nut & seed granola

When we were in Windhoek last week {which is the capital of Namibia- about 3 hours away from our town.}, ya know- the same time I didn't sleep on a hard hotel room floor and nearly died from a horrible cold? Yah, that time.

When we were there, we always make sure to get in some shopping because it seems like pretty much anywhere but in Otji, there's better stores. {The grass is always greener on the other side.} We quickly popped into one of the grocery stores and I was so excited to see the amount of health food they had! Seriously, nothing fancy around here- just sunflower seeds and almonds in the health food aisle at our grocery store in town.

At this one though, there were flax seeds, wheat germ, rolled oats {you can only usually find quick oats.}, puffed brown rice cereal, agave, and I even saw a sticker for quinoa although I couldn't find the actual bag which made me sad since I've heard about all it's ancient powers but never actually gotten to try the stuff.

Anyways, I basically grabbed every bag of healthy greatness in my peripheral vision and was so excited to get home and use it in my baking!

First up, I made granola. Usually when I make granola, I'm the only one who eats it. This time, my family inhaled it and it was gone within 24 hours which I found to be quite shocking since my granola jar is usually full throughout the week. It was definitely some of my favorite granola I've made in awhile so I decided to remake it, measure, take pictures, post, ya da ya da ya da.

And here ya have it, folks! Nut and seed granola. I added in some flax and sunflower seeds, wheat germ {which gives it a nice nutty flavor that I totally dig}, and brown rice cereal because I love the crunch it adds to each bite. I also used some mixed nuts we had on hand, but you can use only almonds, only walnuts, or a mix of whatever. As always, it's super adaptable and you can easily change things up according to your tastes!

nut & seed granola

1 1/4 c. oats

1/3 c. puffed brown rice cereal

2 tbsp. wheat germ

1/2 c. chopped nuts

1/4 c. flax seeds

1/4 c. sunflower seeds

3 tbsp. dark brown sugar

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 c. honey

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, mix together all ingredients until evenly combined. Pour onto lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Once cooled, transfer to a large jar or plastic container.

no bake trail mix cookies

The last few days, I've gone through a box of tissues and a few rolls of toilet paper. Been close to coughing my brains out. Taken numerous bubble baths. Worn nothing but pajamas and yoga pants. Spent hours in bed reading. Eaten mainly chicken soup and smoothies for my meals. And have watched tons of movies and episodes of the Office. 

In case you can't tell, I've come down with one heck of a cold. 

I felt it coming on when we were in the car driving to Windhoek for the day. That night, I was so miserable laying on that hotel room floor and didn't sleep a bit due to my stuffed up nose, congested chest, and sore throat. 

What. a. dream. 

Trust me, I love being lazy- I'm basically a professional. 

But after day one, I'm ready to not be sick in bed. It drives me CAAAHHHRAAAZAAAAAY. Not to mention, since I haven't exercised since Wednesday, I feel like a big old blob. 

Unless I want to cough and wheeze to my death, I probably won't be able to run until next week. 

I am starting to feel a lot better though. I'm still so stuffed up, but I can actually taste some of the things I eat. My energy is coming back too... enough so that I was able to climb a water tower last night. 

BUUUUUUUT that's a whole other story. 

I have also come to the conclusion that the Office is basically the best show there ever was.

In one episode when Andy said "My whole life is a freaking snot bubble!", I found it oddly hilarious and relevant. I laughed so hard.

And then had a cough attack and nearly died.

Gross, sorry.

Anyways, this post is pretty scattered, but I figured I'd end it with something appropriate to a food blog… Food!

These cookies take about 5 minutes from bowl to face hole and you don't even have to turn on the oven! The base for the cookies is honey, peanut butter, and oats- that's it. I love this combo and, I'm gonna admit, at times when I need something sweet {which is. umm. always.}, I mix those ingredients together in a bowl and eat it with my fingers like cookie dough. 

