Pumpkin Smoothie

Did you know? Eating Pumpkin is good for your bones, eye sight and immune system! Check out this article about vitamins in Pumpkin! click HERE

Pumpkin Smoothie

1/4 c. canned pumpkin
low fat vanilla yogurt
banana
peanut butter
ice cubes
milk to thin, as desired

mix all ingredients in blender, top with a little whip cream and cinnamon

Enjoy!
(recipe does not call for any sweetener, but honey or agave might be good in this!)

Delicious Homemade Granola and Chewy Granola Bars

My friend Kimberly shared with me the secret to her morning success... These recipes are delicious and have a fun tropical twist from the Coconut oil...I hope you enjoy them as much as we do in our home!

Kimberly's Every Morning Granola

12 cups rolled oats
2 cups coconut
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
2 cups chopped nuts (almonds, walnuts, peanuts, etc)

Mix all ingredients. Stir in and coat thoroughly with the following mixture:

1 cup coconut oil- melted (or any type of oil)
1 cup honey
2 tsp. vanilla

Spread on 2 cookie sheets and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Mix around every 10 minutes while cooking. add dried fruit when done.

Here's a picture of Coconut oil: you can find it in the refridgerated section or on the shelf... I had a hard time find it... so, make sure you ask at your local health food store!
...THE BEST GRANOLA BARS.... IN THE WORLD!
Heat ingredients on stove until melted together:

1/2 cup Nut Butter (any kind, I recommend Peanut Butter, the kind that comes with the 'separated oil on top' just stir and put in fridge! make sure it has NO Hydrogenated oils, that's best for you!)
1/3 cup honey
1/4 cup coconut oil

In a separate bowl mix:

1 cup Kimberly's Every Morning Granola
1 cup of anything else (more granola, coconut, chopped nuts, flax seeds, oats, chocolate chips, marshmallows, cranberries, raisins... whatever you got extra of laying around in the cupboards...)

Stir nut mixture with dry ingredients and spread in a 9 X 13 oiled dish. Chill for 2 hours.

(My recipe, pictured: 2 cups granola, 1/4 cup flax seeds, 1/3 cup chopped nuts, 1/2 cup raisins)

cool website!

This week i reconnected with a friend from high school, while catching up with what's been going on over the past 10 years i discovered she has this great website all about eating healthy...

http://www.eaturveggies.com/

Everything on her site is amazing, and you can sign up for a free recipe each week... :)

Check it out and enjoy!

Snack of the Week....from the $1 Menu

i LOVE this...
I saw this in Fitness magazine... thought i'd share! GO DOLLAR MENU!!

Healthy Snack of the Week...

My sister Amy saw this on the DR. OZ show, so i thought I'd give it a try... I was pleasently surpried at how tasty it was!! Caitlin even liked it! Give it a try!!

Rice Cake...................................35 cal
thin layer of Peanut Butter........40 cal
sm. handful Raisins.......................65 cal
Total........................................about 140 cal

Don't forget....the tall refreshing glass of water!
Eat Healthy... Be Happy!

Healthy Snack of the Week!

Granola and Yogurt

Here is a new granola that I picked up at my local grosery store, in the health food isle... it's amazingly delicious, and was voted one of Fitness Magazine's favorite Natural snacks! (you can get it at Whole Foods and Target if your grosery store's health food isle is limited!)

Yogurt selection for today is Dannn Lite and Fit, Vanilla! Mmmm.

6 oz of yogurt ............60 cal.

1/4 cup granola.......120 cal.

tall refreshing glass of H2O

a delicious and satisfying snack- that gives you energy and cofidence to face anything!

Eat Healthy...Be Happy!

Homemade Granola!

¾ cup brown sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup 100% pure maple syrup

Boil until sugars melt, stir occasionally

In 13 x 9 Pyrex put:

7 cups oatmeal (Rolled Oats, often called 'old fashioned'.)
1/3 cup dry milk (comes in a box on baking isle)
½ cup sunflower seeds
½ cup coconut
Dried fruit (optional)

1. Pour sugar over and mix.
2. Bake at 325 for 15 minutes. Stir.

3. Repeat step 2 as many times as you like for desired chewy/crunchiness texture. (I prefer to bake 15 min, stir, and then bake for 5-8 min.) This is really good warm with milk! Store in air tight container or zip lock bag. (This also makes great neighbor gifts around the holidays, is a great snack and is a delicious breakfast!