Easter Feaster Detox | Coconut Oil Granola

Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

So…I may have overdone it this weekend. You know, with the whole eating thing. One word: bruleedlemontartbananacreampiehotcrossbunscarrotcakechocolatejellybeans. Please tell me that your weekend was like this too.

It was?! Excellent! I have the perfect recipe to help you get back on track.

Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

After every holiday, I find myself itching to get back on the healthy eating wagon. Let’s face it – every holiday is practically an excuse to stuff your face with All. The. Things. At least, it is for me. And I’ve discovered that when I start my day with a healthy breakfast, I am much more inclined to keep eating healthy throughout the day. Likewise, if I start the day off with something unhealthy, or unfulfilling, then my habits throughout the rest of the day tend to snowball into something less than pretty. Funny how that works. I know I haven’t rubbed the following fact in your face for a while, but I’m going to Hawaii in a mere eight days.  And I intend to live in my bikini by the pool or beach for a large portion of my two week holiday. It’s time to detox from Easter Feaster.

Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

One of my absolute favorite breakfasts is granola with yogurt and fruit. And dudes, granola is darn easy to make yourself! In fact, you’re likely to save yourself a bunch of fat, calories, and sugar when you make your own granola versus buying the packaged crap filled with ingredients that you can’t pronounce. I have been making this granola for a couple of years now, and it was my go-to granola recipe…until I came across the recipe you see below. I have been using coconut oil more often in my baking and couldn’t wait to try using it in granola.

Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

Furthermore, the recipe comes highly recommended by two ladies that I trust when it comes to all things food. Why? Because they just know what’s up. If you haven’t already visited Megan or Cindy, get on it, STAT. I have never been disappointed by a recipe shared by either one of these lovelies, and this granola was no exception.

Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

It is such a simple recipe, yet it packs so much flavor and crunch. Oh, the crunch! I seriously could not stop eating it by the handful the first time I made it. The coconut oil imparts a nice flavor, yet isn’t overpowering. Don’t take my word for it, try it for yourself! Jump aboard the healthy granola train!

Coconut Oil Granola (slightly adapted from Take a Megabite, which was adapted from Hungry Girl Por Vida)

3 cups oats

2/3 cup sliced almonds

2/3 cup sunflower seeds

1 cup shredded unsweetened coconut

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. ground cardamom

A pinch of nutmeg

1/2 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup dried fruit (optional)

Preheat your oven to 325°F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.

In a large bowl, stir together the oats, almonds, sunflower seeds, coconut, salt, and spices. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil with the honey, brown sugar, and vanilla. Pour over the oat mixture and stir to evenly coat.

Spread the mixture out evenly on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes. Stir and continue to bake at 10 minute intervals until golden brown. (Mine took 15 extra minutes).

Megan and Cindy suggest adding one cup of dried fruit after baking, if desired. I added dried cranberries and chopped dried apricots the first time I made this recipe, and it was delicious. Serve your granola with milk, over greek yogurt with fruit, or from hand to mouth. It will be pretty much impossible not to do the latter.

Coconut Oil Granola | Once Upon a Recipe

Sometimes I eat as though I was raised in a barn. So sue me. 

Snack Attack | Chewy Granola Bars

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Friends, the holiday season is upon us! Have you noticed?

Christmas music has begun to play in the stores, new seasonal drinks are now available at Starbucks and the like (Peppermint Mochas!), and every evening when Bella and I get out for a walk, there are lights twinkling inside and outside of all the houses. (Oh, and it’s also dark by 4:30pm, hence the craptastic photos. Sorry friends, I couldn’t wait to share this recipe!) I love this time of year, but I must say, it really has creeped up on me this time around. Christmas is merely a few weeks away!

Granola Bars

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every year when December hits, I find myself scrambling to bake Christmas goodies, get my shopping done, and partake in fun holiday activities. Sometimes I am scrambling so much that I forget to take a breath and enjoy it all. And really, the main reason I am so in love with this time of year is that there is practically a standing excuse to gather together with friends and family to celebrate. There is something purely magical about coming together, eating delicious food, and toasting to the season with those people that bring joy to your heart. Call me a cheeseball, but I just luuuurrrrrve it.

On my bucket list for this holiday season:

  1. Go on a sleigh ride. I don’t know how I’m going to make this happen, but I’m sure gonna try! Anyone got a horse I could borrow? And a sleigh?
  2. Make a gingerbread house. Even though gingerbread houses never seem to get eaten (who wants to eat all that candy and cookie business after it’s been gathering dust for weeks?!), the process is so darn fun! And by process I mean putting more candy in your mouth than you put on the house. Magical.
  3. Watch one Christmas movie every week from now until Christmas. Top on the list – Elf, A Charlie Brown Christmas, and It’s a Wonderful Life (which I’ve never seen before – how?!)
  4. Fill a huge thermos with hot chocolate and Bailey’s, get a group of my favorite people together, and go tobogganing.
  5. Learn how to play an easy Christmas tune on the guitar. A party ain’t a party without a sing-a-long.
  6. Donate to those in need. I am very inspired by this.