For add-ins I just grabbed what I could find out of the cupboard. Raisins, peanuts, chocolate chunks, almonds, and flax seeds. You could substitute whatever nuts, dried fruit, or chocolate you would like though- the possibilities are endless. 

no bake trail mix cookies

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. + 2 tbsp. honey 

1 1/4 c. quick oats

2 tbsp. flax seeds

1/4 c. salted peanuts

1/4 c. seedless raisins

1/4 c. chopped almonds

1/2 c. chocolate chunks {or chocolate chips}

In a large mixing bowl, mix together all ingredients. Stir until combined. Roll dough into balls and place on a lined baking sheet. Press down with a fork or the palm of your hand. Store in a plastic container. 

chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies

These cookies… Oh my gosh, these cookies are glorious. 

They were born last weekend because I needed some baking therapy. I'm not talking about going online, printing a recipe, and actually *gasp* measuring. No, I'm talking whipping out a bowl, a few ingredients, throwing them in the bowl, and mixing it all up with fork. 

It makes my soul so joyous and has the power to change my attitude from crappy to happy in seconds. 

Surprisingly, they don't even have flour or butter in them which makes them {accidentally} gluten and dairy-free! Honestly, you don't even miss it at all. In the words of my brother "They taste buttery!" My dad, who mind you, usually hates on all my healthy baked goods, loved them. I didn't say anything until he'd eaten at least 4. The whole batch was gone in less that 48 hours so I knew they were a keeper.

Of course, since I and everyone else who tasted them loved these cookies so much I decided to make them again, measure the ingredients, and photograph them. My family actually said they liked them more than last time! 

Also. If you're wondering what those pink specks are in the cookies- it's jelly from the peanut butter jar. These brothers of mine eat PB&J on the daily, I kid you not. 

chewy peanut butter oatmeal cookies {dairy-free, gluten-free} 
yields 1 dozen cookies

1 c. creamy peanut butter
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 c. dark brown sugar
1 1/2 c. quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, mix the peanut butter, eggs, vanilla, and brown sugar. Add oats, salt, and baking powder. Stir until combined. Roll dough into balls and place on a cookie sheet. Press down slightly with a fork. Bake for 7-10 minutes. Let cool before removing to a wire rack.

fluffy yogurt pancakes

It's Saturday. And let us celebrate with a big 'ol stack of cakes of the pan, yo.

My Saturday morning started at 6:30. I don't think I need to tell you how I felt about that. But after some TV and a ginormous cup of coffee, I laced up and went for a run, came home, and made breakfast. And believe it or not these pancakes weren't even breakfast.

You see, when I come home from my runs, I'm in what I like to call post-run super hyper mode. So this morning, while I was still in The Mode, I ate eggs and fruit and, after rinsing out the gallons of sweat that were burning the living heck out of my eyeballs, then remembered I was going to make pancakes. {isn't this a great story? I have skills.}

As I was washing the dishes, my tad bit of OCDness kicked in and I decided right then and there I wanted those dang pancakes. So I whipped up a batch, did my best to make them look all pretty-like, splattered yogurt all over the coffee table, adjusted the fork just so, took a million pictures, and then dug into a second breakfast. Because that's what you do on the weekends… Duh.

I think you should know I didn't actually eat the entire stack. I ate like… three. The rest are in the fridge for breakfast tomorrahh morning. Yah, babayyyyyy. Pancakes errydaaaaay.

Oh, so speaking of coffee tables {sorry, that was so two sentences ago. I believe my run is causing my bounciness.}, I found the PERFECT place to take my photos. The lighting is just so perfect and I love the wooden background. The only issue eeees… it's right in the middle of the living room where people, ya know… Live and stuff. Ugh, so annoying.

I feel like when there's actually people sitting there while I'm taking pictures of food {which to start with is just so… Not normal.}, then I have to give them a cookie, a bite of cake, a stack of pancakes- you get my gist. And I don't like sharing my food, sooooooooooooooooo now you know why I usually don't use the coffee table.

Thanks for listening to my probs.

Uh, so wanna talk about these pancakes? Sure ya do. 

