Sweetly Stuffed Celery!

This is a refreshing way to have a Laraball, get some extra veggies, and cool off on a hot spring day! Most flavors of Laraballs (or sweet balls, as some call them!) will work.

Except, and I never thought I would say this, but I can't see chocolate tasting great with celery!

PB&J Poppers, Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Dough, and Cashew Cookie work especially well.

Here I used Cinnamon Cranberry Confections, yum!

1/3 c walnuts

1/4 c almonds

1/3 c raisins (with no added sugar!)

1/8 c dried cranberries (unsweetened - finding is a challenge!)

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Blend above ingredients all together in a food processor, fill your celery slices, chill for a bit (optional), and enjoy!

 

OTHER great ways to enjoy Laraballs!

Apple Brownie Sandwich

Berry Berry Brownies

Best Banana Bites

Addictive Snack, Take Two!

This is a healthier variation of Perfectly Addicting Snack! Enter quinoa!  

QUINOA is:

~ A very healthy WHOLE GRAIN, so it's rich in many nutrients, phytochemicals, and fiber!

~ High in protein from a plant!

~ Easy and FAST to prepare ...just like rice.  In particular, it cooks faster than brown rice, done in about 15 minutes!

Quinoa is moist like cottage cheese, and sort of has a similar texture, with none of the saturated fat! 

It tastes like pasta, similar to those tiny Italian pasta stars, pastini!...only it's a whole grain!

Quinoa prepared (Costco sells a big bag!)

Trader Joe's Lemon Pepper with attached grinder

Hemp seeds

Chick peas (optional)

COMMENTS: What are you doing this weekend?  Buying hemp seeds!  You can get them in the bulk food section of Whole Foods, or get organic from www.amazon.com!

Pomegranate Power!

Looking for a healthy "movie snack"?

POMEGRANATE!

This fruit is perfect for slowly nibbling away on something sweet while you watch your favorite show, movie, or one of the recommendations that I will be suggesting soon!  It takes me a good hour to sit and take my time eating a whole pomegranate!  If you want to get this fruit fast read below.

Have you ever heard that you actually burn calories eating celery (as in more than you're eating)?  I AM CERTAIN that must be the case for pomegranate!

Top 5 Reasons this fruit is Powerful!

#1 Dr Roizen says: Heart health -- improving good cholesterol (HDL), and reducing BLOOD PRESSURE and triglycerides!

#2 Dr Dean Ornish says: Cancer PREVENTION -- particularly prostate cancer, by reducing damage to DNA.  Others also note inhibition of leukemia, breast, and colon cancer.

#3 UCLA says: SKIN health -- increases effectiveness of sunscreen in humans AND inhibits skin cancer in mice!

#4 Dr Mark Liponis says: Help you lose BELLY fat!

#5 Dr Joel Fuhrman says: it can help treat and prevent DIABETES, erectile dysfunction, INFECTIONS, and ANTIBIOTIC resistance through antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties.  He also notes potential to decrease depression AND build BONE mass.

HOW TO? and POMEGRANATE TIPS

• It's messy!  
• Each red, corn-kernel-like piece is called an anril.  
• Cut the fruit open and pick anrils out one at a time; there are sections within the fruit.  Separate the red and white pieces and white paper-like sectional dividers.  
• Eat each anril entirely, including the small, crunchy seed in the center.  
• The whole fruit lasts up to two weeks at room temperature.  
• You can extend shelf life by refrigerating (as with avocados!); plus, it TASTES great cold!

Get it FAST: Costco sells a great frozen bag of mixed berries which includes pomegranate anrils!  Trader Joe's also sells them all prepared in a bag in the fresh fruit section!  Trader Joe's has so many awesome things!

COMING SOON: movie recommendations

COMMENTS: What have YOU been up to for the last few weeks?  My brother was in intensive care, after a bicycle accident (without a helmet), and is finally on the mend, thank heavens!  Please wear a helmet when you ride a bicycle!

Delightful Dessert-y Snack

Sharing a savory snack!

It reminds me of a childhood treat of the extra pie crust around from the edges baked with cinnamon sprinkled over it!  Only, of course, this version is much healthier!

