Raw Banana Cream Pudding (No nuts!)

Generally, my husband is a great supporter of my cooking efforts.  Since I can count on the kids almost always complaining about something on their plate, I rely on Anthony to bolster my spirits with his gusto for the meal. When it comes to dessert, though, his palate leans toward the traditional fat and sugar laden kinds. If he suspects beans or dates, he's gone. Ironically, my healthier dessert creations are most popular with the kids.  Abiline loved this pudding treat I whipped up when I came home from church last week, famished because I had forgotten to pack any snacks for myself. She and I had a little girl date gobbling it up.  Little did she know she was eating a whole banana, my fruit-hating girl!

2 medium, ripe bananas (yellow, but not really spotty)
1/4 cup coconut butter
1/4 cup raw, shelled hemp seeds
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Place all of the ingredients in a high-powered blender or food processor (I used my Vitamix) and blend until completely smooth. This made two really fillings servings.  Try adding a tablespoon or two of cocoa powder for a chocolate version! Or double the recipe and fill a pie shell for banana cream pudding pie!

Let's hear it for pudding power!!!

 This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays Allergy Free Wednesdays Whole Foods Wednesdays Gluten-Free Wednesdays Raw Food Thursdays Wellness Weekend Healthy Vegan Fridays.

Crispy Sunflower Seed "Bacon" Bits

Usually the kids eat fine for breakfast and lunch, but dinner is a drawn our affair during which the kids stare into space, and we continuously have to remind them to acknowledge the food on their plate. I don't know what it is; maybe they are trying to stave off bedtime? So we are trying different tactics to improve the situation.  Last week we tried the no-nagging method: Let's see what happens if we just give them 45 minutes, offer an incentive if they finish, and then don't do any coaxing. The positive vibe at the dinner table was a plus, but, as a mom, I wasn't ok with just letting them not eat for nights in a row. So this week we are trying to motivate them with a trip to their favorite restaurant this weekend if they can eat without complaining or coercion all week. So far we are three nights down with good attitudes!

Admittedly, I have been helping them along by not giving them any super "challenging" meals. Tonight it was linguini with a creamy white sauce, sprinkled with these faux bacon bits I woke up thinking about last night. I have heard of coconut bacon, but wanted something that would mimic crispy bacon while still providing some protein.  So here we have the super-simple sunflower seed turned new and improved Bac-o recipe. I think these would be great on salad as well!

1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil or coconut oil
1 Tbsp. liquid coconut aminos, or soy sauce if no soy allergy
1Tbsp. maple syrup
scant 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika

Heat oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and stir around until a bit toasty looking. Add the coconut aminos or soy sauce, maple syrup, and smoked paprika. Stir for another minute or two to get everything well-coated and crispy. Remove from heat, cool, and serve.

This recipe is endorsed by the whole Holden crew and linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wellness Weekend,  Healthy Vegan Friday.





  

Inside-Out Sweet Potato Pie Fritters

There has been a lot of conflict at the dinner table lately. Anthony and I want the kids to eat; they simply don't want to. We are at an impasse. I try not to cry in frustration as they squirm as far away from their plates as possible, fall off the bench, giggle uncontrollably, make up nonsensical words, giggle again, laugh harder when we threaten and cajole.... It goes on and on and on.  I am trying to remember what Elder Dallin H. Oaks said in his "Good, Better, Best" talk: "What your children really want for dinner is you."  Me not screaming is what I assume he means.  So let's just minimize the conflict and have enjoyable family time, for goodness sake. Enough with the toddler rebellion! Bring on the pie for dinner!

Yes, these inside-out sweet potato pie fritters were actually eaten with gusto. Sawyer and Abiline usually like when I make the sweet potato pie from the Clean Foods cookbook, but the other night I did not have time to bake a pie before dinner, so I made these cheater patties on the quick and had an instant hit side-dish. Three cheers for a few moments of peace at the dinner table!

1 large sweet potato
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/4 tsp.  + 1/8 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
pinch of salt
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
*This made about six, three inch patties. You may want to the double the recipe if you want leftovers.

1. Cook the sweet potato until very tender in preheated 400 degree oven (takes 45-60 mins, usually, for me.) Let cool and peel off the skin.
2. Place the pumpkin seeds and 1/8 tsp. cinnamon in your food processor and pulse to form a crumbly meal.  Spread the seed crumbs onto a large plate.
3.  Clean out your food processor and then add the sweet potato, oats, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, maple syrup, and salt. Puree until smooth.
4. Melt the coconut oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Scoop out large spoonfuls of the sweet potato mixture, roll them in the pumpkin seed crumbs to coat (this may be a bit messy), and place in the skillet. Fry for 2-4 minutes on each side, just until the seeds are a bit toasty. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Whole Foods Wednesday, Wellness Weekend and Healthy Vegan Friday.

This is the face of my best eater by far. If only everyone were so content eating the same thing day in and day out...

Lemon Poppyseed Secret Squash Quinoa Muffins

Today was not the happiest day in Mommyville: lots of hitting by one eldest child, some serious tantrum action by the second, and I'm starting to tire of the baby-weight from number three.  I don't feel like I accomplish much more than constant chastising on some days. Which is why I think I keep writing this blog even though I'm certainly never going to be blog-famous--it makes me feel like I did something productive. At least I managed to nourish these dear children that are nearly impossible to feed!

I have posted a squash lemon poppyseed bread before, but this new edition is more nutritionally dense with the addition of chickpeas and quinoa. They are low in sugar as well!  The kids ate them without complaint, and I felt like I had at least had one small victory this day...

