Homemade Lara Bars

      I love Lara Bars, but for $1 for 1 bar  their expensive.  I enjoy them because they are healthy, filling, and delicious.  They can easily be gluten and dairy free, which is a requirement around here these days.   I can eat one and be satisfied for a couple of hours and that's saying a lot.  I found this recipe here and changed it a little to my liking.

Here's how we made them

Ingredients

• 1 package of Dates ( I use Sunsweet, you don't want a dry date.  I have used cheaper dates and the bars are drier and crumble.)
• 1 cup of raw almonds
• 1/4 cup of chocolate chips ( I used Enjoy life Dairy free, Gluten free, and soy free)

Get out your food processor

You will need almost 1 package of dates.  ( I had about 5 dates leftover from 1 package).  The more dates you have the softer and better your bar will hold together.  You can experiment with what works best for you.

1 cup of Almonds

Pour your dates and almonds in a food processor and pulse away.

Next add 1/4 cup of chocolate chips

Your little helper may want to have a bite or 2.

                               

Dump mixture into pan.  I don't think you need to, but I always spray mine and have not had any problems with sticking.

Smooth the mixture in the pan.  I place in refrigerator about an hour to set.

Then slice into bars and enjoy!

I hope you make these and enjoy them as much as we do!  They are quick to make, easy,  filling, and help curb those late afternoon snack cravings.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawna

I'm linking to: Clean and Scentsible, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Creations by Kara, Polkadots on Parade, Newlyweds, Mom on Timeout, the 36th Avenue, House of Hepworths, Crafty Scrappy Happy, a bowl full of lemons, made in a day, Loving this crazy life, One Artsy Mama, Shabbynest, Thirty Handmade Days, At The Picket Fence, Tidymom, It's a Hodgepodge Life, 504 Main by Holly Lefevre, Fingerprints on the Fridge, Tatertots and Jello, Nap Time Crafters, I heart Nap Time, nifty thrifty Things, It's Overflowing, The Grant Life, skip to my lou, Keeping it Simple, C.R.A.F.T, The Southern Institute, Under the Table and Dreaming, CraftOManiac, sumo's sweet stuff, Mad in Crafts

Organize and Decorate Everything

Dairy Free Strawberry Smoothie

     A couple weeks ago we went to Chicago to visit my best friend. I was telling her that C really misses having smoothies since she's been dairy free.  She said "I just put fruit, water, honey, and ice cubes in mine.  It's delicious."  Really?? That easy!  I have only made mine with yogurt and milk before and was never too impressed.

    After we returned home from our trip, we had to try it.  And to be honest, C and I  LOVE it more than the other smoothies.  This smoothie recipe is fruity and super healthy.  She begs for seconds!

    Since creating the smoothie, we make it for our morning snack every day.  We have tried several different variations such as strawberry and spinach, strawberry banana, raspberry, raspberry banana and banana.

Here is our favorite

• 10-14 strawberries (Wash them and remove stem)
• Ice cubes-4-5 (Optional- I leave them out for the kids-they prefer without.  I add mine after I pour their drink)
• water- 1/2-1 cup depending on how thin or thick you like your smoothie.  Add less water for a thicker creamy and more water for a thinner smoothie.  
• Honey or maple syrup

Modification:  If you have a child under 2 and you do not give him/her honey, you can try agave nectar, maple syrup, or see if he/she likes it with no sweetener ( Little A sure does!) 

1. Put the strawberries, water, and ice cubes in food processor and puree until smooth.  

She loves watching everything mix inside the food processor. 

2.  When its the consistency you like, taste it to see if you want to add sweetener.  (I pour 1 cup of smoothie  for a child that cannot have honey.  She still loves it this way.) Then I add 1-2 teaspoons of honey to the rest.  

3.  Puree to blend. 

 And taste

This recipe makes 3 6 oz cups.

      These smoothies are delicious, healthy, and a refreshing drink during the hot summer days.  My daughter begs me for these.  Really.  We had to go to the store one night because she freaked out when she remembered we were out of strawberries.  Go make one!  You will love it!

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawna

I'm linking to
Tatertots and Jello, I heart Nap Time, Keeping it Simple, C.R.A.F.T, Young and Crafty, Skip to my Lou, The Southern Institute, Clean and Scentsible, Someday Crafts, Southern Lovely, Creations by Kara, Polkadots on Parade, Newlyweds, Mom on Timeout, the 36th Avenue, House of hepworths, Crafty Scrappy Happy, a bowl full of lemons, shabbynest, Thirty Handmade Days, At The Picket Fence, Tidymom, It's a Hodgepodge Life, 504 Main by Holly Lefevre

Fun in the kitchen-Whole wheat crackers

     Today I have an easy cracker recipe to share with you.   I know some of you may think I am crazy for making crackers.  I can go buy them in the store for $2-$4.  But after you make these, you can say bye bye to your store bought crackers.  These crackers are delicious, healthy, and easy to make.  We eat very little processed foods in our house and crackers were one of them that still bugged me, just look at the ingredients listed on a cracker box, even the organic ones. Then when I found  this recipe, I decided it was time to try making my own.

     Kids love helping out in the kitchen.  I try to involve them in as much as I can with making our lunches and snacks.  I believe that if kids help make healthy food from little on it can help create an overall healthy eater. 

  Here's how we made the crackers

 

I placed all ingredients in food processor except water and vanilla and pulsed the mixture until crumbly.

Then add water and vanilla and pulse again until evenly combined.  Form into a dough.

Next the fun part, roll out dough as thin as possible.

Take turns rolling.

Little A was trying to roll the pin sideways and figured out by herself that it was not working.

She self-corrected herself without any help just exploration.

Taking turns.  Look how patiently K and A are waiting.  Baking and cooking are  great ways to teach sharing and taking turns!  Each kid will stop and say your turn, my turn. 

    After you have finished rolling them out cut them with a cookie cutter and place them on a baking sheet.  Bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees.
  
     The kids had a great time helping me roll out crackers! Seriously, crackers are so easy to make, dump ingredients in a food processor and mix and then roll the dough and cut into squares and bake! It takes about 15 minutes with the help of lovely assisstants to have homemade whole wheat crackers with wholesome ingredients. We usually eat the crackers with cheese for lunch along with fruits and vegetables.

Thanks for stopping by!

Shawna

Favorite snacks

Around here we snack often.  So I am constantly searching for healthy and affordable snacks.  While not all these option are frugal, they are delicious and I feel good feeding the children and myself these snacks.

Organic yogurt with granola

Strawberries and milk

Baked Oatmeal with Organic yogurt and fruit on top

Cheese and homemade whole wheat crackers

Freshly squeezed orange juice with crackers

Rice cakes with peanut butter or sunbutter

Apple muffins with milk

Energy balls

Homemade granola bars

Grapes and milk

Chocolate peanut butter banana smoothie

Carrot fries with milk

Hummus and veggies or whole wheat pita cheaps