healthy snacks – Mummy To Twins Plus One

Healthy Energy Bars

I have always wanted to make my own energy bars but had no way of mixing all the ingredients. I’ve had equipment failures with my blender and food mixer.

Currently, I don’t have a food mixer and have managed to do all this recipe with my new Breville Blender. Hubby bought me The Kinetix® Control from Breville. It’s great and so easy to use and to clean.

Making my energy bars in my new fab blender.

I’m on a lookout for a new food mixer. If you are a brand that has a snazzy new mixer that I can use that would be awesome.

I know this is a long shot, but you have to put it out there in the universe. You never know right?

Okay, so what did I make?

I reworked a raw chocolate, coconut and seed energy bar recipe from Taste.com.au.

Ingredients

35 grams of shredded coconut
80 grams of unsalted cashew nuts
30 grams of organic cocoa powder (I buy mine from the local health food shop, and it is so yummy. Adding this cocoa powder makes it taste like dark chocolate)
2 tablespoons of pepitas
150 grams of figs stem removed
250 grams of dates pitted
2 tablespoons of Zen Green Tea Matcha
80 grams of cranberries
You will need to add some water during the process of mixing all the ingredients. Just add a bit and see how it goes. If you add too much the mixture might not come together as it should.

Note: I found that the mixture tasted a bit bitter and really needs the cranberries or another fruit. After adding the cranberries it was so yummy!

Method

Put in the dates, figs, into the mixer (Or in my case the blender. If you are doing it in a blender you might need to do it in batches. This helped me as it meant that the blades would spin easily for each part of the process.)
Add the other ingredients one at a time to mix it all together. If you need to, take them out to free up some space in your mixer. At this stage, you might need to add a bit of water to allow the mixture to blend together.
Once all done to put on a sheet of baking paper and roll out. Add to a plastic container and then add to the fridge/freezer. Once set for a day or so, cut up the energy bar into bite-sized pieces.
Enjoy your yummy healthy snacks

The energy bar mixture is all ready to go into the fridge/freezer. Cannot wait to eat one.

Ideas to decorate your energy bars – Sprinkle a little green tea matcha over the top of your bars, add some extra pepitas/seeds/nuts to the top of the bars.

The healthy energy bars are now ready to eat. They are so yummy!

I hope this inspires you to create your own yummy and healthy energy bars. If you wish you can substitute any ingredients with others that you love more.

You might find that you prefer sunflower seeds or wish to have almonds instead. Also, cranberries might be your favourite either. If so add the fruit that is the best for you.

Experiment and make a bar that is right for you and the family.

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Maintaining a Healthy Weight With Kids

Starting the day right with a healthy breakfast. Image courtesy of marin at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

When you become a parent something happens. Your time that you previously invested in yourself now is invested in your children instead. While to a certain extent this is a good thing, it can also cause you to neglect your health and weight maintenance, causing you to gain weight and lose muscle. But how can you maintain a healthy weight when you are a parent? Here are some quick tips to help you out:

Move Deliberately – As a parent you are always moving, but try to make your movements deliberate. Make use of every opportunity to fit fitness into your life. A walk to the park with the kids can turn into a vigorous jog with them riding alongside on their bikes. A trip to the pool or beach can turn into racing laps and showing your kids how to do the backstroke. Even having races in the knee deep water along the sea shore can be a fun and active way for you and your kids to stay fit.
No Wasted Time – Even television or play time can become an excuse to work out. Help your kids to play active games like relay races, freeze tag, and soccer. They love to have their parents playing alongside! While watching a movie or show get up during the commercials and do activities like jumping jacks, sit-ups, or push-ups. See how many you can do before the show comes back on, or set up a competition to think of a new activity for every commercial. Not only does this help you stay fit but it helps the kids from becoming couch potatoes too!
Healthy on the Go Snacks – In the car and hustling from school to activity you tend to be harried and rushed. That does not mean you have to stop at a fast food place to pick up an unhealthy snack. Instead make up grab and go snacks for you and your kids. Homemade trail mixes, dry cereal, dried fruit and more can be great tasty snacks that keep you fuller longer than French fries. Plus you can tailor make the snack to you and your child’s tastes. Don’t like apples? Leave them out! Love almonds? Throw them in! Mix it up for tasty snacks that can go anywhere anytime you need them.
Balanced Mealtimes –Dinner time comes around again and you are stuck out. Do not order a pizza; instead whip up a tasty and healthy meal in moments. There are many ways to make meal time healthy without a lot of work. Plan your meals ahead of time so that you have the ingredients on hand. You can even chop or prepare them on the weekend and have them ready to go. Slow cookers are a great way to have a hot meal waiting for you when you get home. Or whip up a double batch one day and freeze half so that you have a meal you can pop in the oven at a moment’s notice. Be sure to be aware of portion sizes so that you and your child get the nutrition you need without any extra calories. For dessert trade cakes and cookies for fruit and berries and feel better!
Get Some Sleep – For both kids and adults, sleep is vital to a healthy lifestyle. People who do not get enough sleep eat more, are less active and gain more weight. Instead, set up a schedule where your family has plenty of time to get the recommended amount of sleep for their ages. Remember that children need even more sleep than adults. You can also stay healthy by maintain the same sleep schedule even over the weekend or on vacation. The human body likes to go to sleep and get up at the same time every day. Even during the summer you can still maintain your sleep schedule and feel more active and fit during your day.

These are just a few of the ways you and your kids can maintain a healthy weight together. As a parent you are responsible for the health of your children. Give them a good example to look up to and help them to grow up with healthy habits that will serve them for a lifetime. Remember they will do what you do, so stay active and fit for your kids’ sake!

Author Bio:

This post is contributed by Christine Maddox. Currently she is pursuing her Master’s degree from University of Texas as well as blogging for www.4nannies.com. She loves to write anything related to parenting, kids, nanny care etc. Send Christine an email