A Firm Foundation

Good Morning Granola

I discovered that with kids, life gets fast paced in the morning hours, and it’s not always possible to make a real substantial breakfast.  I love to make a double batch of this ahead of  time.  We enjoy it with plain yogurt, or almond milk.  It makes a nice crunchy sprinkle over the top of simple hot cereal as well.

3 ½ Cups Rolled Oats

½ Cup Chopped Walnuts

½ Cup Chopped Almonds

¼ Cup Oat Bran or Wheat Germ

3 Tbsp Sunflower Seeds

3 Tbsp Pumpkin Seeds

1 tsp Redmond Real Salt

4 Packets Sweet Leaf Stevia

2 tsp Cinnamon

2 tsp Almond Extract

¼ Cup Coconut Oil

¾ Cups Applesauce

Dried Fruit Options: (To Taste)

            -Banana Chips, and Dried Blueberries (my favorite!)

            -Raisins, and Chopped Dried Apples

            -Shaved Unsweetened Coconut, and Chopped Dried Mango, Papaya, or Pineapple

            -Cranberries, and/or Chopped Apricots

¼ Cup Ground Flax Seed, or Seed Mix ( I grind Flax, Chia, Sesame, and Hemp seed in small batches to store in the freezer.  Of course, fresh ground is always better.)

Chop nuts in a food processor to the desired consistency. In a large bowl, mix together the oats, nuts, oat bran or wheat germ, seeds, and salt.  In a separate bowl, combine the stevia, cinnamon, almond extract, coconut oil.  Mix this coconut paste into the oat mixture, pressing out the lumps.  Stir in the applesauce until the granola is evenly moistened.  Spread the granola onto a cookie sheet.  (I use two cookie sheets and make two different kinds of granola when I double mine.)  Bake at 275F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  After baking, add the dried fruit and ground seeds.  Mix well, and cool.  Store in airtight container. 

A Hymn I'll Remember

"In every condition--in sickness, in health, in poverty's vale or abounding in wealth, at home or abroad, on the land or the sea--As thy days may demand, so thy succor shall be."
 ~Robert Keen, "How Firm a Foundation"

This hymn was and still is a comfort to me in times when I feel less than well.  Times when I feel my resources are running out, or far away from what feels like home.  Music is a source of healing, because it opens up our willingness to feel.  Unfortunately, we can't always be well.  We are mortal.  As much as people try to change that in this world, there is only one way out of this life.  We all go there eventually, right?  I'm not afraid of it, because to me, what comes next is home.  Pain and suffering are gifts.  It's our body's way of telling us something is out of balance.  Those signals are very useful when trying to key into what needs to be changed in our lifestyle. 

I was reminded recently during my yoga practice of a time years ago when my ballet instructor gave me some most memorable advice.  We were practicing our pirouettes across the floor.  This was something I struggled with, especially on my left side.   Apparently I wasn't the only one struggling that day.  Jacquie, our instructor, stopped the music.  She had us all get down close to the floor, and petting the ground jokingly, she said, "The floor is your friend!"  Her humor automatically made me feel lighter.  We all gave our friend a little pet.  She then said something to the effect of, "If you don't push down into the earth, you'll never go up."  I was amazed how when the music started back up, I turned effortlessly.  I felt the ground beneath me through my hard toe shoes.  I still use this foundational principle today in standing postures of yoga practice.  The only real difference is that I'm breathing deeper, and I get to do it in my bare feet.  Root yourself down, and you'll grow.  You'll balance, because you have a firm foundation. 

So what are the foundational principles of good health?  It's bringing us back to basics.  Exercise.  Eat right.  Sleep.  I would also add Loving Relationships.  Faith.  Humor.  We all know this, but knowing and doing are two different things.  Really most of the time people just create daunting goals for themselves, when it really is quite simple.  Apply one principle at a time.  Do one thing at a time.  Slow down and let yourself progress naturally.  It never comes all at once.  Your foundation might be different than someone Else's.  We all have different motives behind our goals.

Remember the original food pyramid?  Grains are at the bottom.  They are foundational.  Next comes Vegetables and Fruits.  Next comes dairy products and meats.  At the top is sugar and oils.  This is a great guide when used appropriately.  Low-carb diets came about probably because people were consuming mostly refined, bleached, processed, white flour stripped of it's nutritional value.  Grains that have been so altered, shouldn't be in the grains category at all!  I would classify them into the sugar category, since we all know, white flour is easily turned to glucose.  Whole Grains are completely different.  The fiber stabilizes blood sugar.  The grain in it's original form contains protein, which if sprouted, increases.   Whole grains are higher calorie.  This equals higher energy.  Calories get such a bad rap--I'm always looking for more energy, aren't you?  "Don't count your calories.  Make your calories count."  (I'm not sure who said that well-known quote first, so I'll just leave it at that.)  I love this granola recipe I've posted, because it's loaded full of the right kind of calories to start the day.  You can see why I'm against white fluffy pancakes most mornings now, can't you?  Here is what I use as my own modified food pyramid:

Sorry about the formatting, I'm new at this