Spiced Wheat Berry Pilaf

Pilaf is a Middle Eastern dish normally made of rice.  Nutty-flavored cooked wheat berries replace rice in this version.  And it's a big win in the pantry-friendly department.  All of the ingredients store well in the pantry.

The spices in this dish definitely have a Middle Eastern flair, and there are chopped pistachios and dried apricots, too.  Although the flavor is quite different from what we are normally used to, my family liked this dish. 

I think it's great served with chicken.  I serve it with grilled chicken breasts, but the pantry-friendly version of this idea would be rehydrating some freeze-dried chicken and stirring it right in! 

Remember when I told you about the benefits of wheat berries?  They store really well (like, for decades), and they're very nutritious.  Since then, I've been exploring a variety of wheat recipes, and I've found some good ones, such as Overnight Cracked Wheat Cereal with Mix-Ins, Crunchy Wheat Snacks, and the Italian Vegetable Wheat Berry Bowl.  

I think this one is the most unique and interesting of the bunch!

SPICED WHEAT BERRY PILAF

PREP TIME:  50-55 minutes
COOK TIME:  about 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. wheat berries  (Wheat berries are just wheat in whole grain form.  Find them in the bulk foods section of a health food store, or order online here or here or here.)
• 3 c. water
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 c. finely chopped apricots
• 1/2 c. roughly chopped pistachios, shelled
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• 1/2 tsp. mint flakes
• 1 Tbsp. lemon juice

DIRECTIONS
Place wheat berries and water in a medium pot.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Boil 5 minutes.  Reduce heat to low, cover the pot with a lid, and simmer for 45 minutes.  Drain off excess water.  In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat for 3 minutes.  Stir in cooked wheat, apricots, pistachios, cinnamon, cumin, mint flakes, garlic salt, and lemon juice.  Heat through.

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Pantry-Friendly Snacks to Have on Hand

Most snacks are pantry-friendly anyway, it's true, but as I created my 21-Day Pantry Friendly Meal Plan, I allowed for 3 meals a day plus dessert every 3 days.  This is great for me, but as I made the plan I quickly recognized that it doesn't account for all the snacking my sons do, not unlike many teenagers and growing kiddos.

Because the 21-Day Pantry-Friendly Meal Plan is designed to be used either in case of emergency or as easy, last-minute meals, I wanted it to be a healthier version of a freezer full of pizza or a pantry full of mac-n-cheese.  Now that I'm thinking about snacks I'd also like to have on hand, I'd like them to be a healthier step up from Cheez-its.  They are still things my family will eat of course (no dried kale chips or anything), but they have more nutritional value than your average bag of chips.

It's wise to have a 72-hour kit in case of emergency as well, and I keep many of these snacks in my 72-hour kit.  They can serve as small meals if you're desperate (such as if the power goes out for an extended period and you can't cook).  We actually rotate ours every year to keep them fresh.

Here are some ideas for pantry-friendly snacks that have some nutritional value that are great to have on hand in case of emergency.

• granola bars or protein bars
• dried apple slices or pear slices or strawberry slices  (You can get individual packs at Target or Walmart, but if you want apple slices in bulk, you can get them here [my favorite] or here.  I get my apple slices here because the price is good, though they're not as crunchy as the freeze-dried varieties.  They're perfect for my Pantry-Cooked Apple Crisp, though!)
• jerky
• instant nutritional drinks (such as Ensure or Carnation; I also like Ruvi which is just fruits and vegetables; so is V-8)
• trail mix
• freeze-dried cheese (I've seen this as Moon Cheese at Target, but you can also get them as Snackies; Snackies also come in other combinations of freeze-dried fruits and vegetables and nuts and yogurt bites--it may seem funny to see freeze-dried corn as a snack, but it's SO good!)
• fruit leather (Joray have always been my favorite.)
• individual drinkable soups (Campbell's makes easy-to-eat ones.)
• nuts
• tuna salad or chicken salad with crackers (from Bumble Bee)
• individual milk boxes or bottles (From my grocery store I usually just get Nestle chocolate milk bottles or Lala white milk [in the Mexican food section], but the shelf-stable milk from Gossner Foods comes in quite a few flavors, all of which I've tried, so I order those a couple of times a year.  Fair warning:  shipping isn't cheap, but it's good, shelf-stable milk.  You can sometimes find Gossner milk at Dollar Tree, which is awesome.)
• peanut butter and crackers
• popcorn (high in fiber)
• applesauce pouches
• specialty olives and tapas spreads with crackers
• crunchy wheat snacks
• tuna salad and chicken salad (Bumble Bee makes them in snack sizes, pre-made)
• MREs (Meal Ready to Eat--just Google to find availability at food storage companies or even on Amazon)

