Thursday, July 26, 2012

Mouthwatering Deliciousness

Hey readers!  I just wanted to share a great food blog that I came across today:


She has so many amazing recipes to try and I am positively drooling over the way she organized everything!  

I put a link to her blog on my Follow These Blogs tab above and will also be adding some of the recipes from her blog to my Google site (which has been going through some renovations of it's own!).

WARNING: You could get stuck browsing her blog for hours.  So unless the kiddos are napping and you have an endless amount of time on your hands, leave it for later.  Because once you start looking, it'll be hard to stop.  ;-)

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Homemade Granola

I found the easiest homemade granola recipe.  There are only five ingredients and it takes about half an hour to make, including prep time.  And I had everything in my kitchen so I didn't even have to run to the store!

There are a few things to remember when making granola:

  • It's only good for a week so make a little at a time!  You can always make more later!
  • You can add anything you want to this recipe: nuts, cranberries, raisins...the options are endless!
  • Always store in an airtight container!  I think a glass one you could set on your counter would work perfectly (and it would look cute too!)!
Homemade Granola Recipe
Need:
     2 cups Old Fashioned Oats
     1/4 tsp cinnamon
     1/4 tsp salt
     2 tbspn unsalted butter
     1/4 cup plus 1 tbspn of honey

Directions:
     1.  Preheat oven to 300 degrees.
     2.  In a medium bowl combine oats, cinnamon, and salt.
     3.  In a small saucepan heat honey and butter over medium heat and cook until butter has just       melted.  Pour over oat mixture and cover well.
     4.  Pour granola out onto a baking sheet (if you leave it slightly chunky bigger chunks of     granola form).  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until mixture is golden brown.  
     5.  Cool to room temperature before storing it in an airtight container.  Remember, it's only good for one week!

Strawberry Granola Smoothie

I love smoothies.  I honestly could eat one for breakfast, lunch, and dinner and be completely happy.  Ever since we got our blender I've been searching Pinterest for some delicious recipes and I'm happy to report I've found a breakfast one that I just love!

For this smoothie I make my own granola because it's very hard for me to find granola at the grocery store because of my nut allergy.  I also use frozen strawberries from Costco and omit the bananas from the original recipe (I'm slightly allergic to those too).

I'm slightly adapting the recipe from this site.

Need:
     8 frozen strawberries
     1/2 cup granola
     1 cup non-fat vanilla yogurt (I use Greek)
     1 cup 1% milk
     1/2 cup ice cubes
     2 tbspn honey (optional)

Directions:
     1.  Blend all ingredients together in blender.
     2.  Pour in a cup and enjoy!


Don't worry!  If you have leftovers and you're too full to eat them there are some easy ways to store it for later consumption!

  • You can freeze the leftover smoothie in ice cube trays to save for later! 
  • Put the smoothie in a thermos to keep it cold if you want to take it to work with you.  Put it in the refrigerator once you get there and go back for it when you're ready for some food!
  • Instead of a thermos, you can put the smoothie in a glass jar or pitcher.  Make sure to fill it to the brim otherwise you could have a large quantity of air that comes in contact with the mixture.  Seal the jar or pitcher with with a lid or cling wrap.