Gluten Free Banana Blackberry Bread #NationalHeartMonth

Valentines Day means heart shaped boxes filled with chocolate, candy hearts with cute messages on them and  even Teddy Bears holding a little stuffed red heart reading   "I Love You".  But did you know that February is also National Heart Month?  Now is the time to start making small or big changes and getting into healthy habits for your heart and over all health.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. Every year, 1 in 4 deaths are caused by heart disease. The good news is that heart disease can be prevented by making healthy food choices, exercising even moderately and getting regular checkups with your doctor. 

While I was pregnant with my 4 and last baby I had signs of preeclampsia, a dangerous condition that causes a sudden onset of high blood pressure. Luckily for me, it was a mild case and I didn't need to take anything for it. I've always been very  healthy and so hardly ever saw a doctor. A year or so later, I started getting frequent, excruciating headaches and saw several doctors who all wanted to treat me for "migraine like" headaches and sent me off with migraine and narcotics prescriptions (the latter I never filled). One said they were stress headaches and gave me muscle relaxers. My blood pressure  was  high at the office visits but since I'd never had HBP before, they said it was high because I had such a bad headache.


It wasn't until I began lifting weights last year and was becoming very dizzy and nauseous during my workouts that I started randomly taking my blood pressure. I then realized that I now had very high blood pressure. I'm very lucky that I didn't have a stroke or cause some permanent damage as high as it was for as long as it had been going on! In fact, most often HBP does not cause any symptoms and so people don't even know they have it. It's called 'The Silent Killer' for that reason.

According to the Center of Disease Control

"Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke. In fact, more than 67 million Americans have high blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times more likely to die from heart disease, compared to those with normal blood pressure.

High blood pressure often shows no signs or symptoms, which is why having your blood pressure checked regularly is important. It's easy to get your blood pressure checked. You can get screened at your doctor's office and drugstores or even check it yourself at home, using a home blood pressure monitor."

TIME        60 MINUTES            YIELDS     2  *SMALL LOAFS


1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
2 large or 3 small very ripe bananas
1/2 cup melted real butter
4 eggs
1/3 cup real Maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon real vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon coconut oil or butter for greasing pan or use disposable paper bread pans as I did here.
1 cup fresh or frozen blackberries (can also use strawberries, chocolate chips, nuts etc.)





Preheat your oven to 350F. Grease a small 8x5 inch bread pan with coconut oil or butter. Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit just on the bottom of pan.


In the bowl of your stand mixer with a cookie paddle attachment, mash the bananas. Add butter and mix to combine. Add the eggs, one at a time. Add Maple syrup, cinnamon, vanilla and salt, mix to combine. Add the flours and baking soda Mix on low until just combined.


Spoon the batter into prepared bread pan. Bake on 350F for 35-45 minutes (depending on altitude, your oven and type of pan using.)  When a toothpick inserted in the middle of the loaf comes out clean, remove bread from oven. Place on a wire rack to cool for about 5 minutes. If you used a metal pan, take a butter knife and carefully slide it around the edges of the pan to help loosen the bread. Carefully, turn the loaf over and place the bread on the wire rack to cool another 10-15 minutes.


Serves warm as is or with a small slab of real butter. 

notes

If you don't have buckwheat flour, substitute with equal amount of almond flour. Coconut flour is very absorbent so I wouldn't use more of that.

When baking gluten free breads it's best to stick with smaller loaf pans so as not to create dense bread. I like this pan or small, disposable ones like these or these.



As always, thank you for purchasing my recommended products through the links I provide or through Simply Healthy Family's store at the bottom of this blog and thereby supporting this site.







YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE

Banana Sunflower Seed Cookies

Banana Coconut Cookies

Almond Butter Banana Pancakes

MORE HEART HEALTHY RECIPES FROM FELLOW FOOD BLOGGERS





Winter Citrus Salad with Avocado Basil Dressing from Foxes Loves Lemons


Orange Mango and Lime Smoothie from The Wimpy Vegetarian


Kale Spinach and Bean Soup from Ruffles and Truffles









American Heart Association

Double Dutch Chocolate Pudding Raspberry Parfaits

Whether you are looking for something simple yet special to share with your sweetie or you've just had one of those days. This home made double chocolate pudding has you covered. 

