Tag Archives: snack

Healthy Vegan Cranberry Granola Bars

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by

I love granola bars and I also love giving them to my kids as a snack. I don’t however like the fact that the store-bought types are loaded with refined sugar! I’ve been playing around with different combinations of ingredients and making my own homemade granola bars. In this recipe I use pure Canadian maple syrup as my sweetener. Pure maple syrup is low on the glycemic index and contains manganese and iron which a total plus! 🙂 These bars are protein packed and contain healthy omega! Hurrah! I even eat them for breakfast sometimes when I’m on the go. Here is my easy and healthy recipe for vegan granola bars …

Easy & Healthy to whip up Granola Bars1

Healthy Vegan Cranberry Granola Bars

Ingredients:

  • 2 cups oats
  • 3/4 cup sulfur free dried cranberries
  • 3 TBSP raw pumpkin seeds
  • 1/3 cup flaxmeal
  • 2 TBSP vegan protein powder (I used vanilla brown rice protein powder)
  • 1 TBSP cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup melted organic coconut oil
  • 1 TBSP natural almond or peanut butter
  • 3 TBSP brown rice flour
  • 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
  • 2 TBSP of flaxmeal w/ 3 TBSP warm water
  • 1/4 cup chopped almonds or nut of choice

* You will need a baking pan. The size of the pan will vary depending on how thick you want your granola bars to be*

* Depending on how sweet you like your baked goods, you may want to add more maple syrup to your granola bars. I don’t feel the need for the extra sweetness so I only use 1/2 cup in my recipe.

Super yummy & healthy granola bars!
 

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 F
  2. In a large bowl add oats, brown rice flour, vegan protein powder, cinnamon, and 1/3 cup flaxmeal. Mix well.
  3. In a small bowl add the 2 TBSP of flaxmeal with 3 TBSP of warm water. Mix and let it sit for a couple of minutes to thicken.
  4. Chop up nuts or process them. Toss them into the mixture.
  5. Add cranberries and pumpkin seeds and mix.
  6. In a medium-sized bowl add the almond butter, maple syrup and coconut oil. Mix well.
  7. Add the wet ingredients into the dry and combine well.
  8. Use vegan butter/coconut oil to grease your pan or cut parchment paper to fit your baking dish.
  9. Add the mixture to the baking pan and even out. Push it down with a spoon to make sure it’s tightly packed in.
  10. Pop into the oven for 35-40 minutes at 350 F.
  • Once you take it out of the oven let it cool off in the baking dish before you cut it up.
  • When the granola mixture has cooled off you can remove the parchment paper and place on the counter. Cut the granola up as desired and place in an airtight container. If you didn’t use the parchment paper just cut it up right in the baking dish. You could also individually wrap them up so you have them ready to go for breakfast on the go or to toss in your lunchbag or purse for a snack.

ENJOY! 🙂

Easy to make healthy granola bars!

Easy to make healthy granola bars!

Organic Apple Quinoa Bake

Posted in Breakfast, Vegan Baking by

Here at my house I have a bit of a obsession with making apple oat bakes. I always have organic gala apples and oats in the house! Those are staple food items in my home. My kids are obsessed with gala apples so that’s why I stick to buying that type. Apple bakes are great when you wanna put together something quickly. The beauty of a bake is that you throw it into the oven and you don’t have to fuss over it. I wanted another option that was even healthier so I decided to use quinoa flakes in my recipe. It’s also a wheat-free/gluten-free grain option! There are so many benefits to including quinoa to your diet! It’s packed with a protein, super low in calories, antioxidants, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, and has anti inflammatory benefits as well. Here is the incredibly easy recipe for my organic apple quinoa bake …

ORGANIC APPLE QUINOA BAKE

Ingredients:

  • 2 large organic apples, chopped up and leave the skin on. Everyone needs more fiber in their diet!
  • 1 1/4 cup organic quinoa flakes
  • 1 heaping TBSP of cinnamon … another obsession of mine 🙂
  • 1/3 cup melted coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 1/4-1/3 cup pure maple syrup (1/4 cup is what I use)
  • 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Notes:

* You will need a medium-sized baking dish*

*You can add more quinoa flakes to your bake if you desire. I don’t because I like to keep apples as the star of the show.

