Raisin & Walnut Granola

Back to school is on my mind... Obviously this is a big and busy time for a lot of families. We start back the first week of August. For us that means getting back on track with sleep, routine, and nutrition. One of the things I’m going to focus on is easy ways to get kids out the door in the morning. One of those things, is a healthy and nutritious breakfast.

Homemade granola is really easy. I like it, because I can tailor the flavors for my family specifically. I have a slight allergy to almonds, so I try to be careful to avoid them. Have you ever shopped for granola without almonds??? It’s really hard. So making my own granola is my best bet.

Start with the things your family likes. I made ours very simple oats, raisins, and walnuts. The options are endless, varieties of nuts, dried fruit and grains.

When using raisins, it’s really important to soak them in warm water for 30 minutes before making your granola. This prevents them from getting hard and crunchy in the oven as you cook your granola.

Next you need your fat and sweetener. Are used simple butter and honey. Coconut oil would be excellent, I just didn’t have any in my pantry. I melted one stick of butter in a microwave safe dish, added honey and vanilla and a dash of cinnamon to flavor the granola.

You bake this on a sheet pan on a thin layer at a low heat. Stir in every 10 to 15 minutes.

I cook mine for about 45 minutes. I like a golden brown but not too dark.

Raisin & Walnut Granola

3 Cups of old fashion Oats

1 1/2 Cups of Walnuts (finely chopped)

1 1/2 Cups of raisins (soaked in warm water for 30 minutes... drain before combining )

Mixed together in a large bowl

1 stick of melted butter

1 Tablespoon of good vanilla

1/3 cup of honey

1 tsp cinnamon

Stir wet ingredients with dry until mixed very well.

Spread on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet

Bake at 325 for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown. Stirring every 10.

Comments

DIY Salon Worthy Manicure at Home

DIY salon manicure at home So, like many of you mamas I don’t always have time to sneak off to the nail salon to get a manicure. Not only that, but weekly trips to the salon are not always in the budget. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love going to the salon. But the logistics get tough, I have to find someone to watch the youngest of my kiddos. So, a $30 manicure turns into a $50 outing once I pay the babysitter. More often than not, I do my nails at home. Here is how I am able achieve a salon look quickly at home. I tend do my nails at night after the kids are all in bed, while watching TV. Starting with clean dry nails, here is my process. First, I rub hand sanitizer or rubbing alcohol on on my nails. This takes the excess oil off of my nails and allows the polish to adhere better. This is the first step to a longer-lasting manicure. Second, I use a basecoat. I love Orly Bonder. It’s a rubberized product that allows the color to stick to y...

Favorite Everyday Shoes

Favorite Kicks I bought these shoes about a year & a half. I LOVE them. I stalked these shoes at my local DSW, I looked up outfits for these shoes on Pinterest. I did my due diligence. Needless to say, I have already gotten my money worth and they are still kicking! I bought mine at my local Store. You can find them online HERE . These are Dr. Sholl’s brand. They have memory foam and are terrific for walking all day. Not to mention, they are a pretty reasonable price point, especially when you consider how often I wear them! I wear them with jeans, leggings and shorts. I’ve even paired them with the occasional relaxed dress. What I love most about them is that they are as comfortable as my running shoes, but they take it up a knotch with fashion & style.

Breakfast Bowl

I've done several bowl recipes. I am partial to them. Portion control, easy eating and delicious. As I have been all about back to school prep lately... this recipe seemed like a no brainer.. Ingredients: 1 bag frozen sweet potato tots Eggs 4-5 slices of bacon 1/3-1/2 roll of breakfast sausage 4-5 mini sweet peppers chopped Salt & Pepper to taste Smoked paprika Garlic paste Grated cheese (I used a smoky spicy variety) I picked up some sweet potato tots at my local market. I used the sweet potato tots as the base layer of my bowl. I cooked them as instructed on the bag. Mine called for 425 degrees for 20-25 minutes. I love the balance of sweet they add to this bowl. You could easy do fresh oven roasted sweet potatoes...but for me the time saver is a huge draw. While those were in the oven, I cooked some chopped up bacon in a skillet. While that browned I chopped up some sweet peppers. I also used some breakfast sausage that I browned ...

Work of the Heart

Search This Blog