Snacks

Frosted Jackolantern Pumpkin Cookies

What kids doesn’t like a cute jackolantern pumpkin cookie this time of year! Especially if it is frosted! This honey of a cookie is thick and soft with just the right amount of pumpkin flavor.

Gluten Free/Grain Free Frosted Jackolantern Pumpkin Cookies

You will need a handmixer and a cookie scoop for this easy recipe……no rolling involved.

Frosted Jackolantern Pumpkin Cookies

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees F.

Lay out a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons Coconut Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon Himalayan Pink Salt

1 Teaspoon Pumpkin Pie Spice

1/3 Cup Pumpkin Puree, SCD Legal

1 Egg

3 Tablespoons Clear Honey

1 Teaspoon pure Vanilla Extract

Directions: In a medium bowl, whisk together the first five dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl, with a hand held electric mixer, mix the wet ingredients together….the pumpkin puree, egg, honey and vanilla extract.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, and mix until fully incorporated. With a 1/2 cup ice cream or cookie scoop, scoop the cookies onto your prepared cookie sheet. There should be six even sized scoops. Now, flatten into 3/4 inch thick circles with your hand, and then pinch the tops, patting and pinching to make the stem.

Bake in your preheated oven for 16 – 20 minutes, rotating the pan end to end after ten minutes. Keep an eye on them the last five minutes. The edges should be starting to brown, but not the centers.

Remove from the oven and cool completely while you make the frosting.

For the frosting:

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons of Organic Shortening

3 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Cacao Powder

In a small bowl with a hand held electric mixer, blend the shortening and honey together until it is whipped nicely.

Take a plastic sandwich bag and snip off one end. Insert a metal round piping tip into the snipped end. Scoop out two tablespoons of the white frosting from your bowl, and place it in the snipped bag. Twist the top moving the icing toward the piping tip. Set aside.

To the remaining frosting still in the bowl, add one tablespoon of cocao powder. Blend with your electric mixer.

Spread the chocolate frosting onto each cookie evenly, except the stems. Pipe the frosting on for the eyes and mouth.

It makes six large cookies. Yes, I know the picture shows five cookies. That’s because I ate one! 🙂

Happy Halloween! Boo!

Frosted Jackolantern Pumpkin Cookie – Grain Free

Sweet and Salty Spiced Nuts

Crunchy, Salty, Sweet and Healthy. Those words don’t go together very often when you are talking snacks. But these Sweet and Salty Spiced Nuts do!

They are fun to make, and a great choice for a snack. A serving size of nuts is smaller, but they are totally satisfying!……..AND they can be eaten with other things. They are really good sprinkled on salad, over yogurt if you tolerate it, and used as a muffin or quick bread topping. They are really pretty to put out in a bowl for pre-dinner or party munchies for guests too. I like to throw a bag of them in my purse for when I get hungry when away from home.

Sweet and Salty Spiced Nuts

Spiced nuts are so easy to make, and they fill the house with a warm spice smell that is better than potpourri! I used Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews and Pumpkin Seeds in this recipe.

Honey Sweetened Sweet and Salty Spiced Nuts

Sweet and Salty Spiced Nuts

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Lay out two parchment lined cookie sheets.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Raw Pecans

2 Cups of Raw Walnuts

1 Cup of Raw Cashews

1 Cup Pumpkin Seeds

2 Egg Whites

2 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt

1/2 Teaspoon of Dried Crushed Rosemary

1/2 Teaspoon of Ground Cardamom

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Allspice

1/8 Teaspoon of Ground Cloves

In a large bowl, add the Walnuts, Pecans, Cashews and Pumpkin Seeds. Mix your spices, rosemary and salt In a small bowl, and set aside. Whisk together the egg whites and honey until frothy. Pour over the nuts and toss thoroughly. Sprinkle half of the spice mixture over the nuts and seeds, and toss well! Do it again with the remaining spice mixture, coating the mixture evenly.

