Homemade Granola Bars

I first saw the process of making homemade granola bars on Food Network one morning while making breakfast myself. Throughout my time eating more clean and maintaining a healthier lifestyle, I've learned that a lot of products we see on our shelves that claim that they are healthy and nutritious, are in fact not. What's hidden in the label is what goes unnoticed by the eye and also because those quick eat items seem like a good idea for when you're on the run.

I really have to owe the original idea and recipe to Food Network for this post, so here's the link to that recipe for Lolla Granola's original granola bar. These snack bars are seriously so easy to make and again, like everything else I've made and shared with you all thus far, they are easy to make your own! Use your favorite ingredients and you'll love this basic recipe so much more.

Add your old-fashioned rolled oats, raw almonds slivers, sunflower seeds, flaxseed meal, cinnamon and whatnot into a bowl and stir them together and pour them out on a dry sheet tray as pictured above. Toast these dry ingredients in the over for about 10-15 minutes at 350 degrees, keep a watchful eye as it may take a different amount of time for the cooking time. 

In the 10-15 minutes that those dry ingredients are toasting, we're going to add 2 tablespoons of coconut oil, a 1/2 cup of honey, and 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla. We're going to boil this mixture at a medium heat for about 10 minutes and set aside so we can grab that toasty mixture. 

Unfortunately I don't have a Vine video or a picture of this next process, but we're going to pour that toasty mixture into a big bowl and then pour out our honey liquid slowly into the granola, folding the toasty mixture every morsel is covered. And then, after everything is folded together and covered in the honey, the mix is transferred in a loaf pan that is lined with parchment paper beforehand. Covering the top with a piece of parchment, you press down hard so that the mix is pressed firmly together and flattened (so that it won't fall apart when the mixture is set and ready to cut). After this mixture cools down a bit, stick the loaf pan in the fridge so that it can set. 

After the mix has been in the fridge and cooled down, here it is! Ready for cutting and then to fall in love with. Incredibly healthy for you and such a versatile recipe to just make in a kitchen that's stocked with all these healthy ingredients. These ingredients were things that I had in my kitchen. It's great to have all these counterparts handy like the organic rolled oats, dried cranberries, sunflower seeds. I can't wait to gather more ingredients to put into my granola bars. Next up- pistachios and dark chocolate?!

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray

2 cups of rolled oats

1/3 cup of sunflower seeds

1/4 cup of raw almonds

1/4 cup flaxseed meal

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup honey

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup dried cranberries

Quinoa Bowls

I'm a HUGE fan of entrees that have a lot of variety in textures, tastes, and colors. The quinoa bowl is one of those dishes that covers all of those bases for me. I got the idea to create this recipe on my own after spending a lunch date with one of my friends at a new healthy food joint in Boston that we both haven't been to before- Freshii.

If you're a local and you're curious as to where that is, it's right in the Financial District on High St. It's very cute, casual and modern. They have these menus which allow you to create your own bowls without thinking you don't want to be that guy listing out a buttload of ingredients you'd like to add to your order. Instead you just fill out the mini sheet and hand it over to the cashier. I ordered the quinoa bowl with added grilled salmon, sweet corn, beets, shredded carrot, broccoli, edamame and cucumber dill sauce with a bottle of raw coconut water just to try it out. I didn't really do a good job with choosing the right sauce for the ingredients (sort of tasted bland), but overall I liked the concept of Freshii and Boston needs more healthy quick eats like this.

And that is where my inspiration to recreate my own recipe had sprouted. I remember having a similar healthy dish from Life Alive (vegan restaurant in Cambridge) and the ingredients that they had used. One ingredient that particularly stuck out in my mind were the toasted marcona almonds. Unfortunately, I didn't have any of those so you can always improvise! In this case, I used slivered almonds I had at home and toasted them to the perfection. I think the toasty bite really made this dish.

First, you would have to prepare the quinoa. I cooked one cup of quinoa, and it's enough for 3-4 servings for myself. To the quinoa, I add salt and garlic powder for taste. In the meantime while that pot of quinoa is cooking, I would go ahead and toast the almonds and cook up the corn and the broccoli/cabbage medley. The corn I used were the frozen kernels, but if you have fresh corn on the cob on hand- the fresher the better! For the broccoli/shredded cabbage medley, I cooked it with a teaspoon and a half of sesame oil for taste. Carrots are the last to prepare and simply need to be shredded. Grilled chicken is one ingredient I always prepare an abundance of so I can include them in different recipes. It's a versatile lean protein that you can incorporate into any and every meal. I also like to add a huge spoonful of feta (I looooove cheeeese!) After all the preppings of the ingredients separately, spoon whatever amount of each ingredient on top of a bed of quinoa and the mix together so you can get a spoonful of everything with each bite.

