Peanut Butter and Honey Rawcoroons

Crunchier than my other rawcoroons, these peanut butter bliss balls hit home with the kids (and the adults too!!) The combination of honey and peanut butter really puts these rawcoroons in my top 3 flavors at the moment. These little balls are such a great thing to have around the house as they are packed with nutrients, healthy fats and carbs, to keep my kids full and satisfied when we are on the go. The perfect snack that packs easily or the quick breakfast when there is no time to be in the kitchen, or really just an awesome cookie when the craving hits.

I had made a peanut butter raw cookie like this before but this time I switched up the recipe because of what I had on hand, and they came out much tastier than I expected them to.

And I tested a few in the oven in order to relay good information to those of you who don’t have a dehydrator, and I am happy to say that the oven version was equally as delicious. While I am a huge advocate of raw as much as I can in order to preserve nutrients in the foods I consume, I understand it is not convenient for everyone, and eating a homemade baked cookie made with these ingredients is better than not eating a cookie at all. There, I said it. Eat a cookie. It makes life tasty.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup almond meal or flour or finely ground raw almonds (For this particular recipe I used almond pulp left over from making milk, that I had then dehydrated to make flour)
• 1 cup oats, ground to a flour (I used my blender but a coffee grinder works too)
• 2 cups shredded coconut, ground finely but not to a flour consistency
• 1/2 cup natural peanut butter
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup raw honey
• 1/8 cup water

Steps:

• combine everything in a large bowl and mix well
• taste and make sure it is to your liking, add more honey or pb if the need be 🙂
• scoop out into balls (I use an ice cream scooper)
• put on a dehydrator mesh screen
• dehydrate at 105*F for about 8 hours. Check them at 6 hours and see if the consistency is to your liking. The longer you leave them, the drier they get.

If using an oven:

• preheat your oven to 200*F and bake them for 1.5 to 2 hours. Check them to make sure they are to your liking. If you don’t care in preserving too much of the nutrients, go ahead and bake them at a regular cookie temperature for much less time. I am sure it will work too, I just haven’t tried that yet.

Store in an airtight container for several days. In all honesty, I have no idea how long these last as they were gone in under 48 hours.

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Tropical Muffins

Pineapple. Coconut. Orange. It’s like pinacolada in muffin form!! When my husband came home with a pineapple earlier this week, I knew I wanted to make muffins with it. The thought of bitting into a baked good and finding a nice piece of sweet pineapple is what got my creative juices flowing.

My good friend just had her second baby, and as good friends do, I brought her some food. Among all the goodies I brought her, were a version of these muffins. The first version actually. Although I wasn’t a fan of the way the first batch came out, I still delivered them to her because I didn’t have time to bake another batch that day and I really wanted to provide her with something more than just dinner. So she got my test run muffins (Sorry Paige!!). The very next morning I woke up and decided to try again because I just wasn’t satisfied with how they came out. After changing the recipe a bit, I am much happier with this version 🙂 The only thing I would change is adding more fresh pineapple.

Ingredients:

Dry:

• 1/2 cup coconut flour
• 1 1/2 cups flour (I used buckwheat)
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp tumeric (optional)
• 1 cup oats (I used small)
• 1 cup toasted coconut shreds
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar

Wet:

• 1 cup orange juice (I used fresh pressed)
• 1 TBS orange zest
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/4 cup ground flax seeds in 1/2 cup water
• 2 TBS apple cider vinegar
• 1 TBS vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped fresh pineapple

• 1/4 cup coconut pieces to top muffins

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350*F
• in a smal bowl combine ground flax with water, stir and let sit
• in a skillet, on medium heat, toast the coconut shreds. Stirring constantly. Pay close attention to this as the coconut goes from not toasted to brunt really fast. This should tie just a couple minutes.
• in a large bowl combine all the dry ingredients, coconut included
• in a blender combine all the wet ingredients, flax seeds included
• barely blend, just enough to mix the ingredients and start breaking down the pineapple. If you have settings on your blender, I would put it on low. If you don’t you could do this in the food processor and pulse a few times.
• put in greased muffin tins, top with coconut pieces and bake about 10 minutes for mini muffins and 20 minutes for larger muffins.

