A visit to Vegas

This past week we visited Las Vegas. It was amazing. My wonderful partner put us up in a suite on one of the top floors of the Cosmopolitan hotel. The room had a beautiful balcony with an amazing view, but don't believe me. Let me show you -

The trip was amazing but that's not what I am here to tell you about. I am here to tell you about a few little things that we brought back. So here are some of my favourite US purchases

Apple cinnamon Granola

It's finally autumn/fall and I am so happy about it. A while back I made a homemade granola for Mother's day and it was a beautiful summer treat but granola is a year round so why not make this more spicy and autumnal?

This mound of golden deliciousness is full of all sorts of wonderful natural flavours that evoke those seasonal senses.

Ingredients

1 cup organic rolled oats
1 cup irish quick oats
3 tbsp flax seeds
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup almonds (activated by soaking overnight)
1/4 cup hazelnuts (activated by soaking)
1/2 cup dried apple rings
4 slices of candied lemon rind
1/2 tsp cinnamon
pinch of all spice
pinch of nutmeg
generous pinch of salt


3 tbsp almond oil
3 tbsp honey
1 tbsp almond butter

1. Preheat the oven to 130'C. Chop the apple rings and lemon rinds into small pieces.

2. Cover the apple and lemon pieces in the spices and mix well.

3. Mix together the oats, seeds and apple/lemon pieces together

4. In a small saucepan mix together the almond oil, honey and almond butter and heat gently until boiling.

5. Pour 90% over the oats and mix thoroughly.

6. Line a baking sheet in tinfoil and spread out the mixture.

7. Bake on for 20 minutes, keeping a close eye on them.

8. Pour the nuts into the end of the almond oil/honey mixture and mix until all the nuts are covered.

9. Mix the nuts into the rest of the granola and bake for a final 10 minutes.

10. Serve with yoghurt and fruit of your choice (I choose fresh apple, sprinkled with more cinnamon)

This granola tastes amazing!! I am so pleased with how it turned out, the lemon rind gives a zingy freshness which compliments the spicy apple perfectly and all the delicious nuts and seeds provide even more texture and crunch. So if you are looking for a taste of autumn that doesn't involve pumkin I would definitely recommend this. Til next week, enjoy =)

Healthy Mother's Day Breakfast ideas

So this coming weekend is Mother's Day in the states, not here - here it's in March. However I always remember Mother's Day in the states because it's usually the same weekend as my birthday. So since it's my birthday week I decided to make myself some delicious breakfasts and then thought - wouldn't this make an interesting idea for mother's day breakfast in bed too. So you might say to me, but Cat - Mother's Day is a treat it doesn't need to be healthy and if you want something naughty for your mum I would suggest this cinnamon and nuts twist. However, what if your mother is a fitness fanatic, or what if the mother in your life is your wife who has recently given birth and is working on the baby weight, wouldn't it be nice to be able to provide a delicious special treat that won't hurt her wasit-line or cholesterol.

Granola Bars: they can be naughty too

So after a week of cheesecake it's time for something a little less unhealthy but just as tasty. I've been playing around with ideas for protein/granola bars. The problem being I get so sick of peanuts and eventually everyone reaches a limit to how many almonds they can eat. So no peanuts, no almonds but then there's a jar of cashew butter in my fridge that's been calling out for a use and honestly the nutty, creamy flavour could be just what is needed.