My Favorite Granola (GF, Oil Free, Refined Sugar Free)

As promised here is my favorite granola recipe. Back when I first started making this, I was having trouble finding a store bought granola that was allergen friendly for my son Dash and one that didn’t contain bucket loads of refined sugars or canola/vegetable oils. I loved the flavor, but my stomach didn’t tolerate them well. I missed granola! I tried a few different recipes online, but my biggest problem was the amount of oil they called for (not very stomach friendly). After a couple years of tweaking and testing many recipes, here’s what I’ve come up with. It’s lighter than granolas made with oil and it has just enough sweetness. It’s perfect on oatmeal, non-dairy yogurt, or even as a snack by itself. Dash loves this recipe and calls it “ga-nola”. It’s super easy and is very adjustable, so if you prefer different flavors or add-ins please customize it to your preference. I hope you like it as much as we do!

Ingredients :

• 3 cups GF rolled oats

• 1 tablespoon flax seeds

• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom

• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 heaping tablespoons almond butter (sub any sort of seed or nut butter)

• 2 tablespoons pure maple syrup

• 1/4 cup raw honey

• 1 teaspoon vanilla

• Optional mix-ins : Raisins, other dried fruits, different seeds (chia, hemp, sunflower, etc), chocolate chips

Directions :

Preheat oven to 300

Mix all of the dry ingredients together in a large bowl (oats, seeds, cinnamon, cardamom, sea salt) until well combined.

In a separate bowl melt almond butter in the microwave (about 30 seconds - 1 min). Add maple syrup, honey and vanilla to the melted almond butter and stir well. Pour wet mixture over dry ingredients and then mix everything has been coated in almond butter mixture.

Spread evenly on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 10 minutes. Remove from oven and mix granola to ensure even baking and put back in the over for another 10 minutes. Remove and stir one more time and bake for a final 5 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

Notes : Be gentle when mixing the ingredients when it’s in the baking process if you like bigger clumps of granola. If adding in chocolate chips, wait until cool to incorporate. Store in airtight container.

@thishealingmama

Blueberry Pie Oatmeal

So I know this is kind of a silly recipe to post because who doesn’t know how to make oatmeal. But, I figured sometimes we all get a little bored with our usual topping combinations and/or run out of ideas. Plus Dash loved this because it had a dessert-like feel, and I loved feeding it to him because it used the natural sweetness from the blueberries to add that sweet flavor instead of using refined sugars.

Part of dealing with my auto-immune stuff has been figuring out what I can and can’t eat. Some foods just don’t sit well with me anymore and it’s a never ending process of eliminating foods and also reintroducing foods. I have tried just about every “health” diet there could be and I haven’t found one that has been a perfect fit across the board. I mostly try to stick within the parameters of cutting out processed foods, avoiding vegetable oils if possible, cutting down but still including small amounts of meats/eggs and also staying away from gluten, dairy, sesame seeds and peanuts. We try to mix in vegan/vegetarian meals throughout the week and try to eat a large variety of fruits and veggies. I’m excited to start sharing my recipes with you because I’ve spent a lot of time working on them for my own family!

Ingredients :

• 1/4 cup heaping instant or rolled GF oats

• 1/4 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

• pinch of allspice

• favorite granola

• 1 teaspoon of hemp seed hearts (or more based on preference)

• drizzle of maple syrup (optional)

Directions :

Simply cook the oatmeal according to package instructions or preference (I boil water and cover the oats in a bowl and let stand for five minutes). Stir in allspice, then top with remaining ingredients. Microwave the blueberries for 1-2 minutes if frozen.

Notes : Sometimes I don’t even add the maple syrup if the blueberries are sweet enough.

Blueberries are high in vitamin C, K and manganese, plus high levels of antioxidants. Hemp seeds are a great source of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, phosphorous, potassium, and B vitamins.

If you are on instagram, I created a new account that focuses just on my wellness journey, recipes, and motherhood. Feel free to follow along if you have any interest! :-) @thishealingmama

Strawberry Banana "Nice" Cream

My son Dash has some severe food allergies to dairy (casein and whey), peanuts and sesame seeds, so with Dash’s restrictions and my food sensitivities (lactose intolerant and gluten sensitive) its been a challenge finding summer time treats that are quick and easy. I miss ice cream like crazy, before I became lactose intolerant it was one of my favorite foods. If anyone knows of any non-dairy ice creams that are free of gluten, peanuts, sesame and processed in allergen free facilities PLEASE let me know! I have had lots of trouble finding something that meets all of these criteria.

In the mean time, we have been enjoying banana “nice” cream. Surprisingly, the texture and flavor is pretty yummy and if you add goodies on top of it or mixed in, it feels more dessert like. Anyway, my son loves it (honestly he’ll eat anything with chocolate chips) and I’m happy with it too.

ingredients

• 1 frozen pre-sliced banana

• 1-5 tablespoons of non-dairy milk (we used almond milk)

• 4 large frozen strawberries

• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup or honey

• additional toppings/mix-ins : vegan chocolate chips, freeze dried strawberries, coconut flakes, hemp seeds

instructions

• Add all the ingredients to your blender or food processor except the mix ins and non-dairy milk. Start by adding 1-2 tablespoons of non-dairy milk at a time. Depending on your blender or food processor you may need more, ours is pretty good at blending without much liquid if you move it around a bit. The key is to add as little liquid as possible so the mixture remains extremely thick. It may take a little bit of scraping down the sides but it won’t take long.

• Add the mix-ins or toppings and enjoy!