Healthy Snacks - Chocolate Chip Cherry Bread

Healthy Chocolate Chip Cherry Bread – please don’t tell my kids it’s healthy!

3 ½ cups whole wheat flour (I usually replace 1½ cups of flour with a whole grain like oatmeal or Bob's Red Mill 5 grain cereal)
½ cup protein powder (I use powdered milk)
½ cup cocoa
2 ½ tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
3 bananas
1 can beets – drained (I usually use 3 more bananas instead)
2 TBS butter (I substitute fat-free yogurt or coconut oil)
6 TBS Applesauce or fat-free yogurt (I like yogurt as an exact substitute for oil because it bakes lighter and fluffier than applesauce – and of course it’s healthier than oil).
1 1/3 cup brown sugar (I use 1 1/3 cup Splenda and 2 TBS Molasses)
1 cup egg substitute (or 4 eggs)
1 pkg.  (~2 cups) semi-sweet chocolate chips (I use reduced-fat chocolate chip or Hershey's sugar-free chocolate chips)
2 cups dried cherries (2 pkgs) – rehydrated by boiling in water for a few minutes in the microwave then drained). Dried cherries have a stronger flavor than regular cherries which tend to"dissolve" into the bread and disappear.

• Preheat oven to 350. Coat 2 8x4 loaf tins (or muffin tins) with non-stick cooking spray.
• Mix flours, protein powder, cocoa, baking powder, and baking soda – set aside.
• Cream bananas, beets, butter, applesauce and sugar (Splenda/ molasses). Add eggs and mix one minute. Blend with flour mix. Stir in chips and cherries.
• Bake 45-50 minutes (less for muffins).

Yummiest warm with the chocolate chips all melty and messy. I tried it with the beets for the first time and my kids had NO CLUE. I suppose if you didn't use cherries and used walnuts or something else it would taste like brownies.

Bob hates bananas so we pretend this doesn't have any. All you taste is the chocolate and cherries anyway. The beets are totally optional, as are the cherries.  We've tried it with peanut butter too.



Squirrel cookies

Great for a quick breakfast on the go.

1 ½ cup whole wheat flour
¾ cup white flour, unbleached
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp sea salt
1 cup pecan halves (I used ½ cup raw sunflower seeds and ½ cup raw pumpkin seeds)
1 ½ cup butter (I used ICBNB)
½ cup (equivalent) brown sugar (Splenda and molasses?)
½ cup sugar
1 ¼ cup splenda
1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
¾ cup water (I used water drained from rehydrated fruit)
3 eggs
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill 5-Grain Rolled Cereal
1 cup coconut flakes (unsweetened if you can!)
1 cup cranberries (I substituted part with some dried blueberries) boil in microwave
1 cup golden raisins (I substituted part with some dried cherries) boil in microwave

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Lightly grease 2 cookie sheets, set aside.

• In a large bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda and salt.  
• By hand or in a small chopper, chop pecans coarsely, set aside (if don’t use seeds).   
• In another bowl blend butter, sugar, vanilla and water together.  Beat eggs and add to butter mixture; stir flour mixture into egg and butter mixture; add cereal and all remaining ingredients, mix well. 

Bake 10-12 minutes.  Cookies should be soft in center and edges lightly brown.


Oatmeal Raisin Cookies - Gluten-free, Casein-free, No Sugar Added

When you have a sweet tooth and want to stay on track, here's a nice treat. Sugar is NOT an added ingredient.

• 3 mashed bananas (ripe)
• 1/3 cup apple sauce, 
• 2 cups oats, 
• 1/4 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup raisins (optional)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp cinnamon. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.


You can make into “squirrel cookies” too

You can add chocolate chips! Here're some other options:

I have a similar recipe but I use 1/3 crunchy peanut butter and chopped walnuts (or any nuts) dried cranberries. Instead of bananas, try a can of pumpkin. And dark chocolate chips. A little shredded coconut is also good. Even a grated apple and 2 bananas. So many variations.

I substituted pumpkin in place of the apple sauce and added a few extra spices.

Thanksgiving Recipes

(Picture I took off the internet - we didn't have raisins in ours)

Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole

• 1 small butternut squash, about 2 pounds
• 2 apples, cored, peeled, sliced
• 1/2 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/4 cup cold butter
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 cup raisins (optional)

Poke squash all over with a fork. Slice the top and bottom off the squash. Stick the squash in the microwave for 3 1/2 minutes (can go a little longer if you want). Let it cool slightly then peel off the skin with a vegetable peeler! Cut it open and scoop out the seeds. Cube into about 1/2" cubes. Cube the apples the same size.

