Chia seeds

No-Bake Fudge “NOatmeal” Breakfast Bars {Paleo & Low-Carb option}

January 20, 2020

Breakfast. Snacktime. Dessert. These bars can honestly fit the criteria for any of those situations that you may find yourself in.

They’re delicious, satiating, and packed with fat to curb that hunger when it hits.

They’re easy to grab and go in the morning too! I know that can be a struggle for many of us busy folks – or just the ones that have a hard time planning and prioritizing our time. GUILTY!

They can be made gluten free with puffed rice or paleo with shredded coconut, and even made lower in carbs with the combo of shredded coconut, unsweetened chocolate, stevia sweetened chocolate, or your favorite keto chocolate.

This recipe can be switched up a few different ways to fit almost any lifestyle!

Print Recipe
Fudge "NOatmeal" Breakfast Bars {Paleo, Low-Carb option}
Prep Time 5 minutes
Passive Time 20+ minutes of cooling
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Prep Time 5 minutes
Passive Time 20+ minutes of cooling
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. In a food processor or blender, pulse the sunflower seeds and puffed rice (or quinoa/shredded coconut) until it is a bit smaller than oats would typically be. It's ok if a bit of it turns to a finer powder. Don't go crazy though - we still want some chunks in there!
  2. In a bowl, combine the sunflower seeds and rice mixture with chia seeds, coconut flour, salt, coconut oil, and maple syrup.
  3. In the microwave or a double boiler, melt the chocolate and the coconut cream until it's completely smooth. You can use less than the recipe calls for or more - Just depends on how fudgey of a center you'd like! If you want the dark chocolate sweeter, add the coconut sugar! If you're using a semi-sweet variety - taste it first. It may be sweet enough for you!
  4. In a 8x8 parchment paper lined dish, spread out half of the rice mixture and press it firmly into the bottom of the pan.
  5. Pour the chocolate mixture on top and spread it evenly on top of the bottom layer.
  6. To ensure the top layer doesn't fall too much into the chocolate layer, I like to put the bars in the freezer for 3-5 minutes - just to set up.This step isn't completely necessary though.
  7. Top the chocolate layer with the remaining rice mixture and spread out evenly.
  8. Drizzle with extra chocolate, if desired.
  9. Chill the bars for 20-30 minutes in the freezer or 1-2 hours in the fridge to set up before cutting into desired pieces.
  10. Store the bars in the fridge.
Recipe Notes

*for a sweet but low-carb option, try out a monk-fruit maple syrup here!

**feel free to substitute your favorite chocolate here - we use EnjoyLife dairy-free semi-sweet mini chips for just about everything. They are sweetened, so we usually don't have to add any other sweetener. Lily's brand of chocolate would be a great substitute for a more keto-friendly recipe! 

3-ingredient Strawberry Jam

August 23, 2018

Homemade jam really couldn’t be easier! You can use any frozen fruit you have on hand or mix a few and make a medley! It’s so good on breads, biscuits, or in my Strawberry Cheesecake Bars!

This 3-ingredient Strawberry Jam cooks up in less than ten minutes and is a easy sub for your go-to store bought jams, when you’re trying to stay away from processed foods. Check out the ingredient label on your jams and jellies – it’s insane how many ingredients are in some brands! You could even do away with the sweetener in this, depending on how sweet your fruit is!


Print Recipe


3-ingredient Strawberry Jam

Cook Time 8 minutes

Servings
cup


Ingredients

Cook Time 8 minutes

Servings
cup


Ingredients


Instructions
  1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook fruit for 5 minutes.

  2. As the fruit is cooking, mash it up with a spoon until a smoother consistency is formed.

  3. Add chia seeds and honey and continue to cook for 3-5 minutes until jam has thickened.

  4. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Easy Vegan Drop Biscuits {Gluten & Grain Free}

August 14, 2018

Recently, my husband discovered he was intolerant to eggs. Let me tell ya, we eat A LOT of eggs and that is coming to an end for awhile. This discovery came to our attention through testing that we had done through Balanced Health. We already suspected that he was intolerant to dairy, at least cow’s milk, but eggs just weren’t on our minds! It’s so nice to have some answers and work to eliminate some of his health issues. There were quite a few other things that we discovered through this testing that we never would have guessed! We’re excited to put some things into play and see what comes out of it. I’ll be sharing more details about our experience in a future post.

