Hello all! My days down under are beginning to wind down but I have another awesome guest post for you today! Davida is one of the nicest people I’ve ever virtually met and if you have never been to her blog before you NEED to go there and drool over her amazing culinary creations. Enjoy!
Hi friends! I’m thrilled Britt asked me to guest post today. I absolutely love My Own Balance and it has quickly become my go-to resource for new workout ideas…though I still haven’t quite jumped on the Zumba bandwagon yet. Don’t hate me Britt!
I blog over at The Healthy Maven where I mainly post healthy recipes, the occasional exercise tip and talk about absolute non-sense every once and a while.
The main message I promote is everything in moderation, including moderation. My body craves vegetables and enjoys healthified treats but occasionally I just need the buttercream cake.
It’s taken a lot of practice for me to get to a point where I am comfortable with my diet and especially to resist the urge to eat ALL THE COOKIES.
I have two tricks that work for me. 1) Make your food and watch what goes into it. I absolutely love to bake, but watching all of the sugar and fat that goes into baked goods definitely deters you from wanting to eat the entire serving yourself. 2) Don’t keep it in the house. If you know you have a weakness for something then ban it from your kitchen.
There is only one food item which I absolutely cannot keep in my house, granola. All ideas of moderation go out the window when it comes to this stuff. It starts with a small handful and before I know it I’ve eaten the entire batch…whoops.
But I’m not about deprivation. Despite my lack of self-control with granola it is something that I need in my life. My solution? Gift it!
For the holidays this year and for hostess gifts I often gift granola. I have a stockpile of containers from the Dollar Store (mason jars are great too!) that I fill with granola to give away. And then I keep a small bag for myself to get my fix.
It’s easy, it’s edible and it tastes like pecan pie. If you have strong will-power keep it for yourself, but if you’re anything like me give it away! But don’t forget to put some aside for yourself first.
Ingredients (Yields: 8 cups)
3 cups rolled oats (GF if necessary)
2 cups pecan pieces
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1/4 cup mashed pumpkin or applesauce
1/4 cup honey (or agave if vegan)
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Mix all dry ingredients together (except apricots).
3. Add in coconut oil, vanilla, pumpkin (or apple sauce) and honey and stir to combine.
4. Place mixture on a baking sheet lined with a silicone mat or parchment paper.
5. Bake for 15 mins.
6. Remove from oven and turn over as much of the granola as you can.
7. Place back in oven for another 15 mins.
8. Remove from oven, add in apricots and let cool for 20 mins before placing in a sealed jar or container.
9. Will keep for at least 2 weeks (if it lasts that long!)
Thank you Britt for hosting me today! I hope you all have a fabulous weekend 🙂
Taylor @ FoodFaithFitness
January 3, 2014Love Love LOVE the message on moderation, as it’s what I preach as well! I love me some oatmeal…but sometimes I just want the butte and syrup slathered french toast ya know? I am loving this granola! The flavor combo of pecans, coconut oil and apricot is SO my thang. Pinned!
Elise @ 9toFit.com
January 3, 2014I love putting things in mason jars, I think it just makes everything look that much cuter. Great recipe Davida!
Kimberly {Manifest Yourself}
January 3, 2014Thanks for sharing this recipe! Granola is one of those items that I rarely eat, but I love it. I have been thinking about making my own too!
Allie
January 3, 2014I agree with watching what you put in your food – it has so much more impact then reading a label. My issue is that I rarely cook! I’m trying but ugh it’s HARD! If you can imagine, I tried Pecan Pie for the first time ever this year and of course, it’s amazing. I already love granola, plus this recipe is actually do-able for me so it’s a win/win. Thank you for this! I will make it for sure.
Amy @ Long Drive Journey
January 3, 2014You are such a creative cook! I admire all of the combinations that you come up with! I want to do more with granola because it’s such a good snack (at least until you provide me with that healthy Cheez-It recipe!) xoxo
Paige@FitNotFad
January 3, 2014Ahhh I LOVE granola…it’s so hard to keep it in moderation 🙂 I’ve never made it myself before but that’s a fantastic idea.
Mitchell
January 3, 2014‘Don’t keep it in the house’ – amen!
If it’s sitting on the top shelf of my cupboard, I know it’s there and it is all I can think about! But when it isn’t there, it’s not such a big deal 🙂
Have to say that granola is definitely my weakness too, especially because a ‘measured quantity’ can be difficult. A spoon here, a spoon there, and suddenly the whole batch that I baked is gone!
Pecan Pie sounds like the shizzle 😀 Why don’t Aussies use pumpkin like this more often ?! 😛
Cassie
January 3, 2014I ALSO cannot keep granola in the house. AND I MAKE IT AS GIFTS. Davida, we have to stop being the same person! (Or not because we are awesome)
Davida @ The Healthy Maven
January 4, 2014hahahahaha I love you Cassie! I say we keep on being awesome 😉
Joi @ Rx Fitness Lady
January 4, 2014Excellent gift idea! Thank you for sharing it here today!
Laurie
January 4, 2014This looks great. Agree with your moderation and gifting MO. I do it, too. I also save jars and containers. One quick question. I don’t like coconut (I’m ok using coconut oil, tho). If I leave out the coconut, should I increase another ingredient? The fruit? Is the coconut necessary hour moistness? Thanks.
Nicole @ FruitnFitness
January 4, 2014I always love Davida’s recipes and this one sounds great as well. I wouldn’t think the granola needs to last for 2 weeks, i’m sure it wouldn’t last that long!
Carla
January 4, 2014Davida, glad to see you here! I really like the idea of making this for friends and family as gifts.
Tara
January 4, 2014I love Britt and Davida!! I also can’t Zumba even if I wanted to (thank my Asian dancing genes), but I love her spunky personality and Davida, every recipe you make is amazing.
We need to do a big blogger meet-up! Everyone should fly to SF. 🙂
Nicole
January 5, 2014I love granola too! This recipe looks delish.
And I agree with Tara!!!