Place squash and apple slices in oblong baking dish (7x11-inch). Blend remaining ingredients with fork or pastry cutter until crumbly.
Distribute over squash and apple.
Cover and bake butternut squash casserole at 350° for about 45 to 50 minutes.
 Can be cooked in the microwave as well - Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Stir, moving the squash in the middle to the outside. Cook for another 10 minutes or until done.
Butternut squash recipe serves 6 to 8.

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Hubby's Rolls (aka Basic Rolls from the New York Times Cook book)

2 cups milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
2 pkgs (2 TBS) yeast
1/4 cup lukewarm water
5-6 cups sifted flour
Melted butter

1. Bring the milk to a boil. Add butter, sugar and salt and cool to lukewarm.
2. Soften yeast in the lukewarm water and add to milk mixture.
3. Add about 1/2 the flour, mix and beat well. Add enough remaining flour to make a soft dough.
4. Turn out on a floured board, let rest 10 minutes and then knead until smooth, about 10 minutes.
5. Place dough in a greased bowl, grease surface, cover and let rise in a warm place (80 to 85F) until doubled in bulk.
6. Turn dough out on a floured board and knead lightly until surface is smooth. Roll dough to approximately 1/2 inch thickness and cut into 2-3 inch long strips. Stack one cut strip on top of another one, and then cut into 2-3 inch squares. Place resulting doubled thickness roll onto greased square cake pan about 1 inch apart. Brush tops with melted butter, cover with a towel and let rise until doubled in bulk, 30 to 40 minutes.
7. About 10 minutes before rolls have risen preheat oven to 375F.
8. Brush rolls with additional melted butter, milk or egg diluted with a TBS of water and bake 15 to 20 minutes or until brown (Hubby usually just sprays with butter flavored Pam).

Maple Pecan Tart with Dried Cherries

aka Way Better than Pecan Pie

This pecan tart gets added tang from dried cherries. Instead of corn syrup, which is found in most pecan pie recipes, we’ve opted for maple syrup. If you can find it, choose dark amber or grade B, because it has the richest maple flavor. The crust, made with heart-healthy pecans and canola oil, couldn’t be easier to whip together. Just blend it in the food processor and pat it into your tart pan.

CRUST:

1 large egg yolk (2 TBS Eggbeaters)

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

2 tablespoons canola oil

1 tablespoon water

1/2 cup pecan halves

1 tablespoon granulated sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose (whole wheat) flour

2 large eggs

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons dark rum (optional)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups pecan halves, divided

1/3 cup dried cherries, chopped

Preheat oven to 400°F. Generously coat a 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom with cooking spray.

Combine egg yolk, 2 tablespoons melted butter, oil and water in a small bowl. Process 1/2 cup pecans and sugar in a food processor (or blender) to the consistency of coarse meal. Add flour and pulse until combined. Drizzle the yolk mixture through the feed tube while pulsing and pulse just until the mixture is combined.

Spread the mixture evenly into the prepared pan, pressing it firmly into the bottom and all the way up the sides to form a crust. Place on a baking sheet. Bake until dry and just beginning to brown on the edges, 12 to 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, whisk eggs, maple syrup, brown sugar, rum (if using), the remaining 1 tablespoon butter and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl. Transfer 1/4 cup of the mixture to a small bowl. Chop 1/2 cup pecans and add to the medium bowl. Stir in cherries. Mix the remaining 1 cup pecans with the reserved maple mixture.

Remove the tart crust from the oven. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°.

If there are any cracks in the crust, sprinkle with a little flour and use a dry pastry brush to “seal” the flour into the cracks. Evenly spread the filling in the crust. Arrange the maple syrup-coated pecans decoratively on top and drizzle with any remaining maple mixture.

Bake the tart until it no longer jiggles in the center when gently shaken, 25 to 30 minutes. Let cool on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Remove the sides of the pan (use a butter knife to gently loosen the tart from the pan sides if it sticks in spots). Let cool completely, about 40 minutes more.

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day. Serve at room temperature. | Equipment: 9-inch tart pan with removable bottom

Allergy Busting Cookies

My family have lots of trouble with allergies (if you don't have allergies, Texas will give them to you). We got to the point that Kitty, Bear, Hubby and I were taking Zyrt*c daily or we were miserable (I can always tell when Bear needs allergy meds because he spits way more than usual after making that lovely snorting, hocking up a loogie sound).

