Tag: healthy snack idea

Week 41

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I took a stroll through my garden this morning to see how everything was doing, as we near fall and cooler temperatures approach. To my delightful surprise, I discovered quite a few strawberries in my little patch! I also found a lot of Cayenne peppers if anyone has some good ideas for those. My garden inspired this week’s healthy snack, Strawberry Oatmeal Bars. YUM!

For the Strawberry Bars:

  • 1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats
  • 3/4 cup whole wheat flour 
  • 1/3 cup light brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter or coconut oil – melted
  • 2 cups small-diced strawberries
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
  • 1 tablespoon  freshly squeezed lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon-ish of honey

For the Vanilla Glaze (optional, but huge yes)

  • 1/4 cup powdered sugar – sifted
  • 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1/2 tablespoon milk – any kind you like
  1. Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat to 375 degrees F. Line an 8×8-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the oats, flour, brown sugar, ginger, and salt. Pour in the melted coconut oil and stir until it forms clumps and the dry ingredients are evenly moistened. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumble mixture, then press the rest into an even layer in the bottom of the prepared pan.
  3. Scatter half of the strawberries over the crust. Sprinkle the cornstarch evenly over the top, then sprinkle on the lime juice and drizzle honey. Scatter on the remaining berries, then drizzle more honey. Sprinkle the reserved crumbs evenly over the top. You will have some fruit showing through.
  4. Bake the bars for 35 to 40 minutes, until the fruit is bubbly and the crumb topping smells toasty and looks golden. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely (you can speed this process along in the refrigerator).
  5. While the bars cool, prepare the glaze: In a small bowl, briskly whisk together the powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk until smooth. Feel free to add more milk if a thinner consistency is desired. Lift the bars from the pan. Drizzle with glaze, slice, and serve.

Week 30

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Since I have a never ending supply of zucchini at the moment, this week’s healthy snack is Baked Parmesan Zucchini Rounds.

They’re super easy to make. Slice about a 1/4″ thick, sprinkle with your favorite seasoning (I opted for garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper), and top with parmesan cheese. Bake at 425°F for 15 to 20 minutes.

Definitely something I will make again!

Week 27

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Kale, Zucchini, Quinoa Patties

I’m late on this one, needed some time to catch up on sleep after traveling. The zucchini and kale are from my garden. I chose to top one with pesto, one with sour cream, and one with parmesan cheese. Yum!

Please spam me with your zucchini recipes!!! I have so much.

Recipe

  • 2 and 2/3 cups cooked quinoa
  • 4 large eggs, beaten
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 teaspoon lemon pepper
  • 4 stems of kale, finely chopped
  • 1/2 small onion, finely chopped (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1/3 cup parmesan cheese
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup breadcrumbs
  • 1/2 cup grated zucchini 
  • 1 Tablespoon oil, plus more as needed

Instructions

  1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, salt, and any other seasonings in a large bowl. Stir in the kale, onion, cheese, and garlic. Stir in the bread crumbs and grated zucchini. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes so the crumbs absorb some of the moisture.
  2. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into 20 thick patties. You want the mixture moist, so the patties aren’t dry tasting. However, you want the mixture to hold together when cooking. You can add more bread crumbs to firm up the mixture, if needed. Alternatively, you can add a couple drops of water to moisten the mixture. *The uncooked quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days. Cover tightly and cook the patties when you have time.
  3. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat, add 5-6 patties, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes until the bottoms are deeply browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 5 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a large plate while you cook the remaining patties. Add more oil to the skillet if needed between each batch.
  4. Serve plain or in a pita, on a salad, on a sandwich, with sliced avocado, with hot sauce on top, etc etc. There are so many ways to enjoy them!

Week 25

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Week 25: Spiced Coconut Milk

1 cup coconut milk

1/2 tsp. Tumeric

1/2 tsp. Ginger

1/4 tsp. Cinnamon

Pinch of Nutmeg

Pinch of Cayenne

1 Tbsp. MCT oil

Drizzle of honey

Because sometimes you just need that warm embrace from a spiced nightcap.

Week 19

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Yay our stay-at-home order is done in Denver. I am happily ending the Coronavirus miniseries of shelf stable snack ideas, and for week 19, I made Mexican Quinoa bites.

They are so good and super versatile! Next time I’m definitely adding some spicy green chiles!!

Recipe

  • ¾ cups quinoa, cooked
  • 2 eggs, lightly beaten
  • 1 can (15 ounces) black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can (14.5 ounces) Diced Tomatoes, drained
  • 1 ¾ cups shredded cheese
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Spray mini muffin tins with cooking spray.
  2. In a large bowl, combine cooled quinoa, eggs, black beans, tomatoes, 1½ cups cheese, garlic, chili powder and cumin.
  3. Put a heaping tablespoonful of quinoa mixture into prepared muffin cups. Sprinkle tops with remaining shredded cheese.
  4. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until edges turn golden brown. Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes and then gently remove from pan.
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