Rice Chex Granola

Oh boy this is yummy. I love how crunchy and delicate rice chex is, now add that yumminess to granola and it's SUPER YUM.

Rice Chex Granola
(I didn't use exact measurements, it's kinda hard to mess this one up. Feel free to tweak this recipe to your liking)

1 tsp almond butter (I used Raw Maple Almond Butter)
1 TB raw natural honey
1 tsp agave nectar-amber
1 tsp coconut oil
1/3 cup oats
1/3 cup slivered almonds
2 TB unsweetened coconuts
3/4 cup rice chex
shakes of cinnamon
sprinkle of salt

Preheat oven to 325.
Warm the almond butter, coconut oil, honey and agave in the microwave just until it's liquid-y. Then add oats and mix well. Then add nuts, cinnamon and coconut flakes, then rice chex. Mix well. Place on parchment paper or greased baking sheet. Bake for 18-20 minutes. Make sure not to burn it. Let it cool completely before breaking it into pieces to eat.

1/3 cup equals to around 100 calories. It's so delicious on it's own, with greek yogurt, in a bowl of cereal, or crumbles on top of an acai bowl!

Hippy-ish Granola

Hey hey hey! You are currently reading the first EVER blog post from me, Sarah C. I'm so excited that you somehow wound up here :) I have been reading healthy living blogs for the past three years, and I love cooking up recipes and baking sweet treats that I find on them. So kind of life "monkey see, monkey do" I will be recreating goodies, but putting my own spin on them. I will also let you know honestly how I think it turned out. I want this to be a place where you can get some ideas for dinner, workouts, places to go, and things to make.

To kick off my first recipe tweak, I tried Elise's Quinoa Granola.
Original Recipe: http://www.hungryhungryhippie.com/quinoa-granola/

Here are my modifications:
1 c oats
1/6 c quinoa
1/8 c whole flax seeds
1/4 c unsweetened coconut
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 c chopped almonds
1/2 c trail mix (Trail mix had pepitas, sunflower seeds, cranberries, walnuts and pecans)

1/2 c cereal (I used an unsweetened plain corn flakes kind)
1/6 c coconut oil
1/12 c honey
1/12 c maple syrup
(To do this, I took a 1/3 c measuring cup, filled it halfway with coconut oil, then filled half & half of maple and honey)

Mix the dry ingredients, then mix the wet ingredients. Mix both together, making sure everything is evenly coated. Spread on parchment paper and bake for @ 300 for 40 minutes. Let it cool, then break the sheet of granola into big pieces.

My granola came out perfectly clumpy, crunchy, and sweet. I liked the addition of the corn flakes, because all the small pieces of quinoa had a big vesicle to stick to. The quinoa gave the granola a slight nutty crunch. This granola is filled with protein, healthy fats and fiber. I urge you to give it a shot!

Today's workout: I did day 30 of Jamie Eason's Live Fit Program. It was a pretty intense day of chest and abs, followed by 30 minutes of steady state cardio. I already finished her program all the way through, but still feel like I have some more toning to do... so I decided to go back to level 2 and work my way through again. Here's what was on today's agenda:
http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/jamie-eason-livefit-trainer-phase-2-day-30.html

My modifications: I used the smith bar for the bench presses, did the push ups on my knees, and couldn't do the side-side push ups. I can do about three of them, and then I collapse on my face. Also, instead of doing the cable crunches, I did crunches on a stability ball. I hate cable crunches, I feel like a crazy person trying to do them, and I feel like I'm always doing them wrong. After that, I chose to do the stair master at level 14 for 30 minutes, and cooled down with 10 minutes on the treadmill at incline 4, speed 4. It was a pretty lack luster workout, probably because I was starving.

Thanks for hanging out with me for my first EVER blog post. I hope you stick around :)