Some Tasties.

Over the weekend, me and my good friends Pinterest and 100 Days of Real Food, got together and had ourselves a wee little cooking fest to see if we could come up with some more tasty, gluten-free, clean, and not too overly weird little taste treats that would -- satisfy cravings, get me some protein, be gentle on Kevy's belly, and satisfy three little Hoolies who love themselves some treats.

And I would say that we had ourselves some success.
So, now that these recipes have had themselves five little taste testers, I shall share said recipes with you.
...Along with both my photo and narrative commentaries.
...Purely for your enjoyment.  Of course.

And let me just say straight off - that if you haven't tried that "Chickpea cookie" recipe that I posted a few days back...well, you are really missing out.  They have become a new family fave.  No joke.  I especially like them with a handful of old fashioned oats and a few shakes of cinnamon for good measure.  And most definitely doo-dah, the semi-sweet chocolate bits.  Although, Kaden begs to differ with me on that part.  Methinks they could potentially be nasty without the chocolate.  But, maybe that's all baby talk.  Who knows...

Okay, so here we go.
Because Kaden is not a chocolate lover - or a lover of anything too awfully rich, for that matter - (strange child that he is), I have found a staple that is now his go-to treat of choice.  It is a wonderfully gooey recipe for some pretty delish, if I do say so myself, "Oatmeal Peanut Butter Coconut-y Granola Bars."  And just let me say straight off - that neither does Kaden appreciate coconut.....buuuuuut neither can Kaden guess that there is coconut in said granola bars.  Just so you know...

Such deception in this household...

 These pictures are of all of the recipes doubled.  It is a ginormous waste of my time and energy to make a single batch of anything in this house.  So, what you will see pictured will be different than the amounts you will see typed.  Okay, here's what you do:

Take 2 1/4 cups of old fashioned oatmeal (the recipe called for quick, but I like old fashioned better).
1 cup of flaked coconut.
1/4 cup wheat germ (I used flax seed instead).
...stir all together in a greased 9 in. square pan.  Bake for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, in a 325 degree oven.  Remove and set aside.  Increase oven temperature to 350 degrees.

It should come out looking all toasty and slightly browned.
It also smells delish.

Next, on the stovetop, combine:
1/4 cup plus 2 Tablespoons butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar (I did this once, and won't do it again.  The recipe is plenty sweet without it)
1/2 cup honey.
...and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Remove from the heat when the butter melts and the sugar (if you choose to use it) dissolves.

Add 1/2 cup of natural peanut butter and 1 1/2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract to the melted mixture.  Stir until peanut butter melts.  Pour over your granola mixture in your 9 in. pan.  Add peanuts, or semi-sweet bits, or raisins or whatever your little heart desires - and either stir them all up into your mixture, or just place them on top for little hands to pick off if one of them doesn't prefer said dainties.

Make sure the mixture is pressed firmly into the pan.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes - no more.
Cool and serve in all of their deliciousness.  Seriously.  We love them.  Ooey and delish.

Okay.  Moving on.
Here's a breakfasty item that we experimented with and found it to be quite yummy, as well.
Their name is "Pecan Maple Breakfast Cookies," and they work nicely for a breakfast "on the go."
I actually use them for our 10:00 a.m. snack...also known as "Second Breakfast" around these parts.
They are mild and gentle - not a ton of sweetness to them....and since I think nuts are from the devil, I actually only put just a few in our batch.  I loaded Kev's - right along with some coconut and raisins, as well.

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour (for Kev's batch, I used gluten-free)
3/4 cups old fashioned oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
3 Tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 Tablespoons butter, softened but not melted
1 egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla
1/2 cup chopped pecans.
I also added cinnamon, because I think it's heavenly in all things sweet...

Instructions:
1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees and grease cookie sheet
2.  Whisk together flour, oats, baking soda, and salt.
3.  In separate bowl, beat the applesauce, maple syrup, butter, egg, and vanilla.
4.  While beating wet ingredients, add the dry to this until well blended.
5.  Fold in the nuts with a spatula.
6.  Drop onto cookie sheet with a spoon.  Bake for 8-9 minutes or until they start to brown.

Serve warm.
Or, my personal favorite - with some applesauce and Mama's homemade raspberry jam.

And with a side of yogurt and frozen berries....a second breakfast of all things glorious and delightful.

Amen.

Another staple for my home.
And like I said - they are not really all that sweet - but you could always add all sorts of things to sweeten them up.  And if you added a handful of chocolate bits, they would instantaneously transform into some pretty super healthy cookies....that are really legitimate cookies...and not just like, breakfast-y cookies....

And finally ~
I give you one of my mostest favorite suppers in the world.  This is a tried and true recipe that I've been making since our newlywed years when I went with Kev one time to one of his eye appointments because I had no other responsibilities in the whole wide world but to be his little wifey.  And whilst I waited in the waiting room, I found a recipe in a magazine and I had no pen and paper to copy it down....so....and here comes a confession....I ripped it out of said magazine and put it right.  into.  my.  purse.  True story.  And I'm pretty sure that's kind of like stealing - er - actually "is" stealing, so I've never done such a thing before or since.  And I do confess, that every time I look at this recipe I feel just a tad smidgen of guilt.  Confession is good for the soul, they say.  Yikes.

To the left of the picture you can see said stolen recipe....all tattered and torn after living with me for all of these years.  I believe it was a Cooking Light issue from March of 1999.....   Oh my.  Sorry, Mom.  You raised me better than that.  Your daughter is a felon.

Okay, let's move on, shall we?
And the recipe is "Sliced Lemon Pistachio Chicken over Greens"

Combine:
1 1/2 cups of cornflakes
4 tablespoons of pistachios
2 teaspoons of grated lemon rind
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked pepper
....in a food processor and pulse until coarsely ground.  Place mixture in a shallow dish.

Take four chicken breasts and either pound them really thinly, or cut them in half - like you are butterfly-ing them - but just cut them all the way through, so they are nice and thin.  Dredge the chicken through a drizzle of honey, and then roll them in this crumb mixture.  Saute in an olive-oiled (or cooking sprayed) pan until cooked all the way through.  Cut into 1/2 in" strips and set aside.

Now, the recipe just called for 6 cups of gourmet salad greens - but I make a big Daddy salad with tons of veggies and spinach and romaine.  The recipe also calls for making an olive oil/ lemon dressing to mix in with all of your greens, but my Littles don't like this so much - so we just give them their own dressing.  But, for Kev and I - and those of you with more cultured taste buds - take 1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon olive oil, along with 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper and mix all throughout your salad.  The salt and pepper stick all over your salad greens, and it's really super delish that way....

Place your chicken on top of your salad of glory, and partake.
Sometimes, I mix up a little bit of quinoa and throw that in as well - just for a little more protein and some texture.  If you have wee ones like I do...might I suggest just putting it on the side of their plates...

Mmm-mmmm.
Happy, healthy, felony-free eating.