Healthy Kids Recipes - Raw Almond Butter and Jelly

This twist on the ole nut butter and jelly classic makes for a delightful, easy, and loved healthy kids recipe.

There are a lot of benefits of eating our foods raw, including improved nutritional value, and the inclusion of naturally-occurring enzymes in the food. And of course, eating natural whole foods has been shown time and time again to decrease risks for all kinds of health ailments.

So, if you're re-thinking your child's PB&J because of the sugary, processed versions we grew up with, you came to the right place.

Here are two recipes - one for almond butter and one for jelly that could not be easier or fresher.

Don't stop at using these on sandwiches, though. Consider these other options:

Almond butter mixed with a little honey makes a delightful fruit dip.

Almond butter, banana and raw honey sandwiches are adored in my house.

Open-faced sandwiches with almond butter, thin apple slices, and cinnamon are perfect for breakfast.

This recipe is

RAW

VEGAN

VEGETARIAN

WHOLE FOODS

RAW ALMOND BUTTER

Ingredients

2 cups raw almonds

2 tsp olive oil (optional)

1/2 cup raw almonds (for chunky almond butter, only)

sea salt

Directions

Place 2 cups almonds in a food processor. I have tried a Blendtec and a Cuisinart for this recipe, and I prefer the Cuisinart. It takes patience to make, and pressing that program button over and over on the blender gets old. Turn on the food processor with the S-blade and allow almonds to rattle around until they become a powder. Continue to process for a total of 20-30 minutes, scraping down the sides as needed. In the beginning, I have to scrape the sides about every minute as the almonds climb up the sides. Once the almonds have blended into a cream, you can add oil, one teaspoon at a time to make it creamier. I don't usually need any extra oil, personally. Some people say that the almonds turn into a ball, and they break up the ball every couple of minutes, but mine doesn't do that. When it is creamy add sea salt to taste (approximately 1/4 tsp).

If you like chunky peanut butter, remove the creamy almond butter from the processor and add an extra 1/2 cup of almonds to the processing bowl. Pulse briefly a few times to chop almonds into chunks. Mix the chunks into the creamy almond butter.

I have listed a couple yummy variations below.

Store in a glass jar in the fridge for up to one month.

Makes more than one cup.

RAW JELLY

Ingredients

1 cup strawberries, chopped and hulled, or other cleaned berries

1/4 cup squished dates

Directions

Place dates and berries in a blender or food processor. Pulse to blend until desired consistency.

Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Makes approximately one cup.

If you prefer your nut butter a little sweeter, try adding 2 Tbsp of honey to your almond butter.

Do you like chocolate? For an extra special treat, add 2 Tbsp cocoa powder and 2 Tbsp honey to your almond butter at the end of processing. Blend to combine. Add any extra oil in 1/2 tsp increments as needed for desired consistency. It's one of my favorite delicious and healthy kids recipes! I save it for when I really don't want any arguments over breakfast...

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