Quinoa Bowl Recipe/Instructions: 

Step 1: Cook the quinoa (instructions are typically on the package) and set aside. 

Step 2: Toast the almonds. I would only toast for 4 minutes or keep an eye on it. 

Step 3: Take a head of broccoli and break it down to bite size pieces. Chop up and shred a half a small head of cabbage. Head up the pan to a medium heat and drizzle it with extra virgin olive oil. Toss in the veggies together. While they are cooking for about 2 minutes or so, spoon in a teaspoon and a half of sesame oil for taste. I would either wait another 8 minutes for it to cook thoroughly or keep an eye on it for the color change and then set aside. 

Step 4: Defrost and cook the sweet corn. Set aside. 

Step 5: Shred the carrots. 

Step 6: Put about 1 cup of quinoa into a bowl or however much you would like. And spoon in all the ingredients that you've prepped to your desire. I top it off by putting in feta cheese but you can certainly put whatever cheese you'd like on top. Mix it up, and chow down. And that's it!

This is again another recipe that you can really make your own, and that's the best part. You can definitely work your magic with your culinary skills and see what you can come up with! For my next quinoa bowl, I'm going to incorporate some dried cranberries and kale. If you guys come up with anything great from playing with this recipe, let me know! I'd love to hear.

Who needs Chipotle?

This is again one of those recipes that you can really make your own and that's what I love about it. Of course there are those typical staples to this dish, such as the guac, some type of beans- however, it's really up to you whether or not you'd like to make those health-conscious substitutes for the other additions to this dish. One trick that you'll see here is my use of plain Chobani yogurt instead of sour cream. It's amazing how you don't even taste the difference! Also, I used a microwavable pack of organic quinoa and brown rice mix that cooks in 1 minute! I purchase a pack of these microwavable pouches from B.J.'s wholesale. It's quick AND healthy.
I honestly didn't make the salsa due to the lack of time, but it's a great little side project that I'll definitely touch upon later! The guacamole is homemade of course, and very simple to make in preparation for the burrito bowl. The chicken was also previously grilled on Sunday when I do my weekly meal preps. I like to grill a pack of chicken and store it for other uses throughout the week for salads, etc. This dish doesn't take long to make at all and it's perfect to sneak in those healthy ingredients without your kids or your family members noticing. Who really needs Chipotle when it's this easy? Not only will you save time but also $$$ and the calories. 

Homemade Burrito Bowl 
Guacamole 3 Avocados  1/4 of a minced onion 5 grape tomatoes chopped into quarters Pinch of salt & pepper for taste
Per Serving * 1/2 Pouch of Seeds of Change organic quinoa & brown rice with garlic * A small handful of cheddar jack cheese (You can use whatever cheese you'd like!) * 2 tablespoons of plain Chobani * 2 tablespoons of cooked black beans * 2 tablespoons of cooked corn kernels (seasoned with garlic powder)  * 3 tablespoons of guac * 2 tablespoons of salsa * 1 grilled chicken breast chopped up * 1 cup of shredded lettuce *** Add some hot sauce for a kick!

How Everyday Should Begin

Every day should begin with a great breakfast and a great outlook on your day. Here's great quote from one of my favorite books, The Little Prince.

New Grocery Haul

Most of the groceries in this haul are usually things I by as staples in my pantry, like the stevia, pumpkin puree, apple cider vinegar, organic golden flaxseed meal, and organic old fashioned rolled oats. The hemp protein powder and powdered peanut butter are new products that I've been curious about. I'll explain the benefits of each and every one right below:

