Easy Fruit Rollups

Wanna know something that makes zero sense?  I have the biggest sweet tooth, but I don't care much for fruit.  Strange, huh?  Given the choice, I'll gobble down a plate of sauteed green beans or asparagus and pretty much ignore a bowl full of strawberries.  I don't know why fruit doesn't appeal to me or even when that happened.  I do love a fresh pear or nectarine or peach from the Pacific Northwest (again - I'm so getting kicked out of the state of Georgia).  Beyond that, meh.

Anyway, I'm working to get more fruit in my diet.  I'm also trying to lower the number of weird ingredients and dyes in the foods I eat.  These fruit rollups are a double whammy!  They're portable, don't bruise, don't spoil, and contain nothing but real ingredients found in my own kitchen.  If you're a die-hard fruit rollup fan, you can press the seeds out with a fine mesh sieve, but I wanted the extra fiber and I didn't want to add an extra step in the process :)

I'll definitely, definitely, definitely be making these again regularly and keeping them on hand.  I'm so excited to have found a recipe for an easy, yummy, and healthy snack.  Hurrah!

Enjoy!

Easy Fruit Rollups

2 c. pureed fruit*

1 c. unsweetened, natural applesauce

1 Tbsp. lemon juice

sugar (or honey or agave) to taste, approx 1/4 c.

Preheat oven to 170 degrees F, or its lowest setting.  Lightly spritz a large jellyroll baking pan with cooking spray, and then press parchment paper down to stick.  Lightly spritz the parchment with cooking spray and spread with a paper towel to lightly coat.

Puree fruit in your food processor until smooth.  If desired, press through a sieve to remove seeds.  Stir in applesauce, lemon juice, and sugar, until sugar is completely dissolved.  Pour into the prepared baking pan, and spread to just shy of the parchment edge, making sure the center isn't thicker than the edges.

Place into oven, propping the door open with a wooden spoon.  Bake for 7 hours or until the center is just slightly sticky.  Allow to cool and slice with a pizza cutter or kitchen shears.  Store in airtight container.

Note:  If you're like me and accidentally overbake your fruit and the edges get crisp (while the center is perfect), sprinkle water on the crisp areas.  They'll soak up the moisture and become pliable again.

* The amount of fruit it takes to get 2 cups pureed will vary.  It took me about 1 1/2lbs of strawberries to yield 2 cups once they were pureed.

Their ingredient lineup:

(for "strawberry" flavor)

My ingredient lineup:

:)

Prepared jellyroll baking pan:

Spread as evenly as possible, making sure the center isn't thicker than the edges.

Prop open your oven door with a wooden spoon.

 Pile O' Fruit Rolls!

It took about 45 seconds for these to find a new home inside my belly :)

Back to School Week: Chewy Granola Bars

You may remember - a long while back - that I posted another recipe for Granola Bars.  While pretty, they just weren't what I was looking for in a granola bar.  Because all the ladies here at Blah to Ta-Daa are doing a Back to School Week theme, I thought it would be a good time to finally find a granola bar recipe that lived up to all my wildest dreams.  Ok, maybe not all my wildest (calorie-free food ranks up there in wildest) dreams; but definitely yummy and a keeper recipe.

And, I've found it!  Holy Smokes, these things are good.  Even after I cut out some of the butter and sugar, they were still like eating little cookies.  Yummm...5 Spoons for us!

Enjoy!



         

Chewy Granola Bars
heavily adapted from Allrecipes.com

1/3 c. brown sugar
1/3 c. natural peanut butter (microwave it for a second if it's not easy to stir)
1/4 c. agave syrup or corn syrup or honey
2 Tbsp. butter, melted  (or your favorite nondairy substitute)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 c. oats
3 Tbsp. wheat germ
1/2 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease an 8" square pan.

In a small bowl, combine the brown sugar, peanut butter, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir in the oats and wheat germ.  Then, fold in the chocolate chips.

Spray your hands with cooking spray and then press firmly and evenly into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until edges are browned. Cool completely on a wire rack. Cover and let rest overnight before cutting into bars and removing from pan. Yes, overnight! These bars get better as they age, so resist temptation to cut into them early!

Ingredient Lineup:

The mixture may seem crumbly, but don't worry.

Press firmly into a greased pan.

Bake until just the edges are browned.

Let rest overnight before cutting.

Yum!

What's In My Kid's Lunchboxes?

Last year after seeing this video - I was moved to start sending lunches with my kids! I am happy to be sending such colorful, good for them and healthy lunches. I am happy to report that they are still choosing while milk most of the time.

Since then we have been learning a lot about what goes on in the lunchroom and classroom.

This is a black bean, spinach and cheese quesadilla.

My kindergarten told me this morning about the kid sitting next to him with a pop. The best part? He was outraged. Not out of jealousy...he knew it wasn't right.



This is a ham, cheese, spinach and bacon roll up.

My 4th grader gets to take a snack to school for after 2nd recess...he's a little bummed that I won't send chips like most of the other kids. His teacher put a ban on candy for snack...so I asked what's the difference between chips and candy - neither has nutritional value - he said Nothing.



This is a ham, cheese and spinach sandwich. Every day I try to include fresh fruits and veggies.

But all is not sad...all 4 of my kids flipped out when I sent a pear (like a real pear - just washed still in it's skin) in their lunch boxes. They were so excited - I guess it pays to talk up trying new things.



We have learned that if our kids are eating wholesome foods - they eat a ton more. I used to have a limit on the amount of food that they could eat...but who could say no to one more apple, banana or broccoli?




They like things rolled up - this is just real peanut butter and real fruit jelly...but they love it.

You'll notice that there are a couple of things that aren't really wholesome...like goldfish or banana pudding. I don't put a ban on things like this...I just put a limit on how many times I will include them. This way they are learning that it's OK to have them just not all the time. It also creates excitement when they do get to have a little junk.


Do you send lunch with your kids?

Back To School Week - Pesto Pasta Please!

This week we are sharing Back-to-School lunchbox recipes and ideas. Our boys like sandwiches in their lunchbox but it's always nice to change things up a bit and go sandwichless a couple days during the week. Sunday I made a batch of Swiss Chard & Basil Pesto. This is the base for this healthy lunch.

I tried using a variety of colors, textures and flavors to keep the lunch interesting. This lunch was made with our 7 year old son, Sawyer, in mind. We are still harvesting from the garden and I wanted to include as much of these vitamin packed fruits and veggies as possible. Here's what you see in the picture:

• Swiss Chard & Basil Pesto with Whole Wheat Pasta
• Cherry Tomatoes
• Sliced Peaches and Blueberries
• Babybel Cheese

I usually froze a bottle of water the night before and used that as the ice pack to keep the lunch fresh. By the time the kids broke for lunch the water was just about thawed out. At the Montessori school the boys attended, and I worked, parents were asked to include cloth napkins and real utensils in the children's lunchboxes. The napkins served a dual purpose of place mat & napkin.