Baked Kale Chips

Hey guys!!! I’m sorry in the delay of posts. I’m swamped by work but hopefully that will change soon. I miss my blog!

I made these kale chips like a month ago and just sharing them now. I’ve been buying the small bags of kale chips from Whole Paycheck and I needed a solution. Trader Joe’s sells their kale pre-cut and washed in a bag and makes baking kale chips so simple. Of course you have to eat these the day they are made or they will become soft if saved for leftovers, but will still be delicious.

Kale Chips
By Fallon

Ingredients
3-4 handfuls of kale, chopped and rinsed (I used half the bag from Trader Joe’s)
Cooking spray
Salt
Pepper
Parmesan cheese (optional, nutritional yeast would work as well)

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. On a large baking sheet spray with cooking spray. Spread kale throughout the pan being careful not to overlap too much. Spray with cooking spray and season with salt, pepper and parmesan cheese. Place in oven for 10 minutes. Remove and shake around. The kale will start to crisp up and brown on the edges. Cook for another 5 minutes and remove.

Kale should be crispy and before you know it, you will be eating the whole baking sheet of kale!

Best snack ever and full of nutrition!

Fallon

The Secret Recipe Club: Rice Crispy Treats

      

Today is Group B’s reveal day for The Secret Recipe Club. I had no problem choosing a recipe from the blog assigned to me, Big Fat Baker. One thing we have in common is our love for dessert! She has some fantastic looking recipes but I went with the most simplest recipe on her site, rice crispy treats. She uses the basic recipe off the back of the cereal box to make her treats. She recommends to measure our everything exactly, so that way the treats come out super gooey and delicious.




You will need exactly 40 large marshmallows. I actually counted mine out and my bag had exactly 40. These treats definitely hit the spot for me. I even decorated them with the white chocolate M&Ms. Boy were they delicious. I took the rest of them to work and within an hour they were all gone!



Homemade Rice Crispy Treats
Adapted from Big Fat Baker

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
40 regular sized marshmallows
6 cups rice crispy treat cereal

Directions:
In a large saucepan melt the butter over low heat. Add the marshmallows and stir until completely melted.

Using a greased or buttered spatula, stir in the cereal. Stir until fully coated and mixed. Pour into a greased or parchment lined 9x13 pan and spread evenly. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

 

And if you want to spruce up your treats, add whatever mix-in you desire. I decided to go with the white chocolate M&Ms. These were the best and so good! My favorite part is when the treats were still warm and the M&Ms were warm, they just melt in your mouth. A bit messy but well worth it!

Always,
Fallon
PS: Sorry for the delay. I had to add in the blog hop and it totally messed up my entire post since I use Windows Live Writer.

Rice Krispy Treats with Almond Butter and White Chocolate M&M’s

 
Dangerous. White chocolate M&M’s are dangerous! These M&M’s have been popping up all over the blog world lately since Easter is right around the corner and all the holiday candy is out. They are too good to be true and I had to pick up a bag. What also is too good to be true is I also been craving rice krispy treats. Random right? My best friend makes the best kind that are super gooey. I wanted to make my treats a little different. I figured peanut butter and chocolate is always my favorite combo. With the white chocolate, almond butter sounded like the right pair for these treats. I cut back on the butter and added more almond butter when I was melting the marshmallows. Mix in the white chocolate M&M’s and you have a perfectly delicious treat. Great for Easter or just because they sound so darn good right about now!

Rice Krispy Treats with Almond Butter and White Chocolate M&M’s
By Fallon

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup creamy almond butter with sea salt
3 cups miniature marshmallows
3 cups crispy rice cereal
2-3 handfuls of white chocolate M&M’s

Directions:
Spray a 9 inch square glass baking pan with cooking spray, set aside.

In a large pot melt butter over low heat, stirring until butter is melted and brown. Stir in almond butter quickly, then add marshmallows stirring until melted and combined. Remove from heat and mix in crispy rice cereal until all combined and cereal is coated. Add a few handfuls of M&M’s and mix quickly to combine. Pour into a square baking pan and spread evenly. Cool completely and cut into 16 squares.

Even though you should let them cool completely, you should try them after about 10 minutes. The white chocolate M&M’s will melt in your mouth, since they are still a bit warm.

   

These are definitely going into work tomorrow!

