Cinnamon Chia & Almond Crunch Cereal

I started 2012 thinking I should post some healthy recipes that will make people feel great and give them a nutritious jump-start to their year...something that will help them stick to their "resolutions". After about two minutes of brainstorming I realized...THAT IS MY WHOLE BLOG!! What a great feeling to know that all my readers could make any of these recipes and know they are fueling their bodies in a good way!!

It's fun to look over my blog stats and see what some of the biggest hits have been! Wiebe Style Cereal definitely was a top fan favourite! In celebration of that...I thought I'd try out another option! Mixed this altogether while making dinner one night last week...it smelt AMAZING while toasting in the oven...and it got thumbs up all around the breakfast table the next morning! Quite similar to my other cereal...yet different. A little more of a granola texture to it...but so good! Like always, feel free to be quite flexible with substituting in your favourite grains, seeds or nuts...make it your own:)

We might even like this one a little better than Wiebe Style Cereal...just sayin':)


CINNAMON CHIA & ALMOND CRUNCH CEREAL

INGREDIENTS
4 cups oats
1 cup raw sliced, chopped or slivered almonds
1 cup quinoa flakes
1/2 cup chia seeds
1/4 cup coconut sugar...or sugar of choice
pinch of salt
1 TBSP cinnamon

1/3 cup applesauce
1/4 cup maple syrup, or honey
1/3 cup nut butter (I used almond)
1 tsp vanilla

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large bowl, mix all dry ingredients together.

In a small pot on low heat, melt all the wet ingredients together. Pour over dry mixture. Stir until all combined...might take a minute or two.

Spread out on parchment lined baking sheet...might take two depending on size. Lightly toast for about 25-30 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes or so.

Store in air tight container for about 2 weeks...if it lasts that long:)

Enjoy over yogurt or with your favourite milk...that's Unsweetened Almond Milk in this house:)

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

Yikes! It's been nearly a month since I've blogged...not good! So in celebration of red cups returning to Starbucks yesterday...I'm re-blogging my favourite post from last Christmas...read here:) My goal for this season is to actually add a photo to the post!!ENJOY! I can't wait to make this with my homemade applesauce....mmm:)

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

Alright...no photo yet of this one since it gets gobbled up WAY too quickly! However, I can guarantee that the majority of you know exactly what loaf I am talking about that Starbucks carries this glorious time of year! It's amazing. I tweaked with this recipe last Christmas season when the loaf was reintroduced to me through Starbucks.

I knew that I could not fully enjoy their version of it for two reasons. One, I had my baby weight from Levi to deal with. Two, I knew theirs had zero nutritional value in it!

It's wonderful and amazing, with tea or coffee or steamed milk...and makes a wonderful hostess gift (especially when topped with a thin layer of cream cheese frosting and chunks of candied ginger!)

This is one of those Christmas recipes that I limit myself to making only during November and December to keep it special...it's that good!

Starbucks "Christmas" Gingerbread Loaf

1 1/2 cups spelt or whole wheat flour
2 tsps ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tsps ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, or coconut oil, softened
1/2 cup maple syrup or agave
1 cup applesauce
1 tsp baking soda

FROSTING (OPTIONAL)
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a loaf pan.
In a medium bowl, mix together flour, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and salt.
Then set aside.

In a large bowl, cream butter and syrup until fluffy.

Mix baking soda into applesauce and stir into creamed butter mixture.
Add flour mixture. Mix until smooth.

Pour batter into prepared loaf pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a
toothpick inserted into center of cake comes out clean.

FROSTING:
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in confectioner’s sugar.

Once the cake has cooled, evenly spread the frosting on top. Decorate with chopped candied orange peel or candied ginger .