Strawberry Milk

 

My daughter has been talking about Valentine's Day ever since Christmas ended.  I like to stay ahead of the game and think up clean recipes and treats so the kids can still celebrate the upcoming fun, but not have all the sugar and processed junk that could be involved.  Here is our version of strawberry milk made processed free!  My kids love this and I don't feel guilty about this drink at all.  Plus, it's great that it's pink - perfect for Valentine's Day!

 

1/2 cup freeze dried strawberries

1 cup milk (use almond milk if you don't consume dairy)

10-15 drops liquid stevia (or to taste)

1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract

 

Pour all the ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.  You can pour it through a fine strainer to remove any little strawberry seeds if you want.  My kids didn't mind the seeds, but I did.  This makes one serving, but's its just as easy to double or triple the recipe.  Let the pink foods begin!

 

Chocolate Covered Strawberry Yogurt

This has to be one of the easiest and most satisfying yummies you could make.  I love Greek yogurt, but when you want something sweet, it does have to be doctored a bit.  This is where all those processed free tricks come into play.  One of my heroes, Dee McCaffrey, talks in her book about how she makes vanilla yogurt by adding pure vanilla extract and stevia to plain yogurt and voila, vanilla yogurt without the added sugar!  I've been doing this for years now and let me tell you, the yogurt combinations are endless. (Get her book, The Science of Skinny - life changing!)

I was inspired by the lovely treats associated with Valentines Day and thought this would be delicious.  And oh, how I love you chocolate and strawberries!  It's simple: make your homemade Greek vanilla yogurt to your taste (start with 4-5 drops of stevia and a 1/4 tsp. vanilla and add from there,) cut up strawberries, and dark chocolate chips.  That's it.  This comes together in no time!  You can also use grain-sweetened chips or carob chips if you prefer.   The mini chips are wonderful too!

Clean Oatmeal and Spelt Flour Chocolate Chip Cookies

I know this is a horribly long title for a cookie, but I didn't want to leave out any of it's virtues.  In fact there are more to share.  This cookie is also wheat free, dairy free, and egg free.  Now that would make for a really long title!  And even though it is processed free, it is NOT taste free.  In fact, this is my very favorite cookie - hands down!  I think it has every bit of flavor that a regular cookie has, but nothing bad that your body can't recognize.  Really, how many recipes can boast that?  If you love cookies, give this a try.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

1 1/4 cups whole spelt flour (sprouted spelt if you can find it)

1/4 cup oat bran (you can also use quick oats or regular oatmeal that is slightly ground in a food processor)

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup sucanat or coconut sugar

1/3 cup pure maple syrup

1/3 cup coconut oil, warmed to a liquid

1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 cup chocolate chips (I like dark chocolate, but you could also get grain-sweetened or carob chips)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the flour, oats, salt, baking powder, baking soda, and sucanat.  In a separate bowl, combine the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla.  Pour the wet ingredients into the flour mixture and stir until they are combined.  Stir in the chocolate chips and spoon about a 1/2 tablespoon size onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet.  I use a cookie scoop and make it about halfway full.  The cookies will spread, so make them pretty round - about 12 cookies will fit on the sheet.  Bake for 9 to 10 minutes.

 

 

 

These cookies will be a little delicate when you first take them out of the oven.  Let them cool on the baking sheet for a few minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.  They will seem overly soft, but will firm up once completely cool.  I always get about 2 dozen cookies from this recipe, but you could make them bigger and get less cookies overall - your call, just increase the baking time to 11 to 15 minutes. 

I think these would also be delicious with chopped walnuts.  If you want to add some, keep it anywhere from a 1/4 to 1/2 cup.  Make - bake - eat - you're welcome!

 

This was the flour I used.  I like it because it is sprouted which means more nutrition and will digest as an alkaline food rather than an acid.  And here is my kitchen.  I just loved that for one moment it was clean with freshly baked cookies - all was right with the world!

 

 

 

Bacon Balsamic Brussels Sprouts

I got the idea for this recipe from my sister.  I'm not sure where she found it, but I decided it was worth taking the time to make processed free.  My family loved it!  This has been the tastiest Brussels sprout recipe I've ever had.  I think this little veggie might make the regular rotation cut!

4 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 1/2 lbs. Brussels sprouts
1 tsp. sea salt
4 oz. uncooked bacon, chopped
1 large (or 2 small) shallot, finely diced
1 clove minced garlic
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup chicken stock

Trim the ends off the Brussels sprouts and cut them in half.  Heat a large pan over medium heat with the coconut oil and add the Brussels sprouts.  Season with the sea salt and a little pepper.  Allow them to brown on both sides for a few minutes.  Here you can do one of two things.  You can either remove the sprouts from the pan and cook the bacon before adding them back in, or you can just add the bacon to the pan without taking out the sprouts and cook it that way.  The only difference is that your bacon will be a little softer and not as crisp if you leave the sprouts in.  It's up to your personal preference on crispiness.  Add the chopped shallot and garlic and let the cook until the shallot is translucent.  Add the balsamic vinegar and chicken stock and cook for a few minutes until they are a glaze.  Serve hot!

