Tag Archives: cashew

No-Bake Chocolate Cashew Oat Bars (Gluten-free, Lower-carb)

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Nom, nom, No-bake Chocolate Cashew Oat Bars! In the summer, I’m always looking for a chocolate treat that doesn’t require me to turn on the oven and won’t melt in my hot hands. Chocolate lovers and cashew lovers alike will love to chill out with these easy-make homemade granola bars that are a simple as mixing, mashing into a loaf pan and the sticking in the fridge for a few minutes before cutting.

Many similar cashew chocolate oat bar recipes use ingredients such as honey, maple syrup or pureed dates to sweeten and bind them – absolutely nothing wrong with that, those are smart options to sugar. However, in an effort to moderate the carbohydrates (but still keep a few from the oats for energy), I use various substitutes like a sugar-free honey alternative and monk fruit – this help me keep the carbs to just 14g per bar. Low carb treats not your thing? Then feel free to swap back in the traditional sugar ingredients – the recipe will turn out just as well, just the macros will be different.

I also add unflavored collagen powder to my bowl, to add a boost of protein and to provide extra nourishment for overall wellness (and my arthritic joints). I’ve used the Great Lakes Wellness brand for several years and have been really happy with the results – you should check them out and use THEFITFORK10OFF if you need a discount

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 Each batch of these No-bake Chocolate Cashew Oat Bars makes 12 bars and for 162 calories each, offers about 7.5g protein per bar with 10g fat and only 14g carbs.  These are also gluten-free chocolate cashew oat bars, if that is a concern.

Disclaimer: this post contains affiliate links. I receive a small commission from sales, however price to you remains the same.

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5 from 3 votes
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No-bake Chocolate Cashew Oat Bars
Prep Time
5 mins
freezer to chill
15 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

A delicious, nourishing snack! These NO-BAKE bars come together quickly to satisfy hunger pains! Made with sugar alternatives to moderate carbs. Gluten free.

Course: cookie, Dessert, Snack
Keyword: cashew, chocolate, collagen, low carb, lower carb, snack
Servings: 12 bars
Calories: 162 kcal
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup coconut oil
  • 1/3 cup sugar-free honey substitute may use regular honey
  • 1 cup oat flour
  • 1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 4 tbsp unflavored collagen may use another protein powder
  • ½ cup chopped cashews
  • 3 tbsp granulated monk fruit sweetener may use a different sugar substitute
  • ½ tsp salt
Instructions
  1. In a large mixing bowl, melted coconut oil and honey alternative. In another bowl, toss together oat flour, rolled oats, cocoa powder, collagen powder, sugar alternative, chopped cashews and salt. Pour dry ingredients into wet ingredients, stir together with spatula. Mixture should look like cookie dough. Press mixture into 9×5”-ish loaf pan and use clean hands to smash down and flatten smooth on top. Place pan in the freezer for 30 minutes to firm up before slicing into 12 bars. Store in fridge.
Recipe Notes

Cocoa Chai Spiced Nuts {Paleo} for Holiday Gifts

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I’m nuts about the holiday season – absolutely, positively, literally nuts! Pecans, cashews, almonds, pistachios, macadamia and more, it’s hard to name a favorite. Only chocolate rivals my passion for nuts, and this year, I’ve come up with an exotically-spiced nut recipe that incorporates my love for these two – Paleo Cocoa Chai Spiced Nuts.Cocoa Chai Spiced Nuts are an easy, yummy gift made with cocoa powder, date sugar and assorted raw nuts like pecans, cashews and almonds.

A jar full of Paleo Cocoa Chai Spiced Nuts makes an edible gift that most everyone (with good taste) will appreciate. Plus, the smell of roasting nuts is guaranteed to draw a crowd, so make a couple batches because you may just end up with an impromptu holiday party on your hands!  Read on to get this paleo diet friendly recipe that is fun, fit and frugal to give as a gift: Continue reading →

Chocolate Cashew Baked Oatmeal Cups

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When kids are young, you can have almost total control over their existence, including what they eat. In fact, it’s good parenting to offer a wide variety of wholesome foods, starting early on to get a clean-eating lifestyle established. But, as they grow up and fly the coop, decisions big and small, and not just about food, become entirely up the them.    Care Box with Silk Milk and Chocolate Cashew Baked Oat Cups

This month my oldest is leaving two years of dorm life to live in an apartment for the first time. There will be plenty of decisions to make – gas for the car vs. video games, making it to class on time vs. sleeping in, eating ramin noodle cups and vending machine donuts vs. preparing healthy meals at home. All these years I’ve been teaching him how to make good choices, and more recently, how to cook. For my own peace of mind, I’m sending off a care package this week packed with a Chocolate Cashew Baked Oat Cups made with a favorite pantry staple, Silk® Unsweetened Vanilla Almondmilk Bottles.