Spread onto your two prepared cookie sheets. Bake for 10 minutes in your preheated oven. Toss them with a spatula, and bake another 7 to ten minutes until dry and golden brown. Watch them carefully, so they don’t get too dark at the end of the baking time!

Cool Completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature for everyone to enjoy. I put them on the counter in a petty jar so the kids and hubby grab them as a snack! The power of visual suggestion! 🙂

Delicious Spiced Nuts

Baked Spiced Nuts – Paleo

Enjoy your day!!!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Today is the first day of Autumn, and to celebrate I am baking this Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake! Enjoy this cake after a beautiful afternoon of raking leaves with someone you love! Or, sit outside on a cool sweatshirt morning with a piece of this cake and a warm cup of coffee! It is pure heaven!!!

grain-free-pumpkin-coffee-cake-for-autumn

When you hear coffee cake, don’t just think of breakfast. This is a great snack cake. I have drizzled the top while it is still warm with a glaze that soaks in and makes the cake super moist! So grab your Bundt pan!

pumpkin-coffee-cake-grain-free

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Now, lets get our ingredients out.

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Canned Pumpkin (I use this brand)

3 Eggs

1/4 Cup of Honey

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil

1 1/2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour (I like this brand)

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour (I use this brand)

1 Teaspoon of Ground Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon of Allspice

1/4 Teaspoon of Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

1/3 Cup of Coarsely Chopped Raw Pecans

Glaze:

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil (melted)

2 Teaspoons of Honey

1/8 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

a pinch of sea salt

Directions: Grease a Bundt pan with organic shortening or coconut oil and set it aside. In a large bowl with a hand held mixer, blend the pumpkin, eggs, honey, and coconut oil for two minutes. In a separate bowl, whisk together the almond flour, coconut flour, spices, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet, and mix with your hand held mixer until thoroughly incorporated. Add the teaspoon of apple cider vinegar and blend again for 30 seconds.

Spoon the batter into the Bundt pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the top with your coarsely chopped pecans. Place in the preheated oven for 40 minutes to bake. The top should spring back slightly when ready. Remove the pan from the oven, and cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes. While it is cooling, prepare the glaze above.

After five minutes, turn the Bundt pan over with a wire rack on top of it to catch the cake. When it is out of the pan it will be upside down. Turn the cake right side up by using another wire rack sandwiching the cake between the two, or carefully use your hands to turn the cake right side up with the pecans on top. Drizzle the glaze onto the cake and cool.

pumpkin-coffee-cake

Happy Autumn! Although it’s still hotter than average for September, there are signs of Fall outside. The pumpkins are ripening for one, and before you know it, it will be time for cozy sweatshirts and jeans, and leaf raking!

Grain Free Pumpkin Spice Coffee Cake

Eat Your Nutrients!

Grain Free No Bake Healthy Energy Bars

This recipe came about because my daughter, Danielle, asked me to try and replicate her beloved bar she orders online. She recently had a baby, and needed some handy, nutritious, energy-rich snacks on hand.

Make Your Own Bronco Energy Bars

She is breastfeeding, and her baby boy has a voracious appetite. He is adorable and growing fast at one month old. She regularly orders these bars to have on hand for her and her husband for packing in their work lunches and for snacks. She is a nurse, and he is a teacher. She is home on an extended maternity leave and is pinching pennies to stay home as long as possible, so she wondered if it was doable to make them herself at home. So I said I would give it a whirl.

I am happy to report that she thought they were “Amazing”! 🙂

These bars are chocked full of goodness! They have almond butter, healthy coconut oil, unsweetened coconut, almonds, walnuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, honey, almond flour, sea salt and vanilla. They are a symphony in your mouth. There is no baking involved! Make Your Own Mustang Bars on a Tray.JPG

Bronco Energy Bars

Lay out a small cookie sheet and cut parchment paper to fit the pan. Set aside.

You can use a hand mixer or stand mixer for this recipe.

Ingredients:

1 Cup of Almond Butter

1/2 Cup of Coconut Oil

1/2 Cup of Raw Honey

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Mix all the above ingredients together with a mixer until well blended.

