{healthy} chocolate muffins

oh yes I did say healthy and chocolate

and it gets better

sugar free

with vegetables

and amazingly delicious

:: Chocolate muffins ::

1 C dates 

1 C coconut oil

2/3 C raw honey

4 large or 5 smaller eggs

2 tsp vanilla

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp baking powder

4 C shredded zucchini & carrots

2/3 C cocoa powder

3 C spelt or wheat flour

1/2 - 1 C cranberries

1/2  - 1 C nuts

1/2 C dark chocolate chips :: optional

1-2 Tbsp reserved date soaking water if needed

{depends on how moist your zucchini is}

soak dates in boiling water for 5 minutes

 drain water and save for later

add coconut oil to dates and puree into a paste

add in each ingredient

if it seems a bit too dry add in the date water 1 Tbsp at a time

bake at 350 for 25 minutes

I enjoy them plain

but for a treat we sometimes top them with raw honey peanut butter icing

:: granola bites ::

or gorilla bites

...as my kids named them

2/3 C. almonds

2/3 C. peanuts

2/3 C. raw oats

1/3 C. raw honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1/2 tsp. real salt

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/3 C. chopped cranberries {optional}

1/3 C. dark chocolate {optional}

toast the nuts in the oven until lightly browned

chop oats and nuts in a food processer

mix everything together until thoroughly combined

if you are adding the chocolate, it will melt from the warm nuts

...which to me makes them all that much better

especially when you are only adding 1/3 C. it makes the chocolate spread further. {grin}

add coconut oil to your hands

take a scoop into your palm and roll into a ball

let them cool for 20 minutes {if you can} and then enjoy!

:: Kale Chips ::

What's for snack ::

{Kale Chips}

with an abundance of kale in our garden

and my current love for salty things

these kale chips have been one of our favorite go-to snacks in the afternoon

and they are so easy

see...

:: harvest, wash & dry a large bunch of kale ::

:: tear the stem from the center and rip the rest into bite size pieces ::

:: toss the kale with coconut oil until evenly covered, add salt to taste ::

:: spread evenly on a baking sheet ::

{try not to be too jealous of my postage stamp kitchen and dirty white floor .grin.}

:: Bake at 200 for 10-20 minutes, depending on size and how crunchy you like them

...they are done before they look like it ::

:: Let cool for 5 minutes, if you can wait, and then dig in ::

and if your family is anything like mine

it will be a hit!

What's for snack?

We had sprouted chickpeas

and peppers & olives

for a snack

and it was delicious!

want to know more about sprouting?
check out this previous post
and if you have questions
ask away! {grin}

can you guess

what we did yesterday?

not so green

...green juice...

we make green juice a lot

the kids {love it}

I {love it}

our bodies {love it}

there's a lot of love in green juice {grin}

our green juice or not so green juice {grin} varies from day to day

on this particular day I let the boys pick all the ingredients and make it

and they decided on a lot of strawberries and bananas

hence the not so green color!

the usual ingredients are...

canned coconut milk

aloe juice

flax seed oil

fresh lemon juice

pure pomegranate or cranberry juice {occasionally}

frozen organic raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and sometimes strawberries

large bunch of mustard greens {today} or kale or swiss chard {my favorite} or spinach

1/2 tsp of kelp powder

cinnamon

chia seeds

banana {I prefer the taste without & they're high in sugar}

and sometimes I'll open up a probiotic pill and add that

or vitamin D pill

or crushed up calcium lactate

{I'll especially add these if someone isn't feeling well}

we use a simple stick blender... love it!

blend it all up and viola

...a nutritious and delicious green juice or sometimes not so green juice {grin}