Well, hey there! I told you I would be back soon!
So I have been working hard the past few days creating the perfect post and I think you will love what I have to show you!
BOOM! This stuff is AMAAAAZING! ….and i think you should eat some right NOW!
I do want to stop and give you a sneak peak of what the vision is for this blog of mine. This blog is not about me. Well, you might be a little confused about that statement because there are things on here that describe who I am and what I do. That aside, this blog is for you! Yes you…you with the scrunched up eyebrows! 😉 I’m good huh! This blog has been created for you to help you when you are beside yourself at the start, middle, and/or end of the day when your kids are screaming, husband is inquiring, or mom is calling you about what you are fixing to see if she wants to come over or not! This blog is for YOU! Are you grasping the point yet? 😉 I want to create meals, snacks, etc. for you to enjoy at any hour of the day to better your health. So…bottom line is that this blog is for YOU and I am going to have so much fun getting to know you!
Have you had breakfast today yet?
Do you usually eat breakfast?
Do you want to start?
Well how about a taste of this magnificent granola?
Granola always goes well with a few dollops of your favorite yogurt. Obviously, the fruit ones have more sugar. I do know people usually are not particularly fond of plain yogurt. However, if you start with 6oz plain yogurt (Fage)+ 1/4 cup of raspberries to it and a sprinkle of your favorite sweetener = 116 calories, 18 g protein, 0g fat, and 5g sugar! This is quite different from the raspberry yogurt in the bottom row because there is less than one third the amount of sugar! …NOTE TO SELF FOR FUTURE YOGURT PURCHASES!! ….BUT I am definitely not saying you should never buy fruit flavored yogurt anymore because I sure buy it. However, if you are looking for a way to decrease sugar in your diet and add protein this would be a good way to do that! 🙂
Now for the fun part! I mean c’mon this entire post has been a BLAST! But what do you get when you mix the world’s best granola with scrumptious greek yogurt…VOILA!
FABULOUS YOGURT AND GRANOLA PARFAITS!
…I think you just got two new fun recipes in one blog post. That’s kind of a big deal! At least in my neck of the woods! 😉 You guys are great and I hope you enjoy this fabulous granola for years to come! I mean it even has chia seeds in it! Chia seeds have more omega-3 fatty acids than SALMON per gram! That is impressive! And they are so darn cute! That is a little weird referring to a seed as cute, but that is what they are! Please don’t judge me! Haha!
Now, I think it is time to enjoy my granola and yogurt parfait!! 😉 I think you should do that too! 🙂
Homemade Cinnamon Pecan Granola
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup pecans coarsely chopped
- 1 cup coconut
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 tablespoons flax seed
- 1 tablespoon chia seeds
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup coconut oil melted
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg white lightly beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300℉.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, pecans, coconut, brown sugar, flax seed, chia seeds, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In medium bowl, combine melted coconut oil, maple syrup, egg white, and vanilla. Whisk ingredients until smooth.
- Pour over dry ingredients and mix with spatula until just moistened.
- Spread granola mixture onto baking sheet and even it out with rubber spatula.
- Bake at 300℉ for 45 minutes, making sure not to stir granola while it is baking. This would prevent large clusters from forming. Let granola cool completely and then break clusters apart.
- Optional: Add dried fruit or raisins.
- Store in airtight container up to 1 week.
- Enjoy!
Notes
P.S. Update on Vegetarian Month–Things are going well! It’s not as hard as I thought it would be. I definitely am more aware of what I eat, making sure to get in plenty of protein from sources such as cottage cheese, chickpeas, peanut butter (Yes, I have eaten one PBJ). However, this is a fun little experiment to help me develop some creativity in this kitchen with meatless entrees! Fun! Fun! I’m not going to lie though…I did want a bite of my son’s hamburger last night but I abstained!!