Note from Raw Juice Girl: In case you’re just tuning in, I wanted to bring you up-to-date by sharing (as I did in my last post) that I’m now the proud, new owner of a 9-tray Excalibur dehydrator. I’m beyond ecstatic; I’m overwhelmed with joy, gratitude, and so much more! So, I asked around to see if anyone had any favorite dehydrator recipes to share with me and I started getting emails. Then I started thinking: guest posts! The following guest post is one of those emails and I asked the author of that email, Mysti, if she’d be okay with sharing with you all what she shared with me. She said yes! Now, instead of keeping her awesome recipes to myself–you get to enjoy them, too! And, how very special that she’s the author of the first guest post to ever appear here on Healing with (Raw) Juices!  (And for those of you who are 100% raw and/or Vegan, honey is listed as one ingredient on the granola bars. You could use agave or raw honey there. While Mysti isn’t a raw foodist or even a vegetarian, I commend her for eating a high amount of veggies and fruit and always finding creative ways to bring healthy sustenance to her family’s table.)

Guest Post By Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger

I jumped last year to buy a dehydrator.  I absolutely love it!  I don’t think I could imagine my life without it, truthfully.

I have one of the pickiest eaters in the world.  It’s not his fault, but the foods that once brought terror into our lives with allergic reactions limited his diet early on and now that he has outgrown those allergies, we struggle to incorporate anything outside of his toddler years “norm.”  Having struggled so much, I looked high and low to find ways to bring more healthy foods into our oldest son’s diet and the dehydrator I bought last year has been vital in that process.

Fruit Roll Ups purchased from the store are filled with sugars and preservatives.  Making your own roll ups takes a bit of practice, but once mastered adds a new way to enjoy the goodness of fresh fruits (and vegetables!) in a not-so-healthy way.

My favorite recipes are:

Tropical Rolls

• 4 C Bananas
• 1 Orange, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 C Pineapple chunks
• Fruit Roll Sheets or Parchment/Wax paper
• Oil

Puree fruits together in a blender until smooth, but thick.  Take the fruit roll sheets or wax paper and lightly dust with oil for ease of removing once dry.  Spread the fruit puree about 1/4 inch thick on the sheets and dry at 120-135 degrees F for 4-8 hours, until moisture is removed.

Apple Strawberry Rolls

• 2 C Strawberries
• 2 C Applesauce
• Fruit Roll Sheets or Parchment/Wax paper
• Oil

Puree fruits together in a blender until smooth, but thick.  Take the fruit roll sheets or wax paper and lightly dust with oil for ease of removing once dry.  Spread the fruit puree about 1/4 inch thick on the sheets and dry at 120-135 degrees F for 4-8 hours, until moisture is removed.

We love granola and granola bars in our house.  You can get quite creative with combinations of items that you have on hand or readily available.  The basics are covered below.

Granola/Granola bars

• 5 C Rolled oats
• 2 C dried fruit (apples, raisins, dates, bananas, etc)
• 1 C crushed nuts
• 1/2 C wheat germ
• 1/2 C flax or sesame seeds
• 3/4 C brown sugar
• 3/4 C butter (melted)
• 1/2 C honey or agave
• 1/4-1/3 C Olive oil
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Solid dehydrator sheets or wax paper

Combine all the ingredients, mixing well.  Spread onto dehydrator sheets and dry at 130-150 degrees F for 3-5 hours, until crunchy.

If you would prefer granola bars, form into shape before placing in dehydrator.

As with everything that you dehydrate, you must remember to store in air-tight containers.  We prefer to use vacuum sealed bags personally.  Anything kept at room temperature will keep for two-four weeks.  If frozen, it will keep for up to six months.

Playing with your dehydrator is fun, exciting and an amazing experiment!!  You will find combinations of foods that serve yourself and your family better than others.  It’s all about preference!

Mysti Guymon-Reutlinger is a wife, mother, and amazingly creative (and healthy!) chef for her family and friends. She’s also a freelance writer with an edge on parenting, health and inspiration.  You can find her on the web at www.lifesapprobation.com or email her at mysti2009 at gmail dot com.

Thank you, Mysti, for sharing your dehydrated creations with us! I recommend you visit Mysti’s blog there. I’m a HUGE fan. Mysti shares her life so openly and honestly. And sometimes she shares recipes with special stories about why they’re a part of her family’s meal time. I personally compare her site to Chicken Soup for the Soul stories–it’s aweosme!

Do you have favorite dehydrator recipes you’d like to share? They don’t have to be 100% raw to qualify for a guest post, but I’d like to focus on creations using veggies, fruits, nuts, seeds, superfoods, etc. Contact me for guest posts similar to this one. Unless I’m totally bombarded, I’ll try to respond soon and let you know if your post qualifies. If approved, I’ll contact you requesting a short bio, a bio photo, and link to your blog/website if you have one.

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