Crunchy Quinoa Granola

I'm turning 50 this year.

In May.

That's just five months away.  It may sound like I'm freaked out about it.  I'm really not.   Not about being 50.  Maybe about being 50 and being 20 pounds overweight.  We have a couple of big trips planned this year.....one for my birthday to Little Dix and one in October to Bali, Borneo and Singapore.  I'd like to be in better shape for both of them.

It seems when hubs retired a few years ago I subconsciously relaxed a tad also and these extra pounds creeped on when I wasn't paying close attention.  When he quit working, we went from him being gone during the week and only home on weekends to well, obviously being home all the time.  When he was gone, I didn't really eat dinner that often.  I'd have a big lunch and be fine for the rest of the day.  That all changed when he retired.  For some reason, he likes to eat dinner!  Not only that, he's 6'7" with a metabolism to die for, so he can eat pretty much whatever he wants. Seems I can't.  Hence the 20 lbs!

Soooooo, if I want to enjoy these upcoming vacations like I'd like to, I've got to get busy.  Here's my plan:

*  Up the cardio.  It's not like I currently do nothing.  I'm good for three miles on the treadmill four days a week.  I'm raising that to a minimum of five miles, six days a week.  I'll jog at least three of those miles.

*  Ask my personal trainer to kick it up a notch.  I work out with him 30 minutes, three days a week.  I'm asking him to get tougher!

*  Change the eating habits.  Look, I'm not going all vegan here.  I like good food.  Good.  Food.  I'm not eating things I don't love anymore.  No wasteful calories.  If I feel like having a burger, I'm having a burger.  Maybe only half and that sucker better be tasty or I'm not wasting my calories on it.  That being said, there will be three meatless dinners per week.  I've also cut out red meat for the month of January.  But that was really just to detox after the holidays where I went a little overboard!

*  Finally, more fiber.  It not only keeps things moving (so to speak), it's incredibly filling.

Which brings me to this Crunchy Quinoa Granola.  I loooove homemade granola with greek yogurt for breakfast and this just became one of my new favorites.  The almonds and pumpkin seeds make it super crunchy with just a touch of sweetness from the cranberries.  Plus, it's packed with protein and fiber from the quinoa and chia seeds so it keeps me completely satisfied until lunch.   Hubs even had this sprinkled on his ice cream and chocolate sauce one night.  I had a bite and it was delicious!  It's even great all on it's own.  Put some in a zip lock baggie and throw it in your purse for a satisfying and filling snack during the day.  The only disclaimer here is to have a toothpick or a toothbrush handy after you eat this.  Between the black chia seeds and the quinoa, you'll definitely want to do a mirror check before you smile at anyone!  Just sayin.

Here's the recipe:

Crunchy Quinoa Granola

adapted from Two Peas & Their Pod

3/4 cup quinoa
2 1/2 cups rolled oats
1 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup pepitas
1/2 cup shaved coconut (I used unsweetened)
1/4 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup natural applesauce (unsweetened)
 2 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon coconut oil, melted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup dried cranberries


 Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with a Silpat baking mat or parchment paper. Set aside.

 2. Rinse the quinoa under cold water and drain well. In a large bowl, combine quinoa, oats, almonds, pepitas, shaved coconut, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt.

 3. In a small bowl, whisk together applesauce, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour the granola onto the prepared baking sheet. Spread into an even layer. Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until granola is golden brown, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

4. Stir in the dried cranberries and raisins. Let granola cool completely. Store in an air-tight container for up to one month.

Note-to make the granola gluten-free, use gluten-free oats. To make the granola vegan, use agave instead of honey.

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I wanted to show some pics from our Christmas/New Year's holiday in Colorado at our fabulous friends, the Rose's.  It was sunny and snowy and cold and absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have had a better time (despite hubs being under the weather most of the week).

Dutch Babies

Want to dazzle your family on Christmas morning?  Make them a Dutch Baby!  It's a little amazing what three eggs can do when beaten together with some flour and milk.  Quite the show stopper.  Your kids will think you're a genius.

