Author: admin

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Chocolate, Peanut butter bars! 5-ingredients (Vegan)

These are just a peanut butter version of the Healthy, Chocolate, Cherry Bars! Vegan! (5-ingredients) recipe I posted last week. They’re obviously better because, peanut butter and chocolate is THEE BEST combo EvEr!!!

I forgot to put the peanut butter in the picture, because I made 2 different versions, and the first version didn’t take peanut butter. So ill post a picture of peanut butter for ya!

There ya go!! I plan on making more of protein type bars soon. Ones that actually taste good, and are full of good proteins. Not those chalky tasting ones you get from the store.

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Chocolate, Peanut butter bars! 5-ingredients (Vegan)

Prep Time5 minutes
Chill time1 hour
Total Time1 hour 5 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Servings: 6 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup almonds
  • 1 cup pitted dates
  • 2 tbsp cocoa powder (Cacao)
  • 2-3 tbsp Natural Peanut butter
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil (softened)

Instructions

  • Blend all the ingredients together until they're finely chopped.
  • Press into a bread pan, and chill in the fridge for an hour to set.
  • Take out, and cut into 6 pieces. ENJOY!!!
  • Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up 2 weeks, then put in the freezer.

 

 

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Healthy, Chocolate, Cherry Bars! Vegan! (5-ingredients)

I know I’ve been MIA lately, and it’s been a few weeks since I posted a recipe. What can I say?? It’s summer, and it’s been busy. Recently I’ve been looking more into nutrition, and protein especially as I want to make sure that I’m fueling my body correctly for workouts.

Totally forgot to put the cherries in the picture, and ain’t nobody got time for that!! Haha. I also made a peanut butter version that i’ll post next week. Which has more protein obviously because of the peanut butter. Cherries, cocoa, and dates both have protein, but the almonds carry the biggest amount. These are super quick and easy to make. They’re perfect for on the go, which was what I was aiming for. A quick bar with protein for after a workout, or on-the-go snack.

It’s enough to fill a bread pan, so if you wanna double it then feel free! It makes 6 normal size bars, or 9 if you want mini’s. Be sure to blend well to make everything chopped up better, which makes them stick together better.

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Healthy, Chocolate Cherry Bars! Vegan! (5-ingredients)

Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Servings: 6 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

  • 1 cup Almonds
  • 1 cup Dates (Pitted)
  • 1/2 cup Dried Cherries
  • 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder (Cacao works too)
  • 1 tbsp Coconut oil

Instructions

  • Put all the ingredients into your blender, or food processor and blend until finely chopped.
  • Press firmly into a bread pan, and place in the fridge until set.
  • Remove and cut into 6 bars. Enjoy!! Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks!

 

 

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How to make Homemade, Healthy, BBQ Sauce!!

Recently while on a job, the customer gave us a bunch of tomatoes and suggested making BBQ Sauce with them. Honestly, I’d never heard of, or even thought of that. It sounded interesting though, and if I made it myself, it wouldn’t have all that sugar and possible other nasty ingredients in it.

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The recipe I followed called for tomato paste, but I wanted to make it with the tomatoes I had. So I blended them up, then strained out the seeds and skin. I did add 1 thing of tomato paste later to try to thicken it more, but it was 95% tomatoes.

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It is Keto, Low-Carb, THM, and Vegan, so no worries in the health department. We also blended up the remaining tomatoes for sauce.

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Healthy, Homemade, Vegan, BBQ Sauce

Course: Topping
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, keto, Low Carb, THM, Vegan
Servings: 1 Pint
Author: Wholesum Yum

Ingredients

  • 2 Cups Pureed Tomatoes (Or Tomato Paste)
  • 1/2 Cup Apple Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Pyure (Or sweetener of choice)
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tbsp Liquid Smoke
  • 2 tsp Paprika
  • 1 tsp Garlic Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt
  • 1/4 tsp Chili Powder
  • 1/4 tsp Cayenne Pepper (Add more if you want it hot)

Instructions

  • Wash the tomatoes and cut the stems out.
  • Blend until pureed. Strain the puree, then pour into a small saucepan.
  • Add all the other ingredients, and cook on the stove on med/high heat until it boils. Then turn back to a simmer, and cook out the water until it reaches the desired thickness.
  • (Keep in mind... this won't be as thick as "Sweet Baby Rays.")
  • Also, if you don't want to watch it simmer for hours, you can cook it in your crockpot uncovered for the amount of desired hours. I did 4 or 5 hours, but I uncovered it way later...not in the beginning.
  • When done cooking, pour into pint jars, and hot water bath them. You can look online how to do that. I did the batch 5x, so if you like your BBQ then go for i!!!
  • Store in the fridge after opening.

