Homemade Larabars

I always love to have an easy to grab snack for myself and the girls.  Usually I try to make these things  but sometimes it is much easier to grab something from the store. Convenience can't be beat at times.  I love grabbing a healthy, wholesome granola bar that I can toss in my purse and pull out when someone needs a snack. Typically my granola bar of choice at the store is a LaraBar.  Simple, whole food ingredients.  No hidden extras.  We all love them.  The only drawback is that they get expensive. When we are camping or traveling the girls could eat several of these a day. That equals a nice chunk of change for a snack.

The other week a dear friend was over and mentioning that she had just starting making a version of a LaraBar at home. What?!?!  Why hadn't I thought of this. So easy.  She completely inspired me. I went on a google quest to find out how to make my own Larabars.  Wouldn't you know, it's incredibly simple.
 
My favorite part about these bars? Dates are the sweetener.  No granulated sugar. No honey. No syrup. Only dates, which happens to be my favorite sweetener.   I love that I can sweeten all kinds of food with dates without the ill effects of traditional sugar and sweeteners.  Dates are a good source of fiber, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron.  All this to say they are an amazing food and worth including into a whole foods diet.  Dates are considered "nature's candy."  Really I think a lot of candy gets it's inspiration from natural whole foods.  Think of the sweetness and candy like goodness of pomegranates. Tangerines. Papaya. Grapes. Mangoes. Pineapple. Lots of sweet goodness in many of the foods nature provides.  Total side note but if you find yourself having a lot of sugar or sweet cravings experiment with adding more sweet whole foods into your diet.  Fruits but also sweet vegetables. Might be pleasantly surprised to find those sugar cravings decreasing. 

 
Now for an easy, knock your socks off recipe.  This is simply one version of a homemade Larabar.   Play with various combinations of dried fruits, nuts, and seeds.  I have been playing with making them with less and less nuts and more seeds.  I haven't done one completely nut free yet but am experimenting with it.

Homemade Larabars

1 cup Dates (pitted)
1 cup pecans
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/2 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

Add all ingredients to food processor and combine.  It is finished when the mixture sticks together well and could be rolled into balls.  If this doesn't happen add more dates.  I've also added a bit of coconut oil to some batches, which seems to help them stick together really well.

Line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper.  Press mixture firmly into pan using hands.  Place pan in fridge and allow to chill for several hours.  After a few hours have passed, cut the mixture into bars and serve.  Enjoy a easy homemade Larabar full of whole food goodness!


Dates are the key ingredient. After that experiment with different types of nuts, seeds, and dried fruit.

I've used cashews, almonds, and walnuts.  I've also used hemp seed, ground flax seed, ground and whole chia seed, sesame seeds, and pumpkin seeds.  Additional dried fruits that I have mixed in are currants, raisins, dried cranberries and dried blueberries.  Have fun coming up with your own creations.  I hope your little ones enjoy.

Homemade Coconut Milk

Changing to a more whole foods way of eating can initially feel incredibly overwhelming.  This is especially true when buying groceries and watching the numbers on the cash register quickly climb higher and higher and higher.   It can leave one asking "is this worth it?" 
The answer YES.  The trick to eating a well balanced, whole foods lifestyle is stocking up a well rounded pantry and learning to make things from scratch. Who needs to spend over $3 for 64 ounces of coconut, almond, and/or rice milk when it's incredibly easy to make at home for a fraction of the cost.  When I first started making my own milks I was shocked at how easy it was.  Not to mention the shock I felt at how much money I'd spent over the years buying non-dairy milks at the store.  So this is your warning....you may be a little shocked at how easy it is to make your own homemade coconut milk.  Sorry about that. But now you know.