Add in:

1 Cup of Roughly Chopped Raw Walnuts

1 Cup of Sliced Almonds

1 Cup of Almond Flour

1/2 Cup of Raisins

1/2 Cup of Pumpkin Seeds

1/2 Cup of Unsweetened Shredded Coconut

Pour the nuts, raisins, almond flour, pumpkin seeds and coconut into the bowl of the mixed ingredients. Blend in all with your mixer, or hand stir with a wooden spoon. Pour onto the cookie sheet and pat out with some coconut oil on your fingertips to keep them from sticking to your hands. Pat them to your desired thickness. You don’t have to fill up the whole cookie sheet if you have a larger one. Just pat an edge. Freeze for 30 minutes before cutting them into bars.

Store them in the refrigerator or freezer. If you will be packing them in a lunch, make sure you have an ice pack in your bag as they get soft a room temperature. 🙂

Paleo Energy Bars

Eat Your Nutrients!

Harvest Bread (Grain Free, Toastable)

I know Autumn is just around the corner when the cicadas start screaming day and night. School started today! Waaagh! I have mixed emotions about it. We had such a nice Summer, and it seems like Summer just began.

However, I am looking forward to my favorite season and cooler days where I can throw on layers. The cool weather makes me think of different smells in the kitchen like cinnamon, nutmeg and bread baking.

Harvest Bread (Grain Free, Toastable)

Living a healthy life is more than just having everything you put into your mouth be uber healthy. It is also about balance, community, listening to your body, sharing time together over food, relaxation, spirituality, exercise, and fun! These things give us a sense of well being deep in our innermost self.

It is one of the reasons I like to blog treat recipes, like this very delicious and toastable bread that is reminiscent of my days as an artisan bread baker for my local food coop. I have made this seasonal recipe in a grain free version!

It is important if you have digestive challenges, like me, or want to improve your health in other areas, that you eat plenty of cooked and fresh vegetable produce, some fruit, good quality protein and healthy fats. I typically recommend 2/3rds of the plate consist of vegetables. Then there is a place for a piece of this grain free bread. Just don’t eat the whole loaf! Now, my daughters can eat plenty of this bread, and they absolutely love it toasted! I am happy with one thick slice toasted and savored with a cup of coffee or tea.

I purchase my pantry items such as the raisins, nuts, cashew butter, almond flour, coconut flour, baking soda and the apple cider vinegar at Thrive Market online (see link in upper right corner of this page) and saved $1,500.00 on my grocery bill last year. This is my second year as a member. They have thousands of quality food and home care items, and for every membership that is purchased, they give a free one to a needy family. They have a mission to make quality food affordable. Let’s bake bread! 🙂

Harvest Bread Ingredients

Harvest Bread (Grain Free, Tostable)

Preheat the oven to 300º degrees. Grease a medium to large sized loaf pan with organic shortening, then line it with parchment paper. I used a pan my children bought for me as a gift when I started eating gluten free. It is a Pullman loaf pan and works well for gluten free breads, but it just makes a nice shape. Any medium to large loaf pan will work! (I left of the lid for this pan.)

Ingredients:

2 1/4 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

3 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour

1 Teaspoon of Sea Salt or Himalayan Pink Salt (my favorite!)

1/2 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/4 Teaspoon of Nutmeg

1/4 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a separate bowl. In a second bowl with a hand held mixer, blend together:

4 Eggs

1/4 Cup of Cashew Butter

3 Tablespoons of Honey

1 Tablespoon of Apple Cider Vinegar

After blending the eggs, cashew butter, honey and cider vinegar until well combined, add the dry ingredients to the wet and mix until thoroughly incorporated. Then fold in:

1/2 Cup of Raisins

1/2 Cup of Chopped Walnuts

Pour into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula, and then place in the preheated oven and bake for 45 to 55 minutes until golden brown on the top and hollow sounding when you tap on the bread.