When everyone is finished opening presents and your husband is cleaning up the mess (because that's what husbands should do!), slip into the kitchen and throw this together.  It takes five minutes to mix up the eggs, milk, flour and butter.  Pop it into the oven for 20-25 minutes and you've got breakfast.

You can finish it a ton of different ways....simply squeeze some lemon juice on top and sprinkle with some powdered sugar or do what I did and pile some fresh berries in the center.  If you've got a little extra time, some sauteed pears or apples (or pears and apples) would be delish.

Here's the recipe:

Dutch Baby

The Breakfast Book, Marion Cunningham

Ingredients:
3 eggs, room temperature
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Toppings of your choice.

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450 deg. F.  Butter one 12-inch skillet or four 6-inch small skillets (with ovenproof handles) or pans (you can use small pie pans or cake pans).

Break the eggs into a mixing bowl and beat until thoroughly mixed.  Add the milk and blend well.

Sift the flour and salt together and slowly whisk into the egg mixture.  Whisk until smooth. Add the melted butter and mix briskly so the batter is smooth.

Pour the batter into the pan or pans and bake for 15 minutes at 450 deg.  If you using small pans, they will be done after 15 minutes.  If you are baking just one big pancake, reduce the beat to 350 deg. F and bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar and finish to your liking.

Cinnamon Eggnog Scones

I have to admit that eggnog, as a drink, is not my thing.  Eggnog in a scone, however, is my thing.  Especially in these scones.  One of my favorite treats at Starbucks is their Cinnamon Scones, and these blow those out of the water.  They're extremely moist which, in my experience, is a tad rare in scones so that alone makes them a winner!  Then throw in some warm, spicy cinnamon chips and well, you can just imagine!

These are perfect with a cup of coffee on a cold winter morning, or with a cup of tea for an afternoon pick-me-up!

You're going to want to make these!

cinnamon-eggnog scones

King Arthur Flour

Ingredients:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose Flour
1/4 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, cut into pats or small cubes
2 cups cinnamon chips
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or 1/2 teaspoon eggnog flavor
3/4 cup cold eggnog


Topping
1 tablespoon eggnog
2 tablespoons sparkling white sugar or cinnamon-sugar, optional


1) In a large mixing bowl, whisk together all the dry ingredients.

2) Work in the butter just until the mixture is unevenly crumbly; it's OK for some larger chunks of butter to remain unincorporated.

3) Stir in the cinnamon chips.

4) In a separate mixing bowl, whisk together the egg, vanilla or other eggnog flavor, and eggnog.

5) Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until all is moistened and holds together.

6) Transfer the dough to a lightly floured work surface; a silicone rolling mat works well here.

7) Divide the dough in half; each half will weigh about 18 ounces. Roll and pat each half into a 6 1/2" circle about 3/4" thick.

8) Using a knife or bench knife that you've run under cold water, slice each circle into 6 wedges. Alternately, use a 2 1/4" round cutter to cut each circle into 6 to 8 rounds, gathering, re-rolling, and cutting the scraps. Or cut one circle into wedges, the other into rounds.

9) If you've made wedges, transfer the circle of wedges to a lightly greased or parchment-lined baking sheet. Carefully pull the wedges away from the center to separate them just a bit; there should be about 1/2" space between them, at their outer edges.

10) If you've made rounds, transfer the rounds to the prepared baking sheet, placing them close together; leave about 1/2" between them.

11) Brush each scone with some eggnog, and sprinkle with sparkling white sugar, or cinnamon-sugar.

12) For best texture and highest rise, place the pan of scones in the freezer for 30 minutes, uncovered. While the scones are chilling, preheat the oven to 425°F.

13) Bake the scones for about 20 minutes, or until they're golden brown. When you pull one away from the others, it should look baked all the say through; the edge shouldn't look wet or unbaked.

14) Remove the scones from the oven, and cool briefly on the pan. Serve warm. When they're completely cool, wrap in plastic and store at room temperature for up to several days.