I for one have had  'one of those days'  the kind where nothing has gone particularly, out of the ordinary wrong yet I really just want to punch something and then take a nap. Zero energy to deal with my never ending to do list and feeling defeated with just about everything from making school lunches and dinner to keeping the kids happy and entertained. We won't even talk about the 2+ hours I spent this morning trying to figure out a simple bit of HTML coding on my blog and never did get anything accomplished. 

Then there are these parfaits. On one hand, they were simple to make and tasted every bit as decadent as I'd hoped but on the other hand I had a completely different vision as to how they would photograph. How hard is it to make chocolate pudding look good? 

O.K. I'm going to   a.) Start a diary so you don't have to listen to my complaining and whining here. and    b.) pour myself a glass of wine and dig into round two of this pudding. Tomorrow is a different day after all. 

Pudding recipe from Food & Wine

TIME        20 MINUTES PLUS CHILLING                SERVES       4-6

1. 2 1/4 cups whole milk

1. 1/2 cup sugar

1. 2 tablespoons cornstarch

1. 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1. 1 large egg

1. 2 large egg yolks

1. 5 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

1. 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into pieces

1. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1. 
   

2 cups prepared whipped cream
1-2 cups fresh raspberries







In a medium saucepan, combine 2 cups of milk with 1/4 cup of sugar and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat stirring occasionally.

In a small bowl, combine the cornstarch with the unsweetened cocoa powder and the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar until blended. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of milk and whisk until smooth. Whisk this mixture into the hot milk in the saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, whisking constantly. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, whisking constantly, until the pudding is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2-5 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk the whole egg with the egg yolks. Slowly pour the pudding mixture into the eggs while whisking until thoroughly incorporated, then scrape the pudding back into the saucepan. Cook the pudding over moderate heat, whisking constantly, until it just comes to boil, about 2 minutes.


Pour the pudding into a medium heatproof bowl. Add the chopped chocolate, butter and vanilla and whisk until the chocolate and butter are melted and incorporated and the pudding is smooth, about 2 minutes. Transfer the pudding to six 6-ounce ramekins and refrigerate until chilled. (If not serving soon,  press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the pudding in the bowl and refrigerate.)


Layer in a parfait cup with whipped cream and fresh raspberries.



The chocolate pudding can be covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 4 days.

Banana Split Popsicles {sugar free & healthy}

Inspiration for today's post comes from the fact that is 113F out and getting. even. hotter. The fact that it doesn't rain here in Phoenix makes me wonder how the hell so many idiots people decided to make this their home. It's a mystery..... and I'm Native..... idiot.






To make matters even more miserable, I work in the Operating Room aka meat locker (that didn't come out right). Meaning that we keep the AC around 59F-62F at all times and complain when it reaches 66.7F.  We are a strange group us medical people. So when I leave the perfectly normal frigid temps of the O.R. and walk outside into the blinding desert sun (no windows in surgery, could be an apocalypse and we'd never know) my internal body temperature starts to boil in exactly 13.2 seconds. Which is exactly how long it takes me to get to my car, open the door and step right into HELL, at 125+ degrees F.



Leather seats, wearing shorts, with no window shade, no parking garage, in Phoenix, in July. I'm all kinds of smart.

Eating a Banana Split on a stick = Very, very smart.

What I do have going for me are Popsicles. Granted I've seriously considered rubbing them all over my overheated face and body on more than one occasion. Desperate times, desperate measures.

Typically, light and fruity Popsicles or even frozen fruit are our only source of snacking and desserts here during the summer months but seeing as that it's a Major Holiday in July I decided to step dessert up a level.




