Ingredient: salt

Healthy{ish} Ooey Gooey S’mores Bars

Some treats I bake are healthier than others. This is one of those treats that is healthier for your soul than your body and in my opinion, those are the best kind!

These are dairy free if you use dairy free chocolate chips (Enjoy Life brand are my favorite) and can be made gluten free if you use gluten free oats and marshmallows.

These bars have 3 layers- a cookie layer, a chocolate layer, and a toasted marshmallow layer with some added goodness on top to really bring it home 🙂

In other words, they ROCK! My trusty taste testers loved them, I loved them, and you’ll love them!

Here’s how to make them:

First, you will make your cookie layer. This is the part where you will use the almond pulp that you have left over from my almond milk recipe. If you don’t have almond pulp, no worries! Just use the same amount of almond flour and it will still turn out great. When I bake, I usually only use one bowl instead of combining all the dry ingredients then all the wet ingredients separately. I know in some cases it’s necessary but for this recipe, we’re just throwing it all in one bowl and calling it a day!

To a bowl you will add the oats, almond pulp, coconut flour, salt, beaten eggs, vanilla, coconut sugar, milk, and baking powder. Stir it until combined.

In a well-greased 8×8 baking dish, add the batter, pressing it down into a thin layer with your fingers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Right after taking it out of the oven, while it’s still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. After the heat of the cookie layer melts the chocolate, spread it into a thin layer, covering all of the cookie.

Next, turn on your broiler. While it’s warming up and while the cookie layer and chocolate are still hot, you will sprinkle the marshmallows on top of the chocolate. Place the dish on the middle rack of your oven, under the broiler. Don’t walk away! This takes less than a minute so you will want to stand there and watch to make sure you don’t burn the marshmallows. Once they are toasted, take them out of the oven and sprinkle with a few tablespoons of mini chocolate chips and crumbled up graham crackers. The link to my homemade graham crackers is here.

You will want them to cool before cutting. But if you absolutely can’t wait (speaking from experience), you can cut them while they are warm if you don’t mind getting a little messy.

Print Recipe
 Ooey Gooey S'mores Bars
These s'mores bars are the perfect indoor s'mores treat for you and your family (or just you). They can be made gluten free and dairy free.
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, graham crackers, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, s'mores, s'mores bars
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Cookie Layer
Chocolate Layer
Marshmallow Layer
Garnish
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, graham crackers, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, s'mores, s'mores bars
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 30 mins
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Cookie Layer
Chocolate Layer
Marshmallow Layer
Garnish
Instructions
For the cookie layer:
  1. To a bowl you will add the oats, almond pulp, coconut flour, salt, beaten eggs, vanilla, coconut sugar, milk, and baking powder. Stir it until combined.
  2. In a well-greased 8x8 baking dish, add the batter, pressing it down into a thin layer with your fingers. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
For the chocolate layer:
  1. Right after taking the cookie layer out of the oven, while it's still hot, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top. After the heat of the cookie layer melts the chocolate, spread it into a thin layer, covering all of the cookie.
For the marshmallow layer:
  1. Next, turn on your broiler. While it's warming up and while the cookie layer and chocolate are still hot, you will sprinkle the marshmallows on top of the chocolate. Place the dish on the middle rack of your oven, under the broiler. Don't walk away! This takes less than a minute so you will want to stand there and watch to make sure you don't burn the marshmallows. You will take it out when the marshmallows are toasted brown but before they are burnt.
Garnish
  1. Once the marshmallows are toasted, take them out of the oven and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of mini chocolate chips and the crumbled graham crackers. Allow to cool before cutting. Enjoy!

Healthy Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread

This healthy banana bread recipe is sure to rock your world! Well, it rocked mine anyways. It’s gluten free and refined sugar free and it’s even been given a thumbs up by my kiddos (that’s REALLY saying something). I’ve been playing around with banana bread recipes for a while now and while I have loved them all, this one deserves to be shared with you! And the best part?? I only used one bowl so clean-up is a breeze!

Banana bread is one of those things that I always love having around and the great news is, this recipe is healthy and made with good-for-you ingredients that you can feel good about putting into your body.

I made this loaf with a few bananas that had ripened while we were away in the Bahamas for a few days. When we got home, they were sitting on the counter practically begging to be baked into this glorious banana bread, so I couldn’t let them down, right?! Make sure when you get ready to make this recipe, your bananas are super spotty or close to black. Sounds so gross but it really is the secret to great banana bread.

Soooo, are we ready to get baking??

Okay good! Me too!

First, you want to mash your super ripe bananas in a mixing bowl. I use a fork and go to town until most of the lumps are out (a few are okay). Next, add in the eggs and whisk them up with the bananas until they are mixed well. In the same bowl, add the almond flour, gluten free flour, and baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir until combined.

In a separate small bowl (I used a ramekin), add in the cinnamon and coconut sugar and stir it up. Don’t add this to the batter. This is going to be for that smiling cinnamon layer in the center of your loaf.

Told you it smiles 🙂

In a well-sprayed loaf pan, add 1/2 of the batter. Sprinkle 1/2 of your cinnamon/sugar mixture on top. Make sure all the batter is covered. Then add the other 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/ sugar mixture to the top, again covering all the batter. Put your loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50 mins. The cinnamon and sugar top should be dark and crispy. If it is, you did everything right!

Keep scrolling for the printable recipe and be sure to let me know in the comments how it turned out!

