The first wealth is health.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson
Watermelon Whole Fruit Popsicles
Snacking in between meals on wholesome food is a great way to keep blood sugar levels stable, energy levels high, and can even help you from overeating at a single meal. Snacking is very important for children, pregnant and lactating women, and endurance athletes as their energy demands are very high.
This chapter provides a few nutritious snack recipes, most of which can be packaged to take with you during the day or packed in your child’s lunch box.
Walnuts have essential fatty acids and melatonin for improving mood. Pumpkin seeds are an excellent source of zinc, and provide lignan compounds that assist in balancing our intestinal organisms. Figs are a great source of fiber and potassium. Raisins are one of the top sources of the trace mineral, boron, which helps to provide protection against osteoporosis.
1 cup raw walnuts
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup dried figs
1 cup raisins
2 cups dried apple slices
Place all the ingredients into a large glass jar and shake gently to combine. Store in a cool, dry place.
Yield: 5 cups
The antioxidants in this trail mix are indeed “super.” Antioxidants are chemicals that have been shown to fight cancer, heart disease, and aging. The almonds provide the antioxidant vitamin E; in fact, ¼ cup of almonds provides nearly half of your daily need for this vitamin. Scientific research has demonstrated that eating almonds daily can significantly lower your risk of heart disease. Dried apricots contain significant amounts of the powerful antioxidant beta-carotene. This vitamin quenches free radical damage to cells and tissues. Dark chocolate is high in plant phenols, specifically called cacao phenols. These antioxidants work to reduce free radical damage in the body. In fact, dark chocolate has the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) value per 100 grams when compared to other foods such as raisins, kale, spinach, and broccoli. Blueberries’ famed antioxidant power comes from phytochemicals called anthocyanidins, which also gives them their dark bluish-purple color. These antioxidants neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues. Remember to always purchase organic, unsulphured dried fruit and organic dark chocolate.
1 cup raw sprouted almonds
1 cup dried apricots
½ cup dried blueberries
½ cup organic dark chocolate chips or raw cacao nibs
Place all the ingredients into a large glass jar and shake gently to combine. Store in a cool, dry place.
Yield: 3 cups
Serve these tasty and nutritious treats to children for an after-school snack. They are also great to take with you on a camping or hiking trip. We like to use Erewhon’s Gluten-Free Crispy Brown Rice Cereal, which can be found at most health food stores.
2 to 3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil, plus more for greasing the pan
1 cup brown rice syrup or coconut nectar
¾ cup almond butter or unsalted peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
6 cups Brown Rice Crispy Cereal
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup pumpkin or sunflower seeds
½ cup chopped nuts (cashew, almond, walnut)
½ to ¾ cup raisins or dried cranberries
¾ cup organic dark chocolate chips
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
Grease a 9 x 13-inch glass baking pan with coconut oil and set aside.
To make the rice crispy treats, heat the coconut oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the brown rice syrup and nut butter and heat until tiny bubbles form, stirring constantly with a wire whisk. Immediately take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla.
Place the cereal into a large bowl and add any of the optional additions. Pour the hot syrup mixture over it and immediately mix together with a wooden spoon.
Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and press the mixture flat. You may need to place a little coconut oil or water on your hands so the mixture won’t stick to them.
If you would like to add the chocolate topping, place the dark chocolate in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over very low heat, stirring occasionally, until completely melted. Pour over the top of the crispy treats, spreading it evenly with the back of a spoon. Sometimes I top half of the pan with chocolate and leave the other half plain. Cool completely before slicing into bars.
Yield: 15 squares
This is a great snack to take with you on a long hike or a long day at work. You can also add one to your child’s lunch box for a sweet, nutritious treat.
1 cup raw sprouted almonds or walnuts
1 cup Medjool dates, pitted
¼ cup raisins
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
¼ cup raw almond butter
½ cup shredded organic coconut
In a food processor fitted with the “s” blade, process the almonds until finely ground. Add the dates, raisins, and spices and grind to a fine meal. Add the almond butter and process again until thoroughly mixed.
Form the mixture into balls and roll in shredded coconut.
Store in a sealed container on the countertop for up to 3 days, or refrigerate for up to 3 weeks.
