Fresh fruit always make the perfect addition to a summer celebration.  These firecracker fruit sticks are fun to make with the kids for the 4th of July.  I have some sweet memories of making them with my son when he was younger in the photos below.  The nondairy coconut cashew cream dip makes a delicious dip with any type of fruit! 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews
• 2 tbsp coconut milk beverage
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• ¾ cup plain coconut milk yogurt
• 1 tsp of cardamom
• Dash of cinnamon
• Shredded coconut for garnish on top

Firecracker Fruit Sticks:

• Wooden skewers
• Blueberries
• Strawberries
• Watermelon – Cut into stars with a star cookie cutter

Add fruit to skewers with watermelon star on top. 

Directions:

1. Add cashews to a heatproof bowl and cover with hot water by 2 inches. Soak for 10-20 minutes.
2. Drain the cashews then add to blender with coconut milk and blend for a minute or so on high speed.  You may need to add a touch more liquid if it is not blending well.
3. Next, add the maple syrup and yogurt and blend again for a few seconds. 
4. Add the spices last and blend well. 
5.  Pour into a small bowl, then garnish with shredded coconut.  Serve with fruit.​

Don't miss out on the most important meal of the day! Make breakfast (or snack time) fun for kids with apple donuts and banana sushi.  Kids can get creative and add their favorite toppings. The options are endless! Read more about why breakfast is the most important meal of the day here:  A Healthy Start with Breakfast

Apple Donuts

1. 2 apples, any variety
2. Wash apples, then core and cut into rings about ¼ inch thick. I love this apple corer: apple corer
3. Spread peanut butter or nut-free butter, such as Sunflower seed butter, on apple*
4. Add favorite toppings (see list below)

Banana Sushi

1. 2 bananas
2. Peel banana and spread peanut butter on top
3. Add favorite toppings (see list below)
4. Cut into 1” pieces like “sushi”

Topping suggestions:

• granola
• unsweetened coconut
• raisins
• cranberries
• mini chocolate chips 
• ground flax seeds, chia seeds or hemp seeds
• cinnamon
• chopped nuts or sunflower seeds​
• fresh fruit: strawberries, blueberries, raspberries

*Instead of peanut butter for the spread: use yogurt.

Ingredients:

• 2 large handfuls of spinach and/or kale
• 1 avocado
• ½ cucumber, diced
• 2 tbsp. hemp seeds (or flax, chia)
• 1 cup fresh or frozen pineapple (or mango)
• 1 orange (or lemon)
• 2 sprigs of mint
• 1” piece of ginger (or more)
• 2 cups coconut water
• 4-6 dates (depending on sweetness)
• Ice

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend well
2. Extra boosters: favorite protein or greens blend  

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond milk (or other favorite non dairy milk: oat, coconut, soy)
• ½ cup chia seeds
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• ​1 tsp vanilla

Extra toppings: customize with your favorite!

• 1 cup frozen berries, blended    
• unsweetened coconut
• cinnamon
• raisins or dried cranberries
• fresh fruit
• nuts or sunflower seeds
• ​jam
• mint
  

Directions:

1.  In a large glass bowl, add chia seeds to almond milk and whisk together.  Add vanilla and maple syrup and whisk well.
2. Cover and place in the refrigerator. Mixture will firm up overnight.
3.   Add favorite toppings and serve.

​Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana, best if frozen
• Zest of 1 orange (use your favorite orange – clementine, mandarin or naval)
• 2 oranges, peeled
• 1 drop clementine or wild orange essential oil
• 2 cups coconut milk (can also use almond, soy or rice milk)
• 5-10 dates 
• 1 tbsp. chia seeds or flax seeds
• handful of ice

 

​Directions:

1. Add the frozen banana, oranges, zest, nut milk, dates, essential oil, chia seeds and ice to a high-powered blender. 
2. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into a glass and serve.  Enjoy!

 

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rolled oats
• 1 cup crisp rice cereal
• ¼ cup raw sunflower seeds
• ½ cup raw almonds, chopped
• ½ cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 2 tbsp. ground flax seed
• 1 tbsp. cacao powder
• ½ cup dried currants or raisins
• ½ cup mini chocolate chips
• ½ cup peanut butter, almond butter or sunflower seed butter
• ½ cup honey
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 tbsp. coconut oil

Directions:

1. Mix the oats, rice cereal, nuts, seeds, flax, cacao, raisins and chocolate chips in a large bowl until well blended.
2. In a small sauce pan, combine honey, vanilla, peanut butter and coconut oil.  Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture comes to a boil and starts to thicken, 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Pour the peanut butter mixture into the oat mixture and stir until evenly coated. Spray an 8x8 pan with non-stick spray or line pan with parchment paper.  Add mixture to pan. Place in refrigerator until firm.  Cut into bars or squares. Wrap the bars individually or place them in an airtight container and store in refrigerator.

Coconut Fruit Dip
Ingredients:

• 1 cup raw, unsalted cashews, soaked for 30 minutes, then rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp. water
• 2 tbsp. non dairy milk, coconut, almond or rice milk
• 1 tbsp. maple syrup
• 1 cup coconut milk yogurt (vanilla flavor works best)
• 1 tsp of cardamom
• Dash of cinnamon
• Shredded coconut for garnish on top

 
Directions:

1. Blend the cashews, water and coconut, almond or rice milk for a minute or so on high speed.
2. Add the maple syrup and yogurt then blend again for a few seconds. 
3. Add the spices and blend well. 
4. Pour into a small bowl, then garnish with shredded coconut.  Serve with fruit sticks.