Print Recipe
 Healthy Cinnamon Swirl Banana Bread
This healthy banana bread has the perfect blend of sweetness and cinnamon to make this a family favorite! It's gluten-free, dairy free and refined sugar-free, too!
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword banana bread, cinnamon swirl, dairy free, eat move live happy, gluten free, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, refined sugar free
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
For the batter:
For the swirl/topping
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword banana bread, cinnamon swirl, dairy free, eat move live happy, gluten free, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, refined sugar free
Prep Time 30 mins
Cook Time 50 mins
Servings
loaf
Ingredients
For the batter:
For the swirl/topping
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees while you make your batter. 1. First, you want to mash the super ripe bananas in a mixing bowl until most of the lumps are out (a few are okay). 2. Next, add in the eggs and whisk them up with the bananas until they are mixed well. 3. In the same bowl, add the almond flour, gluten free flour, baking powder, vanilla, and salt. Stir until combined. 4. In a separate small bowl, add in the cinnamon and coconut sugar and stir it up. Don't add this to the batter. This is going to be for that smiling cinnamon layer in the center of your loaf. 5. In a well-sprayed loaf pan, add 1/2 of the batter. 6. Sprinkle 1/2 of your cinnamon/sugar mixture on top. Make sure all the batter is covered. 7. Add the other 1/2 of the batter to the loaf pan and sprinkle the remaining cinnamon/sugar mixture to the top, again covering all the batter. 8. Put your loaf pan in the preheated oven and bake for 50 mins. When it's done, the cinnamon and sugar top should be dark and crispy. If it is, you did everything right! 9. Let it cool for at least 30 mins and slice into 8 slices. ENJOY!
Recipe Notes

Make sure you use super ripe, or almost black bananas for best results.

 

Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce

This sauce is seriously the yummiest, creamiest, most delicious non-cheese sauce my taste buds have ever experienced. I’ll be honest, I’m not opposed to eating dairy at all. I actually love it. But I also love dishes that don’t have it. I’ve experimented with recipes that meet the guidelines of all different ways of eating simply because they sound delicious. This creamy cashew sauce is vegan, paleo, and Whole30 if you’re into that but it’s also just plain delicious if you’re not.

I first started making is sauce about a year ago and the first time I made it, it knocked my socks off. I’ve changed the recipe a little bit and this version is probably my favorite so far.

We’ll start with the garlic. This recipe calls for roasted garlic because raw garlic is a little too overpowering and it’s all you taste. With the roasted garlic, the flavor is there but subtle. The best part is, roasting garlic is super easy! Just lay out a piece of foil, put the whole cloves of garlic on top and drizzle with oil. Wrap it up like a little packet and roast it in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 mins. It should be slightly brown and easy to mash when it’s ready. Your house will smell amazing, too.

For the cashews, this recipe calls for them to be soaked. This is as simple as putting them in a glass jar, covering with water, and letting them soak. I soaked mine overnight but even a few hours will do the trick. To tell the truth, I’ve made this with frozen cashews before and it was amazing so you really can’t screw it up! After soaking, drain and rinse them before adding to the food processor/blender.

That’s it for the prep work! The rest of the recipe just has you adding all of the ingredients to the food processor and blending it for about 5 minutes until it’s thick and creamy. After it’s blended, you can warm it up if desired, or eat it room temp. Personally, I like to pour it over spaghetti squash or pasta and just let the heat of that warm it up.

I can’t wait to hear your thoughts on this recipe after giving it a try!

Print Recipe
 Lemon Garlic Cashew Sauce
This thick and creamy cashew sauce tastes delicious on meats, veggies, pasta and more!
Course Sauces
Keyword cashew, eat move live happy, garlic, lemon, sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Course Sauces
Keyword cashew, eat move live happy, garlic, lemon, sauce
Prep Time 15 minutes
Servings
cups
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 1. Drain your cashews and rinse. 2. Add all ingredients to a food processor or high speed blender and blend for about 5 minutes until all of the ingredients are combined. Stop periodically to scrape the sides. You may need to add more milk to reach the desired consistency. It's best when it's thick but still pourable. 3. You may use this sauce right away or store in a jar in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Taco Seasoning Mix

As you’ll soon learn, I am a taco fanatic. I’ve mentioned before that we do taco night at least once a week in our house and it’s always a favorite for all 4 of us. We just cant. get. enough. With that said, we go through A LOT of taco seasoning mix! And while I don’t mind the taste of the little packets from the grocery store, I’m not a fan of what’s inside of them. Plus, it’s just so easy to make your own and the flavor is out of this world! You can use this mix on any protein you are using for taco night including chicken, steak, shrimp, fish and even chickpeas.

This version is not spicy. If you like it spicy you can always add a little cayenne or red pepper flakes to the mix to add some extra heat.

This will last a few months (if you don’t use it all first) in a mason jar or other container. When seasoning your food, you’ll use about 2 tablespoons per pound of meat plus 1/4 cup of water, more if needed. If you like it a little thicker, a teaspoon of cornstarch will thicken it right up. Enjoy!

Print Recipe
 Homemade Taco Seasoning Mix
Course Condiments
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, Taco Seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cup
Ingredients
Course Condiments
Cuisine Taco Night
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, Taco Seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Servings
cup
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Mix all of the ingredients in a bowl. When you are ready to cook, add 2 tablespoons of seasoning per pound of meat and ¼ cup of water. You can also add 1 tsp of cornstarch to thicken if desired. Store any extra seasoning in an airtight container or mason jar to keep it fresh.