Cookie Cutter PB&J Bars

I've been putting some thought into what makes a good "kid-friendly" recipe... and I've come up with 3 major points:

1- It has to be hands on for the kids (i.e. not too many knives or too much heat)

2- The food has to be fun to look at (just like adults, kids eat first with their eyes)

3- It has to taste good (well yeah!)

My various no bake bars typically fit the #1 and #3 criteria... but since I usually just cut them into bars or shape them into balls, I had to think about how I could make them visually appealing for the kiddos.  I had just finished up making some homemade dog treats with the leftover spent grains from Sonny's beer brewing escapades this weekend... I had used a squirrel-shaped cookie cutter to make Buddy's dog treats.  So why not use a cookie cutter to make my bars more visually appearing for the kids??!!

And that's how I came up with the idea for my Sea Otter PB&J Bars... of course you can use  any cookie cutter or a variety of shapes depending on what the kids are into!

Now the recipes is not only tasty and easy with lots of kid-friendly steps, but now my bars are also super fun for kids (and adults) to eat!

Cookie Cutter PB&J Bars
1 cup old fashioned oats
1 1/2 cup prunes
1 cup peanuts
1/4 cup natural peanut butter
1Tb unsweetened almond milk

Pulse oats in food processor until finely ground.  Add prunes and peanuts and pulse until finely ground pieces form.  Add peanut butter and pulse for another 30-60 seconds until PB is well distributed.  Add just enough almond milk (1tb at a time) until mixture is sticky enough to form a ball.

Roll your "dough" out about 1/4-1/2 inch thick.  Use cookie cutter of choice to cut out fun, edible shapes.  Store your bars in the refrigerator for best results.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Bites

Just like most of my bar concoctions, this recipe is as easy as throwing a bunch of stuff in a food processor (or blender).  And this combination of ingredients sure as heck beats some of the sugar-packed granola bars on the market.  We get all the natural sweetness supplied by dried cherries and dates, without the need for any extra sweetener.

And not only is the taste of the chocolate-cherry combination magical, but there are some great health benefits behind my choice in ingredients as well... as if you could expect anything less ;)  These tasty little morsels can act as a great post workout refuel with the healthy carbohydrates supplied by the fruits and oats.  As far as the cherries... these tart, tasty little fruits have been found to contribute some incredible anti-inflammatory effects... great to aid in recovery of sore muscles and reduce oxidative stress after a tough workout.

But why stop with the cherries?  We've all heard that the polyphenols in chocolate provide some pretty great anti-oxidant properties.  But let's be honest, a chocolate bar (yes, even dark chocolate) is still candy.  By using pure unsweetened cocoa powder in this recipe, we are gaining all the benefits of the cocoa bean, but bypassing the extra sugar found in store bought chocolate products.

So, have you got 10 minutes?  Then, you have time to make your own energy bites!

Start by pulsing the oats, flax and cocoa powder in a food processor.  Then add in your cherries, dates, almonds, and vanilla.  Pulse until you have a fine mixture.  Add in your unsweetened almond milk, tablespoon at a time, until your mixture comes together and resembles the texture of cookie dough.

Next, just roll your mixture into balls- about the size of a rounded tablespoon.  I was able to get 24 balls out of my mixture by making them a 2-3 bite size (or one bite if your my husband).  Enjoy!


Chocolate Covered Cherry Bites
1 cup oats
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 cup sliced almonds
1 cup dried cherries
10 dates
1/2Tb vanilla extract
2-3 Tb unsweetened vanilla almond milk

1. Pulse the oats, flax and cocoa powder in a food processor.
2. Add in your cherries, dates, almonds, and vanilla.  Pulse until you have a fine mixture.
3. Add in your unsweetened almond milk, tablespoon at a time, until your mixture comes together and resembles the texture of cookie dough.
4. Roll mixture into balls, about the size of a rounded tablespoon in order to get 24 bites.
5. Store in an airtight container in a refrigerator.

Recipe Facts- Chocolate Covered Cherry Bites

Serves: 24.0
Portion Description: 1 Ball
Preparation Time: 10 minute(s)
Cooking Time: 0 minute(s)

Nutrition Facts per serving (26)g

Calories: 88.5

Total Fat 3.8g

  Saturated Fat 0.4g

Cholesterol 0mg

Sodium 3.7mg

Total Carb 12.2g

  Dietary Fiber 2.2g

  Sugars 6.9g

Protein 2.1g

Zucchini "Fries"

Warning... this recipe may have your kids requesting vegetables more.  Gasp... is it possible??!!  Remember, anything is possible, sometimes it just takes trying the same things a couple different ways until you get it to work!

First things first, get yourself two medium/large summer fresh zucchini.  Cut into French-fry shaped pieces.  Toss your zucchini "fries" in about 3/4 cup egg whites (I always keep cartons of egg whites in my fridge for stuff like this- easier than cracking and separating eggs). 

Have your kiddos help you with the next step- the more hands on stuff the kids can get involved with, the more willing they are to try the final product.  Have the lil guys help you combine bread crumbs, ground flaxseed, parmesan cheese, ground black pepper and Italian seasoning in a gallon size bag... or multiple gallon sized bags if you have multiple helpers :)  Close the bag and give it a little shake to combine the ingredients.  Then open again and drop about 5-8 zucchini fries in at a time. 

 

Seal the bag tightly and gently shake until each zucchini fry is well coated.  This is a very fun step for children... or 29 year old children at heart!

 

Lay out your coated zucchini fries so they are evenly spread across a prepared baking sheet.

 

 

Then bake in your preheated oven until golden brown and crunchy on the outside. 

 

 

And voila!  You can enjoy as is straight off the plate, or dip in warmed marinara sauce as your "ketchup." 

