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That’s It Fruit Snacks Review

May 11, 2013 by Annemarie 5 Comments

Have you ever found yourself scanning the grocery store shelves for something to appease a fussy child who’s “helping” you shop? My children are a little older now, but I remember those days when I’d have to plan distractions to get us through the aisles at the store. Sometimes they would beg for highly processed snacks, and I didn’t like giving in to those requests. Now, there’s a great option available at Whole Foods and other health food stores called That’s It. fruit bars. These dried fruit bars are made with non-GMO fruit only. That’s it – no fillers, oils, or anything else but fruit. This is a treat you can feel good about giving to your children.

Each That’s It. bar includes 2 full servings of fruit, making it a great choice for busy days or road trips. With three grams of fiber and a vegan, gluten-free ingredient list, these bars are a great healthy snack option. They use fruits that have low glycemic index levels, so they’re diabetic-friendly and they won’t cause a spike in blood sugar levels.

My family recently enjoyed several flavors of That’s It. bars. Our favorite flavor was cherry, followed closely by mango. These would be a great addition to school lunches for those days when you run out of fresh fruit. As much as I’d love to dehydrate my own fruit leather, I haven’t gotten to that level of DIY just yet. This is the type of product that I’m willing to pay a little extra for because it gives me the peace of mind that I’m feeding my family real, nutritious food when we’re on the road.

Check out the That’s It. website to find a store in your area that sells this product. You can also order them from That’s It.’s website or from Amazon. I’d love to hear about your experience with That’s It. bars if you’ve tried them before.

Disclaimer: I received a package of That’s It. Bars for review, but the opinions expressed here are my own.

Filed Under: About Real Food, Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free Tagged With: bar, healthy, snack

Roasted Tomato Hummus

May 1, 2013 by Annemarie 2 Comments

Homemade hummus is one of the simplest healthy snacks to make. All you need is a food processor or blender and a handful of ingredients, and within minutes you can have a delicious dip for veggies or chips. Full of protein from the chickpeas, hummus also makes a great sandwich spread. As you may have noticed at your grocery store’s hummus shelf, you can flavor it in so many different ways. Add olives, scallions, carrots, red peppers, lemon juice, or anything else you would like in a savory dip.

Homemade hummus is also one of the most affordable snacks you can make. This 2-cup batch of hummus costs less than a dollar to make. This quantity would cost over five times as much at the store. I start with dried chickpeas because canned chickpeas cost 3 times more than dried chickpeas. I cook a whole bag of chickpeas and then freeze what I don’t need. That way, when I’m looking for a healthy, high-protein snack, I can defrost some chickpeas from my freezer and whip up a quick batch of hummus.

I use a small amount of roasted tomatoes to add a little extra color and flavor to my hummus. If you want a stronger tomato flavor, you can increase the quantity of tomatoes. This hummus may be just the thing you need to help your hesitant eater to enjoy some vegetables.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 tbs. sesame seeds
1 tbs. roasted tomatoes (or sundried tomatoes)
½ tsp. minced garlic (about ½ a small clove)
½ tsp. salt
¼ cup olive oil (and/or sesame oil if you want a stronger sesame taste)
1-2 tbs. water (or more as needed)

In a food processor or high-quality blender, combine all the ingredients except the water. Process until smooth, and add water 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a creamy consistency.
Store the hummus in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 2 cups (16 ounces) of hummus and it costs a total of $.93, or $.06 per serving (2 tablespoons). A 16-ounce container of Tribe Hummus at my grocery store costs $4.99, more than five times as much as my homemade version. Full of protein and flavor, homemade roasted tomato hummus is a delicious, healthy snack that your family will love.

Linking to Pennywise Platter.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: dairy free, gluten free, healthy, Recipe, snack, vegan

Coconut Apricot Energy Bites

April 26, 2013 by Annemarie 10 Comments

These coconut apricot energy bites are a delicious snack to grab when you’re on the go. One of my favorite store-bought snack bars used to be the Almond and Apricot Kind Bar. I loved the combination of apricots, almonds, and coconut. However, when I realized that those bars contained 12 ingredients including soy lecithin and other mysterious things I wouldn’t cook with at home, I stopped eating them. These energy bites replicate the flavor of those Kind bars without all the fillers.

