Ginger Snap Granola

image source

This one goes out to my cookie lovers.  Much in the same way that the addition of orange juice suddenly makes drinking champagne at 10am ok, this granola is like eating cookies for breakfast with little to no guilt.



I made this last night and brought a little bowl of it into the living room to share with Andrew while we watched an old episode of Lost.  He took a taste, and then literally dumped the entire contents of the bowl into his mouth.  I guess he liked it?  I'd had enough during my taste-testing anyway.

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1/4 cup organic unsulphured molasses
• 1 Tbsp ginger paste
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 Tbsp organic coconut oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 250F
Combine agave nectar, molasses, ginger paste, and spices in a small mixing bowl.
In a medium mixing bowl, stir together oats, coconut, pecans, and salt.
Melt coconut oil in a pan on low heat, just until it's melted and then remove from heat.
Pour agave/molasses/ginger/spices mixture on oat mixture and stir until fully coated.
Pour coconut oil over mixture and stir again.
Spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet with sides and bake for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 - 15 minutes.
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

side note: don't do a google image search for "ginger snaps" expecting to get closeup pictures of cookies.  You won't, and what you do get is not pretty.  I think I might be scarred for life by what I saw.  You definitely want to have the word "cookie" in your search criteria.  

A Dreamy Tropical Vacation

I've found it.  The perfect tropical vacation for the busy and broke.  It doesn't cost much.  You can get there and back in ten minutes.  It's also only 266 calories per serving.

Behold!  A new variation on the best ever granola!  I seriously can't stop making granola these days, guys.  I have several different flavors up my sleeve.  All of them are free of processed sugars and industrial seed oils, which apparently are the fast track to an early uncomfortable death (see the article HERE).

So I got up Sunday morning with a crazy idea that I wanted to make another flavor of granola: Banana Almond.  I toyed with the idea of adding vanilla or amaretto flavor, but I decided that the sweetness and flavor of the banana shouldn't be tampered with by adding other flavors, especially since there is coconut inherently in all of my granola flavors and sometimes knowing when to edit is the most valuable cooking skill a person can have.  My instinct was right; it was delicious, and the natural banana flavor really came through, perfectly complemented by the flavor of the toasted almond slivers.

I sprinkled it on pineapple greek yogurt and was transported to a land where the sunsets are always gorgeous and the palm trees sway gently in a balmy breeze.

I prefer Chobani greek yogurt for this one, but if you really want to control the sugar situation, you can always get a plain yogurt and add your own fruit.  If I had a fresh pineapple, I'd totally be all over that.

Here's the granola recipe:

Ingredients

• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1 small ripe banana
• 1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
• 1/3 cup slivered almonds
• 3/4 cup agave nectar
• 3/4 tsp kosher salt
• 2 Tbsp coconut oil

Directions

Mash banana, mix all ingredients together, and bake at 275-300 for 60 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes.
Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This is an extremely low-effort way to look like a health-guru rockstar at home.  Did I also mention it's effing delicious?  Well it is.

wtf granola??

I was all excited about this cholesterol-free breakfast I love, but the calorie count is pretty much through the roof.  700 calories is ridiculous!  I feel tricked!  Am I just having sticker shock or do you think it's worth it?

Here's what's in it:
1cup granola mix:
low-fat granola with pumpkin seeds and flax seeds
dried cherries
sliced almonds
raw walnuts
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 cup fruit

Half an english muffin with a tbsp of cream cheese and an egg on top is only 300 calories including my coffee with coffeemate.  Is it worth it to double my calories and go cholesterol-free?  Am I being too anal about the whole thing?  Since I'm only supposed to take in a net of 1600 calories I'm feeling a little miserly.

Also, it's been over a week and I'm still at the same weight.  I kind of feel like I suck.  Maybe I should just take delight in the fact that I didn't gain any weight during the holidays, but I still feel a little defeated.  Any suggestions?