I'm not gonna go into this long, stupidly stupid description of these pancakes. It's pretty simple- they're kinda sorta insane. They're fluffy, crispy on the outside, and are just a tad bit sweet. The ingredient list is pretty simple and would be a great base for an infinite number of add-ins. They're perfect with plain 'ol maple syrup, or if you're feeling real cray, yogurt, honey, and fruit. Honestly, they're fantastic enough to eat by themselves too. 

fluffy yogurt pancakes

2 eggs

1 c. yogurt

2 tbsp. granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 1/4 c. gluten-free flour {you can swap out for regular AP flour if you wish}

1 tsp. vanilla

3 tbsp. milk

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until evenly combined. Pour batter by 1/4 cupfuls onto a greased skillet or frying pan. Once golden brown, flip with a spatula. Top with maple syrup, fruit, honey, or yogurt. 

date & walnut oatmeal cookies

When I made these cookies, I talked to my nana on FaceTime that afternoon. She asked what I was up to and I replied with the usual "… just made cookies." When she asked what kind of cookies and I told her, she said "Oh, dates and walnuts are old person food!" It's never occurred to me, but I guess they kinda are. All the old church cookbook classics like date bread or bread pudding have nuts or dates in them. So it's obviously legit. {not.}

One of my absolute favorite treats as a kid were these date filled sugar cookies from Cub Foods. Those things were the best reward for long grocery shopping trips. My grandma {the same one I now talk to for baking advice.} used to by BOXES of those cookies just for me whenever I stayed at her house. I remember sitting at her kitchen table and eating one or two or three with a glass of cold milk. Ahh, those were the days. 

I know when it comes to nuts in cookies, you're either like "Oh my gosh, YES!" or "Oh my gosh, NO!" I'm the first. I seriously love the added crunch and flavor nuts add to baked goods. I think they make great additions to classic oatmeal raisin or chocolate chip cookies. Although they're really necessary in these cookies, if you seriously can't stand them, you could leave them out. 

These cookies are some of the best I've made in a LONG time. I like my cookies on the underdone side, so they turn out really soft and gooey. The nuts and dates go together really great in these chewy oatmeal cookies. I made the recipe completely from scratch, but I didn't tell anyone until AFTER they had one and exclaimed how great they were. 

Mission accomplished. 

date & walnut oatmeal cookies

1/2 c. butter, softened

1/2 c. granulated sugar

1/2 c. dark brown sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

2 eggs

1/2 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. wholewheat flour

3/4 c. quick cooking oat

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. chopped dates

1/2 c. chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350ºF. In a large bowl, cream butter, sugars, and vanilla. Whisk in eggs. Add flours, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir until combined. Fold in dates and walnuts. Scoop dough onto a greased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-15 minutes. Yields about 18 large cookies or 2 dozen smaller cookies. 

strawberry shortcake smoothie {healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free}

Ok, confession time. I am the biggest, fattest emotional eater there ever was and is yet to come on this entire universe. When my friends left for the states a few weeks ago, I immediately turned to food. I mean, I made these healthy brownies and ate like a million {give err take… ya know.} but at least I satisfied my… issues with something somewhat nutritious. 

Needless to say, the last few weeks haven't been good food-wise. I'm starting to see my old habits of binging and snacking throughout the whole day sneaking back in. 

And it's honestly really making me depressed. I mean, not depressed depressed. But it is effecting my emotions and the way I view myself and I hate it. 

I'm reminding myself of how when I started my dairy, sugar, and gluten-free diet awhile back, my skin cleared up and I felt so much better about myself. Since stepping off the track, I feel like I'm back to where I started a few months ago. 

Now that I've eaten my fair share of cookies and other assorted carbs, I've decided to kick it up again and in full gear. 

I am super determined. And with determination, I can get there.

To get back to where I was and back into those healthy habits I'd worked so hard to gain, but not get so mad and guilt myself if I over do it at dinner or eat a little too much chocolate. {Dark chocolate isn't that healthy when you eat half the bar. Take note.}

You've heard it before and you'll hear it again… Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. 

