RECIPES Archives • Page 44 of 68 • New Nostalgia

Brunch/ RECIPES

5 Ingredient Soft Granola Banana Bites

My friend, Carma, Mission B Fit, posted this recipe a few months ago and it is something we make on a regular basis here at our house.

Why?

~I always have the ingredients on hand
~They are easy!
~They are healthy—bananas and oats!!
~They have no added sugar
~They are not overly sweet
~They fill little tummies
~The are great for snacks, breakfast and packed in lunches
~They make our home smell like I’ve been baking banana bread all day
~My kids beg me for them

5 Ingredient Soft Granola Banana Bites
(inspired by Banana Cookies @ MissionBFit)

3 ripe bananas
2 cups rolled oats
1/3 cup oil (I use 1/4 c. coconut oil plus water to make 1/3 c.)
1 cup dried cranberries (or dates or raisins)
1 tsp vanilla
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Optional ingredients:
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup chocolate chips or nuts in place of 1/2 cup of the cranberries

The Directions:
Mash bananas
Stir in oil & vanilla
Add oats, cranberries and optional ingredients.Let the mixture sit for 10 minutes, this softens the oats.
Drop by teaspoon on to ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes.

*The cookies will get slightly brown on top and will harden up like chewy soft granola bars when they cool. Don’t over bake!

Brunch/ Healthy Eating/ RECIPES

My Favorite Go To Breakfast

I’m a BIG breakfast eater. I’m not one that can skip breakfast, especially eating a plant-based diet. As you know, I love my oats. Lately, I have been LOVING the ease of Frozen Breakfast Oatmeal Pucks. I am out right now, and definitely notice it! It is so easy to just throw a puck in the microwave, heat, then add a bit of frozen berries on top, stir and EAT! I sometimes add a splash of almond milk, but most of the time it is not needed. Whole grain toast with Earth Balance spread, a banana and locally roasted, organic coffee makes this breakfast perfection in my mind.

Another fav of mine is Coconut Milk Vanilla Creamer. Oh. My. YUM! It turns my coffee into vanilla creaminess without the yucky additives of most creamers.

If I am in a huge hurry, I will just grab a mason jar, add raw oats and frozen berries, add almond milk and stir. Put on lid. Grab banana. By the time I am ready to eat (usually in the car!:)) the berries have thawed just enough and the oats are softened just enough. It really is GOOD! I will add some raw, organic agave or pure maple syrup for sweetness if needed. This method leaves no excuses for skipped breakfast!

What is your favorite go-to breakfast?

Do you love oats as much as I do??

RECIPES/ Sweets

Perfect Pumpkin Pie (a secret ingredient!)

We have the best neighbors, for many reasons. One being, they bring homemade goodies over occasionally. This recipe for Perfect Pumpkin Pie IS perfect. Our neighbors made it for us and after one bite I knew I had to have the recipe. I like pumpkin pie, but this pie…I LOVED! I even hid the last couple pieces and had one for breakfast. {sneaky grin.}

I eat a high-plant, low sugar diet, so it takes a very special recipe to get me to cheat. This recipe did just that! It is only for special occasions, but hey, it DOES have pumpkin in it. A plant!! 😉

The secret ingredient is molasses. I knew there was something special in it, that made it extra good… I kept thinking brown sugar, because of the depth of almost caramel-like flavor. The spices are just perfect… I do not like an over-spiced pie. The heavy cream is another key ingredient, it makes this pie super divine.

Ancestral Pumpkin Pie
{This recipe is from Open Harvest Cookbook. Nancy Sauer’s great-aunt’s recipe, handed down via grandmother and mother.}

2 eggs, beaten
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 (15 ounce) can of pumpkin puree (or 11/2 cups homemade pumpkin puree, see below)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons molasses

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Have pie crust for 9-inch deep-dish pie ready. Mix all ingredients together and beat until smooth. Pour into waiting pie crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then turn oven down to 350 degrees for 45 minutes. It is done when you can insert a knife into the center and it comes out clean. After cooling, store in the refrigerator.

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How to Bake Pumpkin
Cooked pumpkin can be used in many pumpkin foods besides pie, such as cakes, breads, muffins, puddings or even ice cream.

Select a variety of pumpkins for pies. (I like small sugar pumpkins) Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut pumpkin in half horizontally. scoop out seeds. Select a baking dish with sides. Place pumpkin cut-side down in baking dish. Pour in water to fill about an inch high. Bake until a fork can easily be poked in the pumpkin. A 41/2 pound pumpkin will take about 11/2 hours. Drain. Cool before processing. Yields: 4 cups.