*Makes 4 servings*

Method:

  1. Add the quinoa and cinnamon into the baking dish, mix
  2. Chop up the apples and add them into the baking dish
  3. Pour the apple cider vinegar to the mixture and give it a good mix.
  4. Pour the coconut oil on the mixture and combine.
  5. Next add the maple syrup. Depending on how sweet you want your apple bake to be you can add between 1/4 – 1/3 cup maple syrup.
  6. Toss in the raw pumpkin seeds
  7. Even out in the baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350 F

Easy, Easy, Easy! Enjoy as a dessert or snack! You could even spoon this bake on top of coconut ice cream with a little drizzle of maple syrup and top with walnuts or pecans. YUM!

Simple Apple Quinoa Bake

Peanut Butter Spelt/Oat Cookies

Posted in Vegan Baking by

This is the cookie which is most often made in my home! It’s very easy to make, healthy and doesn’t have  a lot of ingredients. Bonus! 🙂

*Preheat oven to 325 F*

Ingredients:

  • 1 Cup Natural Peanut Butter (I use natural & unsweetened)
  • 1/3 cup Sucanat sugar or Coconut sugar
  • 2 Tbsp of brown rice or quinoa flour
  • 3 Tbsp flaxmeal with 4-5 Tbsp water
  • 1/3 cup Spelt flakes or Oats

Method:

  1. In a small bowl add flax and water. Mix and let it sit for 5 minutes to thicken.
  2. In a medium-sized bowl add the peanut butter and sugar. Combine.
  3. Add flaxmeal and flour and give it a good mix. Make sure the flaxmeal is distributed well!
  4. Lastly toss in the oats or spelt flakes and combine.
  5. Roll into small balls and place on baking sheet.
  6. Flatten slightly with a fork or push down with the palm of your hand
  • Bake at 325 F for 12-14 minutes depending on the size of the cookie.

DSC_0722

Granola Coins

Posted in Vegan Baking by

These granola coins are so easy to make and are so handy to have in the house.  I throw them into my purse in case I need a snack on the go.  I found a recipe in Today’s Parent but had to change it up to suit my vegan needs. The original recipe called for eggs so I use flaxmeal in my recipe. I also added shredded coconut to my recipe as well because I think it add’s incredible flavor and texture to the coins.  Another change to the original recipe is that I added cinnamon too! We LOVE cinnamon! Making this recipe really got me thinking about other combinations I can make as well. I will be trying out some different ideas before my kids head back to school.  Sadly summer holidays are almost over. I’m starting to think of new easy to make snacks that the kids would be able to take to school. I think that these granola coins would be a great snack to throw into their lunch boxes! They are super yummy and very healthy for them too!

Granola Coins

*You will need a muffin tin for this recipe*

  • 3   TBSP  Flaxmeal
  • 7-8 TBSP Water
  • 1 TBSP Vegetable oil or coconut oil
  • 1 cup oats
  • 2 TBSP Pumpkin seeds
  • 1 TBSP Sesame seeds
  • 2 TBSP Shredded coconut
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • 1/4 cup 100% pure Maple syrup
  • Cinnamon to taste … I add at least 1 teaspoon to mine 🙂
  1. In a small bowl add the 3 TBSP of Flaxmeal with 7-8 TBSP of water. Add 7 and if it’s still a tad dry add more water. Mix well and let sit for 5 minutes.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C).
  3. In a medium bowl add maple syrup and oil. Mix.  
  4. Stir in the oats, pumpkin seeds, cranberries and sesame seeds, cinnamon, shredded coconut and add the flaxmeal.  Give it a good mix.
  5. Coat your muffin tin with coconut or veggie oil
  6. Add the granola mixture into the muffin tin, dividing it equally.
  7. Use the back of a teaspoon to press the mixture firmly down into the muffin cup.
  8. Bake at 35o F  for about 12 minutes
  9. Let the coins stay in the muffin cups for at least 5 minutes after taking them out of the oven. This will let the shape fully set.
  10. Transfer to a storage container

* Makes 12 granola coins *

Healthy Chia Seed Pudding!

Posted in Vegan Baking by

I’ve falllen in love with this easy to make and healthy pudding! I like to top it with fresh strawberries or blueberries. It looks so pretty and tastes yummy!

Chia Pudding

  • 3/4 cup organic chia seeds
  • 2 cups almond milk
  • 1/2 tsp of pure vanilla extract
  • just a pinch of Himalayan salt
  • 1 tsp of cinnamon

 

Combine the above ingredients in a large bowl or glass Tupperware. Mix it up for a couple minutes until it starts to thicken up. Give it a good stir every 10 minutes for about an hour. Pop it into the fridge overnight so it thickens up to the pudding consistency we’re looking for. When your ready to serve it place the desired amount into serving dishes and top with some healthy fruit!

