the hot & the cold

it's been pretty warm out there this week & if you're kitchen is anything like mine, it turns into a broiler on days like today. with our kid's appetites being very healthy these days, i'm find it hard to keep up with the demand for healthy snack-y type foods. i usually need to bake a load of muffins or granola bars every other day. but it's just been too darn hot!

so here's two recipes that are cool-ish for the hot, HOT days.

chocolate no bake trail mix cookies {grain free, gluten free}

1/3 cup sucanat
1/3 cup honey
1/2 cup coconut oil
3 tbsp unsweetened cacao powder
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 cup almond butter
1 tsp pure vanilla
1 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 cup walnuts
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
have a tray lined with wax paper ready. in a medium saucepan, brind the sucanat, honey, coconut oil, cacao powder, milk & salt to a rapid boil. boil for one minute. turn off the heat & add the almond butter, vanilla, shredded coconut, almonds, walnuts, sunflower & pumpkin seeds & stir well.
drop the mixture by the teaspoonful onto the wax paper. allow to cool for about 15 minutes, then transfer to the fridge to set completely, about another 15-20 minutes. these are best kept stored in the fridge & served cold.
original recipe here.

frozen yogurt trail mix bars
2 cups greek yogurt {i used 1 cup 2% plain, 1 cup vanilla}
1 1/2 cup chopped fruit {strawberries, blueberries, bananas, raspberries... take your pick}
1/2 cup chopped nuts {i used almonds}
3/4 cup granola
1/4 cup chocolate chips {optional}

mix all ingredients in a bowl. line a pan with foil. spread yogurt mixture into pan. cover with plastic wrap & place in freezer until frozen. remove from freezer, let thaw for 5 minutes, cut into bars. store in an airtight container in the freezer.

original recipe here.