Remove from the oven. Cool for ten minutes in the pan. Then use the overhanging sides of the parchment paper to lift the loaf from the pan. Cool on a wire rack for one hour before slicing.

Baked Harvest Loaf Ready to Remove and Cool

Delicious Harvest Bread (Grain Free)

Eat Your Nutrients!

Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches (Grain Free)

No ice cream freezer? No problem! This old fashioned Ripple Ice Cream is made in a loaf pan! Then it is pressed between two Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers (recipe here!) for a spectacular ice cream sandwich!

The dairy free vanilla ice cream uses a handful of ingredients, and while it has it’s initial freeze, you can whip up the Blueberry Spoon Fruit (recipe here!) for the Ripple!

Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches

Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches

Ingredients:

1 Batch of Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream

1 Batch of Grain Free Chocolate Grahams (get the recipe here!) 🙂

Directions:

To make the Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream you need:

1 Cup of Full Fat Coconut Milk

3 Tablespoons of Good Honey, warmed

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Oil, melted

1/2 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

Whisk the ice cream ingredients together, and pour into a loaf pan. Freeze for 30 minutes. Then remove from the freezer and marble in the Blueberry Spoon Fruit by placing dollops onto the top of the vanilla ice cream and running a knife in swirling motions throughout.

Marbling Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream

Place back in the freezer until frozen solid. This will take 2 to 4 hours.

Soften the ice cream, by letting it set at room temperature for approximately ten minutes, until it is scoop-able!

Assembling Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches

Take two grahams per ice cream sandwich, and scoop a ice cream scoop size ball of Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream onto one graham. Place the other graham atop the ice cream, and press gently to squish!

Melty, Cruchy, Gooey!

Eat right away, or they can be individually wrapped in plastic wrap and frozen to enjoy straight from the freezer. You can stock pile these by making a double batch!

Yield: 5 Ice Cream Sandwiches

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Looking for a chocolate graham cracker that is grain free and starch free? I have tested and developed this recipe for you, and after several attempts, I do believe it is perfect! 🙂

They can be used however you like, but my favorite is sandwich style! Look here for my Chocolate Blueberry Ripple Ice Cream Sandwiches! They will wow you! The flavor is amazing! What a lovely ending to a warm Summer’s day!

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Preheat your oven to 325º degrees.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

4 Teaspoons of Gelatin like (Thrive Market Brand)

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

1/4 Cup of Coconut Oil, melted

1/4 Cup Good Honey

1 Tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

Directions: Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Add the wet ingredients to the dry, and stir vigorously with a fork until completely blended and a ball of dough has formed.

Place the dough onto a large cookie sheet sized piece of parchment paper. Flatten slightly.

Grain Free Graham Cracker Dough Ready to Roll

Place a second piece of parchment on top of the dough, and roll out evenly to almost fill the parchment, or the size of your cookie sheet. The dough should be about a half inch thick.

With a pizza cutter, make squares as shown below. Pierce the grahams with a fork’s tines.

Ready to Bake Grain Free Chocolate Graham Crackers

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes.

Remove from the oven and cool completely. Using a large kitchen knife, cut apart the graham crackers at the scored marks.

Enjoy!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Cherry Lemon Biscotti

Delicious Cherry Lemon Biscotti

Good Morning Everyone! I am so happy Summer is here! It is so relaxing having the kids out of school and having extended hours of daylight! We are spending time in Northern Michigan this Summer, and it is staying light until ten p.m. I love this time of year! I get so much fresh air because I am outdoors a lot more!

This is the Cherry Capital of the world, so what better time to make some Cherry Lemon Biscotti cookies to dunk in a cup of delicious coffee or tea?

Grain Free Cherry Lemon Biscotti Cookies

Here’s the recipe!