Chop, smash, or leave whole, 1-2 cups pecans.
Spread evenly over rimmed baking sheet.
Bake at 400 (convection) or 425 (conventional) for 10 min.
Let cool (be sure to taste some warm and toasty!) and pour into storage container.
Sprinkle nuts generously with cinnamon (around a Tbsp) and stir, or just close lid and shake.
Slice a banana and sprinkle as much of mixture on top, and enjoy!

Extra stays nicely for a few days, though it doesn't have much chance to sit around long before being gobbled up by me!...really good all by itself!

It's so healthy and simple! And YUM!  I adore those toasted pecans!  They're delicious with BRUSSELS sprouts!

Read here for the benefits of HEALTHY FATS, AND NUTS in particular!

COMMENTS: are you one to prepare for the holidays early, or wait until the last minute?  Or star early and still have things left to do at the end, like me!?

Dr Oz's Pizza Popcorn!

This sounds fabulous!

They suggest making it in a brown paper bag in the microwave.  I used to do this, but for some reason, in the last few years, I've been making it on the stove.  You can check out my Lime-Pepper Popcorn and stove top directions HERE!

Also, on a cool blog I recently found, Anna's Adventures in Health, Anna makes popcorn in the microwave (as on Dr Oz!) with several different popcorn flavor combinations!  Check them out HERE!

She enjoys a cinnamon variety which I would like to try!  Plus, we both enjoy NUTRITIONAL YEAST flavoring -- which seems a little strange, but it has a sort of cheesy taste -- and it has tons of NUTRIENTS and NO saturated fat!

Ok, so here is the recipe!

Pizza Popcorn

3 Tbsp popcorn kernels
1 Tbsp Parmesan cheese
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp salt (I suggest omitting)
1 tsp chives

Pop the popcorn how you choose.  For microwave, fold bag shut with a few narrow folds.  Cook for about 2 min; stop when the popping slows to a second or two between pops.  Or you can follow stove top directions HERE.  If microwaving, a bit of oil spray on popped popcorn will help spices stick.  If using cook/stove top, popcorn will be coated with some oil from cooking.  Mix in spices and enjoy!

The recipe makes 8 cups of popcorn and Dr Oz's audience loved it!  I hope you do too!

COMMENTS: Do you liked flavored popcorn?  Try anything unusual?  Have a stir-crazy machine?  We had one of these at my house growing up!

Tasty Tomato Sandwich

Simple, yet satisfying.

Tasty Tomato Sandwich

1 Tbsp vegan mayo or avocado
1 fresh tomato, or a handful of grape tomatoes
2 slices whole wheat bread (Ezekiel bread works great!)

Toast bread, spread mayo or avocado, slice tomatoes, and a little pepper tastes great on it too! Enjoy! (Make sure you don't use dairy cheese, as it is an unhealthy option...this is an outdated video!)


Fresh TOMATOES are high in potassium, vitamins A, C, and E. They also have some lycopene, though you can get a lot more of this and other phytochemicals in tomatoes by cooking the tomatoes -- like in pasta sauce and salsa! The small amount of fat in the cheese will help to absorb some of these valuable nutrients, which help with anything from cancer prevention to weight loss!

A great article about the benefits of tomatoes is written by Dr Leo Galland, author of Power Healing: Use the New Integrated Medicine to Cure Yourself and you can read it HERE!

For more recipes with cooked tomatoes try:

Easy Eggplant Parmesan
Healthy Mexican Lasagna
Mouth Watering Guacamole Pizza
Mexican Fiesta Bowl (2-minute Friday Night Dinner)
Super-Easy Guacamole

WHOLE WHEAT BREAD

First of all how do you get it?  Look at the INGREDIENTS LIST.  The FIRST ingredient should be WHOLE wheat or WHOLE grain.  The word ENRICHED should NOT be on the ingredients.

If you get a product like this, you will find that your bread will have:
MORE FIBER
MORE PROTEIN
MORE vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals!

SHARE IF YOU DARE! Do you like your tomatoes better raw or cooked? Or not at all? What is your favorite veggie?

