Pecan Pie Larabars

Another great recipe from MyWholeFoodLife.  Pecan Pie Larabars.  These taste so delicious, it's hard to believe they are good for you!  With just 3 ingredients, you can't go wrong.  Go ahead, have 2 or 3 or 4...

1 cup raw almonds
1 cup pecans
12 medjool dates (or prunes)

Blend the pecans and the almonds in a food processor until they are fine. Then mix in the dates. The nuts will release their natural oils so there is no need for water. I was a little short on prunes, so I added just a little bit of maple syrup to help bring it together.  Line an 8X8 pan with parchment, leaving enough room for some paper to stick out the sides. Press the dough evenly into the pan. Once it’s spread out, use the extra paper to press the dough down with your palms so it’s packed well. Stick in the fridge to firm up for about 2 hours.  Remove, cut into slices, enjoy!

Healthy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins

My newest favorite blog, My Whole Food Life, had this recipe for muffins.  It's near perfection and didn't really need much changing.

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup wheat, 1/2 oat)
• 1/3 cup organic, pure maple syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup homemade applesauce
• 1 can pumpkin (I used a mix of canned pumpkin and homemade sweet potato puree)
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 1/3 cup chocolate chips

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Mix wet ingredients in a bowl
• Mix dry ingredients in a separate bowl and add to wet ingredients
• Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins.
• Bake for 15-20 minutes (depending on how full you fill the tins) or until toothpick comes out clean

Homemade "Cheez-It" Style Crackers

Looking for a healthier alternative to Cheez-Its or Goldfish crackers??  This is the perfect recipe.  It has so much flavor and it couldn't be easier.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup grated cheese (I used half cheddar and half Parmesan)
• 1/2 cup flour (You could use whole wheat or half and half.  I used half Oat Flour and half White) 
• 3 TB softened butter
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Any seasonings you want!  I used 1/4 tsp Paprika and almost 1 tsp Mesquite seasoning for a more BBQ flavor.  You can create pretty much whatever you want.  :)

Directions

• Put all ingredients into a food processor and pulse until you get a crumby mixture (you could also do this by hand of course)
• Add water 1/2 TB at a time until dough comes together and forms a ball (I only used 1 TB total)
• It will look something like this when ready

• Wrap in plastic wrap (or ziplock bag) and place in fridge for 20 or so minutes
• I divided into 2 balls and rolled one at a time inbetween 2 pieces of wax paper and transferred onto a silpat baking sheet.  Use slightly greased sheet if you do not have a silpat.
• Bake for about 11 minutes in 350 degree oven (check to make sure it's not burning)
• Let cool slightly, then cut into desired size/shapes.  
• Enjoy!

Better for You Breakfast Muffins

This is not considered a Whole Food.  I wanted to make a Healthier muffin for my son and I think I'm on to something here.  I still have some more substitutions I want to try next time, now that I know this worked out pretty good.  Each muffin (this makes 12) has about 80 calories, 5g Sugar and about 1/2g Fat.  I am going to adjust it some more next time I make these and hopefully cut out more sugar and calories.  (I adjusted this recipe of Raisin Bran Muffins to make these)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cups Corn Flakes (shown in picture below)
• 1 cup Almond Milk
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin Puree (Next time I wont used canned, but either fresh Pumpkin or a sweet potato or squash)
• 1/4 cup Brown Sugar (I'm going to try and substitute this out next time as well)
• 1/8 cup Honey
• 1/2 tsp Vanilla
• 1/2 cup All Purpose Flour (next time I'll use all Oat Flour)
• 1/2 cup Oat Flour (I put Organic Oats through the food processor)
• 1 tsp Baking Soda
• 1 tsp Baking Powder
• 1/2 tsp Salt
• 1/2 cup Organic Raisins

Directions:

• Let Corn Flakes sit in milk for about 10 minutes.
• Add Pumpkin
• Puree mixture
• Add Sugar, Honey and vanilla
• Add dry ingredients
• Add Raisins
• Drop into Muffin cups
• Bake 400* for about 18 minutes

Baked Sweet Potato Chips

Ok well, these didn't really turn out to be "chips" in the traditional sense.  They did not get crunchy but they were still so good.  A great alternative to unhealthy potato chips.

