School is starting which means we need healthy snacks that provide quality nourishment to keep kids happy, healthy and moving. One of our go to healthy snacks are no bake bars. They are quick to make and filled with high quality nuts and seeds like these Almond Power Bars. These bars are wonderful on the go snacks and stay at home treats. Because these are no bake so they will stay soft at room temp. They are best stored in the refrigerator or freezer and eaten chilled.
Easy Snacks, No Bake Almond Power Bars
Almond Power Bars
Binding Mixture
2 Tablespoons coconut oil or butter
1/4 cup almond butter or sun butter
1/4 cup honey or pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
Bar Ingredients
1 cup unsalted almonds
½ cup unsweetened coconut
¼ cup ground flax seed meal, or chia seeds
¼ cup Sunflower seeds
Topping Optional
3 oz melted dark chocolate
Instructions
In a small saucepan, combine all the Binding Mixture Over low heat allow this mixture to melt into a smooth consistency. Let this mixture to cool slightly as you prepare the bar ingredients.
Place almonds in your food processor and grind them until partially chopped, partially nut-flour-likeness. Add remaining Bar Ingredients and pulse just until combined. Pour mixture into a large bowl.
Pour the cooled Binding Mixture over your chosen ingredients and mix until well combined and ingredients start to form one mass.
With a slightly wet hand press the mixture into a parchment lined 8×8 pan. Top with melted chocolate if desired.
Chill in the refrigerator for an hour to firm up then cut into bars.
Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator or freezer. Note since these are no bake bars they get soft when at room temperature and are best eaten chilled.
I don’t know about you but I love Free Stuff. Today I am sharing one of my new favorite cookbooks for tasty vegetable inspiration. You can win your copy for Free! All you need to do is like my facebook page and share this post to be entered to win.
Farm Girl Fresh, Share this post to win your Free Copy
So about this amazing book. I want to introduce you to Farm Girl Fresh. I originally bought this book because I liked their no nonsense approach to real food, cooking and recipes free from refined sugar. What I didn’t realize is this book is full of tasty vegetable inspiration, easy ways to use a variety of different vegetables. Making incorporating vegetables into a daily diet simple and interesting. The authors Joyce and Colleen are experienced, local, MN “Farm Girls’ they are sweet and know their stuff. They feel that, “eating well and having a sustainable healthy family lifestyle starts from the ground up (garden to table or farm to table). It is about taking back the kitchen and preparing simple, healthy meals with pure ingredients.” I could not agree more. I love sharing quality food with my family.
Kids love exploring the garden and are more inclined to try new food if they have a hand in growing or preparing it.
The more I do the more excited and willing they are to try new things. Involving children and spouses in the cooking process from the beginning is one way to broaden their tastes for new and healthy foods. Kids especially tend to be more excited to try something new if they had a hand in growing or preparing it.
“Cheesy” Roasted Cauliflower
This book has really useful, and practical tips for growing, preparing, cooking, canning, and freezing a variety of produce so you can get the best quality items all year. I also enjoyed the sections “Dig into This” that share interesting facts about specific produce like that you can ripen tomatoes indoors and tips on how to do it well. Also, “How Does Your Garden Grow” solutions for natural pest and weed control in your garden. Tips on how to plant a garden easily and well. Kids love playing in the dirt, and you can grow food even in something as a simple patio garden pot. You don’t need a lot of stuff or experience to have success with a few key vegetables. This book will help set you up both in and out of the kitchen.
Sweet Glazed Carrots are one example of the family friendly vegetable sides in this book.
Anyways, I love it and I thought you would too. Give this one a try for a guilt free treat. Zucchini Fudge Brownies, recipe below. Yes, these are gluten and dairy free too!
Or like the facebook page and share this post to be entered to win your free copy of Farm Girl Fresh, Eating Pure is a Processed Foods World. It is full of simple recipes with real foods that taste amazing like the Cheesy Roasted Cauliflower and Sweet Glazed Carrots that I know your family will love.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously grease bottom and sides of an 8×8 glass pan. In a large bowl, stir together all ingredients. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 35-40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool. Cover and put into refrigerator to harden before cutting and serving- this is key. Store in refrigerator. Makes 16 servings.
