pinterest recipe: protein snack balls

Who doesn't love the world of Pinterest and browsing it for new ideas for food, organizing, crafts, etc.?  I do.  However, I'm not great at following through on completing many of the projects/recipes I pin.  So... with the new year, I thought why not start trying to make one of those great recipes I pin once/week?  Hopefully posting the recipes I try on here will help keep me accountable to it.

I had a friend make a version of those yummy looking protein/snack balls that are floating around Pinterest.  Hers were delicious, so I thought that would be a great first recipe to try...  this is the recipe that I modified from Pinterest.  And let me just tell you that these are yum-o and dangerous.  They are just healthy enough that you don't really feel bad for eating them, but know that they are full of calories with all the almond butter, flax, and coconut oil.  They are the perfect little breakfast, after lunch dessert, afternoon snack, late night snack... ok, I eat them all day long.  My husband and son loved them too, so that helped me eat not quite all of them.  :)

protein snack balls

Ingredients:
1 c. almond butter (or peanut butter)
1 c. oats
1 c. shredded coconut
1/3 c. honey
1/4 c. ground flax seed
1/4 c. peanut butter
3-4 T. coconut oil
1 scoop protein powder (optional)
2 tsp vanilla
sprinkle of cinnamon

Instructions:
Stir together the almond butter, peanut butter, coconut oil, and vanilla.  Add remaining ingredients and stir until combined.  Add more almond butter/oil if mixture isn't sticking together, or more oats/coconut if there seems to be too much almond butter.*  Roll into 1 - 1 1/2" balls and refrigerate.

* The mixture was kind of crumbly when I made them, but once I started rolling it into balls it stuck together, so I would recommend "testing" the mixture and see if it forms balls before modifying.

Makes 2 dozen balls.

apples

The other day (or week) a couple friends and I took our kiddos to an orchard to pick apples, followed by making applesauce at my friend's house... a great fall experience!  We also got apples for apple butter, which was something new for me to make.

Overall making both applesauce and apple butter is very easy.  I made my applesauce chunky and cooked it over the stove.  The apple butter I made in a crockpot.  I decided to freeze both, so I didn't need to can anything (which seems like a complicated process to me).

the little guy helping me pick apples :)

applesauce and apple butter

 Applesauce:
1 large soup pot full apples
several cups of water (or sub some water with apple cider)
cinnamon

Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut up apples into chunks.  You can use whatever kind of apples you'd like.  I used mostly Golden Delicious with some Jonathan, a more tart apple, and it was sweet enough that I didn't need to add any sugar.  If you like sweeter applesauce, or use mostly tart apples, you might need to add some sugar.
Put apples in a large pot and add a cup or two of water or juice.  Cover and cook over medium low, stirring often and adding more water/juice as needed, depending on the consistency you want.  Cook until the applesauce is as smooth as you would like it.  If you have a big pot, it may take an hour or two to cook, but a smaller pot may only take 30 minutes to an hour.  Stir in some cinnamon until you like the flavor.
Put in quart ziploc bags, or freezer safe containers, to freeze.


Apple butter:
1 large crockpot of tart apples (I used Ida Red)
1/2 c. water or apple cidar
1/4 c. brown sugar
2 T. honey
sprinkle of cinnamon
a little nutmeg and ginger
1 tsp vanilla
lemon or orange zest (optional)

Instructions:
Peel, core, and cut up apples into chunks.  Place in crock pot and add liquid, sugar, and spices (you can always go light on the sugar and spices and add more at end).  The apple butter needs to cook on low overnight.  I started mine on high for a couple hours (making sure to stir it so the apples on the bottom don't stick), and then turned it down to low before I went to bed.  When I got up I cooked the apple butter for a little longer without the lid, and it was done cooking.  If you only cook it on low, I think it will need more like 10-12 hours on low, instead of 8-9.
Once the apples are cooked down, you can either leave it a chunky consistency, or puree it.  I opted to puree it with my hand blender.  Before pureeing, add the vanilla and zest.  Puree until smooth.  Taste and add more sugar/spices if needed.
Put in jars to freeze.

granola

I go through phases of making homemade granola.  My last phase was a long time ago, so another batch of granola was overdue.  It's not hard at all - super fast and much cheaper than store bought granola... it's just remembering to take the time to make it. :)

I like this recipe because it isn't overly sweet and doesn't have much oil.  It has just enough flavor and crunch to make it tasty.  My version below is pretty basic - just oats and and almonds, but dried fruit or coconut would be great additions (I would probably add the dried fruit after baking).

maple almond granola

Ingredients:

4 c. oats

1/4 c. sliced almonds

2 T. ground flaxseed (optional)

2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 c. water

1/3 c. real maple syrup

1 generous T. canola oil

2 T. brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

Instructions:

Combine the oats, almonds, flaxseed, cinnamon, and salt in a bowl and set aside.

In a small saucepan, stir together the water, syrup, oil, and brown sugar.  Bring to a boil and remove from heat.  Stir in the vanilla.  Pour over the oat mixture and stir until combined.  Spread onto a greased jelly roll sheet and bake at 325 for 35 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes (bake for a few more minutes after stirring the second time).

Enjoy over yogurt, ice-cream, as cereal, on top of cooked fruit as a "mock" fruit crisp... so many possibilities!