Homemade Granola

Ingredients:

7 cups of whole oats

1 cup flax seed meal

1 cup almonds

1 cup walnuts

1 cup pumpkin seeds

1/2 cup sesame seeds

1 1/2 cups honey

1/2 cup melted coconut oil

2 cups dried fruit (I used cranberries this time.)

1 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Put almonds, walnuts, and pumpkin seeds in the food processor and pulse until they are chopped to the consistency that you like.  (You can use whatever nuts you like best or whatever you have on hand at the time!) Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl and stir well.

Combine honey and coconut oil in a pan.  Heat on the stove until coconut oil is melted, and it is combined with the honey.  Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and combine until the mixture is coated.  You may need to use your hands to combine it well.

Spread it evenly in a baking pan.  Bake on 325 for 15 minutes.  Then stir it well on the pan.  Continue to bake for 5 minutes at a time and stir well until granola is dry and slightly toasted.  Be sure to watch it well as it can easily get too brown.  Store in an airtight container.  This recipe will easily freeze for use whenever you are ready!

Pretzel, Banana, & Almond Butter Snack

My oldest daughter came up with this great snack. It works well as an after school or at bedtime if it's been a while since kids have eaten dinner. It could even work as lunch!

Pretzels
Sliced Bananas
Almond Butter (any nut butter will work)
Flax Seed Meal

Layer bananas on top of pretzels. Add almond butter, and sprinkle flax seed meal next. Top with another pretzel. Enjoy!

Healthy Homemade Granola

Ingredients:
6 cups whole rolled oats
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/2 cup shredded coconut
1/2 cup ground flax seeds
1/2 cup wheat germ
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 cup raw honey
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup water
1 T. vanilla
1 cup "add ins" such as dried fruit, carob chips, etc.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl (except for add ins). In a pot combine honey, oil, and water. Heat on low until mixed together.




Pour liquid mixture over dry mixture. Stir until dry mixture is wet.


Pour mixture onto 2 baking sheets and spread evenly on pans. Bake at 350 until oats are crunchy. Stir mixture every 10-15 minutes.  Remove from the oven when crisp and pour into an airtight container.  Add additional items to suit your taste.  I added dried cranberries this time.  Leave the lid off and continue to stir every 15 minutes until granola is cool.  Cover with the lid and store!

Homemade Granola Bars

Ingredients:
2 cups raw oats
2 cups puffed rice
1/2 cup flax seed meal
1/2 cup wheat germ
2 cups of "add ins"*
(dried fruit; carob chips; pretzels; nuts; seeds; etc)
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 cup raw honey

Directions:
Put a thin coating of coconut oil in a 9x12 baking dish or pan of your choice.  Cut a 9x12 piece of parchment paper to press the mixture in the pan.

Place raw honey and coconut oil in a pan on the stove.  Heat on low until the two are melted together.  Stir well. Do not boil. Turn the stove off and let mixture sit while you are combining your other ingredients.

Place all the dry ingredients above in a large mixing bowl. Stir well.  Pour the honey/coconut oil mixture over the dry ingredients and mix thoroughly until the ingredients are coated with the liquid.


Then spoon the mixture into the 9x12 pan and press it down with the parchment paper.  You can even use a rolling pan to press more evenly.  Place the pan in the refrigerator to allow it to chill.  Then cut and serve!  Store in the refrigerator.



Take time to EXPERIMENT with ingredients you have or prefer.  Replace the puffed rice with more oats or with barley oats.  You can even add a few tablespoons of cocoa or carob powder for a chocolate taste.  The more granola bars you make, the better you will become at developing the taste and consistency that is your preference!

Nature's Packaging

My kids eat snacks during the day, and my goal is for what they eat to count for something significant in their bodies.  I want them to enjoy it and know why it is good for them.  I try to stay as homemade as I can.  Prepackaged snacks often times have lots of artificial ingredients and fillers to increase their taste and shelf life.  Seriously, a package of goldfish or graham crackers is going to taste the same 5 years from now! That should speak volumes to us and stop us for a minute to consider what is in that "food like substance" as Michael Pollan calls them, that allows it to remain the same so long.  I like to reduce their exposure to prepackaged snacks to occasionally.

Today, we limited our partaking of prepackaged snacks and helped the environment by eating fresh tangerines.  The kids love pealing them by themselves,and the taste is unbeatable!  They are packed with vitamins and minerals that are bioavailable - ready to be absorbed into their bodies and get to work!

Now, I cannot change the shelf life very much of the snack we had today, but I can guarantee that the packaging is perfectly designed to go back into the ground and create new life after it decomposes!   And, the effect of what is inside the snack will beat anything you can buy in a man-made package!  We can thank our Creator, God, for creating the first snacks for on the go- perfectly packaged!