Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream with Gingersnap Crust Sprinkles

This simple and healthy ice cream is dairy free, super low in sugar and takes about 2 minutes to blend up ~ no churner needed. It is completely adaptable to your tastes by adding extras of your choice, chocolate chunk pumpkin ice cream anyone???

This month on Recipe Redux we are talking about Food Memories. It's funny how certain smells and tastes can sometimes have such an amazing affect on us. For me it's roasted, sugared pecans, freshly squeezed lemon aid, home made tapioca pudding and pumpkin. Those foods will always instantly transport me to my childhood. 

The winter Holiday's mean different things to different people depending on your life circumstances, where you grew up and what your traditions were. I grew up in the 80's and 90's in a close knit, middle class neighborhood with 2 younger sisters and a brother. No extended family lived nearby so Holidays were usually a small affair except for when we drove up to Salt Lake City to have a huge Thanksgiving at my grandma and grandpa's home. Fond times. 

Slightly sweet and very creamy this pumpkin pie ice cream brings fall flavors to the table without having to unbuckle your belt (or put on your mommy yoga pants) afterwards. 

What I remember most about our family of six's Thanksgiving is the home made pumpkin pie with freshly whipped cream. The smell is what always got me and while I am not a pumpkin pie lover, the smell of cinnamon, nutmeg and pumpkin is very nostalgic for me. 

Wait. Wuuuuut?  'You don't like pumpkin pie?!' you say.

Nope. Or most any pie for that matter except maybe cherry and apple. But I'd rather have it as a cobbler than a pie. As for the pumpkin pie aversion, I think it's a texture thing, too thick and mushy. I do however l.o.v.e. pumpkin. Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin waffles, pumpkin eggnog custard,  pumpkin granola, pumpkin cinnamon rolls and even pumpkin stew. All of that, but my newest obsession is 

Pumpkin Pie Ice Cream. 

Holy raving nostalgic overload with a surprising twist factor. 

nostalgia |näˈstaljə, nə-|

noun

a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past, typically for a period or place with happy personal associations















































HANDS ON TIME     2 MINUTES         TOTAL TIME 4 HOURS           YIELDS    4 CUPS 

Ingredients
2 cups canned or cooked pumpkin1 can of coconut milk or plain, fat free yogurt3-4 bananas, chopped and frozen1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice mix1 teaspoon real vanilla (I sometimes use bourbon vanilla ;)1 cup crushed gingersnap cookiesOptional additionschocolate chipsnutscaramel drizzlecrushed graham crackers
In your blender place coconut milk, pumpkin, bananas, spices and vanilla. Blend on your frozen dessert setting (or on high) for 2 minutes. Pour mixture into a bread pan and place in freezer. Freeze for  3-5 hours depending on the 'frozeness' of your bananas, your freezer temperature and what size pan you use to freeze it in. 

An InLinkz Link-up

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Banana Coconut Cookies GF

I have been baking a lot more than usual now that I've figured out how to make these healthy cookies that actually taste wonderful! My kids don't know what got into me and think they are being quite spoiled. Oh tricky me.  I made these gluten free just because I'm trying to really limit processed/refined flour which contains zero nutrients and basically turns into sugar in your body. I also used Agave nectar which has contradicting nutritional benefits vs. honey but no firm data. I think moderation is the key here. I also use organic raw sugar, honey or *organic maple syrup when I bake.    

* formaldehyde is sometimes used to extract the maple syrup from trees, best to stick with organic as often as possible.

The fact that these cookies are gluten free makes the texture lighter and slightly crumblier than other cookies but they were very moist and delicious, almost cake like, YUM! Honestly, put these babies in a bowl and eat with a spoon, maybe dollop some yogurt on top and you have a perfect, healthy dessert.