• Stevia- A natural sweetener (derivative of the sweetleaf plant). It's much sweeter than sugar, yet much much better for you than the artificially manufactured sweeteners like Equal or Splenda. Also, it's carb-free and calorie-free!
• Golden flaxseed meal- Flaxseed meal in general is of course made by the grinding of flax seed. It's very heart-healthy because it contains a type of omega-3 and provides a great amount of daily fiber. You can add flax to smoothies or pancakes and several other recipes. 
• Old-fashioned rolled oats- I LOVE this brand of rolled oats and this particular type of oats for my overnight oats. And these oats are perfect to grind up to make oat flour. 
• Hemp protein powder- The first time I've actually seen this ingredient being used was in one of my favorite juice bars in Boston. After visiting Whole Foods today and coming across it in the aisle, I thought I'd give it a try. It's a whole food source of omega-3 and omega-6 essential fatty acids. Hemp seeds themselves are a natural source of protein. 
• Pumpkin puree- A great substitute for oil or butter in recipes if you want to cut the fat and calories. Pumpkins contain a great amount of vitamin A and lots of fiber.
• Apple cider vinegar- The apple cider vinegar helps to detoxify the body, promote weight loss, helps with skin problems like acne, and many more other benefits. I like to use this to pickle beets most of the time. It can also be used as a natural toner to balance the pH of your skin!
• Powdered peanut butter- Low calorie alternative to regular peanut butter! I had to try this because several of the fitness IGers on Instagram have mentioned this product in their recipes. However, I did have to settle for this particular brand instead of PB2 (PB2 wasn't available at Whole Foods). You might think powdered PB is weird, but you can't knock it if you don't try. The peanut butter is actually made into powder by having the oil squeezed out of the roasted peanuts. To use it, you simply add a bit of water to it to form a spread. 

Sunday Mornings and "Dessert" for Breakfast

Happy Sunday! I've been having a slow start on weekend mornings but I still get my breakfast in. I've been slacking on the gym since I've been working on some life projects, including this one. There's really no excuse because I'm supposed to be young and have so much energy but after all, I'm human. But cheers to having this productive Sunday with this dark chocolate chip protein pancake! I also have a side of japanese yams and a cup of green juice I juiced. 
This is the recipe for those of you that are curious! You can truly mix and match the ingredients to whatever fits your mood. 
DRY INGREDIENTS: 1/2 cup of oat flour (made from steel cut oats)  1 tablespoon of flaxseed meal  3/4 tsp of baking powder  1/2 scoop chocolate whey protein (I use About Time) 2 tablespoons of brown sugar WET INGREDIENTS:  2 egg whites 1/3 cup of almond milk  2 tablespoons agave nectar  5 drops of Stevia (or the packet kind)
And add whatever you want! Blueberries, mashed bananas, dark chocolate chips, etc. This time I added dark chocolate chips and topped it with strawberries and blueberries.  And I know some of you are wondering what exactly is in the green juice that appears in my pictures every now and then. I started juicing just recently actually since there was just a juicer lying around unused in my house. I started to look up 'juicing' online and read what I could about it. I did try to do a juice detox, however I had to stop after day 1. It's unfortunate that I didn't have the willpower to survive without solid foods for just a few days, but I did start to introduce juicing into my daily life. One of the juices during the detox was called the green juice. I don't exactly follow exact measurements to which the recipe I had called for but this is the jist of it: 
Green Juice:  2 cucumbers A bunch of parsley A bunch of kale A bunch of spinach 2 green apples 6 ribs of celery Half a lemon (squeezed) * Add chia seeds (when I have them)
And lastly, if you're wondering about the track I'm playing in the background of the Vine video, it's Dream Koala. Here's a chill track to go with your Sunday. Enjoy!

First Post and ChocoNanaNutter Protein Muffins

Those that know me KNOW I love breakfast, and for that being my favorite meal while being the most important meal of the day comes hand in hand. Recently with becoming passionate about clean eating, I've learned about the several different substitutes and tricks that we could use while baking. One of my favorite tricks is making my own flour ..out of oats! Great whole grains turned into a baking staple. I make my oat flour from both organic steel cut oats and rolled oats.

And on that note, I said I would post a recipe for my Choco-Nana-Butter Protein Muffins the other day and the reason I took so long was because of this blog. I wanted it to be the intro to my new life project. Karmesan Cheese. I hope you all enjoy and I'd love any feedback! And last but not least, here is the recipe! 

DRY INGREDIENTS

1 cup of flour (made of steel cut oats, ground up using coffee grinder)

1 1/4 tsp of baking powder

1 tsp of Hershey's special dark cocoa powder

1/4 cup of flaxseed meal (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1 scoop of chocolate Whey powder (I use About Time, all natural!)

3 tablespoons of brown sugar

WET INGREDIENTS 

4 egg whites
4 tablespoons of plain Chobani

1 tablespoon of agave nectar

2 mashed bananas

1/3 cup of almond milk

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients separately. 

Then, mix wet ingredients in with the dry. When the ingredients are properly combined, spoon into muffin top pans or regular muffin pans. Bake at 350°F for 25-30min.

Top with peanut butter and enjoy!