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

IMM: Gluten-Free Mongolian BBQ

Last week we were recovering from the week before so Insta Meals Monday was put on the wayside. After a week of a stomach bug for Sweet P and bronchitis for Sprout, Sweet P had a fever on Monday (also bronchitis) so no IMM last. Hopefully this meal makes up for it...especially since it's actually a meal. Although, I'm pretty sure I could just eat Homemade Almond Butter as a meal.

My sister (Auntie Rosita) told me about this amazing Mongolian BBQ she made and I knew I had to figure out how to make it for us. It's gluten-free, vegetarian (vegan if you want to get technical) and delicioso.

The Recipe: Mongolian BBQ
What you need:  Gluten-free brown rice spaghetti noodles (I use Trader Joe's) 1 medium onion chopped 2 tsp minced garlic or 2 cloves of garlic 1 tbsp olive oil 3 large carrots grated and chopped 2 cup fresh or frozen broccoli 4-5 mushrooms chopped 1/2 tsp ginger 1/2 tsp garlic powder 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tbsp sesame seeds 1/3 c Bragg's Liquid Aminos
Prepare spaghetti as directed, drain and set aside. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute garlic and onions in olive oil until onions are translucent. Add broccoli, carrots and mushrooms. Saute until veggies are soft, but not mushy. Add spaghetti to skillet. Stir in spices, sesame oil and aminos. Add 1/3 c of water if spaghetti is sticky (brown rice pasta tends to do that). Top with sesame seeds and serve. 
Simple. Fast. Delish.
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Insta Meals Monday: Homemade Almond Butter

Posting a simple recipe since Sweet P had a tummy bug today. Actually forgot about IMM until about 30 minutes ago! But since Homemade Almond Butter is our new favorite food, I'm sharing that today.  Adapted from Detoxinista's Homemade Almond Butter recipe. Before we get started here are a few things you should know:

1. Heat/roast your almonds before you put them in the food processor even if you're using roasted almonds. It makes the process 432 times faster. Trust me. HEAT them.
2. Be patient. It takes longer than 2 minutes.
3. It's so easy your kids could make it! 
4. This is by far the best nut butter I've ever tasted in.my.life.

The Recipe: Homemade Almond Butter

What you need:

1 lb. Dry Roasted/Unsalted Almonds (I use Trader Joe's)

Optional Mix-ins: honey, maple syrup, salt, cinnamon

A decent food processor

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place almonds on a cookie sheet and bake for 3-5 minutes. WARNING: Almonds will be HOT. 

Dump almonds into food processor. Turn to first setting (mine has 2 options) for 1 minute. Stop, scrape down sides. Repeat until the mixture starts to clump together. Continue scraping every 30 seconds or so until it reaches a creamy consistency. Process for 1 more minute. The mixture will be HOT. Allow to cool slightly and pour into mason jar or other airtight container. Cool completely and store in fridge. 

1 pound of almonds yields approximately 12-13 oz. of almond butter.

I'm not positive how long it will last in the fridge because ours was gone in less than a week.

If you don't think it's working, process a bit longer. Remember - PATIENCE!

NOTE: I've made this twice and the 2nd time I forgot to heat my almonds and the process took MUCH longer and my mixture got clumpy and stayed that way. I heated the clump of almond butter in the oven for 3 minutes and stuck it back in the processor. It eventually got creamy, but I'd recommend roasting them first to avoid this step.

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Insta Meals Monday: Peanut Butter Banana Bites

Ok, so I really had no idea what to call these bad boys because let's just say there is no name to describe their awesomeness. The recipe for Primal Fudge is what sparked the creation of these tiny bits of deliciousness. I took her recipe, modified and created Peanut Butter Banana Bites. They are gluten-free, vegan, vegetarian and paleo. So. Good.

The Recipe: Peanut Butter Banana Bites

What you need:

1/2 c coconut oil

3 tbsp cocoa powder

1/2 c chunky peanut butter (or almond butter - can also be creamy, but chunky's better)

2 tbsp honey

1 banana (chopped)

Heat coconut oil in a pan on the stove until melted. Stir in cocoa powder, peanut butter and honey. Grease a mini muffin tin (you could also use mini muffin liners, but if you're asking me that's wasteful) and pour equal amounts of cocoa mixture into each muffin section. Place a slice of banana in each muffin section and gently press until the cocoa mixture covers the banana (you may see the outline of the banana beneath the surface). Chill for 30 minutes. 

Use a spoon to pop the bites out of the muffin tin. Devour. You will. I promise. And if you don't - you must not like coconut. Or chocolate. Or banana. Or peanut butter. What's wrong with you!?

The banana takes on an ice cream like consistency that I can't explain and well, The Farmer and I can't stop eating them and he doesn't even like chocolate AND I'm perfectly fine with giving Sweet P one of these for breakfast. Yep. Chocolate for breakfast. 

Stay tuned for another version coming soon. 

NOTE: If you don't want the banana, simply omit. The result is still amazing and very similar to fudge.

For more gluten-free recipes follow my family's collaborative Pinterest board (my mama and sissies post to it as well): Gluten-Free

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Vegan Zucchini Muffins

If you've been reading for awhile, you know we don't feed Sweet P eggs and I try to keep them out of as many baked goods as possible because the Farmer doesn't like them. I do eat them, especially while pregnant, but make sure they are as local as possible and free of hormones, vegetarian fed, cage free and organic if possible. Anyway, these muffins don't have eggs, or milk, or butter. And they are AWESOME. I know this because I may have eaten one (or 4) of my daughter's mini muffins. No worries, we have plenty of zucchini and can make more! Little miss P helped me with these and couldn't keep her finger out of the batter (I couldn't blame her, it was yummy!)! Without further ramble...here is the yummy recipe.

The Recipe: Vegan Zucchini Muffins

What you need:
2 tbsp ground flaxseed + 6 tbsp water (vegan "eggs")
1/2 c of olive oil
1/3 c honey
1 c zucchini
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon (or big shake by a 2 year old)
1/2 c almond meal or flour
1 c whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 c chopped pecans (optional)

Place 2 tbsp ground flaxseed and 6 tbsp water in a small bowl and let sit for five minutes. Preheat oven to 350 and grease muffin tins with olive oil.

After your vegan "eggs" have gelled, place them in a large mixing bowl. Add olive oil, honey, vanilla and zucchini. Mix until combined. Pour in almond meal, flour, cinnamon, baking soda and baking powder, and stir until all ingredients are wet. Fold in chopped pecans. Spoon into muffin tins and bake for 18 minutes. Makes 24 mini muffins.

The almond meal makes them sweet and moist, and eliminates some of the oil. These are SO yummy and pretty healthy for you! Go ahead, make a batch (or 2!).