RAW Applesauce

Do you ever go into the store and want to buy applesauce and all they have is the kind with like 10 ingredients and the only one that is actually good for you is the apples. Well say goodbye to high fructose corn syrup because this recipe only has three "good-for-you" ingredients.

8 apples
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup of water ( more if needed)
1 tbsp cinnamon (optional)

Core and slice apples
Add all ingredients to blender and blend until desired consistency

Chex Mix Muddy Buddies

An easy snack to bring to any occasion.


Ingredients

9	cups Rice Chex, Corn Chex or Chocolate Chex cereal (or combination)
1	cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2	cup peanut butter
1/4	cup butter or margarine
1	teaspoon vanilla
1 1/2	cups powdered sugar Directions 1. Into large bowl, measure cereal; set aside. 2. In 1-quart microwavable bowl, microwave chocolate chips, peanut butter and butter uncovered on High 1 minute; stir. Microwave about 30 seconds longer or until mixture can be stirred smooth. Stir in vanilla. Pour mixture over cereal, stirring until evenly coated. Pour into 2-gallon resealable food-storage plastic bag. 3. Add powdered sugar. Seal bag; shake until well coated. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container in refrigerator.

Zula's Sweet Potato Casserole

This is my husbands Great Aunt Zula's,  Family Famous Sweet Potato Casserole. With slight modifications ;-). I reduces the amount of butter and sugar.

For Filling

• 3 cups mashed sweet potato
• 1/4 cup butter softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla

Mash all ingredients together and put in casserole dish. Smooth out top.

Topping

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/3 cup flour ( I used gluten Free flour)
• 1 cup chopped nuts
• 1/3 cup butter softened

cream ingredients together till crumbly. Evenly distribute over casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.

Tip: I baked my sweet potatoes for about 30 minutes at 350 degrees to get them soft. The skin comes right off of them after you bake them.

Butternut Squash Soup

If you like butternut squash then you will probably like this recipe.

1. Peel your butternut squash
2. cut in into small cubes
3. place in blender with chicken broth( use enough liquid to get the blender to blend squash)
4. If you have a vita-mix you can let the blender cook the soup. If you don't want to do that just pour soup in a pot and heat for about 20 minutes to cook squash. 
5. you can add a handful of almonds when blending to make it a little more creamy.
6. Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste. 

Simple and easy soup.

RAW Pear Chips

Yes it is that time of year when the pears are coming in or just came into season. I received a lot of organic pears from my mother-in-law and learned from her that dehydrating them is a great way to use them. They make a perfect snack.

You don't even need to peel them if you don't want to. Just slice them and place on dehydrator. They will shrink by about 50%.

Store them in the refrigerator to make them last longer. I jar works best to keep them in. If you keep your temperature below about 112 degrees they will store RAW.

Gluten Free Chocolate Banana Muffins

I have recently found out that I have an allergy to wheat. So.......... I am having to come up with new recipe and creative ideas that don't incorporate any wheat. You don't realize how many pre-made foods and recipes have wheat in them until you can't eat it.

This recipe is the same as my chocolatey chocolate chip Banana muffins but I replaced the flour with gluten free flour.

I actually tried this recipe a couple of times and it is better if you sift the dry ingredients a few times and beat the egg whites before adding them. This helps the muffins stay fluffy instead if dense. I also found that making them in mini size helps them bake quicker. I also tried this recipe with ground flax seed instead of the flour and the mini size works best.  

Preheat oven to 325. Bake for about 15-20 minutes or until the middle is done. 

• 3 1/2 ripe medium bananas, mashed
• 1/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
• 1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp butter - melted
• 1/3 cup sugar ( I used Organic Whole Cane Sugar-Rapadura)
• 2 large egg whites
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Baked Apples

I was inspired by the fall weather and came up with this easy recipe. You will love the delicious smell of your house while they bake.

There isn't a specific recipe actually for this but I will just kind of tell you what I did.

Core your apples.
Cut out about half of the inside of the apples. Chop up what you took out of the middle and put in a bowl.
Chop dates, figs and raisins and add to the bowl.
Add some cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
Add about 1/2 tbsp butter per apple and about 1/2 tbsp of flour and sugar per apple.
Mix everything together really well and stuff back inside of your apples.
I baked mine in my toaster over on 300 degrees for about 1 hour.

These are really filling.

You can top each one with a fig!

Yes, Plants Have Protein

You don't have to eat meat to get protein.

Click on link to enlarge

Click on link to enlarge

Epsom Salts and The Benefits

Epsom Salts are so cheap to buy. I am a huge fan of inexpensive things, especially inexpensive things that help your health.  This article tells of some of the benefits of epsom salts.
Don't chose to live your life in the dark about important information about your health. Chose to take care of yourself and your family the all natural way whenever possible.

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

Turmeric: What can it do for you?

I received this sheet at a RAW Food Class and thought everybody could benefit from the knowledge a little bit.

Click on image to enlarge

Click on image to enlarge

Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto

Try this pesto on the RAW Flax and Oat Crackers . A great appetizer for any occasion. 

• 1 Cloves Garlic ( 2 cloves for garlic lovers)
• 3/4 C Pumpkin Seeds
• 1/4 C sesame seeds
• 1/4 C Olive Oil
• 1 t Lemon Juice
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 C Basil Coarsly Chopped
• 1/2 C Sun Dried Tomatoes Coarsely Chopped

With food processor running, drop in cloves of garlic. Let process until garlic is chopped. Scrap down sides of the processor. Add pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Process until very well combined and you have a pesto consistency. Add chopped basil. Process until well combined. Add Sun Dried Tomatoes and process until combined.

RAW Flax and Oat Crackers

• 1 C Flax Seeds
• 2 C Water
• 1 C Raw Oat Flour
• 1/2 C Water
• 1 T Onion powder
• 1 t. Sea Salt
• 1/4 C Sesame Seeds

Soak 1 C flax seeds in 2 c water for 5+ hours. Mix together with oat flour, 1/2 C water, onion powder, and sea salt. Spread on non-stick dehydrator sheets about 1/4 inch thick. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top and score with knife. Dehydrate at 145 for 1 hour then reduce to 112 for 2-4 hours. Remove non-stick sheets and place top up on screens. Dehydrate at least 4-8 more hours or until dry. Makes 2 sheets.

Try with my Sun Dried Tomato and Basil Pesto.