* Makes 4-6 servings *

 

Image

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Posted in Vegan Baking by

These muffins are really tasty and very easy to make! They are also pretty fast to whip up which is a total bonus! I’m usually baking with my kids so I try to keep recipes pretty simple and fast to make. My new baking buddy is my 5 year old who is pretty darn good at it actually. She is also now at an age where she understands that  mommy doesn’t use any animal ingredient’s, so we are always putting in alternatives into our recipes. She even knew that we used flax in this recipe instead of eggs. I guess kids do pay attention to their parents!

Apple Cinnamon Muffins

 

  • 2 cups spelt flour or brown rice flour
  • 1/3 cup cane or sugar of your preference
  • 1 tbsp ground flax (flax meal)
  • 3 tbsp of water
  • 1 cup almond milk
  • Pinch of Himalayan salt
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 cups peeled & chopped apples ( I use Gala )
  • 1/4 cup vegan butter, coconut oil or veggie oil

(Optional) Topping: 1 tbsp of cane sugar mixed with 1/2 -1 tsp of cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a little bowl put the 1 tbsp of the flax meal (ground flax) and add 3 tbsp of water to it. Mix & let stand for a few minutes. Cream together the sugar and butter. Add in the flax and mix well. In a large bowl add the spelt flour, salt, baking powder and cinnamon. Mix well. Add wet ingredients to the flour mixture and mix well. Add in the chopped apples and give it a quick mix. Line your muffin tray with paper liners and fill them up with the yummy mixture. If you’re using the topping then sprinkle a touch of it on each muffin. Pop them into the oven and bake them for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

 

*Makes 1 dozen muffins*

Image

Banana Oat Muffins!

Posted in Vegan Baking by

 

I found a great recipe on Veg Web for Whole Wheat Banana muffins so I decided to change it up to my liking. The outcome was fantastic! Totally yummy! Moist and flavourful muffins! I used Spelt flour instead of the whole wheat and didn’t add the nutmeg because I’m not a big fan of nutmeg. I added double the cinnamon to the recipe instead which suited my family of cinnamon obsessed individuals just fine. If your making these muffins to send with the kids to school then just exclude the walnuts and almond extract in the recipe. Here is the recipe …

Prep Time: 30 – 45 minutes

Spelt,  Banana & Oat Muffins

  • 1 1/3 cup Spelt flour
  • 2 1/2 small ripe bananas
  • 1/2 cup Turbinado sugar
  • 1 tbsp baking powder
  • pinch of Himalayan salt
  • 2 tbsp of olive oil
  • 3/4 cup oats
  • 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped (optional)
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 1/4 tsp almond extract (optional )
  • Cinnamon to taste
  • Vegan Chocolate Chips (optional)

 

Preheat the oven to 350. Mash bananas in a small bowl.  Mix in olive oil, vanilla and almond extract if using it and water. In another bowl combine flour, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Add the banana mixture to the dry ingredients, and stir well to in corporate everything. Add in the walnuts if you’re using them and the oats. I also added a bit of vegan chocolate chip as well to make my kids happy.  Spoon mixture into muffin tins and bake for 20-30 minutes or until lightly browned.

Serves 8-10

Millet Cereal with fruit

Posted in Breakfast by

One of my favourite hot cereal to make is millet. Millet originated about 5,000 years ago in China. It is one of the earliest grains that was ever cultivated. I love millet because it is highly nutritious and has 3g of fibre and 5g of protein in  just a 1/4 cup serving! Hurrah!

Here is how I make my hot millet cereal …

  • 1 cup millet grits
  • 3 cups water
  • pinch of Himalayan salt
  • cinnamon
  • sliced fruit of your choice or berries
  • splash of milk, or drizzle of pure maple syrup optional

 

  • Boil water with the pinch of salt
  • Add the grits & mix well
  • Cook for 10-15 minutes stirring occasionally
  • Add desired amount in a serving bowl
  • Add a splash of almond of hemp milk if desired or you could also add a drizzle of pure maple syrup
  • Add sliced fruit of your choice or berries
  • Sprinkle with cinnamon

As you can see it’s and incredibly easy to make breakfast and it’s pack with the nutrition your body needs to start the day with!