toasted coconut cashew energy bars

toasted coconut cashew energy bars

printable recipe

recipe via food52

2/3 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

2 cups unsalted cashews

1 cup medjool dates, pitted

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/8 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp coconut butter

1 tbsp coconut oil

preheat oven to 350 degrees.  spread the coconut evenly across a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 2 minutes, stir and then toast for another two minutes (or until golden and fragrant).

set the coconut aside and toast the cashews on the same baking sheet for 5 minutes (stirring 1/2 way through cook-time).

pit the dates.

add the coconuts, cashews, dates, cinnamon and salt to the food processor.  because my processor is smaller, i had to do this in two batches.  pulse the ingredients until you have crumb sized pieces.  add the coconut butter and 1/2 of the coconut oil.  pulse until the mixture forms clumps, adding more oil if dry.

spread mixture in a 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment paper.  freeze for 20-30 minutes and then cut into bars.  i cut mine into 16 snack-sized bars.  wrap each bar in plastic wrap and store them in the refrigerator.

makes 16 bars

nutritional data per bar:

160 calories, 9.5 g fat, 3.8 g sat. fat, 18.4 mg sodium, 18.8 g carbs, 2.6 g fiber, 12.9 g sugar, 3.1 g protein

tropical granola

granola is a great substitute for cereal.  i think.

when i go to the grocery store, i spend way too much time standing in the cereal isle waiting for an acceptable cereal to pop out at me.  it never happens.  i read label after label and either put the box back because it's loaded with crap or, it looks like it might taste like crap.

granola is great.

tropical granola
printable recipe

recipe adapted from annie's eats

3 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)
2 1/2 cups puffed rice cereal
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 ripe banana, mashed
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tbsp honey
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp coconut extract
1 cup sweetened, shredded coconut, lightly toasted
1/2 cup dried pineapple, chopped
1/2 cup dried mango, chopped
1 cup dried banana chips, chopped
1/2 cup toasted macadamia nuts, chopped

preheat oven to 325 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

combine the oats and puff cereal in a large bowl.

in a medium bowl, combine the brown sugar, mashed banana, coconut oil (melted in microwave in 20 second increments until runny), applesauce, salt, cinnamon and coconut extract.  whisk until very smooth (i will add a 1/3 cup of pureed pineapple as she recommends.  i didn't have it on hand this time around).

add the wet ingredients to the oat mixture and stir gently until everything is evenly coated.  spread evenly onto prepared baking sheet.

bake for 30 minutes and then turn sections of the granola over.  bake for another 15 minutes until nearly completely dried.  key word, "nearly."  if the edges are done but the middle is not, remove the edges and spread the remainder out to finish cooking.

cool on pan for about 15 minutes and then crumble into a large, airtight container.  add toasted coconut, pineapple, mango, banana chips and macadamia nuts.

(nutritional facts: i forgot to measure for serving sizes this time around.  i will make this again for sure and measure then).

co-op awesomeness {curried cauliflower and fruit leathers}

some part of me has always wanted to participate in a co-op.  jake might say it's the hippy part of me.

check out the last two shares.  seriously, why isn't everyone doing this!?

it's like christmas every saturday morning except for you have to stand in (what has been) a really long line and melt before you get your goodies.

the co-op keeps me on my toes.  trying to find new recipes and try new things.  so far, so good.  a few days ago we enjoyed some serious delicious roasted curried cauliflower.  

the photo i took was something horrible so i've borrowed the photo from the original source and linked back.  i think that's the legal way to do this?

recipe source summertime tomato

roasted curried cauliflower

1 large cauliflower (approx. 2 lbs)

curry powder

olive oil

kosher or sea salt

"pre-heat oven to 500 degrees. break cauliflower into medium-small florets and place into large bowl or baking pan.  be sure the pieces are as evenly sized as possible, or they will cook unevenly.  the smaller you make the pieces, the quicker they will cook and the more caramelized they will become, which i consider a good thing.

drizzle cauliflower pieces generously with olive oil and season well with salt and curry powder.  distribute evenly in a single layer at the bottom of a baking pan.  if necessary, use a second baking pan to be sure the pieces aren't too crowded.

cover the pans with foil and place into the oven.  roast, covered for 10-15 minutes.  the cauliflower should be slightly soft and start looking translucent.  if not, replace foil and cook for another 5 minutes.

when the cauliflower has finished steaming, remove the foil and toss with tongs.  continue to roast, stirring every 8-10 minutes until the tips of the cauliflower begin to brown and become crisp as pictured. approximately 30-35 minutes.

adjust salt to taste (you will probably need another sprinkle) and serve."

what else?

we had some serious pears and peaches so i made fruit leathers.  fun!  the kids ate them up before i even had time to prepare them for storing.  we tried strawberry with pear and also peach.  i liked the peach best but probably because the strawberry/pear ones had the seeds in them (note to self, get the seeds out of the puree before drying).

fruit leathers

4 cups chopped fruit (peeled, pitted, whatever you want)

squeeze of lemon juice

2-3 tbsp agave nectar

heat everything over medium-low heat for 20-30 minutes.  run through a food processor or blender then spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  cook at 150 degrees for several hours until the fruit is no longer sticky when touched.  pull out, let cool, slice and serve. yum!  (p.s. my oven doesn't go down to 150 so i was forced to keep it at 170 with the door cracked open using a heating pad.  mine turned out pretty well this way although the edges were a little hard compared to the middle.  i think 150 would do the trick.  oh well).

how about that?!

needless to say, i'm totally excited for saturday's share!  for more info, visit bountifulbaskets.org. (p.s. this is not limited to utah).

kid tested, mother approved {is it legal to say that?}

i'm always on the hunt for healthy "snack" options for the kids (and husband).  i'm sure you all know that this is not an easy feat.  for the most part, commercially prepared and packaged snacks are not usually all that nutritious and the ones that come close enough don't always pass the taste test.

sometimes i bring things home hoping the kids will love them only to have them turn their noses up in disgust.  however, every now and then, the opposite happens.  i put things out on the counter nonchalantly, not asking them to try anything but, their curious minds and constant desire to get away with sneaking food has proven to be an effective way for taste testing.

these two items, purchased yesterday, both passed the taste test x3 with flying colors.

both purchased from costco.  

other taste test approved snacks currently filling our pantry include items such as these:

i'll be adding to this list as i find new wonderful products to share.  in the meantime, will you share yours?  i'm still looking for hfcs free fruit snacks that won't cost me an arm and a leg.