Almond butter Protein Balls

I made these for the first time yesterday. I really liked them and so do the two younger girls. As I am not a huge meat eater I am always looking for good ways to get more protein into my diet. I would highly reccomend this recipe. http://www.pinterest.com/pin/85568461644685490/ I made a few changes, partially out of necessity and partially out of desire. Instead of doing all almond butter I substituted half with peanut butter. This was the necessity as I did not have ough almond butter The deired change came in the form of adding granola to the finished product. I really liked this because it added more texture. I think these will become a staple in our house.

Apple cinnamon quinoa bites

I finally made the apple cinnamon quinoa bites I've been trying to get around to all week.  They turned out pretty good.  You can definitely taste the quinoa, and it throws off the flavor a little bit, but I still enjoyed them.  The rest of my family, not so much.  I'm getting used to this reaction.  Soren said he liked them at first, then he ate another one and changed his mind.  Same with Laila.  Solveig said she liked them but didn't want one and Kristian said he could definitely taste the quinoa.  I think next time I make them (oh yes, I will make them again), I'm going to grate my apple up instead of chopping it.  Other than that, pretty delicious. 

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup cooked quinoa
• 1 cup quick oats
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup
• 1 cup chopped apples (I used macintosh, but any type should work nicely)
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten

Instructions

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

2) In a large mixing bowl, add your cooked quinoa and quick oats. In a separate smaller mixing bowl, combine your cinnamon, nutmeg and sugars and then add the spice mixture to the quinoa and oats. Then add the maple syrup, apples and eggs and mix until just combined.

3) Spray your mini muffin pan (24 count) with non-stick cooking spray. Make sure to spray the top of the pan as well. The quinoa bites will overflow out of the cup a little bit, so you don't want the tops to stick.

4) Fill each muffin slot with 1 tablespoon of the mixture and bake for about 15-20 minutes. Serve warm!

rice crackers

I am not a brilliant food photographer.  I apologize.  I don't think I ever will be.  I just don't care that much.  If you see a photograph on this blog that looks well done, chances are I borrowed it. 

I decided I want to make rice crackers.  Right now I buy them at Costco and that's fine, but sometimes I run out and I know I won't be going to Costco for a while because one doesn't run into Costco real quick to grab something.  One spends hours and thousands of dollars on every trip to Costco.  Am I right? 

I digress, I decided to make rice crackers because....

I decided to make rice crackers, and it didn't go well.  This was my first attempt and I will try again, but I did almost break my teeth on these.  Please note that this will not stop me from eating them as they do have good flavor, it just makes them less than ideal.  I will try again. 

I would post this recipe, but I'm not going to.  I don't know what I did wrong.  I did make my own rice flour, maybe it wasn't a fine enough grain.  I used jasmine rice instead of Japanese rice, but why should that matter, they both start with "J".  Everything else I did just right.  They were beautiful, they looked so promising, then... 

My kids won't even try them, but Laila's napping.  Rest assured she will be breaking her tiny teeth on one of these as soon as she wakes up.  Try to stop her, it's not happening. 

I just wanted to share my failure and put it out there that if anyone has a great recipe or method for making rice crackers, I would love to have me some of that.

Chipotle black bean hummus

I tried a new hummus recipe today.  I'm always trying new ones and hoping some day I will find the perfect hummus and that will be my go to from now to forever.  I have yet to find it, but that's OK because I like trying new ones.  Today's hummus was pretty good.  A word of advice, drain the chickpeas and the beans before putting them in.  Add liquid as needed. 

Chipotle Black Bean Hummus

Ingredients:

1 can Chickpeas

1 cup Black Beans

1 Tbsp Tahini

1 clove Garlic

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

Juice of 1 Lemon

1 tsp Harissa

Directions:

Add all ingredients in a blender and puree together until thick and creamy. Add drops of water to thin out, if necessary. Serve with pita chips and fresh cut veggies.