Spiralizing Zucchini

Today was a cooler day for August and I had several zucchini waiting to be used. I decided to bake some goodies using some zucchini and freeze the rest for later use.

First I brought out my spiralizer. I've only used it once before and it was so easy to prep my zucchini with it last time, so it was used again.

I had previously debated on getting a spiralizer. I didn't want another food prepping item sitting around not being used and questioned if it was just another fad item to buy.

One day while out shopping, I was up to $85.00 for items I either wanted or needed and had a coupon for getting $50.00 off by spending $100.00. Spending another $15.00 would mean less total money spent. Sounds crazy doesn't it?

I am usually annoyed with these type of coupons because I have the hardest time finding that last item to buy when I'm not looking for it in the first place. However, spending $50.00 instead of $85.00 for items I did want or need was a no-brainer.

So I went on the search for something I would actually want or use for around $15.00. I came upon the spiralizer for $20.00. I figured I would either use it or gift it, and added it to my other items to purchase.

The spiralizer box sat in my basement for about six months before I finally decided to bring it up and try it out. I am so very glad I did!!

The spiralizer was so easy to use. I just put the blade in, put the zucchini in front of the blade and turned the handle using a bit of pressure to move it forward. It goes super fast and the zucchini turns into the longest strands of spaghetti noodles you've ever seen!!

I then measured and bagged the noodles into two cups each and stored in the freezer for later.

I plan to use them in soup, cupcake, brownie and bread recipes.

Stay tuned for a great zucchini brownie recipe to come!!

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Pecan Fat Bombs

I really like the Double Chocolate Brownie Larabar Bites and how they are made from only a few simple ingredients with no preservatives. Did you get that? No preservatives!!

A drawback ~ the high cost. Almost $5.00 for a 5.3 oz. bag.

Trying to replicate them, I found I didn't have any almonds on hand. I had walnuts and pecans. I decided to try making them with pecans only I wanted to add coconut oil as sometimes the Larabar Bites tend to be a little too dry. (Plus, I just love anything with coconut oil in it!)

My results were definitely not dry! In fact, they were quite moist. So moist that I ended up adding more pecans as I was processing them, hoping they would hold together better.

I formed them into bite-sized balls and coated them in coconut flour.

I put them in a covered container and refrigerated them.

They have a pronounced nutty pecan flavor. I will enjoy these.

Pecan Fat Bombs

1-1/2 c. pecans

3 dates, soaked in water and drained

2 T. raisins

2 T. coconut oil

1/2 T. cacao

Process in food processor until well blended. Form into bite-sized balls and coat with coconut flour. Store in refrigerator.

The great thing about these are that you can change them up a bit with each batch you make. Try using less coconut oil, or completely eliminate the raisins. Your tastes, your choice!

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Best. Apple. Crisp. Ever!!

Best. Apple. Crisp. Ever!!

6-8 apples, peeled, cored and sliced

1/3 c. sugar

1 t. cinnamon

2 T. flour

Mix and sprinkle over apples

Sprinkle with 1 T. lemon juice

In a bowl, add:

1 c. flour

1 c. quick oats

1 c. brown sugar

2 t. cinnamon

Mix together and add:

1-1/4 sticks butter, microwaved for 20 seconds

Slice apples and place in bottom of a 9"x13" pan. Mix remaining ingredients altogether, spread over apples, and bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes.

Comments from the fam:

R: Fantastic! Flavors all blend together. I just can't get enough!

K: Really good! How'd you tweak it?

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Pizza Sauce Soup!!

Ever have a failed success? Well, that's what I experienced with this recipe.

I was attempting to make pizza sauce with my garden produce of tomatoes, pepper and onion; however, it didn't thicken to my liking.

I blended all the ingredients together, and then I cooked it to try and thicken it, which didn't seem to happen as much as I wanted it to.

After a while I gave up and took a small bowl up to Keisha to ask her opinion on the taste.

She tasted it, tasted it again and refused to give it back! Peter also tried it and had two bowls for his supper.

