4th of July Firework Fruit Kabobs

I was given fruit to bring for the family reunion over the 4th of July weekend. Instead of mixing a bunch of fruit together and hearing the kids complain that they are all "touching" I figured I'd make an assortment of fruit kabobs. That way they could pick the one that looked best for them.

I found some red/white/blue star shaped marshmallows at the store and threaded a few of those on for a sweet touch. The kabobs were pretty quick to assemble and then I pushed them into the top of the watermelon I had cut up earlier. It ended up being a nice centerpiece for the food table and a huge hit with the kids (and grown ups too).
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Contains:
Bamboo Skewers (marshmallows slide on better if you soak the skewers in water first)
Strawberries (hulled)
Blueberries
Marshmallows
Watermelon end
Grapes (cut into portion segments)

Kindergarten Valentine Recap

I was the lucky mom to get to plan the Valentine's Day party for my son's kindergarten class. Everything went really well despite a last minute round of food poisoning that I came down with the night before the party. Ugh. I'm so glad that I had all the activities planned and to the teacher ahead of time so all I had to do was make some brownies and marshmallow pops. Both simple enough to do while you are not feeling well.

While I was really happy with the results, I was more pleased with how easy it was to pull together.

I adapted my usual Chocolate Dipped Marshmallows when I found heart shaped marshmallows. I melted semi-sweet and white chocolate chips with a bit of palm oil shortening. After I put the heart marshmallow on the end of a coffee stir stick, I dipped one side of the marshmallow in chocolate and then dipped them into sprinkles. Laid out on a cookie sheet, I stuck them in the freezer for a couple of minutes to harden. I put them on display in a mason jar so the kids could easily grab them, but the moms in class ended up plating up the snacks and serving them to the kids.

Brownies taste even better when they are shaped like a heart right? I under-baked the brownies (half with sprinkles and half without) just slightly and when they cooled I used a heart shaped cookie cutter to make these sweet treats. The bonus is all the scraps were left over to be eaten later when I felt better.

I took pictures of the kids before the party peeking through a heart shaped cookie cutter (that thing got a lot of use). The kids used the pictures to make cards that said "I spy with my little eye, someone that I love."

The kids played site word bingo - Valentine style.

I'm not quite sure when the white conversation hearts were replaced by blue... Our candy counting sheets were a little bit off, but still worked.

Mango Salsa

Here's a lovely sweet and spicy mix that tastes like pure summer. This works great with chips, in a salad, or with chicken.

1 Mango, finely diced
8 Roma Tomatoes, finely diced
2 Jalapenos, finely diced
1/4 t Salt
1/2 Fresh Lime, juiced
1 t Sugar
1 T Cilantro, chopped (optional)

Give this about 30 minutes to let the flavors meld together. But yes, it can be eaten right away if you can't wait and it still tastes good.

No Bake Energy Bites

I found this recipe for No Bake Energy Bites and adapted it. These are great for breakfast and a quick snack. They are rich and strong flavored. I listed what I used in red.

* 1/2 c Nut butter (almond butter, peanut butter, sunflower seed butter or any other nut or seed butter)
* 1/3 c honey
* 1 c old fashioned rolled oats
* 1 c shredded unsweetened coconut (or wheat bran/germ, oat bran, some ground flax seed, ground nuts or sesame seeds.)
* 2 t vanilla
* pinch of sea salt
* 1-2 t your favorite spices or spice combination (optional - I used 1/2 t cinnamon)
* 1/2 c other add-ins (roughly chopped nuts or seeds, dried fruit, mini chocolate chips, etc)

Mix together the nut butter, honey, vanilla and salt if needed. Then mix in the remaining ingredients. I used
equal parts sesame seeds, coconut and mini chocolate chips. Mix well. Allow to chill slightly and then roll dough into 1-2" balls.

Keep refrigerated or frozen until you are ready to use. Makes approximately 18-24 depending on size.

Caramelized Banana Sundaes

Oh this little piece of heaven. Please forgive the rotten picture, but I was so excited to eat this little treat tonight that I didn't have the patience to get a decent picture of this sundae. I only use this less than stellar picture so that you can see the caramel on the bananas. This is similar to a Bananas Foster but without the liquor and expensive price tag in a restaurant.