What's even better than a big Ooooey Goooey Banana Split? A Banana Split that is combined together, layer by layer and then frozen on a stick to slowly enjoy while you sit waist deep in your pebble tech, salt water pool. With your big, ridiculous floppy hat of course.

Strawberry, coconut puree, frozen bananas blended with vanilla almond milk and fresh cherries and pineapple in every bite. Drizzle with chocolate and sprinkle with chopped peanuts. 

Summer just got better. 

I learned a few things while making these Banana Split Popsicles,

1. Making and attempting to photograph popsicles in July in Phoenix is a feat worthy of serious admiration. 
2. Banana Splits in popsicle form are sheer genius that you can eat single handedly while sitting in the pool, no spoon required.
3. I need a cherry pitter thingy-ma-jig.
4. My mom just called me a lazy bum because I want a cherry pitter thingy-ma-jig. She's mean. 
5. It's perfectly acceptable to dip fresh cherries and pineapple into melted chocolate before dinner while you are waiting 3-5 minutes in between popsicle layers to freeze. 

You will need

A ZOKU popsicle maker or other popsicle mold
2 cups fresh strawberries, greens removed, or not (I leave them on, lots of nutrients!)
1/2 cup coconut milk (in a can)
* tablespoon monk fruit in the raw
2 fresh bananas
1/2 cup vanilla (or plain) almond milk)
*1 tablespoon monk fruit in the raw
1 handful fresh cherries, pitted and cut in half
1 handful of pineapple tidbits
1 cup semi sweet chocolate, melted
1/2 cup chopped peanuts

To Make

In a blender, combine strawberries, coconut milk and monk fruit in the raw. Blend until smooth. Carefully pour into popsicle molds 1/4 deep. If using a ZOKU, wait 3 minutes till frozen then pour in the banana mixture. If using old fashioned popsicle molds, put in freezer until frozen, about 2 hours.
Rinse out strawberry puree from blender and then add bananas, almond milk and monk fruit in the raw. Blend until smooth. Drop a few cherries and pineapple tidbits into popsicle molds then carefully pour in banana mixture. If using a ZOKU, let freeze for a few minutes then remove and drizzle melted chocolate on top and sprinkle with chopped nuts. 

Need some more summer worthy snacks? I've seen some pretty delicious and perfectly picnic/4th of July worthy recipes from my blogging buddies such as:





Boozy (or not) Watermelon Stars

Red White and Blueberry Yogurt Pops from The View from the Great Island

Something super simple

These Fire Cracker Berry Margarita Floats from Half Baked Harvest!

And of course PIE! I know Apple Pie is an American Symbol of summer and picnics and even the 4th of July but I happen to l.o.v.e.  home made Cherry Pie the most.


Loaded Cherry Pie from Joanna at Eats Well with Others

Lemon Ricotta Tart with Walnut Ginger Snap Crust and Wild Blueberries {gluten and sugar free}

Lemon plays a star role in complementing these Wild Blueberries. This rustic tart will be the star to any main dish you serve.

“By posting this recipe I am entering a recipe contest sponsored by the Wild Blueberry Association of North America and am eligible to win prizes associated with the contest. I was not compensated for my time.”

Sometimes it really pays to be a food blogger. Not necessarily in the monetary sense, which would be nice too but in the sense that I get introduced to all kinds of knew ingredients and foods. I've always looooved  berries, especially blueberries (to be honest, black berries are my fav). The only time I've experienced actual 'wild berries' was once in Sedona, Az. when I was in my early 20's and we went blackberry picking along the Creek. Heaven.

We were armed with small, plastic buckets and wore cotton tank tops and simple shorts and our feet adorned very stylish Teva sandals {it was the 90's}. We parked our jeep along the side of the road, a suicide mission by any standards seeing as that the very narrow and curvy scenic Route 89a has no shoulder to speak of and the tourists are whizzing around the blind bends of the 2 way road trying to catch a peek at beautiful Oak Creek. 