I do not receive compensation for promoting specific products. I will ONLY promote products that I love and currently use myself. I feature these products as they have made my life simpler or more enjoyable in some way. I share them with you only as a resource to better support you in enjoying a simply delicious and healthy lifestyle.
All reviews are my own words and opinions. I share them as an expert in the field and hope these products work for you and bring as much joy to your life as they have to mine.
I will occasionally link to specific sites to help you purchase similar or recommend products. I do not work for or have a relationship with these companies. There are a few companies that I am working on creating affiliate relationships with as I truly love and believe in their products. I will be sure to let you know what these items are or if I have them available for sale. Through these relationships I can usually get you discounts. As always it is my true effort to serve you please contact me if you have questions about this process or products I mention. I am happy to help.
Giveaway Rules:
One new Farm Girl Fresh Cookbook will be given away. To enter to win simply like the Impressions Facebook Page and share this post. You will receive one drawing entry for each qualified post share up to 10 entries per person. Winner will be announced through social media and on this site, impressionsathome.com on September 15th 2017. To claim your prize winner must be 18 years of age and provide contact information, including mailing address within 24 hours of announcement or another winner will be selected. Winner will be selected at random. Shipping is free if inside the continental United States. Thanks for participating!
1st Prize for Polish Makowiec, Poppy Seed Bread in the 2012 Polish Baking Competition
It ‘s Twin Cities Polish Festival Time! One of the main reasons I love food is its ability to teach us so many things like about art, history and culture. Food feeds us, but it is also deeply connected to who we are. We have emotional bonds to it. We have rituals, festivals, holidays, and stories to share these foods. We create memories that weave food throughout our lives connecting us to a deeper level. I love the history of food. Where a particular dish comes from and why it is important to us. It is these iconic foods that help define who we say we are. They connect us to past, present and future.
I am lucky enough to be married to a 100% Polish husband. We celebrate our 4 year anniversary this month. Since meeting him I have started to learn more about Polish food and having a fun time incorporating it into our family traditions.
I have tried my hand at several traditional items even wining first place in the Polish Baking contest for Makowiec, a sweet Polish poppy seed bread in 2012. This year I will be sharing some traditional Polish cultural food favorites with cooking demonstrations at the Twin Cities Polish Festival. Here are the recipes that will be featured.
Demonstrations will take place on Saturday August 12th, at 11am and 4:30pm and on Sunday August 13th, at 1pm. Come out and visit and learn a little about how these foods came to be and why they are so common in Poland now.
Pierogi
Classic Potato and Cheese Polish Pierogi
Dough: Makes about 25
2 cups flour
1 egg
½ cup water
2 tablespoons sour cream
½ teaspoon salt
Potato and Cheese Filling:
1 cup Farmers Cheese or dry Cottage Cheese
¼ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
1 egg yolk
1 cup smooth mashed potatoes, cooled
Mound flour on counter and make a hole in the center. Drop egg into the hole and begin incorporating the flour. Add water, sour cream and salt slowly mixing until all flour is incorporated. Kneed dough about 10 minutes until firm and slightly elastic, add more flour while kneading if dough is too sticky. Let rest for 10 minutes covered with clean dishtowel.
Divide dough in half and roll into a thin rope about ½ thick and cut into 1-inch pieces. Roll Pieces thin and flat. Cut circles with a biscuit cutter or other use a pierogi mold. Place a small spoonful of filling on one side of the round. Moisten edge with a little water, fold over and firmly press edges together to seal.
Drop pierogi into salted boiling water. Cook gently for 3-5 minutes lift out carefully with a slotted spoon. Pierogi will rise to the top of water when cooked. Serve with butter and sour cream.
Notes: Keep dough covered while working as dry dough will not seal well. Keep formed pierogi separate when uncooked they will stick together looking shape, lightness and possible breaking open.
For the Filling: combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix until combined.
