Sunday, October 6, 2013

"Clean" Chocolate oatmeal no bake bars

We have been changing our diet pretty drastically over the last few weeks. I have already been on a health journey of sorts, slowly making changes over the last couple of years, But most of the time, we ended up having one good week followed by a HORRIBLE week full of processed food.  In an attempt to improve our health, and help my son with his focus/ADD problems in school, we have decided we need to get away from all of the processed foods, artificial colors, preservatives, etc...  So we are going cold turkey and making EVERYTHING homemade.  As luck would have it, I was just given about 100 lbs of wheat!  I have been learning a lot about washing and grinding grain, bread making and other scratch recipes.  I've had some fails, but overall it has been much more willingly accepted by my family than I ever expected.  And surprisingly, some thing taste better than before! :)
We are also avoiding all processed sugars and lowering our overall sugar intake significantly.  My kids have even been great about this...mostly.  Jayden and Kayleigh always brings me any sweets they get.  I have been proud of him understanding why we are doing this and being supportive.  Don't worry, we aren't totally ripping them off.  We are trading their candy for fun activities or money.  (A couple of my kids are struggling more with this particular change, and one child still eats candy when he can at school, but I hope they will understand as time goes by.)  Of course, we still have to have a sweet treat now and again.  This is my favorite find.  They are literally packed with good stuff, they are easy to make and taste AMAZING!   My kids LOVE them.

I altered it from a pinterest recipe, most of them just use honey, but I think it is overpowering.  I like mixing different sweeteners because one doesn't take over.

12 oz unsweetened bakers chocolate (or cocoa substitution, see below for ratios)
1 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey
1/2 cup real maple syrup
3/4 cup agave
3 cups natural peanut butter(I use half creamy, half crunchy)
1/2 cup chia seeds
1-2 cups unsweetened coconut
1 cup finely chopped nuts (I used almonds and pecans)
4 1/2-5 cups oats
(optional, ground cacao beans or nibs, I added a couple of tablespoons and I don't know if it makes a difference)

Actually everything in this recipe is optional, it is so easy to change for different taste or diet requirements.  And you can add or substitute raisins, cranberries, sunflower seeds, or anything else that sounds good to you.

Cocoa substitution: For every ounce of bakers chocolate use 3 Tablespoons of Cocoa and 1 tablespoon of coconut oil or butter.

I bought chia seeds from a health food store to put in smoothies, but my family didn't like their effect on our green smoothies ;).  They thicken liquid, so for those who don't love our blended juice so much, that made it harder to drink .  Don't let me scare you away from using them though!  I've tried them alone and they don't taste bad at all, they are just really tiny.  They could be a great thickener if the texture of them doesn't bother you, or you can sprinkle them on anything: salad, rice, veggies, hot cereal.  They work great in this recipe regardless, I can't even tell they are there. 
The reason you should find a way to use them is that they are a POWERHOUSE of nutrition.  They have omega-3s, a lot of omega 3s.  1 tbsp. has almost 5000 milligrams per ounce!  And it is more easily accessible to the body than flax without grinding them.  Omega-3's are great for your brain, inflammation reduction, and heart health, among other things.  Fiber 11 grams per ounce, Calcium, 18 percent of DV, plus protein, antioxidants...  It is being studied as a treatment for type 2 diabetes because of its effects on digestion.  The gelatinous coating that the seeds develop in liquid slows down digestion and can prevent sugar spikes, help with insulin resistance.

Just a couple more notes on ingredients.  I was worried my kids wouldn't all like the texture of almonds and pecans, so I basically chopped them to powder in my blender.  It was 11/2-2 cups to start and became one cup after blending.  I didn't measure even amounts, I just poured in a few almonds and a few pecans up to about the 2 cup level in my blender. 
Where I buy ingredients: Winco sells unsweetened coconut in their bulk bins.  It's actually ground rather than shredded, but I like it.  I used to buy unsweetened shreds at smith's but my smith's hasn't had unsweetened for a while.  I get my chia seeds from Sprout's market.  Sam's club has the best value on real maple syrup in my opinion.  Costco's is a little cheaper, but we don't like the taste as well.  Costco sells nutiva brand coconut oil which is a great brand at an awesome price.  I haven't researched the quality of the sam's club brand, but it's affordable and claims to be organic, cold pressed, unrefined as well.  This is a great article with lots of good unbiased info about how to choose quality coconut oil.  http://www.evolvingwellness.com/essay/how-to-choose-a-coconut-oil-comparing-best-and-worst-brands  I read a blog the other day that advised against buying oil at Costco, but she has a vested interest in the oil company she was advising instead, and her info was completely unfounded and incorrect.  I found this article much more useful :).