For a St. Patrick's Day theme for kids, add your favorite green fruit to wooden skewers to make these fun Leprechaun Fruit Sticks.

Leprechaun Fruit Sticks

• Kiwi
• Green Apple
• Green Grapes 
• Wooden Skewers 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 cups water
• handful of spinach
• 1 cup green grapes
• 1 kiwi, peeled
• ½ green apple
• few leaves of fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon chia seeds
• Ice

Directions:

1. Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.

Check out the demonstration video for our Shamrock Smoothie here:  youtu.be/5fYjgnrfc9E

​Ingredients:

• 2 cups almond milk
• 1/3 cup chia seeds
• 2 tbsp. raw cacao powder
• 1 tablespoon maple syrup or sweetener of choice, date syrup, coconut nectar, stevia

Toppings:

•   Berries, unsweetened coconut, cinnamon, raisins, fresh fruit

 
 
Directions:
1.   In large glass bowl, add chia seeds to almond milk and whisk together.  Add cacao and whisk to break up any lumps.
2.   Add sweetener and blend well. Cover and place in refrigerator.  Mixture will firm up overnight.
3.  Add favorite toppings and serve.
 

Ingredients:

• 4 cups rolled oats
• ½ cup ground flax seed (and about ¼ cup whole flax seeds)
• 1 cup chopped raw unsalted nuts, such as: almonds, walnuts or cashews
• 1 cup raw unsalted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
• 1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice
• 2/3 cup maple syrup
• ¼ cup coconut oil, melted

Directions:

1. Add oats, nuts, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds, and coconut.  Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg or allspice.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together maple syrup and melted coconut oil.  Pour over granola and mix well to coat.
3. Pour onto sheet pans covered with parchment paper.  Bake at 250 degrees until golden and toasted about 45 minutes.  Watch closely and stir about every 10 minutes.  *If using a dehydrator, pour granola onto dehydrator sheets, and set temperature to 115 degrees for about 8 hours until everything is well toasted.
4. Remove from oven or dehydrator and add raisins, cranberries, dates, apricots and/or any other favorite dried fruit.
5. Cool and store in an airtight container.

 
Coconut Milk Yogurt Parfait
Ingredients:

• Granola
• Fresh Fruit
• Coconut Milk Yogurt, Vanilla flavor is the best!

Directions:

1. Layer granola, coconut milk yogurt and fruit into a glass, about 2 or 3 layers per serving.

Want to get your kids to eat Kale? Try this delicious smoothie that we named "The Grinch's Smoothie"! (It just sounds better than kale-apple smoothie, right?)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups rice milk, almond milk (or any other non dairy beverage of choice)
• 1 handful kale and/or spinach
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro or fresh mint
• 1 banana
• 1/2 of green apple and 1/2 of red apple
• 4-6 dates
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped into 2" pieces
• 1 tbsp. flax seed
• Ice
• Almond milk or coconut whipped cream - optional
• pomegranates for garnish - optional

Directions:
1.     Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. 
2.    Pour into a glass. For a extra holiday touch, top with whipped cream and pomegranates
​

Stay healthy through the holidays with this antioxidant rich smoothie!

​Ingredients:
·       3 cups almond or rice milk
·       1 cup frozen or fresh cranberries
·       1/2 cup pomegranate arils
·       1 cup frozen strawberries
·       1 banana
·       ½ cup fresh mint
·       4 dates
·       1 tbsp chia seeds
 
Topping: unsweetened coconut

​Directions:

1. Blend all ingredients together until smooth. 
   
2. Pour into glass.
   
3. Top with shredded unsweetened coconut.
4. Enjoy!
   

Ingredients: 

• 1 ripe banana, best if frozen
• 1 apple, seeded, and quartered (we used granny smith apples)
• 2 cups almond milk, soy milk or rice milk
• 1 tablespoon almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon and/or 1 tsp apple pie spice, pumpkin pie spice or all spice
• 4-6 dates
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• toppings: chopped walnuts and apple slices

Directions:​

1. Add the frozen banana, apple, milk, almond butter, peanut butter or sunflower seed butter, spices, dates and flax seeds to a high-powered blender.
2. Blend on high for 1-2 minutes or until smooth and creamy.
3. Pour into a glass, add toppings and serve.

​ENJOY!

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 2/3 cups organic rolled oats
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seeds
• cinnamon
• maple syrup (optional)
• almond or soy milk
• 1/2 cup cooked quinoa

Other possible add-ins:

• chopped walnuts
• chopped almonds
• apples and cinnamon
• fresh fruit of choice
• sunflower seeds or pumpkin seeds
• Goji berries
• raisins
• cranberries
• cacao nibs
  
• unsweetened shredded coconut

Directions:

1. Bring 1 cup water to boil and add oats.
2. Stir in flax seeds and cinnamon.
3. Add 1/2 cup cooked quinoa, mix all together and cook about 2-3 minutes. Remove from heat.
4. Add to bowl and top with a drizzle of maple syrup, fresh fruit or any other add-ins of your choice.
5. Serve with almond or soy milk.
6. Enjoy!