Nalesniki
Polish Nale?niki, foldedPolish Nale?niki, rolled
Polish Nalesniki (nah-lesh-NEE-kee) are crepe-like pancakes usually filled with sweet fillings such as jam, fruit, or honey topped with powder sugar and or a dollop of sour cream some can be made with savory fillings as well. Once filled and rolled, they can be baked or pan fried, or dipped in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried.
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons butter, melted plus more for cooking
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch salt
In a blender or food processor, combine all ingredients until smooth. Transfer to a pitcher, cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 20 minutes. Over medium-low heat lightly coat a nonstick pan with butter. Using about 2 ounces of batter, rotate pan and swirl batter until it thinly covers the entire bottom of pan. Cook about 40 seconds until batter is set and lightly browned. Using a thin rubber spatula carefully peal up one of the edges and turn over to cook about 40 seconds more.
Remove to waxed paper or parchment paper and repeat with remaining batter and butter. Serve immediately or wrap and freeze up to 1 month. (Makes about 8, 8 inch Nalesniki)
For cheese filling:
2 cups farmer cheese (if farmer cheese is not available you can use cottage cheese or ricotta)
1/4 cup of sugar
1-teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons of raisins (optional)
1 teaspoon lemon or orange zest optional
To make cheese filling combine 2 cups cheese, sugar and vanilla and stir to combine, fold in raisins and or orange zest if desired.
*Note: if using cottage cheese drain on a paper towel first to remove some of the liquid and blend cheese with sugar and vanilla in a food processor or blender to get texture slightly smoother.
Place about 1-2 tablespoons filling on each nalesniki, fold the sides in first and then bottom, rolling away from yourself, or spread filling over nalesniki and fold into quarters. Sprinkle with powdered sugar on top if desired. Instead of cheese filling try fruit preserves, honey or sweetened sour cream. (mix 1 cup sour cream with 1 tablespoon sugar)
Filled nalesniki may be eaten as is, pan-fried in butter or baked in a buttered casserole dish.
Zapiekani
Polish Zapiekani, Pizza Bread
zapiekanki (plural) or zapiekanka (zah-peeyeh-KAHN-kah), singular. Zapiekanka comes from zapiekac, which means “to bake,” and is the culinary term for a casserole. This open-face sandwich is popular street food in Poland. Traditional zapiekanki are made on half of a baguette or other long roll of bread topped with sautéed mushrooms, cheese and ketchup, there are also new varieties such as Hawaiian-style zapiekanki with pineapple, and Greek style with olives and feta cheese others include ham, salami, vegetables, fried onion or chive on the top. The variations are limitless.
ZAPIEKANKi Serves 4
1 long thin baguette, halved
2 tablespoons butter
8 ounces mushrooms chopped, about 2 cups
1 medium onion, finely chopped, about 1 cup
1 teaspoon fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary or sage chopped
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
about 8 slices or 2 cups melting grated, gouda, white cheese cheddar cheese,
ketchup, to garnish
salt & pepper, to taste
Preheat the oven to 400F. In a large pan over medium heat melt the butter add onions cook till translucent, about 3 minutes. And mushrooms, season with salt & pepper sauté until mushrooms are tender and begin to loose their liquid about 5 minutes. Stir in fresh herbs and red pepper flakes if using and cook one more minute. Mushrooms should be slightly wet. Spread equal amount of mushrooms mixture on each half of each baguette, pressing the mixture down with the spoon. Place the prepared baguettes on a baking dish and top with cheese. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until cheese.
Obwarzanki
Obwarzanki are protected as a traditioanl food of Poland. It is a cross between and bagel and a pretzel.
Obwarzanek is an irresistible cross between a pretzel and a bagel topped with poppy seeds, sesame or salt. These twisted ring breads are sold by street food vendors throughout Poland, but are Native to Kraków. Obwarzanek, which comes from the Polish word “to boil,” is a chewy, twisted dough ring sprinkled with salt, poppy or sesame seeds, The obwarzanek is protected by the European Union on its Traditional Foods List since 2010. Obwarzanki are bigger than bagels and unlike bagels, they are not toasted or cut in half to make sandwiches.
