Category Archives: Snacks

Valentine’s Day Trail Mix

I broke down, and had to purchase personalized M&M’s for my husband for Valentine’s Day. The process of ordering the M&M’s was too much fun with selecting any color, adding cute little sayings, and pictures. I was able to order them with Groupon one of my favorite apps which decreased the overall cost. My whole intent of ordering the M&M’s was to make him trail mix with these “melt in your mouth” American staples. 

I added all his favorite fixings into the mix.  Trail mix is one of his favorite snacks, and is great in between meals as a satisfying sweet and salty treat. 

Ingredients: 

1 cup dried cranberries 

1 1/4 cup roasted sunflower seeds, lightly salted

1 cup whole cashews, lightly salted 

2 cup peanuts, lightly salted

1 cup M&M’s 

1 cup Ghirardelli 60% cacao chips

1/4 cup pepita seeds

Directions:

1. Mix all the ingredients into a sealable container. Lock the lid on the container & give the container a few gentle shakes to distribute all the ingredients throughout. 

2. Store the trail mix in the sealed container or portion out into small sealable snack baggies for travel. 

Creamed Cinnamon Honey Roasted Pecans

My team at work for Christmas gifted me a lovely bag of North Carolina Local Gems. 

I couldn’t wait to open the Creamed Cinnamon  Honey! I made some Carmellized Banana Pecan French Toast with it this morning to coincide. 

This is a tasty way to utilize local ingredients for a delicious snack or gift. The finished product reminded my husband ,and I of a fancier version of Cracker Jack’s since that is the texture they portrayed. 

Ingredients: 

1 pound of raw pecan halfs

1/4 cup creamed Honey with cinnamon 

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place raw pecans on the baking pan. Place the pecans on the sheet in the preheated oven on the center rack. Bake for 6-8 minutes. 

2. In the meantime place a two quart sauce pan on low medium heat and melt the creamed honey. Once the timer has elsapsed on the pecans place the pecans in the sauce pan with the honey. Allow the pecans and honey to merry. Use mini spatula to incorporate the honey throughout. Allow the ingredients to heat for 6 minutes on low. 

3. Pour the pecans on wax paper and allow them to cool. The pecans will remain tacky. Allow for them to cool on the wax for about 1 hour then place in ziplock sealable container. That is if they make it past the cooling part! 😉

Homemade Trail Mix 

Trail mix is a staple at our house. We love it to snack on when we travel or when we are watching a show. I love to even keep some in my bookback or purse when we are shopping. Trail mix is always good for a mid day high energy snack. A little goes a long way. 

Trail mix at the grocery store,vending machine, or convenient mart can be costly.  I bought all these ingredients for this blend at Aldi and tossed them together for a fraction of the price of the prepackaged variety.

Tips! Mix it up; if you don’t like sunflower seeds try pumpkin seeds. Or if you don’t like dark chocolate maybe try peanut butter chips. If you don’t like raisins use dried blueberries or cherries (just make sure to get the unsweetened ones). This blend below just happens to be my husband’s favorite pairing. 

This recipe yields approximately {8  1/2 cups}: 34 servings (1/4 cup is a serving) 

Ingredients:
2 cups of lightly salted dry roasted peanuts

2 cups of  unsalted dry roasted sunflower seeds

1 1/4 cup extra dark chocolate chips (63 % cacao)

1 (8 ounce bag of Peanut M&Ms), about 1 1/3 cup

1 cup of raisins 

Directions: 

1. Throw all the ingredients in a resemble bag and shake it up! 

Enjoy! 

Sunflower Cocoa No Bake Bars


Recipe yields: 12 bars 

Ingredients:

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup sunflower butter

1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa 

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 1/2 quick oats

1 cup brown rice crisps cereal 

1 oz Dark chocolate (melted) optional 

Pre work:

Take a class an 8 by 8 baking dish and foil line it and spray with cooking spray. Set aside

Directions:

Place the sunflower butter & honey in a large glass microwave bowl. Microwave for 1-1 1/2 minutes and stir. Add in the cocoa, & salt. Add in oats and stir. Lastly fold in rice cereal. Press the batter evenly into the prepared class dish. Cover and let the bars firm up in the refrigerator for 2 hours to even overnight. 

