Barefoot Healthy Hippie

I thought I would finally post something on this blog. And it's a recipe! One that my family loves. And my family is extremely picky so it's a huge win for me. I bought almonds in bulk a while ago so I see this as a cheap option for me. I can let my kids eat as much as they want on their pizza, spaghetti, salads, whatever. I love that it's not a restricted item. Besides peanut butter and Almond butter, it's the only way I can get a nut in their diets.

I wish I had a picture to put here


Vegan Parmesan

Ingredients:

1 c almonds
1tsp to 1tbsp vegan bouillon (to taste)


Method:

There are two ways to do it. You can soak the almonds, peel them, and then let them dry if you want completely white "parm."
I am too lazy to do that so we have the skins in with flecks of brown in the cheese. My kids don't care and it doesn't alter the taste.

The way I do it:

Toss 1-2 cups of almonds in the blender (I have a blendtec) with the bouillon and blend away until it's all powdered. Some of the almonds closest to the blades turn into a sort of nut butter, but I can break it up and use it as parm.

I debated whether to post this on my health blog because there are healthier options out there for granola bars, but in the end I decided to just go for it! I'd rather make snacks for my kids myself than buy store bought foods and I'd like this available to you in case you do too.

I based my recipe off of this one I found on FamilyFun.com But I made mine healthier and I halved the recipe because I don't need to make near the amount they make in their recipe. Their recipe uses corn syrup and "real" peanut butter, as well as powdered milk and I don't drink or eat milk! So I changed all of that.

If you make the Family Fun recipe here is the nutrition information:
24 bars, information is per bar.

233 Calories
11.7 grams fat
2.3 g fiber
19 g sugar
6 g protein
2.5% calcium

Side note: They claim nutrition info on their page, but I calculated it with PB instead of cashew butter ($$$). Plus, I wonder if they got it right...

And here is my recipe's information:
14 bars, information is per bar.

141 calories
4.5 grams fat
1.5 g fiber
16.2 g sugar
3.4 g protein
1.6% calcium

And just for your information, and because I always do overkill.... I thought these bars are kind of like Nature Valley Peanut butter ones and I wanted to compare to a store brand so here you go... This is per packet, which is 2 bars.

190 calories
7 grams fat
2 g fiber
11 g sugar
5 g protein
0% calcium

They have less sugar, but mine are home made and NO BAKE! And my kids will eat the ones I make and won't eat Nature Valley ones because mine are softer. So I still declare myself the winner ;)

And finally..... The recipe!



Ingredients

1/2 cup honey
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 cups PB2 (powdered peanut butter)
1/2 cup ground wheat cereal (wheat chex, I powdered them in my Blendtec)

1 tsp oil of your choosing
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups granola cereal
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Lightly grease a cookie sheet set it aside. In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stir together the honey and brown sugar. Let the mixture cook until the sugar dissolves, about 1 minute, then bring it to a simmer and let it cook for 30 seconds more.

Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the PB2, powdered cereal, oil and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the granola and cinnamon. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan, then flatten it.

Let the mixture cool for 1 hour in the refrigerator. Slice the granola into 14 bars and store them in a sealable container layered between sheets of waxed paper until ready to eat. They can be kept up to a week.


Notes:

Ours never last more than two days...

I've tried omitting the oil from my recipe and it doesn't work well. I use the minimum that I have found to work.

I make my own Granola, it's Alicia Silverstone's recipe called "Mom's granola" Google it and it will pop up.


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So there you have it! If you try it let me know! If you change it... Let me know if it's better, and by better I mean tastes just as good and is even healthier :)

Do you like oatmeal?
Do you like cold cereal?
Have you ever thought of eating them together?

You may think I am nuts, but that's what I do. I found this idea in a vegan cookbook. I found a great one that even has a section for campers/backpackers which I love because it's so hard to eat healthfully while camping!

The basic recipe:

Your base is oats and grapenuts (or grapenuts like cereal)

Use more of those than other kinds of cereal.

Add other kinds of non-sweetened cereal. Cheerios, puffed rice, wheat chex etc. Feel free to buy the cheap kind. I like to watch the fiber count of a cereal to know if I'm buying garbage or not.

Mix it all up, add dried fruit if you wish.

To serve, measure out a cup of cereal mix, and stir in a cup of boiled water. Wait a few minutes and eat.

I wasn't too sure about it the first couple times I tried it, but then my body started to crave it. And I love it now!

Make sure to let me know if you try it and what you think.