Always,
Fallon

Pumpkin-Banana Bread with Spelt Flour

I’m going to get real with you for a second. I’ve been craving a delicious pumpkin bread since August. Something about warm, cinnamon-y, pumpkin bread sounded real comforting! I wanted to make it more healthy as well, since I’m trying to do that with most of my recipes I make now. How can you make a baked good more healthy but still taste good? It is simple, don’t sacrifice flavor and quality. Bananas work perfectly when making a recipe more healthy. Thank goodness for September.. let all the pumpkin eating begin!

This particular recipe I found was good but I wasn’t sure if it would work exactly, you know how that can go sometimes. I took my time and decided to make some adjustments. What worked, turned out to be a really fantastic pumpkin bread. I used my huge bread loaf pan to make one big pumpkin bread. What I thought was hilarious is I came home from work one day and it looked like someone had a lunch time party at my place. My boyfriend likes to get some of his army buds over at lunch time to play with the Xbox and eat some pizza. Well..my pumpkin bread was nearly gone. I asked Mike who ate it and he said, “I just put it out and they started eating it. They liked it.” So if the guys in the Army approve.. then I think you should try it out for yourself. ;) If you truly want vegan pumpkin bread, this one is easy, just swap out the eggs and use 3 flax eggs instead!

Pumpkin-Banana Bread
By Fallon

Ingredients:
2 ripe bananas, mashed
1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large egg
2 large egg whites
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups spelt flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 1/3 cups stevia in the raw
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spray an 11 x 2.5 x 5.2 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large bowl mash the banana till smooth but a little chunky. Add in the pumpkin puree, oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed. In a medium-sized bowl, place flour, stevia, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon; stir with a whisk till combined. Add flour mixture to banana/pumpkin mix and beat until just moist.

Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for 45-55 minutes or until toothpick placed in center comes out clean.

Let cool COMPLETELY in loaf pan, then flip onto a cutting board and slice 20 servings for thinner slices and 16 for large slices.

If you go the 20 slices route check out these stats: 146 calories per slice, 4 grams of protein and fiber. Not going to lie.. I enjoyed my pumpkin bread with a vanilla protein shake. Oh yeah!

I’m off to Atlanta this weekend! Mike’s birthday is on Tuesday and I’m treating him to an Atlanta Braves game tonight and Six Flags tomorrow. I’m kind of scared of Six Flags.. but I better suck it up because it was my idea.. OH BOY! haha ;)

HAPPY LABOR DAY WEEKEND!

Love,
Fallon

Happy Monday + Gluten Free Scones

Exactly 5 days from today will be my 25th birthday! I can’t wait because my boyfriend and I planned a really fun trip together for that weekend. I know Friday is a pamper day for me with a manicure and pedicure. Then I’m picking up some amazing cupcakes to enjoy for my birthday week! I can’t wait to show you guys how delicious they are. Although it will be a fun weekend, turning 25 hasn’t exactly hit me yet. I guess you could say it’s a big deal because it is your quarter century birthday. But I just don’t feel it yet!! I’ll probably feel like, “Gosh I am getting old!” But in reality I know I’m still young. ;)

I made these delicious scones over the weekend. I’ve been meaning to make them for over a month now and finally decided to get to business. These scones are very nutty and slightly sweet. I had one with an afternoon iced coffee and it kept me fueled up for grocery shopping during the afternoon. I didn’t have any dried apricots, so I subbed in dried mango instead. These will help me get through the work week during my afternoon break. I found the recipe from Elana’s Pantry for Gluten Free Muesli Scones.

Gluten Free Muesli Scones
Adapted from Elana’s Pantry

Ingredients
2 cups almond meal (a bit heavier than blanched almond flour)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dried mangoes, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1/4 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1 large egg
2 tablespoons agave nectar

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a skillet on medium heat, toast the sunflower and sesame seeds. Every few minutes mix and shake the pan so the seeds get toasted evenly. Once you start to smell them, remove from heat and pour into a medium bowl to cool off.

To the bowl of seeds, combine the almond flour, salt and baking soda. Stir in the dried fruit and nuts. In a small bowl combine the egg and agave nectar.

Stir the wet ingredients into the dry. Wet hands with water and form the dough into 6 1/2 x 6 1/2 square that is about 3/4” thick. Cut the dough into 16 pieces place on a baking sheet. Transfer to oven and bake for 10 minutes and remove. Cool on baking sheet and then transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. (Some pieces were just too small, so I ended up combining them so they all be about the same size. I ended up with 13 scones, rather then 16.)

     

Enjoy,

Fallon

TSRC: Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream

Another month of The Secret Recipe Club has arrived and I love the blogger that was given to me this month. Erica from Stuff I Make My Husband is a featherweight female boxer and makes delicious food to fit into her low carb/high protein diet. I spent a few hours on her website deciding what to make because it all sounded good. I ended up trying her Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream because I haven’t used my ice cream maker in months and it is hot outside! If you would like to join The Secret Recipe Club, just fill out the online form.