You will need:

2 tablespoons flax meal + 2 tablespoons water ( OR 1 egg)
1 1/2 cup Oats
1 cup brown rice flour
1 cup coconut flour ( could also use almond flour/meal, garbanzo flour, ground millet or quinoa )
1 teaspoon guar gum   *optional, but it helps hold the cookies together and also is a pre biotic
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 cup dried, organic apricots, chopped    * regular dried apricots get their pretty orange color from sulfates
1/4 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
2 teaspoons real vanilla extract
3/4 cup Agave Nectar
2 slightly mushed bananas

*optional add-ins:  chopped nuts, chocolate or carob chips, raisins.
 Carob is similar taste to chocolate but is naturally sweetened unlike chocolate (unless you get unsweetened chocolate which is bitter) which gets it's sweetness from added sugar. Carob also has more vitamins than chocolate and is a good source of calcium.



Putting it all together:


Preheat oven to 375F
I threw everything into my KitchenAid mixer, banana last so it stayed slightly chunky and mixed till just combined. I ended up adding 1/4 cup water to better combine the ingredients. It probably depends on various factors so add it if you need to.
Either pour batter into a cookie pan or shape into cookies. Bake at 375F for 12-14 minutes until golden brown.

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Simply Healthy Family's Favorite Fall Recipe Roundup {say that 10 timesfast!}

Here's what's happening right now. I decided to stop blogging because

a.)   I keep comparing myself to other bloggers even though I firmly believe in not comparing myself to anyone, ever and therefor am making myself depressed, crazy and then just plain pissed followed by a general annoyance for no good reason. (I do however believe in random, run-on-sentences) and

b.)   I've become overwhelmingly consumed by guilt from spending too much time on the computer editing, writing and researching for my blog and not enough time with my children. No matter how many times I tell myself that a little bit of "me time" is a good thing I still feel guilty every time I'm sitting here and the kids are running around the house like banshees.


Then,  I had a day off, the weather dropped  20+ degrees into down right awesome here in Phoenix, I had a nap, then a glass or two of wine and  got over myself.  Onward and upward,  all things in moderation et cetera, et cetera.......




Lastly and coincidently, my 3 younger children have been playing very nicely together for 4 hours straight. No one is under the influence of medication or bribery, no one has incidentally knocked out someones tooth and no one has cried, died or gotten on anyone's nerves for FOUR HOURS STRAIGHT.  I'm going to go with my positive self and not think about the calm before the storm that will hit full force right around bedtime. Happy thoughts.





So in an effort to remind myself why I do what I do in this silly blogging world I compiled my very favorite Fall Foods to share with you. I usually don't do 'round ups' but looking through my favorite recipes and flavors, Fall is always on the top of the list. Every time.

I hope you stick with me and more importantly have tried or at least saved a recipe or two from my humble little place here. Any thoughts or suggestions are always appreciated. What would you like to see more of here at Simply Healthy Family? What are your favorite Fall foods? Do you ever experience "Mom Guilt"? How do you cope?

Fall Favorites from Simply Healthy Family

for football parties, fall picnics and fire pit gatherings. 

Apple Cider and Pomegranate Popsicles

Cast Iron Skillet Green Chili, Buttermilk Corn Bread

Chipotle en Adobo Butternut Squash Lasagna

Chipotle and Cheddar Cheese Cauliflower Poppers

Baked Buffalo Cauliflower with Home Made Blu Cheese Dressing.

Vegetarian Stuffed Poblano Chilies with Ancho Guajillo Sauce

Pumpkin Egg Nog Custard {sugar free}

Pumpkin, Chick Pea and Red Lentil Stew 

South Western Style Spaghetti Squash with Chorizo and Peppers

Roasted, Buttered Spagetti Squash with Two Bean Croquettes

Sweet and Smokey Slow Cooked Garbanzo Beans on Home Made Flax Seed Crepes

Healthy Almond-Coconut Thumbprint Cookies with Melted Chocolate

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Berry Stella Cookies from Eden Kitchen!

Why do you blog? To share stories and pictures, to journal your thoughts or travels, for a creative outlet?

I started Simply Healthy family just a few short months ago. I have always loved cooking from scratch. I love how I can create so many wonderful, savoury meals from so many cultures in my very own kitchen. I also wanted to catalogue our family's favourite recipes and maybe make a recipe book someday for me and my friends and family. Lastly, I am passionate about healthy eating and wanted to share just how easy it is to make home made, healthy meals in hopes that people will see that I have 4 children who actually eat healthy and be inspired to give healthy a try.