 

Zucchini "Fries"

2 medium/large zucchini

3/4 cup egg whites (or about 3 whole eggs slightly beaten)

1/4 cup bread crumbs

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

1/4 cup ground flaxseed

1 tsp Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

 

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Lightly coat baking sheet with non-stick spray

2. Slice each zucchini in half width wise, then slice in thin fry-shaped slices.

3. Toss zucchini in egg whites.

4. Combine remaining ingredients in gallon sized Ziploc bag and toss to coat. 

5. Add small amount zucchini to the bag at a time (about 5-8 "fries").  Seal the bag and toss until each piece is well coated.  Spread evenly on a baking sheet and lightly coat with non-stick spray (I prefer the olive oil spray for this). 

6. Bake in preheated oven until browned and crisp on the outside, about 20-30 minutes. 

7. Enjoy with warm marinara sauce if desired.







Summer Kale & Feta Frittata

One thing my clients hear again and again is to plan ahead!  I encourage everyone (including you) to think about meals and snacks ahead of time... even dietitians don't always make the best decisions when faced with a last minute choice :)

That being said, even the best intentions sometimes go awry- like the time you were going to make grilled chicken and vegetable kabobs but then 6pm rolls around and you realized you forgot to take the chicken out of the freezer to defrost.  This is the reason I encourage folks to keep backup ingredients on hand. 

Last night was one of those nights in the Davis household.  Starting a new business, while helping to plan a bridal shower, and getting ready for a big backing trip in Alaska is keeping me very busy and the day got away from me.  I still managed to fit in my workout, but needed to get something for dinner prepped quickly!  I had just received my Produce Box delivery yesterday and had some beautiful red kale and cute little fingerling potatoes.  So in enters one of my favorite back up meals... breakfast for dinner!

Preheat oven to 425 degrees and chop up potatoes in small 1/2 inch pieces until you have about a cup chopped.  Hint- the smaller pieces are cut, the faster you will have dinner on the table.  Lightly coat a pie plate with non-stick spray and toss potatoes in 1 Tb olive oil plus a pinch of salt and pepper.  Spread evenly in pie plate and let cook in hot oven for 15-20 minutes, until browned, stirring once. 

Meanwhile, sauté your kale (or any vegetable of your choice) in 2 Tb water and 1 tsp olive oil.  While kale is cooking, make your egg mixture: whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, feta and seasoning.  When kale is tender, but still bright green, mix into your egg mixture. 

 

 

Pour your mixture over the potatoes and pop back into the oven.  Cook for about 20 minutes.  While the frittata is cooking, make a simple side salad to balance out your meal.  When the eggs are set and the frittata is browned, you are ready to roll!

 

 

 

Plate your frittata with your salad (mine was simply bibb lettuce from The Produce Box, artichoke, carrots, olives, pumpkin seeds, and homemade vinaigrette). And dig in!

 

 

Even Buddy was trying to get some!  Typical Buddy...







 

Summer Kale & Feta Frittata

1 cup diced potato

1Tb olive oil

Pinch of salt and pepper

1 bunch red kale (or 2-3 cups chopped veggies of choice)

1tsp olive oil

2Tb water

6 whole eggs

3/4 cup egg whites (about 6 egg whites)

1/4 skim milk

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1tsp dried Italian seasoning

 

 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Lightly coat pie plate with non-stick spray.  Toss potatoes with olive oil and salt and pepper and spread in pie plate.  Cook for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are tender and browned.

2. Meanwhile, sauté kale with 1tsp olive oil and water until tender but still green.

3. Whisk together eggs, egg whites, milk, feta, black pepper and Italian seasoning.  Stir in eggs and pour over potatoes in pie plate.  Bake for about 20 minutes, or until frittata is set and browned. 

 

 

Makes 4 servings

Nutrition info per serving: 294 calories, 17gm fat, 6gm saturated fat, 14gm carbohydrate, 2gm fiber, 2gm sugar, 21gm protein

PB Banana Pre-Workout Shake

A question I get all the time- "what's the best thing to eat before a workout?"  There is no simple response to this- the "best" meal/snack depends on how much time remains before the workout, the type of workout, the person's personal preferences and what foods your stomach can handle before activity. 

In general, the closer to the workout you are, the lighter you want to go as far as your meal or snack.  If you are within 60-90 minutes, a liquid can be much easier to digest, decreasing the risk for GI upset at you get through your workout. 

If you are doing a cardio-based workout, you most definitely want to include adequate carbohydrate to top off your muscle glycogen (you wouldn't try to drive across the state on just fumes right?!)  Including a bit of lean protein supports maintenance/building of lean body mass.  Lastly, go low on the fat- fat slows gastric emptying, i.e. fat will keep the food in your stomach longer, increasing the chance for a "heavy" or full feeling during your activity. 

Since it had been quite a few hours since my last meal, I whipped up a quick shake to drink about an hour before my run this afternoon.  I used a powdered (defatted) peanut butter to still attain that wonderful peanut flavor, but without the filling fat.  A little cocoa powder and dash of cinnamon add a powerful antioxidant boost, plus some yummy flavor!

The lower fat content, and the liquid meal itself, kept me from feeling full during my run, and the extra boost of nutrition primed my legs to keep on moving :)

 

PB Banana Pre-Workout Shake

1 ripe banana
1/4 cup plain, fat free greek yogurt
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup water
2 Tb PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
1 Tb cocoa powder
Sprinkle of cinnamon

Blend all ingredients in a smoother- add ice to reach desired consistency. Enjoy!

Nutrition information: 220 calories, 4gm fat, 217mg sodium, 39gm carbohydrate, 8gm fiber, 18gm sugar (natural), 14gm protein