Easy Coconut Quinoa Granola Clusters

The time was Valentine's Day ... I was convinced I was going to make the kids healthy and delicious Valentine's Day treats. I bought a puffed brown rice cereal to use ... my treats did not work and now I had a bag of puffed rice cereal that no one will eat. Ugh!

Fast forward 3 months and the puffed brown rice cereal is still in my pantry. Time to use it. The stars must have been aligned because I was going to make a special trip to get some extra granola for breakfast this week when someone mentioned to me about making homemade granola. I'm not going to lie, I have made granola before and wasn't altogether pleased.

I found a recipe from Feasting on Fruit that looked delicious and fool-proof! My family loved coconut so I had to add in some so I could seamlessly switch our store-bought granola with the new stuff and no would would be the wiser!

We love it. I'm glad I initially made a big batch because it went fast! Now, I'm in the situation of having to buy brown rice cereal a lot ... I doesn't sit in my pantry anymore though. This has been a lifesaver snack on trips to school and all the errands that we run through the day and I need to eat something quick and healthy.

Coconut Quinoa Granola Clusters

Makes 6 1/2 cups

3 c rolled oats
1 c dried quinoa
2 c cup puffed brown rice cereal
1 1/4 c maple syrup
1/2 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 c raisins or other dried fruit (optional)
1 T chia or hemp seeds
1 t cinnamon
Pinch of salt

Preheat oven for 375º.

Mix all ingredients together until everything is nicely coated.

Lay a baking sheet or parchment paper on the pan. Spread the granola mixture on the pan so it is about 1/4 inch thick.

Bake granola for 10 minutes and let completely cool before mixing it up ... you can have a little bite though! It crusts up and sets as it cools.

Place in an airtight container and enjoy ... over yogurt, fresh fruit, with milk or just start munching straight out of the container!

Easy Raw Donut Holes

We are packing up to go camping tomorrow. I've got a huge list of stuff to pack, stuff to make, stuff to take care of before I leave, etc., but what do I do ... procrastinate and write a quick blog post!

Every time we travel, I always make energy bites. If the kids need a quick bite in the car or just a snack when we're there these are perfect! Considering we are going to a pumpkin festival, I should be making my Pumpkin Energy Bites, but I don't have pumpkin and I am not taking another trip to the grocery store! Yesterday, at my first trip to the store, I wanted to buy some bagels.

When I got to the checkout line the checkout person told me that I needed to grab two bags in order to buy them ... well, with two kids almost in tears that they needed to go to the bathroom, one kid singing loudly and the baby just smiling like an angel, I decided to forgo the bagels and get some other bakery later. Fast forward to my second trip that day ... I simply forgot!

Now, it's cookin' time and I still want some bakery to take. I'm over the idea of making energy bites as well as some fresh baked goodies so, what do I do but marry the two! I saw a while back the idea of making raw donut holes by using oats and vanilla to give them that doughy flavor. So, as my potatoes and carrots are cooking for Vegan Nacho Cheese (another camping must have), I decided to quickly throw some ingredients in the food processor and make it happen. Simon and I have already ate three!! Now you see why I had to write this, it got me away from eating more.

Enjoy them as we are and hopefully the rest of the family gets to enjoy them in the great outdoors! By the way, please pray for good weather!! Thanks!

Raw Donut Holes

Makes about 15

Dough Ingredients

2 c deglet noor dates
1 c cashews
1 oats
2 T maple syrup
2 T vanilla powder
1 t hazelnut extract (or other flavor)
dash of salt

Topping Ideas

Leave Naked
Shredded Coconut
Cocoa 
Cocoa & Cinnamon
Cinnamon & Sucanat Sugar
Pistachios

Mix all dough ingredients in a food processor and mix until it is like sand.

Form dough into balls. If it is not sticking, add a little coconut oil.
Roll them into your desired topping and enjoy!

Smoky Tempeh Mushroom Burgers
Makes 8

8 oz Tempeh
1/2 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
8 oz mushrooms
1 c cooked rice
1 medium carrot, shredded
2 T liquid smoke
1 T worsteshire sauce
1 t dijon mustard
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper

Horseradish Sauce

1/2 c Veganaise
1 T horseradish (this will vary on the spice level of the horseradish you have and your likings
1/4 t pepper

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Power Cookies

My kids have officially lost it! They are refusing sweet potato fries. They will only have regular russet fries. Of course, this is just a phase considering all of them are boycotting them together, but it is really annoying me. I even made them Sweet Potato Cornbread Pancakes the other day and they scarfed them down because it was 'corn on the cob'. The moment I mentioned the sweet potatoes they quietly pushed them to the side of their plates! Grrrr....