1 T butter or coconut oil
2 T brown sugar
1/4 t vanilla or vanilla powder (optional)

In a non-stick skillet heat ingredients until smooth and bubbly. Add in 2 bananas split lengthwise (I also cut mine in half), cut side down and do not move them so that the sugar can caramelize to the banana (1-2 minutes). Remove and serve immediately with ice cream. Pour any remaining caramel in the pan over top.

I may regret trying one out. So much for a healthy banana.

Chip Supreme

No great recipe here, but rather one of my favorite snacks right now. I found these lovelies last winter in a random bin at Walmart and haven't found it since. That is until yesterday when I found them at Sydney's Health Market... Woo Hoo!

Let me introduce you to Chip'ins. If you love popcorn, you will love these. The light crisp texture of a chip, the salty flavor, the tender flavor of popcorn, and completely gluten/dairy/soy/egg free.

There are no artificial ingredients. I love when there are very few ingredients to read on the back of packaging... corn, sunflower oil, and sea salt.

That's it.

Warning, you may hate me for sharing this with you. Because once you start, you may not be able to stop.

Caprese Pinenut Pizza

This pizza is a seasonal sensation. I have fresh basil from my herb container garden. Real tomatoes are starting to appear in the store - you know the ripe kind. Put them together with freshly grated mozzarella, loaded tomato sauce, and pine nuts for a tasty and sophisticated pizza. 

There is something amazing about toasted pine nuts. They aren't cheap, but just a few add such great crunch and flavor. I keep them in the fridge for little splurges and to make pesto.

As a texture eater, crunch is one of the best things you can add to any dish. This pizza has the pine nuts for crunch along with toasted mozzarella and a crisp crust. Under that crisp surface is the stretching gooey cheese and a fresh sauce.

Spray the edge of the crust with a little oil and sprinkle with salt, sesame seeds, crushed herbs, or whatever you enjoy before baking.

The crust:
2 c Unbleached Flour
2 c Wheat Flour
1 1/2 c Water
2 T Olive Oil
1 t Italian Seasoning
1/2 t Sea Salt
1/4 t Garlic Powder
2 t Yeast

Throw it all the bread machine and let the paddles do the work for you. Spread out on parchment paper, add your choice of toppings and bake at 400 for 12-15 minutes. I put a bit of basil on the flavors to bake in and sprinkled on fresh chopped basil after it came out for the fresh taste.

Time Crunch Method - add topping to your favorite frozen cheese pizza. Reserve some fresh basil to sprinkle on after it finishes baking.

Gluten Free Zucchini Muffins

Here is the promised recipe for gluten-free zucchini muffins. This is a spin off of my amazing (and healthy) zucchini bread.  This is one of the truly successful gf baked products that I've been really pleased with in a long time.

1 cup Chickpea flour
2 cups Oat Flour (I ground up Bob's Red Mill GF oats)
1/2 tsp Xanthan Gum
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Baking soda
1 tsp Baking powder
3 tsp Ground cinnamon
3 Eggs (or replacer)
1 cup Applesauce
1 1/4 cup White sugar
1 cup Brown sugar
3 tsp Vanilla extract
2 cups Zucchini, grated
2 tbs Milled flax seed

1. Grease and flour muffin cups or use paper liners for 24 muffin. Preheat oven to 325 degree.
2. Sift flours, salt, xanthan gum, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
3. Beat eggs, applesauce, vanilla, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add sifted ingredients to the creamed mixture, and beat well. Stir in zucchini.
4. Pour batter into prepared pans. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Remove from pans, and completely cool on a wire rack.

Makes 24 muffins.

Strawberry Mango Smoothie

Ooooooo, another yummy smoothie favorite. It added a bit of tropical hope to the long, cold days of winter. The flavors just invoke thoughts of warms and sun. It's been a LONG and COLD winter so I'll take any piece of warm happiness that I can get.

