Tag: organic food

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.

Combo Week!

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28 – From The Garden – 29

For week 28 I made pickles! I made 3 different batches, one with regular white sugar, one with coconut sugar, and one with honey 🍯 So far our favorite is the coconut sugar! It’s surprisingly the most spicy, I added jalapeños to all three. I had to give these at least a week and make sure these sugar substitutes still tasted okay before I recommended them to y’all! 🙃

Refridgerator Pickles Recipe from one of my best friend’s mom. (shout out to Kyle Eckroth’s Mom!!)

  • 4 to 6 cups sliced cucumbers
  • 1/2 cup sliced onions
  • 3 to 4 sliced jalapenos
  • 4 to 6 cloves garlic
  • 1 cup sugar (white, coconut, or 1/2 cup honey)
  • 1/4 cup vinegar
  • 1/2 tsp. celery seed
  • 1 Tbsp. canning salt

Put together in a glass bowl, stir, and put in refrigerator. Stir occasionally for half a day, they’re good for 3 to 4 months.

Week 29 is Zucchini Bread! I used whole wheat flour, coconut sugar as healthier substitutes, and opted in for some crushed walnuts. Yum!

Zucchini Bread Recipe

  • 1.5 cups whole wheat flour
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1.5 eggs
  • 1/2 cup oil
  • 1 cup coconut sugar
  • 1.5 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 cup grated zucchini
  • 2/3 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
  1. grease and flour one loaf pan. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F
  2. Mix flour, salt, baking powder, soda, and cinnamon together in a bowl.
  3. Beat eggs, oil, vanilla, and sugar in a large bowl. Add dry ingredients to creamed mixture, beat well. Stir in zucchini and nuts until well combined. Pour batter into prepared pan.
  4. Bake for 40 to 60 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan on rack for 20 minutes before removing bread. Enjoy!

Makes 12 servings = 1 loaf pan