If you don't eat meat, you could still make these with vegetable stock and maybe a little liquid smoke.  I like the bacon because they just seem like a match made in heaven!

Chocolate Covered Bananas

 

Okay, these have got to be one of the easiest things in the world to make, especially with kids, and such a fun result.  All you need are bananas, melted dark chocolate (the darker the better), and chopped nuts of your choice.

 

 

Line a baking sheet or tray with wax paper and cut up the bananas into slices - as thick as you want.  I even let the kids to this with a plastic knife.  Dip them in the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with nuts.  My kids like cashews and almonds the best, but any kind of nut would taste great. (I usually melt my chocolate by cutting it into small pieces and microwaving it at 30 second intervals while stirring in between until fully smooth - don't go too long or it will burn)

 

Place the finished tray in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.  Then you are ready to pop these in your mouth for a snack or quick dessert.  So fast and so satisfying.  My kids go nuts over these and they are so quick and easy to make that I basically can say "yes" whenever they want to make them.  And truth be told, I've even started to just spoon chocolate over the tops and not even worry about picking them up to get the bottoms covered.  It's even faster and tastes just the same!

Clean Caramel Sauce

 

I once thought that eating processed free meant some foods would just be off limits - like caramel sauce.  It's basically melted sugar, right?  But, here is where swapping in a smart and healthy way can allow you to eat almost anything.  Let me just tell you how great this caramel sauce is.  It's smooth, rich, and tastes just as good or better than a traditional caramel.  The recipe is also fast and easy too! 

 

1 cup coconut sugar or sucanat

1/2 cup half and half

4 Tbsp. butter

pinch of salt

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

 

Pour the coconut sugar/sucanat, half and half, butter and salt into a saucepan and heat on medium low.  Whisk for about 5 to 7 minutes until everything is combined and starts to thicken - it will be bubbly. 

Add the vanilla and cook one more minute.  Take the pan off the heat and let it cool a little.  You can use it warm or store it in an air tight container and store it in the refrigerator. 

This tastes great even cold - promise!  Now you can have caramel on anything you want.  I like it on a clean ice cream (here's mine) or one of my new favorites, salted caramel brownies.  Just make some clean brownies (here's mine), drizzle the top with the caramel sauce, and sprinkle course sea salt on top - amazing!!

 

Vegetable Parmesan

 

 

Are you looking for recipes that include more veggies? I'm always on the lookout to bump up this important food group in my families meals.  This vegetable parmesan is meatless and stars plenty of vegetables with a terrific Italian flavor profile.  I got the basic recipe from Giada and changed just a few ingredients to make this perfectly processed free and delicious!

 

Coconut oil

Sea salt and pepper

1 medium eggplant

2 fennel bulbs

3 bell pepper (preferably all different colors)

1 (26 oz.) jar marinara sauce (no sugar added)

3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup freshly grated parmesan

1/2 cup whole wheat panko or whole wheat bread crumbs

 

Slice the eggplant and fennel into 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick slices.  You may want to discard a few of the outside layers of the fennel bulbs to make them more tender.  Cut the peppers into flat strips.  Don't they all look beautiful? 

 

Now you will do one of two things.  You can either grill all the vegetables or bake them in the oven.  I chose to grill mine like the original recipe.  You want to grease your grill or grill pan with coconut oil and season the vegetables with salt and pepper.  Grill them for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side or until they have softened.  If you don't want to grill them, put them in a baking dish at 375 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes or until soft.  Don't forget to still season them.  I like the flavor that grilling them offers, but do whichever is easiest.

Just a quick note: you could always grill or bake these in advance and assemble the rest of the casserole later.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Now your ready to create the layers.  Spread 1/3 of the marinara in the bottom of a 9 X 13 inch baking dish that has already been greased with coconut oil.  Arrange a layer of eggplant slices and sprinkle 1 cup of mozzarella and 1/3 cup of parmesan over the top.  For the second layer, add the bell peppers, followed by another 1/3 of the marina, 1 cup of mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of parmesan.  For the last layer, add the fennel and top with the remaining sauce and cheeses.  To finish it, sprinkle on the bread crumbs.  You can drizzle a little olive oil on top too.  Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until the top is golden.  Cool for 10 minutes before serving.