{For Your Pinning Pleasure}

Blueberry Banana Chia Oat Smoothie

I’m sipping on this hearty, filling, textured smoothie as I type away at this post. It is yummy! It is breakfast in a cup, which was perfect for me this morning. I’ve been carrying it around, sipping as I get stuff done around here.

I often use my Everyday Green Smoothie as a perfect base for adding whatever else to my smoothies. Usually it is frozen berries, but today I wanted the extra heartiness of oats. I also decided to throw some blueberries in there, which made it a pretty purple.

The oats make this a “textured smoothie” so if that is not appealing, skip the oats.

Blueberry Banana Chia Oat Smoothie

2 large handfuls of spinach (about 2 cups)

1 cup almond milk (or milk of choice-coconut, soy, dairy)

1 banana

1 scoop vanilla protein powder (I use Plant Fusion, see below)

1/3 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

1 cup ice

1/3 cup oats (optional)

2 tbls chia seeds (optional)

Place spinach, almond milk, banana, chia and protein powder in blender. Blend until smooth. You should see a cortex in the middle, if you don’t add a bit more milk until you do. When smooth, add oats, then ice. Blend a bit more. Pour and enjoy!

This smoothie contains at least 16 grams of fiber and lots of protein from the powder and spinach. It is also a good source of iron (spinach), potassium (banana), and antioxidants.

Chia Seeds

Love ’em. Why?

~the are jammed packed with protein and minerals and healthy fats and fiber

~they provide more plant based Omega 3’s than any other food, even FLAX

~they have 5 GRAMS of fiber PER TABLESPOON!

~they are flavorless and dissolve in juice, soups, stews, shakes etc..

~they are FILLING!

The protein powder I use is Plant Fusion Pea Protein Powder. It is vegan and is sweetened with stevia herb. No yucky artificial sweeteners. Love it!

Brunch/ HOME/ RECIPES/ Simplifying

Oatmeal Freezer Pucks

If you have read New Nostalgia for any length of time, you will know I am a huge oatmeal fan. I eat oats in some form every morning for breakfast, and usually end up snacking on another form of them during the day. I eat them raw, cooked, in smoothies, in breads, in cookies and muffins. I love my oats!

In the summer, my favorite fast breakfast is raw oats, almond milk, and frozen raspberries. I let it sit a couple minutes for the oats to soak and raspberries to thaw. It is a great on-the-go breakfast when thrown in a small mason jar. I sweeten it with date paste or maple syrup. Yum.

Now that it is getting chilly outside, I want the comfort of a warm porridge in the morning. I love steel cut oats and their slightly chewy texture, but did not like the amount of time they take to prepare in the mornings.

Enter Trader Joes.

I found already prepared steel cut oats in the freezer section of Trader Joes. I loved how they came, frozen in pucks and ready to heat. They had simple ingredients with no preservatives. I loved everything about them, especially that they spurred on the idea of this post!

The price at TJ’s is good, but I knew I could make them for much less money, and sugar. So I did!

I bought Bob Mills Steel Cut Oats. Any brand will do!

Prepare according to package directions. Let cool slightly. Pour into muffin tins. I did not grease mine, it was not necessary.

It made 6 large pucks and 12 small ones. I had a couple leftover servings in the pan and ate ’em up!

Here is how I placed them in the freezer. A simple cookie sheet in between the pans did the trick.

I froze them solid, then took out of the freezer. I filled my sink with an inch of warm water, let the bottoms of the pan soak in it for a couple minutes, then used a knife at the edge of each puck to pop them out. They came out very easily.

The small muffin pucks were the perfect size for my three lil’ muffin girls. They love helping themselves to a frozen oatmeal puck in the morning.

The larger size was perfect for me!

Keep in freezer bags, and pull out when needed. Microwave 2 minutes for large, 1 minute for small. Stir. Heat in additional increments of 30 seconds until heated through. Serve with maple syrup & cinnamon, and whatever toppings you prefer!

More Of My Oatmeal Loves:
Cinnamon Apple Cranberry Oatmeal
Cinnamon Maple Pumpkin Oatmeal
2 Minute Steel Cut Oats (another fast way to make them)
Oatmeal Whole Wheat Quick Bread
No Cook, Overnight Chia Oatmeal
Oatmeal Fully Loaded
Chewy Granola Bars/Best Chocolate “Candy Bar”

RECIPES/ Sweets

Kid Friendly Avocado Recipe Contest

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Avocados from Mexico for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Avocados are a pretty popular fruit (yes, they are a fruit!) here in our household, but most of the recipes I use them in, my kids don’t even know they are there!

