A snicklesnack?

This crispy treat is, as 1 has been telling me, the greatest snickle-snack to have at school. Snickle-snack? Well, it is the little bit of food one eats in their lunch, it is kind of a snack, but not, because it is a snickle-snack, the snack before the snack?  It is my daughter’s favorite part of her lunch. Does anyone else remember kids in their classes having food allergies? I don’t. I remember wanting everyone else’s lunches, because they looked exotically processed, but allergies? Maybe of bees,  but not of kiwis or nuts. Many schools forbid nuts to enter the doors of their schools, understandably so. This is what makes these treats ideal.  I love making these nifty little crispy treats for the kids, plus they love helping me.  I tell them we add double chocolate chips and they think it’s the coolest, perhaps even most rebellious thing I do. I understand the nut allergy thing, but it can be a pain trying to find substitutes.  I far more love sunflower seed butter than peanut butter, anyways, and my kids do too, so I hope this helps someone who is in need of a new idea for a nut-free snickle-snack.

Crispy Treats with Chocolate Chips

Inspired by The Kind Diet

Ingredients:
5 cups Special K rice cereal
1 cup brown rice syrup
fine sea salt
1/2 cup sunflower seed butter
1 cup of chocolate chips or carob chips

How To Play:
Pour the cereal into a large bowl. Heat the syrup with a pinch or two of salt in a saucepan over low heat. When the rice syrup liquefies, add the sunflower seed butter and stir until well combined. Pour over the rice cereal. Mix well with a wooden spoon.
Once thoroughly mixed and cooled to room temperature, stir in the chocolate chips. If the mixture isn’t cooled, the chips will melt, which I guess isn’t tragic, but your call.
Turn the mixture out into an 8×8 or 9×13 baking dish. Wet your spoon lightly and press the mixture evenly into the pan. Let cool for 1 hour before cutting into squares.

Enjoy.

Carob Clusters

Carob Clusters with Toasted Almonds and Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups carob chips, sweetened
1/3 cup almond butter
1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped (toasted hazelnuts work great, too!)
Himalayan Pink Sea Salt

How To Play:
Melt chips and almond butter together in a double boiler. Add chopped nuts. With a spoon, drop quickly onto a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Sprinkle the sea salt liberally over each cluster. Refrigerate or put in the freezer until they have set, about 10-20 minutes. Makes about 16 medium sized clusters.

Homemade Protein Bars

Last week I weighed myself…I am currently 179. I have a goal to be 177 this week, we will see. I have been eating good and diligently going to spin class, the gym at 5:30am and running. It is the food I am struggling with. I just love to eat. My boost, my brain food, and my favorite go-to snack would be the coconut bites. They are my splurge and my treat. I have been eating a lot of hummus, as well.  At spin class, I always aim to have the bike that is not super close to anyone, so I don’t offend them with the immense amount of garlic I consume in a day, poor Sean. He will sometimes ask, garlic? Ok, are you in need of a quick snack on the go?  Perhaps you are a mom like me, or a busy guy like Sean, either way, this snack is a filler. It does take a bit of preparation, but it is a good bit of fun when you have a free night.  Especially on those nice nights when the kitchen window can be open, breathing in the beautiful fresh spring air and listening your favorite beats.  I love to cook and bake with  Babbu Mann.  He is super fun.  I found this protein bar from the Slice cookbook.  Like most of my snacks, I put these in the freezer and grab one when I am short on time and heading out the door.  The kids love them too, but they are considered a once in a while treat, because as selfish as this may sound, they are mine!

Chocolate Coconut Powerbars

(from Slice)
Ingredients:
1/2 cup almond butter
1/3 cup unpasteurized honey
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 Tbsp tahini
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 cups nutmeal, leftover from making Nourishing Nut Milk (see below)
1 cup oat flakes
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup whey protein isolate, unflavored
1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1 tsp cinnamon

How To Play:
Preheat oven to 325 degrees, lightly grease a 9×12 inch dish. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine almond butter, honey, oil, tahini, and vanilla for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until smooth. In a bowl, combine nutmeal, oats, cocoa powder, whey protein, coconut and cinnamon. Stir almond butter mixture into the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly. Press mixture into prepared baking dish and bake for 18-20 minutes. Cool and cut into bars. Store refrigerated for up to 7 days or freeze in an airtight container for up to one month. * I bake these no longer than 18 minutes, because I prefer them to be under baked than over baked.

Nourishing Nut Milk

Ingredients:
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup hazelnuts, skins removed
1/4 cup sesame seeds
4 cups filtered water
2 dates, pitted, or 2 Tbsp Maple Syrup
1/2 Tsp pure vanilla extract

How To Play:
Place nuts and seeds in a glass bowl. Cover with filtered water and soak for at least 4 hours, or over night. Drain and rinse nut mixture. In a blender, combine 1 cup of water, soaked nuts, dates and vanilla, and blend until smooth. Set blender to low, and slowly add 3 cups of water. Strain mixture through a fine strainer or cheese cloth. Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to 7 days. The remaining nutmeal can be saved and stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Enjoy.

My Favorite Snack

It is typically not a good thing when your almost 3 year old is in the bathroom saying, “I’m sorry mommy, I’m sorry…”  2 has been toilet trained for 5 months now, but today he had a bit of an accident.  I am not sure exactly how it happened, but I am guessing he was trying to wipe himself but some fell on the floor?  It was a messy situation.  Let’s just say brown little barefoot prints on the tile floor and a long strand of toilet paper caked into a brown substance with a heel mark in it.  At least the majority of it was in the toilet.  Today I have been mostly working on my message for tomorrow.  I have not spoken at church since the end of October of 2010.  I couldn’t believe how frazzled I felt.  Perhaps it was feeling distracted.  When this little bit happened, it just kind of made me realize that I am a mom, these sorts of things happen and it is ok.  Speaking of bare feet, tomorrow I am going to be making granola.  It is my staple breakfast with fiber flakes.  Unfortunately, it is 2′s as well…eeeks.  Since it is Saturday, not really a cheat day, but a treat day, I am having my staple snack…organic popcorn.   I don’t have a microwave, so I cook it with a popcorn popper.  I sprinkle it with a bit of grapeseed oil and sea salt.  Sometimes I will use parmesan cheese to kick it up a notch.