2 c Frozen Strawberries

1 Mango

1/2-1 c Orange Juice (or Apple Juice)

1-2 T Strawberry Jam (to taste if strawberries are a bit tart)

Protein Powder (optional)

Throw it all in the blender and let it rip. Love this for a snack.Maybe I should get some of those little umbrellas for my smoothies and have a little tropical party? Nah, last time we had the umbrellas my boys used them as spears against each other.

What's your favorite smoothie combination?

Ham & Cheese Breakfast Burritos

Breakfast has become a struggle in our world. Getting all of us ready and out the door in time to get the bus and to work on time AND eat a decent breakfast is a stretch. I manage to get the kids fed, but I've been surviving on granola bars. BUT NO LONGER.

I spent the night cooking breakfast for all of us for the next week. I have pumpkin pancakes, millet Belgian waffles (more like waffle shreds - but that's an epic failure story for later), chopped up ham bits, along with ham & cheese burritos in the fridge and freezer.

I've posted before about the breakfast burritos I made for my husband, but those were egg based. I am NOT a fan eggs. So I had to find another filling to keep me happy for breakfast. I had a whole bunch of leftovers and odds and ends around to use up so in they go. Think of it as a breakfast skillet in a tortilla. Eat it on your way (safely of course), for a quick snack, or just because.

4 med Potatoes, diced *
1/2 c Bell pepper, diced
1 c Ham, diced
1/3 c Cheese, shredded (omit if dairy free, but you might need to increase oil to 3 T)
2 T Oil (Olive, Sunflower, or Safflower)
1 t Salt
1/4 t Garlic powder
1/4 t Black pepper

Heat the oil in a large pan. Add potatoes and cook over medium-high heat until slightly softened and browned. Add peppers and continue to cook 2-3 minutes. Add spices and ham and continue to saute for another 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat (if freezing allow to cool completely and then) and add cheese and portion out onto slightly warmed tortillas. Fold tortillas burrito style and wrap in plastic wrap and place in freezer bags for later use.

WARNING: if you add hot contents to the tortilla and wrap them up, the steam will cause your burrito to become very soggy in the storage process. Only fill with warm contents if eating immediately.

* You could substitute southern-style frozen hashbrowns (the square cut) for potatoes for a short cut. I prefer the larger potato chunks and organic potatoes are far less expensive than organic frozen hashbrowns.

Cheesecake Quesadillas

I know I promised this recipe a while ago, but it is finally here! Think of this as more of a method to fill as your heart desires. This is a nice dessert treat or a decadent brunch goody.

Pumpkin Cheesecake Quesadillas

Strawberry Cheesecake Quesadillas

Filling - Spread on a bit of cream cheese and add with your favorite topping.

• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake - 1 T soft cream cheese mixed together with 1 t of powdered sugar, 1 T of pumpkin pie puree/filling, a dash of cinnamon & nutmeg
• Strawberry Cheesecake - 1 T sweetened cream cheese, 1 T strawberry jam
• Nutella - 1 T soft cream cheese, 1 T nutella
• Sprinkles - 1 T soft cream cheese, sprinkles/jimmies
• Almond - mix a 1 t of almond extract with a block of cream cheese & 1/4 c powdered sugar. Spread 1 T of mixture and top with a few chopped almonds
  

Tortillas - lightly spray with cooking oil and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.

On a medium-high heat, slightly grease a griddle. Heat until filling is melted and sugar starts to caramelize. Be careful no to over heat. The sugar will burn easily.

Amazing Cornflake Cookies

Our friends who are working in Thailand training pastors shared this recipe with me years ago. I set it aside when my son's peanut allergy was diagnosed - focusing on numerous other fabulous recipes.

With the addition of so many other allergies, this recipe bubbled back up as a great one to tweak a bit and make it allergy safe. Oh my goodness have I missed these little treats.


1 c Sugar
1 c Peanut Butter (or Sunbutter)
1 c Light Corn Syrup
1/2 t Vanilla
1 T Butter (or vegan butter)
7-8 c Cornflakes

In a large pot, bring sugar and corn syrup to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter vanilla, butter, and then cornflakes. Drop onto wax paper/parchment, press into 9 X 9 or a 9 X 13 pan for bars, or press into a muffin tin. Makes 24-30 cookies.