 


1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. stevia powder
1 cup cooked quinoa
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup plain non-dairy milk
1/2 Tbsp. lemon extract
zest and juice of 1 medium lemon
1/4 cup melted coconut oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 small yellow squash, finely grated
1/3 cup poppyseeds

1. Preheat oven to 350 and line 12 muffin cups.
2. In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt, and stevia.
3. In a food processor or blender, blend together the quinoa, chickpeas, non-dairy milk, lemon extract, lemon zest and juice, coconut oil, and maple syrup until smooth.
4. Add the wet ingredients to dry and stir just until completely combined. Fold in the poppy seeds and squash. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups.
5. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool on wire racks before serving.

Here are some of our happier moments recently...

This recipe is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday,  Whole Food Wednesday and Wellness Weekend.

Sunflower Seed Ranch Roasted Chickpeas

Emelise Marie was born 5 1/2 weeks ago, and I am slowly figuring out how to do life with three kids. After months of ignoring all the cooking blog posts in my inbox, I like food again and am starting to find time to putter around in the kitchen, trying to satisfy that seemingly insatiable nursing mother's appetite in healthy ways.

In the first few weeks after Emie's birth, when I was in full recovery mode, Anthony did the grocery shopping. I sent him to the store for some dried beans, and he came home with about $50 worth.
(I should have been more specific as to how much exactly we needed.) As a result, I have been seeking ideas for new ways to use chickpeas. When I ran across a post for BBQ-ranch pizza on the Sweet Roots blog, the thought occurred to me that BBQ ranch roasted chickpeas may be good. So I gave it a try tonight, whipping up a sunflower-seed based sauce instead of the usual tofu-based. I couldn't stop munching them! We did try them on top of pizza, which was yummy, but I think I prefer to eat them straight so that the flavor is undiluted.

1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (drained and rinsed, if canned)
1/2 c. raw sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp. barbecue sauce
1 Tbsp. maple syrup
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3/4 tsp. sea salt
3/4 tsp. onion powder
3/4. tsp. dried parsley
1/2 tsp. dried dill
dash of pepper
3-4 Tbsp. plain non-dairy milk, to thin

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper.
2. In your food processor or blender, blend all of the ingredients except the chickpeas, starting with 3 Tbsp. milk and adding more if necessary to get a smooth, dressing-like consistency.
3. In a medium bowl, add the chickpeas and blended sunflower seed ranch and stir to evenly coat all the beans.
4. Spread the chickpeas out in a single layer on your prepared baking sheet. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Flip them around and then bake for 20 mins. more. They are done when golden and a bit caramelized.

This recipe is linked to Allergy-Free Wednesday  Slightly Indulgent Tuesday Allergy-Friendly Friday 
Wellness Weekend.  

Jelly Donut Pancakes

I had been dreaming about chocolate chocolate chip pancakes all night, but of course when I mentioned pancakes in the morning, Sawyer insisted on the white ones.  Bummer for me, until I thought up this yummy idea of putting jam on the inside and powdered sugar on the outside for a healthier take on the donut treat.  Sorry gluten-free folks--I made these with whole wheat flour because I live in gratitude daily that we actually aren't allergic to that, but you could certainly try subbing your favorite GF flour blend.

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbsp. preferred sweetener (I used evaporated cane juice.)
2 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/3 cup non-dairy milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
A few Tbsp. jam of choice
1/3 cup powdered sugar

1.  In your food processor, combine flour, oats, seeds, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon until oats and sunflower seeds are completely ground up.
2. Add the coconut oil and buzz until crumbly. Then add the milk, sweetener, and vanilla and process just until smooth.
3. Heat your pancake griddle or frying pan over medium heat and drop large spoonfuls of batter onto the heated pan. Dollop about a tsp. of jam in the middle of each pancake and then cover up the jam with a bit more batter. Flip when bubbles form around the edges and cook for about 2 mins. more on the other side, until just lightly browned.
4. Let the pancakes cool for a few minutes so as to not melt the sugar. Spread powdered sugar onto a large plate and place pancakes one by one in the sugar, lightly coating each side. Serve warm--no butter or syrup needed!

We decided we were tired of the cold and pretended it was summer all morning. The kids even wore their bathing suits to the grocery store. Heck, I already get enough looks from people as it is with all the ruckus we make going up and down the aisles while struggling through crises of lost gum in hair, towers of bread and beans tumbling from the cart, wails of despair for unrequited cookie cravings, etc.--I figure I might as well give people something to really snigger about!

This recipe is shared on Slightly Indulgent Tuesday and Allergy-Free Wednesday.

Sugar-Free Pumpkin Caramel

Oh, you mean to tell me that it isn't fall anymore?  Well, while this post is a bit late, and pumpkin is not all over the stores in February, I didn't want to wait another year to share this recipe. My kids don't wait until Halloween to play dress-up, so why wait until autumn-time to enjoy the magic of pumpkin caramel? This makes a great filling for ridiculously simple oatmeal bars, or you can use it as a fruit dip, or just eat it out of the pan like Abiline did.  It is thick, creamy, and sweet, with no butter or sugar. And easy to make, too!



1/2 cup full-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup, packed, pitted dates
1/4 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. vanilla extract

1. Combine all ingredients except vanilla in a small saucepan, bring to a simmer over medium heat, and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the dates are very soft.
2. Add the vanilla extract and transfer the mixture to your food processor or blender. Puree until totally smooth. Enjoy!



Now that I've got you in the mood, I'll take this opportunity to reminisce about our autumn adventures. It doesn't seem that long ago, considering that we just finally threw out our pumpkins last week.   Happy Halloween in February, everyone!

  This post is linked to Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, Allergy-Free Wednesday, Gluten-Free Wednesday, and Wellness Weekend.