After I baked all of my granola samples, I did a taste test and nutritional comparison. Below are my findings! (Excuse me while I play scientist!)
OH! I forgot to mention in my last post that I did NOT make the full recipe! I quartered the recipe so that it made closer to 1 cup than 6 cups!
Next, I used Calorie Count's Recipe Analyser to figure out the nutritional value on my granola samples. Here's what I found:
I can't decide which granola should win, because 2,3, and 4 were so tasty! I believe I will start with what appears to be my healthiest option: The Six Mile Granola! I left out the dried fruit and coconut, and it was still delicious.
Granola is so easy to make. Just mix the ingredients and bake on a sheet! Will you try one of these?
Tuesday, March 13, 2012
Sunday, March 11, 2012
Granola Trials
I love granola! I eat it almost every day in my yogurt as breakfast, or as a snack in the afternoon. I've been meaning to experiment with making my own. I chose 4 recipes that I found on www.marthastewart.com. I made a sample of each, and did a taste test and nutritional comparison.
Here is my test kitchen:
Here are my recipes:
Here is my test kitchen:
From White Girl Gone Green |
Here are my recipes:
Ingredients
4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup toasted wheat germ
1/2 cup flax seed
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 cup unsalted sunflower seeds
1 cup chopped walnuts
5 tablespoons blackstrap molasses
1/3 cup canola oil
Directions
- Heat oven to 300 degrees with rack in center. In a large mixing bowl, combine oats, wheat germ, flax seed, cinnamon, ginger, sunflower seeds, and walnuts. In a small bowl, combine molasses, oil, and 1/3 cup water, and pour over the oat mixture; stir until well coated. Spread evenly in two baking pans.
- Bake, stirring every 20 minutes or so for even cooking, until dry and lightly browned, about 45 minutes. Let granola cool to room temperature, then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 month.
Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup toasted wheat germ
3/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
2 tablespoon vegetable oil
1/2 cup dried cherries, raisins, or other dried fruit, halved or chopped if large (optional)
Directions
- Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Lightly coat a 9-by- 13-inch baking pan with cooking spray. Add oats, wheat germ, and walnuts, stirring to combine. Bake until oats are lightly toasted, about 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. Raise oven temperature to 350 degrees.
- In a liquid measuring cup or small bowl, stir together apple juice, sugar, and oil. Pour over oat mixture; stir to combine. Return to oven, and bake until oats are crisp, about 30 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Cool in pan, about 25 minutes (toss with cherries, if desired). Transfer to a container with a tight-fitting lid.
Ingredients
3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/4 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup chopped almonds
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
5 teaspoons vegetable oil
5 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together oats, pecans, almonds, salt, vegetable oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract.
- Spread oat mixture on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through. Let cool completely.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 cup light-brown sugar
1/2 cup brown-rice syrup or honey
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup water
4 1/2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup bran
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup raw almonds
1 1/2 cups unsweetened shredded coconut
2/3 cup dried cherries
2/3 cup golden raisins
Directions
- Preheat oven to 250. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add sugar, and cook until melted. Stir in brown-rice syrup or honey, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, and water. Add remaining ingredients, except dried fruits, and toss. Arrange in a single layer on two rimmed baking sheets. Bake, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and dry, about 1 1/2 hours. Let cool on sheets. Transfer to a bowl, and add dried fruits. Granola can be stored in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.
Stay tuned for the results!
From White Girl Gone Green |
Thursday, March 8, 2012
Re-Usable Produce Bags!
I haven't written in a while because February turned into a busy month. I was doing a bit of this....
and got to witness this...
When I returned to colder weather, I spent my time indoors working on sewing projects. One of which was suggested to me by my dear friend Crystal. She "pinned" this great idea for reusable produce bags at Daisy Janie. So cute, RIGHT?
I don't know about you, but since I'm eating more fruit and veggies, I'm accumulating a lot more of those darn plastic veggie bags. We have been using them to scoop poop, but I'm not sure that we should be using them at all. These produce bags were EASY to make!
Here, you will see that I used some cute fabric to make just a few...
I was afraid of what the cashier would say about the extra step they'd have to take (peeking inside to get the number). I was pleasantly surprised at how she reacted. She thought it was a great idea! It was a great conversation starter. I was able to talk about the small changes I'm making in my life to live cleaner and greener!
I felt like a proud mama walking out of the commissary with my produce bags filled up!
What do you think? Could you see yourself using these? If you don't have a sewing machine, I would be happy to make a few for you!
From Puerto Rico Feb 2012 |
and got to witness this...
From Puerto Rico Feb 2012 |
When I returned to colder weather, I spent my time indoors working on sewing projects. One of which was suggested to me by my dear friend Crystal. She "pinned" this great idea for reusable produce bags at Daisy Janie. So cute, RIGHT?
I don't know about you, but since I'm eating more fruit and veggies, I'm accumulating a lot more of those darn plastic veggie bags. We have been using them to scoop poop, but I'm not sure that we should be using them at all. These produce bags were EASY to make!
Here, you will see that I used some cute fabric to make just a few...
From White Girl Gone Green |
I was afraid of what the cashier would say about the extra step they'd have to take (peeking inside to get the number). I was pleasantly surprised at how she reacted. She thought it was a great idea! It was a great conversation starter. I was able to talk about the small changes I'm making in my life to live cleaner and greener!
I felt like a proud mama walking out of the commissary with my produce bags filled up!
From White Girl Gone Green |
What do you think? Could you see yourself using these? If you don't have a sewing machine, I would be happy to make a few for you!
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