Nutty Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

Good evening!  Welcome to my blog!  I am a mom who is determined to AVOID eating the Halloween candy myself this season.  Making a special pumpkin/chocolate/nutty/oat treat like this keeps me from feeling deprived yet also cuts me off from starting my slippery slope of unwrapping a single piece of what the kids are bringing home lately!  We eat clean around here but do follow an 80/20 rule.  We eat very clean about 80% of the time.  I am perhaps closer to 90% myself.  I just feel my best this way!  But we also live life in the real world and I would never want my kids to have some sort of healthy foods complex!  They have learned a lot about nutrition at ages 6 and 8.  We have been eating clean for two years now and it honestly is not a fight at all!  And for that I am deeply thankful!  They have seen huge changes in me (loss of 60 pounds and health transformed), many family members and quite a few of my friends.  I love that my daughter (approaching her 9th birthday) is busy thinking of ways to show others that healthy choices have many benefits.  

But, back to tonight's delicious recipe!!!  You have got to give this one a try!  First, I am just going to say that I SO appreciate baking recipes that do not use eggs.  I am not "anti-eggs" one bit!  We eat them often.  But with my little guy as my #1 chief kitchen helper and my own freak-out tendencies with food safety, avoiding raw eggs while cooking with him makes me so much more relaxed!  Sample all the batter you want!  Go ahead and handle it and just wipe your hand with a dry paper towel.  Under-baked a bit?  No worries!  Quite a contrast with my "hazmat!!!!" mindset in other cooking situations!!!  

Tonight I wanted to make something with pumpkin, nuts and oats.  Chocolate is always a bonus!  Especially during key times on the calendar!

 

This recipe is based upon a recipe that I found on Ambitious Kitchen.  I took a look at that recipe and just made it more "us".  My edition is found below!  And I do LOVE nuts.  So I added some!  The only sugar that we have around here is Coconut Palm Sugar.  It happens to be low-glycemic and is an easy substitution in any recipe. 

 

Nutty Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Oat Bars

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup chopped unsalted nut of choice
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips, set aside a few to sprinkle on top before baking

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Prepare 9" baking dish.
2. Make oat flour: Place oatmeal in blender or food processor and blend until oatmeal resembles flour.  It will be a coarse flour and need not be entirely fine.
3. Place oat flour in a bowl. Whisk in pastry flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and cloves; set aside.
4. In a separate large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, palm sugar, vanilla, oil and applesauce for 1-2 minutes until the consistency is smooth and creamy. Slowly add in oat flour mixture and mix until just combined.
5. Gently fold in the chopped nuts and most of the chocolate chips.  Save a few to sprinkle on top if desired. Pour batter into prepared pan and sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean or nearly clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack.  Enjoy warm if desired!
   

Clean Eating Nutty Oatmeal Cookies

Hello!  I am a mom with children who are ages 5 and 8.  We began eating clean in September 2013 and it has been life-changing for my family.  But this doesn't mean that we don't still enjoy some cookies every once in a while.  I will just go ahead and say that I do not make cookies all that often.  I do not eat them in a responsible manner.  Cookies are my weakness!  Yesterday my 5 year old son was asking if we could "please make a new healthy cookie recipe"?  He went on to list some ingredients that he would like to include.  That made me smile, as they were all very logical cookie ingredients and did wind up in the recipe that we made.  :)  I have made other treat recipes that have banana as the only sweetener and some sort of bean as the grain.  These nutty oatmeal cookies are not quite of that category of "healthy" cookie.  They do still involve a healthy fat and some low-glycemic coconut palm sugar, plus raw honey.  I think that these came out GREAT!  I actually had one just now and I like this recipe.  I began by searching online for recipe ideas and then took one and changed a few things to make it suit us - and also to match my son's ingredient recommendations!  I hope that you enjoy this one as much as we are!

Clean Eating Nutty Oatmeal Cookies

• 1/2 c. coconut oil
• 3 Tbsp. raw honey
• Just under 1/4 c. coconut palm sugar
• 3/4 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1 egg 
• 1/2 - 1 tsp. cinnamon (to taste - we like cinnamon lots!)
• 3 Tbsp. water
• 2 c. rolled oats (I used 1/2 old-fashioned oats and 1/2 quick oats)
• 2/3 c. whole wheat pastry flour
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/3 - 1/2 cup raisins

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Use a glass bowl to melt the coconut oil and the raw honey.  Whisk in the palm sugar and vanilla.  Add egg and mix well.  Next whisk in the water and the cinnamon.  Switch to a mixing spoon and fold in the oats, salt, baking soda, flour, and chopped walnuts.  You may choose to divide the dough at this point and add chocolate chips to one bowl and the raisins to the remaining portion. 
3. Drop by tablespoons onto stoneware baking sheet.  Flatten a bit BEFORE baking!
4. Bake for 10 to 11 minutes or until bottoms or until cookies have set. Makes 20-22 cookies.
   