If I didn’t have ricotta cheese in the fridge I would of followed her recipe exactly but since we don’t really eat cottage cheese, I didn’t want to just buy it for this reason. I think ricotta tastes better anyways. Although I think the cottage cheese is what makes it creamy, the ricotta cheese was a bit more grainy but other then that it tasted delicious. The ice cream was higher in protein and lower in fat thanks to the use of almond milk and reduced fat cream cheese. What really made it over the top is the use of graham cracker crumbs. This really reminded me of cheese cake since the crust is my favorite part. I really liked the recipe she shared for her low carb graham cracker version but I honestly had no time. The store-bought brand worked for us.

    

I’ve made ice cream in the past and whenever I kept it in the freezer it was rock hard and icy. Still edible but nothing that was easily servable like you get from the store. Erica mentioned to add vodka in the mix so it would stay creamy if you plan to keep it in the freezer. I thought that was a great tip and added it. Since fresh strawberries carry a lot of water, I think I needed more then 1 tablespoon of vodka. It was very hard and icy. We ended up giving it a few seconds in the microwave and it was good as new.

Strawberry Cheesecake Ice Cream
Adapted from Stuff I Make My Husband

Ingredients
12 ounces strawberries, washed, stemmed and sliced
6 ounces reduced fat cream cheese
3/4 cup stevia
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup skim ricotta cheese
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon of vodka (optional)
Graham cracker crumbs

Direction
In a food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except for strawberries and graham cracker crumbs. Puree until smooth. Stir in the strawberry slices.

Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. After 20 minutes mixture should be ice cream and ready to serve. Top with graham cracker crumbs.

This was a great month! I’m really enjoying The Secret Recipe Club because I’ve met so many new people and found so many new blogs. I’m inspired constantly by everyone!

Fallon

5 Minute No Bake Nutty Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars

First of all Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there! I’m definitely missing my dad these days but I’ll be seeing him soon!

 

The title of these bars is a bit of a mouthful but they are very delicious! I found this bar recipe from healthy food blogger Anne at fANNEtastic Food. I love her blog because she incorporates healthy food and fitness. She stays true to who she is and I respect that. Her blog is very motivating and it motivated me to try her 5 Minute No Bake Peanut Butter Bars. I took her original recipe and tweaked it with ingredients I had on hand. They are a really tasty granola bar and they really do only take 5 minutes to make. The only thing I didn’t like about them is the chia seeds! I might just reduced the amount next time because they get stuck everywhere in your mouth. I had one on my break during work one day and I’m so glad I had a toothpick to pluck them out ;). I didn’t want to scare away customers!

They are a very soft granola bar as well, unless it was the nut butter I used. They fall apart easily, even if you keep them in the fridge. I’m going to add them to the freezer and she if that helps. I also added some extra salt to the mix because I was worried they would taste bland. Wrong!! Mine are a bit salty but in a good way since the dark chocolate balances it out. Dark Chocolate always makes everything taste better. Enjoy!

5 Minute No Bake Nutty Butter Chocolate Chunk Granola Bars
Adapted from fANNEtastic Food (link to original recipe)

Ingredients
1 & 3/4 cup gluten free rolled oats
1 cup crisp puffed wheat cereal (brown rice cereal works too!)
1/4 cup pepita seeds
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut
1/8 cup ground flaxseed
1/4 teaspoon salt (optional)
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/3 cup Nuttzo Peanut Free (creamy peanut butter would work best)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 100 calorie dark chocolate bar (Trader Joe’s Brand) OR 1/8 cup dark chocolate chips

Directions
Add all the dry ingredients (oats to flaxseed) to a large bowl and mix them together.

In a separate (microwave safe) bowl, mix together the brown rice syrup, nut butter and vanilla extract. Microwave for 30 seconds. This will make it easier to mix and add to the dry ingredients since it’s really sticky.

Pour wet ingredients into dry and mix. Keep mixing until the wet binding ingredients are distributed all the way. This will take a few minutes but is well worth it. As Anne would say, put some muscle into it!

Pour the mixture into a shallow pan and flatten down. Top with chocolate and transfer to the fridge to harden up and then cut into 12 bars.

 

If you noticed I used Nuttzo Peanut Free in the bars, probably not a good idea either. There were already chia seeds in this nut butter and I added more. I don’t think the taste of this nut butter did much for the bars either. Creamy peanut butter or almond butter that has been roasted and a little salt would taste so much better!