I also loved it and decided to use it as soup instead of pizza sauce. Hence, the failed success!

Pizza Sauce Soup!!

12 tomatoes

2 onion

2 whole pepper

3-1/2 T. garlic

2 T. oregano

2 T. basil

2 T. fennel seeds

1 t. sage

1 t. ground black pepper

1 t. parsley

3/4 t. salt

2 t. cornstarch

Puree tomatoes, onion and pepper in blender, adding spices. Pour into large pot and heat in medium until starts to thicken. Serve warm.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Nutella Goodie Cookies

How do you make "Nut Goodie Cookies", or as some people call them, "No Bake Cookies", even better? You add some Nutella!

Because we like them warm and straight out of the pan, I started with the recipe from Shugary Sweets, and quartered the recipe, slightly reducing the sugar.

Update:  In fact, the recipe from Shugary Sweets was exactly the same as a recipe from my childhood called, "Nut Goodie Cookies", except half of the peanut butter was replaced with Nutella.

The recipe brought back old memories as a child making this treat over the stove and enjoying them immediately afterward. I still love them to this day, only they can be a little too sweet, which is the reason I cut back on the amount of sugar.

I had already published this page with the title of "Nutella No Bake Cookies"; however, after reminiscing, I decided to update the title as "Nutella Goodie Cookies", which is more to my liking.

Recipe below.

Nutella Goodie Cookies

• 1/3 c. sugar
• 1 T. cocoa
• 2 T. milk
• 2 T. butter
• 1 T.  peanut butter
• 1 T.  Nutella
• 1/4 t. vanilla
• 3/4 c. quick oats

Over medium heat, bring sugar, cocoa, milk and butter to a boil. Shut burner off and add peanut butter, Nutella and vanilla. Stir until butters are melted throughout. Stir in oats until coated. Dig in!

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Nutella Stuffed Cookie Bars

Got a sweet tooth? Try my Nutella Stuffed Bars! I used the stuffed cookie recipe from Good Morning Cali, only I made them much easier.

Mix up the cookie dough and spread half into a 9"x9" square baking pan.

Spread a layer of Nutella on top of the cookie dough. Then drop the remaining cookie dough onto the layer of Nutella.

Evenly spread the cookie dough over the layer of Nutella.

Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Dish yourself up a slice. Yeah!

Nutella Stuffed Cookie Bars

• 8 T. (1 stick) butter, softened
• ½ c. + 2 T. sugar
• ⅓ c. brown sugar, packed
• 2 t. vanilla
• 1 egg
• 1½ c. flour + 1-2 T.
• ½ t. baking soda
• ¼ t. cornstarch
• ¼ t. salt
• ¾ c. miniature chocolate chips
• 1 c. Nutella

Thoroughly mix all ingredients, except the Nutella, adding the chocolate chips last. Spread half the cookie dough into a 9"x9" greased square baking pan. Spread Nutella over layer of cookie dough. Spread remaining cookie dough over Nutella, creating a sandwich. Bake in preheated 300 degree oven for 30 minutes.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Three Homemade GF Protein Bars

Remember the Landi Raemi DIY GF Protein Bars I previously blogged on (pictured above)? Turns out I am only able to occasionally have oatmeal. So I needed to come up with another bar without the oatmeal in the bars.

I spent a Saturday morning trying three different combinations from many different recipes and the following are my results. Even though I really wanted the flaxseed in my protein bars, I found that my favorite was #3 with the chia seeds.

Because the process of making these bars is basically the same as my first protein bar, I didn't take any new photos for this blog.

To make your bars gluten free, use gluten free protein powder.

