Category Archives: Snacks

“Shiloh’s Deliciousness-es!”

Shiloh has been begging to be creative in the kitchen. Jeremiah’s been doing such a great job of making up tasty recipes that Shiloh has been really wanting to make one herself. I remember seeing pictures of this scrumptious snack floating around and thought it would be the perfect snack for Shiloh to make.

Not only did she have a great time making them, she was so excited to serve to her brothers. She got a great rating from them! They both said they were so good and asked Shiloh to make them some more. She was so proud.

Check out this smile and check out “Shiloh’s Deliciousness-es”! 

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Whole Family | Granola!

Levi has been reeaallllyyyyy wanting to help me in the kitchen so I thought up the perfect recipe for him to do just that. Granola!

It’s not a messy recipe, for the most part you use a 1/2 cup measuring cup the whole time which makes it very simple. and all the cooking is done in the oven. The perfect recipe for little ones to help with.

Did I mention how incredibly tasty it is?

It is. Incredibly. Tasty.

For real.

Shiloh went on and on about how wonderful it was saying, “This is is the best healthy dessert I have ever had in my entire life!!!” Even the hubs said it was perfect and to not change a thing. He then got seconds. Let me tell you: make this recipe. It is AMAZINGLY DELICIOUS!

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Pumpkin Waffle Almond Butter Banana Sandwich

Seriously guys, if the name didn’t get you, I don’t know what will. How amazing is this?! Pumpkin Waffle Almond Butter Banana Sandwich?!?! Yes, please!!!

These “sandwiches” are the perfect breakfast, lunch, snack, treat, or heck- even dinner!

My kids absolutely LOVED them and I know your whole family will too.

IMG_4806Here’s what you need: 

Pumpkin Waffles (or any kind you prefer)

Almond Butter

Bananas, sliced

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Here’s what you do:

1. Cut waffles into fourths, to make triangles.

2. Warm up waffles a bit so they’re warm and the butter is easily spreadable.

3. Spread waffle triangle with almond butter.

4. Place a few banana slices on butter.

5. Top all that with another waffle triangle.

Eat! And then make another one! Oh yeah… and ENJOY!!! 

Delicious Dates

Jeremiah, my 8 year old, loves dates. We go to the movies, he brings dates. We bring out dessert, he eats dates. We go to Sam’s Club and you better believe he is going to remind the mess out of me until I get him more dates. So when we’re trying to think of a fun appetizer Jeremiah’s first idea for an ingredient is dates!

If you’ve never had dates before and this idea seems like one you would normally pass on, don’t. Give these a try and believe me, your whole family will absolutely LOVE them. I wasn’t sure how they would turn out but let me tell you, they are amazing. My mouth is watering just thinking about them! The combination of flavors and textures work together perfectly to make the world’s best bite of goodness. And of course, this recipe is super simple.

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Sweet Potato Coins

Our family’s favorite way of eating sweet potatoes is before you. Sweet Potato Coins!

My kids come running for these and can eat them in record time. I eat a good amount before they even hit the table. They’re crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, salty like potato chips and sooo good for you. They’re perfect! We eat them with hamburgers for lunch, with eggs at breakfast, by themselves as a snack, and anytime we can get away with eating our favorite food! And the good news is they’re beyond easy to make.

Here’s what you need: Continue reading →

Whole Family | Sweet Potato Cinnamon Hashies

Our family loves sweet potatoes in all forms and fashions. We make sweet potato fries, sweet potato coins, mashed sweet potatoes, cubed sweet potatoes, baked sweet potatoes….you get the point. This morning I was looking for a new way to make sweet potatoes and WOW, did I come up with something spectacular.

Sweet Potato Cinnamon-Hashies! 

Check out my super easy and super tasty recipe. Make sure you make a whole bunch of these, your family won’t be able to get enough!

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Whole Family | Paleo Spicy Coconut Shrimp

I’ve been wanting to make this recipe for a while and finally the stars aligned, the kids cooperated, the kitchen was clean, and mama could make some shrimp.

And make some shrimp I did!!!

Let me tell you, these are the best darn shrimp you will ever have. They really are not spicy, just “well seasoned” as my kids say. If you wanted to spice them up, and what I will most likely do next time, is add a little bit of cayenne pepper. Yay for “well seasoned”!

This recipe is super SIMPLE, super fast, super easy, and super delicious.

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Whole Family | Chocolate Cupcakes (no sugar added, grain-free, dairy-free, nut-free, gluten-free)

We don’t do a lot of sweets, obviously, in our house. It is a rare occasion that we bring sweets in, it’s more that we bring them out.

My kids know by now that when they eye that coveted birthday party invitation through the thin slot in our mailbox and they squeeze their tiny hands in the slot to barely pull it out, that it’s time, again, to pull out the mixing bowls. Birthday cupcakes are coming!