Warning: You may not want to be left alone with these little bits of heaven.

Apple Sandwich

For dinner tonight, my friend Trista and I made these yummy (and messy) apple sandwiches. We put two apples through my handy-dandy apple/peeler/corer/slicer and than cut the apple into rings. If you don't have one of these devices, than simple core the apple and slice the apple into thin rings.

• Lay out each of the rings, and spread your favorite nut butter (sunbutter, peanut butter, almond butter, cashew butter, etc) on each slice.
• Sprinkle your favorite toppings on on the sunbutter (which we used) - like chocolate shavings or chopped chocolate chips, raisins, chopped nuts, seeds, or pretzel bits.
• Lay a sunbuttered apple slice on top of the sprinkled apple to make the "sandwich"

The kids all gobbled them up. Think this may become a new favorite after school snack. Sorry no picture. The kids were WAY too hungry (okay, and the moms too) to wait for a picture. I'll try to get one next time.

Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This is one of the treats I love about autumn. If you've processed pumpkins to puree or have seeds from the pumpkins you've cut into jack-o-lanterns... then this is your reward.

Remove the strings and pulp and rinse thoroughly. I usually let mine soak overnight. Some boil theirs for 5-10 minutes to soften the shells. After patting the seeds dry, drizzle with a bit olive oil. Toss seeds (2-3 c) with the following mixture:

1 1/2 t Sea Salt
1/4 t Paprika (or chili powder if you want some kick)
1/4 t Garlic Powder

Spread out on a cookie sheet or cake pan. Bake at 400 degrees until golden brown (10-15 minutes). Remove from oven and loosen with a spatula. All to cool completely. Store in an air tight container. Snack away.

Oatmeal Breakfast Cookies

So I've been researching breakfast cookies for a while. I knew that they would be an easy sell for the kiddos. A cookie for breakfast? They thought they had died and gone to heaven. I kind of mixed up a whole lot of recipes and added a few things of my own.

These taste great. But I need someone to explain the science to me about why the batter when contacted with air the batter started to turn green. The first batch turned out with just a green tint (pictured). The second set of cookies to go in were quite green from the sitting out in the air for 20 minutes while the first set baked. They taste completely fine and no one is sick, but something about the combination is making a green color. Maybe a fit for Christmas or St. Patty's???

1/2 c Sunbutter butter (or any nut butter)
1/2 c Applesauce
1/2 c Brown sugar, packed
1 Egg (or 3 T water/1 T flax meal mixed)
1 t Vanilla
2 ripe Bananas, mashed
1/2 t Baking soda
1/2 t Salt
2 c Flour (or Carol Fenster GF mix)
1 T Flaxseed, ground
2 c Old Fashioned oats*
1 c Dried fruit or chocolate chips

* I only have GF rolled outs so I pre-moistened them with about 1/2 c of apple juice and stirred it until the juice was absorbed.

Beat the sunbutter and applesauce until combined. Beat in the brown sugar, egg, and vanilla. Add in the bananas, baking soda, and salt. Add the flour and ground flaxseed, mixing until combined. Stir in the oatmeal and raisins/chips.

Drop 1/4 cup dollops of batter four inches apart onto parchment paper. Bake for 15-18 minutes at 350. Let stand 1 minute on the tray, then remove to a wire rack.

Apple Juice Oatmeal

Ever wanted to eat apple pie for breakfast. Okay, confession, I have eaten pie for breakfast a few times. So here's my solution for enjoying those flavors without the guilt or having to hide in the closet with last night's dessert leftovers to avoid being seen by your kiddos.

You want to use old fashioned oats rather than quick oats. The thicker texture makes it so much better.Instead of cooking the oats in water, use apple juice and 1 t of cinnamon to cook the oatmeal according to package instructions. Bob's Red Mill has g-free oats that I used to makes this. A-MAZ-ING.

Living on the wild side? Top with a dollop of whipped cream and call it a bit of dairy for your breakfast.

Toppings:
Milk
Maple Syrup
Whipped cream
Applesauce
Diced Apples
Blueberries
Jam
Chopped Nuts: Almonds/Peanuts/Walnuts/Pecans

Best Banana Bread

This recipe came from my friend Andrea, and yes, this is the best banana bread I've had.