The problem is that not only is this expensive, but I was worried that it was triggering mania! (Recently discovered this can be an issue for people with bipolar). Wouldn't that be ironic if I'd made them worse by treating their allergies that were triggered by their move to Texas!

Anyway, someone told me that 1 TBS of local honey a week, can boost your immune system against allergies. So we tried it and it seems to be working! ...as long as I remember to give it to them. My next concern was with how to give it to them. Kitty especially doesn't do well with sweets (makes her super hyper), plus if I'm going to give her all that sugar then I want credit for being a nice mommy! The problem was how to give it to them without cooking it. I thought about smoothies, but usually we don't have enough ingredients on hand, plus there's alway someone who says... EEEEWWWW!!!!

Here's my no-bake, yummy, don't tell them they're good for them, allergy bustin', extra fiber for other issues.... cookie recipe!

Ingredients (these are all approximations. I tend to dump in whatever I have on hand without measuring):

6 cups rolled oats (I prefer Bob's Red Mill 5 grain Rolled Cereal - I use the whole bag)
1/2 cup protein powder (I use powdered milk or even powdered formula - or leave it out)
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (optional)
1/2 - 1 package of semi-sweet chocolate chips (optional - but really? Chocolate and peanut butter? How could you not?)
1/2 cup Local honey
1 - 1 1/2 cups peanut butter (I use the natural butter that the kids won't eat on their sandwiches - I usually use creamy, but have had good results with crunchy too)
1 cup raisins (or dried cranberries, or dried fruits, or leave it out)

Anything else that sounds good (seeds, chopped nuts, dried fruits, coconut, cinnamon, vanilla...)

Directions - thoroughly mix. Might want to mix the other ingredients together thoroughly before adding the peanut butter and honey. Makes it easier to mix. This is when I REALLY LOVE my KitchenAide mixer.

Then you roll the dough into balls in your hands. I suggest a little smaller than a golf ball (but it takes longer to make them - cause then you have to make more!). Messy, but not too messy. You can squash the balls into cookie shapes, but I think balls are more fun.

If it's too dry and the ingredients don't stick together, add more honey or peanut butter. It's it's too wet, you can roll it in something (like coconut, cocoa, sprinkles, confectioners' sugar, and/or graham cracker crumbs), but I find it dries out a little so it's OK if they're a little sticky to start with.

I lay out a piece of waxed paper or parchment paper to let the balls "air dry," but they can be eaten immediately. I think they'd be fine for days without covering, but I'm not sure since ours never last more than 3 days.

I tell the kids they can have 2 at a time - no more than 4 a day. With all the sneaking, I figure they eat more like 6 a day and thus get all the local honey they need!

Carrot Cake

Note: This is not a picture of the cake I made. This is just a funny picture from one of my favorite websites Cake Wrecks. A neighbor loaned me the new book and it is just as funny as the site.

This was the yummiest, moistest healthy carrot cake I have ever made. We had it for our 3 yr anniversary of the day Bear and Kitty moved in with us. (I still can’t believe it’s only been 3 years!). I tripled the recipe and used the extra in muffin cups for snacks – icing wasn’t necessary (but still yummy). (Sorry it took me so long to post the recipe!)

Carrot Cake

Blend together
2 cups sugar (I used Splenda)
1 cup yogurt (I used fat free – plain).
4 eggs (I used 2/3 cup egg beaters)

Add and blend.
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
2 cups flour (I use whole wheat)
2 cups grated carrots
Optional:
1 small can crushed pineapple (optional)
Raisins and/ or walnuts or pecans (optional and to taste)
Pour in greased pan and bake at 350. (25 minutes for sheet cake to 50 minutes bundt cake). If it jiggles, it’s not done.

Icing (I was lazy and whipped some fat free cream cheese into a reduced sugar cream cheese frosting from the store).
Blend.
½ cup yogurt
2 tsp vanilla
1 8 oz package cream cheese
Add and blend.
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
1 cup finely minced pecans (optional)

OK, now I'm hungry for cake again!