 

Enjoy!

Fallon

Seedy Energy Bar with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate Chips

This wonderful energy bar was inspired by a past granola bar I’ve made and blogged about. That was a REALLY good granola bar and somehow I haven’t made it since. I am now determined to continue making my own homemade granola bars. I love how versatile they are because I can add the ingredients I really like. Dried apricots are one of my favorite dried fruits. They aren’t super sweet and they make for a great snack. I only enjoy the organic Turkish variety because the un-organic kind doesn’t taste as good. Other ingredients like almond butter and dark chocolate are items in my daily diet. My inspiration for my seedy energy bar were adding in flavors and tastes I enjoy. This is a great pre or post-workout bar that offers protein and healthy fats to fuel your body in a healthy way. These bars are also 100% gluten free because I purchased the Bob’s Red Mill gluten free rolled oats for all my bar making. No tummy aches for me!

Seedy Energy Bar with Almond Butter, Dried Fruit and Dark Chocolate Chips

By Fallon

Ingredients

1 cup old-fashioned rolled oats

1/4 cup raw pepita seeds

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1 tablespoon whole golden flaxseeds

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

1/3 cup Thompson seedless raisins

1/3 cup dried apricots, chopped

1/3 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup creamy almond butter

1/4 cup stevia

1/4 cup brown rice syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

Direction

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Coat an 8- inch or 9-inch square pan with cooking spray OR line with parchment paper with a slight overhang for easy removal.

Spread oats, pepita seeds, sunflower seeds, flaxseeds and sesame seeds on a large baking sheet. Bake until the oats are lightly toasted and the nuts are fragrant, shaking the pan halfway through, about 8-9 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Add raisins and apricots, toss to combine. (You could add the chocolate chips now but they will melt, I’d recommend waiting to mix them in at the very end.)

Combine almond butter, stevia, brown rice syrup, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan. Heat over medium-low, stirring frequently, until the mixture bubbles lightly, 3-4 minutes.

Immediately pour the almond butter mixture over the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until no dry spots remain. Quickly add and mix in the chocolate chips, if you haven’t already done so. Transfer to the prepared pan. Lightly coat your hands with cooking spray and press the mixture down firmly to make an even layer. Refrigerate until firm for 30 minutes, cut into 8 bars.

Crunchy, nutty, seedy, chewy, chocolaty and perfectly sweet. This was my first time using brown rice syrup and I love this sweetener. A little goes a long way. I tried the syrup when it was melted into the almond butter.. ummm that tasted fabulous like a healthy caramel if that is even possible!

I also added a new category on my recipe page called Healthy Snacks. I added all my healthy baked good items under the category because I’m anticipating on adding a lot more healthful items to my blog.

They hold their shape very well.

    

I’d love to know what the nutritional stats are for these bars but the website I use isn’t very good anymore. Do you know where I could calculate the stats online?

Fallon

Amazeballs!

Before we moved I saw this wonderful recipe created by Gina from The Fitnessista. She calls them Amazeballs and they are amazing. It has been almost 2 months since my food processor saw any love and I knew these “balls” would fit that bill. In actuality, I’m looking for protein type snacks that are tasty, easy to make and require me to use ingredients I already have in my pantry. It is so much more convenient to just stock up on protein bars from the store but they contain a ton of unnecessary ingredients. Plus they add up in the $$$ department too.

I decided to try out these balls of protein. The recipe is designed to make only 4 balls and is a good way to try them out to make sure you will like them. I loved them, so I plan on quadrupling the recipe. I also tweaked some of the ingredients to change it up a little. My protein powder is not vegan but I’m very happy with this brand.

Sea Salt Dark Chocolate Cashew Protein Balls                            Adapted from The Fitnessista

Ingredients

2 tablespoons of vanilla protein powder

2 tablespoons of creamy cashew butter (drippy consistency works best)

2 tablespoons of unsweetened coconut

1 tablespoon pure maple syrup

2 squares dark chocolate with sea salt (they were small squares)

Pinch of sea salt, stevia and cinnamon

Direction

In a food processor add the protein, cashew butter, coconut and pulse until the ingredients are well incorporated.

Add the maple syrup, sea salt, stevia and cinnamon. Pulse again- the mixture will start to clump together. Add in dark chocolate by breaking up with your hands. Gina mentions you can really add anything like dried fruit (she recommends berries) and I think some crispy rice puffs be a fun surprise!