Nut-Free, Gluten-Free No-Bake Crusty Apple Pie

To describe it, APPLE PIE -slash- PIE CRUST!

This isn't super-sweet, but remember there isn't any sugar!!

Something else the taste sort of reminds me of is granola -- tell me what you think when you try it!

It has 2 INGREDIENTS!

This is the first Laraball with sunflower seeds -- so it's a safe snack for those of you with TREE NUT Allergies (or more likely moms with KIDS who have this allergy!), NOW you can try a Laraball!

Laraballs are always GLUTEN-FREE too!

If you like how it tastes, or even if not, you can still try the other flavors with sunflower seeds substituted for the nuts in any recipe.  Tell me what you think!

No-Bake Crusty Apple Pie

1/2 c sunflower seeds, raw, unsalted
1/2 c dried apples, unsweetened (or you can try it with some raisins and cherries)

Add 1 tsp water if mixture seems dry.
Optional: vanilla, cinnamon (I really didn't prefer the versions that included either, though there were a few raisins and cherries in all of my batches.


I used the fruit from a package from Costco -- see ingredients list below:
Ingredients list: apples, raisins, cherries.  (AWESOME!!)

The brand is Peeled Snacks and they also sell cherries-only packs that come out to I think $16/lb (with Subscribe & Save through amazon.com), pretty expensive, makes me really want to consider trying a dehydrator, at least for expensive fruits or veggies, like cherries, not going for it yet though!

PS - the plastic container shown in first photo on the post is a baby food container, roughly the size of one part of an ice cube tray - my sister-in-law got them for me, 6 years ago!  So this is the best version I found on amazon: Laraball containers (as I use them for, and our family now calls them!).

SHARE IF YOU DARE!  What do you splurge on, food-wise?  I think dried cherries that are unsweetened -- Whole Foods USED to offer them, but they are hard to find, and I think I'd pay almost any price :)

Power Pudding!

LOVE pudding? Now you can make pudding in minutes, and eat it GUILT-FREE! This idea was inspired by a lovely treat I saw on Dr Oz called Decadent Chocolate Fix! AND by a great recipe one awesome reader tried simply called Avocado Chocolate Pudding :) Thank you, LISA!!

And thank you JESS at www.forgivingmartha.com for the lovely photo above!

When you try POWER PUDDING, you'll be even be healthier after eating the recipe! Read more about the healthiness! Learn about HEALTHY fat and specifically AVOCADOS and NUTS (in the Brownie Bites) and COCOA!

Try any LARABALL flavor! to make this yummy pudding, mousse, custard!

1 avocado
1/2 c non-dairy milk of choice
1 recipe of Laraballs

Simply blend all ingredients in a food processor until smooth. Some like to chill pudding for a few minutes, but after that, it's best eaten right away -- enjoy!

Recipe serves 4 (about 1/2 c each).

SO far, I have made it with CHOCOLATE flavors since the unsweetened cocoa disguises the green color of the avocado.

So far, we've enjoyed these PUDDING FLAVORS: choco-peanut crunch, skinny mint, and chocolate cherry torte!

I'm sure Brownie Bites will also be delicious!

I'm not sure about non-chocolate-ie flavors...if you dare to try one, please SHARE YOUR RESULTS!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you like pudding? Custard? Mousse? Do you like different flavors?

Parfait for Today!

I enjoyed yesterday's parfait so well, I tried a new one today! I made PB&J Poppers with walnuts instead of peanuts, and I added some chia seeds!

So this is it!

1/2 c walnuts

1/3 c raisins (avoid Dole -- there is added sugar!)

1/8 c dried cherries (tell me if you find unsweetened!)

1-2 Tbsp chia seeds

Grind above ingredients with a food processor for 3-4 minutes, until well blended.

1/2 c non-dairy Greek yogurt

Top yogurt with 1-2 Tbsp of above mixture.

Add banana slices, about 1/2 a banana.

Top with a few more crumbles, and enjoy!

If you like this treat, you can check out this Choco-Candy Apple Pafrait!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  What is your favorite blog?  Do you write one that you want to share?

Easy Sandwich Snack!

Hungry?

Try this quick snack!

Simply chop half an avocado and spread it on your bread of choice -- whole grain!

