Dairy Free Snack Ideas

Well hello,

I know one thing I’m always on the hunt for is great snack ideas.  I have a few guidelines for them too, now that I’m a busy mom of a crawling little monster – they have to be quick & healthy! 

 

Here is my current list;

Ants on a log (can sub almond butter, sunflower seed butter, hummus?)

Raw Pies

          - my favorite – banana lemon pie

Hummus with crackers and veggies;

              - Artichoke Hummus

              - Curried Hummus w/raisins

              - Dessert Hummus 

Great cracker recipes

            - Endurance Crackers (Oh She Glows) I LOVE these!

Energy Balls

             -2 Minute protein balls

              -Step by step energy balls

             -Chocolate Peanut Butter Balls

             -Peanut Butter Chocolate Balls (guest post)

Trail mix (my favorite is chocolate chips, dry roasted soy beans, craisins and matcha pumpkin seeds)

Apples or other fruit with dip

           -Caramel Apple

           - Cashew Cream

Muffins or Loaves

             -Healthy Banana Bread

             - MY FAVORITE Mom’s Muffins (they take some time to make but makes 45 muffins which freeze awesome!)

             - Smitten Kitchen’s AMAZING zucchini bread – I’ve made this recipe many times, it’s a keeper (and it makes two glorious loaves!) I have subbed apple sauce for oil before and it worked out great!

Kale Chips

          - with a cheesy coating

          - another cheesy coating

Smoothies

           - Creamsicle Smoothie

           - Smoothie Madness (includes funky monkey, Cake Batter, Green Monster, Pina Colada and Hot (Pink) Date)

            - Oatmeal Cookie Smoothie (from Happy Herbavoire) 

Frozen banana

          -Slice banana in 1 inch rounds sandwich with peanut/almond butter and dip in chocolate – freeze!  (YES!)

          - Banana Soft Serve (with bonus recipes for dairy free chocolate and caramel sauce!)

Hard Boiled Eggs

Dairy Free Nuts and Bolts

Pita, English Muffin or Tortilla Pizzas

Fruit and Brownie Kebabs

Pudding & Yougerts

     -chia pudding (step by step guide from choosing raw!)

    -chocolate avocado pudding

    - How to make your own dairy free yougert – super easy!   (Oh She Glow’s link)

A little more sinful – Peanut butter cups, fruit and nut bark, marshmallow snowflakes and chai tea candied nuts! 

From Facebook 

Holly from My Plant Based Family (one of my new fav blogs!) says “I love hummus, Parfait's with non-dairy yogurt, avocado mousse, potatoes, frozen no bites, dry roasted edamame, fruit and nut butter...”

 

Do you have any other suggestions?  Feel free to leave a comment here or on facebook! And as always – feel free to PIN AWAY – there is a new PIN IT button just above the title of each post!

Jessica

Guest Post <Saffron Chicken Tagine on Honey Raisin Couscous>

 

Hiya guys!  Today I’m excited to have a post from my bestest friend Tasha from her new blog Imperfect Girl Trying to Live a  Healthier Life!  Her blog isn’t 100% dairy free, however, she strives to eat dairy free as much as possible and almost always suggest dairy free alternatives if she does use dairy!  Her blog is fantastic for meal idea as she’s always posting mouth watering ideas and recipes!  Also check out her facebook page here!  Thanks Tasha for doing this post – this recipe is mouth watering!

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Hello DFB followers! I feel very honoured that Dairy Free Betty asked me to do a guest post.  My name is Tasha, and I am an Imperfect Girl Trying to Live a Healthier Life.  I started my blog in May as a way to document and share my journey toward living a holistically healthier life.  I hope you enjoy this recipe, it is one of my favourites...

Saffron Chicken Tagine on Honey Raisin Couscous

Ingredients

Chicken

2 tsp cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika and turmeric

3 chicken breasts

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup sliced mushrooms

1/2 diced onion

1 TBSP grated fresh ginger

1 clove of garlic minced

2 cups chicken broth

1 cup pitted dates or raisins

1 tsp lemon juice

pinch of saffron

14oz jar artichokes drained and quartered

1 cup frozen peas

Cornstarch

Couscous

1/2 cup juice (orange or apple)

1/2 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup golden raisins

2 tsp lemon zest

2 tsp olive oil

2 tsp honey

1 tsp sat

3/4 cup dry couscous

Directions

Mix together 2 teaspoons of each cinnamon, ground coriander, ground cumin, paprika, & turmeric, in a large resealable bag.  Cut up 3 chicken breasts into bite sized pieces.  Get the chunk wet & toss them in the resealable bag coating them with the spices.

