Energy Bites, Powerballs, and Monster Cookies

I've made the Energy Bites several times now and really like them!  They are great to pop in your mouth before or after a workout...or even to top off your lunch!  They are easy to make and full of yummy, nutritious goodness!  I haven't tried the Powerball recipes or the Monster Cookie recipe, but I hope to soon. To me, they are similar to the Energy Bites and I would enjoy having a batch made up and ready to consume in the refrigerator or freezer!

Have a good evening!
~Davis



No-Bake Energy Bites
(Gimme Some Oven*)
Ingredients (I made a couple of ingredient changes):
-old fashioned oats
-1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds and 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds (the seeds replaced the coconut flakes in the original recipe)
-peanut butter (I used homemade peanut butter)
-flaxseed and/or wheat germ
-raisins (which replaced the optional chocolate chips in the original recipe)
-honey
-chia seeds (I love chia seeds...so good for you!!!)
-vanilla extract

I recently read that when making energy balls, a helpful tip that will make them stick together better is to grind half of the nuts/seeds into powder first.  I think this is a great suggestion, because while the energy balls were delicious, they could use a little better binding.

*Gimme Some Oven, also has a recipe for Pumpkin No Bake Energy Bites (dates, honey, pumpkin puree, chia seeds/flax seeds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, salt, oats, coconut, pumpkin seeds), which sound delicious too!



Powerballs
(100 Days of Real Food)
Ingredients for the Chocolate Peanut Butter Powerballs:
-pecans
-pitted dates
-peanut butter
-100% cacao

Ingredients for the Peanut Honey Powerballs:
-peanut butter
-honey
-rolled oats
-nuts or dried fruit
-crushed nuts, granola cereal or unsweetened coconut



Monster Cookies
(My Delicious Life)
Ingredients:
-almond butter
-coconut oil
-honey
-walnuts
-almonds
-pumpkin seeds
-unsweetened coconut
-vanilla extract
-sea salt
-almond flour/meal
-raisins

No Bake Energy Bites

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

Let's face it, anything that can be made in the slow cooker has an advantage over other recipes, right!  If you are like me, then you love REAL food that's easy to throw together, healthy and tasty!  I hope you use this recipe during a busy week you have coming up and relieve a little stress!

Enjoy!
~Davis


Fiesta Chicken Casserole in the Slow Cooker
(Stephanie O'Dea: A Year of Slow Cooking)
Ingredients:
-rinsed raw brown rice
-broth (I used homemade chicken stock)*
-salsa **
-canned corn (I used no salt added canned corn-ingredients were corn and water)
-black beans (I used dried beans.  I soaked and cooked them a few days in advance)
-chicken breasts
-fresh mozzarella cheese

*The recipe calls for 1/2 cup liquid, but next time I will probably use 3/4 cup, as it was a tiny bit dry.

**Not all salsas are created equal....make sure you read the ingredient label.  The salsa I used had no preservatives, additives and the ingredients were recognizable!

Fiesta Chicken Casserole

Vegetable Egg Souffle

For those of you who have read my blog post about eggs, you know that (unfortunately) I don't ever get a chance to make egg dishes.  However, when I found out my brother and his girlfriend were coming to visit...yep, you guessed it, I make a delicious egg souffle!!!  I served it for lunch with fresh watermelon and whole wheat banana bread, but it would also be perfect for breakfast or even served for dinner with a spinach salad.  The egg souffle was easy to make and a big hit!  Oh and for those of you who are wondering what my non-egg-eating husband ate for lunch that day....he had a peanut butter and jam sandwich. :)

Hope everyone is having a great day!
~Davis



Easy Vegetable Egg Souffle
(Homemade Mommy)
Ingredients:
-broccoli
-radishes*
-mushrooms
-tomatoes
-fresh basil
-butter
-eggs
-whole milk
-cheese
-salt
-pepper
-cayenne pepper
-turmeric

*Confession, I left out the radishes and just added more broccoli.  The reason....I am not real familiar with radishes, however, after talking to my brother's girlfriend,  I think I would really like them.  I wish I had used them in this recipe, but I am looking forward to familiarizing myself with radishes sometime soon!

Easy Vegetable Egg Souffle

Homemade Vanilla Extract

Take a minute to go look at the ingredient list on your bottle of Pure Vanilla Extract......