Ingredients:
1 cup dried apricots (I use unsulfured apricots from Trader Joe’s)
¾ cup Medjool dates
¾ cup almonds
¾ cup unsweetened shredded coconut

In a food processor, combine all the ingredients and chop them until a paste is formed. Don’t chop them so much that you can’t see little bits of almonds.
Form 1-inch balls and refrigerate. They will be set in about an hour, but you can also eat them straight out of the food processor.
Store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Price Breakdown
The total cost of this recipe is $3.78, or $.21 per energy bite. These coconut apricot energy bites are a healthy mid-morning or after-school snack to help get you through to the next meal.

If you’re looking for other healthy snack ideas, see this post about saving money with homemade snacks. It’s amazing how much we can save by making things from scratch.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: dairy free, gluten free, healthy, Recipe, snack, vegan

Grown-Up Mascarpone S’mores

April 21, 2013 by Annemarie 30 Comments

This month’s Recipe Redux challenge invites members to create a hand-held dessert recipe destined to be the next big trend. I’m a dessert girl at heart, so I was happy to see this challenge. I think cupcakes are getting a bit overdone, so I decided to create a recipe that’s been on my to-do list for months. Last summer when I visited Hershey Park with my family, I was captivated by the “S’mores Cart” that sold several variations of s’mores using different Hershey candy products. This is genius because everyone loves s’mores, right? I sampled one of their creations, and while it was a yummy treat, I had to lie down shortly after eating it so my stomach could recover. The ingredients in that s’more were the opposite of nutritious, and in my sugar-induced stupor, I thought to myself, “There has to be a better way. . .”

I’m happy to report that there is a better way to eat a s’more. My version is made with whole grain, homemade graham crackers, homemade mascarpone cream, and homemade chocolate sauce. There isn’t a grain of refined sugar in these grown-up s’mores, but they’re rich and delicious. After you’ve tasted these, you’ll never look at a marshmallow s’more the same way again.

Ingredients for the Graham Crackers (adapted from Reini Days):
2¼ cups white whole wheat flour
¾ tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
½ cup melted butter
½ cup honey
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Ingredients for the Mascarpone Cream:
12 ounces mascarpone
1 tbs. honey

Ingredients for the Chocolate Sauce:
2 ounces chocolate (single ingredient) – I use Baker’s Unsweetened Chocolate
2 tsp. coconut oil
2 tbs. honey

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.
To make the graham crackers, mix together the dry ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
In a large bowl, stir together the butter, honey, and vanilla extract. Add the dry ingredients and mix until a ball forms.
Place the ball onto the cookie sheet. With a rolling pin, roll out the dough into a large rectangle about ¼-inch thick. Use a sharp knife or pizza cutter to cut the crackers into 2½-inch by 2½-inch squares. Pierce the tops of the crackers with a fork.
Bake for 10 minutes. If you’d like crispy crackers, turn off the oven after 10 minutes but leave the crackers in the oven with the door open for an additional 5 minutes. Keep an eye on them to make sure the edges don’t get too brown. When they’re out of the oven, re-cut the crackers and let them cool on a wire rack. (Note: This makes 18 crackers, but you’ll only need 12 for the s’mores recipe.)
To make the mascarpone cream, whip together the mascarpone and the honey in the bowl of a stand mixer. You may need to add a little milk or water if the mascarpone is too thick to yield a spreadable cream.
To make the chocolate sauce, melt the chocolate and coconut oil in a small saucepan. Stir in the honey.
Assemble the s’mores by placing a layer of chocolate sauce on 12 graham crackers. Add a layer of mascarpone cream (I use this fun frosting tool), and then drizzle more chocolate on top.

Price Breakdown
This batch of 12 s’mores costs a total of $5.79, or $.48 per s’more. The full batch of plain graham crackers costs $2.09, or $.12 per cracker. Delicious, grown-up mascarpone s’mores will impress your guests no matter what age they are.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: dessert, healthy, Recipe, snack

Cooking with Kids: Peanut Butter Granola

March 25, 2013 by Annemarie 2 Comments

This peanut butter granola has the flavor of a peanut butter cookie. It’s crunchy and sweet, and the apricots add the perfect fruity touch. This granola is a wonderful breakfast or mid-afternoon snack. I feel a little guilty when I eat this, even though I know it’s perfectly healthy for me. It’s that good.

