Cherry Lemon Bars (New Laraball Recipe!)

OMGosh! These Cherry Lemon Bars are the bomb! So good I could eat a whole batch at once! In fact the first time I made them, I did! I never even had a chance to give my kids a taste! I have been envisioning this recipe for years, as the idea sat on one of my many lists. Lemon and berries are fabulous! Also, I added a few ingredients to bump up the Dr Greger Daily Dozen check marks! 

Check marks: 1) nuts, 2) fruit, 3), flaxseed, and 4) spices
Here you go!

Cherry Lemon Bar Laraballs
3/4 c unsalted cashews
1/3 c pitted dates
1/4 c dried cherries (try for unsweetened...I found sweetened with juice from Whole Foods this week)
zest of half a fresh lemon (actually I just trim off the lemon peel with a knife like this)
1 Tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tsp arrowroot
1 tsp vanilla

Blend ingredients in a food processor, until dough begins to fall away from edges, to desired consistency, and form into balls (the photo shows bars, but they are actually much more time consuming than balls), and enjoy!

Put all ingredients in a resealable bag and form dough into balls, so you don't get "food hands". Sorry to Laraball fans to be redundant, but I want everyone to know our easy tricks!



What the Health
This movie was AMAZING! I highly recommend you watch ASAP! Not surprisingly, the website looks like a fabulous resource as well. For example, the FACTS page :)You can stream and download any time for just $9.99!

I was lucky enough to attend a Q and A with the funny, sweet, and knowledgeable Caldwell, Ann, and Jane Esselstyn :) They are an amazing family!

Special thanks to Plant Based CLE (on FB) and Jane Esselsyn's Health Care is Self Care, the awesome organizations responsible for the fabulous event!

Coming soon: some of my favorite lessons from Dr Esselstyn, as well as some great nuggets from What the Health!

If you like what you find here, please "like" the fresh-you FB page, and share with your friends and families. Thank you!

Chocolate Cherry Torte Mousse

Hope your valentine treated you sweetly!  If you are still wanting MORE, try this!

Lick your lips, super-SAVORY!!

This is the Chocolate Cherry Torte Laraball version of Power Pudding!

Chocolate Cherry Torte Mousse

1 avocado
1/2 c almond milk
1/2 c walnuts
1/2 c dried cherries (unsweetened is ideal!)
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa
1/8 tsp salt

Blend all ingredients in food processor until smooth!

Makes about 4 1/2 c servings of thick and creamy, tart, sweet, and savory mousse!

Best eaten right away!

Plus, check out these super-cute, easy, heartsy crafts we did today!  Happy Valentine's Day!

SHARE IF YOU DARE!  Do you find crafts online?  What is your favorite, easy, craft that you have found?  I like to search in google under "images" to see what I want fast -- often that's all I need!

All Things Chocolate and Berry

(I LOVE BERRIES AND CHOCOLATE)

SO, the newest Larabar ball recipe: Chocolate Cherry Torte, Yum!

1/2 c walnuts

1/2 c dried cherries, unsweetened*
1/4 c unsweetened cocoa

Blend well with a food processor and shape how ever you like! Larabars are a favorite treat in my house and super-healthy (read more here).

In my house, we put the mix in a resealable sandwich bag and shape into balls as eaten. They can be stored at room temp or in the frig. Easy as that!

 

Good for the Naughty (I'll take this coal any day of the year!)

Good for the Nice (easy to gift as a gift!, you can even send in the mail!)

*I used to get unsweetened cherries in the bulk section of Whole Foods - apparently that choice is out!...let me know if you find them! We don't need the sugar - those tart cherries have plenty of flavor on their own! If you only find sweetened and want to decrease added sugar, substitute some cherries for dates.

Another delicious treat! I get it from Costco (Costco doesn't pay me, in case you were wondering -- I just shop there a lot, and I'm pretty sure they have at least one dietitian working for them, picking such awesome products -- most much more nutritious than this!)

Brooksde Dark Chocolate Acia with Blueberry. Dark chocolate and berries combine to give an antioxidant punch! For a candy :) There is a gram of fiber, for a candy, this is cool! I'm not saying you can click away your fruit and veggie requirement here, but for a treat - DELICIOUS!!! And with some nutritional side benefits :) See those smilies :)

UPDATE: these are not dairy-free, so I don't eat them anymore. We did just find some chocolate covered pistachios that are dairy-free, and yummy!

For the chocolate lover, add unsweetened cocoa (~1/4 c) to the 3-Ingredient Super-Shake!

 My 3 yr-old loves it too ... she was dying for a sip when I wanted to take a few pics!

Another great snack - FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES! These were purchased online (www.amazon.com) after Costco STOPPED selling them; the fact that Costco randomly stops selling items I love is one of the only things I don't like about Costco.  The brand Just Tomatoes carries these FREEZE DRIED STRAWBERRIES. They have a huge variety of fruits AND veggies, and the ingredients list is beautiful! - only ONE ingredient!  Can't beat that!

Finally, my 5-yr-old sees me making posts all the time, and you know, "monkey see, monkey do". So, she wanted to write a post too! She made her own "recipe", a doggy snack!

Whole wheat bread trimmed (bitten) to the shape of a dog, topped with Earth Balance (a butter alternative, no hydrogenated oils) with dried cranberries and Cheerios (a great grain!) as a face!

QUICK TIP: regular Cheerios are a healthier choice than Multigrain Cheerios! (less sugar and more fiber!)

TELL ME IN A COMMENT! Do your kids ever invent "recipes"? Do they help you cook? Eat more when they do? It's amazing what a little elbow grease does to the appetite!