So I don't often have sweet cravings or a sweet tooth, matter of fact I am the direct opposite I much more prefer the salsa and chips or more savory items... HOWEVER... every now and again I wouldn't mind adding a bit of a sweet bite to my diet.
first off is Granola ... to be honest I use to hate the stuff, to me that and trail mix just never did the trick, but here recently and throughout my experimenting of new foods and what not I decided to give it a try.
**I cannot take credit for these recipes, however I can take credit for a few changes here and there which I do often, according to my taste and my meal plans** - a majority of these recipes you can find online, I love following fitness individuals so they often post meals they have and I like to try them out and so far granola is a win ... even shaun loves it and as he puts " I dont eat rabbit food" or anything healthy for that matter ;)
So here is the basics to the recipe:
you will need 2 cups oats (old fashion, rolled... whatever you like)
1/4 cup brown sugar blend (splenda... or you can use real brown sugar..... A few people have said that splenda has a funky aftertaste... I personally don't mind it but because the splenda brown sugar generally runs in the $5 -$6 dollar range if you are not sure of the after taste or not willing to spend that kinda of money go ahead and just use regular brown sugar)
1/4 cup agave syrup (or use honey if you prefer.. I think honey adds a better texture however agave works wonderful too)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice
3 tablespoons veggy oil ( I use canola and often try and use as little as possible.. I have been able to reduce this to 2 1/2 tbsp.
your choice of nuts (I use almonds, shelled sunflower seeds-non salted, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts etc) - try and aim for 1/4 cup of each
and 1/4 cup dried berry such as cranberries, cherries or raisins
Preheat oven to 325 , and use parchment paper ( I have a silicone mat I bought which replaces that.. and I absolutely love it)
Mix together oats, cinnamon/pumpkin spice, and salt
in a separate bowl mix the rest of the items (vanilla, brown sugar, agave, oil )
pour the wet mixture into the oats, and mix with hand- squeezing oats together to form texture (as much as I hate to do this sometimes its great for adding texture otherwise you will be eating it with a spoon, or like me looking like you're making out with a plastic bag trying to eat it in front of a lobby full of people : / )
once its mixed pretty well pour it onto your pan and place in oven for 10 mins
after ten mins remove and add the almonds, sunflower seeds etc,, or whatever you chose, and stick back in the oven for another 10 mins
finally add the berries and gently flip granola over, and cook for an additional 5-10 mins watching to make sure you do not burn the granola but you want it to be cooked enough to hold together
take out and let sit and cool (and I really mean this because the minute you try and sneak a taste you will no longer have a tongue or even lips after it's in your mouth.. this stuff becomes SUPER hot and because of the sugar mixture it will stick to your finger and have you running to a faucet to get the stuff off ---- all from experience and being impatient)
once its cooled for awhile (prolly 15 mins or so) you can go ahead and scoop it into bags or containers and it will store for a good 2 weeks (hint- make sure it is fully cold before placing in a container or it will "sweat" and spoil quickly)
first off is Granola ... to be honest I use to hate the stuff, to me that and trail mix just never did the trick, but here recently and throughout my experimenting of new foods and what not I decided to give it a try.
**I cannot take credit for these recipes, however I can take credit for a few changes here and there which I do often, according to my taste and my meal plans** - a majority of these recipes you can find online, I love following fitness individuals so they often post meals they have and I like to try them out and so far granola is a win ... even shaun loves it and as he puts " I dont eat rabbit food" or anything healthy for that matter ;)
So here is the basics to the recipe:
you will need 2 cups oats (old fashion, rolled... whatever you like)
1/4 cup brown sugar blend (splenda... or you can use real brown sugar..... A few people have said that splenda has a funky aftertaste... I personally don't mind it but because the splenda brown sugar generally runs in the $5 -$6 dollar range if you are not sure of the after taste or not willing to spend that kinda of money go ahead and just use regular brown sugar)
1/4 cup agave syrup (or use honey if you prefer.. I think honey adds a better texture however agave works wonderful too)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp cinnamon or pumpkin spice
3 tablespoons veggy oil ( I use canola and often try and use as little as possible.. I have been able to reduce this to 2 1/2 tbsp.
your choice of nuts (I use almonds, shelled sunflower seeds-non salted, pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts etc) - try and aim for 1/4 cup of each
and 1/4 cup dried berry such as cranberries, cherries or raisins
Preheat oven to 325 , and use parchment paper ( I have a silicone mat I bought which replaces that.. and I absolutely love it)
Mix together oats, cinnamon/pumpkin spice, and salt
in a separate bowl mix the rest of the items (vanilla, brown sugar, agave, oil )
pour the wet mixture into the oats, and mix with hand- squeezing oats together to form texture (as much as I hate to do this sometimes its great for adding texture otherwise you will be eating it with a spoon, or like me looking like you're making out with a plastic bag trying to eat it in front of a lobby full of people : / )
once its mixed pretty well pour it onto your pan and place in oven for 10 mins
after ten mins remove and add the almonds, sunflower seeds etc,, or whatever you chose, and stick back in the oven for another 10 mins
finally add the berries and gently flip granola over, and cook for an additional 5-10 mins watching to make sure you do not burn the granola but you want it to be cooked enough to hold together
take out and let sit and cool (and I really mean this because the minute you try and sneak a taste you will no longer have a tongue or even lips after it's in your mouth.. this stuff becomes SUPER hot and because of the sugar mixture it will stick to your finger and have you running to a faucet to get the stuff off ---- all from experience and being impatient)
once its cooled for awhile (prolly 15 mins or so) you can go ahead and scoop it into bags or containers and it will store for a good 2 weeks (hint- make sure it is fully cold before placing in a container or it will "sweat" and spoil quickly)
No comments:
Post a Comment