Buttermilk Syrup with Coconut Oil

Buttermilk syrup is the unsurpassed champion of all breakfast toppings. This sounds like an opinion, but it is, in fact, FACT.  And it is most definitely NOT on my no-refined-sugar diet I am doing Monday through Saturday.  Sunday, however....

I decided waffles were in order Sunday morning, and I realized we were out of maple syrup. Then, I had the idea of making some buttermilk syrup. Since we are trying to eat healthier, I decided to try making the syrup a bit better for us--definitely not into a diet food--but with more redeeming value.

Most recipes for buttermilk syrup call for butter, sugar, buttermilk, baking soda and vanilla (some call for corn syrup as well).  I used a combination of coconut oil and butter; and I used less sugar and more buttermilk than many recipes you may have seen.

As a side note: I have bought this and other brands, and Kirkland Organic Coconut Oil (found at Costco or online) is my favorite. It is unrefined, so the coconut scent is evident, but only very slightly. It is hard at room temperature, but not so hard I have to chisel it out of the jar.  It leaves a fresh feeling in your mouth if you taste it by itself--unlike the icky coating that lower-quality oils seem to leave. 

The recipe I came up with was a HUGE winner! It has the decadent flavor that you expect from a buttermilk syrup, but not the burn-your-throat caramel-like richness of traditional buttermilk syrup that can quickly take over all other flavors. This syrup complimented the waffle taste, instead of covering it. It will be my new go-to homemade syrup! I can't wait to serve it again!

Buttermilk Syrup with Coconut Oil

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter

4 tablespoons coconut oil

1 cup sugar

1 cup buttermilk

1/8 tsp salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla

Directions:

1. In a medium-large sauce pan, melt butter, coconut oil, and sugar over medium-low heat. Stir in buttermilk and salt. Turn up heat to medium and bring to a boil. Boil 1 minute. Remove from heat.

2. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Mixture will begin to foam. Stir well. 

3. Serve hot or warm over pancakes, waffles, or french toast. Mixture is thin, but thickens when it cools. Store in a covered mason jar in the refrigerator. Re-heat for future use. 

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Healthy Buckeye Bars

I know, HEALTHY BUCKEYE sounds like an oxymoron, but these aren't your grandma's buckeyes. Healthy ingredients like coconut oil, natural peanut butter, and agave nectar make these melt-in-your-mouth morsels a treat you can go back for seconds on--guilt free!

I took some of my first batch to the bootcamp class I teach to share afterwards, and no one could believe they were actually good for them. Unlike traditional buckeyes that have butter, peanut butter and a ton of powdered sugar, these are full of healthy fats and low-glycemic, unrefined sweetener.

Here's how it's done: 

Line a 8"x8" or 9"x 9" dish with wax paper.

Mix 1 1/4  cups of natural peanut butter with 1/3 cup of melted coconut oil and 1/4 cup of light agave nectar.

Place in the fridge or freezer to harden.

While the peanut butter layer is hardening, whisk together 1/3 cup melted coconut oil, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, 1/4 cup real maple syrup or light agave nectar, 1/2 tsp vanilla. 

Spread over chilled peanut butter layer. Return to the refrigerator or freezer.

 Once it is chilled through, pull up edges of wax paper to remove from dish.

Cut into bars.

 And Enjoy!

Healthy Buckeye Bars

Makes 8x8 inch square pan

Peanut Butter Layer:

1 1/4 cups natural peanut butter (creamy or crunchy)

1/3 cup  unscented* coconut oil, softened (or just barely melted)

1/4 cup real maple syrup or light agave nectar

Chocolate Layer:

1/3 cup unscented* coconut oil, melted

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/4 cup real maple syrup or light agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

*Scented coconut oil can be used, but coconut flavor undertones may be present.

Directions:

1. Line a 8x8 or 9x9 inch square baking dish with a sheet of wax paper covering bottom and sides . Set aside.

2. In a medium mixing bowl, mix peanut butter, coconut oil and agave nectar until smooth. Spread in prepared pan and place in refrigerator or freezer to set.

3. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together melted coconut oil cocoa powder and agave nectar. Stir in vanilla. Spread chocolate mix over chilled peanut butter layer. Return to fridge or freezer to set.

4. Once bars are chilled (after 1 hr+), pull wax paper edges to remove from the pan. Use a sharp knife to cut into bars. Store in an airtight container in fridge or freezer.

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No Refined Sugar Protein Brownies

My husband and I extended our January No Sugar Challenge to February...And YOU get to benefit! I am sharing another healthy treat. This one will satisfy your chocolate sweet tooth, and it packs a good protein punch!  Double WIN!

The main response we get when we tell anyone we are avoiding refined sugars and flours is "WHY???" I admit had to ponder this to give a genuine answer. 

In January, my "why" was to clean up my diet after all the holiday junk I consumed at the end of last year.  My husband and I extended it into February because we have loved the way we feel.  We allow ourselves one "cheat day" each week, but it's not a "binge day." Usually it means we eat something like waffles or chocolate chips (or both, together!). We don't go eat a dozen doughnuts and negate all the good we have done through the week!