I had one lone sweet potato in the pantry. We have had the week from hell fighting the kids about food, so I decided not to push it with sweet potato fries again. Instead, I decided to make some cookies. Last week, I made a really delicious batch of oatmeal peanut butter cookies. I figured I could squeeze in the sweet potato to those and make them even better.

I will be the first to admit that I am not a great baker. Usually, when I have an idea, I have to bake it a few times before I get the consistency and flavor correct. Maybe it was the luck of making them the week before, but this batch was a winner from the beginning. I was out of baking powder, changed up the amount of eggs and decided to make them gluten-free ... and it all worked! Needless to say, I was very proud of myself!

I struggle to even call these a cookie. They are more like a bite size granola bar. Loaded with great protein from the nut butter and almond meal, alongside the shredded coconut for some energy, these cookies are actually healthy! However, that makes them even better in my book. Do you find that with so many recipes? It's so hard to label anything anymore. Things crossover to different categories all the time. For instance, these are gluten-free but add AP flour instead of almond meal and they are gluten-filled. They aren't vegan, but you quickly change the egg for a flax egg and vegan it is!

Regardless how you label them, my kids ate the sweet potatoes and loved it ... Step 1: Accomplished Now, to see if that angle works next time I make them sweet potato fries and tell them they liked the sweet potato cookies. Any bets that it's not going to work?!

Gluten Free Sweet Potato Power Cookies

Makes about 3 dozen

1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 egg (or flax egg)
1/2 c maple syrup
1/2 c cashew butter (or other nut butter)
1/4 c unsweetened shredded coconut
1 t vanilla
1 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
1 1/2 t baking soda
3/4 c almond meal
1 c oats, old-fashioned
3/4 c chocolate chips (vegan or regular ... optional)

Preheat oven for 350º.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Cook sweet potatoes until they are completely tender.

In a bowl, mix all ingredients.

Prepare a baking sheet with sprayed parchment paper. Scoop out 1 1/2 T of dough and place them on the baking sheet.

Bake for 18-20 minutes and enjoy! If you don't use parchment paper, they start to get dark on the bottom so I take them out around 12-15 minutes. Keep a close eye on them.

Blueberry and Quinoa Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Bars

Okay, it's February now ... I can't blame Christmas anymore for falling behind on things that I want to do or get done. One of my big changes last year was deciding to take a stand and stop buying granola bars. That simple little task was able to save me a lot of money with 5 people eating a granola bar everyday. However, as the holidays rolled around that task got pushed on the back burner. I still wasn't buying them, so we just didn't have them. Then, I had to spend more time pulling together other snacks for the fam ... I should've just make a batch!

Throughout January, things kept coming up that I would say to myself, 'I'll make granola bars tomorrow.' Well two weeks ago, I finally pulled the trigger. I was making a quinoa meal for dinner and I decided to just make extra quinoa, toss in some other goodies and throw it in the oven! As I began throwing things in, I realized the list was a little long, a lot longer than most of the granola bars that I make. However, they turned out so good that it was all worth it and I love having it all go in one bowl. Even with all the ingredients, it's very fast to put together. The mixture tastes like a warm oatmeal mixture so I make them in the morning and steal a little of the batter for a quick breakfast for myself!

For the last two weeks I have make three different batches of these using different dried fruit and nuts. It's crazy that one little recipe can make you feel like you're getting life back together. That may sound crazy, but I just want to say ... 'Thank you, New Granola Breakfast Bar.'

Blueberry and Cinnamon Toast Breakfast Bars

Makes 10-12

1/2 c quinoa
1 c water

3/4 c oats
1/2 c walnuts, chopped (or other nut)
1/2 c dried blueberries (or other dried fruit)
1/3 c coconut milk, or other milk alternative
1/3 c maple syrup
1/2 c applesauce
1/3 c mashed banana
1/4 chia seeds
2 T coconut oil
1 1/2 T cinnamon
1 1/2 t vanilla extract
1 t baking soda
1/2 t ginger
1/2 t salt

Preheat oven for 375º.

