Homemade Luna Bars

Warning: These are addicting!

Original Recipe is from Frugal by Choice, Cheap by Necessity
Make sure to check out her recipe, which includes cocoa and is rolled in coconut! Both my girls and I actually preferred these w/out the cocoa, despite all being chocolate addicts ;) But it's still worth a try to include it :)

INGREDIENTS

• 15 dates
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chia seeds
• 1.5 cups raw almonds
• 1/2 tbsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Put all ingredients in a Vitamix blender (or food processor) and pulse until it combines.
2. Continue processing while pushing down with the Vitamix stir stick thing (I'm all technical here ;) until it forms a nice dark colored chewy textured ball.
3. Remove from blender and roll into small balls (about 1/2 in diameter or so).
4. I put these in a glass container and keep them in the fridge. A batch rarely lasts more than 1/2 a week!

Crispy Roasted Chickpeas (Garbanzo Beans)

I found this recipe on the Steamy Kitchen blog and decided to give it a try. My girls love baked kale, so why not baked chickpeas? I was right, they love them! I really liked them too. What a great, healthy snack that's also a good on-the-go snack. Win win :)

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 bag of dried garbanzo beans/chickpeas (same thing), soaked and cooked in advance
• olive oil
• salt
• garlic powder or whatever seasoning you'd like

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. I had just finished cooking the beans, so I strained them and placed them on a paper towel on top of the cooking stone (or cookie sheet) to dry them. Cover with a second paper towel and rub dry. This will also loosen any loose skins that you can then easily remove.
3. Sprinkle with olive oil and salt and garlic.
4. Shake around to coat well.
5. Bake for about an hour, or until nice and crispy.
6. Enjoy!

Since I cooked the entire bag of beans, I am freezing the leftover unbaked ones and plan on making hummus with it soon. Stay tuned for that recipe, as it will be my first time making homemade hummus!

Buttered Popcorn with M&Ms

Not exactly a recipe... but I haven't cooked in a couple days and needed something to eat while rushing out the door today. So healthy! I decided to make one of my favorite snacks for dinner... Microwave buttered popcorn with M&Ms sprinkled in! Yum!!! Perfect combination of sweet and salty, and I love how the M&Ms melt slightly because of the hot popcorn. For best results, make sure to layer the M&Ms with the popcorn and mix them as soon as the popcorn is done popping.