Category Archives: Snacks

Healthy Popcorn – Really?

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Friends, if you don’t make your own healthy popcorn, you have NO IDEA what you are missing!  No “off” flavors from packaged popcorn mixes.  No chemicals and no need for a microwave!  Healthy popcorn to live for!  (really!!!)

Go by feel, but the way we make healthy popcorn is with yummy coconut oil.

Ingredients

  • 1 5 quart soup or stock pot
  • 1 TBL of coconut oil
  • 1/2 to 3/4 cup popping corn
  • Sea salt to taste
  • Nutritional Yeast (super delicious, B-12 boost, CHEESY flavor)

Instructions

  1. Just put enough in the pan (5 quart soup pan/stock pot works great) to make sure the bottom is covered with oil – 1/2 cup corn kernels and 1- 2 generous TBL of coconut oil.  Heat on the stove (with the lid on the pan).  When you begin to hear the kernels popping, gently shake the pan to keep any popped corn from burning.  When the kernel popping slows down, you know you have popped most of the corn.
  2. Dump the contents of your hot pan into a large bowl – add in sea salt and nutritional yeast (super yummy stuff)!  Nutritional yeast is the secret ingredient.  Try some and let us know what you think!

Rich Peanut Butter Bars

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This little gem reminded me of the peanut butter cookies my mom made when I was little.  Back in the day, we used Crisco!  (I know!)  Today, we use real butter and enjoy the best of ingredients.  You might try coconut oil sometime as a nutritious twist!  Peanut butter bars are simple and delicious!

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup organic peanut butter
  • 1/2 cup organic butter
  • 1 1/2 cup Sucanat (I reduce this to 1 1/4 cup)
  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 1 cup freshly milled hard white wheat or pastry wheat flour or gluten free flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp.baking powder aluminum free
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt (use less if your butter has salt)
  • 1 tsp.vanilla

Instructions

  1. Melt butter and peanut butter together. Add the remaining ingredients and stir until well blended.
  2. Press into a greased 9″x13″pan. Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes.
  3. Cool and cut into squares.
  4. 1/2 cup of cocoa may be added for an extra rich brownie.

Cornbread or Corn Muffins

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Cornbread or Corn Muffins?  Oh yes!  My mom made these for a dinner recently topped with softened butter.  They disappeared quickly!

Ingredients

  • 1 1/2 cups freshly milled corn
  • 1 1/2 cups freshly milled whole wheat flour
  • 6 tsp baking powder (aluminum free)
  • ½ tsp sea salt
  • 2 pastured eggs
  • 1 1/2 cups organic milk
  • 6 Tbls olive oil

Instructions

  1. Bake at 400 degrees in oiled muffin pan
  2. Makes 12 muffins – recipe doubles beautifully!

Chewy Granola Bars

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Reach for these when you need that little pick me up in the afternoon.  Your whole family will LOVE them, I am sure!   I like to make a double batch because they disappear so fast.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup rolled oats
  • 1 cup of your favorite crunchy cereal (like brown rice cereal—rice crispy type)
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds, whole
  • 1 ½ cups dried apricots (I used chopped Medjool dates)
  • 1 cup organic raisins
  • ¼ cup chopped almonds (soak them ahead of time if you want them to be softer)
  • ¼ cup flaxseed (golden flaxseed is my favorite)
  • ½ cup protein powder (or flour, your choice)
  • 1 TBL. Butter or coconut oil
  • ¾ cup brown rice syrup
  • ½ cup raw almond butter or natural peanut butter
  • 1 tsp cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Pour into large mixing bowl and the remaining ingredients, except oil syrup, cinnamon.  Mix completely and break up any chunks of dried fruit.
  2. In sauce pan, over medium heat, melt oil, brown rice syrup, almond butter and cinnamon until creamy.  Pour over dry ingredients and quickly mix together.  You may need to use your hands.  Put into a 9 * 13 inch pan.  Pat mix to fill pan. . .press down like you would rice crispy, marshmallow treats.  Refrigerate 4 hours or until you can’t stand it any more and have to eat some!  ( :  Cut into bars and wrap in wax paper, or plastic wrap.  Store in fridge.  YUM!  YUM!

