

Then I noticed the peanut butter jars that I had saved.......Yeah it's sort of a sickness among a lot of herbalists;  We love saving miscellaneous glass jars!  It drives Ryan crazy! ;)  The jars happen to be the perfect size to fit 1 pound of powdered herb in with a little bit of room to spare. I love it when I find good uses for my jars. And of course they needed proper labels.

Look I even put the Genus and Species name on them.  (Yep the herbalist coming out in me again)  Good stuff to know and it's educational for the kids too!  To get the free download just click the icon below.

Quick and Yummy Stuffed Peppers, 100% Raw

When the weather starts to warm up I start to think of recipes like this one.  No cooking involved so I don't have to heat up my Kitchen which in turn heats up the house.  Having meals that we don't have to cook in the spring is great because I can put off running the air conditioning until Summer.  This is one of Ryan's favorite Raw Dishes!  I love it because it is so quick and easy to prepare and super tasty! 

Quick and Yummy Stuffed Peppers

1 lb. Walnuts, ground fine in food processor

1 lb. Carrots, ground fine in food processor

2 Tablespoons nutritional yeast

1 Tablespoon poultry seasoning or fresh herbs of choice (sage, nutmeg, rosemary, thyme, basil, etc.)

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ cup lemon juice

1 Tablespoon honey or 4 dates

1 ½ teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, minced

black pepper or paprika for garnish

Place all ingredients into a large bowl and stir well to combine. Stuff your favorite color of bell pepper, or mushroom, or avocado. Enjoy. We like to use the leftover filling on a sandwich or on a salad. Yummy!!!

Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie

Cherry Cheesecake Smoothie

1 can coconut milk
juice of half a lemon
2 leaves Kale
1 small handful cashews (optional)
2 cups Rice milk
3-4 cups frozen Cherries
1-2 Frozen Bananas
2 Tablespoons agave
2 cups ice

This makes over 2 quarts so if you don't have a large Blendtec blender you may want to half the recipe.  Place first 4 ingredients in blender.  Blend until smooth.  Add the rest of the ingredients.  Blend until smooth.  Enjoy! 

Totally Homemade Hummus

So I got my Twister Jar yesterday and I made my hummus recipe......

Blended nice and smooth in about a minute. And it made the whole recipe at once. Before I had to blend then scrape the sides of the jar then blend again and scrape the side at lest five times. I tried a stick blender and it seemed less tedious but didn't really get it nice a smooth. Love the jar it will be great for all my Thick Blends!

I call this totally homemade because I don't even used canned chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans).  I guess you could but I think when you cook your own beans not only are they healthier but they just seem to taste better.  It's not hard either;  To cook your own beans, just take the dried beans and cover with twice the water (they will almost double in size) in your crock pot and let them soak overnight.  Be sure not to plug in or turn on crock pot for soaking.  In the morning drain and cover with water  until about an inch over the beans and cook on high for about 4-6 hours or until done.  They season however you want.  I usually just add some Real Salt to garbanzo beans because I'm usually using them for something like this hummus or this recipe.  Ryan who isn't a hummus fan loves this recipe and I think it's because the beans are not canned.  Well and also cause the tahini isn't overpowering and cause I spiced it up with a bit of jalapeno and.......well mostly it's just a great recipe.  Give it a try!

Totally Homemade Hummus with Cumin and Cilantro

3 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Real Salt

1/2 teaspoon Jalapeno powder or 1 whole jalapeno (optional, we like it with a kick)
Juice of one Lemon
1 Tablespoon Tahini
1-2 teaspoons cumin, or to taste
2-4 Tablespoons fresh Cilantro, chopped

Mix all ingredients except Cilantro together using a stick blender or high speed blender until smooth.  I believe that the Twister Jar will work best for blending this hummus.  Gently stir in fresh cilantro.  Garnish with more cilantro and cumin.  Great dip for veggies, crackers, as a spread on sandwiches or with pita bread.

NOTE:  In blender it will take some finessing and stopping and scraping the sides down to blend it all smooth you may add more liquid but will get a thinner product.  The Twister Jar is the perfect tool for making quick easy hummus.  Blends nice and smooth in 90 seconds or less.  I love it! 

Italian Tossed Salad with Creamy Italian Dressing

Sometimes your in the mood for a nice, pretty really good salad!  This one reminds me of something you might get at The Olive Garden but this one is even better for you.  With of course only good ingredients in the dressing.  ENJOY!

Italian Tossed Salad

1 recipe homemade croutons (recipe below)
2 heads romaine lettuce, sliced
1 cup grated carrots
1/4 head purple cabbage, thinly sliced
1/2 small purple onion, thinly sliced
1 cup quartered cherry or grape tomatoes
1 can black olives, drained
1-2 banana peppers, sliced (optional)

Toss everything together in a large bowl.  Add croutons and dressing just before serving.  Should only take about 1/4-1/2 the dressing made in recipe below.  If you like more or less dressing adjust to taste.  Toss well and serve.

Healthy Homemade Croutons

6-8 slices whole wheat bread cut into cubes
4 Tablespoons coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon Vegetable Broth Powder

Preheat oven to 375°.  Pour oil over bread cubes.  Mix until well coated sprinkle with vegetable broth powder.  Spread on a cookie sheet and bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.   Remove from oven and let cool on cookie sheet.

