Strawberry Decadence Bars

Strawberry Decadence Bars

Feel the need for something sweet today?  This recipe uses 100% healthy, natural, powerhouse foods and doesn't even require any baking.  And unlike a lot of "raw", "vegan", "paleo" posts I see circulating around social media, this doesn't have any weird ingredients that you have never heard of before.  Just simple, healthy fruits, nuts, cocoa, maple syrup and coconut.  It only took me about 20 minutes to assemble and they lasted in the freezer for over a week, and after a few minutes thawing on the counter, tasted just as good each time I served them.  Both of my kids loved them and I love the bright pink, all natural, color of the middle layer.  A slightly thicker chocolate layer, might be nice next time so if you want a little more chocolate I would recommend doubling up on the final three ingredients. And you could always use a different fruit or nut depending on what you have in your kitchen or what your family prefers.  And then serve this treat knowing that you are providing a healthy snack disguised as a dessert!

Strawberry Almond Scones

Strawberry Almond Scones

Happy Mother's Day 2014!!!  I wrote this recipe for a magazine that has since been discontinued, but I have been waiting to share it until Mother's Day because that is what I thought it would be perfect for.  It is an easy recipe that dads and kids can make together and surprise mom with on her special day, or any day for that matter.  Because moms work hard every day, all day, and deserve a delicious, healthy treat that can help them continue to perform the hardest, yet most rewarding job in the entire world.  So this is for all the mothers out there, young and old.  Thank you for all that you do. xoxo

Black Rice Breakfast Pudding

Black Rice Breakfast Pudding

As promised, here is my recipe for black rice, breakfast style.  I know some of you may think this is very weird, my mom included, but I promise you, it's delicious.  Black rice is very mild, so it takes on the flavor of whatever it is cooked in; in this case I used aromatic coconut milk so this dish is extremely rich and satisfying.  You can honestly think of it as an alternative to oatmeal and prepare it however you prefer to eat oats.  Usually I eat mine with bananas, maple syrup, and walnuts, so I sweetened this with maple syrup as well and garnished it with slivered almonds and flaked coconut to compliment the tropical nature of the coconut milk.  My nine year old son was pretty skeptical when I first told him what was for breakfast, but the delicious smell of it cooking convinced him try it and although not his "favorite" (it is hard to get kids to love something new the first time) he ate his whole bowl with no complaints.  My husband and I enjoyed ours as well and I definitely intend to make this again.  I had planned this out ahead and wanted to cook the rice in the coconut milk, but it would work with precooked rice as well, so long as it was boiled or steamed with only water or milk.  So the next time you cook black rice as a side dish for dinner, save the leftovers, mix it with a little coconut milk (or any other type you prefer), warm it up and top it with a serving of nuts and fruit for a hearty and nutritious breakfast with some fun exotic flare.

* Black rice contains 18 amino acids, iron, zinc, copper, carotene and vitamin E; as well as high amounts of fiber and protein.  It's dark, almost purple color is primarily due to its high anthocyanin content, the same antioxidant found in blueberries. (from my March 17, 2014 post)

Honey Berry Granola

Honey Berry Granola

So this is the third batch of homemade granola I have made in as many weeks.  I can't get enough.  It isn't as if this is anything novel or some big revelation, but I have just become reobsessed with an old favorite.  The basic recipe is really easy to alter and although I am sure most of you could figure it out yourself, I want to make sure to post all the different variations I make in case one of them appeals to you more than another.  This recipe was made with my daughter in mind who loves honey and berries, especially strawberries and blueberries.  But considering that it is still March here in PA (and actually snowing today), good quality fresh berries are still not very prevalent.  So like I do throughout the winter, we turn to dried, and in this case, freeze dried berries.  I wish I could find organic ones at my local stores, but sometimes even I go the conventional route and hope that by using very basic, unsweetened dried fruit I am winning half the battle. I used pure organic almond extract in this recipe as well since my son loves that flavor and added raw slivered almonds and sunflower seeds for protein and crunch.  The result is another amazing breakfast in a bowl that is my staple this week and has served me well through two mornings of intense working out.

Oatmeal On the Go

Oatmeal Bars

Who doesn’t like a sweet warm bowl of oatmeal on a cold morning?  It fills you up, warms you from the inside out and is usually a nutritionally sound option (so long as you don’t add a lot of additional sugar).  A favorite sweetener in our house is mashed up bananas, or frozen berries, mixed into cooked oatmeal and topped with a little cinnamon and chopped walnuts.  Unfortunately the most nutrient dense oatmeal choices are the ones that take the longest to prepare (steel cut) and sometimes trying to cook even regular oats quickly in the morning doesn’t turn out so well.  And although I have tried the trick of par boiling oats the night before, I also find that cumbersome, and to be honest, oatmeal is always best when freshly cooked.  One simple solution?  Oatmeal bars and cookies made to go!!  You can prepare the dry mixture the day before, although these recipes literally take minutes to throw together, and then bake them quickly in the morning.  I even think they taste good the next day, and the day after that, so long as they are stored tightly in the fridge and reheated a bit before eating.  The ingredients are interchangeable depending on what types of dried fruits and nuts you prefer or have on hand.  The following are some of my favorites...  and they are literally as healthy as a bowl of oatmeal... on the go!!

Happy Breakfast Baking!!