 

 

 

 

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Healthy, Black Raspberry Crisp! (5-ingredient) (Vegan Option)

I don’t know about for you all, but around here it’s berry season. All the wild Blackberry bushes are going CrAzY!! A few weeks ago I picked wild Raspberries and made this crisp recipe. It turned out, so I decided to make it again with blackberries. It’s delish, and the perfect summer dessert!

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If you love fruit, and you love granola…this will be your Achillies Heel! It doesn’t take long to make and like the title says, it only takes 5-ingredients. Really doesn’t get better than that does it??

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You can obviously make this recipe with other fruits, I just feel like berries are the best. Also, they’re in season right now so it’s the most convenient fruit to come by. Did I mention they’re FREE!! Haha I’m all about that free food life. Plus, wild berries are the cleanest you’ll get. Never sprayed with anything or altered in any way, so no hybrid junk.

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Healthy, Blackberry Crisp! (Vegan Option) (5-ingredients)

Cook Time40 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Servings: 20 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

Berry Filling

  • 5 Cups Fresh Blackberries (I used 7 because I'm extra like that)
  • 1 tbsp Lemon Juice
  • 3-4 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

Crumble Topping

  • 4 tbsp Butter (Vegan Butter for vegan option)
  • 2 cups Old-Fashioned Oats
  • 2 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350F.
  • Pour your berries into a 9x13 Pyrex dish. Mix in the 3-4 tbsp Maple syrup, and the lemon juice. (Trust me, it saves on dishes)
  • In a medium mix your butter, oats, and remaining maple syrup. (Make sure the butter is softened)
  • With a spoon or your hands, divide the oat mixture over the berries making and even topping over the whole dish.
  • Bake for 40 minutes. You can eat right away or let it cool down. (We ate with Vanilla ice cream. *GASP so unhealthy I know!! You can get healthy ice cream or even make your own)
  • Store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks!

 

 

 

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How to make homemade Dill Pickles!

I don’t know about you guys, but I LOVE Dill pickles! on my cheeseburger, turkey sandwich, with cheese and crackers…you name it. Sometimes I like to just eat a pickle, that’s how much I like them. Now I’m gonna teach you how to make them! (Disclaimer: I just learned myself so I’m not expert)

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Yes these are healthy and the only ingredients you need are in the picture. I used dried dill because I didn’t have any fresh, but I would definitely recommend using fresh dill if you have it.

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Those are cucumbers from my garden!! I love being able to walk out my door and get fresh veggies straight outta my garden. It’s such a fulfilling feeling. Any fellow gardeners out there?? Plus, you know that it’s clean. I don’t spray mine with anything, and I fertilize with epsom salt, and ashes. Purely natural!

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As you can see in the front of this picture, there are grape leaves. Literally leaves off of a grape vine. The friend who gave me her pickle recipe said to cover them in grape leaves to hold the pickles down in the mixture. Well I looked it up and grape leaves are a good source of…(Are you ready for this??) Iron, Vitamins A, C, and Anthocyanins (Which protect you from disease. They also suggest that you can use them as a wrap for rice or herbs as a snack idea. They’re called Dolmas and can be found at most supermarkets apparently. News to me, but I guess you learn something new everyday huh?!? 

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Healthy, Homemade, Dill Pickles!

Cook Time10 minutes
Set time14 days
Total Time14 days 20 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Snack, Topping
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, keto, Low Carb, THM, Vegan
Servings: 8 pints
Author: Rachel Dumperth

Ingredients

  • 2 Medium Pickles (Sliced) Depending on the size
  • 1 cup Water
  • 1 cup Cider Vinegar
  • 1 tbsp Salt
  • 1 pinch Red Pepper Flakes
  • 2 Cloves Garlic (Chopped)
  • 2 tsp Black Peppercorns
  • 2 tsp Mustard Seed (Whole)
  • Grape leaves (For covering the pickles)

Instructions

  • Boil your lids in a small saucepan.
  • In a medium saucepan, add all the dry ingredients EXCEPT the grape leaves. Bring to a boil and allow to simmer while you slice the cucumbers.
  • Slice your cucumbers to desired thickness. I used a mandolin slicer and it worked AMAZING!! (Caught my knuckles a few times, but that's because I wasn't using it properly.)
  • Arrange them in your pint jars.
  • Pour the wet mixture over the cucumbers and cover with a grape leaf to hold down the cucumbers.
  • Put your lids on and can. (I'm no canning expert, so be sure to look it up.) Or just store in the fridge and skip the canning altogether!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Healthy, Salted Caramel, Popcorn Bites (Vegan option)

Last week I posted my recipe Healthy, Cherry/Chocolate Popcorn Bites! (vegan option, only 6-ingredients) and I also made a salted caramel version. They’re perfect for summer, but can be eaten anytime obviously. They’re a frozen dessert though so summer is best.

