Crockpot Applesauce

Posted in Food, Uncategorized by peppermintsandhoneybees

Hey, have you missed me? I’ve been trying to get the motivation to write a post, even thought it really doesn’t take that much time at all. Sometimes when I have a million other little things to do, I put things off even the things I enjoy doing. Since I graduated in July, I have been busy wedding planning, job searching and taking care of some sick family members in Indiana, so needless to say I’ve been busy.

I’m posting this recipe for multiple reasons. One, its super easy, two its healthy, and three it’s so easy I can’t believe I’ve never made it before!

I love anything that I can throw in a crockpot while I do other things. Bonus: it smells amazing!

Here is what you need:

6-8 Apples, diced (with or without skins)
1/2 cup water
1 tsp. cinnamon

Add all ingredients to the crockpot and cook on high for 2 hours or low for 4 hours. I chose to leave the skins on my apples for fiber, but if you do this I would recommend blending it in small portions in a blender. If not, and especially if you like it chunky like I do I would just use a hand masher. I did this and while it was good, the skins were a little much.

I got the original recipe from The Healthy Maven Blog and tweaked it a bit to fit my preferences and crockpot size. Homemade applesauce is tastier than store bought and so cheap and easy to make, it would be a great healthy snack for kids. I love it because its a sweet snack with no added sugar.

Enjoy!

3Sep2015

Lemon Mulberry Chia Pudding

Posted in Food by peppermintsandhoneybees

I’m ashamed to say that even though I’ve been putting chia seeds in my morning smoothies and in my tea and occasionally in Greek yogurt, I haven’t tried to make chia pudding until now. Chia Seeds are packed with nutrients and aid in digestion so they are understandably one of the current health food crazes, but they can also be made into a delicious and healthy dessert. When they get wet they get a gelatinous membrane around them that thickens whatever they are in.

I didn’t realize how easy it was or how many different variations you can make. I found this version from The Healthy Maven. That version was for lemon raspberry chia pudding but I had mulberries instead of raspberries so I improvised and it was still delicious.

The ingredients are:

2 cups coconut milk (or almond milk)
4 1/2 tbsp. chia seeds
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
The juice and zest of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup Mulberries, raspberries or well any type of berries
1 tbsp. honey or agave

Combine all the ingredients into a large container or jar, stir it up, and refrigerate over night.

It will be very runny at first but it’ll thicken up, I promise! Eat it plain or with more fruit and/or granola. You can add anything and I cant wait to try some more versions. I think pomegranate seeds would be good, or maybe strawberry kiwi. Let me know what you come up with!

6Mar2015

Roasted Chickpeas

Posted in Food by peppermintsandhoneybees

I know my last post was a recipe, but these are so addicting and easy to make I had to! Ben actually came up with this recipe too so I’m taking it from him. This is the first version he made and I think this is my favorite flavor combination but it’s fun to experiment also.

To begin, drain the water out of a can of chickpeas and rinse them off in a colander. Then pat them dry with a paper towel and put them in a mixing bowl.

Add about 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, a pinch of salt and pepper, about 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of onion powder, and 2 teaspoons of curry powder. We eyeballed ours, but add enough to evenly coat the chickpeas. Mix everything up evenly and spread them out evenly on a baking sheet. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 40 min. Some of the chickpeas will pop which is fine, I like the crunchy burnt ones but they should all be crunchy when done. Enjoy!

23Oct2014

Honey Tahini Almond Cookies

Posted in Food, pinterest by peppermintsandhoneybees

This is one recipe that I tried from pinterest that I will definitely be making again! Not only are they healthy but they are addicting. These cookies are packed with nutrition and naturally sweetened with honey. I also added a little agave nectar to mine for a little extra sweetness.

I got the recipe from a blog called http://www.anjasfood4thought.com/2014/03/honey-tahini-almond-cookies

1 1/2 cups almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup tahini
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon agave nectar (optional)
1/2 cup sesame seeds

Combine the almond meal, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and set aside. Next combine the honey, vanilla, tahini, and agave. Slowly stir in the dry mix until everything is mixed up. Roll into quarter sized balls and roll into the sesame seeds, coating the balls. Press them down on your lightly greased cookie sheet so they are about 1/4″ thick.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for 10 minutes or until the bottoms are brown.

Enjoy!