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What nutritional pantry-friendly snacks do you like to have on hand?  Or do you have great ideas for a 72-hour kit?  Comment below and let me know!  I'll add them to this list.  

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Chocolate Strawberry Oat Breakfast Drink

This is a great way to dress up a breakfast drink.  You know, the powdered kind with vitamins that you mix with milk?  With oatmeal and strawberries added, it basically makes a whole breakfast for one!

Using freeze-dried strawberries and either powdered or shelf-stable milk makes this a pantry-friendly recipe, too.  So you can always have this on hand without a trip to the store.

CHOCOLATE STRAWBERRY OAT BREAKFAST DRINK

PREP TIME:  10 minutes
COOK TIME:  0

INGREDIENTS

• 1 packet chocolate instant breakfast drink (such as Carnation Breakfast Essentials) or 2-3 Tbsp. chocolate breakfast drink powder (such as Ovaltine)
• 1 c. milk, reconstituted from dry (see powdered milk and shelf-stable milk suggestions here)
• 1/3 c. quick oats
• 2/3 c. water
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried strawberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1-2 tsp. strawberry jam
• 1/2 tsp. chia seeds (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Place oats and water in a microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high power 1 - 1  1/2 minutes.  Let cool on the counter about 5 minutes.  Pour milk and chocolate drink powder into a smoothie maker or blender.  Add strawberries, cooled oats, jam, and chia seeds.  Blend until combined.

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Applesauce Bread

This nice little sweet bread is delicious with apple butter or peanut butter.  The original recipe is almost entirely pantry-friendly, meaning all the ingredients can be stored in the pantry.  The only non-pantry ingredient in this bread is one egg, which I substituted with freeze-dried egg, and it came out just as beautifully.  I really love that easy substitution!  I've been doing it a lot lately.

There's no oil or butter in this bread, and the applesauce sweetens it nicely with a little help from brown sugar.  The pecans are optional, but I think they add nice variety.

APPLESAUCE BREAD

PREP TIME:  10-15 minutes
COOK TIME:  about 25 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. flour
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar (find a substitution here if you're out; the substitution keeps longer in the pantry than brown sugar, too)
• 1  1/2 tsp. apple pie spice OR cinnamon
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. baking soda
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1  1/2 c. applesauce
• freeze-dried equivalent of 1 egg, reconstituted (original recipe:  1 egg)
• 1/2 c. pecans, optional

DIRECTIONS

Mix together all the dry ingredients (not pecans) with a mixer.  Add in the applesauce and the freeze-dried egg (reconstituted), mixing briefly to combine.  Mix in pecans, if desired.  Pour into 4 mini loaf pans sprayed with cooking spray.  Bake at 350 degrees for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  (Alternative:  bake in one 8x4 pan for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean.)  Cool 15-20 minutes before removing from pans.

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Orange Vanilla Jello

I don't use jello very often, but I like it for a different way to serve fruit.  My family really likes this recipe, too!  And I love "fresh" fruits that are pantry-friendly.

You can see from this peek-a-boo picture (before I spread all the topping) that this dish is nice and fruity.  Yum!

