Coconut Maple Granola
February 18th, 2012 § 12 Comments
Good Morning Everyone! 
Who’s ready for a fabulous long weekend? I know I am!
This weekend is going to be an exciting and relaxing one for me. Today will be filled with hair, make-up, and nails in preparation for my school’s annual Cotillion dance tonight and then I am free to chill out for the next two days. I don’t even have that much homework!
This morning I woke up with a hankering for homemade granola. No biggie, I thought. I got washed and dressed and got right to work!
Granola is actually one of my favorite things to make. It’s mess-free, easy to prepare, and can be made in under an hour. Plus you can adapt it to whatever you have on hand and it’s virtually fail-proof. Unless you burn the granola…I may or may not have done that a few times. 
Coconut Maple Granola
“Coconut maple is my favorite granola flavor because it’s different, yet totally delicious! I like using granola as a topper for yogurt and ice cream! Granola will stay fresh in an air-tight container for up to 3 months!”
Ingredients:
- 2 ½ cups old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup sweetened flaked coconut
- ½ cup puffed rice cereal (like Rice Krispies!)
- ½ cup roasted cashews
- ½ cup roasted almonds
- ¼ cup canola oil
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoons maple syrup
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 275º Fahreneheit. Place all ingredients in a large mixing bowl and stir until well combined.
- Place granola on a baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray or lined with parchment. Bake for 25-30 minutes without stirring!
- Preheat oven to 425º Fahreneheit. Bake granola for an additional 3-5 minutes and enjoy!
Yield: ~3 ½ cups granola
What are your plans for this weekend?
Have you ever made granola before?
Spiced Carrot Cake Smoothie
June 4th, 2011 § 43 Comments
Cold, refreshing, spiced Carrot Cake you can sip through a straw?
Yeah, I knew that would get your attention.
Spiced Carrot Cake Smoothie
“Cold, refreshing, spiced Carrot Cake you can sip through a straw!”
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
- ½ banana, sliced and frozen
- ½ cup pineapple, cubed and frozen
- ½ cup steamed carrots, cooled
- ½ cup greek yogurt
- ¼ cup milk
- 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice (or 1 ½ teaspoons cinnamon mixed with ¼ teaspoon allspice and ¼ teaspoon ginger)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (adjust to taste)
- pinch of salt
- garnish with extra cinnamon and shredded coconut (optional)
Directions:
- Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth and creamy.
- Pour into a large glass, garnish, and enjoy!
Yield: 1 serving
Mmmmm…Mmmmm…Mmmmm!
Coconut Banana Bread
May 19th, 2011 § 40 Comments
Sometimes it feels like banana bread recipes are a dime a dozen here in Blog World. I love banana bread as much as the next person, but c’mon, how many banana bread recipes do we need?! Not many, but you might want to add this recipe to your repertoire. This banana bread is moist, fluffy, and has a hint of toasted coconut in every bite. Enjoy it with a pat of butter and wash it down with a cold piña colada. It’s the perfect summer bread!
Coconut Banana Bread
“A moist and fluffy banana bread with a twist: the tropical flavor of shredded coconut!”
Ingredients:
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ cup shredded coconut (I use the sweetened kind.)
- 1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup (½ a stick) butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons agave (Maple syrup or honey can also be substituted.)
- 1 cup mashed ripe bananas (about 2 large bananas worth)
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-x-5-x-3 inch loaf pan, set aside.
- Place all ingredients except banana in a large bowl. Mix until throughly combined. In a small bowl, mash banana until no large chunks remain and add to bowl with other ingredients. Mix well.
- Spoon into prepared pan and top with reserved 2 tablespoons coconut. Bake for 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let stand for 10 minutes before removing from pan. Cool on a wire rack and wrap tightly to store.
Yield: 1 loaf (about 8-10 slices)
Back in January I made a bread similar to this and I liked it, but this time I made a few changes and it was absolutely amazing! I increased the amount of coconut, decreased the amount of sugar, and swapped out most of the all-purpose flour for whole wheat. In other words, it’s much healthier and much tastier than the original. You’ve gotta give it a try!
Enjoy!
