Granola

Oh, what a wonderful week I have had! My bestest friend was in town with her two daughters, and she spoiled me rotten with her time! I enjoyed playing with the girls, and cooking and cleaning up, and essentially just living together for a week. We had a 4 a.m. talking session that I don't think either of us really recovered from, but I am so glad that they came out!

 

Isn't she absolutely beautiful?

Now, I've made a ton of stuff, but haven't posted much....soooo, I'll be playing catch up for a bit. Here's a granola recipe from Green Smoothie Girl, with some HW&W adjustments to our family's tastes:

8 C regular rolled oats
1 C raw wheat germ
1 C shredded unsweetened coconut
1⁄2 C freshly ground flax seeds (flax seeds lose their nutritional value FAST after they are ground, so always grind it fresh prior to using it)
3/4 c nuts (we use raw almonds)
3/4 c seeds (love raw pepitos!)
3 Tbsp. cinnamon (or pumpkin pie spice! Mmmm!)

Mix ingredients well in a big bowl.

Heat on the stove until barely melted, stirring together:
1⁄2 C raw honey
1⁄2 C Grade B maple syrup or molasses
1⁄2 C water
1⁄2 C coconut oil
1 Tbsp. vanilla or almond extract
Pour the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until distributed evenly (this takes a few minutes). Spread onto 2 large cookie sheets, and bake at 250 for 45 minutes. Stir, and then bake for 45 more minutes. Stir again, and bake another 10-15 to get it good and dry. Keep in the pantry for up to 2 weeks in cooler weather, or in the fridge for up to six weeks.

We always pour on a bit of almond milk and some sprouted sunflower seeds, as well as seasonal fruit (peaches, bananas, apples, sometimes raisins....nummy!)

p.s. this stuff cleans you OUT! :)

Onto gardening! We had to pull out 2 of our squash plants. We lost them to vine borers, and I haven't had time to research how to prevent them. When I do, though, it will be on here so I remember for next year! We still have a bunny. Yeah. It's eating our garlic and making short work of our swiss chard. We are still getting things from our garden, but a little irritated that we are also feeding our pests. We continue to work, though, picking off squash bugs daily, looking for egg clusters, and watering during this heat spell we are having. My 3 year old's legs can't move any faster when she hears I'm going to water the garden. She loves to help!  I think next year we will try planting our vine plants later in the season. However, if anyone has ideas on how to get rid of bunnies, I'm totally open to it! :)