I make my Avocado Green Smoothie Popsicles almost weekly, they have such a great, fruity, creamy lusciousness to them. Avocado’s are great for creating a smooth creaminess in many recipes, and are full of health benefits that are essential for child development and growth. Another recipe that my kids love is Chocolate-Avocado Mousse with Raspberries! This is a super rich, healthy and easy recipe to make.

Chocolate-Avocado Mousse with Raspberries

2 large ripe avocados
1/3 cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cupagave nectar, or honey
11/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoons almond extract
Raspberries, fresh or frozen, to top

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1. Halve and pit the avocados and scoop out the flesh. Transfer the avocado flesh to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Using a spoon, break up the avocado a little in the food processor.
2. Add the cocoa powder, agave nectar (or honey), vanilla extract, and almost extract to the processor and process for 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and then process again until the mousse is very smooth, 1-2 minutes longer.
3. Taste the mousse and if not sweet enough, add more nectar, 1 teaspoon at a time. Pulse to mix.
4. Spoon the mousse into serving vessels (martini glasses are pretty!) and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour and up to 8 hours.
5. Serve the mousse chilled and garnished with raspberries.

**Drizzle in more or less agave or honey, depending on your tastes.
Avocados have potassium, folate, fiber, Vitamin C, E and B-complex vitamins that support memory and brain function, which make them a great choice for both kids and adults. You get all this in the above recipe, and your chocolate fix, too! You would never have guessed that avocados were used to thicken the mousse and that it would make it so creamy and delicious! This mouse is vegan, and is super healthful: no eggs, no dairy, and no refined sugars. Cocoa powder and raspberries both have antioxidants in them. Just one ounce of dark chocolate packs as many antioxidants as a glass of red wine. Buy natural cocoa powder with a minimum of 70% cocoa. Avoid anything that says “dutch processed” or “processed with alkali” in order to keep the good flavonoids found in chocolate.
This mousse takes just minutes to prepare. No cooking or baking!

I serve this to my kids smeared on graham crackers. They think it is frosting!:)

I recently heard of a fun way to help kids fall in love with avocados. It is a contest called “The Avocado’s From Mexico Mini Chef Video Contest!”

Mini Chef Video Contest

Starting November 14th, Avocados from Mexico is hosting a video contest for parents of children ages 5-15. Submit a 1-3 minute video of your child/children preparing an avocado dish and be sure to have them include why they love avocados and the catchy Avocados from Mexico jingle found on their website. Videos will be judged on the Mini Chef’s personality and the presence of avocado.

One grand prize winner gets $1,000 in cash plus an HD Camcorder (for future home videos!), a Nintendo 3D, 2 games and a personalized Mini Chef jacket. Nine runners up win big too with an HD Camcorder, a Nintendo 3D and a personalized Mini Chef jacket. Tons of great prizes and tons of chances to win – what’s not to love?

Get your video in by December 4th and check back on December 6th to see if your video is one of 10 finalists. Public voting will take place on YouTube December 6-11. The video with the most Likes wins and will be posted on the website December 12th.

Let me know in the comments if you are planning on entering! Would love to see what your little munchkins come up with!

FUN/DIY/ Homemade Gifts/ RECIPES/ Sides

Harry & David Onion Pepper Relish Knockoff

{this is a repost, hope you enjoy seeing it again!}

I am a huge fan of Harry & David’s Onion Pepper Relish, (just not a fan of the price!) so when I saw a recipe for it at Skip To My Lou, I knew I had to try it! Oh boy, am I glad I did. I could not believe how similar it tasted to Harry & David’s, I actually think it is slightly better! It is sweet relish with a bit of a spicy bite. I served it to a group of my girlfriends last night and it got rave reviews!

Onion Pepper Relish

36 oz canned diced tomatoes, drained (I used 2 1/2 14.5 oz cans)

3 bell peppers, seeds and ribs removed (I used one green, one yellow, and one orange)

3 cups sugar (I used pure cane sugar called Rapadura, it keeps your blood sugar levels from spiking!)

1 Tablespoon salt

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

3 jalapeno peppers, seeds and ribs removed

11/2 medium onions

1 cup white vinegar

1 small box powdered pectin (1.75 oz, found in canning supplies of most stores)

Chop all vegetables. This is the hardest part of the whole recipe, the rest is a breeze. A food processor makes the chopping go much quicker.

Mix everything together, except for pectin, in a large pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for about one hour. Add the pectin and let boil for 1 minute.

Pour relish into half pint jars, leaving about 1/2 inch room. Store in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks, or freeze for up to 2 months. Or, if you are into canning, this would be the ideal recipe!

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I love to serve it dumped over a block of cream cheese surrounded by pita chips or crackers. You can also mix the cream cheese and relish together to make a creamy dip.

This would make a great gift, just attach a tag with serving directions on it.

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