Treats

Grain Free No Bake Healthy Energy Bars

September 16, 2016
Sandra Shields, Healthy Food and Wellness Blogger, Health Coach, Balanced Living, Clean Beauty Consultant
3 comments
Almonds, Dairy Free, Delicious No Bakes, Dried Fruit, Energy Bars, Gluten Free, Grain Free, Healthy Snack Bars, Honey Sweetened, No Bake, Nut Butter, Paleo, Paleo Energy Bars, pumpkin seeds, Real Food

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!

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!

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

A cold something something that is creamy and cooling when sliding down sends me into bliss mode on a warm day. I know it does for you too! That’s why ice cream is so, so popular. It reaches the feel good receptors in our brain!

I love making this particular sundae around Independence Day aka July 4th because there are fresh, local, juicy berries at the Farm Market!

This recipe is healthy, cold, creamy, and bursting with berries which are full of antioxidants, vitamin c, fiber and sunshine! If you have been working out like me, there is also a good dose of potassium in the bananas!

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

You will need a high speed blender to make the Nice Cream, and it is simple and quick!

Ingredients:

Sundae Topping:

1 1/2 Cups of Juicy Strawberries

1 Cup of Juicy Blueberries

Place the washed berries in seperate mixing bowls, and muddle with a potato masher or pastry cutter to release some of the juices and break up the berries a bit.

Nice Cream

3 Bananas, Ripe and Frozen

1 Tablespoon of Honey

2 Teaspoons of Fresh Squeezed Lemon Juice

Blend on high until creamy. You will need a plunger to push down the bananas. Blend just until incorporated!

Layer the Nice Cream and Berries as desired. Eat immediately.

You know what I will be doing at some point this holiday weekend! 😉

Cheers!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Patriotic Nice Cream Sundae

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake (Microwave Mug Cake)

This mug cake is quick and easy! It has a pretty crumb topping with the crunch of pecans and the decadence of chocolate. It is grain free, moist, cakey and full of flavor!

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake - Paleo

It is so cool to be able to whip up a cake in the microwave! I dunno why I am so fascinated with it. It must be from my Easy Bake Oven days. Gosh! I Loved an Easy Bake Oven. It was on my wish list, but I never received one as a child, but I sure loved going to my friends and using theirs.

Another reason I really like these mug muffins and cakes is you aren’t making a huge dessert cake. It is a guilt free, smaller treat!

This recipe takes just 3 minutes to cook! It pops way up, and I was holding my breath when testing it, because it looked like it was going to overflow in the microwave, but it rises way up and then settles down again, like magic!

It is a really delicious cake!

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake

Ingredients For the Cake:

1 Ripe Banana

1 Egg

¼ Cup Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Coconut or Almond Milk

2 Tablespoons of Dark Chocolate or Chocolate Chips

2 Teaspoons of Honey or Maple Syrup

¼ Teaspoon Cinnamon

¼ Teaspoon of Baking Soda

¼ Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Pinch of Sea Salt

For Crumb Topping:

2 Tablespoons of Almond Flour

2 Tablespoons of Broken Pecans

2 Tablespoons of Dark Chocolate Pieces of Chocolate Chips

Pinch of Sea Salt

Directions: Puree the banana and egg together by mashing or blending with a hand mixer or small blender like a Ninja. Add the remaining cake ingredients except the chocolate pieces and mix until incorporated. Fold in the chocolate and pour into a individual serving bowl that holds 1 ½ cups like a soup bowl or extra large mug.

Mix the Crumb Topping together and sprinkle on top of the cake batter.

Microwave for 3 minutes. It will puff way up, but should not overflow the dish. Cool Slightly.

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake - Grain Free

Funky Monkey Crumb Cake

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!

Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

By definition a Mousse is a dessert that incorporates air bubbles to give it a light and airy texture and can range from light and fluffy to creamy and thick.

I was considering calling this mousse Miracle Mousse because there is no cooking and no eggs or dairy in the recipe yet it is thick, creamy and smooth. I whip this decadent dessert up in five minutes flat, at which time it resembles a chocolate syrup. After refrigerating it for 4 hours it thickens and becomes the creamy deliciousness you see below.

Dairy Free Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

Raw cacao is my favorite for making chocolate recipes, because it is cold pressed and keeps the live enzymes, and you can control what sweetener you use. In this case it was raw, local wildflower honey.

Why should you make this mousse?

You Crave Chocolate
You Want to Impress Someone
You Need A Fast Dessert Recipe Because You Are Busy
It Has No Refined Sugar
You Have a Romantic Date
It Has Clean Ingredients
It’s Darn Good!

The recipe serves two! How romantic! 🙂

Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

Ingredients:

1 1/2 Cups of Full Fat Coconut Milk (see In My Pantry for my favorite brand)

1/4 Cup Raw Cacao Powder

1/4 Cup Raw Local Honey

1/4 Teaspoon of Pure Vanilla Extract

a pinch of sea salt

Directions: Dump all the ingredients in a high speed blender. I used the big cup on my Ninja blender. I have also made it in my Vitamix. It just needs to be high speed to incorporate those air bubbles that makes chocolate mousse…..mousse. 🙂

Pour into two individual ramekins, serving bowls or cups.

