Tag Archive: snack

Oct 18 2012

Week 4 #12WksXmasTreats: Coconut Nut Balls

Categories:

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats, Food, Recipes

Life is flying by these days at an impressive rate. Just when I think I may be able to catch up, grasp the moment and wring everything possible out of it, I”m falling behind again, watching it all whiz on by.

Coconut Nut Balls - poet in pantry

Like the month of October. It seems like it was only yesterday that I celebrated my 35th birthday, yet here we are, over two weeks later, and I can’t figure out where the intervening time has gone. Before we know it, Christmas will be here. It slips away so much faster the older I get.

Coconut Nut Balls - poet in the pantry

Take some time. Revel in the moment. Grab your kids and hug them til they beg you to stop. Someday, they won’t be there to hug at will anymore and you’ll miss that. Despite all the hand prints on the walls and crayon on the floors, the lack of their echo in the hallways will be a too-obvious absence, something to be wistfully wished for again. Love every moment of every day; life is too short to spend it unhappy.

Here’s a little bit of mirth for your mayhem: coconut nut balls. It’s fun just saying what they are. They’re even better in your mouth. Enjoy!

Coconut Nut Balls - poet in the pantry

Coconut Nut Balls
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Snack
Serves: 15

Ingredients
  • ¾ cup walnuts, lightly toasted
  • ½ cup almonds, lightly toasted
  • ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut, plus ¼ cup for rolling
  • 8 pitted dates
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
  • 1 vanilla bean, scraped
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 ½ Tablespoons honey
  • 1 Tablespoon coconut butter

Instructions
  1. Combine the toasted nuts and ¼ cup of the coconut in the bowl of a food processor. Process until nuts are chopped.
  2. Add the rest of the ingredients, except for the ¼ cup additional coconut for rolling. Process until it comes together somewhat.
  3. Line a plate with parchment paper and pour the ¼ cup shredded coconut into a bowl.
  4. Using a Tablespoon and your hands, gather the mixture and roll into balls (it may take some work to get them to stick together).
  5. Roll the balls in the coconut and place on the prepared plate.
  6. Refrigerate to set, at least 1 hour.

Notes
The original recipe said it would make 10, but I ended up with at least 15 nut balls.

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Meal Planning Magic‘s 12 Weeks of Christmas Treats gets you ready with plenty of ideas for your Christmas festivities! If you’re a blogger and want to join in on the fun, check out this post for the form to fill out to start baking along with us! And don’t forget to follow our Pinterest board to keep track of all the yummy recipes.

12 Weeks of Christmas Treats 2012


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4 comments

Sep 11 2012

What To Pack For Lunch: Chocolate Granola Bars

Categories:

Cooking, Food, Recipes, What To Pack For Lunch

Another school year means another year of getting creative with lunchboxes. Granted, the little guy is in Kindergarten, so he’s not technically there for lunch every day, but they have snack time (and my daughter has afternoon snack in addition to lunch!), so we have a full house of lunch on the go to prepare.

Chocolate Granola Bars - poet in the pantry

My kids love packing their lunches. I have a hard time holding them back so I can ensure they come up with a balanced meal. Sometimes it’s all fruit, other times all grains, but it’s always completed with enthusiasm. Far more enthusiasm than I usually have for the job.

I’m lucky that my kids are mostly adventurous eaters. Hummus is not that unusual, meanwhile I only just tasted it for the first time in the last 2 years. My daughter can’t get enough of single-serving-sized Brie. My son’s weakness is for raw broccoli. He’ll eat it all before I can use it for a recipe.

Chocolate Granola Bars - poet in the pantry

This year, I’m tasking myself with making more of their snacks. I got pretty complacent halfway through last year and relied far too much upon hot lunch, despite my initial desire not to. None of that this time around! No excuses!

Muffin Mondays make great additions to snack and lunch bags. In addition, this week I made Chocolate Granola Bars. An ice pack is recommended for the lunchbag, as they get a little melty in your hands at room temperature, but they’re worth the mess. And since I made them, I controlled the ingredients. Not much sugar here, but both the kids gave them their seals of approval.

Chocolate Granola Bars
 
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Author:
Serves: 16

Ingredients
  • 2 cups bittersweet chocolate chips
  • 1½ cups crisped rice cereal
  • 1½ cups old fashion rolled oats
  • 1 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
  • ⅓ cup chopped almonds
  • ½ cup brown rice syrup
  • ¼ cup coconut oil
  • ⅓ cup smooth natural peanut butter

Instructions
  1. Grease and line a 9″x13″ pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
  2. In a very large bowl, mix together the chocolate chips, cereal, oats, coconut, and almonds. Set aside.
  3. In a small pot, boil the brown rice syrup and coconut oil for 5 minutes.
  4. Remove from heat and add to it the peanut butter, stirring until smooth.
  5. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry and mix with a large silicone spatula until evenly distributed. The chocolate chips will melt a bit–this is perfectly okay.
  6. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, using wax paper and your hands to press it down evenly.
  7. Refrigerate for at least one hour before attempting to cut.
  8. Store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to one week.