Creamy Italian Dressing

1 1/2 cup Vegenaise
1/2-2/3 cups Apple Cider Vinegar (depending how tart you like it)
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
4 Tablespoons Sucanat and or Agave
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1/2 teaspoon Real Salt
a dash of pepper
juice of half a Lemon
1 Tablespoon hemp seed (optional)

Place all ingredients into a wide mouth quart jar.  Stir or shake well.  Keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week.

Pineapple Orange Green Smoothie

I noticed that I have made this particular smoothie blend a lot this past month and it has for sure been a favorite this week so I thought I would share.

Pineapple Orange Green Smoothie

2 cups water
4-6 oranges with peels cut off
2 handfuls spinach
1 leaf kale (optional)
1 apple (optional)
1/2 frozen banana
1 cup frozen peaches
2 cups frozen pineapple
20 drops liquid vanilla Stevia (optional)
1 teaspoon Bee Pollen (opt. I have been adding since allergy season is quickly approaching)
1 teaspoon Maca (optional)

Blend first five ingredients until nice and smooth in very large blender. (If you don't have a 3 quart blender jar you may want to half the recipe)  Add the rest of the ingredients blend again until smooth.

What favorite smoothie combinations do you find regularly in your blender?

New Favorite Shampoo!

You know me......I read ingredients!  Not only am I particular about what I put into my body but also what I put ON my body.  You can read more about that here and here.  When it comes to shampoo it has been really hard to find something with ingredients I approve of at a price I'm willing to pay.  I have tried all the fancy kinds that were barely affordable.  Most worked good and I liked them but I didn't like paying for them.  So I tried making my own and well......lets just say that I have a long way to go before I have perfected the D.I.Y shampoo making process.



Anyway I had some of this I had bought years ago but didn't think a "bar of soap" was going to work in my hair so I had not tried it.  I had forgot to reorder more of my Revitalize shampoo that I have used most often and we were running low.  So I busted out the shampoo bar and told Ryan to try it out and if it worked I would let him and the boys use it because it was so much cheaper and who cares about short boys hair right. ;) Then I could have the expensive stuff to myself!   After he had used it a few times I asked him what he thought.  I noticed his hair seemed and clean as ever......and maybe a bit softer!  He said it was great and that it lathered more than any other shampoo he had used in a long time. 

That made me curious!  So I tried it!  My hair definitely felt different as I was rinsing it out and I was worried that there would be heavy residue left in my hair.  It did lather really well though!  After the first washing it didn't seem quite as clean as when I used my other more expensive shampoo but then I read on the label.  It said that it will feel different than you are used to because it doesn't strip out the natural oils from your hair the way most shampoos do.

So I gave it another try and another and another and well after 2 months of using nothing but the shampoo bar;  I'm excited to share that I have a new favorite shampoo.  It looks like a bar of soap.  It's about 4 times less money than shampoo I was using and I think it lasts lots longer.  And my hair well my hair is very happy now.  I think it feels cleaner, healthier, and more natural then ever before.  It doesn't need conditioner because the natural oils are still there.  I do put a tiny amount of coconut oil on the ends still because I have long hair and the ends tend to get pretty dry and damaged.  I got a shampoo bar for the kids shower too and my daughter who has tons of thick beautiful hair says she likes how well it works for her hair!  Of course I ended up getting the shampoo bar shelf for each shower so the bar will stay more dry and last as long as possible. 





I just love it when I find something simple, healthy and affordable that works!  I just had to share!

Waffles Made Overnight

We made these and loved them, then had family and friends try them and the consensus is in...These are the best dang waffles ever!  Light and fluffy yet crisp on the outside....better yet whole grain and don't get stuck in your waffle iron.  For sure our very favorite waffles.

Overnight Waffles

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees)
2 teaspoons Sucanat
2 1/2 teaspoons yeast
4 cups rice milk
3/4 cup coconut oil
1 1/2 teaspoons Real Salt
4 cups flour (I used hard white wheat)
4 organic eggs or egg replacer (have tried both works the same either way only the color is different the taste is the same!)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

In a large mixing bowl (batter will rise), put warm water in and stir in Sucanat.  Sprinkle with yeast, let sit for 5 minutes.  In a saucepan on low heat warm the rice milk and melt the coconut oil in the milk.  DO NOT LET IT GET TOO HOT (about 110 degrees).  Add the warm rice milk and oil mixture along with the salt and flour to the yeast mixture and whisk until smooth.  Cover the bowl and let sit overnight at room temperature.  Just before ready to cook beat in egg or egg replacer and the baking soda and mix well.  Pour amount needed for your waffle iron onto it when hot.  Cook until done.  Keeps well in the fridge for about a week.

Lemon Ice Cream

Tangy Lemon Sorbet meets Homemade Vanilla Ice Cream!  MmmmMMmmmm it's creamy and sweet yet sour and.....well Lemony!  Perfect on warm Sunny afternoons. ENJOY!

Lemon Ice Cream

2 cans coconut milk
2-3 cups rice milk
1/2 cup organic sugar
1/2 cup agave (or more organic sugar)
a pinch of Real Salt
1 teaspoon guar gum (optional)
1 Tablespoon vanilla and/or the insides scraped from 2 vanilla beans
zest of 2 lemons
juice of 4 lemons

Whisk or blend all ingredients together well.  Freeze according to directions on your ice cream freezer.  Great with these cookies.