I’m all about getting out of the mode of food being the center of a celebration and for myself and Brandon we can handle that and we are doing well with it. We already don’t eat the birthday foods at a party and Jeremiah knows he’ll be checking his sugar half a dozen times in the hour and a half party. The kids already manage gracefully the changes we have implemented and do great with those changes. But what do I sometimes allow? Cake. Well, “healthy” cake. Actually cupcakes. Okay, let me clarify.

I allow homemade, whole food ingredient, no sugar added, chocolate cupcakes. And they are the BOMB. I found this recipe on Elana’s Pantry‘s website from a few years back and with a few tweaks and changes have made them my own.

I hesitate to say these are Whole30 approved because they are more on the line of how you see the cupcakes. If these are filling a sugar craving you have, if you would rather not go to the party than go and not eat cake, then I would suggest you steer clear of the cupcakes during your 30 days and wait until you have your sugar cravings under control. These would be more of a gluten-free or paleo dessert. 

We just went to a birthday party last weekend where we decorated sugar cookies, eyeballed a punch bowl of popcorn and a pitcher of white hot cocoa, and watched the other kids eat marshmallow topped cupcakes with vanilla ice cream. What did we have? Chicharrones, prunes, an apple and water. And we were fine. We were more than fine. We had a great time.

Dessert is not our driving force and we are okays without it. On some occasions, I want to treat the kids with these cupcakes and they are always excited to have them. Do we have them every time? No. But when we do we, we sure do like them!

Saying all that, the ingredients to these cupcakes are great ingredients that even the most allergic/sensitive member of your family should be able to enjoy. 

So, without further adieu, I present to you and yours…. chocolate cupcakes. Continue reading →

Real Food Munchies | Whole Family

A frequent inquiry I get from friends about eating Paleo is: “What about snacks?”

Everyone wants to know, when you get the munchies, what can you eat?

I think this is a fantastic and very valid question that I am happy to answer. I’ll even answer it with pictures! But first, a word….

1. My first and utmost recommendation when it comes to snacks is to have a MEAL. If you are hungry mid-afternoon instead of mindlessly eating and, by the time you’re done not be sure of how much you really ate, I suggest eating a MEAL. If lunch was my favorite chicken curry, eat a small bowl of curry. If breakfast was egg muffins, eat a leftover egg muffin. If your body is hungry, feed it! Feed it real, whole food.

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2. My second recommendation is: kabocha. If you have read my blog for more than a minute you are already aware of how much I LOVE kabocha. My dear friend, Ayumi, introduced me to kabocha a few months ago and I haven’t looked back since. Kabocha is a japanese pumpkin that is sweet and flavorful and the perfect alternative to over-indulging in fruit.

I’m sure there are many ways of making kabocha but my favorite way is to bake it. I slice it up pretty thin (and it makes A LOT) with the skin and all, lay them flat on a baking sheet, drizzle in olive oil and bake on 425-450 for 15-20 minutes. The minute I pop them out of the oven I sprinkle them with salt and voila, crispy on the outside, soft on the inside kabocha. There are many days these don’t make it to a plate, we eat them so fast. They do make a great snack for the whole family, even cold. We just can’t get enough of our kabocha. Continue reading →

An Oldie but a Goodie | Ants on a Log

We were in the mood for a snack today and thought we would try something new. Well not exactly new…it’s actually been around forever… but it’s new to us. Introducing: Ants on a Log.

I was worried the kids wouldn’t end up liking these but they were so excited to make them that we made them despite my fears. I held my breath (figuratively, of course) the whole time we made them. I even put them on a plate and walked away so they wouldn’t see my anxious face. Then I listened. What did I hear? “Yum!” “These are SO good!” “More, more!” “Mommy, can you make some moooore?!”

Success!  They LOVED them! Go figure Jeremiah liked them the most and he is definitely the pickiest one of them all. Continue reading →

Pumpkin Cupcakes

I have been in the mood for pumpkin lately so I’ve been googling recipes for anything having to do with pumpkin. I found this recipe on the Healthy Cooking Coach website. GREAT website if you’re looking for wonderful, healthy recipes and information. I tweaked it a bit and made it into cupcakes instead of bars. DELICIOUS!!!

For the cupcakes:
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup almond butter
1/2 cup raw honey ( I substituted this with unsweetened applesauce)
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves

For the Cinnamon Icing:
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup raw honey ( I substituted this for unsweetened applesauce)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
For the cupcakes

  1. Preheat your oven to 350F.
  2. In a medium sized bowl, combine all the cake ingredients and mix thoroughly to combine.
  3. Pour into 24 lined mini muffin tins. ( I would highly recommend using paper muffin cups for these!)
  4. Bake about 30 minutes.

For the Cinnamon Icing

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and use a hand held blender to mix.

