Tag Archives: oatmeal

Easy Granola

April 23, 2012
Shannon
2 comments
almonds, coconut, dried fruit, food, oatmeal

Spur of the moment trips are always the best. I was at work on Thursday when I decided to take advantage of the nice weather and take Friday off. When I talked to my friend who lives close by, she said she was headed to Chicago over the weekend for a meeting. “Take me with you!” I exclaimed. Next thing I know, I booked a flight and jetted off to my favorite city for an impromptu weekend trip. After I’d packed and was killing time before heading to the airport, I decided to make a quick snack that would not only be great for the flight but could easily be tossed in our bags as we roamed the Second City.

Easy Granola is nutty, slightly sweet, slightly salty and well, easy! Oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, and coconut are mixed together with syrup and a little canola oil and baked until golden brown. Dried fruit added at the end provides a sweet, tart, and chewy delicious touch. I used a combination of almonds and pecans since I had them on hand so feel free to use any combination of nuts like walnuts, macadamia, cashews, etc. I also used less coconut since I only had sweetened coconut on hand and didn’t want this too sweet. I used dried cherries but any dried fruit – cranberries, blueberries, apricots – would be delicious. And lastly, I substituted blue agave syrup for the maple syrup since I had that on hand also. This is such a versatile recipe that any combination of nuts, fruit and syrup with make this a delicious snack. Keep this stored in an airtight container to eat as a snack or toss in with yogurt or over ice cream. This kept us going all weekend!

The ingredients:

Combine all of the ingredients, except dried fruit, in a pan or bowl and toss until well combined. (I didn’t read the directions correctly and added the dried fruit here. It worked out okay but try to add the fruit at the end.)

Spread mixture onto a large baking sheet and bake in a 350° F oven for 25 minutes.

Toss the mixture once during baking so the edges don’t burn.

Add in the dried fruit and allow mixture to cool before storing in an airtight container.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions:

Pecans and almonds
Blue agave syrup
Sunflower seeds

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Real Simple Magazine

Apple-Oat Muffins with Brown Sugar-Cinnamon Swirl

Are you one of those people who sometimes skips breakfast because you hit snooze one too many times and you just don’t have time to eat it? Or you end up grabbing a calorie-loaded bagel or greasy egg sandwich because it’s quick? That’s me! When you are watching your weight, breakfast can be hard. I love making muffins because they are tasty, filling and already portion controlled. These Apple-Oat Muffins with Brown-Sugar Swirl are low in calories, full of flavor, and can start your day off right. These muffins use whole-wheat flour and oats in place of some of the white flour to help boost fiber and keep you fuller longer. Applesauce helps keep these muffins moist without adding fat and cinnamon and cloves give them spice. Muffins easily freeze well too so if you can’t eat 12 muffins (or 24 mini-muffins) in a week, throw them in a freezer bag for later and just give them a quick pop in the microwave for a fresh muffin whenever you want it!

The ingredients:

In a large bowl, combine flours, oats, sugar, baking powder, 1/2 of the cinnamon, baking soda, salt and cloves. Create a well in the center and set aside.

In a small bowl, mix remaining cinnamon, brown sugar, and water until brown sugar is dissolved. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, combine milk, applesauce, egg, oil and vanilla. Pour mixture into well of dry ingredients and mix until just combined.

Fold in diced apple.

Spoon batter into a muffin tin and top each muffin with the brown sugar-cinnamon mixture. Use a toothpick to swirl the mixture into each muffin.

Bake in a 400ºF oven for 12 minutes.

Additions: None

Omissions: None

Substitutions: None

Overall Rating: Like It

Source: Shape Magazine

Oatmeal Toffee Cookies

I love cookies and if I had to pick a favorite, I’d have to say it’s peanut butter. But, each and every time I eat an oatmeal cookie, I’m reminded just how much I love them as well. My mom loved oatmeal cookies and made them often (without raisins) so I can’t help but think of my childhood with each bite. These Oatmeal Toffee Cookies aren’t my mom’s old fashioned oatmeal cookies though. These contain little toffee bits and are just as good as any oatmeal cookie you might like. Want to make some easy drop cookies for a cookie swap or to leave for Santa? I bet there won’t be a crumb left.