Cherry Lemon Biscotti

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Lay out a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Ingredients:

2 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1 Tablespoon of Coconut Flour

Zest of 1 Lemon

1/2 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/4 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

2 Pastured Eggs

1/3 Cup Good Honey

1 Tablespoon of Fresh Lemon Juice

1 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

1/3 Cup of Dried Tart Cherries

Directions:

Sift together your dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl. In a separate bowl with an electric hand-held mixer, blend your wet ingredients. (The cherries are last, so don’t add them yet). Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with your mixer until fully smooth and incorporated. With a spatula, fold in the cherries evenly. Mound the dough onto your prepared, parchment lined baking sheet. With wet hands, form the dough into a 1 1/2 inch high rectangle like this:

Biscotti Ready for first bake!

It looks fancy with the cookie cutter design on the top, but it disappeared during baking, so no need to do this! 🙂

Bake for 20 minutes until golden brown. Remove from the oven and cool for 30 minutes on the cookie sheet.

With a serrated bread knife slice the biscotti on a diagonal, starting at a short corner. Make the slices approximately an inch thick. If some fall apart or break, at this point you can pat them back together. Lay cut side down back on the cookie sheet. Bake for seven minutes on one side, then remove from the oven and flip them to the other cut side and bake 5 more minutes. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

Enjoy these sweet and tart lovelies!

Cherry Lemon Grain Free Biscotti

I couldn’t resist adding a picture of me with my daughters this Summer, and also a picture of my Ming Ming enjoying a Summer Evening! Blessing to you! Have fun!

My Two Youngest Daughters and I

Ming Ming enjoying Summer!

Strawberry Mug Muffin! (Fast and Easy) Yum!

Strawberry Mug Muffin! Yum!

With Strawberry season upon us, why not have a mug muffin? This recipe is a microwave mug muffin that you literally can make in five minutes start to finish. Mug muffins are a convenient way to have a quick breakfast or snack without having to make a huge batch of muffins. They are single serve, which makes them very appealing to college students, kids in the kitchen who want to do some independent food preparation, someone who is single, or someone like me who wants something quick, healthy and pretty!

This recipe for a single mug muffin is Grain Free and has healthy fruit, fiber, protein, and fat, and is sweetened with a touch of honey. Embellish the top with more fresh berries, a dollop of coconut cream, and sliced almonds if you like!

Beautiful Strawberry Mug Muffin Recipe

Eat Your Nutrients!

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread (Grain Free)

Who doesn’t love a portable quick bread that you can pack? My kiddos like a slice in their lunches, and I can feel good about the great ingredients in this recipe knowing it is good for them, and me, and sweet at the same time. It’s mostly those bananas with a touch of good quality honey baby! Quick breads are supposed to be soft, but not mushy, and I totally consider them a comfort food. How many of you had Mom’s or Grandma’s that made quick bread when you were young? My favorite, and it’s a classic, is banana bread.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread Slices

Here is a healthy spin on Banana Quick Bread. It is chocolatey too with the addition of magnesium rich raw cacao! It also contains nice amounts of potassium, protein, and uses unprocessed, real food ingredients.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread (Grain Free)

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line a 8 inch loaf pan with parchment paper. This keeps the loaf from sticking and helps it lift right out of the pan, so leave some edges sticking out to grab on to.

Chocolate Banana Quick Bread Batter Ready for the Oven

Ingredients:

2 Cups of Superfine Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut Flour

1/2 Cup Raw Cacao

1 Teaspoon of Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon of Baking Powder

1 Teaspoon of Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon of Allspice

1/2 Teaspoon of Sea Salt

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

4 Ripe Bananas with black spots

4 Eggs (I used soy free eggs due to a sensitivity)

1/4 Cup Honey, I used raw honey

1/4 Cup Coconut Oil, melted

1 Teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

In a food processor, add all the wet ingredients and blend until completely smooth. Alternately, using a hand mixer, do the same. It will just take longer to incorporate, making sure the bananas are completely smooth.

Add in the Dry Ingredients, and continue to mix until completely blended. Pour into your prepared loaf pan. Bake in the preheated 350º oven for 60 to 75 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached. Cool in the loaf pan five minutes on the counter before removing the loaf to cool completely before slicing.