ORANGE VANILLA JELLO

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
CHILL TIME:  about 4 1/2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• large package orange jello (6 oz. sugared package; less if it's sugar-free)
• 3  11-oz. cans of mandarin oranges
• small package instant french vanilla (or vanilla) pudding mix (3 oz. sugared package; less if it's sugar-free)
• 1 envelope Dream Whip mix
• 1  1/2 c. shelf-stable milk or powdered milk, reconstituted (See my fresh milk substitute suggestions and preferences here; I used Nido and it was great)
• 2  1/2 c. boiling water
• 1/2 c. ice cold water

DIRECTIONS

Drain one of the cans of oranges into an 8x8 pan, setting the oranges aside.  Stir jello into boiling water until dissolved.  Stir in cold water.  Pour into the pan and stir the orange liquid.  Drain the remaining cans of oranges, discarding the liquid.  Add all 3 cans worth of oranges into the jello.  Refrigerate until set, about 4 hours.  About 10 minutes before serving, pour milk into a medium bowl.  Whip in the pudding mix and Dream Whip mix.  Spread over the firm jello.  Refrigerate before serving.

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Freeze-Dried Mint-Chocolate Green Smoothie

Did you know cocoa is good for you?  The flavonoids in unsweetened cocoa powder lower inflammation, relax blood vessels to lower blood pressure, and are a good source of iron, magnesium, and zinc.  Unsweetened cocoa powder is also rich in polyphenols, which are antioxidants linked to better cholesterol and lower blood sugar levels.  (source)  Plus, there are almost 2 grams of fiber in 1 tablespoon of unsweetened cocoa. (source)  

Which is exactly the amount in this Freeze-Fried Mint-Chocolate Green Smoothie!

 

I was so happy with how my Freeze-Dried Fruit Smoothies turned out that I wanted to try a green smoothie using only dry freeze-dried ingredients.  So I combined two smoothie recipes I like and made some pantry-friendly ingredient swaps, and viola!  

I am loving that I can still make smoothies using only freeze-dried ingredients.  It's pretty amazing!  I love this tasty, healthy backup to fresh-ingredient smoothies.  This blog is intended to help us eat well in a pinch or in an emergency, and I am pretty happy that smoothies make the list!

Because this smoothie recipe lacks the classic frozen fruit (not being pantry-friendly), it may be thinner than you are accustomed to.  If you want to thicken it, you can add any of the following pantry-friendly ingredients:

• a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal
• navy beans, mashed
• tapioca
• a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

This recipe makes one smoothie, so multiply these ingredients as needed to serve more people.

Check out those bubbles--this picture is straight after mixing!

FREEZE-DRIED MINT-CHOCOLATE GREEN SMOOTHIE

PREP TIME:  8-10 minutes
COOK TIME:  0

INGREDIENTS

• 1  1/2 c. cold milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa
• 1 Tbsp. protein powder (preferably chocolate flavor)
• sweetener equivalent to 2 tsp. sugar
• 1/4 tsp. mint extract
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried Greek yogurt (or vanilla, if you prefer; both available here)
• 1/4 - 1/3 c. freeze-dried spinach (I like this brand; also available here)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds
• if desired, add a thickener such as a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

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Fruity Cream Salad

You're going to love this fruit salad!  It uses both canned and freeze-dried fruit along with a few other pantry-friendly ingredients, so it can be your go-to fruit salad in a pinch. 

I am putting together a 21-Day Pantry-Friendly Meal Plan which I will share with you in November!  I'm finding recipes (and sharing them here at the blog) that use only ingredients which store well in a pantry.  This is great in case of emergency (big storm, COVID-19 panic-buying) but also fantastic to have on hand just in case (totally forgot about the potluck tonight).

I wanted to incorporate plenty of fruits and vegetables in my Plan, and I discovered I was a little short on fruit recipes that are pantry-friendly.  I created this recipe from two others with some pantry-friendly substitutions.  And I have to say, I love it.  There is such a wide variety of fruit in this creamy mixture that it really hits the spot.

FRUITY CREAM SALAD

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
REFRIGERATION TIME:  at least 2 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 15 oz. fruit cocktail, drained
• 8 oz. crushed pineapple, drained
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried raspberries (I like these, but you can also get them here and here.)*
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried strawberry slices (I like these, but you can also get them here and here.)*
• 21 oz. cherry pie filling 
• 1 envelope Dream Whip mix
• 12 oz. evaporated milk
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla (optional; or try almond flavoring)

DIRECTIONS

Combine the evaporated milk, Dream Whip, and vanilla in a large salad bowl.  Whip with a mixer on high speed for 5 minutes or until thickened.  Fold in all the fruit until well-combined.  Refrigerate at least 2 hours to give the freeze-dried fruit time to soften. 

