Tasty Tuesday...Hopefully a regular post

So here is a simple goal for myself.  On Tuesday's...hopefully every Tuesday...I will post a simple REAL food recipe for you.  One that doesn't take more than 10-15 minutes to prep.  Cook times will vary on the recipes.  But REAL food doesn't have to be hard.

My recipe today is Strawberry Banana Applesauce.  My boys love those little applesauce packages that you get at stores.  The portable ones...that look all cute and are handy to throw in your purse.  Well awhile back I bought my own reusable applesauce packs and now I've been making applesauce to put in them.

Last fall we picked apples at a friends house.  We literally had 3 or 4 diaper boxes full of apples!  I have left them in our porch against the house wall so they haven't frozen.  Gradually we've been eating them and using them in recipes, hot cereal, etc.  Today I decided to use a big chunk before they warmed up and started to go bad.

So here's the recipe...

You'll need enough apples cut in chunks to fill a stock pot 3/4 of the way.
4-5 bananas (brown ones are sweeter)
1/2 cup lemon juice (to preserve sauce and prevent browning)
2-3  cups frozen strawberries
Coconut sugar to taste (this is just to sweeten it to our liking naturally)

Simmer in a stock pot on low.  Stirring every now and then.  I leave the peelings on the apples and then  blend it all up in my vitamix.  Then we get the fiber along with everything else.  Once the apples are mushy...blend them up and serve!

Here's a link to the reusable snack bags we use for applesauce.  They wash up easily and seal well.

http://www.amazon.com/Squooshi-Reusable-Food-Pouch-Assorted/dp/B00AWJHB5G/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1392737438&sr=1-2&keywords=reusable+snack+bags

Cookies, Cookies, and More Cookies

So we are in Arizona for Thanksgiving at my Handsome Hubby's mom's house. She is on the same page as us in terms of eating so we didn't need to make a crazy grocery trip or anything. I did have a good friend ask me how we adapt when traveling and I realized one thing I am doing is keeping a stock of high protein cookies available for the kiddos along with fruit and veggies. 

However, when I am at someone else's house I don't want to have to go out and buy a ton of ingredients. So thanks to my lovely friend and neighbor I adapted this recipe to fit our needs. I do want to reiterate that I am not as "paleo" with our boys as I am with myself or my husband. We allow peanuts and some processed sugar in the form of white chocolate chips, etcetera from time to time. So keep in mind your needs. If the slightest amount of starches causes you to "fall off the wagon" then don't do it. Also...treats like cookies should be just that...TREATS. You need to limit yourself.  If it becomes too hard to stay away then don't make these.

So with that being said...here are my nut butter cookies. 

These would be great to prep and freeze for Christmas treats. They also traveled well on the airplane. They would be great for camping trips as well.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 cup natural unsweetened peanut butter

1 cup coconut sugar

1 egg

1 cup mini semisweet chocolate chips

Blend well...I use a food processor. Bake at 350 for 11-13 minutes. Enjoy!

Chocolate Hazelnut Cookies

1 cup Justin's brand chocolate hazelnut butter

1/2 cup pecans

3/4 cup coconut sugar

1/2 cup finely shredded unsweetened coconut

1 cup white chocolate chips

Blend well...Again I use the food processor but you might want to chop the pecans ahead of time. Bake at 350 for 13-15 minutes or until done. Enjoy!