....so did any of you find corn syrup as one of the ingredients in your "Pure" Vanilla Extract?

I used to buy Publix  brand Pure Vanilla Extract.  I never bothered checking the ingredient list, because it's "pure" not imitation, so I thought there wouldn't be any extra and unnecessary ingredients, right?  WRONG!  Unfortunately many vanilla extracts have corn syrup added to it and I don't understand why.  I no longer buy Publix brand vanilla.  I switched to Spice Islands brand, which is all natural and without corn syrup (sold at Publix).  I used Spice Island for a while, but then switched again when I found a less expensive brand at Target: Rodelle's Pure Vanilla Extract ingredient list reads: Vanilla Bean extracted in water and alcohol.  I use a lot of vanilla extract (in larabars, yogurt, oatmeal, muffins, etc.!), so I was hoping I could buy my vanilla extract at Costco, but unfortunately the brand they sell has corn syrup added too.

Another option would be to make your own vanilla extract.  Did you know that it's SO easy to make?  All it takes is vanilla beans (I used 5 Madagascar vanilla beans sliced vertically), 1 cup vodka, a bottle and patience (8 weeks to be exact) - oh and shake the bottle occasionally during those two months.  You can buy vanilla beans at the grocery store, but I found them cheaper at Beanilla.  I just bought a little starter kit, so I would have a proper bottle to use over and over again.  It was really neat making my own vanilla extract.  You should give it a try!

~Davis

Day 1

After 8 weeks. 

Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Crunch

We had family visiting from DC this past weekend and this was the perfect dish to serve for breakfast!  You make it up the night before and then the morning you are going to serve it, just preheat the oven, cook it and enjoy!!  It was definitely a hit!  Super easy and very yummy...I'll definitely be making this one again!

~Davis



Cinnamon Raisin French Toast Crunch
(Food Babe)
Ingredients:
-Ezekiel Cinnamon Raisin Bread (in the freezer section of your grocery store)
-almond milk (I used whole milk)
-eggs
-apples
-walnuts (I didn't toast them)
-vanilla
-sea salt
-nutmeg
-cinnamon
-maple syrup
-butter

All ready to go into the refrigerator for the night. 

Just out of the oven!

Eat up! :)

Honey-Lime Fruit Dressing

I was introduced to this recipe a week ago at a mommy bible study group I am involved in.  Let me say that I prefer fruit without any added sweeteners (simply for nutritional sake), however, this dressing is great if you are wanting to do a little something extra with a fruit salad for a special occasion.

We eat fruit all the time.  I usually serve fresh fruit as dessert every night.  Each week, Publix has different fruits on sale, so I usually just buy what ever is on sale (this week their watermelon chunks were B1G1!).   Also, by serving a side of fresh fruit as part of supper, it makes your meals last an extra night or two (depending on how much fruit you serve)!

This is a fun and yummy way to add a special twist to your fruit and it's so easy!

Enjoy!
~Davis


Honey-Lime Fruit Dressing
(Oh! You Cook!)
Ingredients:
-honey
-lime juice

Strawberries and Red Grapes

Strawberries, Blueberries and Cantaloupe

Basic Honey Whole Wheat Bread

For those of you who own a bread maker, you've got to try this bread recipe.  We used to always make a Honey Whole Wheat bread, but we like this Basic Honey Whole Wheat recipe even better!  This Basic Honey Whole Wheat Bread recipe is just as tasty as the Honey Whole Wheat bread we use to make, but it's softer.  This recipe came with my bread maker  but I didn't try it until recently.  This is our new sandwich bread and we love it.  Hope you give it a try soon!

~Davis


Basic Honey Whole Wheat Bread
(Cuisinart)
Ingredients:
-water
-kosher salt
-olive oil (the recipe calls for butter, but I use olive oil)
-honey
-bread flour*
-whole wheat flour (one ingredient)
-active dry yeast

*I use King Arthur's organic bread flour which has two ingredients (certified 100% organic wheat flour, 100% organic malted barley flour), whereas the King Arthur's non-organic bread flour has 7 ingredients.  

Just out of the oven!

All sliced up and ready for sandwiches!

