Granola Balls

I feel like this is the most celebrated recipe I found over the summer. (Courtesy of weelicious.com. Again.) Granola balls have taken over. They have been afternoon snack. They have been breakfast. They have been packed in school lunches. They have been snack for the 1st grade class.
They are yummy.
And they are great because they pack a big protein punch if you have a good granola at the base...nuts, seeds, etc. It's fantastic. Good protein, good fats, and the kids think they're getting a treat. Well, they are. But...one that I don't mind giving them. :)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup nut (or seed) butter
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1 cup brown rice crispys
1 1/2 cups granola
1/4 cup raisins (or other dried fruit), chopped

Directions:
1. Place the nut butter and rice syrup in a small saucepan over low to medium heat and warm for a few minutes, until it becomes smooth and combined.
2. Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl, and stir to combine.
3. Pour the warm nut butter mixture into the bowl with the granola mixture and stir to combine.
4. Roll into 1 inch balls, right away while still warm, using damp hands.
5. Serve.


Notes:
*They really are best served right away. I tried freezing them and didn't like the outcome, though I might just need to try again. And not be so picky.
*You can use a tablespoon or a small ice cream scooper to help get a good ball going.
*I have used peanut butter every time, though the original recipe I found called for almond butter, and I think sunflower seed butter would be good too.
*As the mixture cools and your hands dry, it gets a little sticky and harder to form the balls. I just keep rinsing my hands to keep them somewhat wet and that does the trick!

K, so go try them!
Kids love them, adults love them, and they are fun to make!
And I use a lot of exclamation points when talking about them!

They're so good they make you want to give them a good snuggle.

And, of course, share them with your friends.

Good stuff. Delicious granola recipe that provides the base for these soon to come!

Banana Chocolate Chip Muffins

These are very yummy without being overly sweet. Perfect for morning, noon or night! We have eaten them as part of meals, as a snack, and as dessert. If you use good quality chocolate chips, it really can be a pretty guilt-free indulgence!
I found this recipe on weelicous.com. It is a GREAT resource for recipes using good ingredients that will please kids!
This recipe makes 12 regular muffins.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 c honey or agave nectar
1 large egg
2/3 c milk
3 Tbsp vegetable or canola oil
2 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 c semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400.

2. Combine the first four ingredients into a bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk the honey, egg, milk, oil, and mashed banana.
4. Slowly combine the dry ingredients into the wet, and then stir in the chocolate chips.
5. Pour batter into greased or lined muffin cups, about 2/3 of the way up, and bake for 18 minutes.
6. Cool and serve!

Notes:
*You can replace the chocolate chips with dried fruit or nuts if you'd like. Though...I don't know if I ever could.
*Place muffins in plastic bags and freeze for up to 3 months!
*I use almond milk instead of cow's milk and extra virgin olive oil instead of canola or vegetable. I have made batches with both agave and honey and both have turned out great!

As you can see, I prefer to eat them fresh from the oven, still melty and too hot to handle...fork required! The kids prefer to wait until they have cooled off, palm them, and carry them around the house...best if eaten over the freshly cleaned carpet.

Go-to Chocolate Cake and Frosting

I got this recipe from my dear friend, Ali. Ali is the guru for all things "Is there a healthier version of this?" Ali is also the guru for all things "We laughed so hard we..." but we'll leave that for another time.
I love Ali.
And I love this chocolate cake recipe.
The frosting too. (though we have had our differences)
Anyway, the basic gist of this cake is that it tastes delicious but has whole wheat flour and agave nectar at its base (not literally...both are actually all throughout...), meaning that the darn thing is void of anything refined, bleached, enriched, etc.
It's like a miracle in cake form.

A really delicious miracle.
I call this my "Go-to Cake" because instead of carefully planning all other exposure to sweets, vigorous application of immune-system building foods, etc. for weeks preceding and following any sort of holiday celebration to compensate, this cake can swoop in at a minute's notice and not require all of that careful cushioning.
It also inspires run-on sentences.
Let's just get to it...

Dry Ingredients:

1 3/4 c whole wheat pastry flour (can use regular whole wheat flour)

3/4 c cocoa

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

Wet Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 c milk

1/2 c oil

2 tsp vanilla

1 1/3 c agave nectar

1 c boiling water

Directions:

1.Combine dry ingredients

2.Combine wet ingredients, adding boiling water last
3.Add dry ingredients to wet, then beat with mixer 2 minutes

4.Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes

5.Let cool, then frost

frosting:

2/3 c agave nectar

1/2 c butter

1/3 c cream, milk or hot water
(cream will give most milk chocolate taste, water most dark chocolate taste...milk somewhere in between)

2/3 c cocoa

Mix all ingredients, chill in fridge for a bit to thicken up somewhat before use.

NOTES:

- This can be done either as cupcakes, two layered 9" round cakes or a 9x13 pan cake.

- The frosting is pretty runny, even with adding less liquid than called for. I shall perhaps find another frosting recipe or just REALLY cut back on the liquid and see how that does...

- YUM.