Pumpkin Harvest Oatmeal

Happy Monday Morning.

Did you all have a fabulous weekend? Our weekend didn't go quite the way that I expected, but it still turned out to be pretty darn good. Yesterday we were supposed to put up our Christmas decorations, but sadly it was pouring rain and very muddy and we decided to put if off a few days because all of our decorations are stored in the shed in the backyard. Derek has some down time this coming week, so fingers crossed that our house will be completely "Christmas-fied" by the time next weekend rolls around. Have you decorated your house yet???

Since decorating was delayed, I decided to get busy in the kitchen and make a couple of things that had been brewing in my head. The first thing I did was to get a baked potato soup together in the crockpot for dinner. It  was really yummy and I'll be sharing the recipe with you later this week.

Once the crockpot was ready and simmering away, I got busy making a new granola. It's been a while since I did a batch and I've been dreaming about a pumpkin-flavoured granola since I was at my parents for Thanksgiving. So, I pulled out everything I had that would go great together and got to work.

Pumpkin Harvest Granola

This is a great granola that encompasses all the flavours of Fall. The nice thing about granola is that you can customize it to include anything you have in the cupboards. You also can sweeten it up to your liking and use any add-ins that make your mouth water ;-)

3 c old fashioned rolled oats

1 tbsp chia seeds

2 tbsp dried cranberries

1/4 c pepitas

1/4 c. pecan pieces

1/4 c. unsweetened shredded coconut

1.5 tsp cinnamon

heaping 1/2 c pumpkin pie filling*

1/4 c tbsp maple syrup

3 tbsp canola oil

1 tsp vanilla

*Note - After posting this recipe, I've made a couple of minor changes to make it even better! I increased the amount of wet ingredients because I found that the granola wasn't quite as sweet and sticky as I would have liked. The recipe now reflects my changes.

 

Pre-heat your oven to 325. Line a large baking pan with parchment paper.

Combine your dry ingredients (oats, chia, cranberries, pepitas, pecans, coconut & cinnamon) in a large bowl. Stir to combine.

In a small bowl, whisk together the  wet ingredients.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients until well combined.

Pour your granola into your baking pan and spread out evenly.

Bake for 25 - 35 minutes. I've had many accidental granola burnings so I bake my granola at a low temperature and I stir every 5 to 7 minutes. It's ready when the granola is baked to a golden brown.

Store unused granola in an airtight container.

*Note - I thought that I bought pure pumpkin, but discovered it was actually pumpkin pie filling. You could easily use pure pumpkin and your own spices, but then you would have to sweeten it up with more maple syrup.

I'm really looking forward to eating this granola on top of some Greek yogourt sweetened with honey. Breakie is going to be goooo-ooood this week!!!

This would also make a great hostess gift if you stored it in a mason jar wrapped up in your fave ribbon.

Don't you love my fabric/ribbon choices???

This is a hint of what my new garland looks like :-D

Have you ever made your own granola before? If you have, what's your fave add-in?

I hope you have a fabulous start to your work week!

Andrea

Baked Kale Chips

Happy Sunday! It's looking like an absolutely gorgeous day in Southwestern Ontario and I'm so happy that I have absolutely no commitents today. For now, it's just Dora & I chillin' at home and then Derek should be back for a barbecue later this afternoon.

Isn't she a"DORA"able? She's already getting in the spirit of Canada Day!!

The only problem I have with days like today is that I want to graze and munch constantly. I typically don't keep chips and sweets in the house, but my darling hubby has a very bad habit of bringing unhealthy snacks into the homestead and then he leaves them there, untouched, to taunt and tease me all day long.

Instead of sitting and obsessing all day about the chips in the pantry that are calling my name, I have been trying to load my house full of healthy and satisfying snacks.

Remember that kale I was talking about last week? Well, I had great intentions to make a salad with it, but that just never happened, so of course my next choice was to whip up a batch of kale chips. Have you ever had kale chips before? Have you ever had kale before for that matter!? 

Dark leafy greens are SOOO good for our bods!

I like to add kale in my diet once in a while when I get all 'spinached out'. I like variety and eating the same veggies day in and day out just doesn't work for me. Kale is definitely one of those 'super foods' that we all should add to our diets. Kale is a chart topper when it comes to the most nutritious vegetables you can eat. It is very high in antioxidants and is loaded with calcium, B vitamins, fiber and anti-cancer phytochemicals. Now who doesn't want all that in their diet?! 

It's especially easy to add this to your diet when you can transform this leafy green into tasty chips. I was skeptical the first time that I made kale chips, but now I can eat a whole batch in one sitting. They are super tasty and definitely satisfy my craving for a salty snack.

Baked Kale Chips

These chips are super easy to make and they are full of healthy goodness. They will amaze even your biggest skeptics because they are as delish as chips!!

1 bunch of kale

1 - 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil

sea salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 350. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat.

Remove the kale leaves from the stems (the stems are edible, but I find them too bitter) and cut the leaves into bite-size pieces.

Place kale leaves into a large mixing bowl.

Drizzle with olive oil followed by a sprinkling of sea salt.

Lay the leaves out onto your cookie sheet.

Bake for 10 - 15 minutes until they are crisp and starting to brown around the edges. I give mine a stir about 5 minutes into the baking time.

Note: Keep an eye on your chips. They can go from browning to burnt really quickly and burnt kale chips are not good!!

Serve your kale chips as a side to your favourite dinner (grilled cheese for me please :-) or on their own as a tasty snack.

Enjoy!!!

Now how easy is that?! I think you should run out to the local grocery store or farmer's market right now and pick yourself up a bunch of kale. These chips would make a great afternoon snack for you & your family ;-) and they won't go to your waistline like a normal bag of chips will! We are coming up to bathing suit season after all!

Have you ever eaten kale before? If you have a fave recipe, link me up to it! I feel compelled to add more of this nutritious veggie to my diet!!

What are you up to on this gorgeous sunny day?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend,

Andrea