Dijon Pork Loin - Dinner Under $11 for a Family of Four!

Good evening!  Tonight I am blogging about what we had for dinner this evening.  :)  This was my first time to make the Dijon Broiled Pork Loin recipe from Insanity Max 30!  We had made the Tomato and Cucumber Salad last week and it was a hit!  I hear on a regular basis that "it must be really expensive to eat clean - for your whole family and everything!".  Actually, it does not have to be!  I even do about 90% of our grocery shopping at Wegmans.  Some mistakenly consider Wegmans to be a "luxury grocery store".  They are top-notch but their store brand prices in particular are excellent.  There are a few items on my Sam's Club list, such as almond milk, frozen berries and coconut oil.  Those three are a much better deal at Sam's!  But pretty much everything else comes from Wegmans, which is a most wonderful grocery store!  I attended college just south of Rochester, NY and then spent a couple of additional years working in that area after graduating from Elim Bible Institute in 2001.  Wegmans has their headquarters in that part of NY and it has been my favorite grocery story for many years!  

Anyways, back to tonight's dinner.  I was cleaning up the kitchen this evening and realized that I had spent under $11 to prepare the evening meal for the four of us!  That is good to know.  Our children are ages 5 and 7.  I would estimate that between the two of them, they share a typical adult serving.  I eat the amounts defined in the Max 30/21 Day Fix guides.  Veggies are a 1 cup serving, grains are a 1/2 cup and proteins are typically 3/4 cup.  My husband typically eats 50% more than what I eat myself.

On a side note, today was the MOST BEAUTIFUL December day here in Erie, PA!  The temperature reached 58, the skies were sunny and the day was not windy.  We headed to nearby Asbury Woods to enjoy several hours out on the trails and at the parks!    

 

Tonight's meal is also a time-saver!  I easily made enough of the pork loin to last for another entire meal.  This pork loin comes as a Club Pack from Wegmans.  They do an excellent job with their "Keeps Fresh" packaging.  We cooked 1/2 of the Club Pack this evening and that is enough for two meals for our family.  The package is dated for January 14th - purchased today and good to have on hand for a later date.  Hurray!  The rice will be enough for another dinner and there will be some left to include with my husband's lunch on Monday.  The tomato cucumber salad is simple to whip up and is best if eaten the same day. 

    
Dijon Broiled Pork Loin
From Insanity Max 30 Nutrition Guide
  - Amounts adjusted to match Wegmans Pork Loin Packaging

Nonstick Cooking Spray
2 Pounds Raw Lean Center-Cut Pork Tenderloin
5 tsp. Dijon Mustard
5 tsp. Whole Grain Mustard
5 tsp. Olive Oil

1) Preheat the broiler on high.
2) Lightly coat broiling pan with spray.  Place pork on broiling pan approximately 5-6 inches from the heat.
3) Broil for 16-20 minutes, turning every 3-4 minutes, until no longer pink in the middle or until the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.
4) While pork is cooking, combine the mustards and oil in a small bowl.  Mix well.
5) When pork reaches desired doneness, remove from oven and place on a serving plate and spread the mustard mixture on top.
6) Cover loosely with foil and allow pork to rest for about 10 minutes before slicing.

See below for the recipe for the Tomato Cucumber Salad!  I first made this as part of a snack during my own DAY One of Insanity Max 30.  We have been enjoying it ever since!  I am currently on Day 13 of this 60 Day Program.  Tomorrow I will put together a recap of my own Week Two of Max 30.

Cinnamon Cutout Cookies - Soft and Flavorful!!

I have a confession to make.  I am 36 years old.  My children are ages 5 and 7.  I have NEVER made cutout cookies before today.  To be honest, the thought of the mess was a big turn-off for me!  And a scenario where the kids are handling and eating and then touching everything else with raw eggs is enough to give me nightmares. Salmonella!!  I am a germophobe in the kitchen!  Call HAZMAT!!!!  Plus, I like soft cutout cookies.  The crunchy ones are my least favorite cookie.  What if I made cutouts and they were crunchy, then what??

We began eating clean in September 2013.  So "Sugar Cookies" have not been high on the list of things to make!  We do make cookies with mashed banana, oats, nuts, etc.  But how would a sugar cookie translate?

Long story short, the kids have been wanting to make cutouts!  One of the moms in my Insanity Max 30 challenge group posted a recipe late last night.  It was from The Gracious Pantry.  I didn't have all of the ingredients.  So we changed a total of four things and went ahead and made our own rendition this afternoon!

I do not own any cookie cutters!  My daughter has some American Girl Dolls and there was a collection of mini-cookie cutters amongst that set. So we washed them up and put them into action!  

These cookies are a big hit!!  Soft and chewy and fantastic cinnamon flavor.  They are satisfying and memorable.  Give them a try!  Oh, and no raw egg involved.  Phew!  Sigh of relief!!  You could certainly make these with regular cookie cutters.  Enjoy!!

