Keyword: gluten free

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!

Homemade Graham Crackers

With National S’mores Day coming up soon, I have s’mores on my mind more than usual and to have s’mores, you need graham crackers. And not to be the ingredient police, but have you looked at the list of ingredients of store bought graham crackers? While I know I won’t die from eating the boxed ones, I wanted to give it a go at making my own to see if I could come up with something close that had wholesome ingredients. Not only did these turn out pretty darn tasty, my kids liked them, too. And by liked I mean loved. And by loved I mean they wouldn’t stop eating them. They were like two little scavengers sneaking bites when I wasn’t looking and eating them so fast I was thinking there wouldn’t be anymore to photograph for this post. That’s a mom win in my book!

I will be posting a fun s’mores recipe later today which calls for crumbled graham crackers. You can make these ahead of time so they are ready to go for that! I’ll link that recipe here once it’s up.

These are a little more time consuming than store bought obviously but totally worth the time in my opinion.

Here’s how to make them:

First you will toast your oats. To do this, lay your oats in a thin layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. Toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. After 10 minutes, stir them around, and toast another 5 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes. They don’t have to be totally cooled for the next step. I only cooled mine for about 5 minutes before moving on.

Next, add the warm oats to the food processor and pulse until you have a rough flour consistency. It should look like this:

Leave the oats in the food processor and add in the brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, oil, and maple syrup. Pulse until combined. You will then add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough forms. I ended up using 3 tablespoons of water for mine. You want to be able to roll it out without it crumbling but you also don’t want it sticking to your fingers. Go slow with the water and remember you can always add more but you can’t take it out.

Once you have a the right consistency, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. and form it into a ball. Roll it with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a knife, cut them into 2.5 inch squares.

Transfer the squares to a parchment lined baking sheet.

To make them look like real graham crackers, press a toothpick lengthwise down the center of each square, going about a 1/4th of the way down. Then use a fork to add the dots on each side of the line, also only going about 1/4th of the way down.

Now they are ready to bake! Place them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the pan and bake another 10 minutes. They will feel slightly soft fresh out of the oven but they crisp up as they cool. We even thought they tasted better the next day when they crisped up even more.

They will stay fresh for about 3-4 days in an airtight container.

Print Recipe
 Homemade Graham Crackers
These thin, crispy graham crackers are perfect for making s'mores, spreading with peanut butter, or just eating plain.
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, graham crackers, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, refined sugar free, s'mores, s'mores bars
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings
graham crackers
Ingredients
Course Sweets
Cuisine Dessert, Sweets
Keyword eat move live happy, gluten free, graham crackers, Healthy dessert, Healthy sweets, refined sugar free, s'mores, s'mores bars
Prep Time 45 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Servings
graham crackers
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. 1. First you will toast the oats. To do this, lay your oats in a thin layer on a rimmed cookie sheet. Toast them in the oven for about 10 minutes at 350 degrees. After 10 minutes, stir them around, and toast another 5 minutes. Let them cool for a few minutes before using.
  2. 2. Next, add the warm oats to the food processor and pulse until you have a rough flour consistency.
  3. 3. Keeping the oats in the food processor, add in the brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, oil, and maple syrup. Pulse until combined. You will then add water, 1 tablespoon at a time until a dough forms.
  4. 4. Once you have a the right consistency, turn the dough out onto a piece of parchment paper. and form it into a ball. Roll it with a rolling pin to about 1/4 inch thick. Using a knife, cut them into 2.5 inch squares.
  5. 5. Transfer the squares to a parchment lined baking sheet.
  6. 6. To make them look like real graham crackers, press a toothpick lengthwise down the center of each square, going about a 1/4th of the way down. Then use a fork to add the dots on each side of the line, also only going about 1/4th of the way down.
  7. 7. Place them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, turn the pan and bake another 10 minutes. They will feel slightly soft fresh out of the oven but they crisp up as they cool. 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.

 

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.