We have also upped the ante on our workouts, so these protein brownies especially feel good after a hard bootcamp or trail run!  In fact, my husband came home from a tough snow-camping trip with our son and ate the last three (of the second batch I made)!

No Refined Sugar Protein Brownies

Makes 1 9x13 pan

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/2 cup butter, softened  (can use all coconut oil, just double salt)

1/2 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

1/2 cup natural peanut butter (or other nut butter)

1/2 cup chocolate protein powder

1/2 cup coconut flour

1/8 teaspoon sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease 9x13 baking dish/pan.

2. In a food processor or electric mixer bowl, beat coconut oil and butter until well combined. Add cocoa powder and honey and beat well. Mix in eggs, peanut butter and protein powder until smooth. 

3. Whisk coconut flour and sea salt together, then stir into main mixture. 

4. Pour into prepared dish, and bake 13-16 minutes, just until top no longer looks wet and edges begin to darken. 

5. Cool completely. These taste best cooled or chilled. I liked them at room temperature, but loved them after they sat in the fridge a while. Store in air-tight container, or wrap individually as an easy to grab protein treat!

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Banana Bread Cookies

Creativity in the kitchen so often arises out of necessity, am I right??  In the case of these cookies, I NEEDED something sweet.  However, my husband and I have sworn off refined sugars and flours for the month of January, so my sweet tooth was not easily appeased. 

I had some bananas sitting on the counter that I was guarding with my life so they would ripen enough to use in my sugar-free-sweet-treat-making endeavors.  Finally they began to turn brown, and I set to work. 

Now I know that raisins in cookies are not enjoyed by all. Usually you love'em or hate'em.  I am in-between. I love them if they are soft and don't break up the uniform texture of the cookie too much. I hate them if they are hard.  I think the Love'em camp would be larger if more cookie chefs took the time to plump their raisins in water before adding them to recipes.  Sun-Maid has figured this out and has done it for you with their Baking Raisins, available at grocery stores or on Amazon. 

You can also measure out your raisins, cover them with boiling water, and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then drain off the water (but don't squeeze the raisins), and they are ready to add to your baking! 

But if you absolutely hate raisins in any form or fashion, leave them out. These cookies can stand on their own, with our without the addition of raisins!

Banana Bread Cookies

Ingredients:

2 cups whole-wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup coconut oil, softened

1/2 cup honey

2 eggs

3 very ripe bananas, mashed well

3 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)

1 cup baking raisins (raisins soaked in hot water 10 minutes, then drained), optional

1 cup chopped pecans, optional

Directions: 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line baking sheets with parchment, silpat, or coat with cooking spray.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon together. Set aside.

3. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and coconut oil until smooth. Add honey and beat well. Beat in eggs. 

4. Add 1/2 flour mixture to wet mix. Mix in bananas, then add remaining flour mix. Stir in oatmeal, raisins and pecans. 

5. Place rounded teaspoonfuls onto prepared baking sheets. Bake 10 minutes, until edges just begin to brown and tops no longer look wet.  Cool, then store in airtight container. 

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Natural Energy Bites

Summer is coming, and if your family is like mine, we will be on the GO! Vacations, camps, swimming lessons, hiking and camping are all on the agenda.  

So I developed these yummy and nutritious Natural Energy Bites. I've seen similar products in the health food section at the grocery store--Aussie Bites, Simple Bites, Somersaults--and all are yummy. But we can devour lots of money's worth of those in a short amount of time. 

You can make these bites and store them in the fridge or freezer all summer long. My family loves them. My neighbors love them. I took some to my physical therapist today--they loved them!  Have I convinced you yet? 

If not, here are more reasons to love these nutritious morsels: 

* Refined Sugar-Free

*Made with Coconut Oil (a healthy fat)

* Gluten Free

*Wholesome, Natural, Easy-to-find Ingredients

*5 Grams of Sugar and 85 calories per FOUR snacks

Here's how to make 'em: 

The healthy winning line-up. Many, if not all, of these ingredients are probably staples in your pantry. 

The tools used to make the cute little uniform bites: 

Wax Paper or Parchment Paper and an Apple Corer.

Beat coconut oil and honey. Add the egg and mix well.

Put nuts and dried fruit in food processor and pulse until...

...it looks about like this. It's okay for a few larger chunks to remain.

Stir the processed fruit and nuts into the oil and honey mix.

Measure 1 cup of old-fashioned oats into the food processor or blender. 

Pulse until mostly milled into "oat flour."  Add baking soda and pulse a few seconds more. (No need to wash your food processor between the fruit/nuts and the flour--it all ends up together in the end!)

Mix oat flour mixture, remaining 2.5 cups of rolled oats, vanilla, seeds, and coconut (if desired) into the wet mixture until well incorporated.  Dump entire bowl onto wax/parchment paper.

Place a second piece of wax/parchment paper over the dough and roll to 1/2 inch thick.

Here it is all rolled out.

Use the apple corer to place the "bites" onto a prepared cookie sheet. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 7 minutes. Check at 6 in case your oven or pan cooks faster than mine. 7 was perfect for me. They should rise just a bit and be light brown around the edges. Cool completely.

