Homemade Fruit Snacks

This recipe appeared in the Hinton Voice's February 7th Edition. 

[A common favourite for kids and adults alike, fruit snacks are one of those foods that you’ll likely find in most households at one time or another.  Making homemade fruit snacks is so unbelievably easy; as soon as you finish reading this recipe you’re going to wonder why you haven’t tried making them sooner.  When I first made these fruit snacks I was half expecting something sticky and slightly firmer than jello – instead I was pleasantly surprised that what I ended up with closely resembled store bought fruit snacks.  They are even better in fact because not only can you use healthier ingredients, the possible flavour combinations far surpass the usual five possibilities.  

I remember as a kid I almost always had fruit snacks in my lunch. I would tear into the package hoping the contents were mostly made up of the orange or grape varieties.  I wasn’t a huge fan of the yellow or green kinds, mostly due to their intense artificial flavours.  This worked out well for whichever friend I sat with for lunch that day, since most of my friends weren’t quite as picky as I was.  Needless to say with five or six fruit snacks in a package, my chances of having to share a couple were pretty high. 

Fast forward to present day and I’ve gotten a lot better at sharing (and less picky depending on who you ask).  I’m still not a huge fan of yellow or green fruit snacks because I still think they bear no resemblance to real fruit.   No problem though as now I can make all my favourite fruit snack flavours at home.  Since I already have the heart shaped cutter and all, I might even make some more wild raspberry ones next week as a Valentine’s Day treat for my special someone.]

Tip:  For homemade jello, use 1 package gelatin and 2 cups of your favorite fruit juice.  For sweeter jello, add up to 1/3 cup sugar.

Ingredients

- 1 (3 oz) package gelatin, any flavour

- 2 (.25 oz) envelopes of unflavoured gelatin

- 1/3 cup water or fruit juice

or

- 2-3 (.25 oz) envelopes of unflavoured gelatin (2 for soft, 3 for firm)

- 1/3 cup of your favourite fruit juice

  

Directions

Place water or juice in a small saucepan and sprinkle gelatin overtop – let sit for 2-3 minutes to soften gelatin.   Heat over medium heat and stir until gelatin is completely dissolve (about 3-5 minutes).  Pour into molds and allow to set for about a half hour.   You can speed up the setting process by placing your mold in the fridge. 

If you don’t have a mold, pour into a small (preferably ceramic or glass) pan and let set.  Once set, remove from pan and cut into shapes using a cookie cutter or sharp knife.

- Nutritional Info (1/2 recipe using fruit juice) -

Calories - 36   Fat - 0    Carbs – 7     Protein - 3   Fibre – 1

Enjoy!

Coconut Rice

Last summer I had coconut rice for the first time while having lunch in Jasper with my Uncle & his family.  I had this amazing Thai dish that consisted of coconut rice topped with chicken and stir fried veggies with a sweet chilli sauce.   This rice tastes exactly like the rice in that dish!  It not only makes a great base for stir fry, it would also be great as a side dish.  I can't wait to try this paired with creamy curried chicken! 
Ingredients - 2 cups basmati rice - 1 can lite coconut milk (I like Thai Kitchen the best) - 1 1/4 cup water - dash of sea salt - 1-2 green onions, finely chopped Directions Place rice in a mesh strainer and since under lukewarm water.  This will help to remove any access starch so that the cooked rice doesn't become sticky.  In a medium saucepan combine rinsed rice, coconut milk, water, and a dash of sea salt.   Bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Once boiling, cover and reduce heat; cook rice for 15-20 minutes until all of the moisture has been absorbed.  Fluff rice with a fork and sprinkle with green onions. 
Enjoy!

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

I have been wanting to post this recipe for awhile, but I knew it would be the perfect January recipe for The Hinton Voice so I held onto it! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! This recipe appeared in the Voice's January 3rd edition.

[Like the majority of people, I’ve always had a sweet spot for chocolate.   Normally I have no problem with this, but around the New Year it tends to interfere with my resolutions.  Resolutions that inevitably involve eating healthier.

The New Year is always a clean slate, a fresh start to try something new with all the best intentions to stick with it.  The month of January is always the hardest the part.  I read somewhere that it takes 21 days to break a habit, so I figure that if I can just get past that mark - by the fourth week, I should be well on my way to achieving my goals. 

