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Shanda Blake raises 7 kids to be healthy eaters, Part 2 of 2


Robyn Openshaw - Sep 24, 2013 - This Post May Contain Affiliate Links


Last time I shared the thoughts of Shanda Blake, as she’s in the trenches raising a very large family eating whole foods. These are some of Shanda’s children’s favorite recipes she wanted to share with you.

APPLE BUTTER

apple butter15 small apples (a mixture of varieties)

2 cups raw coconut sugar

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/4 t. sea salt

1/4 cup water

Core and slice apples and put in a crock pot. Add all other ingredients to the crock pot and cook on low for about 9 hours or until apples are tender. Stir and let cool (you can blend it in a blender if you want a finer texture). Put in jars or containers leaving ½” head space and freeze. Will keep in freezer up to 1 year.

Makes a wonderful spread, dip or topping…and it makes your house smell amazing!

MANGO BARS

Crust

1 C. almonds

1 C. cashews

1 C. flax seeds

3 T. agave

1T. water

½ t. vanilla extract

Blend almonds, cashews and flax seeds to powder. Transfer to bowl and add agave, water and vanilla. Stir and pour in to a oiled 9×9 in. square pan. Press down evenly to form a crust.

mangoesTop

2 mangoes, peeled and chopped

Juice of 2 lemons

ÂĽ C. coconut oil

ÂĽ C. agave

1 banana

½ C. shredded coconut

Combine in the blender: cut up mangoes, juice of lemons, coconut oil, banana and agave. Blend until smooth, then stir in the coconut. Pour onto crust. Freeze until set, about 4 hrs.Cut into squares and enjoy!

raw almond joy LITTLE ALMOND JOYS

½ C. almonds blended into powder

ÂĽ C. coconut oil

3T. raw honey

½ t. vanilla

1 T. cocoa powder (non-alkalized)

Âľ C. shredded coconut

12 almonds

Directions:

Blend almonds to powder. Pour into a bowl and set aside. Mix by hand in another bowl softened coconut oil, honey, vanilla and cocoa powder. Stir in shredded coconut.  Form mixture into balls and place 1 whole almond inside each one. Next, roll the balls in the almond powder. Refrigerate until firm or freeze for another day.

Makes about 12

RAW APPLE CRISPS

This is one of my favorite treats to eat after the kids go to bed. But sometimes, one of my 7 kids might need to talk or just need some Mommy time all to herself. We make this treat and go sit on our front porch swing to eat it while we talk.

raw apple crisp1 apple cut into bite size pieces

1/4 cup pecans

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup raisins

1/4 cup coconut oil

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoons cinnamon

pinch of ground cloves

Cut and place apples in small bowl. Mix the rest of the ingredients together and pour over apple pieces and enjoy.

Posted in: Lifestyle, Recipes, Relationships, Whole Food

9 thoughts on “Shanda Blake raises 7 kids to be healthy eaters, Part 2 of 2”

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  1. Jill says:

    This set of posts was extra inspiring to me. It makes it seem possible to learn to teach my young children (and us as parents) to embrace whole foods instead of just having a list of things to not eat. I definitely have a list but hope to be better about focusing on the bounty of good food created for us to use.

    I dream about owning your 12 steps program. Someday, someday. 🙂

  2. di says:

    I entered the contest but Robyn…these are GREAT choices for WINNERS! WOW! These women love their kids and it shows in the effort they put into raising them. I’m a stay-at-home mom and am fully aware I have the luxury of time to experiment with our family’s diet. I try to support single moms with the what I’ve gleaned through the years because even though they love their kids just as much as the next mom, they don’t have the same luxury. I hope, if there are single moms these winners know, working all day and coming home to a house full of hungry kids that THEY love, I hope they take the time to educate one of them along the way. I hope these winning moms take children of a single mom with them to the orchard or field to pick food for the family. On their own, these overworked moms may not delve in to what it takes to raise healthy kids. WOW! I didn’t mean to sound like a preacher, I just know this kind of lifestyle is a “job” that takes time. At least until one makes it routine.

    1. Robyn says:

      Wait till you see Dr. Jorgenson’s comments. I got some really great ones!

      Di, I should write the “single moms” section of the book! Heaven help us!

  3. Amy says:

    These recipes all sound amazing – can’t wait to try them! Do you leave the skins on for the apple butter? It just says to core and slice, so I’m guessing you do.

  4. Melissa Cz says:

    I have a question, Shanda, about the apple butter. I’ve been making applesauce from apples from trees in our backyard — haven’t done this in a long, long time (now in an old house that had an orchard). What about the apple peels? For the first batch I just left them in, but the family didn’t like the texture, so for the next batches, I peeled them first but that’s a lot of extra work and I am sure a loss of nutrients. What to do? Any suggestions? I loved your post!

    1. Shanda says:

      Amy and Melissa: When I make apple sauce or apple butter I do take the skins off, but when I dry my apples on a dehydrator I leave the skins on. You can make raw apple sauce in a blender and in that case you could leave the skins on. I think when the skins get cooked they become more chewy and not as fun to eat
      . Hope this helps

  5. ann says:

    Readers beware! 🙂
    I made these Little Almond Joy gems today. I ate them as an afternoon snack. I ate them as dinner. I ate them as an after dinner treat. I ate them as a late night snack.
    I did the detox with GSG readers during August (and it changed my life!) and this is definitely the worst I’ve fallen off the wagon since it ended. Tomorrow is a new day right? I’m doing a 12 mile strenuous hike tomorrow. Maybe I can burn a small portion of it off. 🙂
    Thanks Shanda for a GREAT recipe. I’m excited to try the others also but I think I better wait a month or two or make sure someone else is around to share it with!

  6. Carrie says:

    What great recipes, Shanda. Do you have a blog or website with more recipes/ideas? I, too, have a large family and am always looking for new recipes…I feel like I often get in a rut and seem to cook the same things over and over again.

    1. Shanda says:

      HI Carrie, I’m sorry I don’t have a blog…but I ought to…(with all the free time I have 🙂 I get asked lots of questions about feeding a large family all the time. Someday though I want to write a recipe book along with all my tips and tricks of feeding kids, and pass it along to my children when they are older.
      I know what you mean about getting in a rut, I do that to sometimes. I use the internet a lot for ideas and I gather recipes from friends and family when I find a good one or one that I think I could change and “healthify” then we play a game at the dinner table with the new recipe called “Kick it or Keep it.” It’s just a nicer way for the kids and hubby to tell me if they like it or not (instead of saying “this is gross” or “I hate this”)

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