Valentine's Day Granola

Granola is delicious. Granola given as a gift is super special and granola given or received on Valentine's Day is amazing! This granola is the perfect way to show someone how much you care! Its delicious, easy to make and give as a gift, and it also happens to be healthy! What more is there to love?!

Homemade gifts are so much better than store bought ones! They are always from the heart, because you put your time and effort into them, and you put thought into what to make. Giving a homemade gift on Valentine's Day is the best way to show your love!

A lot of granola recipes have a few standard ingredients in them. Butter, Honey, and Oats. Some use coconut oil or other types of oils, and some might use a differnt form of sweetener, but usually they are all about the same. I took out the butter and added in banana and I used maple syrup instead of honey. Becasue of those changes, this recipe is vegan, low in fat, refined sugar free, and packed full of fiber and protien!

The Recipe

1 ripe Banana- mashed
4-5 TBS Maple Syrup
3 tsp Nutmeg
4 tsp Cinnamon( Good for the heart!)
1/2 tsp Salt
2 tsp Vanilla
1/4 cup Chia Seeds
5 cups Rolled Oats ( to make this recipe gluten-free, use gluten-free oats!)
1/2 cup Quinoa
Raisins
Dried Apples( or mix-ins of your choice. Sliced or Crushed nuts like almons, pecans, walnuts or cashews. Ground Flax seed, Flaked Dried Coconut, Dried cranberries or blueberries, seeds like pumpkin, sesame, or sunflower, or freeze-dried fruits like raspberries or strawberries!)

-- Nuts, Seeds and coconut flakes can be added before baking. Anything else needs to be added after baking.

First, mash the banana and add  the maple syrup, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and vanilla to it. Mix well with a whisk.  Then add in the oats, quinoa and chia seeds. Make sure to stir well and get everything evenly coated.  If you are adding nuts, seeds or flax seeds, you can add them in now.

Preheat your oven to 400 F. Lay the raw granola out on a baking sheet and spread it as evenly as possible. Bake for 30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Make sure to flatten out the granola after each stir.

 

Once it is all toasty and golden brown, its done! Your home will smell amazing! You could leave it how it is, but to add to the amazing-ness, lets add a few more things! I added a few handfuls of raisins and dried apple chips, but feel free to add what ever you want.

Stir the ingredients together and then let the mixture cool completely! I usually have a few bites while it is cooling! I just can't help myself!

 

Once it has cooled, you can store it in air-tight containers. I like to use mason jars, but plastic would work just as well! Also, using pretty containers makes gift-giving even easier!

 

 

I know I would be thrilled to receive a jar of homemade granola for Valentine's Day! I can't imagine anyone complaining about getting a home--made, from-the-heart gift anytime of the year! They just are so special!

 

Whether you give this as a gift to your specail someone on Valentine's Day or you keep it for yourself, this granola is amazing! You will want to keep this recipe some where safe! :)

 

 

I love to eat granola on smoothie bowls and oatmeal, over dairy-free ice-cream or banana-ice-cream, or just with a splash of almond milk as a cereal! Its the perfect way to start your day becasue it is full of protein, fiber, healthy sugars, and even cinnamon( which is good for your heart!). It also makes a great snack or even dessert!

If you liked this recipe, please let me know, and share it with your friends and family! Spread the love and give this as a gift for Valentine's Day or anyday!

You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood, Tumblr @ justrunningforfood, and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

I post every Friday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

H.Banana

Berry Lemon Muffins

I know, these aren't the greatest looking muffins ever, but they are delicious all the same! The muffins are the perfect blend of the tartness of the berries and the sourness of the lemon! They are perfectly moist and delicious!

Ingredients:
1 cup Coconut Flour
1 Tbs. Chia Seeds
1 Tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 Tsp. Lemon Zest
Pinch of Salt
3 Eggs
1/3 Cup Coconut Oil
1/3 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1 Cup Coconut Milk
1 Cup Frozen Berries

Start by whisking together the dry ingredients. Make sure that the Baking Soda doesn't clump up.

Next, beat the eggs and add to the bowl along with the lemon juice and coconut milk. Make sure to mix well!
Heat the coconut oil and honey together in the microwave and mix into batter.
Then fold in the frozen berries. The more you mix this the more color will come out of the berries, so keep this in mind! If you want a purple-ish batter like I did, mix fairly well. If you want to keep the colors separate, just fold to combine.

Grease a muffin tin and then scoop the batter into the molds. These muffins don't rise too much, so fill them fairly full.

Bake at 350 F for 30-35 mins. They smell so good while baking!

Once they are baked, let cool for 5 minutes before removing from the pan and allowing to cool completely.

They are just simply delicious! A perfect spring and summer breakfast, snack or even dessert! I love how the berries just burst when you bite into them!

So, even if they aren't beautiful in looks, they really pack some yummy flavors!


Please share this post and this blog with your friends and family to spread the love of healthy living!
You can follow the blog via email, Google, Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

Stay tuned for more healthy post every Monday and Friday!

Keep healthy and Safe!
H. Banana

Homemade 'Mamma Chia' Drink for Mother's Day

Mother's Day is coming up, and we all want to find a way to show our moms how special they are! My mom recently bought a Mamma Chia drink at Whole Foods and she loved it! Unfortunately, these drinks can be expensive so they aren't something she can enjoy every day. So, I did some research and came up with my own spin on these drinks! Now she can have a homemade version of Mamma Chia's drinks whenever she wants!