Scuffling down the steep ravine we made our way into the cool shade of the trees along Oak Creek. Wading through the shallow, cool water we made our way to the other side where we were told wild berries awaited us. We picked to our content. The plump, warm berries from the bush and put almost as many in our buckets as we did our mouths. The sound of the creek to our backs and the sun on our shoulders.

I've gone and gotten off course again. Memories. Now I must get back up to Sedona for another spontaneous road trip. It's less than 2 hours from our home in Phoenix! Lucky ducks. My point and I do have one {will be written on my gravestone} is that my exposure to wild berries is limited and in the past. Now that I know how accessible wild blueberries are, I'm one very happy girl. 

{side note, I easily found my Wild Blueberries at my local Sprouts in the freezer section.}

image courtesy Sedona Pictures

image courtesy The Greening of Sedona

So I've told you how special wild berries are to me. Nothing compares. I cringe at the thought of how far most grocery store berries have traveled. In the words of Barbara Kingsolver, probably "further than most of us will ever travel on vacation in our lives". Where's the freshness in that?

Go Wild Blueberries!

All blueberries are not alike! Wild Blueberries are the little ones that grow naturally in the fields and barrens of Maine, eastern Canada and Quebec.

One of North America’s native berries, Wild Blueberries are lowbush varieties that are never planted and are harvested commercially only in this special place.

Wild Blueberries have not been modified or meddled with by man to make them larger or easier to ship – they are the same berry that existed over 10,000 years ago. Mother Nature’s original blueberry.

Wild Blueberries have advantages over the larger cultivated blueberries, including:

• Intense flavor & color

• More berries per pound

• Less water, so they freeze better and perform better in baking

• Higher concentration of beneficial phytochemicals, making them a more powerful ally against disease

• Wild = more protective phytochemicals in every serving

• Wild Blueberries are leaders in antioxidant capacity; They are rich in anthocyanin, which has powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties which may help prevent chronic diseases

• Anthocyanin is a flavonoid found in the deep blue pigments of Wild Blueberries, giving them their color and their antioxidant power. We call it the “The Power of Wild Blue”

Wild Blueberries are the subject of hundreds of research studies looking at potential benefits to humans including:

• Brain health
• Anti-aging
• Heart health
• Diabetes prevention
• Cancer prevention
• Reducing oxidative stress
• Preventing UTIs
• Eye health
• Most Wild Blueberries are frozen at harvest, locking in their intense blueberry flavor and antioxidant power
• Frozen Fresh Wild Blueberries are just as nutritious as fresh and may even retain their nutritional value longer
• Frozen Fresh Wild Blueberries are available year-round; they can be used right out of the freezer – no thawing required
• Frozen Fresh Wild Blueberries make it easy to get your “Daily Dose of Wild Blue”
• Frozen Wild Blueberries are an excellent value, they offer consistent quality, ease of use, high antioxidant content, health benefits, less spoilage, affordability.

Lemon Ricotta Tart with Walnut Ginger Snap Crust and Wild Blueberries

Gluten Free + Sugar Free = Guilt Free

For the Crust 

3/4 cup walnuts 

1 cup gluten free ginger snap cookies  (regular will do) 

1 large egg white 

1 tablespoon butter, melted 

2 teaspoons canola oil 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

Coarsely chop walnuts in a food processor. Add ginger snap cookies and pulse a few times until the mixture looks like crumbs. Whisk egg white in a medium bowl until frothy. Add the crumb mixture, butter, oil and salt; stir to combine. 

Press the mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 9-inch removable-bottom tart pan. Set the pan on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and slightly darker around the edges, about 10 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.  

notes: If using an 11" tart pan more commonly used for frittatas like I have, you will need to make 1.5x the recipe and increase the baking time on the crust by 5-7 minutes and increase the cooking time on the finished tart (with the custard) by approximately 12-15 minutes.