If you skip breakfast, you're more likely to shove your face hole with all the things when hunger strikes later. 

If you eat a nutritionally unbalanced breakfast, you're energy level will crash and you'll be hungry in two hours flat. 

On the other hand, if you eat a GOOD breakfast, full of good things {protein, whole grains, fiber, fruits, etc.}, it'll fuel your body for the day and keep your full until lunch. 

As you can probably tell, I have quite the sweet tooth. I prefer to have sweet breakfasts {but still healthy!} like smoothies or overnight oats because they keep my sweet tooth and snacking at bay for the rest of the day. 

This smoothie? It tastes like cake. Like legit. 

I'm not just telling you this so a boring strawberry smoothie will get a million pins and bring in more traffic to my blog. {wouldn't that be nice?}

Nope, this is real life guys. 

Somehow adding oats, almonds, a bit of vanilla extract, and a dash of cinnamon switch up a basic smoothie and turn it into something FAN-FREAKING-TASTIC! 

Cake + Smoothie + Healthy = MINDBLOOOOOWN

strawberry shortcake smoothie {healthy, dairy-free, gluten-free}

1 large banana
3/4 c. frozen strawberries
1/2 c. soy milk {or any other kind of milk}
3 tbsp. almonds
1/4 c. oats {use gluten-free for a GF option}
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tbsp. organic maple syrup
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 c. ice cubes

Place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth and creamy. Add more milk or ice as needed. Pour into one large glass or two smaller glasses. Enjoy!

peanut butter streusel banana bread

I get so excited when I think about how much I've improved in my ability to develop recipes. 

When I first started this blog, almost all my recipes were from Allrecipes.com. I never made a single change, switched up the butter to flour ratio, used brown sugar instead of white sugar, NOTHING. It sounds so lame, but I never took any chances with my baking. And when I DID start taking chances and became more adventurous in the kitchen, that's when people started reading my little blog. 

Over the past year and a half, things have changed. Much to my mother's dismay, I hardly ever follow recipes anymore. I know {usually. but not always.} when something looks right or when it needs a bit more flour or a splash of milk. I love that I'm now able to throw some ingredients in a bowl and actually get edible results. In fact, some of my favorite things that have come out of my oven, you haven't even seen because those things are usually whipped together with nothing but a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. 

Today's banana bread is one of those recipes that I base off of nothing but an idea I had floating around in my head. Of course, because I love you, I actually wrote down the measurements. And I'm really happy I did because this banana bread was one of the best healthy variations I've made so far. That says a lot because I probably make some sort of banana bread/muffin every other week, tweaking things each time. 

This banana bread isn't too sweet. I didn't use ANY processed sugar, but instead sweetened it with some maple syrup our visitors brought with them. {Someone from our church in the states sent some of their homemade stuff. That is organic as you'll ever get!} Since I almost ALWAYS smear peanut butter on top of my banana bread, I figured I'd actually incorporate it into the recipe. The streusel is so good, peanuty, crumbly, and adds just the right amount of oomph to an otherwise basic banana bread. `

peanut butter streusel banana bread

banana bread: 

3-4 overripe bananas, mashed

1/2 c. plain yogurt

2 eggs

2/3 c. organic maple syrup

2 c. flour

1/2 c. oats

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

2 tsp. vanilla extract

streusel: 

1/4 c. creamy peanut butter

2 tbsp. dark brown sugar

1/4 c. flour

1/4 c. oats

Preheat oven to 375ºF and grease/line a loaf pan and set aside. In a large bowl, beat eggs, yogurt, bananas, maple syrup, and vanilla. Mix in flour, oats, nutmeg, and baking powder. Stir until combined. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and set aside. In a separate bowl, combine oats, flour, brown sugar, and peanut butter and mix until it resembles a coarse crumb. Sprinkle on top of batter. Bake for 40-50 minutes or until golden brown.