Hummus

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Ingredients 

4 cups of chickpeas/garbanzo beans (I use 2 cups of dried beans and soak them overnight, rinse them, then cook them in enough water to cover them or, use TWO 15oz cans organic organic garbanzo beans. Drain water.

In a blender put:

2 cups of water (you can increase as needed) 

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

The juice of one lemon 

4 garlic cloves (I like to press them into the blender rather than put them in whole)

 2 tablespoons cumin

1 tablespoon real salt

¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

After blending, add in the beans. Mix until very creamy, blend away! 

You might want to use a food processor if you don’t have a strong blender.

This is a great veggie dip,chip dip, and spread for sandwiches and great on whole wheat tortillas

Party Salmon Dip

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Adapted from Trim Healthy Mama

Ingredients 

Drain 2 cans wild caught salmon and empty contents into a bowl 

Add 2 eight oz. packages of cream cheese.

Add 3 Tbs. lemon juice ( or juice of one lemon)

1 tsp. cayenne 

Mix well with an electric mixer 

Finally, add one bunch of green onion and stir in with a fork

Guacamole

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ngredients 

Mash 3 ripe avocados with the following ingredients

 1 teaspoon sea salt 

1 teaspoon cumin

 Juice of half a lemon or half lime 

2 cloves of freshly pressed garlic (more if desired)

¼ onion (chopped coarsley or finely your choice) 

Additional options: diced tomatoes Tbsp of salsa, chopped jalapeño pepper; we like leaves of cilantro, cut with scissors and mixed in at the very end.

Date Cake

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Ingredients 

1 to 2 pounds organic Medjool dates (go organic here as dates are highly sprayed)

½ cup to 1 cup of chopped cashews

 1 cup of shredded organic coconut

Instructions 

  1. sliced open dates and remove seats. Mash by hand or use a food processor or blender. You will need to just add a little water and mash in small amounts if you use a machine. If you mash by hand just imagine working into a dough, much like Play-Dough. 
  2. Put the mash dates into a bowl or on a cutting board and add in the cashews mix in coconut if you wish. Finally, shape, sprinkle with shredded coconut, chill and enjoy! 
  3. Dark chocolate chips are good addition or carob chips.

Slow Cooker Apple Butter

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Slow cooker apple butter will make your entire home smell like autumn. It also makes a great gift for the holidays, or a hostess gifts at Thanksgiving. YUMMO!

Prep time.                Cook time

30 minutes                12 hours.      

6 ½ pounds apples – peeled, cored and sliced

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 

½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg 

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract 

Instructions 

  1. Place the apples in a slow cooker. In a medium bowl, combine sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg cloves,salt.
  2. Cook in slow cooker for about 10 hours, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is thickened and dark brown.
  3. Uncover, then stir in the vanilla and continue cooking uncovered on low for about 2 hours.
  4. Use an immersion blender to purée the apple butter until smooth

Honey Nut Granola

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Granola 

Ingredients 

1 cup butter/oil

1 cup honey/maple syrup/molasses

2 teaspoons vanilla

11 cups oats 

1 cup nuts (optional can also use seeds)

1 cup coconut (optional)

1 cup dried fruit (optional) 

2 teaspoon cinnamon

Instructions 

  1. Heat oil or butter, sweetener, and vanilla in Dutch oven or on top of stove until warm and thinned, stirring to mix well.

 2. Stir in oats. Add optional nuts, coconut, and cinnamon gradually, stirring to mix well.

 3. Bake at 250° for about two hours, stirring every 20 minutes. Watch carefully until done to your family’s taste (remembering that granola becomes crispier as it cools)

  1. Cool granola after pulling out of the oven.

Add dried fruit if desired and enjoy!