For the Filling 

2 cups part skim ricotta 

1 cup Monk Fruit in the Raw *see notes (or Turbinado/Raw Organic sugar) 

zest from 2 lemons (about 3 tablespoons) 

4 large eggs (Free range 

Juice from 2 large lemons (about 3/4 cup) 

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract 

pinch of salt 

1 cup Wild Blueberries

Preheat oven to 400F.  

Using a stand or electric mixer with paddle, beat ricotta on medium speed until softened and fluffy. Gradually beat in Monk Fruit in the Raw (or Turbinado sugar) until light and fluffy. Add lemon rind then eggs, one at a time, to prevent curdling. Add a pinch of salt, lemon juice and vanilla and beat until smooth and well blended. 

Pour mixture into walnut crust and bake for 15 minutes at 400F. Reduce heat to 380F  and bake for another 35 minutes, until the custard is slightly firm and does not jiggle.  Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes. 

Simply sprinkle thawed Wild Blueberries over the top of the custard, slice and serve warm.

notes: A warm sauce would be amazing drizzled over this custard. Simply combine Wild blueberries, 1/2 cup water, 2 tablespoons honey in a sauce pot and cook over medium-low heat 10 minutes, stirring till thick and bubbly. What is Monk Fruit?  

Where can you find Monk Fruit in the Raw? It's a very new product so unless you live on the East coast you will probably have to order it on line. If you do, please help support Simply Healthy Family by ordering it from our Amazon store here.

Ricotta filling recipe adapted from ninemsn 

Monster Eyeballs! {Purple Berry Macaroons}

Happy Halloween peeps! Everyone knows that Halloween means you're in for a sugar overload. If your a mom you know that the entire month of October means sugar overload central, prepare the insulin for a diabetic coma any second sort of situation. Seriously. I volunteered at my 3rd graders Halloween party (still amazed someone hasn't petitioned, rallied and picketed that it be renamed "Fall Harvest Festivities Celebrations") and the amount of cookies, cupcakes, candies, fruit punch and crackers that were involved made me cringe.






Why people? Why must Halloween be associated with buckets or pillowcases full of sugar? Every year I struggle with either not passing out anything at all (which I just can't bring myself to do) or handing out prizes and toys which I tried one year and got egged for the trouble. Damn teenagers.


Which coincidentally brings me to cookies. Obviously. Am I a hypocrite? Possibly, but I'm talking macaroons people. Yes, coconut is a sugar, natural or not. I've debated this to death and am standing my ground that...

a. Yes, sugar is sugar but all things in moderation.
b. Not all sugar is created equal, natural is better than processed.
and
c. I like coconut so who gives a crap.

 Creepy, [naturally] sweetened cookies. 

Berries + Coconut + Bananas & Chocolate = ?

Deliciously spooky monster eyeballs of course! Frieking out your little ones is just an added bonus.

These come together in minutes, literally. Confession: I am not the worlds greatest baker. Anything involving sifting, fluffing, or basically measuring precisely quite frankly puts me off. 

These macaroons I made with ease with the help of my 4 year old, who oddly enough 'loooooveees' to bake.

You could use marshmallows which honestly would probably hold their shape and color better than these bananas did but I wasn't going for show quality here. 

I used a bigger, restaurant type straw to punch holes in the center of the bananas so that the

chocolate pieces would stay put. I used chocolate covered Acai berries to put in the middle but

any type of small chocolate candy will work.

Recipe from Leanne at Healthful Pursuit

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES      BAKE TIME    30 MINUTES      YIELDS    24 COOKIES

Ingredients 

2 teaspoon freshly ground chia seeds3 tablespoons water1 cup frozen mixed berries1 tablespoon honey½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut1 banana, sliced with holes punched into the middle of each slicechocolate covered Acai berries or other chocolate pieces 

Instructions 

1. Combine chia and water in a small dish and set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.

1. Add mixed berries, honey, and extracts to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Begin to stir constantly until liquid reduces to half and it fairy thick but not syrupy. Remove and place in a medium-sized bowl.

