Breakfast items
Breakfast Granola
Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free
Stef's Notes
Granola has always been my favorite go to breakfast or snack. I can remember my Dad coming home from the store each Saturday with a different type of granola to try. We had our favorites, that is for sure.
Now, I am the Mom. My love for granola is the same. Finding new types with fun add in's still gives me a thrill. Looking at the ingredient's of some of the brands scare me. That is why I came up with my own recipe. I control what goes in, and do not have to worry about reading the labels to make sure they do not include ingredients that my family is allergic too.
Ingredients
- 6 Cups rolled oats
- 1 cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 cup sunflower seeds
- 1 cup oat flour
- 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
- 2 Tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 Tablespoons hemp seeds
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon cloves
- 1 cup coconut oil
- ½ cup agave syrup
- 1 cup shredded coconut
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
- In a sauce pan, melt coconut oil, and blend in the agave syrup.
- In a large bowl, combine oats, seeds, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg and cloves, stir to combine. Pour in mixture from sauce pan, stir to combine until the whole mixture is moist. Pour onto a cookie sheet, spread it out, however, it will be thick.
- Bake for 20 minutes, stir quickly, bake for an additional 10 minutes. Add coconut flakes on top, place in oven for another 5 minutes. Coconut will get brown on top.
- Take out of the oven, let rest until cool.
Fun Add In's
When we are feeling adventurous, we add fun goodies into our granola during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Our favorite is chocolate chips. Here are a few other ideas.
- Dried fruit
- strawberries
- craisins
- Mango pieces
- raisins
If you do not have nut allergies in your home like I do:
- peanut butter chips
- macadamia nuts
- mini peanut butter cups
Quick notes and changes
My family suffers from many different food allergies, gluten, honey and nuts are just a few of them. To change the recipe for you and your family, you can substitute nuts instead of seeds, white flour for oat flour, and honey for the agave.
Chia Seed Carrot Muffins
Vegan, Gluten Free, Nut Free
Stef's Notes
Opening up a hot muffin on a cold winter's day is the best! They are satisfying and help warm you up. Plus they are great for grabbing as a quick snack or something to tide you over until meal time.
These are quick and easy to make, and everyone in the family loves them, kids and adults!
Ingredients
- 2 cups rolled oats
- 8 dates, pits removed
- 1/2 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup maple syrup**
- 2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 Tablespoon Chia Seeds*
- 4 Tablespoons water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
- 1/2 teaspoon cloves
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips or raisins***
Instructions
- In a small bowl mix chia seeds with water, it will gel up to make a "chia egg". Let rest for 5-10 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Add in oats, dates, oil, maple syrup, carrots, chia egg, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves into your food processor or blender. Blend until all ingredients come together. Add in chocolate chips or raisins, pulse a few times in order to mix in, but do not chop up.
- Pour batter into greased or lined muffin tins. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until they spring back to your touch.
Notes
* I like to use real maple syrup. Real food, real ingredients.
**This is like a flax egg. I use chia seeds instead due to an allergy in my home.
***These add in's are optional, but believe me when I say they make the muffin taste out of this world. If you do not have a nut allergy, you could add walnuts or pecans to increase both fiber and protein content.