Ingredients:

• Sweet Potato (Yam)
• Olive Oil
• Sea Salt

Directions:

• Slice Sweet Potato into 1/8" pieces
• Drizzle with Olive Oil
• Sprinkle with Salt
• Toss to Coat
• Place on Baking Sheet
• Bake in 400* oven for 25-30 minutes

Chicken Lime Cilantro Salad

Day 5 dinner I kept simple.  I'm starting to get low on my fresh produce, good thing it's the end of the week!

Ingredients:

• Chicken Breast
• Olive Oil
• Onion
• Garlic
• Cilantro
• Chili Powder
• Cumin
• Black Beans
• Tomatoes 
• Red Leaf Lettuce

Day 3 Recap

Whew, busy day today!  Haven't had a chance to post anything.  I was out and about for a few hours today and forgot to bring anything with me and then work and the kids kept me pretty busy at home, so I didn't eat as much today as I should have.  I came in about 500 calories short of my goal.  Unfortunately, for me it's a snooze you lose situation when it comes to eating.  Oh well, just have to do better tomorrow!

I had a simple breakfast of Oatmeal with flax meals and strawberries (yum!).

I snacked on a banana, apple, raisins and avocado.  I even only had 1 cup of coffee today, that's how crazy my day was.  Dinner was great though and I will be posting the recipe for that next!  Quinoa Tuna Cakes.

I did not start my exercising over the weekend, but started up today.  Better late than never I say :)

Ok, hopefully tomorrow I'll  be able to post more (and eat more!).

Spruce up your water: Homemade Citrus Electrolyte Drink

Around here, we like Powerade.  But after reading the back and seeing how much sodium and sugar is in one of those things, I decided to start making my own.  This recipe you can use as a drink itself, or make into ice cubes and add a couple to your water to spruce it up a bit.  I know sometimes drinking enough water can be difficult, it does get boring after awhile.  This will help!  

Ingredients:

• Orange Juice (Fresh is best!) about 1/2 cup
• Lemon Juice (The fresher the better) about 1/4 cup
• 1/2 - 1 TB Honey (to your taste)
• Dash of salt
• Enough water to make 3 cups total liquid (about 2 1/4)

Directions:

• Blend ingredients
• Pour into Ice Cube trays

• Freeze
• Put in water, enjoy!

Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans) are so good for you and they definitely do not get enough attention.  While they may be higher in calories, they have so many other great nutrients in them, they are a must for anyone trying to lose weight and/or eat healthier.

When you’re eating fewer calories to lose weight, those calories must be packed with nutrition. This is where chickpeas shine as a weight-loss food. One-half cup of cooked chickpeas has barely a trace of fat, yet provides 7 grams of protein and 22 grams of energy-providing complex carbohydrates. Chickpeas are a rich source of iron, giving men 25 percent of their recommended daily intake, while women get 11 percent. You’ll also gain bone-building calcium and phosphorus and the potassium you need to keep nerves and muscles functioning. Chickpeas have 3 to 8 percent of the recommended daily intake of the B vitamins essential for energy. The same serving also has 35 percent of the recommended daily intake of folate, which is essential for the synthesis of genetic material and the creation of normal red blood cells.  (source: HealthyEating)

 So today I wanted to make a delicious snack from Chickpeas.  At Winco the other day I picked up just over a pound for $1.59.

Directions:

• Rinse, rinse and rinse Chickpeas throwing away any gray or funny looking ones.
• Soak overnight
• Drain, rinse and add fresh water (at least 3 inches on top of beans)
• Bring to a boil
• Cook for 30-60 minutes (Just keep checking them, you want them cooked but not mushy)
• Preheat oven to 375
• Drain
• Put 2 cups of Chickpeas onto lined baking sheet
• Cook for 45 minutes

So the pound of dried beans gave me about 10 cups of soaked beans.  I only used 2 in this recipe, the rest I put in small zip locks and put in the freezer for later use.  2 cups cost $0.32.

• Mix 1 TB honey, 1/2 TB olive oil, 1 tsp Cinnamon, 1/2 tsp nutmeg and a dash of salt together.
• While beans are still hot, dump into honey mixture.  
• You can either eat them now, or put back in the over for another 5-10 minutes to caramelize a bit.

Honey Cinnamon Roasted Chickpeas

They shrink up a bit after cooking, I got 4 1/3 cup servings from this.  Each serving was about 165 calories with 27g good carbs and 7g of Protein!  They were Amazing.  I ate this as Meal 2 along with 3 Strawberries and 15 grapes for a total of 234 calories.