Add generously good old-fashioned regular mustard!

Great with the roll-up (above is a piece of Multi-Grain Flatout!) heated 10-15 sec for a warm treat,

or by toasting a Whole Wheat Bagel Thin!

Multi-Grain Flatout bread is awesome!  Just 100 calories, 8 g fiber, 9 g protein, omega-3 fats, no saturated or trans fat, a huge variety of grains from bulgar to millet to rye to oats and more!

Enlisting help from the little ones increases the chance they'll eat it all up!

Toddler EATING TIP: Read them a book, reading another page with each eaten bite.

If there is a challenging food on the plate, a page is earned with a bite of that food.

For more Picky Eater Tips click HERE.

You likely know by now that AVOCADO is a HEALTHY FAT

full of FIBER (~10g per whole fruit - yes it's a fruit!) and 

They are among the HIGHEST fruit sources of vitamin E (an ANTIOXIDANT), folate (this is key for potential MOMMYS), potassium (higher levels in diet correlate with lower blood pressure), and magnesium.

Let's discuss MAGNESIUM tonight: it's important for having a healthy blood pressure, overall cardiovascular function, blood sugar control, bone health, and may be helpful with migraines!

Check out this comparison to butter and cheddar (UNhealthy fats).

This chart is from www.avocado.org/nutrition

For MORE avocado BENEFITS click HERE!

One more thing: MUSTARD!

Did you know it is healthy for you?  Did you know why?

Mustard is a RICH source of TURMERIC!

Top 3 Reasons TURMERIC (which contains CURCUMIN) is good for your health!

1. Powerful anti-inflammatory: this can help about every part/system of our bodies -- we're all inflamed :~

(this is a link to a nice summary of the research on Tumeric from University of Maryland Medical Center)

2. Powerful antioxidant ~ helpful in many ways,
including preventing a variety of cancers, aging, and more!

3. Makes platelets less likely to clump and clot (like CHOCOLATE and ASPIRIN!)

Ok, that's it for now, go enjoy a nice avocado and mustard roll-up now!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Can you replace other fats with avocado?  What creative ways can you think of to do this?

Apple Brownie Sandwich

First of all, thank you, Lisa, for your fabulous idea about Brownie Bites and Apple Sandwiches!

Yum! And believe it or not, I have a child who does not like apples, UNTIL now! I am teaching her to be open-minded about trying new things because a) of the health benefits -- this is actually convincing to her!, b) it is more fun to "like" things than not to!, and c) our taste preferences ACTUALLY change, and she has experienced this first hand :)

First make a batch of Brownie Bite Laraballs.

Then slices some apples, make some sandwiches, and enjoy!

Good luck seeing more than one sandwich all put together at once -- they'll be eaten pretty instantly! To me, they sort of taste like candy apples! Then I had another idea -- Choco-Candy Apple Parfaits! Check 'em out!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? What is your favorite fruit to combine with chocolate? Or are you like my hubby, and prefer (mostly) not to mess with your chocolate, and eat it plain?

Choco-Candy Apple Parfait!

THESE are awesome!

Thanks again to Lisa, for her fabulous idea about Brownie Bites and Apple Sandwiches!  It was from that idea that I got another idea!  Choco-CANDY APPLE Parfaits!  The apple sandwiches are delightful!  For kids, even though they think they're really cool, it can be just a little messy.

SO I thought of putting it all in a bowl with chopped apples, then I thought the creamy yogurt on top would be perfect!

Brownie Bites
Apples, chopped
Non-dairy yogurt, plain

Greek yogurt is so super creamy and rich that fat-free is about all you'll find!

Fill the bottom of the bowl with 1/2 c or so yogurt.
Cover with Brownie Bite crumble (maybe 1/8 c).
Add about 1/2 an apple chopped up.
Add another dopple of yogurt.
Sprinkle a bit more Brownie Bite crumble.
You can even add a piece of dark chocolate for fun!

The possibilities here are endless!
Try any Laraball flavor and any fruit!  Yum!

Chocolate Cherry Torte with mixed berries?
Skinny Mints and bananas?
Cranberry Confections with fresh cranberries?  ...might have to wait for Thanksgiving for this one!
Carrot Cake with bananas?