Balanced Health


Due to this newly discovered egg intolerance, I’m learning to adapt many of recipes to fit into his diet. Most of the baked goods that I make require eggs. There will be lots of experimenting in the near future.

The other night, he requested biscuits and sausage gravy…so I got to work! Surprisingly, he loved the first batch that I made of these and said, “Don’t change a thing!”

These biscuits are moist and perfectly crumbly, but still hold up well like your typical biscuits. They’re made from a mixture of flours and chia seeds, instead of eggs. If you can tolerate eggs, and are not restricted to a vegan diet, you could substitute an egg for the chia seeds and water in this recipe.

These Easy Vegan Drop Biscuits are super simple to make, hence the name, and could pair well with any meal. However, my favorite way to eat biscuits will always be to have them covered in sausage gravy. ALWAYS. Check out my recipe for Sausage Peppered Gravy for a dairy free, paleo take on the classic!



If you’re are interested in getting testing done like we did, you can do so through the link below. We purchased the Full Scan.

https://www.creatingbalancedhealth.com/product/fullscan/?ref=57

Balanced Health

You can receive $20 off any scan by entering “GonePaleo” at checkout. I would highly recommend doing it, if you’re curious at all about how your body is functioning despite having digestion problems or not. Our diet affects so many things in our body, from mood to your skin. If you are having ANY health issues, this test could give you answers or make a great starting point in aiding your health!

The full scan runs your saliva and hair samples (that you send via mail) against 600 factors. It lets you know how different parts of your body are functioning, i.e. your thyroids, liver, blood, digestion, nervous/respiratory system, etc. Such an interesting thing to learn! I will be getting myself tested in the future, as well!

Balanced Health

 

Print Recipe
Easy Vegan Drop Biscuits {Gluten & Grain Free}
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
biscuits
Ingredients
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Servings
biscuits
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  2. In a small bowl, mix chia seeds and 1/4 cup of the water and let rest for 3-4 minutes.
  3. In a mixing bowl, combine remaining dry ingredients - almond and coconut flour, arrowroot, salt, and baking powder.
  4. Once the chia mixture has thickened and turned into a coagulated, gel-like mixture, add vinegar, avocado oil, and remaining 1/2 cup of water and whisk to combine.
  5. Add the wet ingredients to your mixing bowl with the dry ingredients. Stir just enough to combine.
  6. Onto a greased or lined baking sheet, drop approximately 1/3 cup-sized portions evenly onto the sheet.
  7. Bake for 15-17 minutes until slightly golden and cooked through the center.

Salted Chewy Chocolate Chip Protein Bars {Dairy, Gluten, & Grain Free}

April 30, 2018

I’m always thinking up new protein bar flavors to play around with. This time, I wanted something to taste similar to those chewy oatmeal chocolate chip granola bars that so many of us had in our lunches growing up. I was craving one! I USED TO BE OBSESSED WITH THOSE THINGS!

These Salted Chewy Chocolate Chip Protein Bars come pretty dang close to that flavor. They’re free of grains and gluten all together – so no oatmeal. However, the chia and flax give it just the right crunch that make you think that you’re eating a chewy, slightly crunchy, oatmeal bar.

They’re filled with protein, healthy fats, and some chocolate – all the essentials of a good snack!

I opted to add a little pink salt on top for that addicting salty and sweet contrast, but that’s completely optional!

Try these out next time you’re looking for a healthy snack to keep around the house or to pack in lunches. Kids would love these!


Print Recipe
Salted Chewy Chocolate Chip Protein Bars {Dairy, Gluten, & Grain Free}
Prep Time 5 minutes
Passive Time 20 minutes - cooling
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Chewy bars
Chocolate topping
Prep Time 5 minutes
Passive Time 20 minutes - cooling
Servings
bars
Ingredients
Chewy bars
Chocolate topping
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the chewy bars.
  2. In a medium baking sheet lined with parchment paper, spread mixture out onto pan. You can use a deeper pan for thicker bars.
  3. Melt dark chocolate and oil.
  4. Stir in maple syrup, if desired. I used about a teaspoon.
  5. Spread chocolate on top of mixture.
  6. Freeze for 20 minutes or refrigerate for 3-4 hours.
  7. Cut bars into desired sizes.
  8. Store in the refrigerator.