Allergy-Friendly Popcorn Balls
Back to school, back to school…♪♫
Well, it’s that time of year again; time for all that rushing around, craziness and cursing myself for not packing lunches the night before! Ainnsley is headed back to school today for a couple hours (they do a gradual entry for the kindergartener kids) and then she will be full time starting Monday. This felt like the fastest summer in history, where did the time and warm weather go?
I have been compiling a list of lunch and snack foods to pack for her; protein being a big priority. My guys will eat their greens, eat those carb filled foods, but protein is a concern. We only eat fish and fowl and we don’t eat any processed meats. Ainnsley will happily eat tuna, salmon, or egg salad sandwiches, but last year at school one day the kid beside her said “I hate when you bring that stinky lunch” and she has refused to eat any of those things at school since. So that left us last year with chicken salad, sun butter and jelly and a lot of hummus to dip…all of which she grew tired of by the end of the year. This year I just hope I can sneak a bit of protein in everything and have her come home acting like less of a bear…a bad attitude is a tell-tail sign that the sugar has dropped in my kiddos.
Here are a couple recipes that I have found that are on my list:
Diet Dessert and Dogs,Chocolate Bean Butter
She Let Them Eat Cake’sChocolate Cereal Bars
Also, my own Raspberry Lemon Muffins and Roasted Chickpeas
In this months issue of Eating Well Magazine they share a couple of recipes for Wholesome Popcorn Balls; neither recipe being allergy friendly, or school friendly for that matter since most schools like ours are Peanut and Nut Safe Schools. I made a version of these using sunbutter, maple syrup and adding in some healthy goodies like a blend of Chia seeds, flax seeds, and hemp hearts, mixed with dried apricots and Enjoy Lifes Mini Chocolate chips. I then rolled them in some unsweetened coconut and they were a HUGE hit with everyone in the house! Yeah!
- 6 cups organic popcorn
- ¼ cup room temperature sunflower seed butter
- ⅓ cup pure maple syrup
- 1 tbsp chia seeds and or flax seeds
- 1 tbsp hemp hearts
- 1 tbsp chopped dried organic apricots
- 2 tbsp mini Enjoy Life chocolate chips
- ¼ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
- Place popcorn in a large bowl
- Combine seeds, hearts, apricots, and chocolate chips in a small bowl
- Place coconut in a small shallow bowl
- In a small sauce pan blend sun-butter and syrup over medium heat until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring often. Remove from heat.
- Pour the sun-butter mixture over the popcorn and stir it right away evenly coating the popcorn. Add the small bowl with the seed mixture ASAP while the popcorn is still warm.
- Using your hands make 2 inch balls out of the popcorn mixture, packing slightly firm. Toss in the coconut.
- Set on a lined baking sheet in the fridge until hardened, store in a sealed container. I like them in the fridge cold. The do still hold together if left on the counter.
Always looking for great new ideas to for entertaining the G-Kids and I think they would not only love eating these but making them as well.
This will probably make a great Trick or Treat party treat as well.
Thanks
Thanks Carol! My kids are great helpers in the kitchen also. They liked picking their own *toppings* for these, customizing them
Yummo!
T.