1. Wing-It Protein Bar

2 c. pecans, soaked and dried
2 T. coconut oil, melted
1/2 c. chocolate flavored protein powder
1/2 c. ground flaxseed
1 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatine

2. Quest Wannabe Protein Bar

1/4 c. natural peanut butter
1/2 c. chocolate peanut butter flavored protein powder
5 T. honey
1/4 c. ground flaxseed
1/4 c. coconut flour
1 T. coconut oil

3. Chia Seed Delight Protein Bar

1/2 c. nut butter (see note below)
1/4 t. fine sea salt
1 T. honey
2 T. coconut oil
1 t. vanilla
2 pkg. Knox unflavored gelatine
1/2 c. vanilla flavored protein powder
1 T. chia seeds

Measure out dry ingredients and place in a bowl. Mix thoroughly. Measure and add liquid ingredients to dry mixture. Thoroughly mix until all dry ingredients are coated and dough-like. Cut a piece of wax paper and place on cookie sheet. Spread dough onto waxed paper until 1/4" thick. Cut into bars. Freeze to harden enough to coat with chocolate.

Chocolate Coating:

3-1/2 to 4 oz. dark chocolate bar
1 T. coconut oil

Measure and place chocolate and coconut oil into a double boiler. Heat until melted, stirring regularly. Dip bars one at a time into melted chocolate, turning to coat both sides. Return bars to wax paper. Place bars in refrigerator until set. Keep refrigerated.

Note:  1-1/2 c. almond flour + 4 T. coconut oil for almond butter = 1/2 c. nut butter.
To make almond butter from almond flour, I followed the directions from My Gutsy. Note: I had to use double the coconut oil (4 T.) to get it to a butter consistency. This is fine since I love coconut oil.





Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Raw Chia Walnut Energy Bars

These bars have everything going for them. Not only are they delicious, they're gluten free and healthy, too. Plus, they're easy to make. I pretty much halved the recipe from Happy Healthy Long Life and added a little rolled oats.

First, make sure all the dates have the pits removed. Then measure out and place the dates in a food processor and puree until a thick paste forms. The dates I used were very dry so I added a bit of water.

Add cacao, chia seeds, oats and vanilla. Pulse until all ingredients are combined. Add walnuts and pulse until nuts are finely chopped and well distributed.

Spread onto a sheet of wax paper and press into 1/4" thick.

 Slice in 1"x2" pieces, wrap in waxed paper and store in refrigerator.

Raw Chia Walnut Energy Bars

• 3/4 c. pitted dates
• 2-1/2 T. cacao powder
• 3/4 t. vanilla
• 1/3 c. chia seeds
• 2 T. GF rolled oats
• 1/2 c. walnuts

Place dates in food processor and puree until thick paste forms. If the dates are on the dry side, you may need to add a small amount of water to moisten them. Add cacao, chia seeds, oats and vanilla. Pulse until all ingredients are combined. Add walnuts and pulse until nuts are finely chopped and well distributed. Spread onto a sheet of wax paper and press into a square form that's 1/4" thick. Slice in 1"x2" pieces. Store in covered container in refrigerator.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!

Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

Just finished making (and eating) these cookie bars and they were crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. So delicious that there was only a corner piece left!

Because they're bars and not cookies, they're easier to make. Just measure all the ingredients, except the chocolate chips, into a mixing bowl and mix until well blended. Then add the chips and mix again.

Spread in a greased 9" square baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

We couldn't wait for them to cool since we like them straight out of the oven. Just look at that warm, gooey inside!

Mmmmm! So good! 

Chewy Chocolate Chip Bars

• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. butter, softened
• 1/2 t. vanilla
• 1 c. brown sugar
• 1/4 c. sugar
• 1-1/2 c. flour
• 1-1/2 t. baking powder
• 1/2 t. baking soda
• 3/4 t. salt
• 1 c. miniature chocolate chips

Measure and mix all ingredients, except the chocolate chips, thoroughly with mixer. Add the chocolate chips and mix again. Spread into greased 9"x9" square baking pan and bake at 350 degrees for 20 to 25 minutes.

Disclosure: The Excalibur Dehydrator link under "Other Sites" is an affiliated link. If you make a purchase using this link ~ you will receive free shipping, along with other specials. I also earn a small percentage to help support my blog. Thank you, your support is appreciated!!