Homemade Granola Bites

Images For Making Homemade Granola Bites

Ingredients For Making Homemade Granola Bites
2- 1/2 cups quick or
old fashioned oats
1/2 cup
rice krispies
or puffed brown rice cereal ( I used brown rice krispies from Whole Foods)
2 Tbs.
flax seed
1 Tbs.
wheat germ
1/2 cup mini
semi-sweet chocolate
chips
1/2 cup
brown sugar
(I reduced this to 1/4 cup)
1/2 teaspoon
salt
1/2 cup
coconut oil
1/4 cup
honey
1/2 tsp.
vanilla extract
Directions:
Mix
all ingredients together, except chocolate chips.
Start with a spoon and then mix by hand until everything is blended well.
If your mixture seems dry after mixing add a little
more coconut oil or honey. Add a little at a time until the mixture
starts to come together. Stir in the mini chocolate chips.
Using your hands or the back of a spoon, press the mixture firmly into a mini muffin pan that has been sprayed with non stick
baking spray.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-13 minutes.
Remove
from oven and allow to sit in pan for about 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove from pan with mini off set metal spatula and enjoy.
Store in airtight container.
Enjoy!
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Vegetable swords

Images For Making Vegetable swords

Ingredients For Making Vegetable swords
cucumbers
carrots
Directions:
Peel your cucumber however you'd like. Slice into wide slices.
Peel the carrots and then trim them on the sides so it is more square than round.
Cut your carrot into half and then half again (fourths). Each carrot will give your 4 carrot sticks.
Now trim with a knife or peel the top 2/3 of the carrot toresemblea point. Plus the top 2/3 of the carrot needs to be a little thinner than the bottom third. You will have some carrot scraps that you peel/slice off. Just toss them in a baggie and use them in a salad later.
With your knife, poke a hole in the center of the cucumber slice. Poke your carrot through it.
Slice the carrot all the way through it until you have a little left over on the bottom for your "hilt"
And now you have vegetable swords that might encourage your kids to actually play with their food and then eat it.
Other ways to get your kids to eat fruit and vegetables in their lunches.
If you have access to smallbaby foodcontainers, they are a great way to send dips to school with your child. Yes, you could buy those littleTupperware containers, but at least I'm not too concerned if they lose thebaby foodcontainers. I have a friend who has a baby and I just ask her for the containers when she's done with them. I wouldn't recommend sending the glass jars to school.
I have put PB/sunflower butter in this container and then sent in celery along with it. I have also put ranch dressing in for sliced veggies.
I have also sent in sliced apples with Speculoos for dipping. I bet you're wondering what Speculoos is and I'm here to tell you that it's the best thing since Nutella. I was so happy to discover that you can actually buy it in Walmart under the name of Biscoff. It tastes like a gingerbread cookie that is pureed into a spread. Trader Joes also has their own version. My kids are addicted to it. Yes, it's a bit sugary, but at least my kids are eating some fruit in their lunches.
This is what you need to look for in the store. It will be in the peanut butter section. You'll thank me once you try it.
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How to Make Homemade Fruit Leather Roll-Ups without a Dehydrator

Images For Making How to Make Homemade Fruit Leather Roll-Ups without a Dehydrator

Ingredients For Making How to Make Homemade Fruit Leather Roll-Ups without a Dehydrator
5 cups
red seedless grapes
(or other fruit)
2 Tbs.
lemon juice
1 Tbs.
honey
(helps it to stay soft)
Directions:
Makes about 16 two-inch wide fruit leather roll-ups.
Combine
all ingredients in a large saucepan and cook over medium-high heat for
5-7 minutes, or until mixture is juicy and most of the grape skins have
fallen off. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool for about 10
minutes. In a blender, blend until mixture is smooth. Pour 2 cups of
the pureed mixture over a greased parchment paper lined cookie sheet
(you'll grease the actual parchment paper) or you can use a Silpat if
you have that (no need to grease the Silpat). You should have enough
puree to make 2 batches. Refrigerate or freeze the unused puree until
ready to bake.
Heat oven to its lowest setting (about 150
degrees) and place the baking pan into the oven. Depending on how hot
your oven is and how big your cookie sheet is, it will take 3-5 hours. I
set the timer for 3 hours, then check it every 20-30 minutes after
that. It will be done when there are no more sticky spots on the
surface. Take care not to overbake it or it will be crispy and lose its
flavor.
When the fruit leather is ready, remove from oven and
allow to cool completely. Gently peel away parchment paper/ Silpat and
invert the leather in its entirety onto a sheet of wax paper. Using
cooking shears or a pizza cutter, cut the leather into 2-inch wide
strips (about 8). Roll and store at room temperature in an airtight
container for about 2 weeks.
Other flavors to try:
(the formula 5 cups of fruit, lemon juice and honey works well! Use your creativity)
Mango-Apricot
(pictured above)
:
4 cups chopped mango (fresh or frozen), 1 cup dried apricots, 2 Tbs.
lemon juice, 1 Tbs. honey. Follow directions as listed above.
Raspberry-Peach:
2-1/2 cups sliced peaches (drained), 2 cups raspberries (fresh or
frozen), 2 Tbs. lemon juice, 1 Tbs. honey. Follow directions as listed
above.
Blueberry:
5 cups blueberries (fresh or frozen), 2 Tbs. lemon juice, 1 Tbs. honey. Follow directions as listed above.
Next I want to try pumpkin and apple for the fall!
Enjoy!
Sourcerecipeshoebox

Apple Toffee Bars

Images For Making Apple Toffee Bars

Ingredients For Making Apple Toffee Bars to the menu. APPLES!!
For as much as I love crisp juicy apples all by themselves, I have to admit that I have a big soft spot (right on my belly) for apple goodies too, like these Apple Toffee Bars! I had never tried apples and toffee togetherr before but I tell you it's a winning match!! I brought these to a party last fall and got asked for the recipe several times and took home an empty plate!
Stay tuned to Recipe Shoebox all week for more of our favorite
apple recipes
!
Recipe adapted from a long lost Costco magazine.
Click here for
printable recipe.
Posted by Lara.
The ingredients:
CRUST:
2 cups
all-purpose flour
1/2 cup
powdered sugar
1 cup
butter
, cut into pieces
FILLING:
1 can (14-ounce)
sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp.
vanilla extract
1/2 tsp.
ground cinnamon
1
large egg
1 cup peeled, chopped
tart apple
(I used a Granny Smith)
1 cup chopped
pecans
1 cup
toffee bits
(in the baking aisle, next to chocolate chips)
GLAZE:
1 cup
powdered sugar
2-3 Tbs.
strong brewed coffee,
cooled to room temperature
(I'm not a coffee drinker, so I substituted some prepared
hot chocolate
)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
FOR THE CRUST:
Combine flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Cut in butter with a pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs (don't overdo it).
NOTE: The mixture will be very floury. This is not a problem.
Press into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13-inch baking pan. Bake for 15 minutes (just before it's browned).
FOR THE FILLING:
In a large bowl, combine sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, cinnamon, and egg and blend well. Stir in remaining ingredients (chopped apple, pecans, and toffee bits). Pour over baked crust.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the filling is set and the top is golden brown. Let cool for 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges of the pan to loosen. Cool for at least one hour before adding the glaze.
FOR THE GLAZE:
Combine the glaze ingredients, adding enough coffee/hot chocolate to make a good drizzling consistency. Drizzle over bars and allow to set for 10 minutes.
Cut into bars and store in a loosely covered container. I think they're even better the second day. Makes 24 bars.
Enjoy!
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