Pulse together one more time to finely chop the chocolate, and to make sure the mixture will be good enough to form into balls. It should feel wet but enough where they form a smooth ball and aren’t sticking to your hands. If you have this consistency, then roll it into 4 balls.

Save in a small reusable container or a snack bag for pre and post workout snacks. I like these as dessert some nights too!

Check out Gina’s page where she posted the stats. I’m sure these are pretty similar in numbers as well.

     

If you like the taste of raw cookie dough, these taste just like it! Except these have protein and are actually good for you. These have good ingredients that are good for you. So long bars at the store. I’m into amazeballs now!

Fallon

Green Peanut Butter Smoothie with Chunky Monkey Granola

This is currently one of my favorite ways to make a smoothie. It comes out thick and creamy, perfect for a granola topper. My chunky monkey granola works great on top of this smoothie. This is the perfect smoothie to have after a sweaty workout! It is packed with nutrients (spinach, banana) and protein. I recently picked up xanthan gum when I was in Las Vegas. I started adding 1/2 teaspoon to my smoothies and it really helps binding everything together so it stays super creamy. I’d highly recommend the purchase, it will last you a while!

Green Peanut Butter Smoothie                                                               Serves 1 hungry person

Ingredients

4 ounces almond milk

4 ounces water, chilled

1/2 banana, sliced and frozen

1 heaping tablespoon peanut flour (Trader Joe’s or PB2)

1 scoop vanilla protein powder

1/2 teaspoon xanthan gum

Dash sea salt and cinnamon  

Handful baby spinach

4-5 ice cubes

1-2 tablespoons chunky monkey granola

Directions

Put ingredients in order and blend away. Depending on consistency you can add more liquid or ice. I tend to add more ice, for a thicker smoothie. Pour in a huge glass and top with chunky monkey granola. Eat with spoon and enjoy!

           I do the straw/spoon combo!

Fallon

Chunky Monkey Granola

Katrina from Baking and Boys! likes to call it Banana Dark Chocolate Chunk Granola but I’m more fond of the Chunky Monkey Granola. Either way it is a healthy granola! The extra ripe bananas act as the glue to this granola by adding the right amount of sweetness and practically no added fat. The only fat, which is good fat comes from the nuts and flaxseed. I’m very picky when it comes to buying granola and making granola. We all know granola “sounds” healthy but it is usually very calorie dense with a high amount of sugar and fat. When I see homemade granola recipes calling for 3/4 cup of fat and sugar, I stay away from it. This granola recipe Katrina came up with is great. I don’t feel guilty eating it! The addition of dark chocolate chips is an added bonus too. I always need my chocolate fix daily and sometimes I get this out of the way during breakfast!

 

I love this granola topped on frozen yogurt, Greek yogurt, vanilla soy milk, or as a smoothie topper! Next time you want to make homemade granola I’d recommend this recipe. It is very simple to make and all ingredients are pretty standard in most kitchens! I followed Katrina’s recipe but I adjusted some of the ingredients which is posted below. To get the original recipe for Chunky Monkey Granola head on over to Katrina’s blog by clicking this link HERE.

Chunky Monkey Granola

Adapted from Katrina of Baking and Boys!

Ingredients:

4 cups old fashioned oats

2 tablespoons ground flax meal

1/2 cup unsweetened, flaked coconut

1/4 cup raw sunflower seeds

1/4 cup salty almonds, chopped coarsely

3 small bananas, overripe

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

1/4 teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

3 tablespoons hot water

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Handful of dark chocolate chips

Direction:

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine oats, flax, coconut, sunflower seeds and almonds. In another large bowl, combine the bananas, almond extract, salt, brown sugar, water and cinnamon. First use a fork to mash the bananas down and then change to a wooden spoon to mix everything together until smooth but slightly chunky from the bananas.

Pour banana mixture into oat mixture and stir together with a wooden spoon until all the oats are moistened. Transfer the granola onto rimmed baking sheet and spread evenly. Stir every 12-15 minutes and bake for an hour (longer if you like it extra crunchy). Remove from oven and allow to cool completely before adding chocolate chips. Store granola in an airtight container. You can keep in a cool spot or store in the refrigerator.

   

Please don’t forget I am hosting a giveaway!!! I’m going to go ahead and extend it till Saturday, March 19th till midnight! So you have today and tomorrow to submit your comment(s). Click this link to head on over to the giveaway page and read the following. I’m going to add a few more things to the package but that will be a surprise to the winner! If you like almond butter, then you will like the surprise!

Much love,

Fallon