Bring water and quinoa to boil in a pot. Once it is boiling, lower heat all the way and cover. Once water is soaked up, the quinoa is done. It should be nice and fluffy.

As the quinoa is cooking, put all ingredients in a bowl. Once the quinoa is done, add it to the mixture and stir it until everything is mixed together. Have a few bites of the delicious mixture!

Spray a 8x8 pan and pour the batter into the pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes for until the bars start to firm. Let them cool for a bit before cutting.

Squash and Chocolate Chip Granola Bars or Muffins

The past few seasons, I have canned or froze pumpkins for the winter. I don't know where the time went this year, but it just didn't happen. It's been painful to have to buy pumpkin purée from the store, but I keep telling myself it's really not that bad! However, the one thing my basement is full of is squash. It's January and I still have at least 10 squash to go (and a good variety of them too!). I decided earlier this week that I needed to start making one squash a week and leaving the purée in the fridge for quick access. Lately, I haven't been in the mood for 'squash meals', but if it were already cooked a figured adding a little here and there would be easy.

So far, this week, I have added 1/2 a cup to the kids' mac and cheese (they had no idea), I added a cup to my enchilada mixture and I added a cup to my fruit & nut pancakes instead of bananas. I had a little bit left, so I decided to make a batch of granola bars. It started as kind of a kitchen-sink mixture, little of this ... little of that until the consistency looked about right. Little did I know that we would eat the whole batch in two days!

Since that was the last of my squash purée for the week, today, I decided to put another squash in the oven and make some more bars for the weekend. Working extremely hard to recall my memory of two days ago I put another batch together. I did change a few things ... my first batch I used almond butter and my second I used tahini. I couldn't taste the difference, but I like to get more tahini in my diet because I just love it and it is a great source of protein and the variety is always important! Secondly, I used honey on my first batch and maple syrup on the second, again, I couldn't tell the difference. You could really make this recipe your own by adding in different nut butters, nuts and dried fruit ... have fun with it!

All I know, it it's great to sneak vegetables into everyday food! It might be one of my favorite things to do in the kitchen and when it works out, I'm one happy momma!

Squash Granola Bars or Muffins

Makes 9-12 granola bars or muffins

1 cup squash purée (pumpkin purée works great too)
1 c oats
1 c almond meal
2 eggs
1/2 c tahini or nut butter
1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chocolate chips
1/4 c maple syrup or honey
1 T cinnamon
1 t vanilla extract
dash of sea salt

Preheat oven to 375º

Combine all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated.

Place mixture into a sprayed 8x8 pan or fill your muffin tin 2/3 way full.

Bake bars for 35-40 minutes. Muffins take about 30 minutes. Wait a couple minutes before cutting.

Healthy Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Pumpkin is EVERYWHERE right now! It simply amazes me every year when fall roles around how much pumpkin products hit the market. I'm not one to poo-poo a good thing. Pumpkin beer, pumpkin burgers, pumpkin desserts and my favorite ... pumpkin ravioli with sage sauce! Instead, embrace the month and eat and drink as much pumpkin as you can or until you're orange in the face!

I have been making a lot of Pumpkin Morning Glory Muffins and Pumpkin Energy Bites lately for my morning snacks. This being Halloween week, I decided to sweeten my life a little and have some chocolate chip cookies! I've also been overloading the kids on chickpea cookies so I thought a simple, easy cookie was what we all needed. Also, I've been so anti-sugar lately ... even my organic cane sugar and coconut sugar (for reasons I don't really know). I have wanted nothing but honey and maple syrup in anything sweet that we do. I seriously can't get enough honey, which is a good thing because my allergies have been going crazy! A little extra local honey a day can do nothing but good good good!

You may be amazed that I've even been making all of these sweets lately, I swear it's not the pregnancy (which, by the way, I'm a happy healthy 20 weeks already!). We actually are re-doing our patio and some friends are helping us out. I can't have people doing manual labor at my house without filling them up with food! Everyday it's a quick breakfast sweet or a little before-lunch-appetizer. Today is their last day so a fresh pan of cookies is well deserved ... I love our new patio as much as these cookies!