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I’m going to try to make this somewhat of a series to help the other stumped parents out there. Look for more What To Pack For Lunch!

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2 comments

Aug 09 2011

Stone Salad

Categories:

Food, Recipes

Summer is the season of berries to some, and that’s fine and well. I love strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries as much as the next person. But let’s not forget the other summer fruit stars–the stone fruits.

stone fruit salad

Stone fruits are those with pits in the middle. Most people are acquainted with peaches, quite possibly the most popular of the bunch. Whether they’re in cobblers, muffins, or even whoopie pies, you’ve probably had them before. But what about the others? Sure, I’ve eaten many a nectarine. And cherries, too. But I’ve never eaten a plum or apricot before. How could I have gone nearly 34 years without partaking of these jewels? It’s unfathomable.

stone fruit salad

Since I sometimes have a bit of anxiety over trying new foods–I know, it’s silly–I thought it best to combine the new fruits with the old favorites. Hence, Stone Salad was born. The quantities are guidelines, as you can adjust it to your tastes and needs. I have two ravenous children who will decimate five pounds of apples in a mere afternoon, so I find a more-is-more approach is best for us. The convenience can’t be beat. And now I don’t have to worry about them not eating all the way down to the pits–problem solved.

As for the plums and apricots? I really don’t know why I was so afraid. They’re delicious!

stone fruit salad

I prefer firmer fruit for fruit salads, as they tend to hold up longer before turning mushy. If you have a peach pitter/slicer, it also works better with firm fruit. I was able to use it on the peaches and nectarines, but the plums were just too soft (and the apricots too small). A cherry pitter is essential for the cherries. I suggest you head out and get one today. Enjoy!

Stone Salad
 
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A salad comprised entirely of stone fruits
Author:
Recipe type: Fruit Salad
Serves: 8

Ingredients
  • 2 peaches
  • 2 nectarines
  • 2 plums
  • 2 apricots
  • 15 black cherries

Instructions
  1. Wash, pit, and chop fruit into bite-sized pieces. Mix in a large bowl and serve. Best served same day but you can store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Nutrition Information
Serving size: 1 cup

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Aug 01 2011

Fresh from The Garden

Categories:

Food, Recipes

The garden this year has been an interesting experiment. What started as a few potted herbs quickly expanded into over forty plants. What caused this expansion? Cilantro.

As my daughter and I walked past the cilantro plants in the greenhouse, we were stopped in our tracks by the delicious aroma. We had to have it. Which meant we needed tomatoes, too. And bell peppers. And hot peppers. Because, after all, if you have cilantro, you need to make salsa.

Fresh Garden Salsa

salsa, fresh from the garden

Things rarely go according to plan, however. I wasn’t vigilant enough with trimming the cilantro and just as my tomatoes are finally starting to ripen, the cilantro has gone to seed and died off. The bell peppers meant to fill my jars of homemade salsa have been reluctant to produce, currently sporting only 2 specimens on 4 plants. I thought all salsa hope was lost.

Then I saw My Kitchen Addiction‘s post last week. She, too, had been suffering from her garden’s refusal to cooperate, but she didn’t let this hold her back. She took what she had and made the best of it, preparing a garden fresh salsa that sounded amazing. She is the embodiment of turning lemons into lemonade; I had to do the same.

salsa

My jalapeno plant has been wildly at work, popping peppers all over the place. The pickling cucumbers have also been quite abundant this year. My cherry tomatoes are *finally* starting to ripen and I was lucky enough to have a regular-sized tomato that just turned red, too. I grabbed likely candidates and got straight to work. And I must say, I am pleased with the results.

No, it’s not what I envisioned when I planted the garden this spring, but the freshness can’t be beat. The flavors are not the same, but it takes me back just a wee bit to when we visited Mexico last year and the fresh salsa that could be found everywhere on the premises–completely different than the jarred stuff you get in the store. Another bite and maybe, just maybe, I can feel the ocean breeze on my face once more.

Thank you, My Kitchen Addiction! You are an inspiration!

garden fresh salsa

Fresh Garden Salsa
 
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Salsa doesn’t have to be the standard fare. You can make it from just about whatever your garden is putting out!
Author:
Recipe type: Appetizer

Ingredients
  • 1 pickling cucumber
  • 8 +/- ripe to ripe-ish cherry tomatoes (I used mostly Cherry Romas, plus a couple Riesentraubes and 1 Black Cherry)
  • 1 medium tomato (I used Early Girl)
  • 2 jalapeno peppers
  • 1 pepperoncini pepper
  • 1 clove garlic
  • juice from half a lime
  • small bunch of curly leaf parsley
  • flaky sea salt, to taste

Instructions
  1. Peel and chop the cucumber.
  2. De-seed and de-vein the peppers.
  3. Quarter the medium tomato.
  4. Add everything except the salt to the bowl of a mini food processor and process until it reaches desired consistency. If necessary, strain excess liquid through a fine-mesh sieve, then transfer to a glass jar to store in the refrigerator.
  5. Add flaky sea salt when serving, to taste.

Notes
Best eaten same day or within 48 hours.

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