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I used Lily’s Chocolate, but you can use vegan chocolate, or whatever kind you wanna use! I personally like Lily’s because it’s sweetened with stevia, NOT the nasty white refined sugar.

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I just used regular butter popcorn by secret, but you can use whatever brand you want or even make it yourself. It would be interesting to try it with a flavored popcorn though.

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I know, I know, it looks kinda weird/gross, but it’s not. Besides…it’s about the taste right?? That’s always been my motto, “as long as it tastes good, it doesn’t matter what it looks like.” Although I know sometimes it’s hard to get past what the food looks like, I always try to step out of my comfort zone and try new foods.

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Healthy, Salted Caramel Popcorn bites. (Vegan option)

Prep Time5 minutes
Course: Appetizer, Dessert, Side Dish, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Author: admin

Ingredients

  • 1 Lily's Salted Caramel Bar (3 Oz. Vegan Chocolate)
  • 1 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 1 cup Heavy whipping Cream (Coconut cream for vegan option)
  • 1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts
  • 1/4 cup Coconut Flakes
  • 1/3 cup raisins
  • 1 tbsp coconut oil
  • 4-5 cups Popped Popcorn

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, melt the chocolate in with the heavy whipping cream, maple syrup, and coconut oil.
  • In a seperate bowl, mix the popcorn, coconut flakes, walnuts, and raisins.
  • Pour the chocolate mixture into the dry ingredients and mix until completely combined.
  • Scoop into medium cupcake pans lined with cupcake papers.
  • Freeze until set, which is about 3-4 hours. Enjoy!! Store in an airtight container in the freezer up to a month.

 

 

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Healthy, Cherry/Chocolate Popcorn Bites! (vegan option, only 6-ingredients)

I was trying to think up another recipe, and as you know, I like to use the dried fruits our neighbor gives us. Also, I like having a crunch in my food. So I decided to try adding in popcorn, and OF COURSE CHOCOLATE!!!

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These are a little tart, but you gotta off-set that sweet sometimes too right?!?!?! These are super simple to make, and don’t require a lot of ingredients! Which is always a plus in my book. I love recipes that are not only healthy, but also quick to whip up for any occasion.

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I used to be a butter popcorn person straight up, which is what kind I used for this recipe! Like kettle corn was a definite NO WAY!! Now I prefer kettle corn over regular popcorn. Secret is probably the kind we use the most, but you can use whatever you want. It won’t make a difference either way.

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Healthy, Cherry Popcorn bites w/ vegan option

Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Servings: 10 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup Tart Cherries
  • 3/4 cup water
  • 3-4 tbsp Maple Syrup
  • 1 Lily's Milk Chocolate bar (Vegan Chocolate bar 3 oz.)
  • 1 tbsp Coconut oil
  • 3 cups Popped popcorn

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, cook the cherries, and water until the cherries are softened.
  • Blend the cherries into a puree, add a little water if needed.
  • When the cherries are pureed, add the chocolate bar, coconut oil, and maple syrup. Blend until completely combined.
  • Pour into a bowl, and mix in the popcorn.
  • Scoop into medium cupcake pans, lined with cupcake liners.
  • Freeze for 3-4 hours or until set. (They will be slightly soft)
  • Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to a month.

 

 

 

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2-ingredient, Healthy, Vegan, Popsicles (Banana, Strawberry Banana, and Chocolate)

So I’m not sure about where you guys are from, but here in PA it’s nice and HOT!!! Its 86 with a real feel of 97. I wanted to make something that was easy, refreshing, and didn’t require the oven. Thus, these popsicles.

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You can obviously make them however you want, and add what you want, I thought of adding peanut butter to the bottom of the chocolate ones, but alas I didn’t. You can even make other flavors if you’d like. I’ll probably make chocolate peanut butter ones, and peanut butter ones next….because you all know my love for all things peanut butter, AND peanut butter and chocolate together!

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UPDATE: Had one of the Chocolate ones today and texture is on point! They’re nice and smooth, not icey. Also the peanuts on the bottom adds a nice crunch and I would definitely recommend!

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This is a picture of me asking my mom if she had licked the popsicle, hahaha!! What I do, is take a picture of my mom first, to get the lighting right. Then she can take the picture of me and everything is set up. I shoot in manual on my camera, so it can be difficult if you don’t know what you’re doing.

