Granola Alternative

One of my favorite snacks to eat during the day is a nice bowl of vanilla yogurt with cottage cheese, granola and fresh strawberries. For quite a while now I was using a brand of granola that I thought was "Organic" granola, until reading Michael Pollen's, "Food Rules" and learning that what may be packaged as organic may not necessarily be organic. Then again, anything that has to be packaged to begin with should have you questioning its health benefits.

Either way, in my attempt to rid myself of processed, packaged and refined foods I was scanning through the net and came across a really great granola alternative to that found in the grocery store. It's a recipe that comes from Kathy Nichols over at the Healthy Habits Coach Blog. Her recipe uses mostly natural ingredients, is super-duper healthy, and taste amazing.

I altered the recipe a bit, by replacing canola oil with olive oil, using less almonds and agave nectar and opting not to use apple-sauce and sesame seeds. I suggest you experiment with the recipe a bit to match your taste.

Here's the recipe for you:

Healthy Homemade Granola

Dry Ingredients:
5 cups rolled oats (you can also use a combination of rolled grains)
2-3 cups of raw almonds or pecan halves (or other nuts)
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds (or sunflower seeds)
¾ cup sesame seeds
½ cup wheat germ or ground flax seed.
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
Options: ½ – 1 cup unsweetened coconut,
½ cup dried fruit (add after cooked) –date pieces, cranberries, cherries, apricots, mango

Wet Ingredients:
¾ cup unsweetened applesauce
1/3 cup agave nectar (or brown rice syrup, honey or maple syrup)
Note: see new posting questioning agave.
2 Tbsp canola oil

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Mix the wet ingredients together, and then stir into dry ingredients. Stir well to mix thoroughly.

Spread the mixture into two baking dishes. Bake for 35 – 40 minutes, or until evenly golden brown. Stir every 10 minutes to ensure even browning. Stir again when removed from oven to keep it from cooling into a solid mass. The granola will crisp as it cools. If you use fruit, stir once it is cooled.

Store in the refrigerator in a large zip lock bag or other airtight container. Makes about 10 cups.

A Declaration of Independence from a Weight Obsessed World!!

One of my friends who I admire and respect dearly posted this on facebook recently, so I thought I'd share. It's a Declaration of Independence from a Weight Obsessed World put out by The National Eating Disorder Information Center and offers a nice little reminder on the importance of accepting and appreciating your body and not getting hung up in trying to fit into society's standards of perfection...enjoy!

Declaration of Independence from a Weight Obsessed World:

*I will accept my body in its natural shape and size.

*I will celebrate all that my body can do for me each day.

* I will treat my body with respect, giving it enough rest, fueling it with a variety of foods, exercising moderately and listening to what it needs.

* I will choose to resist our society's pressure to judge myself and other people on physical characteristics like body weight, shape, or size. I will respect people based on the qualities of their character and the impact of their accomplishments.

* I will refuse to deny my body of valuable nutrients by dieting or using weight loss products

* I will avoid categorizing foods as either "good" or "bad". I will not associate guilt or shame with eating certain foods. Instead, I will nourish my body with a balance of foods, listening and responding to what it needs.

* I will not use food to mask my emotional needs.

* I will not avoid participating in activities that I enjoy (i.e. swimming, dancing, enjoying a meal) simply because I am self consious about the way my body looks. I will recognize that I have the right to enjoy any activities regardless of my body shape or size.

* I will believe that my self-esteem and identity come from within!

Michael Pollan's Food Rules

Looking for a good read? I highly recommend Michael Pollan's, "Food Rules: An Eater's Manual. Trust me when I say that after reading this book you will never look at food the same again and your relationship with food may even change as well.

I learned about Pollan's "Food Rules" after watching a recent episode on Oprah entitled, "Food 101 with Michael Pollen". The whole premise of the show was to uncover the hidden secrets behind the many foods we eat, along with where they come from, what's been added into them, and what's been removed from them.

This show was certainly an eye-opener for me as I discovered that many of the foods we put into our bodies are harmful in nature and affect our health in more ways than you canimagine. I'll be honest in stating that I knew that a lot of the CRAP I ate before wasn't all that good for my body, but I chose to ignore it because the food taste so good and, to be frank with you, I just didn't care. But now after an in depth look into the practices of food manufactures, my outlook on food has totally changed.

Michael Pollan's "Food Rules"lays out a basic, straightforward approach to eating, summed up in 7 simple words : "Eat Food. Not Too Much. Mostly Plants". These 7 simple words offer a simple equation for eating healthy, finding health and living happily.

The book is an easy, simple guide which is broken down into 3 sections and offers 64 basic principles for making healthy and conscious choices when it comes to food. The first section centers around eating nutritious, wholesome foods, while avoiding processed, packaged and refined ones; the second section offers rules for differentiating between various types of foods and choosing among real ones; and the third section offers tips aimed at modifying your eating habits. The best thing about this book is that it offers simple, practical advice that anyone can follow without getting bogged down with scientific jargon, theory and history often associated with other books on diet and nutrition.

If you're looking to make healthy changes in your life and choose health first, then this book is for you. I haven't done so bad as far as making small changes to my eating habits, but after reading this book I know I can do better and so can you!

I know, I know-you all must be wondering where I've been over the last few months. I haven't forgotten about you or the commitment I've made to getting in tip-top shape! The last few months have been a little bit challenging as I was dealing with a few health issues that prevented me from keeping up with my weight loss journey. Not only that, with the Christmas holiday's my commitments with diet and exercise stalled completely with all the food temptations caved into through-out the season.

With the new year among us, I have re-committed myself once again to continuing on my weight loss journey and feel super RECAHRGED! Speaking of recharged, have you guys seen the latest release from Tosca Reno? The Eat-Clean Diet: Recharged. I am an huge fan of Tosca and absolutely love her books! I own every book she's ever put out and am totally amped about her latest release.

For those of you who are new to the "Eat-Clean Diet", Tosca promises you lifelong weight by following her simple and easy to follow guidelines.

What is Clean Eating? According to Tosca, it's not a diet that you go on for one minute and then off the next. It's a lifestyle, meaning that you commit to making a life-style change in your diet and health in general, for long and lasting results.

What I love about this book is that it's a great starting point for those who are serious about getting in shape, but have no idea where to start. It's loaded with tons of information to help you get started with a solid plan and stick to it long-term. The book itself is about 415 pages in total and has everything you can think of from how to structure a meal plan, prepare for eating out, right down to dealing with skin issues such as loose and saggy skin, and the dreaded "C" word-cellulite! The best part of all, is the selection of recipes at the back of the book for those who are trying to get use to the clean eating lifestyle, but are not much of cooks in the kitchen.

I love this book and highly recommend it to anyone wanting to get in shape! Trust me you won't be sorry!