Heat 1 Tablespoon of olive oil in a large deep skillet, over medium heat. Add the chicken breast, and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms and 1/2 a small diced onion to the pan, cook 2 minutes.  Stir in 1 tablespoon of fresh grated ginger, and a clove of chopped garlic, sauté 30 seconds, stirring constantly.  Add 2 cups of chicken broth, 1 cup of pitted dates (I also use raisins when I don't have dates on hand), 1 tsp lemon juice, and a pinch of saffron threads.  Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.

At the 15 minute point of simmering prepare couscous.  In a medium sized saucepan add 1/2 cup of juice,  (the original recipe calls for apple juice, but I often use orange juice.  This time I used Happy Planet Mango Peach.) 1/2 cup of chicken broth, 1/4 cup golden raisins, 2 teaspoons lemon zest, 2 teaspoons olive oil, 2 teaspoons raw honey, 1 teaspoon sea salt, and bring to a boil.  Add 3/4 cups dry couscous of choice ( I used whole wheat), stir in, cover with lid, and remove from heat.  Let stand for 5 mins, and then fluff with a fork.

Increase heat and add a mixture of cornstarch and water and stir in to pan.  When sauce begins to thicken, add 14oz of artichoke hearts, drained and quartered, as well as 1 cup of frozen peas.  Lower heat and cook for 5 more minutes.

Serve over Honey Raisin Couscous.

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do. Enjoy!

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Yum hey?

Tasha has a long list of meal ideas for when I come to visit, this is officially being added to the list! 

Have a great day – and my next post (hopefully) will be full of a TON of dairy free snack ideas!

PS – I changed my commenting section back to how it used to be – so now everyone should be able to comment!!

Jessica

Maple Rooibos London Fog

 

You know those days when you just want to curl up with a good book, in comfy PJs and drink something rich and soothing?  This has become my go-to drink for days like this!

I’ve had London Fogs many times in coffee houses – I love flowery taste of Earl Grey, but I’m not a fan of black tea.  Just recently Rooibos tea has made an appearance in my life. It has become increasingly popular!   Rooibos also has many benefits and is great for having before bedtime because of it’s calming and relaxing properties (yay for more restful sleep)and now you can find this caffeine free tea in many different flavours – so I was incredible excited to find Earl Grey Rooibos and I knew I had to make a London Fog STAT!

Maple Rooibos London Fog

1 tsp (or to taste) Maple sugar* or syrup (or sweetener of choice)

1 cup unsweetened milk of choice – I used natural organic So Nice Soy Milk (may need to use more depending on cup size)

1 teabag Earl Grey Rooibos Tea (or 1 tsp loose leave in a tea filter*)

Pretty mug – because you deserve to drink your tea in a pretty mug!

I am lucky enough to have a cappuccino maker so I can steam my milk and I get a lovely foam…

You can also heat milk on the stove top or in the microwave and whisk or use one of these - having the foam really makes it extra luxurious!

After milk is heated and frothed – pour milk only into cup (using a spoon to hold back the foam), add tea bag and let it sit. (one awesome thing about rooibos is you cannot over-steep – because it doesn’t contain tannins, it will not get bitter) - Cover if possible. 

Once tea has steeped, take out tea bag (or leave in!!) and quickly steam up your foam again if desired – scoop foam into cup and sprinkle (or drizzle) with maple sugar or syrup!

Grab yourself a good book, turn on some tunes and sip away! This drink is a perfect companion for “one of those days”!

*Notes

-can use any sweetener – but the maple sugar/syrup adds that hug factor.  I got my maple sugar at Costco!

-Rooibos tea is fairly fine and you might find it doesn’t fit well in tea strainers – I like to buy the disposable filters – like these guys!  (I bought my Earl Grey Rooibos tea here – you can also order online!

-You can also experiment with any tea you like! I also love this with Vanilla Rooibos or Chocolate Mint Rooibos!

Hope you enjoyed this! 

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You may have also noticed some changes to my blog!  I’m trying to refresh and renew it & make it easier for you!  Please take a look around and feel free to let me know if you’d like to see anything added!  I plan on doing a quick little video describing the changes once I am all finished!

Also if you have a dairy free (or vegan) blog – please send me a facebook message, email or leave a comment and I will add you to my blog list on the right!

Take care,

Jessica xo