If you’re looking for ways to get your children involved in the kitchen, homemade granola is a great place to start. Even young children can help measure and pour the ingredients. The proportions are forgiving, so measurements don’t need to be precise. Children can stir everything together and help press the mixture down in the baking pan. When it’s done cooking, they can help transfer the granola into a storage container. It’s great to sit back and watch your little chef take over the kitchen.

Ingredients:
3 cups rolled oats
1½ cups brown rice crisp cereal
1 cup unsweetened dried coconut
1 cup walnuts or almonds
⅓ cup maple syrup
½ cup coconut oil
2 tbs. peanut butter (single ingredient: peanuts)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
½ cup dried apricots, chopped

Preheat the oven to 275 degrees.
Mix the first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.
In a small bowl, mix the syrup, coconut oil, peanut butter, and vanilla.
Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir together.
Place the mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish and press down the granola evenly. Bake for about an hour or until it begins to brown.
Put it on a rack to cool, and let it cool completely before removing the granola. Stir in the apricots and store in an airtight container.

Price Breakdown
The total cost of this recipe is $4.91. It yields 8 cups of granola, or approximately 10 ¾-cup servings. This comes out to $.49 per serving, a great price for a healthy, high-protein breakfast.

What types of food do your children like to prepare or cook in your kitchen?

Linking to Pennywise Platter Thursday.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: breakfast, dairy free, gluten free, Recipe, snack, vegan, vegetarian

Savory Roasted Chickpeas

March 22, 2013 by Annemarie 10 Comments

Savory roasted chickpeas

These savory roasted chickpeas are an addictive, healthy snack. I’m always looking for different sources of protein to sustain me between meals, and chickpeas (or garbanzo beans) are perfect for this. A half cup of cooked chickpeas has almost 8 grams of protein, which is much higher than most snack foods. They are deliciously crunchy right out of the oven. The texture changes a bit if you store them, but you can get them crispy again by putting them under the broiler for a minute.

Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. smoked paprika
¼ tsp. chili powder
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Stir together the seasonings in a small bowl. Pour them over the chickpeas in a large bowl and stir to coat evenly.
Place the chickpeas in a single layer in a roasting pan or on a cookie sheet with sides.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.
These can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature.

Price Breakdown
I start with dried chickpeas, which are much cheaper than the canned version. They cost $.17 per cup when you start with dry beans, but they’re $.50 or more per cup when you buy the canned version. The total cost of this recipe is $.55, or $.18 per half-cup serving. These savory roasted chickpeas are a great healthy substitute for the empty carbs we often reach for between meals.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: dairy free, gluten free, healthy, snack, vegan, vegetarian

Five Minute Mango Smoothie

March 19, 2013 by Annemarie 8 Comments

This mango smoothie is a healthy drink that tastes like a treat. It’s delicious like a smoothie that’s full of ice cream, but it’s actually yogurt that gives it a thick, creamy consistency. My son has rejected many smoothies over the years, but he loves this one. The tropical flavor combination is wonderful, and it comes together in just a few minutes.

Ingredients:
1½ cups mango chunks
1 medium banana
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup milk
2 tbs. honey

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix until well-combined and smooth.
Taste it and adjust the flavors as needed. This is how I like it, but you might want more mango or more honey.

Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 2½ cups, and the total cost is $2.62. This comes out to $.87 per ¾ cup serving. My five minute smoothie is a delicious, filling drink that will help you maintain energy between meals.

Linking to Fat Tuesday.

Filed Under: Recipes Tagged With: gluten free, healthy, Recipe, snack

Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Bites

February 12, 2013 by Annemarie 15 Comments

These peanut butter cookie dough bites are a healthy, energy-boosting snack. You’ll be amazed at how simple they are to make. A combination of peanuts, dates, and chocolate, they come together in just a few minutes. They’re great for an after-school or post-workout snack. If you can resist eating the whole batch right away, you can store these in the refrigerator or on the counter if it’s not very warm in your house.

Ingredients:
½ ounce bittersweet baking chocolate (single ingredient: chocolate)
1 cup dates
½ cup peanuts
¼ cup unsweetened peanut butter (single ingredient: peanuts)

In a food processor, chop the chocolate into little bits. Remove them and set aside.
Add the remaining ingredients to the food processor and run it until a paste forms. Don’t puree the ingredients so much that you can’t see little bits of each ingredient.
Add in the chocolate and mix together for several seconds.
Form the dough into 1-inch balls.

