Toasty & Nutty Snack-Bars

Nutrition fact- Always include some protein and fats when eating carbohydrates! This method helps to regulate blood sugar and will keep you full for longer.

Sweet, salty, nutty, tasty… Couldn’t be more delicious! These bars also happen to be gluten-free, egg-free and dairy free. Oh Joy!

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes

Ingredients
Dry

• 1 1/4 cup blanched almond flour
• 1/4 cup quick oats
• 1/4 teaspoon celtic sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

Wet

• 1/4 cup organic tea seed oil or organic grapeseed oil
• 2 Tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Additions

• 1/2 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/4 cup raisins

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350F degrees
2. Mix almond flour, baking soda, sea salt and oats together in a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, mix wet ingredients
4. Combine wet and dry ingredients together
5. Add pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and raisins to the mixture. Mix until well incorporated
6. Oil an 8×8 inch baking dish with tea seed oil. Bake form 20 minutes. Let cool.

Makes 6-8 bars

Adapted from http://www.elanaspantry.com/breakfast-bars/

Fall-Spiced Homemade Granola With Quinoa

Granola has the potential to become a healthy snack. By this I mean that there are healthy versions of granola and there are unhealthy versions of granola. Let’s start by describing what to look for when you purchase granola. As with any packaged product or any product you buy in the “bulk” section of your local health food store, you want to look at the ingredient list.

Ingredients to avoid

• Unnatural sweeteners– eg. cane sugar, agave
• Low-quality cooking oils: eg. canola oil, safflower oil
• Food additives: eg. corn starch

You also want to look for a nice variety of ingredients. Instead of choosing a granola that is primarily made up of carbohydrates (oats, sugar, dried fruit), you can choose a granola that has a nice mix of carbohydrates, protein and fats (grains, nuts, seeds, dried fruit). This is an important differentiation because it drastically lowers the sugar content and increases the nutrient intake.

Fall-Spiced Homemade Granola With Quinoa

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

Yield: 3 cups

Ingredients

Dry

•  2 Tablespoons Flaxseeds
•  1 cup Quinoa
• 1/2 cup Cashews, chopped in half
• 1/2 cup Almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup Pumpkin seeds
• 1/2 cup Sunflower Seeds
• 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Nutmeg
• pinch of Cloves (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt
• 3 dried figs, chopped

Wet

• 1/2 teaspoon alcohol-free vanilla extract
• 3 Tablespoons honey
• 1 Tablespoon maple syrup

Directions

1. Turn oven on to 375 degrees F. Cover a large baking tray with parchment paper.
2. Grind flaxseeds in a spice grinder, blender or coffee grinder.
3. Combine ground flaxseeds and dried figs with the rest of the dry ingredients in a medium size mixing bowl.
4. Heat a small saucepan, add the wet ingredients and whisk together. Pour the wet ingredients over dry ingredients and whisk until fully incorporated.
5. Spread mixture out evenly on baking tray. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove from oven to flip granola then spread out evenly again. Place in oven for another 7-10 minutes or until toasted.

Note: Make sure to check the granola so that it does not burn! It will be fragrant and look lightly toasted.

7. Remove from oven to let cool. Add dried figs. Store in a glass jar for up to a week.

Tips for saving $$

• Buy ingredients from the “bulk” section of your local health-food store. You can buy exactly the amount you need and it is WAY cheaper.
• Buy a packet of mixed nuts instead of buying once packed of almonds and one packet of cashews. With mixed nuts you have to make sure they are raw, unsalted and that there is no cooking oil added.

 

Healthy Fats & Cooking Oils

Contrary to popular belief, fats are good for you. They are not only good for you, they are an essential component of your diet. Fats protect vital organs and hold them in place. In addition, they are necessary for the absorption of the fat-soluble vitamins; A,D,E and K.

Here is a list of healthy fats to incorporate into your diet:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Avocado
• Fat from quality animal products: cheese, butter, milk, yogurt, eggs, omega-3 fats from salmon, fish-oil and cod-liver oil
• Healthy cooking oils (see list below)

In order to understand the difference between a healthy fat and an unhealthy fat, it is important to understand factors that can ruin a fat molecule. Namely, heat, air and/or light. For this reason, it is best to store fats in a sealed container either in your refrigerator or in a dark space that is at or below room temperature.

Fat that is found in packaged food products has been exposed to extreme heat temperatures thus, making it very dangerous to consume. Consuming damaged fat molecules is very dangerous for one’s health because the body is unable to identify the fat molecule. A great example is the result of filling up your car with vegetable oil instead of gasoline. You are bound to experience some complications and your car won’t function the way it is supposed to.

Many health problems can be related to excessive and poor-quality fat intake including heart disease and cancer. Traditional fats that were used for cooking provided health benefits whereas fats that are used today in packaged products lead to health diseases.

Cooking oils: Oil is the liquid form of fat. The healthiest fats to cook with are solid at room temperature. These include:

• Coconut oil
• Butter or ghee (clarified butter)
• Palm oil
• Tea seed oil
• Sesame oil: okay to use for stir-fry

It is best to use olive oil as a dressing or a finishing oil rather than a cooking oil.

Vegetable oils such as canola oil and sunflower oil are low quality oils that are best to avoid.

Remember, education is powerful. Resources to learn more:

• Fats the Heal Fats that Kill by Udo Erasmus
• Nourishing Traditions by Sally Fallon
• Healing with Whole Foods by Paul Pitchford
• Research by Weston A Price Foundation: http://www.westonaprice.org/

Got any questions? Please comment!