** Please note that the kids really, really wanted to mix in some food coloring here.  We happened to have some in the cupboard from last Easter.  So I let them use it.  I do NOT consider food coloring to be a standard "clean eating" item!  I would not typically use it in a recipe.  This recipe is a pleasant shade of brown!  You could decorate these cookies however you like.

Cinnamon Cutout Cookies

• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 3 tablespoons coconut palm sugar
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/3 cup raw honey
• 1 1/2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (less if you do not want such a flavorful cookie!)

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350.
2. Use a glass bowl to combine butter, coconut oil and raw honey.  Melt in the microwave. (You may also use a pan on the stove-top for this step.)  
3. Mix in the sugar, vanilla and cinnamon.  Fold in the baking powder and flour.
4. Lay out a piece of wax paper.  Flatten or roll dough to desired thickness and then use cookie cutters of your choice.
5. Place cookies on a piece of stoneware.  Bake for 8 minutes is using the smaller size cutters as shown here.  Adjust baking upward for larger cutouts.  ** Do not over-bake!  These cookies are soft and delightful.  With no eggs in the recipe, you do not have to be overly concerned with baking them long enough.
6.   Enjoy warm or cool!
   
   

A Story of Two Trail Mixes

 

Trail Mix!  I have to say that I love trail mix.  If I was in fantasy food world and could pick one food to just eat day in and day out, it would be trail mix.  BUT hold on... fantasy world??  Why is that necessary?  Isn't trail mix a healthy food?  It can be a healthy food but still has to be eaten very much in MODERATION!  Or it can also be the equivalent of eating a candy bar.  Given the addictive, calorie-dense and easy-snacking nature of trail mix, we can wind up eating a "king size" candy bar of trail mix way before we even realize that this is happening.  So how can we make a genuinely healthy trail mix and manage to stay close to a proper serving of it?  

 

Trail mix began as a classic food source for backpackers.  The contents  are lightweight, calorie-dense and easily preserved.  A hungry backpacker may be hauling 50 pounds over tricky terrain for several miles or more per day.  This individual is not going to be too concerned about putting on weight while on their trek.  They are burning up plenty of calories.  But a healthy trail mix is still beneficial for this hiker!  

Now, how about those of us who do not need a "super-hiker" mix?  How about the "sitting on the couch" or "having a snack at work" type of mix??   A common trail mix ratio is use 50% nuts and seeds, 25% dried fruits and 25% chocolate.  If you are not very careful in selecting your ingredients, you will wind up in the DANGER zone with your saturated fat and sodium.  Let's contrast 1 cup of cocktail peanuts with 1 cup of dry roasted peanuts.  The cocktail peanuts have 16g of saturated fat and 920mg of sodium.  The dry roasted have only 10 g of saturated fat and 9mg of sodium.  Let's talk about pumpkin or squash seeds.  These typically contain 2g of saturated fat and 12mg of sodium per cup.   

When selecting a trail mix, read the label!  Take note of the serving size and ask yourself if you are likely to eat double that amount?  Packages are labeled differently.  Also ask yourself if the nuts are salted?  Is there lots of chocolate in this mix?  Could I make something better myself?  Is there a better option available to me right now?    

Earlier this morning my seven year old daughter noticed me doing some research on trail mix.  She suggested that later in the day we should go to Wegmans and make a small batch of an "unhealthy" trail mix by utilizing some of the ingredients that are available in their "trail mix cart" which sits near the dairy section at Wegmans on Peach Street.  We could also buy "healthy ingredients" to come home and make our own trail mix.  We could take pictures and make a recipe for my blog. :)  I agreed that this would be a good idea!  Upon examining the trail mix buffet cart, there are many healthy options right there!  The nuts are unsalted.  You do not have to go with a big ratio of the available chocolate options.  We made a cup full of a mix that would be heavy on the chocolate.  That one is pictured on the right at the photo included at the top of this blog entry.  Next we picked up some bulk ingredients to make our own usual sort of mix!  I will include that recipe below.  Feel free to make your mix totally "you"!  To recap, here are a few guidelines to follow:

 

1) Use unsalted roasted nuts or raw nuts.

 

2) Use unsweetened dried fruit.

 

3) Seeds are typically lower in fat than nuts.

 

4) Choose only one chocolate ingredient and keep it at 10% or less of your total trail mix volume.  

 

5) After mixing up your batch, pull out a 1/4 cup scoop to portion out servings into snack bags.  This way you have something ready for when you are on the go!  More importantly, we are less likely to over-eat when being made mindful of a serving size of trail mix!

 

 

Kylee's Healthy Trail Mix

Cost is around $.30 for a 1/4 cup serving

 

Unsweetened Dried Banana Chips

Low Sugar Dried Cranberries

Unsweetened Coconut Flakes

Roasted Unsalted Sunflower Seeds

Raw Pumpkin Seeds

Raw Cashews

Raw Almonds

Chocolate Covered Peanuts