My ragamuffins

I haven't done our usual grocery shopping this week because I ended up spending a lot of the grocery money on clothes for the kids. Partly because the weather has finally cooled a little - highs in the low to mid 80s instead of 90s and 100s. So the kids are looking at jeans and jackets. But the biggest reason was because our kids usually spend Saturday night at Grandma's and we meet up with them at church. Most of the Summer (and for some of the kids much longer than that), I've been fussing at the kids because I find them in dirty, stained clothes. I want them in dressy holy clothes, not messy holey clothes!

I've heard the same old excuses for months... "I forgot I didn't have any dressy clothes here." "I left my (shirt, skirt, dress pants...) at home." "My __________ didn't fit." So they wear yesterday's clothes or play clothes left at Grandma's house for who knows how long. Nothing I say or do has given them any motivation to change.

Sunday, I was venting to my sister that they were ALL in holey jeans, and she mentioned that when she picks up Ponito to take him to school in the morning he is often wearing stained, dirty clothes with his hair and teeth unbrushed. LAST STRAW!! Then and there I decided I was going through everyone's clothes and tossing everything stained, holey, or didn't fit.

We've caught Ponito wearing the same clothes 3 days in a row! Aargh! This is NOT because he doesn't have tons of clothes. This is because he apparently becomes emotionally attached to his clothes and only wears 3 shirts and 2 pairs of jeans - nothing else. I refuse to contemplate socks and underwear. Since his laundry is only done when he brings it downstairs to the laundry room (hopefully every week, but not always), this means no clean clothes. THIS IS MY NEUROTYPICAL BIOSON WHO IS NOT A TEENAGER YET!

Did I mention he will only wear one pair of pajamas? We threaten him often with cutting them off him or throwing them away. They still probably only get washed about every 2-3 weeks. *sigh*

So Sunday afternoon I went through his closet (something I don't do very often because he hasn't grown by leaps and bounds like the rest of the kids). He has grown a little, but he's been getting hand-me-downs for years. He loves to wear shirts that basically look like dresses!

I pulled out 5 kitchen size trash bags of clothes that no longer fit or he didn't want to wear. Plus, one bag that belongs to my nephew that comes over often. He found at least 7 items he didn't know he had! Only one long sleeve shirt that fit.

I go through Kitty's wardrobe often (because she's incapable of taking care of her own things). So I get rid of her stained clothes regularly. However, she has gained over 70lbs in the last year so she outgrows her clothes often. Still it hasn't been that long since I've gone through her clothes, and I know she doesn't have a lot that fits.

Bob is taller and has slimmed down a lot this year. She needs new clothes too. Bear is beyond picky and I only shop in thrift stores so he doesn't often find new clothes. He doesn't like clothes shopping, he prefers to buy shoes. I won't let him buy shoes because he has more than everyone else combined. Also he'll buy any shoe he likes whether it fits or not. He probably wears a 9.5. He has shoes ranging up to a 12.

So we went clothes shopping Sunday afternoon, and didn't have much money left over for meat. Therfore the mealso we did have had to be made with what we have in the fridge and freezer. Today we had leftover spaghetti sauce, but the kids had just had spaghetti recently (hence the leftover sauce, duh!).

So I told them we were having Baked Spaghetti. I decided not to tell them it was Baked Spaghetti Squash. Not a popular meal. No one liked the "funny noodles." I went ahead and confessed then. At least I'll have healthy lunches for quite awhile. I thought it was yummy.

Baked Spaghetti Squash (can also be vegetarian)

1 Spaghetti Squash
3-4 cups homemade or 1 jar spaghetti sauce
1-2 lbs ground beef
~¼ cup grated parmesan
1 ½ - 2 cups shredded mozzarella

1. Cut spaghetti squash in half and scrape out seeds. Fill each half with ¼ cup water and cover with plastic wrap.
2. Cook squash in microwave for 10 minutes or until squash is soft. Drain water.
3. Brown ground beef. Drain.
4. Scrape out squash flesh into large baking dish (9x15?). Add beef and spaghetti sauce. Mix well.
5. Sprinkle dish with grated parmesan. Cover entire dish with mozzarella.
6. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until cheese is lightly brown and bubbly.

Makin' Mud Pies

This is how I'll always picture my baby cooking. He has gotten a little more sophisticated at the ripe old age of 10. Tonight we made a mud pie together.

We ran out of sugar and had to borrow a cup from a neighbor (until Grandma got back from the store). No Cool Whip so we made a substitute - so much better for us and yum!

