Cakes & Bakes: Healthy nutty granola

I have a guilty pleasure; almost every, single night I have a small bowl of granola! I go through so much of the stuff that I thought I should try making my own healthy nutty granola.

Another reason that I wanted to prepare my own is that I know exactly what would be going into it. In general, shop-bought granola is full of sugar, palm oil and all sorts of additives and preservatives. It’s probably cheaper to make my own, as well; I usually have all the necessary ingredients in the cupboard anyway.

Using a base of oats, you can add any combo of nuts, seeds and/or dried fruit. For my first attempt, I used chopped cashews, chopped almonds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, poppy seeds and cacao nibs.

Likewise, other great additions would be dried fruit such as raisins, sultanas, cranberries, goji berries, roughly chopped apricots, figs, mango and/or apple rings.

For sweetness, I used honey and dessicated coconut; you could substitute maple syrup for the former to make it a vegan option. The coconut oil is added to help it clump together to form tasty clusters.

Click here to save my recipe to Pinterest

Healthy nutty granola

2019-06-11 13:52:19

Cook Time

30 min

Cook Time

30 min

Ingredients

250g oats
75g chopped cashews
50g chopped almonds
25g hemp seeds
25g chia seeds
25g poppy seeds
25g cacao nibs
½tsp ground cinnamon
150g honey
75g coconut oil
25g dessicated coconut

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150ºC/300ºF/Gas mark 2
Combine all the dry ingredients except for the dessicated coconut
Warm/melt the honey and coconut oil (a couple of 10-second bursts in the microwave should do it) and stir together
Pour the honey/coconut oil liquid over the dry mixture and combine
Lay the mixture out evenly on to a large baking sheet or two smaller ones
Cook for 20 minutes, mixing and tossing after 10 minutes to ensure even browning
Sprinkle over the dessicated coconut and cook for a further 10 minutes
Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the baking sheet(s). If you like a chunky granola, press the mixture down using the back of a serving spoon - break it up after it has completely cooled
Once completely cool, decant the granola into an airtight, lidded container

Vegan option

Swap the honey for maple syrup

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Costco now stocks Vegan Protein from Weider

I have been a strict vegetarian since 1988 – ever since I left home and began cooking my own meals. During the 90s, for about a decade, I went a step further and became vegan. Even though I used to be a trained chef, and I know a fair bit about nutrition, one of the challenges I encountered following a vegan diet was getting enough protein. In general, animal products such as meat and eggs contain far higher concentrations of protein than vegetable sources.

Being vegan means that extra care needs to be taken to ensure you achieve and maintain a balanced diet. Protein deficiency can cause serious health problems. Symptoms include muscle wastage, hair loss, flaky skin, brittle nails, decreased immunity and poor concentration, to name just a few.

In the past few years, it has become much easier with vegans being better catered to in supermarkets, cafés and restaurants. There is a greater choice of ingredients and ready-made meals. A great example of this is the range of Vegan Protein from Weider which you can purchase at a select number of Costco stores across the UK. Namely, Glasgow, Leeds, Milton Keynes, Coventry and Farnborough.

Made from a blend of organic brown rice and peas, Weider Vegan Protein is a high quality, lactose free and gluten free vegan protein product. It is also low in fat, low in sugar and cholesterol free. It is available in half a dozen different flavours; Brownie Chocolate, Vanilla, Iced Cappuccino, Piña Colada, Green Apple and Berry Mix. You can use it to make nutritious shakes, smoothies or frappé. Add a few scoops to your cooking & baking in things like protein bars, pancakes and waffles or delicious cakes, muffins, brownies and flapjacks.

Whether you’re a vegan for health, ethical or religious reasons, Weider Vegan is an excellent source of essential protein.

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4 Ways to stay motivated while losing weight

For many people, losing weight is a huge struggle. The sad truth is 80% of people who lose weight following different diets can gain it all back and more. This could lead to a lot of health problems as we grow older.

Knowing full well that you have to lose weight is not enough. You have to establish a schedule or routine and really commit to it. When you decide to break a bad habit, you’re essentially changing your behaviour. There’ll be times when you feel inconvenienced by preparing healthy meals or tired from exercising and you start to relapse. Motivation comes and goes and it’s easy to fall back into bad habits. Here are four ways to stay motivated whilst losing weight.