1. Add chia mixture. Add coconut and mix with a spoon until it’s completely coated.

1. Place tablespoon amounts in the palm of your hand and work into circles. Press down to make into a coin shape and place on the prepared baking sheet.

1. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

1. Remove from the oven and place banana and chocolate piece on top.

1. Return to the oven and cook for 2-3 minutes. 

1. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheet and placing on a cooling rack.

Lazy Black Berry-Peach 'Pie'

It pains me to finally get around to posting this recipe at the very end of summer. I hope it doesn't get skipped over by people who are over seeing peach recipes. My mom made this for us a couple of times while she was living here with us and I've made it twice with the intent of getting some great pic's of the finished product so I can share it with all of you. Unfortunately, this is one of those recipes that doesn't last long enough for me to set it on the counter and take pictures of it.

I could blame it completely on my 4 hungry children but in all honesty, the smell is just so divine that I can't help but scoop out seeping hot spoonfuls of freshly baked peaches and oozy blackberries into my dish as soon as it's out of the oven.

My mom's recipe calls this "Lazy Peach Pie" but it's really more of a cobbler I think. Whatever you call it, the preparation is so crazy simple that even I don't mind baking it for a last minute delicious dessert. Even though peaches are a summer fruit, you can really stick to the theme of being 'Lazy' and buy frozen or even canned peaches to throw into this pie during the Fall and Winter months. I can just picture cuddling in a thick quilt with a piping hot bowl of this pie with a bit of cream poured over top.

Making the batter is as simple as 1...2....3.

Then, fold in your peaches be they fresh, frozen or canned.

Pour into your baking dish.

Sprinkle some black berries over the top. I had about twice this much before a very curious 2 year old grabbed the cup of berries sitting on the counter and dumped half of them on the floor. 

Sabotage I tell you!

Bake for 45 minutes and enjoy the smell.

RECIPE FOR LAZY BLACK BERRY-PEACH PIE

SERVES  6        TIME 1 HOUR

You Will Need:

1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup turbinado (raw) sugar
1 cup flour, preferably white, whole wheat
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon real vanilla
1 cup milk
2 cups fruit


Directions:

Cream butter and sugar. Sift together dry ingredients, add alternately with milk to butter mixture.
Fold in fruit. Pour into baking dish. Top with berries.
Bake at 375F deg. for 45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.
Scoop into bowls and pour a bit of cream over top if you wish.

Crock Pot Barley Pilaf with Summer Squash, Sugar Snap Peas and Fresh Berries with Citrus-Mint Dressing

This is another recipe that I came up with out of necessity for a few reasons.

One.  It's to stinking hot to even consider turning the stove on. The thought of it makes me tired and cranky.

Two.  My budget is less than glamorous at the moment and so I'm having to get really creative with my meatless dinner recipes so as not to have a full on revolt happening. Four meat loving kids and a hungry husband can be dangerous unless I come up with something filling and flavorful for dinner.

Three.  I have a big bag of barley in my pantry that has been staring at me for the last several weeks asking me why it's been neglected.





Well, necessity is the mother of invention right? And this one turned out so very good that I decided to share it with you lovely people. Barley is a whole grain and very healthy. When I think of barley my mind goes straight to barley soup made with mushrooms, carrots and maybe beef. I can't even imagine eating soup while it's 118F degrees outside so I went with my usual flawless plan; a crock pot, more veggies and a bit of fruit to sweeten it up. Bravo!



Throwing the barley and dried mushrooms (best invention ever) into the crock pot with home made chicken stock was simple and sweat free. I tossed in some summer squash and sugar snap peas, raw and threw together a simple mint vinaigrette using my cute little hydroponic mint plant really pulled this together into a sweet dinner. Even the kids liked it!



TIME    4 HOURS (CROCK POT)        SERVES 6

Ingredients:

1 cup dried barley
3 cups chicken broth (preferably home made)
handful of dried mushrooms (I used shitake)
1 teaspoon salt
3 summer squash (yellow)
large handful sugar snap peas
large handful fresh blueberries
4-6 fresh strawberries, sliced
1/2 cup slivered almonds or nut of choice
chopped lettuce to serve on (I used a head of red leaf because it was cheaper)


Place barley, broth, salt and dried mushrooms in crock pot. Cook on med-high heat for about 4 hours checking after 3 hours.