Take the foil on both sides and pull the bars out of the glass dish. Place on a cutting on cutting board. Cut the bars into 12 bars. If you wish drizzle some chocolate on the top of the bars. Place in a resealable container. 

Macadamia Nut Blondies


Today is Macadamia Nut Day. Instead of adding walnuts into your oatmeal or your favorite trail mix try giving the macadamia nut a try. Macadamia nuts contain monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) and plant substances that might lower cholesterol.

My husband and I went to Hawaii this past May and Hawaii is famous for their native Macadamia Nuts. One thing we noticed while we stayed on the various islands of Hawaii, these nuts are added to just about every baked good from cookies to quick breads. Today I thought I’d add them to a blondie bar. 

Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 25- 30 mintues



This recipe yields: 24 Blondies 

Essential Tools for the job & pre work:

  • 9 inch baking pan
  • Parchment paper (optional but will make life easier)
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • Line baking dish with parchment paper; enough to get sides to pull the Blondies out to make for easier cutting.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce

2 large eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-2/3 cups whole wheat pastry  flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

2/3 cup chopped finely macadamia nuts

Directions:

1. In a stand mixer attacjed bowl, cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add applesauce and mix. Beat in eggs one at a time & add vanilla. Set aside.

2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk flour, baking powder, spices and salt; gradually beat into creamed mixture. Lastly fold in the macadamia nuts. Spread into a prepared 9 inch square baking pan (I did use a dark pan). The type of pan will effect the cooking time). If your pan is lighter you might need to bake it longer. 

3. Bake in the center rack of oven for 25-30 minutes or until set and golden brown & toothpick comes out clean. Cool in pan on a wire rack. Using parchment “handle” pull bars out and place on cutting board & cut into 24 bars. Store in a airtight container, whole wheat products don’t last as long as AP baked goods.



Bold Black-Eyed Pea Hummus

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We had my husband’s colleagues over for a picnic yesterday. I had intentions of making my vibrant blackeyed pea salad; however, I cooked the beans too long in the pressure cooker. It was my first time cooking the black eyed peas in the pressure cooker.  Apparently they don’t take as long to cook as black beans. Well, I learned my lesson for the day. There seems to always be a lesson to be learned. Anyway, there is a positive to this food story,  the unintended outcome was this spicy black-eyed pea hummus. I was able to showcase some crispy fresh garden vegetables from my grandfather’s garden and also my favorite local markets as well.

Hummus goes well with so many foods, I like to add it on top of a pizza instead of marinara sauce. I also add it to my vegetarian BLTs, and I love it on my soft tortilla shells. My frequent go to with hummus is with fresh vegetables. I suggesting skipping the ranch and giving this creamy dip a try.  My favorite pairs are cherry heirloom tomatoes, kohlrabi, red bell peppers, and snap peas.

This recipe makes 30 ounces of hummus (plenty to share; even for us non-sharers )

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Water

2 Tablespoons of fresh lemon juice

2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

3 1/4 cup cooked black eye peas, (if canned make sure to buy low sodium and rinse well)

4 Tablespoons fresh chives

4-5  large of cloves of garlic, peeled

2 teaspoons of ground cumin, plus more for garnish (optional)

1 teaspoon of fajita seasoning

Tools: Vitamix Blender  (I have the Professional Series 750)

2 (2 cup capacity sealalbe containers to store the goods)

Directions:

  1. In the order of the ingredient list, place all the ingredient items in the vitamix or blender. Place the lid on the attachment to secure.
  2. Select variable number one and gradually increase to number seven.
  3. Allow for all the ingredients to marry in the vessel for at least 1 minute. Use the vitamix wand to press the ingredients to the blades if necessary.
  4. Portion out the hummus in two separate containers. Sprinkle with fresh chives.

Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Protein Packed Powerhouse Granola Bars

Today we have our monthly Nutrition Support Team meeting. The meeting is at noon, I always like to come prepared with a snack or treat of some sort. These are super packed with plant based protein! Bonus is these are no-bake for this fabulous hot July day! No need to turn on your oven and make it any hotter. 

This recipe yields 16 bars

Ingredients:

1/2 cup slivered almonds

1/4 cup milled flaxseed

1/4 cup sesame seeds

3 tablespoons of chia seeds

1 1/2 cup of quick oats

1 teaspoon apple pie spice

1/4 teaspoon of kosher salt

1 cup creamy cashew butter ( I am fairly excited I found this nut butter at ALDI)

1/2 cup honey

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Pre-directions take a 9 x 9 baking dish and line it with parchment paper make sure to allow for some of the paper to overlay on the sides. This step will help you pull out the bars for easy cutting. Set aside.

Directions:

1. Take the first eight ingredients and mix them in a large bowl. Set aside. 

2. Place peanut butter and honey in a large microwavable safe glass bowl. Place in microwave in 30 second intervals. Stir between each intervals until soft and creamy. Add in the vanilla and stir to incorporate. 

3. Take the dry ingredients and add them to the creamy cashew butter mixture. Fold to incorporate all the ingredients together. 

4. Take the granola bar batter and add it into the prepared 9 x 9 baking dish. Take an extra piece of parchment paper and press it into the top to evenly distribute the batter this will allow for a nice even distribution of your batter for your protein bars.

5. Cover the bars with saran wrap in the baking dish. Place in the refrigerator for a few hours or overnight. This step will allow them to firm.

6. Remove the bars utilizing the parchment paper access from the sides. Place on a cutting board and cut into 16 bars. Now you can either individually wrap and freeze to pack them lunches or take to your next meeting. Keep these granola bars chilled or frozen for best results and optimal taste.

Pizza Flavored Oyster Crackers in the Actifry

 
Pizza is a favorite in our household. These tasty crackers are a satisfying alternative when you are craving a bite. They are also perfect for a football party. This recipe was inspired by the TOH magazine Feb/March 2016 issue. However I cut the fat down significantly with the power of the actifry by only using a quarter of the fat. 

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz) bag of oyster crackers

3 TB pizza seasoning 

1 tsp garlic salt

1 tb hot pepper flavored olive oil

1 tb of olive oil 

1/3 cup freshly grated peccorino romano cheese

Directions:

1. Place all the ingredients in the actifry and set the timer for 15 minutes! Let the crackers cool slightly before snacking!

 

Grandma Harper’ s Ranch Osyter Crackers

  
Growing up we’d always go to my Grandma and Grandpa Harper’s on Christmas Day for lunch after we had our 4:30 am family Christmas extravaganza which alway lasted several hours. The funny thing is now we may get to sleep in until 6:30 am but with my nephew Christmas morning still can last several hours. 

We always looked forward to my grandparents having their homemade wedding soup on the stovetop with meat, fruit, and veggie trays on their peninsula island. My aunts and uncles would pop in and out all throughout the day. We have a fairly large family which made it difficult for us to all get together at the same time. But at the Harpers’s’ the door is always open. The tradition still lives on even though all the cousins have grown and started families of their own. 

One of my favorite snacks grandma always had waiting for the kids and adults was her famous ranch oyster crackers. It was not a family Christmas function without these savory ranch crackers. I always looked forward to eating these during the holiday season.

Luckily during my second review of her recipes I stumbled across this gem! 

Ingredients:

Two packages of oyster crackers (try to find the smaller sized crackers they absorb the oil better)

3/4 cup canola oil (grandma used 1 cup)

1 tsp dried dill 

1 tsp garlic powder

3 TB ranch powdered salad dressing mix (which is one packet of hidden valley) but I used penzey’s

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a large microwaveable safe bowl. Mix with spatula. Microwave for three minutes. Mix again with spatula thoroughly microwave for another three minutes. Allowed to cool and then store in either Ziploc bag or plastic Tupperware container. 

Be aware these are addicting.