Once the pumpkin cupcakes have cooled completely remove from muffin tins and put a dollop of icing on top. If you are using honey it will be more of a drizzle than a “dollop”. These are definitely good enough to eat without icing but sometimes a little icing is fun. Enjoy!

Apple Muffins

I LOVE these muffins! I got this recipe straight from Sarah Fragoso over at www.everydaypaleo.com. I would highly recommend checking out her website and her book. You will LOVE it too!

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Here’s what you need: 

2 1/4 cups almond meal

4 eggs

1 apple, finely chopped

1 banana, chopped

1/4 cup coconut oil, softened

1/3 cup water

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 heaping tbsp cinnamon

Here’s what you do: 

1. Pre heat oven to 350.

2. Add all ingredients and mix by hand.

3. Fill 12 muffins tins.

4. Bake for 17 minutes.

Enjoy!!

Whole30/ Paleo Coconut Treat

This recipe is extremely simple and yummy. It’s a great way to get in some good fat and  indulge in a dreamy treat.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup coconut butter

1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

Optional: berries or fruit

Directions:

Mix coconut butter and coconut flakes together. Add berries if you want some. I don’t even have to say “enjoy” because I know you will, but I’ll say it anyways. Enjoy!

Blueberry Pecan Muffins

The other morning I was planning on making banana nut muffins and halfway through throwing all the ingredients in a bowl I realized we were out of bananas! So… I improvised and made blueberry pecan muffins instead (totally made that up on my own!) and they are delicious!

The blueberries come from a beautiful, tiny farm on the top of a mountain in Tennessee where Brandon’s mom’s family is from. We traveled up there for a family reunion last year and as we were driving around happened to notice this tiny farm owned by a young family. They support themselves by selling fruit, veggies and pillowcase dresses. (I’m kicking myself for not getting a dress for Shiloh!)

Brandon thought I was off my rocker because I was SOOO excited when I saw that you could pick your own blueberries! As a “Whole Family” we picked 2 pounds of blueberries and ate them with ice cream for days. They are DELICIOUS! We happen to still have some frozen and they are perfect in these muffins. Hopefully you have some wonderful, story behind them, blueberries for this recipe as well!

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Here’s what you need:

  • 2 cups almond flour
  • 1/4 cup flaxseed meal
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups pecans
  • 1 cup blueberries
  • 4 tbsp unsweetened applesauce
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Mix all ingredients, except blueberries, together.
  3. Fold in blueberries.
  4. Fill greased muffin tins about 3/4 full.
  5. Bake muffins for 25 minutes.

Hope you love these as much as we do!

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Whole30/Paleo Cucumber Roll Ups

These are a fun snack that we all love. They are so easy and simple and always hit the spot. All we do is peel a cucumber, cut it in half, and then slice it into strips. Then we wrap it in whatever sliced meat we have on hand. These were wrapped in sliced ham. We sometimes use a toothpick to hold it together and top it with a cherry tomato. You can also make them smaller, top them with a tomato and take it as an appetizer for a party. Enjoy!

Coconut, PB&J, and Banana Date Balls

All of these recipes do not have precise measurements so feel free to play around with them to get them how you want them. AIf you put more nuts than date they will be more dry. If you put more dates they will be more gooey. Both are great, so it’s up to you how you like it. Keep in mind also that if you don’t have some of these ingredients or you prefer one type of nut over the other, change it up. Any way you put these together they’re going to be great. Have fun and enjoy! I had a blast making them!

date-balls

Tip: Before you begin it’s really helpful to process everything first. Here are the approximate amounts you will need: 2 packages of pitted dates, 1 cup cashews, 1 1/2 cups almonds, 1 cup hazelnuts, 1 1/2 cups dried cherries, 2 cups raisins, and 1/2 cup dried unsweetened banana chips, all seperately of course. Be careful how much you blend the nuts. You want them small, but not as fine as meal. Having all the ingredients ready to go makes this much easier.

Coconut Date Balls

Ingredients:

eyeball 1 1/2 cups processed dates

eyeball 1/2 cup processed raisins

approx 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

approx 1/4 cup ground cashews

approx 1/4 cup hazelnuts

Directions:

Put all of these in the processor together and blend till combined. If they are too gooey, add some more nuts. If they are too dry, add some dates. Spoon it out and into a bowl. With wet hands form the dough into little balls. That was it! Easy, huh?!

PB&J Date Balls

Ingredients:

eyeball 1 cup processed dates

eyeball 1 cup processed dried cherries

approx 1/4 cup cashews

approx 1/2 cup almonds

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the  processor and blend. If they are too gooey, add some more almonds. If they are too dry, add some cherries. Spoon it out and into a bowl. With wet hands form the dough into little balls.