Blueberry Corn Oatmeal Bites

While snuggling in bed this morning, the kids were putting in their breakfast requests. My daughter said she wanted corn muffins. I responded I don’t have corn flour. She says: “But we have the frozen corn! My son:”I don’t want corn muffins Tika! I want oatmeal wif boobewies!” In order to make them  both happy, we came up with these as a solution. They were so easy to make, my daughter did most of the work. As they were baking i thought “Great, here’s school snack for the next few days!”.

Well as I’m typing this, there are barely a quarter of them left. I doubt there will be any left by the end of the morning. I guess the kids love them!!

You can get as creative as you want with the flavors here. Raisins? Cranberries? Shredded coconut? The possibilities are endless. And these are super quick to make I actually could make these before school one morning.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups small oats
• 1 large ripe banana
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup frozen blueberries
• 1/2 cup frozen corn

I would have added 2 TBS of honey but we are out. The kids don’t seem to mind but if you are used to having a sweetener breakfast, i would suggest you add a couple TBS of sweetener as these are just slightly sweet.

Steps:

• preheat oven to 350*F
• put all ingredients but frozen fruit in a bowl and have your kids mash it all together with their hands!
• add the frozen fruit and continue mashing until well combined
• grease mini muffin tins with coconut oil
• fill them up pressing them down so they keep there shape
• bake for 10 minutes
• cool and enjoy!

Banana Bread Slices (raw)

This bread makes me soooo happy. Truly. It started out as an experiment and turned into one of my favorite quick breakfast foods. I have made it twice already, even before taking the time to share it with you guys. Some days having something quick to grab and go is essential. This bread satisfies my desire for rapidity without compromising my priority of health. In my opinion it resembles pretty closely the texture of sliced bread, but a little more dense. It is chewy, soft and thick and moist as to not be mistaken for one of my crackers 😉  The recipe itself is not too sweet as I like to use honey or fruit spread on my bread. Having new delicious breakfast foods to look forward to makes for a much more easy start to my day 🙂

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup ground golden flax seeds (I grind them in my coffee grinder), soaked in 1 cup of water for 20 minutes
• 2 cups lightly packed almond pulp (left over from making almond milk)
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 2 bananas
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 3 TBS almond milk

Steps:

• while the flax seeds are soaking, blend bananas, milk and cinnamon (you can mash them for a thicker consistency)
• mix everything in a bowl
• lay on a dehydrator sheet about 1/4 inch thick
• score into pieces
• put in dehydrator at 105*F for about 2 hours
• flip onto mesh screen and dehydrate for another 2-4 hours, depending on the desired consistency.
• I love to eat mine with almond butter and honey, but they are delicious just as is.

• flip onto mesh screen and return to dehydrator for about 2 or 3 hours or until desired consistency
• the bread should be soft but not too moist on the inside
• store in the fridge for about 1 week if the almond pulp is fresh

Buckwheat Breakfast Bowl

I love breakfast. I love drinking tea. I love drinking green juices. I love smoothies. I can last all morning on a fresh juice or green smoothie, but some days I want to sit and enjoy a nice meal. And I really love putting intention in a nice wholesome meal for my breakfast. I am sweet breakfast kinda girl. Although I do love eating savory from time to time, my go to is usually sweet. Chia seed porridge is my most frequent go to. Although I have changed it quite a few times since that first post and will be continuously changing it as that is how life goes.

This breakfast bowl is so delicious and nutritious. Even the boys loved eating!! It resembles oatmeal in texture, but is packed with so much more goodness!!!

I use buckwheat frequently at home, mostly for raw granolas, but also for raw breads, patees and other savory dishes. I always sprout it first to maximize the nutrients I can get from this superfood. But you don’t need to do that if you don’t feel like it. Just make sure you soak it at least 8 hours and rinse it REALLY well before eating it.

