Smoothies or Smoothmees as my 3 year old says

Here is a budget tip for those of you who have little ones in the house.  It seems that several times a day I end up with a partial banana, apple, pear, etc. leftover and going to waste.  It was really driving me crazy to see all that go to waste, but try as I might to make sure it all got eaten, it was still happening.  So...my solution is this, I save each little bite of leftover banana, partially eaten apple etc.  in a baggie and keep it in the fridge.  At the end of the day I throw whatever leftover fruit I have collected in the blender with some other additions and tada, smoothie!  The kids love it and I love that things are not going to waste!.  Last night it was 3 slices of leftover pear (looking all brown and icky but still good), a partial banana, an orange slice (threw it in peel and all), some frozen berries, a handful of spinach, a can of coconut milk, splash of vanilla and  a lot of cinnamon.  I did end up adding another whole banana, because we like it with lot's of banana.  Sometimes I add some coconut butter to up the fat content, you just have to blend it a lot and be comfortable with little bits in your smoothie.  I personally love it that way , but some of the kids don't like the texture when I add the coconut butter.  Anyway, it's a great way to sneak in some veggies,( I think I may try adding some carrot too), and use up leftover fruit or any fruit you may have in your fridge that is on the verge of going bad would be perfect.  You don't even taste the spinach at all, the kids have no idea it's there!  Have fun experimenting! 

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Taco Seasoning Recipe

 HOMEMADE TACO SEASONING

1 TBSP Extra Hot Chili Powder (from Winco bulk) it has Habanero extract added

1 TBSP chili Powder

1 TBSP of each of the following: ground cumin, onion powder, garlic granules, sea salt, paprika
1/2 tsp or more of organic oregano dried leaves

1/8 cayenne pepper

Cook and brown 4-5 pounds of 80% grass fed ground beef, drain and return to pan.  Sprinkle your pre-mixed spice mix over and cook over low-med heat for a few minutes.  This way of cooking it worked really well, just be sure to stir it well so it get's evenly distributed, if it's to dry you may have to add a couple Tablespoons of water. 


To make smaller batches either divide the seasoning in 1/2 for 2 pounds or 4ths for one pound.

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Taco Seasoning

In our house taco's are a favorite and pre-paleo days we had them once a week minimum.  But when we switched to Paleo, I could never find a comparable seasoning that we liked.  I am excited to say that I have finally found one we like, so I wanted to share it with you all.

2 TBSP  Chili Powder (if you like it spicier use, hot chili powder)

1 TBSP+ 2 tsp paprika

4 tsp ground cumin

3 tsp onion powder

3 tsp garlic powder

3 tsp sea salt

1/8 tsp cayenne pepper ( this will make a mild spice, I would add more if you like med-hot)

Mix and use or mix and store.  The spice is enough to make about 4 pounds of ground beef (I added about 2-3 cups of water).  So just use the amount of seasoning you would need for the amount of meat you have, add a little water.  Bring to a boil and simmer until the water is absorbed and it's ready to be served.



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Sauerkraut and Apple Pork Roast

 Sauerkraut and Apple Pork Roast

Tonight I decided to try something different, I bought some sauerkraut a while ago with the intentions of making this but never got around to it until today.  I was a little hesitant as I am not a sauerkraut lover and neither are the kids, but took the plunge and decided it was time to venture out and try something different.  And it was awesome, it ended up being a favorite!  So... that said here is the recipe (keep in mind this can easily be scaled down for smaller serving sizes):

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Just added a new link...

I like what I've seen so far on this site, check it out if you get a chance...good stuff.

http://www.barefootcoconut.co.uk/ 

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A few more Lara Bar Recipes

We have been playing with Lara bar recipes and come up with a couple more.  We really like the cherry and blueberry, but...one word of caution, the ingredients for these are a bit pricey.  It may be cheaper to buy than make your own, depending on what kind of price you can get for the dried fruit, just make sure it is only sweetened with fruit juice and not sugar.  My girls love making these, their favorite part is shaping and wrapping them into bars.

Lemon

3/4 cup raw cashew pieces
2/3 cup dates, coarsely chopped
1 tsp lemon juice concentrate
1 tsp lemon extract (check your ingredients on the bottle)
1/2 tsp very finely grated lemon zest


Blueberry

2/3 cup dates, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup blueberries
1 tsp. lemon extract
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup raw cashew peices
1/4 cup sliced almonds


New Cherry

2/3 cup dates, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup cherries, chopped
1 cup sliced almonds
(you could  add some vanilla and cinnamon, but they are really good this way too!)

Chocolate  Chocolate Chip

2/3 cup dates
2 TBSP cocoa powder
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup pecans
2-3 TBSP Enjoy Life Chocolate chips (knead these in at the end when the dough is all mixed) Pin It

My Version of Lara Bars....

While I don't suggest eating them on a regular basis, they are nice to have around in a pinch.  My children however, love them and we find they are a fun treat to pack for snack or lunch at school.  Since I have so many children, and Lara Bars are quite expensive I make my own, wrap them well in plastic wrap and freeze for longer shelf life.    The fun thing is you can really just experiment with your favorite dried fruit and favorite nuts, keeping the ratios about the same will help, but the possibilities for flavors are endless.  The other thing we like to do is to save the wrapper when we do buy a Lara Bar, read the ingredients and then try to replicate it.  Look for more flavors in the future, I would also love to hear what flavors you come up with! Have fun!

 Cinnamon Roll

2/3 cup dates roughly chopped

1/4 cup (scant) raisins

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp cinnamon

1 cup chopped pecans (or more if needed)

Tropical Nut

1/3 cup cashews

1/3 cup almonds

1/3 whole pecans

1/2 cup dates

1/2 cup craisins (be sure to use fruit sweetened, I buy these from bulk bins at the health food store)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2/3 cup Unsweetened, coconut flakes (if you use shredded I would reduce this to about 1/3 c.)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough (this is our favorite!)

1/3 cup chopped fresh dates

1/2 cup raw cashews (you can buy these in the bulk bins)

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp cinnamon

a small amount of  cocoa nibs (or I suppose you could substitute, Enjoy Life Semi-Sweet mini choc chips)

Cherry Flavor

1/4 cup chopped fresh dates

1/4 cup dried cherries ( be sure to read the ingredients, I buy them from the bulk bins, at health food stores)

1/3 cup whole pecans

1/8 tsp cinnamon

What the mixture should look like when it's done.

You will need a food processor for this recipe.  Place your fruit in the food processor and puree until like a paste, then remove and set aside.  Place your nuts in the food processor and process until the size you would like and kneed into the fruit paste.  Or....here is my lazy version, sometimes when I don't care about the texture, I process the dates, then add the nuts and pulse until nuts are desired size and texture. Remove mixture and knead into a ball or loaf and shape into bars or balls or you may roll the "dough" out between two layers of silicone mats or parchment and use a pizza cutter to cut into bars.  Often we just roll them into balls making a quick snack for the kids. And I no longer wrap them individually unless we are using them for school lunches.  If you are making the chocolate chip version you will need to remove the dough and kneed in the cocoa nibs or chocolate chips at the end.  You may need to adjust the ratios slightly depending on how fresh your dates are, tonight on our batch of Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough we had to add more cashews because the dough was to soft and sticky, it doesn't seem to change the flavor much, they are still yummy as ever.   So feel free to experiment with ratios or even different nuts, etc.

3 different kinds of Lara Bar Dough before it was formed into bars.

Finished Lara Bars

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