Simple Homemade granola

I love granola! I stopped buying it in the market place because it is so sweet or just had too much of this and that. So I tried and tried and here we are with a recipe that is not too sweet and doesn't have too many sugars . Just a little honey and maple syrup (you can always add more of either or just add a little brown sugar). I'm diabetic so I try to really watch the sugar intake, even natural sugars. As a diabetic, it's a must.
My friends also love to get receive this as a special little gift. Add a bow and and little note and there you have it, a special homemade gift for your friends to enjoy.
 So  there you  have it, that's the story behind my granola. Simple, affordable, diabetic friendly, homemade and a nice little treat for a loved one (teachers).

Short sweet and simple homemade granola

 3 cups old fashioned oats

3/4 cup whole raw almonds 

1/4   chopped raw almonds (or your favorite nut)

Sprinkle of cinnamon (adjust cinnamon to your liking)

1/3 cup Real Maple Syrup or agave nectar (amber)

1/4 cup coconut oil (melted)

2 1/2 Tablespoons honey

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)

1 cup dried dates, dried fruit or berries raisins (optional) I used 1 cup of dried dates

**If you prefer a sweeter granola, add about ¼ cups brown sugar at step 2**

Directions:

1)     Preheat oven to 300 degree
 line baking sheet with  parchment paper

2)     Combine oats, 1/2 cup almonds,  salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl.

3)     In a small saucepan, on medium/low heat (do not boil) melt coconut oil then add vanilla, maple syrup and honey.

4)     Once melted, remove from heat then pour into oat mixture then mix until mixture is evenly coated.

Pour mixtures onto lined baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes. Then at about 15-20 minutes you want  to mix the granola then continue to bake until evenly a beautiful golden brown.

 Once the sweet aroma of the cinnamon and maple fill the room, it’s a sign that your granola is almost done. Yum!

·        Granola will become crunchy once it cool and is also the time to add in your favorite dried fruits, berries, additional nuts, flax. Enjoying making your own combos!

·        Note: Store granola in an airtight container ( I prefer mason jars) it will keep for a few weeks. Not sure how long exactly since one batch lasts about 1 week in my house.. I imagine the granola would last for 2+ weeks.
I like to eat granola as is or add it to my yogurt (see my recipe for yogurt).
enjoy! post your feed back in the comment section. 

Defunk your kitchen/bathroom sink

Defunking the kitchen and or bathroom sink

Taking you back to grade school with this kitchen solution….

With all of the things that pass through the sink and disposal, bacteria is sure to build up whether you see it or not and not matter how much you clean out your sink. For years I ran to bleach but no longer. Seriously, I was a total bleach freak! I used to run for the bleach for everything. Remember the man from My Big Fat Greek wedding with the Windex? That was me, only with bleach!  These days I try not to use harsh chemicals and the kitchen sink is no exception.

I've tried the citrus peels, lavender oil, salt etc… Honestly other than the racket I made with the disposal trying to grind the peels, I always ended up having to stick my hand down the drain to retrieve the lemon peels, it didn't really work.

If you have vinegar and baking soda, you can do this. Personally, my kids love to defunk the sinks for me and if I weren't sharing this idea with you, I wouldn't’ bother measuring. But, It’s really a more of a dump and pour type solution. You will probably end up doing that too. Just a sneaking suspicion... 

Directions:

1 Cup baking soda

2 Cup vinegar

Do this on both sides of the sink.

1. Pour baking soda directly into sink.
2. Pour in vinegar and watch and hear the magic happen! ( it should look like a mini volcano, like in elementary).
3. Run water to clear the drain and run garbage disposal for a few seconds.

Don’t worry, the smell of the vinegar dissipates within moments.

Tadaaa! You’re done!