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 bananas, mashed
1/4 cup milk
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients. Pour into 2 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Can be made into muffins. Bake 30-35 minutes.

Total Costs: $1.95
Butter $.45 (Sunmart)
Sugar $.25 (Cashwise)
Bananas $.60 (Cashwise)
Milk $.20 (Sunmart)
Flour $.45 (Tochi's)

Vanilla Wafer Snackers

This was my sweet treat meets needing some protein one day. A yummy find.


The vanilla wafer is covered with a layer of sunbutter (or peanut butter) and then topped with whatever you have on hand. I had strawberries, bananas, and a few pieces of Ryan's leftover Valentines Day candy from school. I've done similar with Hershey Bars pieces, but the variety was a good.

(non)Peanut Butter Pizza

Growing up, peanut butter pizza was a specialty that we had when visiting our friend's house. They had dessert every night after dinner. We didn't. So visiting their house was a treat. However, we did get to eat sugar laden cereals in the morning and they didn't. So I guess it all evens out.

I hadn't had this little treat since I was a kid. My friend Sarah started talking about it on facebook and it brought back all the childhood memories. Peanut allergy rules out the peanut butter, but I tried it out with sunbutter (made from sunflower seeds) and brought it to my moms group this week. It was a hit, and my 3-year-old was more than happy to be able to help finish it off.

(non)Peanut Butter Pizza Crust:
1/2 c White sugar
1/2 c Brown sugar
1/2 c Sunbutter (or peanut butter)
1/4 c Coconut oil (or shortening)
1/4 c Butter, softened
1 Egg
1 1/4 c Flour
3/4 t Baking soda
1/2 t Baking powder
1/4 t Salt
1/2 t Vanilla extract

Mix sugars, butter, coconut oil, and sunbutter until creamy. Add egg and vanilla and mix to incorporate. Add dry ingredients and mix until dough forms.

Place dough on parchment paper on top of pizza stone or baking sheet. Pat or roll out into desired shape. Use hand to gently push edge of crust together and make a slight rim to hold toppings on.

Bake @ 375 for 8-10 minutes until slightly under-baked. Remove and add a layer of milk chocolate chips over the top (about 2/3 bag) and miniature marshmallows (1/2 bag) and return to oven for 2-4 more minutes until melted and gooey. I like my marshmallows nice and golden brown.

Hint: With sunbutter, it tastes better once it is cooled down to tone down the seed taste. With real peanut butter this is wonderful served slightly warm.

Total Cost: $5.45
White sugar: $.20 (Sunmart)
Brown sugar: $.25 (Walmart)
Sunbutter: $1.25 (Trader Joe)
Coconut oil: $1.00 (Cashwise)
Butter: $.20 (Sunmart)
Egg: $.10 (Sunmart)
Flour: $.35 (Cashwise)
Chocolate Chips: $1.50 (Cashwise)
Marshmallows: $.60 (Cashwise)

Impossible Pie

My friend Jen over at Party in the Pantry made this wonderful creation for me on our weekend away last year and it was marvelous. I had a craving for it last week, made it as a late night snack, then had it for breakfast, and lunch the next day.

My in-laws are in town for the weekend and we'll be enjoying this beauty for breakfast.


You can find the recipe here. You may say that you don't like coconut. Well, as Jen would say - you've never had good coconut. Most of our experience comes from the plasticy sweetened stuff bagged up in the baking isle. Well, for this lovely (and anything else you want coconut for) check your organic/health food/bulk area for this finely shredded non-sweetened variety. It will change your view on coconut forever.

Oh, this may be the easiest recipe you've ever made... Oh, and it's about as frugal as it gets.

TOTAL COSTS: $1.35
Milk: $.20 (Cashwise)
Butter: $.20 (Sunmart)
Eggs: $.20 (Sunmart)
Sugar $.20 (Cashwise)
Flour $.05 (Sunmart)
Coconut $.50 (Cashwise)

I think this with fresh berries on top, but it's incredible all on it's own.