Dark leafy greens are so wonderfully healthy that I try hard to incorporate a good amount of greens into our daily diet. I find myself adding them to just about everything: smoothies, eggs, ice pops, fruit leather, stir fries, casseroles, and so on. But sometimes greens deserve the spotlight all on their own, especially when they’re in season and especially delicious.… Continue reading
paleo
Grain-Free, Fruit-Sweetened Cinnamon Apple Cake
Yesterday my 6-year-old realized that he could read the word “cake.” (Yes, we’re still at the point where he’s very excited whenever he can read a new word.) He asked if we could make a cake to celebrate. How can I say no to that?
So I pulled out a recipe that I enjoyed a while back from Elana’s Pantry, and modified it a bit, including changing the sweetener to dates in place of the agave.… Continue reading
No Bake Healthy Carob Fudge (Vegan, Paleo, GAPS)
I was recently looking for a variation on the typical fruit and nut bars we keep around for quick afternoon treats. I remembered making this recipe that I last made years ago, and decided to pull it out again to see how my boys liked it. They both loved it, and it’ll likely make its way into our regular rotation again.… Continue reading
Grain-Free Peanut Butter Cookies
Peanut Butter Cookies on a dreary, rainy day? Yes, please! When my 6-year-old suggested making cookies today, so we would have a treat to share with our visiting friends (and a treat for himself!), it sounded like a delicious idea. I modified my Almond Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies recipe (see HERE) to make a batch of Peanut Butter Cookies. I made classic Peanut Butter Cookies for me, and my son wanted Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies for him.… Continue reading
Healthy Snack: Fruit-Sweetened Green Chocolate Smoothie
We love cold, milkshake-style smoothies on a hot afternoon. We haven’t made one all winter, and when my 6-year-old asked for one as a treat this afternoon, it sounded fantastic.
So we pulled out my on-its-last-legs high-powered blender, tossed in a bunch of ingredients, and then enjoyed our smoothies outside on the deck in the afternoon sunshine. This could also be a great breakfast smoothie, though I may add an egg or some nut butter to the mix for a bit more protein.… Continue reading
Easy Fruit-Sweetened Banana Ice Cream
What do you do when your kids are asking for spur of the moment ice cream? Find a way to make it with whatever you have on hand, of course. We had no cream in the house, so this is more of an Ice Milk recipe, but we call anything that’s a frozen ice-cream-like dessert ice cream in our house.
I try to keep our sugar consumption low, so this ice cream is entirely sweetened with fruit.… Continue reading
Refreshing Sparkling Mint Drinks or Virgin Mint Juleps
Today is the Kentucky Derby. As my horse-loving friend was preparing for the big race, we were discussing big fancy hats, Mint Juleps, and all things traditionally Derbyish. My 6-year-old was present for the discussion, and asked if I could make him a Mint Julep. I’m not big on giving kids (or myself!) lots of sugar, and I’m definitely not giving them Bourbon, but I did make us all a delicious, refreshing Sparkling Mint Drink using the mint in our garden (the one thing that reliably comes back for us year after year), sparkling water, and a bit of sweetener.… Continue reading
Vegetable Crust Grain-Free Pizza
My 6-year-old has never had pizza, but he really wanted to try it. So I made one using the Broccoli Breadsticks recipe I posted last week. Now this pizza does not have your standard pizza crust, but a standard pizza crust is full of grains and it certainly can’t boast that it contains an entire head of broccoli. So given this disclaimer, we all enjoyed sharing a pizza dinner.… Continue reading
Healthy Snack: Turkey Avocado Roll-Ups
My 6-year-old takes a class once a week at a local art studio. The class lasts three hours, and the kids all bring a snack to eat when they take a little break part way through class. The one caveat to this snack is that the art studio is a Nut-Free Zone (neither peanuts nor tree nuts are allowed), so many of our staples can’t be eaten in that space.… Continue reading
Simple Sun Tea Recipe
Are you looking for a refreshing drink on for a hot summer day? One of our favorite summer time beverages, which works just as well on a sunny spring day, is sun tea. Sun tea takes no fossil fuels to make it; instead it’s made by pure sun power. It also tastes great, and is a zero- or low-calorie healthy drink (depending on if and how you decide to sweeten it).… Continue reading