Those are the reasons I started this blog. In the last few months I have grown to LOVE all of the wonderful foodie sites out there and meeting some really wonderful people. Some of whom I really feel like I know and consider friends. Weird huh?

Lately, I have been cooking quite a bit from fellow foodies blogs and have come across some seriously wonderful dishes and snacks! I feel fortunate to have come across these recipes from all over the world that I would never have otherwise tried.

This brings me to my point. Stick with me....

 I so appreciate that these people have taken the time and love to share their recipes, I know how much time goes into food blogging! I have read about some fellow foodie friends frustrations with people who comment without even reading the posts let alone with the intention of actually trying the recipe. If your anything like me, I really would love people to try my recipes and let me know what they think. In return, like I already mentioned, I cook at least once a week from others blogs/sites and love to let them know how wonderful it was and especially to give a "shout out" on my blog so that others can find these recipes too. I try to only post recipes on Simply Healthy Family that are "family friendly".  This means, they are fairly simple, inexpensive and my kids will eat them (some days are better than others). This does NOT mean that they are bland or boring or your typical "kids foods" like chicken nuggets and mac n' cheese, I don't want to eat that crap.

So, I hope your still with me!! I usually try to keep it short so as not to lose people's attention.
THIS IS THE BEST PART OF THE POST, I PROMISE!!!
 I recently came across a wonderful site with so many amazing recipes I just had to share. Joe from Eden Kitchen who shares my passion for healthy yet delicious foods and I really wanted to do a Shout Out or Guest Post or Simply Share The Love.

Fellow Foodie Friends, meet Joe. I sure hope you check out his wonderful site!

Hi there, my name is Joe Rich. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, edenkitchen.com is all about my favourite recipes and food discoveries.


I am passionate about healthy food. I love cooking with natural, whole foods and fresh produce that's in season - creating food that has real flavour and natural goodness. Thanks!


I wasn’t sure what to call this recipe. I don’t usually go for gimmicky names; I much prefer to call out the predominant or unique characteristics of a recipe and work that into the name. But these oatmeal cookies have a lot of good things I just can’t squeeze into the name. First, they’re about the healthiest cookie you can make before it really stops tasting like a cookie. I used a little maple syrup in place of cane sugar and a good dose of coconut oil, macadamias, flax seed and berries. So these cookies pack in a lot of goodness; protein from the nuts, fibre from the oats and flax seed, lauric acid from the coconut oil, and phytonutrients in the berries. Whoa!



Then there’s the wonderful crunchiness thanks to the medley of oats, desiccated coconut, macadamias and flax seed. And finally, each cookie is bejeweled with a small handful of raspberries and black currants, giving them a lip-smackingly good berry tang. Trust me – they are as good as I’m making them sound.

So what should I call them? Macadamia Berry Oatmeal Cookies? Coconut Macadamia Berry Oatmeal Cookies? You get the idea… It just won’t all fit. So I settled on Berry Stella Cookies. I think it has a nice ring to it and seems to sum up both the flavor and the health(ier) factor.



Berry Stella Cookies Recipe


My cookie cutters didn’t cut through the oats very well and made the edges crumble a little so I ended up pressing the dough into each cutter and working it into the desired shape. It is a little time consuming but gives a much better shape. If you don’t have OCD you could simply roll them into balls, flatten them a little, and be done with the cutters altogether.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour (or zentrofan fine wheat flour or all-purpose flour)


• 1 cup desiccated coconut


• 1 cup rolled oats


• ½ cup macadamias


• ¼ cup flax seeds, ground


• ½ teaspoon fine ground sea salt


• ¾ teaspoon baking soda


• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract


• ½ cup maple syrup


• ½ cup virgin coconut oil


• ½ cup black currants and/or raspberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 350°F/ 180°C. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Pulse the macadamias in a food processor until they resemble coarse breadcrumbs. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, desiccated coconut, oats, macadamias, flax seed, salt and baking soda.

Add the vanilla extract, coconut oil, and maple syrup and mix until well combined. If using cookie cutters scoop 2 tablespoons of the dough into each cutter following the instructions above. Otherwise simply roll the scooped dough into balls and flatten them a little.