*When comparing freeze-dried fruit, the freeze-drying methods will vary and will have an effect on flavor, so see which you like best.  When comparing prices, don't forget that ThriveLife has a monthly delivery special which saves you 15%.  (See the sidebar.)  I am not a ThriveLife rep--I use it a lot and love it.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

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Applesauce Oat Muffins

I love the oats in these tasty muffins because they feel so hearty!  I especially love them warm.

I was so happy to find that the two substitutions I made to this recipe to make them pantry-friendly still left them delicious.

And I admit:  Anything sweetened with brown sugar is my favorite.

APPLESAUCE OAT MUFFINS

PREP TIME:  15 minutes
COOK TIME:  16-18 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 1  1/2 c. quick oats
• 1  1/4 c. flour
• 1/2 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 3/4 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 c. unsweetened applesauce
• 1/2 c. fresh milk substitute such as powdered or shelf-stable or evaporated (original recipe:  1/2 c. milk)
• 3 Tbsp. oil
• powdered egg, reconstituted to make 1 egg (original recipe:  1 egg)

DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the dry ingredients (first 7 ingredients listed).  In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (last 4 ingredients listed) until smooth.  Pour wet mixture into dry mixture and stir together just until combined.  Coat 12 muffin cups with cooking spray, then divide batter among them.  Bake at 400 degrees for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

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Freeze-Dried Fruit Smoothies (two!)

Especially in the summer, I love a good smoothie for breakfast.  I would like to have this capability in an emergency, too, without access to all the fresh fruits and yogurt I'm used to.  So this sent me on a quest:

Can I make a healthy, tasty smoothie using only ingredients I can store in my pantry?

Smoothies often have a combination of frozen fruit and fresh fruit in addition to yogurt and some kind of liquid (like milk or juice).  Since my goal is to make this smoothie pantry-friendly--in other words, not dependent on a refrigerator or freezer--I've got a couple of creative ideas thrown into this smoothie.

I've tasted freeze-dried fruit (just plain) and the freeze-dried yogurt from Thrive Live before, and it's quite good without even being rehydrated.  So I knew that was going to be my best source for making a smoothie using just freeze-dried ingredients.  (By the way, I'm not affiliated with Thrive Life beyond just being a happy customer.  I do use their Refer-a-Friend links in some of my posts here, and if you always use that link to order, you can get 15% off your Monthly Delivery Service.  I personally love that service because there's no minimum and I can skip months if I want.)

I came up with two different fruit smoothies using freeze-dried fruit.  Canned fruit is also a great option for a pantry-friendly smoothie, and one of these smoothies uses both.  Give them a try, and don't be afraid to mix things up a bit for variety and lots of flavor.

Both of these smoothie recipes don't use any frozen fruit, so they may be thinner than you are accustomed to.  If you want to thicken either of these smoothies, you can add:

• protein powder
• a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal
• navy beans, mashed
• tapioca
• a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

Each of these smoothie recipes make one smoothie, so multiply these ingredients as needed to serve more people.

The smoothie on the right is a berry smoothie with two kinds of dried fruit, and the one on the left is an apple-peach smoothie!  The berry smoothie has a great berry flavor, while the apple-peach one is a milk flavor.  Both recipes follow.

(TWO) FREEZE DRIED FRUIT SMOOTHIES

PREP TIME:  8-10 minutes
COOK TIME:  0

BERRY SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried strawberry yogurt pieces (or choose blueberry or vanilla, if you prefer)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried strawberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1/4 c. freeze-dried raspberries (I like this brand; also available here and here)
• 1 tsp. chia seeds, optional
• if desired, add a thickener such as protein powder, a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

BERRY SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

APPLE-PEACH SMOOTHIE INGREDIENTS

• 1 c. milk (either shelf-stable or rehydrated from powdered; see options here)
• 1/2 c. freeze-dried Greek yogurt pieces (or choose vanilla, if you prefer)
• 1/4 c. dried apple slices (I like this brand for freeze-dried, or you can get dehydrated apple slices here and here--or to buy in bulk, get them here)
• 6 slices of peaches from a can
• 1 tsp. chia seeds, optional
• if desired, add a thickener such as protein powder, a small amount of cooked and cooled cream of wheat cereal, some mashed navy beans, tapioca, or a small amount of cooked and cooled oatmeal

APPLE-PEACH SMOOTHIE DIRECTIONS

Stir together all the ingredients in a smoothie-maker cup.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow the freeze-dried ingredients a little rehydration time.  Process with the smoothie-maker until smooth.

