Thought i'd share this tasty granola recipe! It makes a wonderful holiday treat/neighbor/co-worker gift! And as an added bonus it makes your house smell so yummy! 

Apple Cinnamon Granola 

 3 1/2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup ground flax seed
½ cup unsweetened applesauce

1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

pinch of ground ginger

½ cup honey

1 cup maple syrup (the real stuff) 

1 cup almonds

½ cup walnuts

1 tablespoon melted coconut oil

Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl until well coated! 

Pour mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 300 degrees for 50 to 60 minutes. Turn granola over every 15 minutes to prevent burnt edges! 

Cool and enjoy! Its especially yummy with some dried fruit and vanilla yogurt! 

Here's the cold hard truth. I am not a cook. Sure i can cook spaghetti, a sunday roast or stove top chicken. I'm not exactly sure what is about cooking that drives me away but i have a couple theories. Mostly its just that it is time consuming and then you eat the finished product and there's nothing left to show but leftovers. Ugh- the kitchen. I've vowed one day when i'm home more i will learn to love to cook. maybe. But for now i've been trying to find healthy snacks. The sunflower market has defiantly become my new favorite- and when i found this recipe for strawberry fruit leather i knew i had to try it. And boy is it yummy. Time consuming but yummy. Here's the recipe if anyone wants to give it a try. 

Cut the strawberries into quarters or halves. 

I used between 7-8 cups of freshly cut juicy strawberries. 

Cook berries on low heat for 10 minutes to bring out the natural sweetness. Add two tablespoons of honey- stir- and continue cooking for 5 minutes. 

(ok this are not part of the fruit leather but i thought i'd show mr. dogs healthy treat of choice- low fat vanilla yogurt/applesauce mix and freeze- not only a treat but this keeps him busy for at least 20 minutes) 

Place berries into a blender and mix. You want the mixture to be the consistency of a runny shake (yes that is best analogy i've got) 

 

Lay parchment paper on a cooking sheet and pour berries and spread thin.  

Cook on 150 degrees for 6-8 hours. (yes it takes that long) 

 

 Cut into strips with kitchen shears and roll. They will peal away from the parchment paper with ease. Just like a real fruit roll up. 

Enjoy!