From start to finish this crisp prep will be done in just about 15 minutes. Then all you have to do is bake it. I used pecan for the nuts because that is what I had on hand but you can use whatever nuts you prefer. Walnuts and hazelnuts will go great with it.

Sometimes I even make two batches. I leave one already unbake ready to go in the freezer and when I am ready I just bake it for an extra 15 minutes.

I always consume this gluten free apple pecan crisp either for a dessert/snack and sometimes even for breakfast. Mostly always I use maple syrup to sweetened my desserts. I tend to add a bit lower than what recipes called for. I really don’t like super sweet desserts so baking at home allows me to control the sweetness of them.

Well, not much to say about this super simple, easy and tasty gluten free apple pecan crisp. My kids can’t get enough each time I make it. It is one of their favorite desserts. If you make it let me know. I hope you like it as much as we do.

If you are also looking for other crisp versions make sure you visit this link. I am sure you will find many others that you may like to try.

Next time I make this gluten free apple pecan crisp I will add some maple bourbon to the apples. It give the dessert an amazing flavor.

Enjoy!

Gluten free apple pecan crisp

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs apples, cut into chunks
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder or cornstarch
• 3 cups quick cooking oats (GF), or old fashioned rolled oats (GF)
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1  cup pecans, chopped
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup shredded coconut, optional

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large 9x13 dish add the chopped apples. Add the arrowroot powder and combine with the apples.

In your stand mixer or large mixing bowl and the rest of the ingredients. Combine until the mixture comes together. The batter should come together nicely. If you need a tad more maple syrup you can add more.

Top the apples with the mixture. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the mixture starts to brown.

Serve as desired.

For other crisp versions visit this link. I am sure you will find some other good ideas!

NOTE: You can use any type of oats however just make sure the mixture comes together nicely before you bake it. Sometimes I add some more maple syrup or coconut oil if needed. Old fashioned rolled oats may absorb more moisture since they are bigger.

The post Gluten free apple pecan crisp appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

This is a sponsored post written by me on behalf of Truvia as a member of the Healthy Aperture Blogger Network. The opinions and text are all mine. The end!

I have also used quinoa to make these bites in the past but this time I skipped the quinoa. Instead, I used more rolled oats and the recipe worked beautifully.

I have seen many versions of the Aussie bites also use flaxseed meal as well as chia seeds. Don’t get me wrong, I love both of these ingredients but I just don’t like using them when they require baking. Their healthy oils become rancid upon heating and their nutritional properties are therefore lost.

These bites are great for on the go, however, I normally have them for breakfast with a smoothie. I love how they keep me full for quite a while.

I have an extremely sweet tooth thus making all my sweet treats allows me to control the amount of sweetener I add to them. For this treats I was able to use Truvia® Natural Sweetener. If you are concerned with your calorie intake and sugar content, especially when it comes to consuming sweet treats, using Truvia will help you manage these. Truvia is a natural, zero calorie sweetener made from the stevia leaf so it is a win win situation, after all, “life with less sugar is just as sweet.”

These Aussie protein bites are also great for freezing. If you would like to double the batch, like I did, and freeze some of them they will keep in your freezer for at least 1 month. I have only done this once before since they don’t last much in my house.

Anyways, I hope you get to make these awesome Aussie protein bites. They are just plain sensational and way better than store bought.

Enjoy!

Aussie protein bites

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 11-12 bites

Ingredients:

• 3 cups rolled oats, gluten free
• 1/2 cup raw pistachios
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 2 tbsp almond butter
• 1 ripe banana, puree
• 2 tsp Truvia spoonable
• 1 tsp aluminum free baking powder
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Spray a muffin baking pan with oil. Set aside.

Add the pistachios, coconut, apricots and dried cranberries in your food processor and pulse until they are fine. Add the remainder of the ingredients and pulse until the mixture starts to come together.

With your fingers, press about 2-3 tbsp onto each firmly to pack and flatten each muffin space.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until the sides begin to brown. Let the bites cool in the pan at least 15 minutes before releasing them from the pan.

Enjoy!