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No-Fail 15-min Beef & Veggie Fried Rice – So Simple a Kid Could Cook it and Did

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egglands-best-beef-hah-with-street-corn-salsa-jennifer-fisher-voteI have a proposition! I’ll share my 15-minute Beef & Veggie Fried Rice recipe and with all the time you save on dinner, you’ll spend the 1 minute it takes to vote for me in the Eggland’s Best “America’s Best Recipe Contest”! My regional-inspired recipe is for Texas Egg and Steak Hash with Chipotle Street Corn Relish (copied the photo below so you know exactly what to vote for) — thank you, thank you!

 

15 minute Beef & Veggie Fried Rice

Now, onto the 15-minute Beef & Veggie Fried Rice recipe (originally developed for Beeflovingtexans,com)  — it’s a win on so many levels. Not only is it a lightening speed dinner solution, it can be kept simple enough that an older kid can make it. Honestly, realizing that my teenage boys were completely capable of cooking dinner every once in a while was a light bulb moment for me. What a relief to know I can call ahead and get them to start dinner on those crazy days when I’m stuck in traffic, sitting at another kid’s sports game or even trying to finish up my own workout.

15 minute Beef & Veggie Fried Rice is a super-quick way to get a vibrant and very healthy meal on the table. Plus, its simple enough that younger kids can help and older kids can cook on their own!

One of the tricks to cooking the recipe so quickly is super-thinly cut sirloin steak — a method that also stretches my food budget as it makes the meat look like, well, a larger quantity than it actually is!  So, just firm up your steak in the freezer for 10 to 30 minutes or before getting after it with a super sharp knife across the grain in razor-thin slices (like 1/8″ or less if you can).  When the meat is this thin, it literally takes 3 minutes or less to cook with the stir-fry method — toss in the hot, hot skillet and stir around constantly and quickly just long enough to take the “red” of. Beef should still look pink when you take it off the skillet as it will continue to cook a tiny bit, trust me, it will always be juicy and tender this way! Do NOT leave it in the skillet or wok as you continue to cook the veggies, that will just cause a lot of undesirable toughness.

skillet-vegetables-for-fried-riceAnother WIN is my recipe also includes a scramble of eggs, an assortment chopped vegetables selected by the young chef (a good trick to get kids to eat more veggies), a simple sauce and pre-prepared rice.  Of course, you can cook your rice the old-fashioned way, but in a hurry and with the kids, I either keep those rice pouches from the frozen aisle on hand or meal prep my own and package into portions.

Love to use crunchy nuts for the top, NOW Foods has a great selection of organic options — cashews may be my favorite!

wiliam-and-beef-sirloin-fried-rice

William, the 16-year old chef who picked out all the yummy veggies for this recipe and cooked them up for his mama! 

So, no need to call for Chinese take-out to solve dinner – make your own healthier version in less time than it would take the delivery guy to show up. What’s even better than this? Getting the kids in the kitchen while you kick your feet up!

Coconut Macadamia Nut Fried RiceLooking for a more exotic fried rice recipe? Try my Coconut Macadamia Nut Fried Rice, it is soooooo swoon-worthy!

15min Beef & Veggie Fried Rice so easy a kid could make, and did! #fitfluential

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So, do you get your kids in the kitchen to cook? What’s in their repertoire? If you could only have 3 veggies (or fruits) in a stir fry – gasp – what would they be? Please share in the comments below – XOXO , Jennifer 

 

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15-minute Beef & Veggie Fried Rice Recipe
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
5 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 
Get a vibrant and very healthy fried rice dinner on the table in less time that it would take to wait on delivery -- faster, fitter, fresher and easy enough for older kids to prepare!
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • 12 ounce top sirloin steak, set in freezer for 10 minutes
  • 4 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 large eggs
  • 2 teaspoons minuced garlic
  • 1 teaspoon grated ginger
  • 10 ounce bag frozen steam-in-bag whole grain brown rice or previously prepared rice
  • 6 cups assorted chopped vegetables (onions, bell peppers, carrots, broccoli, asparagus, etc.)
  • 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Sriracha sauce
Instructions
  1. Bring large skillet to high medium-heat. Add olive oil and add cut sirloin and cook, stirring constantly, for 2 to 4 minutes or until no longer red but pink n the middle with edges browning.  Remove from heat immediately and drain on paper towels.
  2. Spray same skillet (now empty) with cooking spray. Add eggs, garlic and ginger and cook, stirring vigorously, until scrambled. Scoop out of skillet to rest next to beef.
  3. Place bag of rice in microwave and cook on high for 4 minutes. Or, used 10 ounces of previously prepared rice. Remove and set aside.
  4. Add remaining olive oil to same skillet (now empty again) and stir fry vegetables on medium-high for 3 to 5 minutes or until crisp tender. Exact time will depend on size and type of chopped vegetables.
  5. Reduce heat to medium-low and add cooked rice, cooked beef and cooked eggs back to skillet with vegetables. Stir to combine.
  6. Quickly mix together soy sauce and Sriracha. Evenly drizzle over top of mixture and stir well to combine, continue to cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until heated through.