Healthy Chewy Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

1 c whole wheat flour*
3/4 c almond meal**
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1 1/2 t pumpkin pie spice
3/4 c pumpkin puree*
1 egg (or flax egg)
1/2 c honey (or maple syrup)
1 t vanilla extract
3/4 c chocolate chips (regular or vegan)

*To make gluten free, simply substitute your favorite AP Gluten Free Flour instead of the whole wheat flour!
**If you have a nut allergy, use all flour instead of the almond meal.

Preheat oven to 350º.

In a bowl, mix flour, almond meal, salt, baking powder and baking soda. In another bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, egg, honey and vanilla.

Mix the wet and dry ingredients and then add in chocolate chips.

Drop large rounded tablespoons onto a prepared baking sheet.

Bake for 13-15 minutes or until the outsides start to brown. Let cool for a couple minutes before transferring them to a wire rack so they can completely cook.

Peanut Butter & Chia Granola Bites

One of the best things about winter is not the snow, winter bonfires or fresh hot chocolate (with Bailey's). For me, the best thing about winter is summer concert announcements. On those extra cold days, it gives you something to look forward to ... knowing that soon, the warm summers breeze will be blowing through the air along with amazing rhythms from your favorite bands makes winter the greatest! I love being excited!!

Lately, Paul and I have been hearing about the latest and greatest shows that we are going to see while planning out our summer trips. As excitement grows, so does the craving for some good granola, which is a must whenever we travel and especially to carry-in at a show. A girlfriend recently made some amazing granola bites and I have been dying to make them, but she hasn't sent me the recipe ... is she that busy with her full time job and two little adorable babies?! I decided not to bug her again, and to just make my own.

I love the idea of no bake granola bites, but those always do best when they stay in the refrigerator, (not very conducive for a hot summer show) so I always bake mine. I love how easy these are to make which makes me again ask the question, why do I buy granola bars from the store?! These are sure to fill you up when you're on the go and need a quick bite. Plus, the chia seeds help provide you with the extra boost of energy you'll need for the encore!

Happy bites ... happy show!

Peanut Butter & Chia Granola Bites

Makes 3 dozen

1 c peanut butter, or your favorite nut butter
3/4 c honey or maple syrup
1/4 c coconut oil
1 T cinnamon
1 T vanilla extract (also great with almond extract)
1/4 t salt
2 c oats
1 c almonds, finely chopped
1/2 c chia seeds or hemp seeds
1/2 c dried fruit
optional: 1/2 c chocolate chips

Preheat oven for 350º.

In a pot, mix together peanut butter, honey and coconut oil on a low heat until they are all melted together. Add in the cinnamon, salt and extract and mix together.

Then, add in the oats, nuts, dried fruit and chia seeds.

Form into balls and bake for 18 minutes.

Coconut Almond Snowballs

Some may argue that every occasion needs a dessert. I just don't have the sweet tooth for that. In my life, every occasion needs an appetizer or snack! However, sometimes I get in the mood and I feel like I need a dessert for the evening. Last week was one of those nights.

The night before Thanksgiving, we have a long-standing tradition to get together with one of Paul's friends parents. We only see them a couple times a year and this night is booked for years to come to ensure that we can get together. It is truly a special night that we always look forward to! We usually go to their house, but this year we decided to switch it up since it would be easier with the kids. I knew we would be having our fill of pies and other desserts the next day, but I still thought this occasion was one of those that called for a dessert.

I wanted to stay away from Thanksgiving menu, so I went straight to the Christmas season. It was snowing that day, so it was quite fitting to make some snowballs. I loved them because even as I was taste testing and adding a few ingredients and amounts, they still only took 15 minutes to make.

They are really rich so a little goes a long way! Again, that could be my lack of sweet tooth talking!

Coconut Almond Snowballs

Makes 24

2 1/2 c unsweetened coconut, divided
1/2 c raw almonds
1/2 c honey (use maple syrup for vegan option)
1/4 c coconut oil
2 t almond extract

1/2 c chocolate, optional

In a food processor, puree almonds until they are almost dust. Add 2 c coconut, honey, coconut oil and almond extract. Mix until all the ingredients are well incorporated.

Form them into 1 inch balls then roll them in remaining 1/2 c coconut.

Cool.

If you'd like, melt chocolate in a double boiler and transfer to a pastry bag. Decorate your snowballs.

You don't have to keep them refrigerated but they hold up much better if you do ... besides, who wants a warm snowball?!?!