Banana Date Balls

Ingredients:

eyeball 1 1/2 cups processed dates

eyeball 3/4 cup processed raisins

approx 1/4 cup hazelnuts

approx 1/4 cup almonds

approx 1/2 cup banana chips

Directions:

Put all ingredients in the  processor and blend. If they are too gooey, add some more hazelnuts. If they are too dry, add some dates. Spoon it out and into a bowl. With wet hands form the dough into little balls.

That was easy, huh?! Enjoy your date balls!

Morning Glory Muffins

These are the best muffins EVER straight from my new copy of Paleo Comfort Foods! Had to share! :)

Morning Glory Muffins- from www.paleocomfortfoods.com

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups almond flour
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups carrots, peeled and grated
1 large apple, peeled, cored and grated
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup raisins
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons honey (optional)
1/2 cup coconut or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and grease a standard-sized muffin pan.
2. Combine almond flour, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.  Add carrot, apple, coconut and raisins and combine well. (I also add a cup of pecans)
3. In a separate bowl, whisk eggs, honey, oil and vanilla extract together.
4. Pour the wet mixture over the dry ingredients and mix very well. The batter will be very thick.
5. Spoon the batter out into muffin pan and place on upper or middle rack of your oven for 40-50 minutes.
6. When a toothpick inserted into the top of a muffin comes out clean, the muffins are done.
7. Cool muffins in the pan for 8-10 minutes and then remove to a rack to finish cooling.

Fudge Bombs recipe- borrowed from Melissa at www.theclothesmakethegirl.com.

Sweet & Salty Fudge Bombs- borrowed from Melissa at www.theclothesmakethegirl.com.

From Melissa:

My mission is to tempt you with recipes for international cuisine that you can eat EVERY DAY to be strong, healthy, fit, and happy. So I usually shy away from paleo treats. However, I finally made my own version of the ever-popular fudge babies for a dinner party and decided the recipe needed to be shared. I used pecans for their mellowness and tender texture, Penzeys Natural Cocoa Powder so the fudge flavor would be deep and rich, and a touch of sea salt to balance the sweetness.

Make no mistake: These. Are Candy.

But there’s a place in life for candy… which brings me to my deal with you.

By reading this blog post you are tacitly promising to prepare these only on rare, special occasions, and only when you’re going to share them with friends. Those are my rules. If you accept these conditions, read on.


Sweet & Salty Fudge Bombs

Makes approximately 32

Ingredients:
1 c whole pecans
1 1/3 cups pitted dates
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons Penzeys Natural Cocoa Powder
to garnish: coarse sea salt, unsweetened shredded coconut (toasted or untoasted)

Directions:
1. Place dates, vanilla, and cocoa powder in the bowl of a food processor. Process on high until the mixture forms a paste. There’s a magic moment when it transforms from disparate ingredients into something smooth, glossy, and tempting.

2. Add the pecans and process until the pecans are roughly chopped. You do not want pecan dust.

3. Wet your hands with water and shake off the excess, then roll the “dough” into 1-inch balls. Set on a baking sheet.

4. Garnish!
Sea salt: Put a few tablespoons of sea salt on a plate and dip the top of the fudge bombs into the salt. You want just 3-4 grains to stick to the top.

Coconut: Put a few tablespoons of shredded coconut on a plate and roll the fudge ball in the coconut, pressing it into the sides of the ball with your hands. (To toast coconut, spread it on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 350 for 5-15 minutes. Check it every 5 minutes to stir and make sure it’s not burning.)

5. Place fudge bombs in fridge for 30-60 minutes to firm up, then eat. But just one. Or maybe two. Share with friends!

Our New Fave: Banana Nut Muffins

Paleo Banana Nut Bread/Muffins (from Rob Wolf)

Gluten-free, grain-free, dairy-free

Ingredients

  • 2 cups almond flour (Just for health’s sake and since you can’t taste it I substitute out a 1/4 cup of almond flour for flaxseed meal)
  • 1/4 cup flaxseed meal ( I add another 1/4 cup flaxseed meal for almond flour)
  • 2 tsp cinnamon (I usually add another tsp to this)
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 2/3 cup chopped pecans (I probably use 1 1/2 cups, but I REALLY like pecans)
  • 4 bananas (mashed well)
  • 2 tbsp local honey (I substitute 3 tbsp unsweetened applesauce)
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Sift the dry ingredients together in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the mashed bananas, eggs, honey, and vanilla and mix well.
  4. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in the wet ingredients. Stir until combined. Normally with breads or muffin recipes, you don’t want to overmix, but since there’s no gluten here, mix to your heart’s content. The muffins won’t get gummy or icky.
  5. Fill greased muffin tins, baking cups, mini-loaf pans or big loaf pans about 3/4 full. Bake muffins for 23-25 minutes and loaves for 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

My kids love topping these with fresh almond butter. Yum!