When I first heard about these drinks, I was a little skeptical. How could mixing chia seeds and fruit juice be that amazing? Boy , was I wrong! These drinks are like drinking jello (Sounds weird, but believe me, you won't be able to get enough after the first sip!) and the flavor combos are endless!

So, lets get into making these delicious drinks!

First you need to make the chia mixture.

3 TBS. Chia Seeds
1 Cup Water

Add the seeds to a bowl and slowly add the water, bit by bit. Make sure to stir well after each addition.
You'll end up with a gloopy consistency.

 

You need to over this with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 6-8 hours or over night.

 

Now, lets make the flavoring for the drink. I decided to make a lemon and mint one! Its a perfect drink for cooling off on warm days!

 

Ingredients:

1 cup Lemon Juice

3 TBS. Honey

1 Tbs Fresh Chopped Mint

 

 

Warm the lemon juice and honey together to make it easier to combine the two together.

Then, add the chopped mint and shake. I made mine in a mason jar to make this easier!

 

Let this sit in the fridge for a good hour, or even two! Then, take the set chia seed mix and the lemon mix out of the fridge. Strain the mint leaves out of the lemon juice and pour in 1 cup Cold Water. Then add the chia seed mix and shake. The color won't be too great, but the smell is so inviting!

This was so good! I love the sourness of the lemon and the freshness of the mint together! I know the color isn't to appealing but once you taste this, the color won't matter! Once I made this, I was sipping it all day long!

You, of course, can add any fruit juice blend to the chia seeds to make tons of flavors!

 I also did a batch with pomegranate juice and it was delicious as well! All I did was, make the chia mixture and let it set. Then I poured it into a container along with about 2 cups of pomegranate juice and shook well.

This one's color was beautiful! The flavor was nice as well!

Experiment with the flavor combos and let me know which ones you like! Don't hesitate to make this delicious, hydrating, summer drink! Make it for Mother's Day, and give your Mamma some Homemade 'Mamma Chia' to make her feel as special as she is!

Let me know what you think! Share this post with a friend and follow the blog to stay up to date on all my healthy lifestyle post! Also, follow the blog on Twitter @ Spinachisgood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett.

Keep Healthy and Safe, and Happy Mother's Day!
H. Banana

Smoothies

  I love smoothies at anytime and for any meal! They are a great way to get necessary nutrients in to your diet. Not only are they a easy and quick meal to make and eat but they can and are delicious and satisfying. I think a lot of people don't like smoothies because they don't feel full or satisfied by them. The way to fix that it to know what to put in them and how much.

Often I get into a habit of throwing the same things into my smoothies every day and I tend to get bored by them. But, I also have found several combinations that I just love and I make all the time! These recipes are simple yet pack a power combo of flavors and nutrients! I hope you like them!

#1 Mean Green Smoothie
1/2 ripe Banana
1/2 cup fresh Spinach
1/2 apple(with peel and seeds)
1/2 orange( or a whole 'Cuties' orange)
Cube of fresh Ginger
Spoonful of Chia Seeds
Spoonful of Ground Flax Seed
1/4 cup Coconut Water
Splash of Lemon Juice
Enough Water to Blend.

# 2 PB and Banana Smoothie
1/2 ripe Banana
2 TBS Peanut Butter(or more if you want)
Spoonful of Chia Seeds (Optional but they don't have a taste and they're super good for you!)
Spoonful of Ground Flax Seeds
1/4-1/2 cup Almond Milk(depending on how liquid you like it)
Ice


#3 Good Morning Smoothie
1/2 frozen Strawberries
1/2 frozen Pineapple
Spoonful ground Flax Seeds
Spoonful Chia Seeds
1/4 cup Coconut Water
1/4 cup Coconut Milk(or Almond Milk)
Scoop of Protein Powder( I suggest a vanilla flavor)

#4 Blueberry 'The Bomb' Smoothie
1/2 cup frozen Blueberries
2 TBS Almond Butter
1/4 cup Almond Milk
Spoonful Ground Flax Seeds
Spoonful Chia seeds
Ice
Enough Water to Blend



Well, I hope you liked these 4 smoothie recipes! You will probably notice that I include chia seeds and ground flax seeds in all of these smoothies. That is to add more nutrients to the smoothie. If you want to know why chia seed and flax seeds are so good for you, check out my Super Foods posts for more info on them!

These are just a few of the smoothies you can try! Have fun with it and the more you experiment the more of your own smoothie recipes you will make!

If you like this post, please share with a friend and check back for more post soon!

Keep Healthy and Safe!
H.Banana

Follow the blog on Twitter @ SpinachisGood and on Pinterest @ Hannah Plunkett

Chia Seeds

  Chia seeds have so many health benefits! You can get half the amount of fiber you need in a day in just one ounce of Chia seeds! They also will give you an energy boost, help control your food cravings, lose excess weight, lower cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels, improves digestion, reduces inflammation, improves hydration, lower blood pressure, improves sleep, lower risk of heart attack and much more! ( Info from Chia Seeds Health ) .

 With all those benefits, adding them to our diets is a must! But, how do you do that? Its not all that pleasant to just have a spoon full of Chia seeds in the morning. Here are a few ways to add Chia seeds into your diet!

Mix them into oatmeal, yogurt and granola or cereal. You can hardly tell they are there!

I add them to my smoothies and shakes! They blend right up and you can't even see them!

Add to soup to thicken the broth.

You can even use them as an egg substitute! 1 tablespoon Chia seeds to 1/4 cup of water for 1 egg.

Sprinkle on a salad. Rodale News suggest toasting the Chia seeds to give them a nutter flavor!