Refrigerate for 4 hours and up to two days.

This is a decadent dessert for chocolate fans! Enjoy!

Easy Chocolate Mousse for Two

Eat Your Nutrients!

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

One of my favorite cakes in the 80’s was pineapple upside down cake. Crushed pineapple was really popular to use in baking, and added lots of moisture to the recipe. Hummingbird cake, pineapple upside down cake, and dump cakes are three that come to mind. I loved pineapple upside down cake growing up, and I thought why not try a muffin with a few simple ingredients that can be made fast, grain free and low fodmap……….I had a craving! 🙂

So, if you like pineapple, here is a recipe that is simple, fast, and a pleasure to put together, that I think you will love! It makes an even dozen, and the muffins have a beautiful crumb. They start to brown on the tops as they are finishing off, for a truly delicious muffin that is not overly sweet.

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

Easy Pineapple One Bowl Muffins

Directions: Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line a twelve cup muffin pan with paper liners and set aside.

Ingredients:

1 14 oz. can of Native Forest Crushed Pineapple (or one without additives)

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Clear Honey (Clover Honey is Lower in FodMaps)

1 1/2 Tablespoons Ground Ginger

1 Teaspoon Pure Vanilla Extract

1 1/2 Cups Superfine Almond Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Okay, this is really, really simple, and I love it! Put the ingredients in a bowl in the order listed above, and using a hand held mixer, mix until completely blended. Scoop evenly into the muffin liners. I used a muffin scoop. Bake for 30 minutes in your preheated oven. They will be starting to brown on the top, and when gently pressed, the tops will spring back when done. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Pineapple Dump Muffins Batter

The Batter is Ready to Scoop!

Ready to Go Into the Oven

Muffins Ready to Bake Above.

That’s it!

Makes 12 – an even dozen!

Have a great day!

Eat Your Nutrients!

Date Sweetened Spice Muffins (Nut Free, Dairy Free, AIP Paleo)

There is a new kid in town, and it is Tigernut Flour. I used it in a previous recipe here and am really liking it. It is not a nut at all but a tuber, and it acts as a prebiotic. Tigernut Flour has been around for over 4,000 years, and contains nutritional benefits like phosphorous, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins E and C.

I have been experimenting with it in the kitchen during the last month, because I am all of a sudden reacting to nuts and nut flours. 😦 I also have found it is a good idea to rotate my food to avoid developing any other sensitivities. Also, after being almost two years free of SIBO and following a Low FodMap diet, I slowly added in safe starches to improve gut motility and feed the good bacteria I have been working so hard on. I was pleasantly surprised to find everything improved, and the SIBO did not return. I have been using Tapioca Starch, Arrowroot, and eating White Rice occasionally, all with very positive results.

Since I started my blog to empower myself to eat delicious foods on a restricted diet, the blog is evolving, as I have healed and have added in new ingredients, always seeking optimal health, energy and just plain feeling good. The addition of starches not only has helped my overall digestive system (in moderation), but is also helpful post workout for me!

All that aside, this recipe took some time, and I had some flops, but I have to say, I am very, very happy with the results here! It is a muffin that is dense, with a pleasing, (not gummy, ewwww!) texture. The muffins are sweetened with just dates and have other whole foods in them like carrots, green plaintains, coconut oil and applesauce. I could eat them every day.

Date Sweetened Spice Muffins (Nut & Egg Free, AIP Paleo

This recipe makes 16 muffins. They freeze well also!

Date Sweetened Spice Muffins

Preheat your oven to 350º degrees. Line two muffin pans with 16 paper liners and set aside.

Ingredients:

1 Cup Dried Medjool Dates (about 8 large, soaked in warm water for ten minutes, pits removed)

2 1/2 Cups Shredded Carrots

2 Green Plantains (Difficulty finding plantains, Walmart has them. Plantains are cheap!)

1/2 Cup Applesauce (no sugar added, preferably organic)

1/2 Cup Tigernut Flour

1/4 Cup Coconut Flour

2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil (melted)

2 Tablespoons Ground Cinnamon

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder (homemade corn free recipe here)

1/2 Teaspoon Sea Salt

1 Teaspoon Ground Ginger

1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 Teaspoon Mace (or Nutmeg may be substituted if not AIP they are very similar)

Directions: In a food processor, puree the green, peeled plaintains, that have been cut into chunks, with the applesauce and dates (drained after soaking) until very smooth, about three to five minutes. Meanwhile, whisk together your dry ingredients. Add the carrots to the pureed plantain mixture and puree until smooth. Add in the dry ingredients and melted coconut oil. Pulse until thoroughly incorporated.

Scoop into the muffin papers with a muffin scoop.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes until the muffins spring back when touched with the tip of your finger. I used a convection oven, so the cook time is a little shorter than a conventional oven. Remove from muffin tin and cool on a wire rack.

Wishing you and yours a very Happy and Blessed New Year!