Ingredients:

• 2 dates
• 1 TBS almond butter
• 6 TBS almond milk
• 1/2 an apple
• 1 cup sprouted buckwheat (or buckwheat soaked for 8 hours)
• 2 TBS shredded coconut
• 1 tsp chia seeds
• 1 tsp sunflower seeds
• 1 tsp dried cherries (or raisins, or cranberries)

Steps:

• put first 4 ingredients in food processor and blend until well combined
• add the buckwheat and coconut and pulse a few times until desired consistency
• top with remaining ingredients
• chow down and feel happy!!

Cinnamon Raisin Granola (raw)

Cinnamon and raisin. You can’t go wrong with these classic flavors. I’ve been making a version of this for a long time now, but I have finally taken the time to take a picture of it and write down the ingredients. Story of my life in the kitchen.

I try to always have some raw granola on hand. Although I do not eat it regularly, my family does. And it’s nice to have a wholesome tasty meal ready to go at any time. I like to grab a couple handfuls of it for a quick snack if i do not have time to make anything.

And I use buckwheat. Unlike the name suggests, buckwheat is gluten free. It is high in fiber and has all 9 essential amino acids, which make it close to a  complete protein. It is high in magnesium (helps blood circulation), vitamin E (good for skin), and calcium (good for bone health).

If you’ve never tried buckwheat, I think you should 🙂 You can cook and eat it like any grain, or you can get creative and make granola or porridge, or anything else your mind feels like creating 😉

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sprouted raw buckwheat groats
• 1 cup small oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cups raisins
• 1 TBS cinnamon
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 tsp salt

Steps:

• combine everything in a large bowl and mix until honey and coconut oil evenly coat everything
• put on a dehydrator sheet
• dehydrate at 105 *F for about 14 + hours or until crispy
• NOTE: because of the honey, this granola won’t feel super crispy right out of the dehydrator. Taste it to make sure the grains are completely dry. The honey will harden a bit once cooled.
• store it in airtight containers for several weeks
• serve with fresh almond milk

Orange Cranberry Granola

Light and crunchy, just the right amount of sweet with a subtle hint of spices to illustrate this holiday season. This granola came out perfect. As usual I made a big batch to have around as well as gift. You can cut the recipe in half if you don’t eat much granola, but this keeps for weeks, so don’t fear making a lot and putting it in a sealed jar.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups sprouted buckwheat
• 1 cup small oats
• 1 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds (soaked at least 4hours)
• 1 cup cranberries
• zest of 1 orange
• 1 cup raw pecans (soaked 8 hours)
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp clove powder
• 1 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil

Steps:

• combine everything in a large bowl
• lay on dehydrator sheets
• dehydrate at 115 *F for about 12 hours or until desired consistency
• store in airtight jars for weeks

Blueberry Vanilla Granola

Another granola win for me 🙂 This granola is a crowd pleaser with all its sweetness and gentle flavors. As always, it is loaded with beautiful nutritious goodness. There is not much more to say here than, YUM.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sprouted buckwheat (just soaking the buckwheat overnight and giving it a good rinse is enough if you don’t want to sprout)
• 2 cups coconut flakes
• 1 cup chopped soaked almonds (soaked for at least 8 hours)
• 2 cups small oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds, soaked 4 hours or more
• 2 TBS vanilla powder
• 1/2 TBS hibiscus powder (optional but it does add a hint of tang to this, which I love, as well as some color)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/2 cup melted coconut oil
• 2 oz freeze dried blueberries

Steps:

• mix first 7 ingredients in a large bowl
• combine honey and coconut oil then pour over dry ingredients
• mix well, add the blueberries
• put in a dehydrator sheet
• dry for about 12 hours
• store in airtight jars for weeks!
• this makes at least 13 cups

Have this with some fresh almond milk for optimal enjoyment 🙂

Power Cacao Granola

I call this Power Granola because of all the nutrient dense ingredients I used.

Chia seeds, one of the richest plant sources in omega 3’s (that healthy oil in fish that I don’t get because of being a vegetarian, contributes to good cholesterol health) is also very high in calcium. Apparently, by weight, chia seeds have more calcium than whole milk!

Flax seeds, which are apparently higher in antioxidants than blueberries are also very high in omega 3’s as well as lignans. Lignans are a phytonutrient that provide antioxidant benefits as well as fiber like benefits.

