Let's Be Accountable

[simonbaker]

Just made another batch of my granola. That stuff is the best! I love it plain, or with milk or yogurt.

I would love your recipie for granola.

 

[vagriller]

I would love your recipie for granola.

Sure, and sorry for the long windedness. This has been a work in progress over the last couple of years. BTW, credit where credit is due. This recipe is based on the one at this site.

Grand Granola with Four Uses or So

Easy Homemade Granola

2 cups whole oats (I like the larger Old Fashioned kind, not the quick cooking kind)
1/3-1/2 cup nuts (I've tried whole almonds and peanuts, both are great)
1/2 cup dried fruit
1/3 cup maple syrup or other kind of syrup (brown rice, agave nectar)

Spray a cookie sheet with cooking spray. Mix the ingredients in a bowl and the mixture out on a cookie sheet. Bake in oven for 15 minutes @ 335, then check the granola to see if it is brown enough for you. The time and temp is something you might want to experiment with. After you take it out of the oven let it cool on the cookie sheet for awhile. If you put it right into an airtight container it won't be as
crunchy.

Note: I have started making my own syrup. No need to use bottled syrup as it often contains HFCS or other sweeteners. I use the syrup at this link, except that I use coconut flavor instead of vanilla.

Cinnamon Syrup Recipe - Allrecipes.com

Also I don't cook the syrup down till it's really thick like for pancakes. I don't want it too thick because I want to be able to mix it with the oats, fruit, and nuts.

I found that Dollar Tree in my area has a natural fruit and nut mix and a tropical trail mix, pretty cheap too. I just eyeball the amount of fruit and nuts that I dump in, but I do measure the oats. And just the other day I found some tropical trail mix from Walmart for $1.48 for a 28oz bag, a very good deal!

Bottom line is you can add whatever fruit or nuts you like, add flaxseed, sesame seeds, etc to your hearts content. And your heart will thank you!

 

[Kathleen]

That is such a great idea!!

I find that one of the keys to getting fruits and veggies in every day is to prepare ahead of time! Make sure you have them cut up the night before and stored in sealed bags or containers. This makes it easy to grab them and go in the morning!

Thanks! And welcome to DC!

The Mad Monks of Athos live very long and mainly cancer free lives, the head monk says it is down to their diets and the fact that they are a closed order and women are not allowed inside the monastery

And now we know why they were mad.

@ TaxLady - The strings are a great idea!

@ vagriller - The recipe sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing it.

 

[vagriller]

@ vagriller - The recipe sounds wonderful. Thanks for sharing it.

No problem. Just pulled another batch out of the oven! This time all brown sugar since I didn't have white sugar. I want to get some natural sugar, or maybe agave nectar to try. I want to use food as unprocessed as possible.

 

[taxlady]

I made my first granola from the recipe in The Whole Earth Catalogue.

There were flax seeds, sunflower seeds, wheat bran, wheat germ, rolled oats, nuts, etc., but no dried fruit.

I use all kinds of nuts and like to add rolled buckwheat, rolled rye, etc. I also add sesame seeds. I don't use nearly that much syrup, well, I usually use honey in a smaller quantity. If I want fruit in the granola, I add it after it has cooled off.

I don't usually bother with wheat germ and never add wheat bran (we eat all whole grains at my house, so it seems silly to use extra bran). I prefer a ratio of half (or more) nuts and seeds to half (or less) rolled grains.

It comes out yummy and makes great yoghurt paradiso.

 

[simonbaker]

I am getting the eating healthier down pretty good but it's a real challenge to fit in the exercising. The back of my legs get so sore it makes me not want to get back up on the eliptical machine.

 

[taxlady]

I am getting the eating healthier down pretty good but it's a real challenge to fit in the exercising. The back of my legs get so sore it makes me not want to get back up on the eliptical machine.

Maybe you should start slower on the exercising. When something hurts, it's your body telling you to be careful. If you cut the time way down and increase it a little every day, you should be up to a reasonable amount of time on the machine within a week or two.

 

[Rocklobster]

Maybe you should start slower on the exercising. When something hurts, it's your body telling you to be careful. If you cut the time way down and increase it a little every day, you should be up to a reasonable amount of time on the machine within a week or two.

I agree. You shouldn't continue to exercise if you are in pain. Give your body time to heal between. Gradually, you will recover quicker and be able to exercise more often. It is supposed to be enjoyable, not torture

 

[simonbaker]

Maybe you should start slower on the exercising. When something hurts, it's your body telling you to be careful. If you cut the time way down and increase it a little every day, you should be up to a reasonable amount of time on the machine within a week or two.

Thanks. I will give that a try. It just gets so frustrating for me. In 2002 I was working out 60-90 minutes at a time & was so much more fit. When I get back on the eliptical I get frustrated about how much endurance I have lost & how much weight that I have gained.

 

[Rocklobster]

Thanks. I will give that a try. It just gets so frustrating for me. In 2002 I was working out 60-90 minutes at a time & was so much more fit. When I get back on the eliptical I get frustrated about how much endurance I have lost & how much weight that I have gained.

Use it, or lose it.

 

[simonbaker]

I finally got back on the eliptical machine today...34 minutes started slow & only went to level 3 this time. I feel much better now, we'll see what morning brings. Thanks for all the positive advice. It stuck in my head what you submitted rock lobster. Thanks I needed that.

 

[taxlady]

I finally got back on the eliptical machine today...34 minutes started slow & only went to level 3 this time. I feel much better now, we'll see what morning brings. Thanks for all the positive advice. It stuck in my head what you submitted rock lobster. Thanks I needed that.

You could try soaking in a hot bath. You just have to remember to do it in the evening. It's too late the next day when you hurt. Ask me how I know

 

[simonbaker]

You could try soaking in a hot bath. You just have to remember to do it in the evening. It's too late the next day when you hurt. Ask me how I know

I miss a bathtub so much. We bought this house 3 years aago & only have a shower. But a hot shower feels good. How do you know?

 

[vagriller]

I found that Dollar Tree has a large bag of flax seeds, so I got that and plan to incorporate it into my granola. But for today I just sprinkled it over the granola that I ate as cereal. The seeds were a little chewy, but I hope that when I bake it into the granola they will get crunchy.

 

[taxlady]

I found that Dollar Tree has a large bag of flax seeds, so I got that and plan to incorporate it into my granola. But for today I just sprinkled it over the granola that I ate as cereal. The seeds were a little chewy, but I hope that when I bake it into the granola they will get crunchy.

Flax seed is yummy. If you want to get the benefit of all the omega 3 fatty acids in flax, you should grind the seeds before you add them to your granola or cereal. They can be ground in a blender or coffee grinder. If you don't grind them, most of them will just pass right through you.

 

[Rocklobster]

Flax seed is yummy. If you want to get the benefit of all the omega 3 fatty acids in flax, you should grind the seeds before you add them to your granola or cereal. They can be ground in a blender or coffee grinder. If you don't grind them, most of them will just pass right through you.

We grind them in our blender. I add them to cereal and smooties.

 

[simonbaker]

We grind them in our blender. I add them to cereal and smooties.

How does that work with baking bread with flax seed?

 

[simonbaker]

I tried to get some extra walking in at the park yesterday. My knees are killing me today. I have been gimping around at work most of the afternoon. Arthritis in the knees where the doc. says lose weight. It feels like a losing battle some days.

 

[simonbaker]

Got back up on the eliptical machine..sore kness & all. Feels better now. How are you doing?

 

[PrincessFiona60]

Got back up on the eliptical machine..sore kness & all. Feels better now. How are you doing?

The elliptical has less impact on your joints, much better if you have arthritis in your knees.