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

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Jewel Fruit Salad

I came up with this recipe while looking for a new way to serve fruit.  My go-to pantry staples for fruit are just this:  open a can of peaches.  Or pears.

I'm using all the recipes I'm posting here to create a 21-Day Meal Plan with meals I can make only from pantry-friendly ingredients.  No refrigeration.  No nearby expiration dates.  Pretty great for emergencies or last-minute prep.  I decided a can of peaches is fine and a can of pears is fine, but it would be nice to expand a little.  (Watch for my 21-Day Meal Plan in coming months!)

This recipe was born from a combination of a couple of recipes and my own pantry-friendly twists.  It's fresh and different, and my family and I really like it.

No jewels were harmed in the making of this fruit salad, but the colors are so lovely that you'll see right away why I named it this:

JEWEL FRUIT SALAD

PREP TIME:  10 minutes
CHILL TIME:  1 hour

INGREDIENTS

• 2  11-oz. cans mandarin oranges
• 20-oz. can pineapple tidbits
• 1 c. freeze-dried raspberries (or other berry; I like this brand, also available here and here)
• 1 can whole berry cranberry sauce
• small box white chocolate pudding mix (3.4 oz. sugared, or 1 oz. if using sugar-free; can also try cheesecake or vanilla flavors)

DIRECTIONS

Drain one of the cans of oranges into a large serving bowl, reserving the juice in the bowl and setting the oranges aside.  Whip the pudding mix into the juice.  Mixture will be thick.  Drain the pineapple and the second can of oranges well, discarding the juice.  Stir all the fruit, including the cranberry sauce, into the pudding-juice mixture until combined.  Refrigerate about an hour before serving.

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Triple Berry Jello with Freeze-Dried Fruit

As if making jello with fruit in it weren't easy enough, this recipe takes "easy" up a level!

When you look at the nutrition label on a box of jello, there are a lot of zeros.  However, gelatin is high in protein, and it is good for your joints, bones, fingernails, skin and hair.  (source)  It's also a great way to eat fruit.  You'll find lots of fruity-jello recipes on Pinterest and Google.

I wondered how simply adding freeze-dried fruit to jello would turn out.

Turns out:  terrific!

It's quite delicious, but it's also ultra easy because you don't have to rehydrate the freeze-dried fruit!  Score.  You just sprinkle it in straight from the can and stir.  *happy dance*

You can use any berry-flavor jello you want, and you can change up the fruit if you like.  I have one kiddo who isn't a blueberry fan, so I just used the strawberries and raspberries instead of all three (as you can see below).  Still delish.

TRIPLE BERRY JELLO WITH FREEZE-DRIED FRUIT

PREP TIME:  5-10 minutes
CHILL TIME:  at least 4 hours

INGREDIENTS

• 3 oz. box berry jello (raspberry, strawberry, or berry blue)  (If you're using sugar-free jello, it's not 3 oz.--you just want the small box of jello here.)
• 1/4 c. each of freeze-dried strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries*  (Or just use a total of 3/4 c. berries if you aren't using all three types.)  I get my freeze-dried fruit here.

DIRECTIONS

Stir jello mix into 1 c. boiling water.  When completely dissolved (about 2 minutes), stir in 1 c. ice cold water.  Stir in dry berries.  Chill until set, about 4 hours.

* You don't need to rehydrate the berries, just stir them in well.  During the jello setting time, the berries will rehydrate from the moisture of the jello.

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Fruity Baked Oatmeal

This is a delicious take on traditional oatmeal.  It's a recipe I've been using for a while, and it's well-loved enough that I was a bit nervous about substituting dehydrated or powdered ingredients.  But guess what.  My family couldn't even tell there was anything different.