No "empty calories" here! Full of goodness!

Natural Energy Bites
Makes 168 bites

Ingredients:
1/2 cup coconut oil
1/4 cup honey
1 egg
1/2 cup nuts (if using roasted and salted, omit salt)
1/2 cup dried fruit (dates, raisins, dried cranberries, apricots, etc)
1 cup oatmeal ground into flour (grind in blender of food processor)
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chia, flax, or other seeds of your choice
1/2 cup coconut flakes (optional)
2.5 cups old fashioned oatmeal

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat coconut oil and honey. Add egg and mix well.
3. In a food processor, process nuts and fruit together until chopped very small. Stir this into the oil and honey mixture.
4. Stir oatmeal flour and baking soda together. Add to wet mixture. Stir in vanilla.
5. Stir seeds, flakes, and remaining oatmeal. Dough will be thick.
6. Dump dough onto wax/parchment paper. Place another piece of parchment on top. Use a rolling pin to flatten to a uniform 1/2 inch thickness.
7. Using a apple corer, cut out the "bites" and place 1/2 inch apart on cookie sheet.  Bake for 7 minutes. Cool completely.
8. Store in a zipper seal bag in the pantry, fridge or freezer--depending on how quickly you expect to eat them. Recipe doubles well. :)

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Homemade Salsa!

I like chips, but this salsa is so yummy, I could really just have a spoon and be happy to eat it alone. And it's a good thing it's so delicious, because along with my neighbor, I canned 26 quarts of it. ¡Olé!

This is my family's "go-to" salsa.  It has qualities the whole family consistently enjoys--lots of flavor, not too much heat.  My neighbor and I originally started out canning with this recipe from Food.com. We made some changes through trial and error, and we have been thrilled with the final product!

This recipe can be pared down to make much less. You can even skip cooking and canning and just have a yummy fresh salsa. You'd better believe we tasted it before we cooked it, and it was GOOD!

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Salsa

makes 6-7 quarts

Ingredients:

15 cups chopped tomatoes (I prefer Romas because they are less juicy)

5 cups chopped sweet yellow onions

5 cups chopped green bell peppers

1 1/2 - 2 cups chopped and seeded jalapeno peppers (see my post: De-Seed Jalapenos the Easy Way for help)

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 1/2 cups apple-cider vinegar

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

9 oz tomato paste

Directions:

1. If you are canning, prepare cans and lids. Have a water-bath ready.

2. Mix all ingredients except tomato paste in a large pot. Heat on medium heat until boiling. Simmer uncovered 15-30 minutes, until close to desired thickness. 

3. Stir in tomato paste. 

4. Fill jars for canning leaving 1/4 inch of head space. Wipe rims, place sanitized lids and screw on rings to finger-tight. Place in boiling water-bath and process 15 minutes. 

5. If you are not canning, just mix all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to serve. Mmm, mmm.

My neighbor took this picture of it as it was cooking down on the stove. I love all the pretty shades of red and green! 

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Saturday Dishes

Peach Fruit Leather By-The-Foot

Millions of peaches...peaches for free...

Okay, I didn't get them for free--just on a good sale.  But I was so excited to make something with them.  And this fruit leather has been a hit around here! 

My kids LOVE Fruit By the Foot, Fruit Roll-Ups, fruit snacks--so much so that I rarely buy them. I joke that they are like crack in my house. If my kids know any of these items are in the house, that is ALL they want to have for snacks until they are gone! And they are mostly sugar. Not really a health food.

Well, these fruit snacks ARE healthy.  No refined sugar. Packed with real fruit. And yummy! They actually taste like peaches! Mmm, mmm. 

Here's how to make 'em: 

You'll need: About 10 medium peaches and 1/3 cup of honey; cooking spray, plastic wrap, and cookie sheets with sides.

1. Follow the directions to peel peaches found here on Our Best Bites. 

This process is an AWESOME time saver. 

2. Remove the stones from the peaches, and put the peeled halves in a blender with 1/3 cup of honey.

3. My 10 peaches made about 6.5 cups of puree. I kind of wanted to pour some on ice and just drink it. It looks tempting, huh?

4.  Cover a couple of walled cookie sheets, with plastic wrap. Make sure it is firmly over each edge. Spray it lightly with cooking spray, then pour the puree on to the pan, spreading it until it is 1/4 inch thick everywhere.

5. Place in an oven set to 175-200°.  Bake for 6-8 hours.  You can do this overnight, but I suggest the lower temp, longer cooking if you are leaving it unchecked.  Otherwise, check it at about 5 hours. The liquid content of peaches varies, so yours may take less or more time, depending on how juicy your peaches were. 

6. Remove from the oven when it is the texture of a fruit roll-up--sticky but not wet. This is what it will look like when you remove it from the oven.

7. Once it has cooled, roll it up with the plastic still on. Cut the roll into 1-2 inch pieces. I did this using a pair of kitchen scissors. A sharp knife would work as well. 

These are easy grab-and-go snacks. I store all of them in zip-lock bags in the pantry. Now my kids can snack on REAL FRUIT all they want to!

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