“Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food” ― Hippocrates

I’ll admit it. I’m a health nut.

I look at food as a way to nourish my body more than a way to nurture my taste buds.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a delicious meal… but I love even more a deliciously healthy meal.

And here’s the thing: Meals are pretty easy to put together, but it’s the snacks that I tend to struggle with…

So much of the snacky stuff in the store is full of junk, even the ones labeled “natural” or “organic.” Of course there’s plenty of fresh fruit. And fresh fruit works in a pinch, but I feel better and have more energy if I add in a little protein and fat for more balanced blood sugar levels.

That’s what inspired this recipe…

It centers around pears because, well, ’tis the season. And, as I said, fruit is a readily available snack. Then I add in some gelatin for a healthy, non-inflammatory protein, with a bit of coconut oil as my healthy fat that to give this snack an little bit of extra satiety.

I love that each little serving of this healthy snack contains healthy sugar, protein, and fat. Plus, just as importantly, it tastes incredibly delicious!

Here’s how to make it.

Ingredients:

  • 6 ripe pears
  • 6 TB gelatin
  • 2 TB honey (feel free to increase this to 4 TB if you like things SWEET!)
  • 2 TB coconut oil. (I use expeller-pressed so it doesn’t overwhelm the flavor of the pears, but you can replace this with butter, ghee, cream, or other fat)
  • 1 1/2 cup water
  • 12 drops of stevia (optional)
  • Cumin, cinnamon, and cloves to taste (optional)
protein-pear-pudding-step-by-step-mamanatural-com

Directions:

  1. Wash and cube the pears.
  2. Put the pears in a sauce pan and with 1/2 cup of filtered water, your honey, stevia, and spices.
  3. Cook on medium heat covered for 10 to 15 minutes or until pears are nice and soft.
  4. Puree with an immersion blender or food processor.
  5. Return or keep pear mixture in sauce pan on lowest heat.
  6. Take 1 cup of cold water, mix in your 6 TB gelatin, and blend evenly. (Move quickly so the gelatin doesn’t begin to set while you work.)
  7. Pour the gelatin mixture into your sauce pan with the pears.
  8. Stir the mixture continually until gelatin is fully dissolved into the pear mixture. You may need to turn up the heat to medium.
  9. Add in your fat. Let it melt and blend evenly.
  10. Once completed, turn off the heat and let the mixture slightly cool.
  11. Pour everything into 1 cup mason jars and close with lid.
  12. Put each jar in the refrigerator for several hours till they set and are relatively firm to the touch.

When you’re ready to eat this yummy snack, consider letting it sit out for a few minutes first. I like to set it out for 15 minutes before eating, so the mixture softens a bit.

Each serving contains: 25 grams carbohydrates (0r 50 percent), 14 grams of non-inflammatory protein (28 percent), and 5 grams fat (22 percent) for a total of 200 calories.

ENJOY!

How about YOU? What are your favorite snacks?

Read This Next…