Note: This is a two-day recipe that takes about 1 hour of actual preparation time.
1 1/2 cups + 1 tablespoon/12.5 oz. warm water about 105F
2 Tablespoons/ 1.5 oz sugar for boiling
Poppy seeds, sesame seeds, or coarse salt for garnish
In a mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add the liquid and continue mixing until the ingredients are evenly hydrated. By hand: Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface and knead vigorously for about 15 minutes. By stand mixer: Switch to dough hook and continue kneading at lowest speed for 10-12 minutes. The dough will be ready when it’s smooth, silky, and stretches when you pull a pinch away from the mass.
Form the dough into a ball, put it into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let ferment until the dough has swelled to about 1½ times its original size, about 60-90 minutes.
Turn the dough out onto an un-floured surface, punch down, and form it into a thick log shape, about 12 inches wide by about 3inches square. Let rest, covered, for about 20 minutes
Cut the dough in half lengthwise to make 2 strips about 1 inch thick. Cut the strips into 5 equal pieces, and roll each piece into a cylinder about 24 inches long and the thickness of a pencil. Fold the cylinder in the middle to form a double strip about 12 inches long and twist it into a tight spiral. Carefully seal the ends together to form a slender, twisted ring about 4 inches in diameter.
Arrange the obwarzanki on parchment-lined baking sheet, cover well but loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight.
The next day:Heat oven to 475F. Bring 3 to 4 quarts/3-4 liters water mixed with sugar and bring to a rolling boil.
Take out only as many chilled bagels as you can boil at one time. Boil each one 1-2 minutes. Drain on a cooling rack and sprinkle with desired garnish. Bake on parchment-lined baking sheets for 12 to 18 minutes until they are a rich brown. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before eating.
Makes 10
*Diastatic malt powder breaks down the starches in the flour to sugar which feeds the yeast, resulting in a faster rise, great texture, brown crust, and unique flavor. Diastatic malt is mostly a dough enhancer; non-diastatic malt powder is a sweetener. They are not interchangeable
This recipe is slightly adapted from “The New York Bakers Jewish Bakery Book,” published in spring 2011 byCamino Books, recipe for “Krakow Bagels.”
Eating well at home can be challenging enough. But what do you do when you are hungry on the go or need to plan for an out of the house snack time or picnic lunch? I recently had a friend ask what are some of my best ideas for portable food. I have to be honest. I am a busy working mom so for food on the go I try not to over complicate things. I use a lot of thing that require no cooking at all, focusing on simple nutrient dense foods that can be packaged in advance for easy use and transportation. I like to keep it clean, simple and healthy. Here are a few of my favorite ideas for eating well on the go and how to do it easily.
Stock your Pantry with easy to use fruits, nuts, cheese and veggies.
Stock your pantry:Save time and money by stocking your pantry well. If you have items pre packaged and easily accessible it makes packing for the day much faster. Think of foods that are shelf stable and nutrient dense for the most versatility and ease of use.
Trail mix, nuts, seeds, or nut butter packs
Dried or freeze-dried fruits and veggies
Granola or nut/seed based bars
Poultry, salmon or meat jerky
Crackers, pita breads or dry cereals
Fruit or vegetable puree in squeezable pouches or items that can be eaten out of hand like apples, clementine and bananas.
For easy food on the go pack and freeze items if possible in individual servings.
For things that are more perishable freeze them if possible, things like muffins, homemade granola bars, pouches with puree like fruit, vegetables, smoothies, hummus and yogurt act like mini ice packs and thaw for use later in the day and keep other items like the ones listed below cool.
Cheese, cut in slices or cubes or use packaged string cheese
Sliced meats like turkey, ham salami or other cured sausages like peperoni
Cut fruits and veggies like peaches, pears, carrots, sliced bell peppers or roasted squash
Preserved items like olives and pickles.
Cold salads with hearty bases like grain, pasta or kale salads
Quiche
Fruit/vegetable/nut breads like banana, carrot, zucchini, or cashew bread
Also try freezing fresh grapes. These are a wonderful summer treat that act like a little ice pack as well.
