Skip to main content

A Boy and His Granola

Usually, when the kiddos ask for something, food-wise, I jump to oblige.  I dunno, I guess I feel like they're making a connection...and it's food.

I've made granola before, but not in a long while.  It's not terribly healthy (or as much as the word likes to conjure up) nor cost-effective.  But Elliot in particular has been asking/suggesting...so what's a mom to do?

I've had great luck with this Megan's Granola recipe at allrecipes.com...but necessity is the mother of invention...and Walmart is mother of my grocery shopping headache.

I could not find the oat bran nor wheat germ.  So I substituted this:

I threw a cup and a half into my food processor, pulsed it a few times until I had a coarse grind.

I left out the half-cup of sunflower seeds.

In addition to the 1/2 tablespoon of cinnamon, I also added 1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg.  Because I kind of like to add nutmeg to everything.

I also added a half-cup of peanut butter into the pan to be boiled.  Like many kids, Elliot really likes peanut butter, so I thought I'd honor him with the addition.  Plus, it's some extra sticky protein...and don't we all want/need that?

But...he didn't want the dried cranberries.  Which, you know, made me cry a little, but I'm not the one eating it.

This guy is...


...and it's highly likely he'll have his shirt off, too, when he's eating it.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

(She) Blinded Me With...Citrus

Excuse my attempt at tying today's blog entry with an iconic Thomas Dolby song.  What a terrible pun-ishment. Har har har. So, we're on the backside of Winter Vacation/Christmas Break/Holiday Hiatus here.  The kids return to school tomorrow, the freshman and I start back to our respective colleges next Monday. The clock is ticking and suddenly, I am whipped into frenzy to Get Work Done.  I suspect this phenomenon happens to many, many educators who try to avoid that panic-stricken night before they go back to work. And believe me when I say, I had the deepest, most earnest of intentions to write lesson plans, write quizzes, and generally prepare for the restart of my classes next week.  Like, really. And then...I was distracted by...citrus.  This happened. Okay, so....the lemons on the far right are no big deal.  They're available year-round.  But Meyer lemons...MEYER...I only find around here in the winter.  I first read about them i...

Spaghetti Cake

Yes. You read that right.  Keep reading, friends, it's about to get good. Photo by Brent Nelson...who doesn't quite know about shadows and things in photography. Photo by your trusty author, who doesn't quite know about taking knockout food pictures. So, the caboose (Elliot) was in charge of meals this weekend...as part of his requirement for one of his Boy Scout badges.  Even though we'd be eating meals easy for a 12-year-old to put together (usually not healthy), I was totally ready to hand over the reins for the weekend. Saturday night's dinner was supposed to be simple.  Spaghetti.  But then, I remembered I had Justin's Chapple's Mad Tips article for Pasta Bundt Loaf .  I handed that over to the Boy Scout...and things just got awesome. The ingredients here seem to be a cross between those of a lasagna and an alfredo.  One pound of spaghetti noodles is cooked, and to which a bunch of cheese, milk, eggs, and seasonings are added.  All...

Booze for Thought

So.  Every now and then, I feel compelled to talk about something else besides food here at TTOSBF. Today, the topic is alcohol. I enjoy it.  Probably more than I really should, if I may lay the truth out there at my dear readers' feet. Sometimes it's a clever craft beer or a comforting gin and tonic.  I've realized lately that I often reach for the bottles in the liquor cabinet when I'm a.) bored b.) stressed c.) in a boozy social situation or d.) feel like I need a little reward for surviving (thus far) this Trump presidency. Huh.  As it turns out, most of my life these days moves within the realm of one or more of these four conditions. So, I was drinking often.  Every day. And here was the big epiphany: once I started drinking, my productivity went in the toilet.  Don't jump to conclusions, I hardly ever drank myself into a stupor...but I'd get the strong buzz going for sure.  Then, I was near useless.  I wanted to eat everything i...