Coconut Milk


1 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
2-3 cups water (adjust to taste) (less water=thicker coconut milk)

Add coconut and water to blender.  Blend for 1 minute.  Strain the milk through cheesecloth or a specific nut milk bag.  It takes a little bit of gentle squeezing to strain the milk. Squeeze until all liquid is released and your left with just a bit of pulp.  There are lots of ways to use the leftover pulp.  Baked goods are a good way to use it up.  Store milk in air tight container (mason jars are great). Or pour a big glass of milk.   Drink. Love. Smile. Enjoy.



This is also a great milk for toddlers who are done nursing and you want to introduce another milk.  Most doctors will push for cow's milk but this is a great alternative if your kiddo has a sensitivity to dairy or you don't want to introduce animal products.  Keep in conversation with a health care provider to make sure your little one is getting a balanced diet but don't be afraid to suggest to the Dr. that you don't want to do traditional milk.  There are plenty of other ways to get the fats and proteins and vitamins into a toddler's diet.  I would even argue you always want a toddler's (unless nursing) main source of liquid to be water not milk.  The milks are an extra.  But that's just my opinion.

I use this milk even more than almond or rice milk.  I love the taste. I use it for baking (on the rare occasion that I do get around to baking anything).  It's also my first choice if I'm making a hot cocoa.  Great in smoothies and desserts.  I've also been playing with it in my homemade vegan ice creams.  The less water used in the recipe the thicker the milk is.  Lots of versatility with this lovely coconut milk.  

My girls love drinking this coconut milk as is.  I just made them their first chocolate milk last week using this milk.  I added dates, dark baking cocoa, splash vanilla, and a bit of raw honey.  I ended up making more for myself and my husband. Divine.


I find unsweetened, organic shredded coconut at my local health food store in the bulk section. This bag cost under $4 and I can make several batches of coconut milk from it.

I did buy a specific nut milk bag and it has made making homemade milks even easier and the milk even smoother. There are lots of varieties of nut milk bags out there but this is the one I purchased and love.  It is absolutely worth the $9 if you plan to make milk on a consistent basis.  Just think, that $9 couldn't even buy 3 boxes of coconut milk beverage at the store.  Puts things into perspective, right?

It is sometimes more convenient to buy store bought milks and have them on hand.  It is easy.  No one can argue that convenience is a fabulous thing.  And really it's not realistic, at least in my world, to make everything from scratch.  BUT if your on a tight budget and trying to figure out how to eat well and at the same time lower grocery expenses this is one way to do it my friend. 

The other perk to making homemade milks is that they aren't processed.  Something to remember is the stuff in the store is great because yes it's dairy-free, gluten-free goodness but it's still a processed food product.  A healthier processed food than most but still processed none the less.  By making your own versions at home you know exactly what goes into the product you are creating. There are no extras. There is no heating process to keep it shelf stable.  No need for extra packaging and shipping, which becomes friendlier to our sweet environment.  If you add sweeteners you can adjust them to taste and keep them to a minimal. You simply blend a few organic ingredients up and viola', the best, freshest tasting milk you'll ever have.

Happy Milk Making! 

Millet Muffins

This is a great, easy muffin recipe that contains a fabulous amount of protein.  I love to take existing recipes and give them a turn or a twist and invent something new.  This is what happened to this recipe.  A friend gave me a recipe a few months ago and I tweeked it to come up with a egg-free, gluten-free muffin.  These are a great snack and hold together well to take them out and about.


Millet Muffins

Ingredients

2 1/4 cups flour (I mixed Rice Flour, Buckwheat Flour, Tapioca flour) (or Whole Wheat)
1/3 cup raw millet
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
1 cup plain dairy free yogurt
2 TBS ground chia seeds mixed with 6 TBS water (substitute for 2 eggs)
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey (or pure maple syrup)
2 TBS juice from 1 lemon
Grated zest from 1 lemon

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.  Line a 12 cup muffin pan.

Whisk together the flour, millet, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.  In a separate bowl mix together the yogurt, chia seed mixture, coconut oil, honey, lemon juice, and lemon zest.

Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients.  Stir until flour is just combined. Divide batter into muffin cups.  Fill cups just below rim.

Bake for about 15 minutes until tops are just browning and beginning to crack.

Vegan Mac-n-Chesse

 I grew up on Mac-N-Cheese, and quite honestly I LOVED it.  I mean most kiddos do, right?  Over the years I've tried different non-dairy Mac-N-Cheeses recipes but this one has hit the spot.  It's quickly becoming a fan favorite in our house.  The kicker.  It's incredibly easy.  This has become Randy's go to when he's home with the kiddos and in charge of dinner.

We've been giving the girls more choices when it comes to their meals.  We've been doing a lot of "build your own" kinds of things.  I've found that our girls tend to eat their meals with more gusto and excitement when they've had some ownership of what goes into it.  They love it.  And really who doesn't want to have choices as to what they put into their body?  I want my girls to eat well but I also want them to think for themselves and have opinions.  I don't want to tell them what they need to like and why.  I desire for them to experiment and think and make choices. I want them to come to those conclusions on their own.  My hope is guide them and allow them to make decisions for themselves. This is why I don't freak out when they all of a sudden hate anything green, or they protest a new food or meal.  I love talking nutrition with them and educating them on why we choose to eat the way they do, and it's amazing what my 3 year old takes in.  But no matter what I do, I cannot make them LIKE something.  Let it be.  I'm not out to create little mini Jen's. My desire is to raise two little girls who will grow into women that can think for themselves, have opinions, and be confident in their choices.  Really what I'm trying to express is that my kids, like...no wait LOVE having choices.  It empowers them to look at a finished product they created.  I'm learning this applies to the area of food as well. 

This brings me to the build your own Mac-N-Cheese.  We started with a base of elbow rice pasta and then made the cheese sauce.  Next we sat our lots of veggies and let the girls pick what they wanted.  They loved it.  We've been doing this with taco variations, sandwiches, baked potatoes, smoothies, pizzas....it's been great to see them get excited about what they are eating and take the pride of having created it.  And quite honestly it makes meal times a lot more easy going.

Vegan Cheese Sauce
(adapted from a recipe on SavvyVegetarian.com)

Ingredients

• 1 cup water
• 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast flakes
•  1/4 cup raw cashews
• 2 Tbsp Arrowroot powder
• 1 Tbsp flour (reg. or gluten-free flour works equally)
• 1 Tbsp light miso paste
• 1 Tbsp tahini
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 1/4 tsp turmeric (optional) (creates a more golden, traditional looking cheese sauce)
• 1/4 tsp garlic powder
• 2 Tbsp water

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients except for the last 2 Tbsp of water in a blender and blend until smooth
2. Pour the mixture into a small saucepan and stir over medium heat until it starts to thicken
3. Let it bubble for 30 seconds, whisking vigorously, then remove from heat
4. Whisk in the remaining 2 Tbsp water until smooth

Mac-N-Cheese

Cook elbow pasta according to directions.  If you haven't tried Rice Pasta yet it is certainly worth it, especially if you think you might have a gluten sensitivity.   It can be found online at places like Vitacost at a cheaper price or if you are blessed enough to have a Trader Joe's locally, they have fabulous prices on the Gluten Free Pasta.  

Add Vegan Cheese Sauce (from above recipe).

Add veggies.  Or create a "build your own Mac-N-Cheese" bar.  

Topping ideas: peas, broccoli, red pepper, mushrooms, sprouts, finely chopped kale, garlic, tomatoes, olives, caramelized onions, and herbs.

Another option is to add pasta, cheese sauce, and veggies to a 9x13 baking dish.  Top with homemade bread crumbs (try grinding rice puffs or rice cakes in blender for an easy, cheap gluten free bread crumb).  Bake at 350 for 25-30 minutes or until bread crumbs are lightly golden. 

I hope your kiddos (and you) find as much delight in this as our little family does.