Stock your car with a few easy to use and clean items like disposable wipes, especially if you have kids.
Stock your car for success: Eating on the go can be a bit messy. Stock you car with a few essentials to make easting on the go clean and easy.
Keep a few bottles of water for hydration or lightly rinsing hands or dishes if needed.
Wipes, moist towelettes or a small towel to clean hands and wipe up accidental spills.
Few small garbage bags are nice to have to catch trash or dirty dishes you want to clean later.
If you have young kids I also really like the disposal bibs and place mats. I love the place mats especially for tables because they have double-sided tape that sticks them to the surface. This way you can put food directly on it. With these you don’t need plates and no worries about your kids food touching a dirty table.
These are my favorite for short trips and daily use. I love the glass container and leak proof lids
Choose the right container: I think a huge part of eating on the go well is packing wisely not only to keep food cool and safe but also for easy of use to eat and dispose of. When packing food on the go here are a few of the thing I take into consideration.
Try to pack items in individual servings with the least amount of waste and easily disposable packaging. For items like granola bars or muffins a light plastic wrap works fine. I love to use my reusable glass containers but they can get heavy if I want to bring a lot of items. I especially love these Wean Green ones as they are great sizes with easy snap on lids that don’t leak.
What needs to be cool and for how long? Can I just take a frozen item and let it thaw or do I need ice packs and or a cooler for longer trips?
I love this container for day trips it keeps everything cool and contained in one area.
If I am going for an extended day I like to keep things simple with everything all in one storage piece like this lunch box from cool gear. It has individual sealed spaces and a built in ice pack. The center blue try can be taken out and frozen! When finished everything great sealed back in the container so no messy smelly dishes floating around the car.
For longer trips or traveling out of town I make it easy on myself and worry less about reusable containers that I have to keep with me for days and clean later. I will often look for small plastic items that I can fill and recycle later when we are done with it.
For longer tips keep it simple. Use recyclable plastics that can be disposed of on the go.
Keep is safe:
Remember that food safely is important both in an outside the home. If you are going to be away for a while pack items in a cooler with ice packs and keep it out of the sun.
Always follow good food safety practices. Remember that perishable food cannot be kept out in hot weather (90°F or higher) for more than one hour; in mild weather for more than two hours. Foods should be kept out of the “Danger Zone” Bacteria, need time, food and moisture to grow; but they won’t grow when the temperature of the food is colder than 40º F or hotter than 140º F. The temperatures in between 40º and 140º are in the “Danger Zone.” Keep potentially hazardous foods out of the “Danger Zone” by keeping them well chilled, heated properly and cooked thoroughly.
If you want to be more adventurous and pack items besides simple dried fruits, veggies, nuts, cheese and bars. Here are a few recipes to get you started. Looking for other ideas or inspiration just let me know. I am happy to help.
Peanut Pasta Salad, is a great lunch or side item you can make it with out without the chicken depending on how hearty you want it.
Fruit and Nut Bars, these are perfect any time of day snacks that are so versatile mix and match to make your favorite version. They are best keep frozen for food on the go.
Mealtime can be madness, make yours a little easier with tools that support you. We were gifted EZPZ mealtime mats and I have since bought several for gifts, meals, travel, crafts and playtime. It’s one of my favorite mealtime success tools for children because it suctions to the surface discouraging little ones from tossing their plates.
ESPZ Large Happy Mat
The food compartments are deep enough to hold foods with liquid or yogurt if need be and they are portion sized so I know how much I am giving to my child. Of course they are also stackable and dishwasher safe! I have to be honest as he is older we use the larger EZPZ Happy Mat more but I do still love the Mini Mat for on the go, travel and snack time.
EZPZ Mini Mat, after a good meal
It is smaller so it does not hold as much but it takes up less space and comes with a travel bag for storage on the go. Take a look at the classic bowl and play/crafting mats as well. No more spilled food, paint or beads. I am a happy mommy with our EZPZ Happy Mats. You can get yours here with special free shipping.