…to name a few. What are some of the activities on your holiday bucket list?

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The holiday parties have begun. Time to get my arse in gear. But in all of this busy-ness, one cannot forget to eat! No problemo, I’ve got you covered with a dense and energy-packed granola bar that you can grab for a quick breakfast or snack on the run. I have been searching for ages for the perfect granola bar recipe. One that is chewy, not too sweet, and somewhat healthy.  The original recipe (taken from Whitewater Cooks) uses corn syrup, but I substituted brown rice syrup with great results. I’d really like to find a way to cut down a bit on the butter and sugar, but for now, it will do. This recipe makes a rather large batch, but they freeze very well once cut and put into an airtight container. I have also cut the recipe in half without issue – just use a smaller cookie sheet.

Feel free to change these up by adding your favorite mix-ins. I definitely recommend including the sesame seeds as they add a delicious crunch to these chewy bars. Any kind of dried fruit can be subbed in for the raisins, and some dark chocolate chips would take them to a whole other level.

Don’t forget to stop and smell the balsam friends. 😉

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Chewy Granola Bars (slightly adapted from Whitewater Cooks)

Makes 24 very generous bars.

1 cup butter, softened

1 ½ cups peanut butter (smooth or crunchy)

1 ½ TBSP. vanilla

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup brown rice syrup

6 cups large flake oats

1 cup shredded coconut, toasted

1 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

1 cup sesame seeds, toasted

2 cups dried fruit/chocolate

Lightly toast the coconut, sunflower seeds, and sesame seeds in a skillet over medium heat, then set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the butter, peanut butter, vanilla, and brown sugar. Add in the brown rice syrup and mix, and then add the remaining ingredients and stir by hand.

Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a large (ie. 12 x 18 inch) cookie sheet with parchment paper and press the mixture into the pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden brown around the perimeter and just set in the centre. Let cool slightly and then cut into bars. Freeze if the bars will not be consumed within a few days.

Granola Bars

Things Are Working Out | Lemon Coconut Cookies

Hello friends. My mind is full and cluttered today, so rather than fill your screens with my typical mutterings, I thought I would share a passage from a book I’ve been enjoying lately. If you’ve never heard of Melody Beattie’s Journey to the Heart, you should check it out. Journey to the Heart is a book of daily meditations – lovely and inspirational words to guide you on the path towards spiritual growth. If you just rolled your eyes, and spiritual growth isn’t your thang, keep scrolling for a wicked recipe. If you’re intrigued, keep on reading.

Many of my yoga instructors routinely read passages from this book, and during one particular class I connected so strongly to the passage that was shared that I approached the instructor afterwards to ask her what she was reading from. I picked up a copy of the book not long after that, and I’ve been slowly working my way through it. If you like what you hear, you might wish to get your hands on a copy too.

Things Are Working Out (Journey to the Heart: Daily Meditations on the Path to Freeing Your Soul, HarperCollins, 1996, p. 255-256):

Right now, this moment, things are working out. We natter away, trying to control, shape, and form. Trying to figure things out. We back off, then come closer. We worry and wonder. But things are working out. Things are working out as beautifully and Divinely as possible. The dance of life is taking place in sync with the rhythm of the universe.

Everything is working out, moving forward, evolving. There is a rhythm, an energy, a life force that continues, that shapes, that grows. You do not have to fight, resist, control, or even understand it. All you need to do is be – be present for your life, your love, yourself.

Your soul will lead you on. Your inner voice, your heart, is leading you on. Quiet your mind and trust that where you are and where you’re being led is perfect.

You don’t have to try to get it all together. You don’t have to strive to “have it all.” You already do have all that you need.

How many times have you been through an experience, fretting and fearful about the shape things were taking, only later to exclaim, Oh, I see now. Things were working out all along! Learn to say and believe that now.

Let your mind see what your soul already knows: things are working out perfectly. 

Sometimes it’s easy to worry and over think where we are at in our lives – are we doing enough? Are we doing too little? Relax. Breathe. Everything is working out, let’s enjoy the journey.

Be present. 

And now, a delicious, sweet, tart, chewy cookie for you to enjoy on this spectacular, overwhelming, complicated journey that is life. Lemon and coconut lovers, this one’s for you. As well as those who are curious about what would happen if a macaroon and lemon cookie had a lovechild.

Lemon Coconut Cookies (from Hershey’s Kitchens)

Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

Zest from 2 lemons (about 2 tsp.)

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup shredded coconut

Powdered sugar, for rolling

Preheat your oven to 300°F. Beat the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Add the eggs and lemon zest, and beat until well mixed. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Gradually add the flour mixture to the butter/sugar mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in the coconut. Cover and refrigerate the dough for at least an hour (or overnight), until the dough is firm enough to handle.

Roll the dough into 1.5-inch balls, roll in the powdered sugar, and place two inches apart on a lined baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes until the edges are set. Move the cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.

The last two photos in this post were taken with Instagram, an iPhone app. If you are an IG user and want to follow my daily foodie (etc.) life, you can find me at @onceuponarecipe. 
Now go make these cookies!
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