It’s been seven months since we kicked boxed cereal to the curb.
It was quite the shock to our daughters when they bounded downstairs one morning in January and discovered their favorite Cheerios and Rice Krispies were gone for good.
But, ignorance is bliss … but that can only last for so long, and then, as a parent, as a mother, as someone who cares, you start looking into things and researching – things like food and nutrition.
You quickly realize all those favorite cereals lined up on the breakfast table … yeah, well, they are not good for you and your family like you thought….
and the shockingly enough, we found out a certain baby-aged favorite cereal is also on the GMO-list, we stopped cold turkey and never bought boxed cereal again.
Not only has it saved us money (we could go through a box of cereal in three days or less) but I feel better knowing the girls are starting their day on a healthier note.
It took us a while to adjust but breakfast began to consist of homemade oatmeal, eggs, fruit and pancakes.
The girls new summer favorite is granola … simple, easy to make, healthy, quick, affordable, wonderful, old faithful granola.
I make a batch once a week and in less than that time, it’s gone. They.love.it.
Here’s our recipe for the Gauthier Granola:
1 cup of agave syrup (or you can use honey)
a dash of vanilla
2 generous dollops of coconut oil
Warm together in a frying pan, mixing well.
In a large bowl, mix four cups of whole rolled oatmeal and a bit of brown sugar (depends on how sweet you want it)
Drizzle the warm syrup mixture overtop the oatmeal and mix, stir and ensure all the granola is moist.
[If your mixture is still too dry, add more syrup. I just sorta eyeball this step. ]
Spread mixture on a parchment-paper-lined baking tray and bake at 325 for about 20 minutes or till brown and golden.
Let it cool and then store in an air tight container.
You may add whatever you want to this recipe –
I would LOVE to add more but the girls just like it plain … once it is cooked, think about adding raisins, nuts, currents, coconut … so delicious!
We eat ours with sliced banana and yogurt …
Speaking of yogurt, we are now making our own of this, as well.
I could NOT get over how easy this yogurt recipe was – truly!
First, pour eight cups of milk into your crockpot. Turn it on the lowest setting and let it sit for 2.5 hours.
After the 2.5 hours, turn off the crockpot. Let it sit for three hours.
After three hours, take 1/2 a cup of previously purchased yogurt with live cultures and add it to your milk. (but trust me, this will be the last time you buy yogurt!)
If you are not sure what yogurt to use, we used Astro BioBest. Just read the labels. It will say if there is live active cultures.
Wrap your crockpot in towels to keep the heat in and let it sit overnight.
When you wake up in the morning, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find you have … wonderful, pure homemade yogurt.
If you would like to make it thicker, you can leave it straining in the fridge for a few hours (just use a cheesecloth) to do the straining).
There is something so delightful and fulfilling to provide your family with homemade, healthy foods …
it’s been a long journey for me to discover how to cook and create meals for my family.
But there truly is nothing so satisfying as feeding your little babies, children and husband food that will nourish their bodies.
Happy Yogurt Making!
by Gigi
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