Carrot Muffins (or Cupcakes)

This was my first experience cooking with coconut flour and I am definitely a fan!  I made this recipe without the Honey Cream Cheese Frosting, therefore I made carrot muffins instead of carrot cupcakes (I am sure the cupcakes would taste amazing too!).  These were easy to make and I love that they are full of grated carrots (one pound to be exact!)!  There is also a noticeable coconut flavor.  The coconut flavor in combination with the subtle carrot flavor was delicious!  These were the perfect start to my day this morning!

Hope you enjoy them too!
~Davis


Grain-free Carrot Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting
(Nourished Kitchen)
Ingredients:
-almond flour
-coconut flour
-baking powder
-baking soda
-sea salt
-carrots
-eggs
-honey
-coconut oil
-yogurt
-cream cheese*
-vanilla*
-heavy cream*

*if you make the muffins, then you don't need these ingredients, as they are for the icing.

Carrot Muffins

Homemade Peanut Butter

Have you ever checked the ingredients on your peanut butter?  Some peanut butters are better for you than others, but have you ever thought of making your own homemade peanut butter?  It's so, so, SO easy and so delicious!

Growing up, my family ate Jif Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter (ingredients: roasted peanuts, sugar, molasses, fully hydrogenated vegetable oils, mono and diglycerides, salt).  Up until recently my husband and I were buying Smucker's Natural Creamy Peanut Butter (ingredients: peanuts and salt).  This is definitely better for you than the Jif peanut butter that I grew up eating, however, homemade peanut butter is even better for you (and cheaper) than the Smucker's!

Intrigued?  So, here's how......simply buy a container of plain, no-salt, peanuts.  Put the peanuts in your food processor and turn it on.   That's it!  It took about 4-5 minutes to get to the consistency that we like.  I put the peanut butter in a glass jar and store it in the refrigerator

Some of my family members commented that they prefer the Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter over natural peanut butter because they like the sweet and salty that their peanut butter has.  I understand that plain homemade peanut butter isn't for everyone (although I think most people could acquire a taste for it if they wanted to), so maybe you could try "dressing up" your homemade peanut butter?  I haven't tried this, but I don't see why you can't add a little sea salt or kosher salt and/or honey or pure maple syrup to your homemade peanut butter.  This would still be an improvement from most of the peanut butters at the grocery store.  (If you try this, please let me know how it turns out.)

I often shop at Publix and when the plain no-salt peanuts are B1G1, I stock up!  Between putting peanut butter on organic apples, making peanut butter sandwiches,  making homemade larabars, etc., we go through a lot of peanut butter!  We love our plain homemade peanut butter!  Hope you give this a try sometime soon!

~Davis

Homemade Peanut Butter (before)

Homemade Peanut Butter (after)

Jerk Chicken & Pineapple Bowl

This was very tasty and I love the flavor the fresh pineapple added to the Jerk Chicken!  Also, this was pretty simple to throw together.  I boiled some natural whole grain brown rice (one ingredient) in some homemade chicken stock and served the chicken mixture over the rice.  YUMMY!

Enjoy!
~Davis

Jerk Chicken & Pineapple Bowl
(Health-Bent.com)

Ingredients:
-coconut oil
-red onion
-fresh pineapple
-bell peppers
-chicken breasts
-ground allspice
-ground cumin
-coconut sugar (I replaced this ingredient with 1 Tbsp. of Pure Maple Syrup)
-ground sage
-red pepper flakes (I omitted this ingredient)
-dried thyme
-ground cloves
-ground nutmeg
-salt (I used 1/8 tsp.)
-pepper (I used 1/4 tsp. pepper)
-juice of 1 lime

Jerk Chicken & Pineapple Bowl served over brown rice

Olive Oil Sprayer

I am sure all of us have some no-stick cooking spray in your pantry, right?  Well, I used to use PAM: Olive Oil ("made with 100% Extra Virgin Olive Oil"), until I started reading labels.  Honestly, I just assumed it had only Olive Oil in the can, but along with Extra Virgin Olive Oil, it also contains: Lecithin, Phosphated mono- and Diglycerides, Dimethyl Silicone and Propellant!!!  I cook A LOT and so I use cooking spray fairly often.  I really would rather not have these chemicals and additives and such in/on my food!  