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  What combination do you like best?  Have other ideas?

Heavenly Hummus

This creamy hummus is a healthy dip that is always a hit!  SO nutritious with beans and garlic and tahini (this is sesame seed paste) -- a healthy fat!  A great option for parties!  Or it's a great way to get your kids and whole family to eat more veggies -- serve it with veggies before dinner when everyone is hungry and will eat anything (not that eating hummus requires any arm-twisting!)!

3 c garbanzo beans, drained (save juice, may be added for moistening of hummus)
2-4 Tbsp tahini (4 Tbsp = 1/4 c)
1/4 c lemon juice
1 t garlic, minced
reserved bean juice or water (up to 2 cups!)
1 T parsley, fresh, minced (optional)
Paprika (for appearance)

Combine beans, tahini, juice, garlic, and parsley in a food processor. Puree until smooth. Sprinkle with paprika in serving dish; tastes great with low-fat Triscuits or fresh veggies!

Hummus is a super-cheap nutritious snack to make! Costco sometimes sells a super-huge can of garbanzo beans (108 oz!) for $3-4!  I haven't seen it in a while :( Maybe you will have better luck at your local Costco.

You can also try your hummus as a sandwich like THIS!

Costco also sells a large container of hummus that tastes EXACTLY like this authentic recipe! We buy it for our family often, in order to eat more hummus than we might if we only ate it homemade.

Another great product that I ate today was the best Tabouli -- it's from Costco! What a delicious bargain for a lovely prepared food made of all whole food ingredients (check out  list in the photo!)!  $3 for the big tub shown below!

Check out the fabulous Tabouli sandwich on whole wheat bread -- that would also be great with some hummus!  Yum!  Lots of fiber, and I love those flavors -- lemon and mint and tomatoes and pepper are my favorites!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you enjoy Middle Eastern foods? I have to thank Aladdin's Eatery for practically all my middle eastern food experience -- aside from hummus and tabouli! I probably had both of those foods there for the first time too!

2 Ingredients = 1 Warm "Comfort Food" Snack

Healthy Cinnamon Raisin Toast anyone?
So simple.
 Brings me back to my childhood!

Toasted Cinnamon Raisin Ezekiel Bread + Earth Balance Natural Buttery Spread

=

Cinnamon Raisin Toast like my mommy loves!

ONLY this is the nutritionized (word?!) version!

Various sprouted grains are somehow combined, along with some salt, yeast, and gluten (not a gluten-free food!) to make this delicious "Ezekiel bread" of the brand name Food for Life.

You can see there is nothing artificial in there, no added sweeteners, no chemicals, no preservatives... practically a "whole food" or "real food"! Keep in mind, calories, fiber, and protein are similar to that of your average 100% whole wheat bread, most of which are also pretty healthy choices, assuming you select 100% WHOLE grain bread!

BUT this is CINNAMON RAISIN BREAD! There used to be a great whole grain cinnamon swirl something bread out there, by ...I can't remember the brand, it was SO yummy! But I guess there weren't enough other people who shared my opinion, so it soon vanished from grocery shelves. THIS is a great replacement!!

I buy this bread at Trader Joe's or Whole Foods. I store it frozen and always toast it before I eat it. It also tastes great with natural peanut butter or almond butter. You could always try this bread with the oldie but goodie PB and Banana Sandwiches!

EARTH BALANCE Natural Buttery Spread is a HEALTHY FAT and a perfect alternative to butter (because it doesn't have any fat with a  face -- animal fat) and margarine (because there aren't any partially or fully hydrogenated oils)!  AND it TASTES yummy!  Check out the ingredients and here is a link to the Earth Balance website.

Hope you enjoy!

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you go to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods, or some other natural foods store? Do you have favorite products you get just from there? Ezekiel bread is one of those products for me!

If you enjoyed this or another post, "like" the link on Facebook, or share it with a friend, or "like" the Facebook fresh-you page to help me help others become healthier inside and out!

