Apricot Granola Bars
Homemade Granola Bars For The Kids (Or You!)
Apricot Granola Bars
Apricot Granola Bars
The ultimate satisfaction is when I make something nutritious for my kids and they gobble it up and ask for more. I knew this would be a winner just by looking at the recipe; my kids were standing in front of the oven waiting for these babies to come out. I got the original recipe from Vanilla & Spice. I didn’t change much either, just the type of fruit I used , type of salt, and type of sweetener. These bars are chewy, crunchy, and sweet. Oh and they make the house smell divine!
Ingredients:
1/2 c. raw almonds
1/4 c. dates, chopped
1/4 c. dried apricots (make sure there’s no sugar or sulfur added)
1 c. quick oats
2 tbsp. dry millet
1/4 c. mixed seeds (half pumpkin and half sunflower-unsalted)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. pink himalayan salt
2 tbsp. ground flax seed
1/2 c. almond butter
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 tbsp. honey (optional)*
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare an 8 x 8 pan by lining with parchment paper. Place almonds, dates, and apricots in a food processor until roughly chopped). Transfer to a bowl and add oats, millet, seeds, cinnamon, salt, and flax. Use a whisk to mix thoroughly. Place almond butter and mashed bananas together in a small bowl and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir. Microwave for 15 more seconds. Stir until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and honey. Pour wet mixture into the dry ingredients and stir with a rubber spatula until evenly coated. Pour mixture into prepared pan and press down firmly with spatula. Bake for 22-27 minutes, until edges are brown and top is firm to the touch. Cool completely, then slice into 8 bars.
*If I was making these for myself, I would leave the honey out to make them less sweet. Macros below include the recipe WITH the honey.
Macros per bar: 285k cals, 15.9g fat (1.1g sat, 3.2g poly, 6.1g mono), 31.7g carbs (6.9g fiber, 12.5g sugar), 8.3g protein, 62.2mg sodium, 205.2mg potassium
References:
Vanilla & Spice – Healthy Treats and Vegetarian Eats
Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
Red Cabbage Sesame Delight
Something Light And Vegetarian For Summertime
Red Cabbage Sesame Delight
Red Cabbage Sesame Delight
I used to season my food with a little bit of pepper and a whole lot of table salt. And I would add salt to everything, even my salads. I’ve since learned a few tricks in the kitchen to creating food that is flavorful by experimenting with different spices and herbs instead of using so much salt. Oh and I haven’t used regular iodized salt in forever. You’ve probably noticed I use pink himalayan salt in a lot of my dishes. The sodium content isn’t as high in pink himalayan salt and you don’t need to use as much of it to get that salty taste. And the best part is, it hasn’t been chemically processed like table salt and contains a ton of minerals (unlike table salt which contains only one mineral, iodine, which gets added back in after all that processing reduces it to nothing beneficial). Now that you’ve learned something new, here’s a dish that is high in flavor and will probably introduce you to some new spices you’ve never had before. Delish!
Ingredients:
1 tsp. evoo
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bunch scallions, chopped
1 large carrot, sliced
1 head red cabbage (medium), shredded or cut into thin strips
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. pink himalayan salt
pinch of black pepper
1 tsp. turmeric
1/4 tsp. red cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. celery seeds (or 1/4 celery stick, chopped)
1/2 tsp. marjoram
2 tbsp. sesame seeds (toasted)
Preparation:
Heat evoo in a wok and saute garlic, scallions, and carrots for a few minutes. Add cabbage, paprika, salt, and pepper and saute over medium heat for an additional 15 minutes. Add turmeric, cayenne pepper, celery seeds, marjoram, and sesame seeds and continue to cook for 5 more minutes. Serve. Enjoy and to your health!
Macros per one out of four servings: 119k cals, 3.2g fat (.5g sat, .2g poly, .9g mono), 22.1g carbs (7.2g fiber, 8.9g sugar), 4g protein, 0mg cholesterol, 316.3mg sodium, 200mg potassium
References:
Tania Funduk – Food and Fitness Guru
Fadi Malouf – Nutritionist and Personal Trainer
Easy Turkey Salad
A Light, Flavorful Dinner
Spinach Turkey Salad
Easy Turkey Salad
This summer has been so busy with birthday parties, lake parties, afternoons at the pool, and trips, I’ve really started to value meals that are quick and easy. And of course, being healthy and tasting good are required too. I’ve made this salad a couple of times in the past couple of weeks and this week I’ll be doubling the recipe because there’s never enough!
Ingredients:
1/3 tbsp. evoo
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/2 c. red onion, chopped
16 oz. lean ground turkey
1 t. Mrs. Dash Chicken Grilling Blend
Preparation:
Heat evoo in a skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion and saute until onion is tender. Add turkey and Mrs. Dash and cook until turkey is evenly browned. I like to eat mine over 2 cups of raw spinach drizzled with a little lemon juice and Sriracha. That’s it, dinner in under 15 minutes.
Macros per one of two servings for just the turkey: 359k cals, 16.4g fat (2.3g sat, 0g poly, 0g mono), 5.8g carbs (.7g fiber, 0g sugar), 48.5g protein, 171.2mg sodium, 10mg potassium
References:
Fadi Malouf – Personal Trainer
Turkey Burger Sliders
Who Says Burgers Aren’t Healthy?
Turkey Burger Sliders
Turkey Burger Slider
Per my usual, when I have a free moment, I find myself scrolling through pictures of food. I do this more than I’d like to admit, because honestly, I do it even when I don’t have a free moment and I should really be doing something else. So the other day I came across a beautiful photo of a burger on a sweet potato “bun” and decided I must have them NOW. You can find the original recipe for the burgers here, but of course, I changed it up a bit. And let me tell you, these burgers rocked!! I ate three. Only one of those was with the “bun” because I was at my carb limit for the day, but they are so good even without the sweet potato. I topped mine with a dab of mustard and a couple of spinach leaves. The end result is a ton of flavor and not a lot of fat or calories.
Ingredients:
1 tbsp. egg whites
1/2 c. red onion, chopped
1/3 c. quick oats
1/2 tsp. garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. pink himalayan salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
3 tsp. dried sage
3 tsp. dried oregano
3 tsp. dried basil
1 lb. organic ground turkey
Preparation:
In a large bowl, lightly beat egg whites. Add all ingredients except turkey and mix well. Add turkey and mash with hands until well combined. Divide into 16 small patties and grill over medium heat for several minutes each side. Internal temperature should be 165 degrees fahrenheit.
Macros per one out of 16 for just the burger: 50k cals, 2.2g fat (.5g sat, .1g poly), 1.9g carbs (.5g fiber, .3g sugar), 5.7g protein, 21.2mg cholesterol, 46.6mg sodium, 9.3mg potassium
References:
Fadi Malouf – Personal Trainer