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19Aug2014

Vegan Coconut Cupcakes with Peach Frosting

Posted in Food by peppermintsandhoneybees

I’ve been searching for the perfect basic cupcake recipe for a while. I wanted a basic go-to recipe that I could use to base other concoctions I try out. I found one at handletheheat.com that had a good, easy, basic recipe and it showed what happened if you subbed different ingredients out for others. I love trying to make dessert recipes healthier, and I’m not vegan, just vegetarian, but I try to limit my dairy so I wanted to try and make a go-to vegan cupcake recipe. I like to see if I can make desserts still as tasty while switching the ingredients.

I listed the original recipe along with the things I switched out such as almond milk, flax seed for eggs, and coconut oil for butter. The next batch I make, I’ll probably use coconut or rice flour to see if I can make it gluten free too. I have a niece who has Celiac disease and can’t have gluten, so I like to make sure she can still enjoy as many of the same treats as everyone else.

For the icing I wanted to use something I had already and had bought peaches the day before so I decided to try and make some vegan icing with coconut oil and powdered sugar. This one I made up as I go, but the measurements should be pretty close. Just eyeball it! Also make sure to keep these refrigerated so the icing doesn’t melt. 😉

Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/4 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup unrefined virgin coconut oil
1 egg or 1 teaspoon flax seed + 2-3 teaspoons water (enough to make the consistency of an egg)
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup of milk (I used almond milk and it turned out fine)

Combine all dry ingredients and then add wet. Mix with a hand mixer and then scoop into lined muffin tin. The batter will be a little thicker than regular cake batter so don’t worry.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. Makes 12

Icing:

1/4 cup unrefined virgin coconut oil melted
1 peach blended in a blender, bullet, or food processor
3/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon milk (again I used almond milk)
1 cup powdered sugar (you may have to add more if it’s too watery)

I also added a little flour to mine to thicken it up. Add all ingredients and blend with a hand mixer. Next let it set in the fridge for about an hour or about 20 minutes in the freezer to thicken up the icing. And again since it’s made with coconut oil you’ll need to keep these refrigerated so the frosting doesn’t melt.

Also I used whole wheat flour in my cupcakes because that’s what I had but for the next time I think I would use either regular flour or coconut flour. The wheat flour gave the cupcakes a kind of muffin taste, which wasn’t bad but if you’re going for a more traditional cupcake taste I’d use something else. Enjoy!

30Jul2014

Sesame Soy Kale Chips

Posted in Food by peppermintsandhoneybees

If you’re like me you love anything sweet to snack on but sometimes something salty and crunchy is in order. I made these kale chips yesterday and they are almost already gone! They’re super easy to make and healthier than most salty snacks!

You will need:
•a gallon sized ziplock bag
•one bunch of kale. Must be cleaned dried and removed from the stems
•soy sauce
•sesame seeds
•garlic (optional)

Begin by cleaning kale and ripping it up in sections about an in ch or two wide. Lay it out to dry as I did here.

Next add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the bag with 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce and 2 tablespoons sesame seeds. I added about 1/2 tablespoon of minced garlic to mine as well.

Add the kale and seal with air in the bag. Then shake until it is all coated. Next open the bag and let the air out, close it and work the mixture in so it is evenly coated throughout the kale.

Spread the kale out onto a lightly sprayed baking sheet or pan and bake at 300 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 minutes or until it’s crispy.

Then enjoy! I should warn you they are addicting. 😉

For more flavors I found a list at Refinery29

12May2014

Cinnamon popcorn

Posted in Food by peppermintsandhoneybees

I hope everyone had a great Mother’s Day weekend! I made sure I was outside as much as possible. I bought a new bike so now I can finally go on rides. We also went out exploring, shopping and just enjoyed the 80 degree weather. Even the cats are loving it. (mostly because of all the birds on the patio)

I thought for its week I’d post a recipe. We’ll not really a recipe it’s just how I like to make popcorn. We’ve been on a big popcorn kick here lately and I of course have a huge sweet tooth so I like to sweeten mine. We pop our own which is way healthier and just as fast as the microwave kind. It’s cheaper and has less nasty chemicals too.

We pop it over the stove in coconut oil which tastes great! I then drizzle mine with agave syrup and coat it with cinnamon. I mix it up and then its ready to enjoy. It’s so good and not that bad for you. I also use Trader Joe’s pumpkin spice sometimes too if you like pumpkin.

Enjoy and let me know how you like your popcorn!

Jenna ❤