Score!

This makes a warm, hearty breakfast.  I really love the fruit.

FRUITY BAKED OATMEAL

PREP TIME:  15-20 minutes
COOK TIME:  35-40 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 3 c. quick-cooking oats
• 1 c. packed brown sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. salt 
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• equivalent of 2 eggs, reconstituted from dehydrated (I like this brand; also available here)
• 1 c. fresh milk substitute (see my substitution list for dried, canned, and shelf-stable options)
• equivalent of 1/2 c. butter, melted (I used butter powder reconstituted with half water and half oil; also available here)
• 3/4 c. dehydrated apples, chopped, reconstituted (I used this kind; also available here)
• 1/3 c. chopped canned peaches
• 1/3 c. freeze dried raspberries, reconstituted (I like these; also available here)

DIRECTIONS

Rehydrate the apples and raspberries according to package directions.  In a medium bowl, mix together the egg, milk, and butter (each reconstituted according to package directions).  In a large bowl, mix the oats, *brown sugar, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.  Stir the egg-milk-butter mixture into the dry ingredients.  Stir in the three fruits.  Pour into an 8x8 baking dish coated with cooking spray.  Bake, uncovered, for 35-40 minutes at 350 degrees or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cut into 9 or 16 squares.

*Out of brown sugar?  Check my substitution list for an alternative.

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Chocolate Raspberry Breakfast Balls (GF)

These little energy balls are delicious and are gluten-free, too!  They also don't have any refined sugar, though the fruit and mini chocolate chips sweeten them up nicely. 

This recipe only makes 10 balls, though, and I need to remember to double this recipe every time I make it because these chocolate raspberry breakfast balls go fast!

CHOCOLATE RASPBERRY BREAKFAST BALLS

PREP TIME:  10 minutes
COOK TIME:  15-18 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• scant* 1/2 c. applesauce (or mashed banana)
• 1/4 c. cashew butter or almond butter
• 1/2 c. rolled oats (not quick oats)
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 1/2-2 Tbsp. mini chocolate chips
• 3 Tbsp. freeze dried raspberries (I like getting mine here)

DIRECTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, mix the applesauce (or banana) with the nut butter.  Add the oats, vanilla, and chocolate chips, then crush the raspberries in your hand as you add them to the bowl.  Mix until well-combined.  Using a cookie scoop, drop the balls of mixture onto a greased (or foil-lined) cookie sheet.  Bake 15-18 minutes.  Let cool 10 minutes before removing the balls from the cookie sheet.  Make 10 1-inch breakfast balls.

* scant means "just barely" (so, not full or overflowing or packed)

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Pantry-Cooked Apple Crisp

You wouldn't believe that all the ingredients for this delicious apple crisp come straight out of the pantry.  And like most other pantry recipes, there's not a lot of prep work involved like chopping.

Win-win.

And in case you missed it, this apple crisp is *delicious*!  No one would ever guess that you hadn't peeled and sliced all those apples yourself.

PANTRY-COOKED APPLE CRISP

PREP TIME:  10-15 minutes
COOK TIME:  40-50 minutes

INGREDIENTS

• 2 c. water
• 4 c. dried apple slices* (available here and also here)
• 1/2 c. whole wheat flour
• 1 c. rolled oats
• 3/4 c. packed brown sugar
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 c. butter flavor shortening
• 1/2 c. chopped nuts, optional

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Put apple slices in an 8x8 baking dish.  Bring water to a rapid boil in a pot, then pour over the apples, stirring a little to make sure all the apples get watered.  Let apples stand in water while mixing the topping.  For the topping, combine shortening and wheat flour with a fork (or pastry cutter) until crumbly, then stir in the remaining ingredients.  Sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples.  Tap the baking dish to settle the crumbs.  Bake 40-50 minutes or until golden.  

* These can actually be eaten plain as a snack, too!  If kept in a cool, dry place, these can last in your pantry for up to 30 years!

Try this recipe, then comment and let me know how you like it!  And Pin it to Pinterest to save and share using the image below.

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