Pumpkin Energy Bites

Every road trip that we take, I always have snacks ready to make the trip go as smoothly as possible. For awhile, it felt like we were in the car for a trip every other weekend and for the past month in a half we have stayed local. It's a nice change because there's a lot of work around the house that was being put on the back burner, but I found myself missing my road trip snacks.

One of my favorite road trippin' snacks are energy bites. With our next road trip not until Thanksgiving, I decided to make a batch so I wouldn't go in complete withdrawal! I don't know if I had to change the recipe because we weren't actually road trippin' or if it was because I wanted some pumpkin, but adding the pumpkin was a great change.

These are great little bite size snacks that I should have around the house at all times so I grab them instead of other salty snacks that I usually gravitate towards. The kids pick them up two at a time as well. Plus, dates are great to have every day. They will curb your sweet tooth, but most importantly, they are easily digested and help metabolize proteins, carbs and fats so your body can quickly benefit from all their wonderful vitamins and minerals ... and there's a lot of them!

Pumpkin Energy Bites

Makes 15-20

15 dates, pitted
1/2 c walnuts
1/2 c pecans
1/2 c pumpkin puree
2 T chia seeds or hemp seeds
1 T maple syrup
1 t cinnamon
1/2 c coconut, unsweetened**

Mix all ingredients except for the coconut in your food processor. Refrigerate the mixture for 1-2 hours. 

Then form them into 1 inch balls and roll them in coconut.

**If you're not a coconut fan, use a mixture of cinnamon and cocoa powder ... equally delicious!

Healthy Breakfast Cookies

We have had a crazy couple weekends. I feel like I've been feeding the kids out of a cooler for days now! Most of the time they do pretty well, but when I know we're going to have really busy days I know they are not going to want to eat what I want them to eat.

One morning last week we had to run out the door right after breakfast and I had to prepare that they were going to give me a hard time about it. I decided I should make them a 'cookie' with their breakfast so that they would be excited about it! I didn't have much time so I was literally piecing a few things together out of the fridge and pantry while saying a little prayer that they turned out.

Luckily, they did and the kids ate up! The one bad thing is they took a little longer in the oven than I anticipated, but we had the time so it all worked out (they ate them in the car). They thought it was the most amazing thing that they got cookies for breakfast. It was a supermom moment.

Banana Oat Cookies

Makes 10-12

1 Banana, smashed
3/4 c old fashioned oats
1/4 c applesauce
2 T almond milk
2 T peanut butter or other nut butter
2 t cocoa
1/2 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon

Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Drop 1 1/2 T balls of the mixture on an ungreased baking sheet (I like using parchment paper too).

Bake at 350º for 35-40 minutes. You will think you are going to burn them but they take a long time to cook! Keep an eye on them so the bottoms don't burn. They will firm up a little more after you take them out.

Not Your Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies

I think it's been months since I made cookies. I've been doing more breads and muffins and thought it was time to make some cookies. Okay, I'm lying ... The kids wouldn't take their naps, so I bribed them with cookies. Don't judge me, it worked! They were down for 3 hours, so even though I had to make cookies, I had plenty more time for myself and I got to enjoy a cookie too!

I went to my cookie recipes and found my go-to oatmeal cookie recipe. What ... 2 sticks of butter and 2 cups of sugar for 2 dozen cookies! Okay, time to change the recipe. I began dissecting and  changing my old recipe to be a little more healthy while not going overboard so it would still stay a cookie.

I love the way they turned out. They are still really chewy and moist and the extra flavor of the banana and honey made them better than the originals!

Not Your Grandma's Oatmeal Cookies

Makes 24

1 c brown sugar
1 banana
1/4 c honey
1 egg
1 t vanilla extract

2 c oats
1 c coconut flour, AP flour works well too
1 t salt
1/2 t baking soda
1 T cinnamon

1/2 c raisins
1/2 c chopped nuts
1 c chocolate chunks

Preheat oven for 350°.

Beat brown sugar, banana, honey, egg and vanilla until banana is mashed and the sugar is well mixed.

Add in your oats, flour, salt, baking soda and cinnamon and mix until the ingredients are all well incorporated.

Mix in raisins, nuts and chocolate.

Roll into 1 inch balls and spread on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes on an ungreased baking pan. Let cook for 5-10 minutes on a wire rack. Because these cookies don't have fat from butter or oil, they will stay as a ball and not spread out.