Create a healthy meal plan

One of the reasons for gaining weight is unhealthy eating habits; consuming fast food every day, drinking fizzy drinks and fruit juices that are high in sugar and eating crisps, cakes, chocolates and the like in the middle of the night. So, it should come as no surprise that eating healthily will help you lose weight. It does not, however, mean that you should give up all of them. If you think that you don’t know enough about nutrition, a great way to start is by using a meal subscription service like Nutrisystem. A great article by Debra Moorhead provides a detailed review of different Nutrisystem plans and how they can benefit your nutrition. The key is having a healthy and balanced diet. Start by writing down all the food that you consume currently. Identify those that are unhealthy and only makes you gain weight then, search for alternatives.

Track your weight loss journey

You’ve probably heard this before, but losing weight doesn’t happen overnight. You don’t get 20 pounds lighter from working out for hours a day and neither should you do that. While experts have different recommendations when it comes to the amount of weight you should lose in a week, they all agree that slow and steady weight loss is the most sustainable for the long-term. You can track your weight loss journey by starting to step onto the dreaded scales so you know your starting point. Create milestones and celebrate your successes. The idea is to keep you focused on the goal and see exactly how you’ve progressed over time. Don’t forget that losing weight shouldn’t come at the expense of failing to meet your nutrient needs.

Have a support system

An environment full of pessimistic people is bad news when you want to start losing weight. Losing weight is a personal commitment, therefore, you need to surround yourself with people whom you can talk positively about the journey. One of the reasons for binging and weight gain is depression. To have a positive weight loss experience, you must resolve any underlying psychological stress that you might have. Cut ties with people who bring you down and spend more time with family and friends who’ll support you no matter what, encourage you and even join you in your quest.

Keep yourself busy

When you’re sitting and fantasising about losing weight, guess what? You’re not actually losing weight. Do you sometimes feel hungry even when if you’re not doing anything and have already eaten? This is because, in a relaxed state, your mind wanders and you’re more in tune with what’s happening to your body. You actually feel more tired, sleepy and hungry when you’re not moving around. So, why not visit an art gallery, walk around the park, go window shopping, take a yoga class, walk a dog, do whatever? You’ll be surprised at how being active can help improve your health and overall well-being.

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Cakes & Bakes: Fruit and nut flapjack

I made one of my regular batches of fruit and nut flapjack this week. Not only is it the perfect accompaniment to a mug of tea, it also has some distinct health benefits.

Justin and I were both born in the 1960s, which means we’re getting on a bit! It’s perhaps time to start considering our health and brain function into old age.

It seems like diet could be a very important factor. Oily fish is often cited as great ‘brain food’, but nuts are also a fantastic source of cerebral nourishment.

Here’s a selection of commonly found (and tasty!) nuts and some of their recognised health benefits.

Almonds are very high in vitamin E (good for glowing skin). They’re also a good source of omega-6 and 9 (poly)unsaturated fatty acids
Un-roasted walnuts contain twice as many antioxidants as other nuts or seeds
Brazil nuts are perhaps the richest dietary source of selenium (a mineral important for cognitive function and a maintaining a healthy immune system). Eating just 2 give you 100% of the recommended daily allowance
Cashew nuts contain a high concentration of essential minerals including magnesium (thought to counter age-related memory loss), phosphorus and zinc
Macadamia nuts are an excellent source of manganese and thiamine (vitamin B₁)
Flaxseeds have one of the highest concentrations of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (Useful in maintaining healthy brain and visual functions). Especially important if you’re vegetarian or vegan as it is most commonly found in oily fish
Whole sesame seeds are a very good source of iron (again, important for vegetarians and vegans)

This flapjack is quick and easy to make – and is so delicious, that the health benefits are an additional bonus… and we didn’t even get started on the goodness of dried fruit!

Click here to pin our recipe for future reference!

Fruit and nut flapjack

Print recipe Pin recipe

Cook Time 20

Course Snack

Cuisine British

Servings 9

Ingredients

200 g butter
125 g honey
350 g rolled oats
50 g dried fruit currants, raisins, sultanas, cranberries, blueberries, dates, figs, apricots etc.
50 g seeds and/or nuts roughly chopped - linseeds, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, macadamias, pecans, hazelnuts, almonds etc.

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 150°C/300°F/Gas Mark 2
Put the butter into a large saucepan on a low heat. When the butter has melted, add the honey and stir to combine
Turn off the heat, add the oats, dried fruit and nuts/seeds and mix well
Put the mixture into a 23cm/9-inch shallow square cake tin and flatten down firmly with the back of a serving spoon
Bake for 20 minutes or until the top is lightly browned
Allow to cool in the tin before cutting into squares or finger-shaped portions

You can store the flapjacks for up to 3 days in an airtight greaseproof paper-lined tin or plastic container

Keyword flapjack, oats

Create a healthy meal plan

Track your weight loss journey

Have a support system

Keep yourself busy

Fruit and nut flapjack

Ingredients

Instructions