 

The post Aussie protein bites appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I love the flavor of Baileys and since I had some on hand I figured I use it for both the cake batter and then frosting. This type of drink goes perfectly with chocolate so I thought, why not?

If you don’t like Baileys or would like a virgin version I will give other alternatives in the recipe so don’t worry about it and make an alcohol free version.

It has been a long time since I have made a chocolate cake of any kind so my kids were pretty exited. Yes I let my kids had a piece of the cake, I don’t think that is going to kill them, so there…

When you make the frosting just be patient, it will become nice a thick for you to spread over the cake. It will just take sometime especially if it sits at room temperature. If you like you can place it in the fridge for 10 minutes to speed up the process, that is what I did. Just make sure that the  cake is completely cooled when you place spread it. I didn’t wait for my cake to cool all the way and it made it harder to spread so don’t do what I did. I was not patient as I wanted to dig in already…

Where there isn’t much to say about this baileys chocolate cake. If you like chocolate cake you are going to love this version.

P.S: This is not your average sweet treat. Indulging once in a while is part of life. Don’t start freaking out about the nutrition facts. If you like something healthier skip this cake. For me, having something like this once in a blue moon is OK. Keeping it real over here!

Enjoy!

Baileys chocolate cake

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup whole wheat pastry flour
• 1 cup coconut oil
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut sugar
• 1/2 cup Baileys
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking soda
• 1 1/2 tsp aluminum free baking powder
• 1 tsp Mexican vanilla extract

Ganache

• 1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 cup Baileys
• 1 tbs coconut oil
• 2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Line the bottom of an 8 inch round cake pan with unbleached parchment paper and grease the sides with coconut oil. Set aside.

In a microwave safe bowl add the chocolate chips, Baileys, sugar, coconut oil and cocoa powder. Melt at 30 second intervals until the chocolate in completely melted. Stir and make sure you obtain a homogenous mixture.

Let the chocolate mixture cool. With a wire whisk, add eggs one at a time, and combine.

Add the flour, vanilla, baking powder and baking soda. Fold with a spatula and transfer batter to the prepared baking pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes. I baked mine for 35 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before adding the ganache to it.

On the meantime, prepare the ganache. Add the ganache ingredients to a microwave safe bowl and melt at 30 second intervals until the chocolate is almost melted. Stir the mixture and let it sit at room temperature until you obtain a spreadable consistency. Alternatively you can speed up this process by placing the mixture in the refrigerator for 10-15 minutes.

Spread the ganache over the cake and serve.

NOTE: If you would like a virgin version of this cake use heavy cream for the frosting and any milk of choice for the cake batter in place of the Baileys.

The post Baileys chocolate cake appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I normally spend about $1.50 per bar, which is very expensive, especially because my family easts them often. A box won’t last me even a week so now making my own will be a lot better.

This time around I also added flaxseed meal to them. I like to incorporate fiber when ever possible and if you are also prone to have high cholesterol the soluble fiber in these bars will help you lower it naturally.

I also used Sunwarrior organic raw plant-based chocolate protein powder. They have several flavors you can choose from. They even have a neutral flavor so if you would like to have total control in that regard this type maybe best for you.

My friends at Sunwarrior are also giving away some protein to EG4L readers. Just comment below and let me know how you would use it. I will pick a winner 1/31

I used a total of one cup of protein powder for these easy protein bars, so quite a bit. They have about 20 grams of protein per little square so that is pretty good.

I also tend to use almond butter instead of peanut butter. I like it better but if you are on a nut free diet sunflower seed butter will also work.

This is not going to be my only time making protein bars. Stay tuned because I have other flavors and combinations coming your way.

Enjoy!

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Sunwarrior. The opinions and text are all mine.

Easy protein bars

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 12 bars

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups oat flour (2 1/2 cups rolled oats to make your own)
• 1 cup almond butter
• 1 cup Sunwarrior protein powder
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup almond milk + 3 tbsp
• 3 tbsp flaxseed meal

Drizzle

• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips
• 1 tbs coconut oil

 

Directions:

Line a 8 x 8 baking pan with unbleached parchment paper and set aside.

