All About Oats Part 1: Homemade Granola

Granola has long held the reputation as a "natural health food," yet the nutritive benefits of most store bought granola are greatly diminished by high quantities of refined sugar and inflammatory vegetable oils.  Enter this homemade granola, adapted by yours truly from Alton Brown's Food Network recipe. Oats can be a great way to add soluble fiber, magnesium, and immune-boosting beta glucans to your diet, but sometimes plain old oatmeal can get a little routine.  (Getting bored with your oatmeal?  Check out this post on creative ways to spice up your oatmeal.)  Side note: make sure to always add some protein to your oatmeal, perhaps in the form of nuts, stirred in peanut butter, or even some protein powder to make your breakfast more well rounded and satisfying and to prevent a mid-morning blood sugar crash.  

I have been eating and baking with oats more often lately because they may help with breastmilk supply, and with four close friends having April babies I'm trying my hand at more oat-based recipes as gifts.  I love this adapted recipe, below, because it combines oats with dried fruits, dried unsweetened coconut, coconut oil, and nuts - all nutrient powerhouses.  Plus, with the fat and protein in the nuts and sweetness from a bit of honey, maple syrup and stevia, it causes much less of an insulin spike than your typical bagged granola.  Enjoy this granola atop organic Greek yogurt, mixed with almond milk and sliced banana, or just plain out of the bowl as a snack.  It stores well and makes a great gift, too!

Healthier Homemade Granola

Serves 6

Ingredients:

3 cups rolled oats
2 cups raw or dry roasted nuts (I used walnuts, almonds and cashews)
3/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut or coconut flakes
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/3 cup organic coconut oil
1/2 to 1 cup raisins, cranberries or other dried fruit
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
Dash stevia
Cinnamon to taste

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.  In a large bowl, combine oats, nuts, coconut and dried fruit.  

Combine all other ingredients in a separate bowl.  

Pour liquid mixture over oat mixture and pour onto two sheet pans. 

Cook for 1 hour 15 minutes to achieve an even color.  Mmmmmm...can't you smell that coconutty goodness already?  (Yes, coconutty is a word!)

Remove from oven, cool, and store in a glass bowl or containers.

Here was my breakfast - granola, almond milk, and bananas!  It was super fast, satisfying and definitely fulfilled my granola craving.  Plus, I am getting plenty of healthy fats - especially lauric acid from the coconut - which is so important for breastmilk quality.  (Not breastfeeding?  Coconut is awesome for your immune system, thyroid, and metabolism.)
 

Enjoy!
*M*

No Bake Dark Chocolate PB Oatmeal Bars

I did it!  I developed my own recipe!  (OK, I usually tweak any recipe I use to make it more Meg-a-fied, but this time I developed it on my own!)  I wanted to make a healthier no-bake cookie or bar that could also sub as a pre- or post-workout snack and had the two flavors I love the most: chocolate and peanut butter.  The result?  These fun little oatmeal bars that are great as a dessert, sweet snack, or even breakfast on the go.  Chocolate for breakfast, you ask?  Better (and more satisfying) than a chocolate doughnut!

This recipe is made up of some of my favorite nutrient-rich foods:

Cocoa powder and dark chocolate - full of phytochemicals (flavonoids, theobromine) that are cardio-protective and lower blood pressure.  Most of us love chocolate, and combining cocoa powder with coconut oil and a bit of stevia forms a nice chocolate "sauce" that's also super healthy.

Coconut oil - this once demonized oil has been heavily researched in the past decade and is now understood to be quite health-promoting.  We now know that it is beneficial to your heart and thyroid, and it may boost your metabolic rate and immune system strength.  Coconut oil is made up of medium chain triglycerides, which are preferentially metabolized and used for fuel by the liver.  (Polyunsaturated fats are made of long-chain fatty acids, which are harder to metabolize and are preferentially stored for fuel.)  Much of the research vilifying coconut oil was performed on oil that was partially hydrogenated; virgin coconut oil is what you want to reach for.  It is solid at room temperature but melts easily, especially if kept in an Arizona kitchen (mine is usually liquid after a few days in my pantry).

Peanut butter - great source of protein, adds satiety to meal, and thought to lower cholesterol and triglyceride levels.  Plus, it's just plain awesome.

Oatmeal - full of soluble fiber, which is thought to bind to LDL cholesterol and "sweep" it away from arteries.  This makes oatmeal heart healthy and a good whole grain option, if you eat grains.  Oats are naturally gluten-free, but many crops are cross-contaminated with wheat, rye or barley, or they're processed in facilities that also process gluten.  If you are gluten intolerant, opt for gluten-free brands like Bob's Red Mill, Holly's Oatmeal, or GF Harvest.  The less processed the oats, the more slowly they will be digested, so opt for traditional oatmeal or steel cooked oats whenever possible.  You can make oatmeal overnight in the crockpot to save time.  I used old fashioned oats for this recipe.  

Honey/stevia - I only used a small amount of honey, which has antimicrobial properties and is high in B vitamins, in this recipe, but I recommend it (and stevia) over other sweeteners because of its health benefits and minimal processing.  Plus, if you buy honey made in your local region, it may help you manage seasonal allergies a bit better.