Sunflower seeds, very high in essential fatty acids which helps with regulating cholesterol levels are also high in protein (100g of seeds provide 21g of protein). They are incredibly rich sources of many essential minerals such as calcium, iron, magnesium amongst others. These minerals play an important role in bone health and red blood cell production. Who doesn’t want healthy blood and bones?

Raw cacao, which is high in antioxidants (contributes a great deal to our immune system) is also one of the highest whole food sources in magnesium (balances blood pressure, lowers high cholesterol). There are many more benefits to raw cacao that I won’t list here. Not only is it good for us, but is also delicious.

Add to that all the other delicious tasty ingredients and you got yourself a deliciously Powerful breakfast!

Starting your day off with a bowl of this can only allow you to feel energized and ready to take on the day!

Ingredients:

• 3 cups sprouted buckwheat (If you don’t have the time or desire to sprout, soaking these over night and giving them a really good rinse, will do)
• 2 cups small oats
• 1 cup sunflower seeds
• 2 cups shredded coconut
• 3/4 raw cacao powder
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1/2 ground flax seeds ( I used a coffee grinder)
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
• 3/4 cup maple syrup, or honey or coconut sugar
• 3/4 cups coconut oil

Steps:

• mix all ingredients in a large bowl minus the sweetener and coconut oil.
• once everything is well combined, add the sweetener and stir well
• add coconut oil and mix until it coats everything
• spread on a teflex sheet
• put in dehydrator at 105*F for about 8 hours
• keep in sealed jars for months!

Note: This recipe makes over 13 cups. I feed a family of 5 and often friends so I usually make big batches of food. Adjust the recipe accordingly for your own needs.

Other note 😉 : If you do not have a dehydrator, you could possibly do this in the oven. I have never done it before because well, I have a dehydrator and I truly love using it, so I am not sure how this will come out. This is what I would do though if I were to try it out in the oven:

Put it on the lowest setting, crack the door open in order to have some air circulating, and put the granola on a baking sheet. Leave it in there for about 30 minutes, check it and if it is still moist, keep checking every 20 minutes or so until it is dry and crisp. I have no idea how long it will take in an oven. It takes close to 12 hours in the dehydrator. If I were to make raw crackers in the oven, therefore cooking them, they would be done in about 45 minutes. If you try the oven method, PLEASE let me know in the comments how it turned out! I would love some insight on this!

Zucchini Banana Muffins

Every week, for 5 days, I send my daughter off to school with a snack and a lunch. That’s a lot of snacks and a lot of lunches, week after week. For that reason, at times I like to make a huge batch of muffins and freeze a bunch so that I can easily grab a snack last minute that will be nutritious and exciting for her. She can get bored of the dried fruit mixes and sliced apples.

This recipe is simple in taste, no processed sugars therefor not overly sweet and, in my opinion, nutritious and healthy so that she can stay full longer and have good fuel for her body. Store bought muffins (or coffee shop muffins), are glorified cupcakes without the frosting. In terms of sugar content, they are pretty much equally high. When made well, muffins can be an easy, quick nutritious breakfast/snack.

The kids loved these, I had to hurry and freeze a few batches before they ate them all. Which to me is a win. Giving them something they love while maintaining my nutritional integrity is important to me.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups flour (I used spelt and buckwheat here)
• 1.5 tsp baking powder
• 1.5 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/4 nutmeg
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 cup apple sauce
• 1/3 cup coconut oil
• 2 large ripe bananas
• 1/2 cup pitted dates ( I use medjool because they are so decadent and sweet and soft)
• 1 cup almond milk
• 1 tsp liquid vanilla
• 1 1/2 cups shredded zucchini

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 F
• In a large bowl mix together first 6 ingredients
• In a food processor combine the rest, except for zucchini
• Add wet mixture to the bowl, add zucchini, mix well
• Oil some muffin tins, fill them up
• Bake for about 10 minutes for mini muffins, probably 20-25 minutes for large muffins
• I made 72 mini muffins with this recipe!!!