Instructions:  Mix all of your seeds, nuts, and oats in a large bowl.  Set aside.  Melt chocolate and coconut oil in the microwave at one minute intervals till just melted.  I don't like to heat it any more than necessary.  If your honey is sugary, you could heat that a little too.  Once the chocolate is smooth, add your sweeteners and peanut butter and blend well.  ( I just use a big pampered chef rubber spatula to blend)  Pour into dry ingredients and make sure you incorporate them into it well.  I put parchment into a big aluminum cookie sheet making sure that the parchment hangs out of the pan on all sides.  (this is of course optional, but it makes it much easier to remove)  Spread mixture evenly in the pan.  You can also lay parchment over the top to make it smooth.  After they are cold, the parchment peels right off.  Put in the fridge or freezer to help them solidify before serving.  Once they are set, cut them into 1/2 inch-1 inch squares and put in another container for storage.

Important note:  These get REALLY soft outside the fridge, so make sure you store them in the fridge or freezer and serve them cold.

Saturday, June 22, 2013

Veggie Hash and Couscous

I have been trying to make healthy changes over the past year, and one of my hardest changes is making healthy family meals.  I teeter back and forth between making meals that are healthy (that don't get eaten willingly if at all) and making meals I know they will like but feeling guilty for making less healthy fare.  It's a lose lose situation for my self esteem!  Tonight was the best night for my cooing self esteem in a long time!  Seriously!  Feel free to walk through the evening with me, or just scroll down to the recipe below :).

Kayleigh is testing to see if she has dairy allergies so this week we are doing dairy free family meals.  Anyone who knows me well will know that I LOVE dairy too much.  I have a hard time finding any meal that doesn't use cheese or milk, or something.  And the worst part, I buried myself in the basement working on laundry, and forgot the time (it was nearly 7..)so it had to be fast.

As I stared into the fridge, all I could see staring back at me were the veggies from my sweet neighbor that I didn't want to go bad...  So veggie hash was born.  Then I had to think of a fast side.  All I could remember that we have is brown rice, so I opened the freezer to grab it and hoped I could find a quick way to cook it.  But right there in the door was the couscous I bought six months ago that never got around to making.  Lucky for me I recently saw an America's test kitchen on the best way or I wouldn't have even tried it.

It started out much like other healthier meals(full of groans, complaints, and lists of what they won't eat), but then I made them try it.  It was a total hit!!!  My kids actually liked the veggies, Kayleigh even ate peppers!  So I want to remember it, and of course share too :).


Veggie Hash

Olive oil
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1 onion
2 med potatoes
1 head cauliflower plus one really small stalk of broccoli
2 tsp. garlic powder (or a couple of fresh cloves minced)
1/2 tsp. tony chacheries (this is my favorite all purpose seasoning, use any seasoning you like)
Salt and pepper to taste

I diced all of the veggies pretty small (about 1/4 inch) except the broccoli and cauliflower. I was in a hurry so I messily cut up the florets and then cut the stalk in slices.  Heat olive oil in skillet while chopping.  Mix all veggies together divide in two.  I sautéed in two batches so I could get some good brown on the veggies.  After you dump them into the pan, add garlic and other seasonings.  Honestly, the amounts I wrote above are an estimate, I just sprinkled it on till I thought it looked right.  I sautéed till I got a nice brown color on all of them, adding a little olive oil as needed.  While they sautéed I made the cous cous.


Couscous (I used ingredients I had on hand that were quick, but I used the method that America's Test Kitchen uses in their "couscous with shallots, garlic, and almonds")
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil (they used 3tbsp butter, but I had to make it dairy free)
2 cups of couscous
1 cup water
1 cup stock
2 green onions (I also added some fresh chives)
Garlic powder
salt and pepper

While sautéing the hash, start sautéing the onions in a saucepan.  Sprinkle some garlic powder on them too.   Soften them a little, then pour in the couscous (I added the chives with it).  You need to toast it, but you have to watch it close or it will burn, stir it every minute, make sure you pull the toasty brown ones up from the whole bottom of the pan allowing others to get toasted.  You might have to stir more often depending on how hot your unit is.  I had mine just below medium on a small burner.  Have your liquid and a lid ready.  I warmed my liquid a little first in the microwave, but I don't think you have to, the pan is super hot.    When the couscous is toasted, take it off the heat, pour in the liquid, and put on the lid.  Then let it sit for seven minutes.  Finally, add salt, fluff it with a fork and you are done.
You don't have to use green onion, it's just what I had on hand.  Use anything flavorful you like.  Shallots, garlic, etc...  Couscous takes on the flavor of what you cook it in.  I was out of fresh garlic, or I would have added that too!


I served the veggies over the cous cous.  I hope you like it!  We sure did!