This recipe is pretty dense and "oat-y" but has a strong chocolate peanut butter flavor.  If you don't like oats as much, you can reduce the quantity.  You can also make this lower in carbohydrates by reducing the honey (increasing stevia), eliminating the chopped dark chocolate, and swapping out 1 - 1 1/2 cups dried coconut for the oats.

Ingredients:

1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon coconut oil
3 tablespoons honey
Few dashes of stevia (to taste)
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup smooth peanut butter
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
3-4 ounces dark chocolate chopped (optional; about 1 bar)

Instructions:

Add 1/3 cup coconut oil, honey, stevia, and cocoa powder to a small saucepan and heat until gently boiling.  

Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla extract and peanut butter until well combined.  

Fold in oatmeal and chopped dark chocolate.  Drizzle with 1 tablespoon coconut oil to help bind the mixture.  

Spread evenly into an 8x8" baking dish and refrigerate to set.  

Cut into 12-16 squares and served once set.  Look how dense and yummy these are!  

I am considering freezing a few pieces to see how that goes, too!  Greg and I love having these in the fridge to satisfy our sweet tooth without a ton of sugar.  Let me know how you like them!

Enjoy!
*M*

Coconut Quick Bread

I'm always on the lookout for healthy baked goods, and when I came across this recipe in my friend Maya's newsletter, the Weekly Fig, I was stoked. Maya is a registered dietitian with a holistic background who has a similar approach as mine. Her newest website, Intentful Chef, is officially launching soon, and she is both a wealth of knowledge and an excellent cook. Thanks for this recipe, Maya!

I couldn't have said this any better, so I will directly quote Maya's Weekly Fig issue:

"Coconut flour is gluten free, high fiber, and high protein! You can buy it at most health food stores. Gluten is what typically gives breads their structure, which holds them together. Since the flour is gluten free, the properties are very different from that of wheat flour. Hence the reason for 6 whole eggs, providing a new form of structure for the bread."

Don't shy away from coconut oil and real, organic pasture butter - we're learning every day through research that saturated fat is not what causes heart disease. Check out this article for more information.

Maya's Coconut Quick Bread

Ingredients:
1 cup coconut flour (I got mine at Whole Foods)
1/2 cup real, unsalted butter (try organic pasture butter at Whole Foods)
6 eggs
4 T honey (you can use 2 or even a few dashes of stevia)
1/2 tsp. dirty sea salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon (optional)

Instructions:

Assemble ingredients:


Mix all ingredients together in a bowl using an electric mixer until it becomes a "clumpless" paste.

Coconut flour:


Eggs:



Honey:


Cinnamon:


Grease a loaf pan and drop in the batter.



Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes. The top will become golden brown or darker. Serve as is, with fresh made jam, or coffee (or Teeccino!).




Enjoy!

*M*

Healthy Fudge

For those of you who know me well, this is one of my all-time favorite dessert recipes...and it's super healthy! I love having this frozen fudge in my freezer as a great alternative to ice cream or packaged desserts, and even my discerning husband is a fan. I got the recipe from Dr. Ben Kim's website, which I'm a huge fan of, and I've tested it with clients and seminar participants with great success. It's high in healthy fats and uses natural sweeteners instead of high fructose corn syrup, like what can be found in many packaged desserts. Don't be afraid to use a little unrefined coconut oil; studies show that it's actually heart healthy and really great for your skin.

You can get really creative with this recipe. I added shredded coconut, almonds, and walnuts, but you can do dried fruits, other types of nuts (like macadamias), or even pretzels (Greg's idea). The resultant fudge is very dense and delicious. It only takes a small piece (try 1/4 - 1/2 of a "muffin" if made in a muffin tin) to satisfy a sweet tooth. Feel good that you're eating something that's both delicious AND healthy!

Healthy Raw Fudge

Ingredients

2 cups raw almond butter (only $4.99 at Trader Joe's)

1/4 cup raw cocoa powder, sifted to remove lumps (I didn't have raw powder when I made it this time, but I did have cocoa/maca powder and it works well)

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons liquid honey (I used honey and agave syrup because I ran out of honey)

1 heaping tablespoons unrefined, raw coconut oil, melted (optional)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 teaspoon coarse sea salt

Optional:

Nuts

Shredded unsweetened coconut

Dried fruit

Pretzel pieces (try spelt or whole wheat)

Instructions

Here are (most of) the ingredients, all lined up:

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Stir until smooth. Here are some of the steps, broken down a little bit. First, the almond butter (2 cups is basically the whole jar):

Next, the cocoa:

And the vanilla (I hardly have to measure for this recipe anymore, but you might want to grab a measuring spoon):

Here is what it looks like all stirred up:

You can stop here, or if you're like me, you like to add extra goodies. Here's the shredded unsweetened coconut:

Almonds and walnuts (basically leftovers I had in my cupboard that add texture):

Here it is, all stirred together:

Now, spoon the batter into square or circular muffin tins and pop the tin in the freezer. You can also put it in a glass or metal casserole dish, but I like the tins because it makes it easier to pop out fudge pieces and serve.

Make sure to keep this fudge frozen, or it will revert back to its more liquid, batter-like state. Use a sharp knife to cut the frozen pieces, and you have an instant healthy, delicious dessert that serves 24-48 (depending on the size of the pieces) for about $12 in supplies. That's $0.25- $0.50 per serving...far cheaper than Cold Stone! Enjoy slowly and mindfully, paying close attention to each bite.

*M*