Homemade gluten-free granola is great because you can adjust it to your liking.
I find that store-bought granola is often very high in sugar so I use unsweetened applesauce as the sweetener.
Sometimes after it has cooled I will add some cacao nibs or even some dark chocolate chips.
Feel free to add what you like to it. My kids like nuts but not in their granola, so I usually add more seeds and even shredded unsweetened coconut.
Ingredients:
- 32 oz bag of gluten-free oats
- 2 cups of an assortment of nuts, seeds, etc., based on preference (use seeds instead of nuts if it has to be nut free)
- 1 1/2 cups of assorted dried fruits (raisins, date pieces, goji berries)
- 2 cups of unsweetened applesauce
- 3/4 cups of melted coconut oil
- 3 tsp of cinnamon
- 1 tsp of sea salt
Directions:
Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
Line two large baking sheets with unbleached parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients (except dried fruit) in a large bowl, stir until thoroughly combined.
Distribute evenly between the two baking sheets.
Bake for 60 minutes, gently stirring mixture a few times so it is even in crispness.
You can add cooking time if you want it extra crunchy or decrease cooking time if you want a softer texture.
Let cool and add dried fruit before storing in airtight containers.
Sandra Holbrook is a Doctor of Physical Therapy and owner of Mindful Meals, LLC. She resides with her husband and three children in Charlottesville, Virginia. Check out her food blog for super nutritious recipes, including desserts.
Healthy tortillas (even spinach) filled with fruits or veggies and low-sugar spreads.
My son loves a whole wheat tortilla filled with low-sugar fruit spread and a nut butter. I surprise him and cut up all sorts of things in his ‘sandwiches’ every day.
Muffins (again filled with healthy stuff) and dried fruit!
Dates peeled & mashed with shredded coconut. Coconut butter on fruit. Cashew butter & honey with bananas. We always have chocolate made from coconut butter, cacao, & honey. Coconut butter can be made in a food processor using shredded coconut.
Just shredded coconut blended for a lonnnnng time. It takes several minutes in my vitamix. You will see the oil coming out after about 10 seconds or so. I have to stop a lot.
The chocolate is even parts of those 3 ingredients. Cacao , coconut butter, and honey.
Coconut butter can be used as a butter sub in anything and is also great to cook with!
My kids like veggies strips and dips. Carrots, celery, and especially sweet red pepper, dipped in ranch dressing, hummus, ketchup (?!), Tzatziki sauce (Greek cucumber-garlic-yogurt dip), and peanut butter. My son swears that red peppers dipped in peanut butter is yummy. I think it’s bleagh, but I know better than to argue!
And… my oldest likes Asian-inspired snacks. Leftover rice sprinkled with a little soy sauce, a little sesame oil, and chopped scallions. My husband likes his with furikake–a Japanese sprinkle-on seasoning blend of dried shredded seaweed, toasted sesame seeds, dried spinach, carrot, pumpkin, celery, and mustard plant. (I like both ways!) Filling, simple, and GFCF! (gluten-free casein-free)
I make the kids tofu sandwiches, pasta in a thermos, or almond butter roll ups.
I cut the tofu block into 3 big squares. I heat a cast iron pan and then add sesame or safflower oil to coat. I pan toast each side for about 7 minutes and add a few drops of Tamari before turning. Cook on a medium flame. The cast iron adds such a nice flavor. You can even cube it up after an add it to a vegetable rice stir fry. A dinner favorite of my children!!
To make the roll up I cut a whole wheat wrap in half, spread almond butter and fruit spread and then roll it up. Fun finger food.
I also make flour less peanut butter cookies and almond cookies or coconut flour blueberry muffins.