I make at least one homemade “treat” for my girl’s lunches each week.  Cookies, bars, squares, balls, etc. some kind of baked good.

This week it was Tigernut Flour Chocolate Chip Squares…

Note: that I didn’t say “I LIKE to make…”  Because, honestly, there are many evenings when the last thing I want to do is cook something else. 

But…Brad and I have worked very hard over the last few years to transition our entire family from eating “healthy” processed foods to eating whole, natural foods prepared at home. 

You can read more about why we decided to make changes in our diet and lifestyle in our stories.

I am very proud of our girls’ knowledge around health and the choices they make. They are not picky eaters and are willing to try one bite of anything.  They do not complain when dinner is put on the table (partly due to meal planning as a family) and enjoy most of the foods I make.

But there is a constant influence of unhealthy food options being presented to them at school, by their peers or from being “treated” with sugar laden, processed, nutrient-lacking “foods”.   I would love to be the one treating them from time to time but when it comes from everyone else all the time, I lose that opportunity. The amount of junk they are offered on a regular basis is astonishing. 

As you probably know, I have rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease where my body attacks itself through systemic inflammation that manifests in my joints.  I manage it naturally through diet and lifestyle choices and am dedicated to continuing on this path of healing naturally.

But, as Brad explains in Eating Gluten Again: Breaking Bread Well, this leaves our daughters’ at a higher risk of developing an autoimmune disease of their own. 

I believe that the food you eat, the way you process stress and live each day, has a profound influence on your overall health and the manifestations of a disease.

I want the best for my girls. 

I want to give them as many opportunities in life as I can.

And helping them develop healthy eating and living habits, to prevent the development of disease, is at the top of my list.

My philosophy is to feed then good, clean, nutrient dense foods, teach them why we are eating this way, how to create these foods themselves and role-model healthy food choices. 

I believe in moderation.  So yes, they get regular “treats” in their lunches and we go out to restaurants where they can order whatever they want.  What I don’t believe in is giving them whatever they want and allowing them to make all their own food choices.

That is why I give them homemade treats in their lunches.  So they don’t feel deprived or excluded and when their friends come over, they have something delicious and yummy to share together.

Being a working mom with a full schedule, the temptation to “pick” something up at the store can be great and on occasion I have. 

But when I think about it, I realize that by the time I drive to the store or get around to going to the store, buying something and coming home, I could have a batch of something made from real ingredients ready.  

I like to keep things simple, quick and easy.  I am sure you do too.

A few weeks ago, I posted a recipe for The Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies, that are gluten, dairy and nut free and made with tiger nut flour.

I received a lot of good feedback.

Not many people have ever heard of tigernut flour, or tried cooking with it.  It has a wonderfully sweet, nutty taste and offers many health benefits. 

Since that post, I have been back in the kitchen and have come up with an even easier recipe that takes about 10 minutes to put together and 20-25 minutes to bake…Tigernut Flour Chocolate Chip Squares. 

Since we follow a paleo-ish lifestyle and my daughter has a nut allergy, baking has always been challenging.  Replacing traditional and nut flours with coconut flour usually results in a dry, crumbly cookie, bar, or square, that doesn’t always pass the approval of my testers.  It doesn’t help that my youngest daughter is not the biggest coconut lover!

I made a pan last night and when I went to photograph it this morning, some squares had magically disappeared. A very good sign that they were enjoyed but not great for the photographer! 

If you haven’t heard of tigernut flour, you can read about all about it in my recipe for The Best Paleo Chocolate Chip Cookies. 

Tigernut flour can be a challenge to find.  There are only two stores in my city that carry it so I usually order it online.  Here is a link if you are interested in purchasing it. 

Tigernut Flour Chocolate Chip Squares

(Paleo, gluten free, dairy free, nut free)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup coconut sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup of tigernut flour

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/4 teaspoon of sea salt

1/2 cup of dark chocolate chips

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

In a bowl combine, coconut oil, coconut sugar, eggs and vanilla and mix using an electric mixer or a whisk.

Add in tigernut flour, baking soda, sea salt and mix until well combined. 

Stir in chocolate chips

Line a small square baking pan with parchment paper (mine is 6×6). 

Pour batter into the pan and give it a little shake to evenly spread the batter around (you can use a knife too). 

Bake for 20-25 minutes 

See, very quick and easy and wait until you smell them cooking in the oven.

Enjoy!