To make your own oat flour, add the rolled oats to a food processor and pulse until completely pulverized. Add all the bar ingredients to a stand mixer and mix until combined. It should be like cookie consistency. If you noticed it is crumble like just add a bit more almond milk and combine ingredients until you obtain a dough consistency.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared baking pan and with a spatula flatten it out. Cover it with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4-6 hours.

Lift the mixture out of the pan and cut into squares. In your microwave, in a safe microwave bowl, melt the chocolate and coconut oil at 30 seconds intervals. When the chocolate is completely melted drizzle it over the bars.

The post Easy protein bars appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I am making these gluten free bourbon pecan bars again this week and then for thanksgiving dinner. I am actually doubling the batch each time I make them because they lasted no time. They were gone within a day they are so good.

The addition of bourbon was just plain awesome. While you can still use vanilla extract if you like the bourbon gives it a unique flavor so try it, you will be surprised.

These gluten free bourbon pecan bars is not something that I would be eating every day but given the holiday season I am giving them a few tries.

I am planning on making a few other desserts as well, most likely holidays cookies. I have a couple of sugar cookie recipes I like a lot but I want to try to make something new and perhaps something that is also gluten free and vegan, will see!

There is not much I can say about these bars, but that you have to try them for yourself. I was skeptical at first but it turns out that these gluten free bourbon pecan bars have become one of my favorite desserts lately. So darn good!

Enjoy!

Gluten free bourbon pecan bars

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 bars

Total Time: 45-50 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust

• 2 1/2 cups almond flour
• 3 tbs bourbon, for a GF version see note below
• 2 tbs coconut oil, melted
• 1 tbs maple syrup

Filling

• 3 eggs, room temperature
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/2 cup unrefined sugar
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 3 tbsp coconut oil, or butter
• 3 tbs bourbon (I used  maple flavor)

 

 

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

To make the crust, mix ingredients in a medium sized bowl until combined.

Line a 8x8 square baking dish with unbleached parchment paper. Press crust mixture into the baking pan and bake for 10 minutes or until the crust starts to brown. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool.

Using a stand mixer, add the eggs and coconut sugar and whisk until you get a pale brown foam, about 2 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a saucepan. Add the coconut oil, bourbon and maple sugar. Cook over medium to low heat for about 6-8 minutes, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened. Turn off the heat and allow filling to cool for 5-10 minutes.

Pour filling mixture over the crust and decorate with the pecans. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature and refrigerate for at least 6 hours before serving.

NOTE: For a GF version use one part vanilla extract plus two parts water for each tablespoon of bourbon.

The post Gluten free bourbon pecan bars appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

For this homemade chocolate version I made it into a Halloween theme but you can just use any nuts or toppings of your liking and make it as you wish. I thought this would be a healthy, fun and easy thing to make for the kids.

These are really cute and you can make with the kids as well as decorate them together. They will keep in the fridge best, as they will melt above 70 degrees Fahrenheit, I let some of mine sit for a while and they started to become a little bit soft and messy.

I got about 9 chocolate tablets but you can double the batch and get more if you like. Mine lasted not even a day. They were so good. This is what I am going to be making from now on when ever we crave chocolate.

Important:

• If you don’t have chocolate molds you don’t have to buy any if you don’t want to. The chocolate shapes would be prettier with them but you can also pour the chocolate mixture over an aluminum foil lined baking sheet and when the chocolate has solidified you can just cut it with your hands or a knife into chunks. It is that simple!

I hope you like this simple homemade chocolate perfect for Halloween. You still have time to make it so I hope you do. It is super good…

Enjoy!

Homemade chocolate

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla extract, optional

Toppings

• Pretzels, optional
• Chia seeds
• Hemp seeds
• chocolate covered sunflowers, optional
• sugared eyes, optional

Directions:

In a mixing bowl add the chocolate ingredients. With a wire whisk or spatula combine well.

Divide mixture over the chocolate molds and arrange the topping over it. Freeze for 30 minutes and unmold.

Keep leftovers refrigerated.

NOTE: You can use any type of toppings for your chocolate. Anything goes!

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