Yield: 1 dozen balls
Craving something salty and crunchy? Instead of reaching for a bag of potato chips, try making these. You can bake them at a low temperature or use a food dehydrator. I prefer to dehydrate them, which keeps all of the nutrients intact.
2 large bunches green curly kale
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup water
½ cup chopped red bell pepper
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
¼ cup nutritional yeast
2 garlic cloves
½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt or Herbamare
Rinse the kale and remove the tough rib that runs down the center of each leaf. Tear the kale leaves into big pieces and place into a large bowl or 8-quart pot.
Place all the sauce ingredients into a high-powered blender and blend on high until ultrasmooth and creamy. Pour the sauce over the kale and massage it in, making sure that it covers all of the leaves. Place the kale into 4 to 5 trays of a food dehydrator and set to 115°F. Dehydrate for 6 to 8 hours, or until crispy.
If you don’t have a dehydrator, place the kale onto 2 to 3 large baking sheets lined with unbleached parchment paper and bake for about 2 hours at 200°F, or until crispy. Flip the kale chips part way through baking time using a spatula. Watch carefully and remove the kale chips as soon as they have crisped up.
Yield: 4 servings
Once you begin to make your own popcorn, you won’t ever want to go back to eating microwave popcorn! Popcorn makers are another popular way of making popcorn, but unfortunately the combination of the heat and the plastic can cause highly toxic plastic compounds to leach into the popcorn. We prefer to use the age-old method of cooking the kernels in a large pot on the stovetop. Once cooked, the popcorn can be seasoned in a variety of ways. You can use plain sea salt, Herbamare, nutritional yeast, dried herbs, or even a combination of a little organic butter and maple syrup!
3 to 4 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 to 2 cups organic popcorn kernels
Heat an 8-quart stainless steel pot over medium-high to high heat, then add the coconut oil and sea salt.
Once the oil has melted, quickly add the popcorn kernels, cover the pot with a lid, and shake the pot continuously to prevent burning.
The popcorn is done once you hear very few popping sounds. Immediately remove the pot from the heat source and pour the popcorn into a large glass bowl. Add your favorite seasonings to taste.
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
This is a great way to use and store fresh fruit from the summer harvest. I like to have many Popsicle molds on hand and make all sorts of different flavor combinations. Using the whole fruit makes for a healthful snack alternative to the sugary Popsicles you buy at the store. Below are a few different ideas. Try some, then create your own combinations. Use stainless steel Popsicle molds or small paper or glass drinking cups with a wooden Popsicle stick inserted to avoid exposure to plasticizing chemicals like BPA and phthalates.
1 to 2 cups fresh strawberries, trimmed
1 ripe banana, peeled and cut into chunks
½ cup coconut milk
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
1 to 2 cups fresh strawberries, trimmed
1 ripe peach or nectarine, cut into chunks
½ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 cup fresh cherries, pitted
½ cup organic apple juice
1 to 2 tablespoons raw honey
Place all the ingredients for the fruitsicles into a blender and blend until smooth.
Pour the mixture into Popsicle molds, insert sticks, and freeze for 6 to 8 hours, or overnight.
To release the fruitsicles from the mold simply run under hot water for about 30 seconds.
Yield: 6 fruitsicles
I love making these healthy Popsicles full of fresh antioxidant-rich fruits. All of the children I’ve served these to have loved them. The colors of the fruit are so vibrant and beautiful—no toxic food dyes needed! Use any fresh organic fruit you have on hand. I like using contrasting colors because it makes the Popsicles look so pretty! Don’t forget to use seedless watermelon!
3 cups watermelon purée (about ¼ to ½ of a watermelon)
½ cup fresh blueberries
½ cup fresh cherries, pitted and chopped
½ cup chopped fresh strawberries
1 kiwi, peeled and sliced
1 peach or nectarine, diced
Cut the watermelon into chunks and purée it in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
Set out about 1 dozen Popsicle molds (the amount needed will vary depending on size of molds). Fill each one halfway with the blueberries and chopped fresh fruit, then pour in the watermelon purée until each mold is filled to the top. Place a Popsicle stick into each one, and then freeze for 6 to 8 hours.
When ready to serve, run the Popsicle molds under warm water for a few seconds to release from the mold.
Yield: about 1 dozen
Variation: Use puréed honeydew melon or cantaloupe in place of the watermelon.