So, what's the solution?  The MISTO: The Gourmet Olive Oil Sprayer!!! (I feel like I am on a commercial!)  :)  Not only do I love that I am using ONLY olive oil for my no-stick cooking spray, but I also, love that the can doesn't leak.  Whenever I used to use PAM, it would leak a little down the side of the bottle after I sprayed it and that really was annoying!  I found the MISTO at Publix for $9.99, but I think you can find it at Bed, Bath and Beyond, Walmart, and many other places.  

So, how does it work?  It's SO easy, just fill the container half way with your own olive oil, pump the can and spray!  This is a simple change that everyone can make!!  I hope you choose to make this switch too! 

~Davis 

Mini Veggie Quiche

These Mini Veggie Quiche are delicious and I love that my toddlers likes them too!  They are great to have for breakfast or even for lunch along with a spinach salad!  I really like that they have zucchini, carrots and sweet potato in them!  This recipe is one you definitely need to try!

Enjoy!
~Davis



Mini Veggie Quiche
(Once a Month Mom)
Ingredients:
-zucchini
-carrots
-cheddar cheese
-sweet potato
-eggs
-milk
-Italian Seasoning
-Pepper
-a pinch of salt (the original recipe calls for ham, but I omitted the ham and added a little salt instead)

Mini Veggie Quiche

Brownies

OK, all you chocolate lovers, this is for you!  These brownie bites are amazing!  I seriously could have eaten the entire batch of these.  Also, they are the perfect fix for when I get a chocolate craving!

Having said this, I know not everyone will like these.  For example, a couple of family members tasted them and said the raw brownie bites needed sugar added to them.  However, I took them to my ladies bible study group and they were a hit!  My husband didn't want to try them, but I know he would not have liked them, as he isn't a fan of dark chocolate, just a milk chocolate fan.  So, if you are like my husband (a milk chocolate lover), then most likely you will not find the Raw Brownie Bites recipe as wonderful as I do.  

Let's look at the ingredients in a Hershey's Milk Chocolate Bar.  The first three ingredients are: sugar, milk, then chocolate (along with other ingredients including artificial flavor).  So, if you prefer for there to be more sugar in your chocolate, than there is chocolate, then, like I said, you probably won't like these raw brownie bites.  However if you are like me, and love an intense, rich, pure chocolate, where (for example the Ghirardelli Intense Dark Cacao Bar) the first ingredient is unsweetened chocolate and the third ingredient is sugar, then I bet you will LOVE this recipe!  

These brownies are rich in chocolate, sweetened with dates, and super easy to make.  I hope whip you up a REAL food chocolate treat this weekend!

Enjoy!

~Davis 

Raw Brownie Bites

(Comfy Belly)

Ingredients:

-raw walnuts*

-raw cacao or regular cocoa

-vanilla extract

-sea salt

-pitted dates

* Raw walnuts are full of the "good fats" that you always hear about!  They are a great source of Omega 3 fatty acids and magnesium!

Here are some other REAL food brownie recipes, that I haven't tried, but hope to try very soon:

Spiced Medjool Date & Walnut Brownies
(Natural Delights)
Ingredients:
-whole-wheat flour
-cocoa powder
-ground cinnamon
-baking powder
-sea salt
-chopped walnuts
-pitted dates
-eggs
-egg whites
-olive oil
-vanilla extract

Sweet Potato Paleo Brownies
(My Paleo Life)
Ingredients:
-dark chocolate
-sweet potatoes
-honey
-eggs
-cocoa powder
-vanilla
coconut flour
-coconut oil
-baking soda
-sea salt

Raw Brownies

(Conscious Cleanse)

Ingredients:

-raw walnuts

-pitted dates

-raw cacao

Double Dark Chocolatey Chocolate Brownies

(Joe Martin Fitness)

Ingredients:

-raw pecans

-unsweetened cocoa powder

-100% pure maple syrup

-pitted dates

-vanilla

Dark Chocolate Whole Wheat Brownies

(100 Days of Real Food)

Ingredients:

-whole wheat flour

-unsweetened cocoa

-baking powder

-coconut oil

-maple syrup or honey

-pure vanilla extract

-eggs

-chopped nuts

Raw Brownie Bites

Homemade Hummus

I have tried a lot of different hummus recipes, and this is by far my favorite one!  We always have some homemade hummus at our house.  We love to eat it with raw carrots!  It's a great afternoon snack or a replacement for the chips that you would normally pair with your sandwich at lunch!  My husband and I like our hummus garlicky and lemony, so I adjusted the original recipe to fit our liking.  Also, the hummus is super easy to make and freezes well.  I buy dried bean (as opposed to canned), so that I don't have the added sodium and preservatives (plus it's cheaper).  I usually cook the dried beans the day before I am going to make the hummus.  I triple the recipe and then freeze half of it.  Once I pull out the container of frozen hummus from the freezer, I go ahead and make some more so that we always have hummus available to snack on.  Remember, the best way to eat healthy is to keep healthy options at the house!  On a side note, my toddler likes to eat hummus with a spoon!  I of course don't mind, because it's a healthy, REAL food item.  As I am sure you know Chickpeas (aka Garbanzos beans) are an excellent source of fiber, high in protein, a good source of iron and even has some calcium!    Hope you enjoy this delicious hummus recipe!

~Davis



click here for the TRADITIONAL HUMMUS recipe
(from 100 Days of Real Food)
Ingredients are the same as the recipe below, I just use different amounts.



Modified Traditional Hummus recipe:
Ingredients:
-2 cups cooked chickpeas
-a little cooking liquid (just depends on how thick you want it)
-4-5 Tbsp. pure lemon juice (one ingredient)
-1 Tbsp. Tahini
-2 garlic cloves
-2 Tbsp. Olive oil
-1 tsp. sea salt
-pepper to taste

All the ingredients are in the food processor. 

All done!

I had a group of ladies over and served hummus with carrots, blueberries & cantaloupe, homemade granola, raw almonds and popcorn.  

One of my favorite sandwiches...a Hummus Sandwich!  Whole Wheat bread, hummus, muenster cheese, spinach leaves, avocado  and slices of red bell pepper!

Pinterest and BBQ Pork Potatoes

I have had several readers ask that I add a Pinterest link to my blog posts, and with the help of my amazing brother  I finally got that taken care of this past weekend!  The "Pin It" button will be located at the bottom of each individual blog post.  I hope you all enjoy Pinning the recipes I share onto your Pinterest Boards!

Now, let's talk about food!  Looking for an easy, yummy, REAL food dinner for this week?  Well, try these BBQ Pork Potatoes.....

Have you ever looked at the ingredients list on the BBQ sauce you have at home or the ones at the grocery store?  A lot of them  have High Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) added to them, and often times, it's one of the main ingredients.  For example, Publix Original Barbecue Sauce has fifteen ingredients.  The first ingredient being HFCS!  Also, it has added caramel color...gross!  I don't know about you, but I don't want colors added to my food.  I'd rather just consume it with it's natural coloring.

Below is a recipe for a homemade Barbecue sauce.  I made this sauce the day before I was going to cook the pork and just stored it in the refrigerator.  The Fresh Market recently had their pork tenderloins B1G1 (such a STEAL).  I used one of the pork tenderloins and froze the other one for another time.  Anyway, below is also the Couldn't Be Easier BBQ Pork Tenderloin in a Crock Pot recipe that I used.  The morning after I made the homemade BBQ sauce, I threw together the pork tenderloin in the crock pot and let it cook all day (aren't crock pots AMAZING!!!).  I topped the baked potatoes with butter, cheese, pepper, green onions,  BBQ pork, and red/orange/yellow mini sweet peppers (these colorful mini sweet peppers are a good source of Vitamin A and an excellent source of Vitamin C!).   This was a delicious and filling meal.  Also,  we ate on the pork for  three or four nights, as it makes a lot!   Hope you are able to try this recipe soon.  You just can't beat a good BBQ Pork Potato!

Enjoy!
~Davis



click here for the EASY HOMEMADE BARBECUE SAUCE recipe
(from: Real Food. Real Deal.)
Ingredients:
-olive oil
-minced onion
-fresh garlic
-soy sauce (read the label, some soy sauce is better than others!)
-tomato sauce (preferably organic)
-cumin
-dry mustard
-smoked paprika
-apple cider vinegar
-honey



click here for the BBQ PORK TENDERLOIN (CROCK POT) recipe
(from: Food.com)
Ingredients:
-pork tenderloin
-barbecue sauce (see recipe above)
-onion
-fresh garlic
-hot sauce (I omitted this ingredient)
-salt
-pepper

BBQ Pork Potatoes