Meanwhile, chop squash into small bite size pieces, slice strawberries and sugar snap peas. When barley is done spoon on top of chopped lettuce and sprinkle veggies and fruits and nuts over top. Serve with Citrus Mint Dressing.  (A Strawberry Vinegraitte would be nice too)


FOR THE DRESSING

1/4 cup fresh mint leaves from your cute little indoor herb garden
1 clove garlic or shallot
1/3 cup freshly squeezed lime or orange juice depending on your fancy
1/4 cup EVOO or  grape seed oil
if you prefer you could use vinegar instead of citrus. I've used both.
1/3 cup white wine or champagne vinegar

Blend all ingredients in a blender until combined. You can whisk if you'd like but I find the ingredients tend to separate much faster.

This post is linked to:

Fresh Food Friday
Seasonal Saturdays
21st Century House Wife
Tasty Tuesday's

Coconut Almond Oat Crunchies: Teacher Appreciation Week ideas and downloads.

This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. Yay for all of our wonderful teachers! My son Jack is in Kindergarten and his school is having a different theme each day to celebrate the teachers. Today is 'Fruit of Knowledge Day'.  We made these wonderful cookies that I got from Anja's Food for Thought and just added  fresh berries to the cut out flowers and butterflies. We packaged them up cute and sent them to Jack's wonderful {very patient} Kindergarten teacher Ms. G.

Teachers just don't get paid enough!  I can't imagine trying to keep all those little kids quiet and focused all day long. I have a hard time doing it with just 4! Other nice ideas to give to your favorite teacher would be school supplies or a gift card to an office store. Or a gift card to a restaurant or coffee shop.

What are you doing for your favorite teacher? OR If you are a teacher what are your favorite gifts?

Tomorrow is 'Plant or Flowers Day' I came across this cute idea on Barefoot by the Sea's blog for personalizing a little plant for your teachers. It comes from Skip to my Lou. She has kindly offered a free PDF download so you can personalize these cute flower tags with your child's name and print them out.

I used shredded coconut instead of grated to make them chewier and for the

 coconut to stand out more.

Coconut Almond Oat Crunchies

recipe from Anja's Food for Thought

Ingredients:

2/3 cup whole wheat flour


2/3 cup rolled oats

2/3 cup fresh grated coconut (plus more for sprinkling)

1/2 cup almonds, finely chopped

1/3 cup palm sugar (Raw sugar)

1/3 cup melted butter

2 teaspoons maple syrup or honey  {*I used brown rice syrup}

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

2 tablespoons boiling water



Yields 15-20

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Preheat oven to 165C/325F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine flour, oats, coconut, almonds and palm sugar. Set aside.

Melt the butter. Take off the heat and stir in maple syrup. Set aside.

In a small bowl or cup combine baking soda with boiling water, then add to the butter mixture. Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients until well combined.

Press the batter into the baking sheet, about 1/2 inch thick. Sprinkle with grated coconut. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until lightly brown. Remove from the oven and cut into squares. Return crunchies into the switched-off oven, and let them dry out for another 10 minutes.

Remove from the pan, once they are cooled completely.

 
 
What is brown rice syrup?


Brown rice syrup is a vegan and gluten-free liquid sugar substitute that can be used in baking and cooking to sweeten foods with less calories and to avoid the use of refined sugar. Vegans may prefer brown rice syrup to refined sugar, which is sometimes refined using bone char from animals. With a sticky, gooey consistency similar to honey, brown rice syrup tastes very sweet, but has a flavor much different from other sweeteners, such as honey and agave nectar. It is low on the glycemic index and it is all-natural, nearly always organic, and probably one of the healthiest sugar substitutes available, with the exception of stevia.