A firm believer that everything is okay in moderation, dessert isn’t something that I like to compromise on.  I’d rather have a few bites of a real dessert rather than a full serving of a supposedly “healthier” watered down version of the original. With this dessert, I don’t feel like I’m compromising on flavor at all.  If anything, the addition of the avocado adds more body and richness to the dish.

Apart from being delicious, avocado’s are full of antioxidants and disease fighting compounds such as Vitamin E.  They also contain good, heart healthy fats that promote the reduction of cholesterol.  These fats make avocado’s extremely filling, which will help you get to your next meal without feeling hungry in between.

This is a recipe that’s healthy without tasting like it – everyone who has sampled it so far was fairly surprised after eating it that it’s main ingredient was avocado (this means you can probably even sneak it past your kids!).  Finally, a dessert you can feel good about eating.]

Ingredients

- 1 ripe avocado

- ¼ cup cocoa powder

- 3 tbsp maple syrup (or liquid honey)

- 1 tsp vanilla extract

- 6 tbsp milk of choice

For garnish:

- shaved chocolate

- raspberries

Tip:  When buying avocado’s look for firm, bring green skin with a glossy exterior.   Keep refrigerated until a few days before you plan on using it – then ripen in a fruit bowl at room temperature until the flesh has darkened, and has lost its glossy exterior.

Directions

Combine all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Garnish with shaved chocolate and fresh raspberries.

Recipe makes 4 servings. 

- Nutritional Info (per 1/3 cup) -

Calories - 93   Fat - 4    Carbs – 11     Protein - 3   Fibre – 2

Enjoy!

Dragon's Den Inspired: Holy Crap & Skinny B Breakfast Cereal Recipe

I've been watching Dragon Den ever since it first started airing on CBC.    I'm always intrigued by the different pitchers on the show, and find it extremely entertaining.  I think it's safe to say that the pitch for "Holy Crap" cereal was one of the most successful, if not the most successful Dragon's Den stories to date.  

Always a fan of trying new things (especially healthy new things) I eagerly bought the cereal as soon as I saw it in my local grocery store. The first time  I tried the cereal I was hooked.  It's full of powerful and healthy ingredients and incredibly great for your digestive health.  I have heard numerous testimonials from people who claim it has worked miracles for them, and proclamations of how much energy they have after eating it.  Even still, $9.99 for a small 225g bag didn't really feel like I was getting my money's worth.   

I scanned the ingredients on the package and realized that most of them could actually already be found in my cupboard.  I stopped at the health food store in Jasper yesterday and picked up the few remaining ingredients... the entire recipe cost me around $20 locally (slash that price in half if purchased from bulk stores) and yields 5 cups (which is over 4 times the amount you get in a package of Holy Crap). 

I suspect the recipe isn't exact as mine comes out 30 calories less than the original - but I think they look/taste the exact same, and lower calories is a good thing, right? 

I'm really looking forward to trying different flavours - I've already made a pina colada inspired one (recipe below) to sprinkle on my yogurt this morning.  :) 

Ingredients

Base Formula ("Skinny B")
- 1.75 cup chia seeds
- 1.25 cup buckwheat
- 1.5 cup hemp hearts

Cran-Apple Cinnamon ("Holy Crap")
- 1/3 cup dried cranberries
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1/4 cup dried apples
- 1 tsp cinnamon

Pina Colada (my version)
- 1/2 cup coconut flakes (I prefer unsweetened)
- 1/3 cup banana chips, crushed
- 1/4 cup dehydrated pineapples

Directions

Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container (such as a mason jar).

For cereal:  combine 2 tbsp cereal with 4 tbsp milk of choice (I like almond milk).  Stir gently and let sit for 5 minutes.

Both are also quite delicious sprinkled in yogurt.

Enjoy!

Can you tell the difference? ;)

- Nutritional Info Base Formula (2 tbsp - 28 g) - 

Calories - 92   Fat - 5    Carbs - 8     Protein - 4    Fibre - 4

- Nutritional Info Cran-Apple Cinnamon (2 tbsp - 28 g) - 

Calories - 101   Fat - 5    Carbs - 10     Protein - 4    Fibre - 5