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2- ingredient, Healthy, Vegan Popsicles

Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Course: Breakfast, Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Servings: 4 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

Banana Flavored

  • 4 Medium Bananas
  • Granola (For garnish on top)

Strawberry Banana Flavored

  • 2-3 medium bananas
  • 4-5 medium strawberries
  • Granola (For garnish on top)

Chocolate flavored

  • 4 medium bananas
  • 2 tbsp Cocoa powder (Cacao)
  • Peanuts (For garnish on top)

Instructions

  • For each flavor you just blend the ingredients together and pour into your popsicle molds. Garnish with granola or peanuts if desired. Freeze for 2-3 hours or until set.

 

 

 

 

 

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Healthy, Cherry/Prune Bars w/coconut cream frosting! (Vegan)

As you probably already know, our neighbor gives us lots of dried fruits. Such as cherries, prunes, figs, and mixed fruits & nuts. So I usually like to try and come up with recipes that use some of those. I also had some Keto granola from Highkey that was good, but just too sweet for me, so I wanted to use it in a recipe where it wasn’t as sweet.

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So the idea was to have a granola crust, the prune/cherry topping, and the coconut frosting on top. When I started to pour the prune/cherry mixture on top of the granola, it was too sticky and picked up the granola. So I just ended up mixing it all together into bars!

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This is super quick, and easy to make, and it’s VEGAN people!!! It only takes 4-ingredients…well 5 if you include water as an ingredient.

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Prune/cherry crunch bars w/coconut frosting!! (Healthy/Vegan)

Prep Time5 minutes
Chill time10 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade, Vegan
Servings: 20 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

Bars

  • 3-4 cups Granola (I used Highkey Brand, Cinnamon/Almond)
  • 2 cups Dried Prunes
  • 1 cup Dried Tart Cherries
  • 1 cup Water

Coconut Cream Frosting

  • 1 (13.5 oz.) can Coconut Cream (Chilled)

Instructions

  • Place your coconut cream into the fridge to chill while you make the bars.
  • Put your prunes and cherries in a medium saucepan with 1 cup of water. Turn on to med/high heat, and cook while stirring, until the water is gone.
  • Pour 1-2 cups of the mixture into your blender or food processor and blend into a paste. Add water as needed. (you want a paste, NOT a liquid)
  • Pour the paste and remaining prunes/cherries into a large bowl, and add the granola. Mix until fully combined. Dump the mixture into a 10x13 and spread out evenly into bars.
  • Get your coconut cream out of the fridge and mix with a hand mixer until it gets a frosting like consistency. Kind've runny, but not like whipped cream (Stiff)
  • Pour the coconut frosting over your bars and eat immediately, or allow to chill to eat later.
  • Cut into bars, and Enjoy!!! Store covered in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

 

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Healthy, Chocolate (Ice creamy) Fruit Bars!

If you’ve been following my blog for while, you know that our neighbor gives us bags, and bags of dried fruits. If you’re new here, well…now ya know! So I try to incorporate them into my recipes, or create recipes using them since we get so many sometimes.

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As you can see, I use a bag of fruit and nut mix. If you don’t have that, and want to make your own…you totally can! This bag has walnuts, figs, dried apple, and dried plums. You can swap nuts or dried fruits if you have different preferences.

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I love craisins!!! They’re good to snack on, put in oatmeal, on smoothies, or even salads. Also, they have a lot of nutrients and vitamins in them. Ya can’t beat that! The same for the cherries too!

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For the Chocolate, I used Lily’s Dark Chocolate, Salted Almond Bar. You can obviously use any kind you want, that’s just the kind I had and I wanted to experiment with it.

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Healthy, Chocolate, fruit bars!

Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time5 minutes
Total Time4 hours 10 minutes
Course: Dessert, Snack
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Healthy, homemade
Servings: 16 servings
Author: admin

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Fruit & Nut mix (I used prepackaged) (Can use an assortment you like)
  • 1/2 cup Craisins (Dried Cranberries)
  • 1/2 cup Dried Tart Cherries
  • 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
  • 1/2-1 Lily's Salted, Dark Chocolate Almond bar (1.5-3 oz. Dark chocolate w/almonds)

Instructions

  • In a medium bowl, pour in the fruit & nut mix, cherries, and craisins.
  • Melt the chocolate in a medium saucepan on low stirring constantly, so it doesn't burn.
  • Add the heavy whipping cream and turn the heat up to medium. Whisk constantly until the chocolate is fully incorporated.
  • Remove from the heat and pour into the dry mix. Mix contents until fully combined.
  • Dump into a sprayed 8x8, and chill in the freezer until set up like ice cream bars. It will take 3-4 hours depending on how hard you want them. Enjoy!!!

 

 

 

 

 

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