MISSISSIPPI MUD PIE

LAYER 1:
1 c. butter

1/3 c. cocoa

1 c. nuts, chopped

4 eggs

2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. flour
Melt butter. Stir in cocoa, nuts, eggs, sugar, flour and baking soda. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes in 13 x 9 pan.

LAYER 2:
8 oz. soft cream cheese

1 c. Cool Whip'

1 c. sugar
Mix and spread over layer 1.

LAYER 3:
2 sm. or 1 lg. box instant chocolate pudding

3 c. milk
Mix well with beater, pour over layer 2.

LAYER 4:
Cover with remaining Cool Whip and refrigerate 2 hours.

Sprinkle with chocolate chips?

Cool Whip Substitute - Because of course we never have Cool Whip

Low Fat Whipped Cream Substitute

Yield is about 4 servings.

5oz can organic evaporated milk (yea right, we used fat-free skim)

2 tbsp cold water

1 tsp unflavored gelatin

2 tbsp Stevia (Not Nutrasweet) - used Splenda

3 tbsp non-hydrogenated corn or safflower oil - used Canola

First, get the milk to a cold enough temperature to whip. This is easiest done by pouring it into a shallow tray or ice cube trays and placing in the freezer until you see crystals begin to form around the edges.

While the milk is chilling-out, combine the gelatin and water in a small dish, without stirring.

For five minutes, place the dish in a small saucepan containing hot water to allow the gelatin to dissolve.

Remove dish from the hot water and allow it to cool.

Whip the milk in a medium size bowl until stiff peaks form. Gradually add the sugar, oil and then gelatin mixture. Continue beating until stiff peaks form again.

Cover and place in freezer for 10minutes, then transfer to refrigerator.The mixture will become very stiff. Before serving, stir to soften. Will keep 3 days covered in your refrigerator.

Veggie no more!

I'd be more excited about Kitty giving up vegetarianism if I hadn't just bought a bunch of expensive tofu and meat substitutes. Tuesday night we had a family favorite - Poppyseed Chicken. It's super easy to make and the kids love it. Kitty got Poppyseed Tofu and thought it nasty.



Poppy Seed Chicken

4-6 chicken breasts boiled and chopped into bitesized pieces.

2 cans of Cream of Chicken soup (I use Healthy Request or the low fat kind)
1 4 oz container Sour Cream (I use fat free or fat free yogurt works too)
1 TBS Poppy seeds

I stick melted butter or enough milk to moisten crackers
1 tube Ritz crackers (I use whole grain or low fat)

Heat oven to 350. Mix chicken, soup, sour cream and poppy seeds in casserole dish. In a bowl, mix butter or milk with crushed Ritz crackers. Spread cracker crumbs over the top of the casserole. Bake about 45 minutes or until bubbly and crackers are lightly browned.

Poppy Seed Tofu

Substitute Cream of mushroom soup for the Cream of Chicken. Substitute extra firm tofu for the chicken.

This is apparently inedible. So save it for tomorrow's meal - Beef Stroganoff.


Beef Stroganoff

Mix ground beef, sour cream or yogurt and Cream of Mushroom soup. Serve with noodles - watch it all disappear.

Fake Meat Stroganoff - so nasty it makes vegetarians convert!

Scrape the cracker crumbs off the top of the Poppyseed Tofu and throw away. Carefully remove as much of the tofu as you can from the remaining goo. Rinse the tofu for another meal. Add vegetarian ground beef to the Cream of Mushroom yogurt mixture and heat. Serve over noodles. Watch your vegetarian child take one bite, throw it all away and serve herself the Beef Stroganoff.

Chicken Tofu Stir Fry

Take leftover tofu from Poppy Seed Tofu, add to cubed chicken breasts. In a skillet cook the chicken and tofu with soy sauce and garlic powder until chicken is fully cooked. In a small cup mix cornstarch and orange-flavored sugar-free drink mix (because 2 family members are allergic to oranges) - add to skillet. Add one can cranberry sauce and mix well. Add leftover veggies and stir fry veggies. Simmer until rice is done. Serve with rice (because kids won't allow you to serve it over rice). Be shocked and amazed that no one comments on the tofu (not even you notice it). Maybe you will be able to mix the fake meat in with the rest and get rid of it that way!

Yea! I don't have to worry about Kitty being a vegetarian anymore. Now all I have to deal with are the meltdowns caused by recent changes in her meds. We're removing Geodon and adding Seroquel. The Seroquel is not at a high enough dose yet apparently.

Chef Mary