Price Breakdown
This recipe makes 18 energy balls and the cost is $2.13, or $.12 each. These peanut butter cookie dough bites taste like a sinful treat, but they’re actually a healthy energy boost.

For other raw, energy-boosting treats, check out my Homemade Larabars and my Apple Pie Larabars.

Linking to Real Food Wednesday, Pennywise Platter Thursday, Fight Back Friday.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: dairy free, gluten free, real food, Recipe, snack, vegan

Chocolate Popcorn

February 11, 2013 by Annemarie 12 Comments

I often depend on popcorn when I want a quick, easy whole grain snack. It’s naturally gluten-free, and preparing it doesn’t require expensive ingredients. Plain popcorn with coconut oil and salt is simple and delicious, but I like to sometimes mix in different flavors. In the fall I posted a recipe for pumpkin popcorn and during the holidays I shared my maple gingerbread popcorn. Here in the dark days of winter, all I really want is chocolate. This chocolate popcorn is reminiscent of those chocolate cereals many of us enjoyed as children, and it satisfies the deepest chocolate cravings. But unlike chocolate sugar cereals, my recipe has no refined sugar and the list of ingredients is short and pronounceable.

Ingredients:
½ cup organic popcorn kernels
3 tbs. coconut oil
1 ounce bittersweet baking chocolate (single ingredient: chocolate)
3 tbs. maple syrup
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. cinnamon

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Pop the popcorn. I use this air popper, but you can use whatever method you like.
In a roasting pan or cookie sheet with sides, place the coconut oil, chocolate, maple syrup, salt, and cinnamon. Place the pan in the oven while it preheats and once everything is melted, stir to combine well.
Add the popcorn to the chocolate mixture and stir to coat evenly. Bake for 6 minutes, stirring every two minutes.
Cool on a wire rack.

Price Breakdown
This recipe yields 13 cups of chocolate popcorn. The total cost is $1.64, or $.26 per 2-cup serving. This popcorn is the perfect healthy chocolate indulgence.

Linking to Pennywise Platter Thursday, Fat Tuesday.

Filed Under: Gluten-Free/Dairy-Free, Recipes Tagged With: dairy free, dessert, gluten free, healthy, snack, vegan

Chocolate Raspberry Pinwheel Cookies

February 6, 2013 by Annemarie 11 Comments

These chocolate raspberry pinwheel cookies are a wonderful Valentine’s Day treat for the sweet people in your life. I’ve seen photos of pinwheel cookies like these, and I decided to make a version with chocolate and raspberry because they’re two of my favorite flavors. I love how pretty they look without any food coloring, as the raspberries add the perfect color and flavor. These delicious little morsels will be gobbled up quickly, so you may want to double the recipe.

Ingredients:
2 cups gluten free flour, divided
1 tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
1 egg
½ cup melted coconut oil or softened butter
2/3 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbs. cocoa powder
¾ cup raspberries, pureed (yields 1/3 cup raspberry puree)

In a small bowl, mix together 1½ cups flour, baking powder, and salt. (You’ll use the other ½ cup flour later.)
In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix together the egg, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
Add the flour mixture and mix to combine. Remove half the dough from the mixing bowl and set aside.
Add the cocoa powder and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix until you have a uniformly brown dough ball. It should be moist but not sticky, so add a little water or flour as needed. Place the chocolate dough in a covered container and refrigerate for an hour.
Clean the bowl and place the remaining dough in the bowl. Add the raspberry puree and the remaining ½ cup of flour. Mix until well combined. It should be moist but not sticky, so add a little flour or water as needed. Place the pink dough in an airtight container in the refrigerator for an hour.
When ready to bake, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll out each section of dough into a 7 x 11 inch rectangle (1/4 inch thick). Place the raspberry rectangle on top of the chocolate rectangle and roll it lengthways into the shape of a log.
Cut the dough into two pieces (keeping the log shape) and cover with plastic wrap. Freeze for 2 hours.
Slice the dough into 1/3 inch thick cookies and bake on a cookie sheet for 10 minutes. Cool completely on a wire rack.

Price Breakdown
This recipe yields about 30 cookies. The total cost is $5.84, or $.19 per cookie. Don’t eat all these chocolate raspberry pinwheel cookies yourself – you really should share some with your loved ones.