Over the summer, I got a little spoiled being able to use popsicles as a bribing tool with my kids. I finally caved and bought the sugary, almost-neon ones and, consequently, created monsters out of my kids. The good kind of monsters, though. The ones that can be bribed and lured by sugary treats.
As much as I was loving my parenting with popsicles, I realized I really should have a better plan. And by plan, I mean adding trickery to the bribery. Continue reading
While the name, Frozen Hot Chocolate, really makes no sense, it still sounds delicious. In fact, Serendipity, a famous ice cream parlor in New York City, has made the name synonomous with heaven.
I hope you all will trust me on this one because I know how it is going to sound. Even if you don’t have an intolerance to dairy, this is worth trying because it’s definitely a heathier and more nutritious version of icing. Continue reading
I would normally never think to make my own doughnuts but this pan was half off in the checkout lane and I couldn’t resist. Continue reading
A while ago I shared a recipe for a dairy and gluten-free pudding. Continue reading
If you’re looking for the easiest way to pit a cherry and want a yummy, healthy cherry treat, you are in luck. Continue reading
I love this recipe for chocolate pudding. I like that it is dairy-free and lacking all the preservatives and colorings that you find in boxed pudding, but it is also gluten-free which is just a bonus for some people. With a couple family members that cannot eat dairy or gluten, I’m trying to learn as many good recipes as I can so they don’t starve when they come over! Also, if you use Stevia instead of sugar, it is sugar-free, too. Woah. Despite all the “frees”, it really is delicious.
I first saw this recipe on A Beautiful Mess, but I had to play around with it to get it exactly how I (and my kids) like it, which is a little sweeter. Here’s what I came up with.
Simple ingredients:
1 ripe avacado
1/2 cup almond milk (I like vanilla but you can use unsweetened or even chocolate)
1/4 cup stevia or sugar
3 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 frozen banana
1/4 cup frozen mixed berries
This is a great opportunity to add some chia seeds for added nutrients since they will blend right in and won’t affect the taste.
Since everyone’s tastes are a little different, you kind of have to play around a little bit to get it how you like it. For example, I love the taste of banana in anything. If you don’t, just omit the banana and use another fruit. The fruit will add extra sweetness and thickness which is important because unsweetened carob can be a little bitter. Don’t go heavy on the carob.
Peel and pit your avocado and place into a food processor (or blender). Add in the carob powder, vanilla, milk, sweetener, and frozen fruit. Blend until smooth. You may need to add a little extra milk or fruit in order to get the consistency you like.
Place in your desired cups and put in fridge to chill.
Serve chilled.
Just a little hint. If you’re serving this to your family, call it pudding to your kids but when you serve your husband, call it a chocolate mousse. You’ll get a better reaction 🙂
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If you are looking for a dish to bring to a cookout this Memorial Day or just a fresh, healthy (and low calorie) treat, this mango spring salsa is amazing!
I actually found the recipe in a mailing from Kroger. It looked so good, I had to try it.
And since it was so good, I had to share it.
What you will need:
1/2 cup mango, diced
1/2 cup (each) green and yellow peppers, diced
1/2 cup tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup corn (canned or fresh)
1/2 up canned black beans, drained and rinsed
4 tsp. jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbsp. red onion, chopped
Juice of 1 fresh lime
1 1/2 tsp, sugar
1/4 tsp. salt
Combine all ingredients and mix thoroughly. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
This salsa is great with chips.
But I also spread it over a chicken breast and it was wonderful.
This would also be great with pita chips or over fish. It has the most refreshing taste and is perfect for the upcoming spring and summer.
I actually had two batches going because I wanted to experiment with a couple different ingredients.
All I can say is this recipe is perfect just as it is!
Enjoy!
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I’ve noticed that we have become a little reliant on granola and other fruit bars for our kids when we are out and about. They are easy and convenient but I know they are full of sugar and really have no nutrients.
I decided to try these no-bake energy bites and see how they went over at our house.
You can swap out any ingredients you like, but here is what I used.
1 cup oats
3/4 cup almond butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup ground flax seeds
1/3 cup shredded coconut
When you look at the list this way, you realize how great these things are:
1 cup soluable fiber, dietary fiber, and protein (oats)
3/4 cup vitamin E, fiber, and protein (almond butter)
1/2 cup natural sweetener (honey)
1/2 cup antioxidants (raisins)
1/4 cup fiber, omega-3 essential fatty acids, protein, and calcium (chia seeds)
1/4 cup omega-3 essential fatty acids and lignans (flax seeds)
1/3 cup fiber (coconut)
A less expensive way to make these is to buy exactly what you need from the bulk section at Whole Foods. It is much cheaper than buying a whole bag of each ingredient.
I love how easy these are! Just take all of your ingredients and put them into a bowl and mix together well.
Place mixture in the refrigerator for an hour or so to harden a bit. Then you can take it out and break into small sections on a cookie sheet and put back in the refrigerator for another hour or two. These will last about a week in an airtight container in the fridge.
Many recipes suggest making balls, which is fine.
I decided to make sticks because I felt it would be an easier, less-messy way for small mouths to eat them.
The only downside to this is that they end up looking like cat turds. So if you have kids ages five and older, get ready for a morning full of poop jokes!
Once you get past that….enjoy!
If you are avoiding dairy or just looking for a healthier version of ice cream, you will love this recipe.
It is so easy and tastes amazing. Plus, it has no dairy, added sugar, or weird ingredients.
All you need are:
2 (frozen) bananas
1 tablespoon almond or peanut butter
1 teaspoon cocoa powder
3-4 tablespoons almond milk.
For a low-fat version, just omit the almond butter.
First you will want to slice up some bananas and put them into a freezer bag.
Be sure to separate the pieces so they freeze flat. Otherwise you can get a big clump of banana slices when they all freeze together.
This is a nice way to save a bunch of bananas that aren’t going to make it much longer.
Slice them up and freeze them so you have them ready when you get a sweet craving. You can freeze them in single serving bags to make it easier. I usually do two bananas per bag.
When you are ready, pour a bag of your frozen bananas, carob powder, almond butter and almond milk into a food processor.
Blend for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and you are done. If you want more of a milkshake consistency, just add more almond milk.
I love this treat because kids think they are getting a sweet dessert but it’s actually all good stuff!
You can also do this with frozen strawberries for a version of strawberry ice cream. I’d love to hear your variations on this. I’m sure there are a ton!
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Maggie May's 