Granola & Oatmeal

 

 

My definition of power foods are nutrient dense foods that offer your body more than taste it contributes to good health and your healthy lifestyle. Oat grains are de-husked, and heated to stabilize the oat groats. This process brings out the nutty flavor that oatmeal provides. They are then milled to produce either fine, medium or coarse ground oats. Rolled oats are steamed then flattened. Steel cut are small broken groats that sometimes are steamed and flattened. Steel cut are said to be the best type of oatmeal for your body, but they do take longer to prepare. Quick oats are small pieces of oats steamed and flattened. Instant oats are precooked and dried and then sugars or artificial flavorings may be added. Oatmeal if consumed daily will lower your blood cholesterol because of its soluble fiber content. Oatmeal provides a high content of complex carbohydrates and water soluble fiber that encourages slow digestion and stabilizes blood sugars. This is why you feel full after eating oatmeal.

You know I am a big fan of slow cookers, well you can make your steel cut oatmeal in your cooker overnight and it will be ready for you the next morning. Or if you don’t have a slow cooker, just simmer the oats in the top of a double boiler for 5 minutes the night before, cover the pot and go to bed, (be sure to brush your teeth) next morning just reheat. Just follow the instructions on the back of your steel cut oatmeal add either low fat milk or water, set your slow cooker on low and go to bed. In the morning you can add any type of berries, banana’s, honey, chopped apples, a tiny bit of natural cane sugar or pretty much anything you think sounds good with oatmeal. Eat oatmeal every morning, so be sure to add it to your grocery list. And if you find it easier to buy the instant oatmeal that's fine, any oatmeal is better than no oatmeal.

When Andrew and Addison were little I used to bake them my recipe for oatmeal cookies, well they are more like granola bars instead of bar shape I made them cookie shape, but they would think they were cookies. With a glass of milk and a navel orange, it is a complete breakfast and the kids think they are having dessert for breakfast. I’ve included my recipe for oatmeal cookies. Okay, now lets talk about granola. I love granola, you can buy it in the cereal aisle, or the organic section of your market or you can make it on your own. I prefer to make it myself, because then I know how much sugar I put into the recipe. I eat granola several times during the week, sometimes I put in on top of my yogurt, or I add skim milk to it for a cereal, or I keep a bowl of it on the counter as a healthy snack. You can package it in a zip lock baggie and take it with you.

The beautiful thing about granola you can add almost anything to it, here are some of my suggestions; nuts, seeds, flax seed, dried fruits,(be careful if you have diabetes, dried fruits are high in sugar), chocolate covered raisins or nuts, coconut, you can really experiment with anything. In Europe they serve Muesli, just so you know, muesli is a high-protein Swiss cereal. It differs from granola in that the grains are not pre-toasted or mixed with oil or sweetener.

Here is my Granola recipe:

Dry Ingredients:

6 cups of flaked or rolled grains

1 cup chopped nuts

1 cup wheat germ

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

tiny bit of salt

Wet ingredients:

1 cup dried fruit, I use cranberries or raisins

1/2 cup safflower or canola oil

1/2 cup honey, or maple syrup

Preheat the oven to 300*F. Toss the dry ingredients but not the dried fruit, then add the oil and honey toss again. Spread mixture on two cookie sheets, (those are the side flat sheets you have in your pantry), be sure they are clean, and bake until golden brown, but you have to turn the oats every 10 minutes so it cooks evenly, so use your big spatula  not the rubber one that will melt but the plastic one. Then after 30 minutes, add the dried food and let it cool. Then store in a tightly covered jar. If you want a more low fat granola, omit the oil and toast everything as suggested. You can even reduce the honey if you would like.



Here are the cookies I allowed my kids to eat for breakfast.

Healthy Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup whole wheat flour (a pinch more depending on the moisture of the mix)
•1 1/2 cups of Large Flake Rolled Oats (smaller flake is ok too)
•1/2 tsp baking soda
•1/2 tsp baking powder
•1/2 tsp salt
•2 Tbsp Cinnamon
•1/2 tsp Nutmeg

Wet ingredients
•1/2 cup honey
•1/2 cup oil (corn, grape seed or olive) * you can also use some applesauce to replace some of the oil if you wish*
•1 Tablespoon Molasses
•1 egg (beat with 1 Tbsp Water)
•1 tsp Vanilla

•1/2 cup raisins or dried cranberries
•1/2 cup walnuts, be sure to chop
1.In a large bowl, mix all the dry ingredients together.
2.In a medium bowl, mix all the wet ingredients together. Hint: when measuring out the honey, spray the measuring cup with oil or baking spray–your honey won’t stick).
3.Mix the wet stuff with the dry stuff. Add the raisins and walnuts and mix. If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit of flour. If it isn’t binding together very well, you may wish to add an egg white.
4.COOL the mix for 20 minutes in the fridge.
5.Preheat the oven to 335 degrees (lower temperature due to the honey in the recipe which will burn more easily).
6.Drop by teaspoonfuls onto your baking sheet (I recommend lining the baking sheet with parchment paper). Press down with a fork to ensure even cooking.
7.Bake for about 15 – 20 minutes or until golden on the bottom of the cookie. The cookies freeze well.