Ever miss pop-tarts or those fancy little Nutri- Grain bars now that you are eating healthy? I  missed the convenience of grabbing something quick in the morning. I never missed pop-tarts until I got pregnant and now- preggo CRAVING HOLY COW!! Here is my simple fix to my craving and keeping it healthy and Paleo. *Egg Free

On- The- Go Fruit Bars

Ingredients:

• 1 C. Almond Flour
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/3 C. Maple Syrup
• 4 Tbsp. Cold Butter
• 1 C. Jam of your choice, we use my Strawberry, blueberry or Mixed Berry (just combine both jams)  freezer jam recipe.

Process:

1. Combine Flours, salt and syrup in a bowl and mix with a blender.
2. Add butter a Tbsp. at a time and mix with a blender.
3. Place batter in the fridge for 20-30 minutes, the longer you put it in the fridge, the easier the dough is to work with.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
5. Line a cookie sheet with Parchment paper or a silpat
6. Scoop 1 Tbsp of dough onto the cookie tray and pat it into 2 1/2″ x 3 1/2″ rectangles. (Don’t pat the dough too thin or the jam will leak through.) You will need 2 pastries per bar. You should be able to get about 6 on-the- go bars per batch.
7. Bake the pastries for 5 minutes, should be slightly yellow/ golden but not browned.
8. Let them cool for two minutes and then place 1/2 Tbsp. of jam on one side of the bar. Leave room on the edges of the pastry so that you can press the two pastries together.
9. Place the other side of the pastry on top of the jam and press it firmly with a fork.  (This process is very fragile, I use a large spatula to loosen the pastry and then I fold the silpat over top of the jam pastry.)
10. Bake the bars for 2 minutes and then flip them and bake for 2 more minutes.
11. Let them cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
12. You can wrap them in parchment paper or store them in a tightly sealed container for  3-4 days. These are great for breakfast and on the go snacks.

Step 6 visual:

Step 7 & 8 visual: 

I love using fresh fruit in my desserts. This recipe has been one that I have been working on for a while. The versatility of this recipe is great for seasonal baking, just use whatever berries or jams you have handy. My favorite is a simple Strawberry because I always have these ingredients in my fridge. Baby Boy LOVES strawberry so it is in high demand always.

Strawberry Crumb Bars

Ingredients: 3 part ingredients/process

Crust: 

• 1 C. Almond Flour
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut Flour
• 1/2 tsp. Sea Salt
• 1/3 C. Maple Syrup
• 1/4 C. Cold Butter

Process:

1. Mix Flours, salt and syrup in a mixing bowl until well blended.
2. Add cold butter 1 Tbsp. at a time.
3. Mix the dough until it is evenly chunky. (You will still see chunks of butter in the batter)
4. Place dough in the refrigerator
5. Preheat Oven to 350 degrees
6. Grease a baking pan or sheet, you will need at least an 8×8 space to spread the dough. (I like to use stoneware or a metal cookie sheet with a Silpat)
7. Remove dough from the fridge and hand pat and spread it in a thin layer on your prepared baking sheet.  (dough may be sticky but you can wet your fingers a little and it will help with the sticky)
8. Bake crust for 15 min or until it is lightly golden on edges.

Filling:

Ingredients:

• 3/4 C. Strawberry Jam
• 1/2 C. Fresh Strawberries, diced
• 1 tsp. Fresh Lemon juice

Process:

1. Place all of the ingredients in a bowl and Mash with a fork until well mixed.

Crumb Topping:

Ingredients:

• 1/2 C. Walnuts
• 1/2 C. Almonds
• 2 Tbsp. Coconut Sugar
• 1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. Cold Butter, chopped into pieces

Process:

1. In a chopper, add Walnuts and Almonds together and chop well
2. Place Nuts in a bowl and add Coconut Sugar and Cold Butter pieces
3. Hand crumble this mixture until all of the topping is crumbly
4. Once the crust is finished baking, it should be slightly golden on the edges, layer the crust with the filling and then evenly spread the crumble on top of the jam.
5. Place the bars back in the oven and bake them for 20 minutes at 350 degrees.
6. The Jam should be nice and bubbly. Remove them and place the pan on a cooling rack for 20 minutes.

*Try these other combos:

• Blueberry Jam and fresh Blueberries
• Strawberry Jam and Rhubarb
• Peach Jam and Fresh Peach

Chocolate Coffee Brownies

Ingredients:

• 1 Cup Almond Butter
• 1 Cup Chocolate Chips
• 1 tsp. Vanilla extract
• 1 Tbsp. Coconut Oil
• 2 Tbsp. Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 Cup Coconut Flour
• 1 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Powder
• 1/2 Cup Maple Syrup
• 1/2 Cup Chopped Hazelnuts (any nuts)
• 1/2 Cup Brewed decaf coffee (or caffeinated)

Process:

1. In a saucepan melt coconut oil at a low temperature.
2. Add Chocolate chips, almond butter and vanilla extract, stir and melt at a low temperature until smooth.
3. In a mixing bowl combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder.
4. Slowly add the maple syrup to the mixing bowl. Mix well.
5. Add the chocolate sauce to the mixing bowl and mix well.
6. Add brewed coffee to the mixing bowl and mix well.
7. Stir in hazelnuts.
8. Pour batter into a 9×13 greased baking pan.
9. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. (Keep a close eye on them after 10 minutes- if they over cook they will be dry and crumbly.)

These are warm, chewy brownies. They stay moist and delicious. My husband made an awesome brownie sundae with them by heating it in the microwave for a few seconds and topping it with Coconut Milk Ice Cream.  I cut them into shapes with a cookie cutter for a Halloween photo shoot for Paleo Lifestyle Magazine. You will love these treats!

My litte ghost crab from Avon, NC in 2009

• 1/4 of an Onion, chopped finely
• 1 Tbs. Grass fed butter (any butter will do)
• 1tsp parsley
• 1tsp Garlic Powder
• 1/2 cup almond flour (bread crumbs will work too)
• 8 oz. Crab meat
• 1/2 Lemon, juice only

Spine of Talapia- place this down in pan

• 1Tbs Old bay Seasoning (yes I am from Maryland- that’s how we roll)
• 4 (6 ounce) tilapia fillets , approximately 6 oz each
• 2 Tbs. Butter, Melted (optional)
• Old Bay or Paprika for a sprinkle on the top. (Optional)

• 2-4 Talapia filets, thawed

1. Preheat oven to 400F
2. Put 1 Tbs butter and onion in a pan and sautee until tender.
3. Add parsley and Garlic Powder, mix well, remove from heat
4. Put crab meat in a medium bowl, add onion and seasons. 
5. Grease an oven safe dish and place fish in seam side down.
6. Top the fish with Crab meat for a “Topped” fish or if you want “stuffed” – fill fish with a little crab meat and fold the fish over.
7. Put any leftover stuffing on or around the fish to cook along.
8.  Sprinkle with butter and old bay seasoning for garnish and extra flavor
9. Allow fish to cook in the oven for 20-25 minutes

  



Place in the oven



Enjoy!