4-Ingredient Chocolatey Goodness

My five year-old who would say (if asked) that she doesn't like yogurt EXCEPT for CHOCOLATEY GOODNESS!
UPDATE: she is 10 now, and she still LOVES chocolatey goodness! Now she only mixes bananas and cocoa!

Midnight snack?  Breakfast?  Lunch?  You choose!

No blender, chopper, oven, or microwave needed.

Chocolatey Goodness

2 bananas

1 Tbsp unsweetened cocoa (more if you love chocolate!)*
Click here for Benefits of Chocolate and here for Make Sure You Get the MOST out of Your Chocolate!

1 Tbsp chia seeds (optional)

Dash of unsweetened, shredded coconut (optional)

Mash bananas with a fork and combine with cocoa and chia seeds until smooth, and enjoy!
*1 tsp of cocoa per banana is a great ratio.

For SUPER-SMOOTH texture, put everything in a food processor for just a quick spin!  Makes a great Healthy FRUIT DIP!

You can top with some chocolate nibs or a few chocolate chips for fun!

If you're a coconut person, try swirling in unsweetened coconut!

I used to use Greek yogurt,
so you could try adding some non-diary yogurt if you wish.

Bananas add SWEETNESS without any added sugar! 

UPDATE: plain yogurt and plain kefir were about the last animal-based foods that I ever recommended, BUT DO NOT ANYMORE. However, I am hopeful that non-dairy versions provide the same benefits, as the benefits come from the bacteria that is used in production.

Greek yogurt is awesomely creamy! The unique health benefits of regular and Greek yogurt come from the PROBIOTICS they contain (this is also why kefir is awesome -- check out the health benefits HERE!...while at this link, you can read about chia's awesomeness too!) If you haven't already read about how great chocolate is for HEALTH and HAPPINESS, click HERE! Chia seeds are an ancient superfood that adds a teeny, tiny crunch and MEGA nutrient boost with every scoop!

Here is another way to try non-dairy Greek yogurt!

WHAT DO YOU THINK?  Are you a "coconut person" or not?  I didn't used to like it, but through the years it has grown on me!  I like how it feels to chomp into it!

Orange Almond Biscotti Balls

This is one yummy variation of our favorite snack, which we call "Laraballs"; a mix of nuts, unsweetened dried fruits, and spices. This flavor is called ORANGE ALMOND BISCOTTI BALLS - super yummy and refreshing!

fruit + nuts = 2 check mark snack from Dr Greger's Daily Dozen

I originally starting making "Laraballs" when I tried to create Larabars at home. My recipe AND the product are both fabulous convenience items with only a handful of ingredients which are whole foods (again nuts, fruit, and spices), and no added sugar, oil, or dairy! Note: my balls also have no salt, while Larabars do :(

The Larabar website has coupons, and now the company even makes: Larabar Bites (a product just like my balls!)! On to the recipe!

Start with a little freshness!  Slice off the very thinnest layer of the orange peel.  Use about half to all of the orange peel.  This will make up your orange zest, but you can just toss the peels in with everything else in the food chopper / processor.

Orange Almond Biscotti Balls

1 orange peel (as shown above)

1/2 c almonds

3/4 c dates

Combine all ingredients until everything sort of sticks together.

Trash can trick: fold edges of a resealable sandwich bag over a mug.

Scoop everything into bag. Almost done!

Have fun shaping the dough however you like!  KIDS like this part best! The dough works pretty well with cookie cutters, balls are great, and you can make bars by pushing the mixture into a pan, chilling, and cutting.

Keep mixture refrigerated or at room temperature, or keep it in your car.

You can make them into balls from outside the bag - so you don't get "food hands".

I can't make balls fast enough, as soon as I make one, my kids want it, until half the bag is gone. If only they new how healthy they are! Actually, they do know, and still they love them!

Here are MANY MORE LARABAR FLAVORS to enjoy!

If you liked this recipe, "like" it or "share" it below! Many thanks!

Add a comment, to bring more life to the blog! WHAT DO YOU THINK? Do you have a favorite childhood memory? I'll always remember the Christmas Santa made us a house that looked like our actual house, with an address, front door, windows, drapes, and all...it's still at my mom's house today! My kids play with it down in her basement :)