Lightly press and small handful of frozen berries onto each cookie and bake in the upper third of oven for 13-15 minutes, or until golden on top and bottom.

Makes about 20-25 cookies.

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Monster Eyeballs! {Purple Berry Macaroons}

Happy Halloween peeps! Everyone knows that Halloween means you're in for a sugar overload. If your a mom you know that the entire month of October means sugar overload central, prepare the insulin for a diabetic coma any second sort of situation. Seriously. I volunteered at my 3rd graders Halloween party (still amazed someone hasn't petitioned, rallied and picketed that it be renamed "Fall Harvest Festivities Celebrations") and the amount of cookies, cupcakes, candies, fruit punch and crackers that were involved made me cringe.






Why people? Why must Halloween be associated with buckets or pillowcases full of sugar? Every year I struggle with either not passing out anything at all (which I just can't bring myself to do) or handing out prizes and toys which I tried one year and got egged for the trouble. Damn teenagers.


Which coincidentally brings me to cookies. Obviously. Am I a hypocrite? Possibly, but I'm talking macaroons people. Yes, coconut is a sugar, natural or not. I've debated this to death and am standing my ground that...

a. Yes, sugar is sugar but all things in moderation.
b. Not all sugar is created equal, natural is better than processed.
and
c. I like coconut so who gives a crap.

 Creepy, [naturally] sweetened cookies. 

Berries + Coconut + Bananas & Chocolate = ?

Deliciously spooky monster eyeballs of course! Frieking out your little ones is just an added bonus.

These come together in minutes, literally. Confession: I am not the worlds greatest baker. Anything involving sifting, fluffing, or basically measuring precisely quite frankly puts me off. 

These macaroons I made with ease with the help of my 4 year old, who oddly enough 'loooooveees' to bake.

You could use marshmallows which honestly would probably hold their shape and color better than these bananas did but I wasn't going for show quality here. 

I used a bigger, restaurant type straw to punch holes in the center of the bananas so that the

chocolate pieces would stay put. I used chocolate covered Acai berries to put in the middle but

any type of small chocolate candy will work.

Recipe from Leanne at Healthful Pursuit

PREP TIME 15 MINUTES      BAKE TIME    30 MINUTES      YIELDS    24 COOKIES

Ingredients 

2 teaspoon freshly ground chia seeds3 tablespoons water1 cup frozen mixed berries1 tablespoon honey½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1½ cups shredded unsweetened coconut1 banana, sliced with holes punched into the middle of each slicechocolate covered Acai berries or other chocolate pieces 

Instructions 

1. Combine chia and water in a small dish and set aside.

1. Preheat oven to 300F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat. Set aside.

1. Add mixed berries, honey, and extracts to a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat. Begin to stir constantly until liquid reduces to half and it fairy thick but not syrupy. Remove and place in a medium-sized bowl.

1. Add chia mixture. Add coconut and mix with a spoon until it’s completely coated.

1. Place tablespoon amounts in the palm of your hand and work into circles. Press down to make into a coin shape and place on the prepared baking sheet.

1. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes.

1. Remove from the oven and place banana and chocolate piece on top.

1. Return to the oven and cook for 2-3 minutes. 

1. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the cookie sheet and placing on a cooling rack.

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Pumpkin Granola Squares, No added sugar, gluten free

You can feed these delicious and healthy pumpkin squares to your little ghouls and goblins guilt free!

There is NO added sugar and they are low in fat. Pumpkins aren't just cute and tasty. They are loaded with vitamins, minerals, fiber and antioxidants! Bonus!

So skip the sugar loaded pies and treats and get your pumpkin fix with these granola squares.

