Homemade Banana Nut Fruit Bars

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In an effort to start eating less processed foods {even "healthy", organic processed foods}, I went searching for a recipe for homemade Larabars. We LOVE Larabars. BUT. They are expensive and when you need at least 2 to feed the kids, it can add up quickly. I wanted a cost effective way that didn't use 800 ingredients. I came across a few recipes, but really wanted to use what I had on hand so after seeing that I could dry bananas and use those, in addition to dates, I set out to create this recipe.
You'll need to dry your bananas first. I'm not sure how store bought dried bananas would work because these need to be somewhat sticky and help hold the bar together.  Set your oven to 170 degrees {that's as low as mine goes}. Cut your bananas into slices lengthwise and place on a drying rack. 

Place drying rack on top of a cookie sheet to catch any bits that may fall off during the drying process. Place in the oven and allow to dry for 8-10 hours. I started my batch at 2pm and turned off the oven at 10:30pm and left the bananas in the oven overnight. They were the perfect consistency in the morning. Recipe: Homemade Banana Nut Fruit Bars What You'll Need: 3 bananas (dried first - see above for drying instructions) 1/4 c or approximately 8 small dates (this is the type we use from Costco) 1/2 c sunflower seeds 1/4 c other nuts (almonds, cashews, hickory nuts, peanuts, etc.) Blend dried bananas and dates in food processor until they form a sticky dough. It should clump into a ball.  Blend in sunflower seeds and other nuts {we used peanuts this go round} until finely chopped. Turn out onto wax or parchment paper and form into a ball with your hands. Line a loaf pan with parchment paper and press the dough into the bottom of the pan. Refrigerate for 1 hour.  Cut into desired size.  We used peanuts this time because it's what I had on hand. You could also form these into balls instead of bars.  Based on the ingredients I used, these bars cost about $.31 a piece. When making 6 bars this saves me almost $1 per bar based on the price of Larabars at our Trader Joe's. Worth it! Follow The Iowa Farmer's Wife on Instagram, Twitter, & Pinterest

Insta Meals Monday: Introduction & Raspberry Sorbet

Today, I'm delighted to bring you the first post in my series: Insta Meals Monday. Let me share a bit of the background that led me to this series. First off. A confession. I, The Iowa Farmer's Wife, am addicted to Instagram. There. I said it. And I have definitely fallen into the Instagram trap of photographing my food. And after several encouraging nudges (and a few phone calls from Auntie Rosita) I decided to designate Mondays as Insta Meals Monday.

Now, before you get too involved, there are a few things you should know.

1.) All meals will be vegetarian. 

2.) All posts may not be complete meals (i.e., side dish or dessert - although you just might consider dessert a meal).

3.) All meals will be gluten-free. Substitutions for gluten-free options may be suggested depending on the recipe.

4.) Meals are not based on the paleo plan, however, many meals will follow paleo guidelines.

5.) All recipes are my own unless otherwise noted.

6.) And finally, the term Insta doesn't mean that the meal will be Instant, it's simply because I post the pictures to Instagram. 

Posts will include 1 picture (pulled from Instagram) and the recipe. I don't plan to take pictures of the process or ingredients. I'll do my best to share the ingredients and where I find/purchase them. 

My goal is to make these meals/recipes and user/mom-friendly as possible without ingredients you can't find in a regular grocery store. While you may not have these items in your pantry, they won't be hard to find or locate. 

And lastly, I hope that these posts will inspire you to try to meals for you or your family, try new foods, eat less meat and eat less gluten.

Without further ado: 

The Recipe: Raspberry Sorbet

What you need:

1/2 cup Vanilla Almond Milk (I use Trader Joe's brand with no added sugar))

1.5 bananas

1 cup frozen raspberries OR blueberries

Note: I use an immersion blender for all blended recipes.

Place ingredients into a blender (or cup if using an immersion blender). Blend until smooth. If mixture is too thick, add almond milk. If mixture is too thin, add frozen raspberries until desired thickness. Serve immediately. Makes 2 small bowls of sorbet.

Can be frozen for 10-30 minutes before eating.

My kids eat this for breakfast, but we also like it for dessert. We call it ice cream because it really does taste just like raspberry sorbet, and I'm super excited to make it in the summer to eat outside! 

Follow The Iowa Farmer's Wife on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Google+

10 Child-Centered St Patrick's Day Ideas

1. St. Patrick's Day Sensory Bin
2. Eat a Rainbow
3. St. Patrick's Day Toddler Activities
4. Rainbow Activities
5. Leprechaun Stick Puppet
6. Simple Shamrock Craft
7. Introduce New Foods with a St. Patrick's Day Meal
8. Eat another Rainbow
9. Coffee Filter Shamrocks
10. Egg Carton Shamrocks

For more St. Patrick's Day ideas, check out our collaborative St. Patrick's Day Pin Board.

Muffin Tin Monday: N is for Nest

Last week we were doing letter N activities and since not a whole lot of exciting stuff starts with N, we talked a LOT about nests! So what did Sweet P have for lunch last week? A nest, of course!

We had lunch inside the cardboard house she got for her birthday (that's why it's in a cake pan).

Nest: whole wheat spaghetti with pesto
Eggs: tiny tomatoes
Top muffin cup: spinach and sage flowers from our garden!
Center muffin cup: cottage cheese
Bottom muffin cup: strawberries

Sweet P: "Did you make me a nest for lunch?!"