TIME  50 MINUTES    YIELDS  20 SQUARES

Ingredients

 1 c Pumpkin puree,  cooked or can

1 Egg

1/4 c  Butter

1/4 c Honey

2 Tb Molasses

2 1/2 c Rolled oats  

2 Tb Shredded coconut,

1/4 c flax meal, or whole grain hot cereal mix such as Bob's Red Mill

1 teaspoon Allspice

1 Tb *Orange rind, grated

1/4 cup Craisins

1/4 cup Walnuts, chopped

Preparation

In the bowl of a stand mixer, blend together the pumpkin, egg, butter, honey and molasses. Add the oats, nuts, coconut, wheat germ, spices, and orange zest. Blend until ingredients are well combined. Spread mixture in lightly greased 15 1/2x10 1/2-inch jelly roll pan. Bake in 350 deg. F oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown. Cool slightly and cut into 3x1 1/2-inch bars.

Calories 159

Calories from Fat 89 56%
Total Fat 10.54g 13%
Saturated Fat 7.81g 31%
Trans Fat 0.0g
Cholesterol 15mg 5%
Sodium 25mg 1%
Potassium 150mg 4%
Total Carbs 15.23g 4%
Dietary Fiber 3.0g 10%
Sugars 6.01g 4%
Protein 2.45g

* Tip: The next time you eat an orange, save the peel and freeze it in a baggie to use for adding flavor to cookies, cakes,muffins and smoothies! Simply take a piece of frozen peel and grate it!

 

 

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

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Healthy Pumpkin Quinoa Cookies

I am pretty sure that I was an extremely well mannered and very grateful child. I know that I  NEVER traded my lovingly packed brown sack lunch which was made up of either  PB&J or Spam sandwiches, yes Spam, and crudités for unhealthy, sugar laden treats like Ding Dongs (which were gloriously wrapped in tin foil) and Twinkies that the other kids (who's parents obviously didn't love them) sported in their Rainbow Bright lunch boxes. Indeed, I was an unusually thoughtful and agreeable child (not to mention cute and lovable) who never, ever, EVER complained about or threw away her healthy, home made lunches. 

The End. (Nobody who reads this knows my parents right?)

My children, my own flesh and blood are tempting my patience when it comes to eating healthy, home made foods. Yes, I have succumbed to the fact that each of my 4 children go through their phases of not liking one thing or another, never at the same time mind you. And I have relented to the reality that dinner time is more akin to an ugly, major court hearing where I am the judge, lawyer, jury and henchman.  

What manages to get on my very last, frazzled nerve however is that my spawn  children begged and pleaded on their adorable little knees to pleeeease make them lunch because the school lunches were "gross" (can't disagree there). So I did. Again.

And they are complaining about it.

Again.

I roasted a 'pie' pumpkin at 400F for about 40 min. then scooped out the flesh and pureed. Your cookies will be much lighter in color then if you use canned pumpkin. Make sure you poke several holes in you pumpkin before roasting to let out steam! Otherwise it can explode, trust me. :(

 In fact, child numero dos had the nerve to tell me that he "changed his mind, the school lunches weren't so bad after all."  Punk.

I mean I have been making these cute little treats packed lovingly with a love note from Dear ol' Mom.

Pinterest pinners must not have boys.

These pumpkin cookies were a hit with the Spawn, the Kale pesto turkey wraps, not so much. Baby steps. I think I will stick to making these for breakfast cookies and after school snacks. 

Recipe Source:  Healthful Pursuit

YIELDS  24 SMALL COOKIES       PREP TIME  15 MINUTES    BAKE TIME 30 MINUTES

Ingredients: 

• 1 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup raw quinoa
• 1 cup (150 grams) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar 
• 1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 cup (130 grams) pureed pumpkin
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg white 
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup

Directions:

Add quinoa to a fine mesh stainer and rinse well. Add water and quinoa to a saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 15 minutes. Uncover, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few of minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicon baking mat.

Add flour, sugar, ground flax, pumpkin spice mix and salt to a large bowl. Add 1½ cups of the cooked quinoa to the dry ingredients. Stir until combined.Add pumpkin, oil, vanilla, egg white and maple syrup to a small bowl and stir well. Pour the wet mixture in with the dry mixture and stir to combine. Scoop into small balls and place on prepared baking sheet. They will not spread out, so you can keep the cookies close. Bake in the preheated oven for 25-30 minutes, until cooked through and golden. Remove from the oven, let cool on the pan for 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack and allowing them to cool for a couple of hours. Cookies will become firmer as they cool.

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