Football and Cranapple Spice Granola

Sunday morning at Panera!  I decided not to have the Gingerbread bagel, but go back to classic blueberry.  Nom, nom!

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It was nice to chit chat with John and just have some down time.  We stopped off for groceries afterward.

Still have this sign up!

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Of course, they have no more of those mixes, either! They need to change their sign…

We’ll have to keep checking the little stores around to stock up.  😀

Fridge/freezer cleanout for lunch!  I had 1 waffle topped with the last Boca Burger and some laughing cow cheese.

lunch1129Plus 2 clementines!  These are so good.  You’ll be seeing lots of these this week!  I have decided I don’t care for the Boca Burgers anymore.  I used to eat them all the time, and as I moved away from processed foods and soy, those left, too.  I got a box for old time’s sake and didn’t care for them.

Work was really slow today.  I did not get a single file until 5 hours into my workday.That means having to take some PTO if I want to get paid for today!

However, that did mean some play time in the kitchen.  I made up a new batch of granola that I named Cranapple Spice:

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Ingredients:

  • 1/8 cup of maple syrup
  • 1/8 cup of of apple juice concentrate
  • 2 tsp sunflower (or other light) oil
  • pinch of salt
  • 1/2 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
  • 2 cups rolled oats
  • 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  • 1/4 cup of dried cranberries, chopped

Preheat oven to 275 F.  In a bowl, mix together the apple juice concentrate, maple syrup, oil, salt, vanilla, and spice until thoroughly mixed.  Add in the oats and almonds and stir/mash really well until the oats are thoroughly coated.  It may not look like enough liquid, but it is.  Pour onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.  Bake at 275 for 1 hour to 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring the batch every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and add the chopped dried cranberries.  Very lightly sweet and crunchy. Delicious!

Enjoy!

Lots of football watching today!

Question:  Do you have a food that no longer tastes good to you that you used to love?

18 thoughts on “Football and Cranapple Spice Granola

  1. Diane Fit to the Finish

    There are lots of foods that I don’t like anymore – like anything fried, some cheeses, really rich foods, and most meats. It’s interesting how our tastes change over time and with dietary changes. I wish, wish, wish we had a bagel shoppe here!
    .-= Diane Fit to the Finish´s last blog ..So Much Thanks! =-.

  2. CG the Foodie

    Boo on the pumpkin!

    Foods I don’t like anymore? I am not a fan of fast food much at all anymore and it used to be all I ate. I also don’t really eat potato chips or mainstream chocolate bars.

    I also can’t have most artificial sweeteners so diet sodas and gum are also off the list.

  3. debby

    That granola recipe looks very promising– a nice light recipe that can be varied with different ingredients/spices. Thanks for sharing.

    I guess popcorn would be one thing that I had on a daily basis, and I found that I had it more out of habit than out of true enjoyment of the food. So now I have it very occasionally, and it is the higher calorie popcorn instead of the ‘healthy’ or ‘lite’ versions. The best popcorn is the popcorn that my best friend makes from scratch. Fortunately, she lives in a different state, or I could do some serious damage with that stuff.
    .-= debby´s last blog ..Warning Light =-.

  4. Susan

    You need to come to Canada, we have those giant 28 oz cans of E.D. Smith pumpkin puree everrrrywhere. I don’t think we ever had Libby’s to begin with.

    There are a lot of foods like greasy fish n chips, poutine, nachos, etc, that I used to eat ALL the time that I just can’t see myself eating anymore. Maybe splitting it, or pieces of it, but eating the whole dish now would make me sick for sure.
    .-= Susan´s last blog ..Final monthly goal check in! =-.

  5. Jody - Fit at 52

    OK, I will have one of everything!!!!! YUMMY! I was going to ask you about sending you some pumpkin to! Glad you have some!

    You know, I have a lot of food I don’t care for anymore but the one thing that hits me is that I can’t stand too much salt or too salty foods. Since I have been using no-salt seasoning for so long, the extra salty stuff just makes me go UGH!
    .-= Jody – Fit at 52´s last blog ..Eating & Weight Loss Reality – Tomorrow Is NOW =-.

  6. MB

    I thought of you when I saw all the pumpkin in the supermarket. Do you want me to ship you a case of it?

    I gave up drinking Diet Coke over a year ago and it amazes me that I don’t even miss it. Now if I can only do that with bread and chocolate I’d be in good shape 😉

  7. Leslie

    Hi Lori,

    I just found your blog – wow! It’s great, and what an inspiration you are. I plan to browse through your archive to catch up, as I see you’re an amazing success story – which I’m longing to be someday! Struggling a bit now, but I’m in this for the duration, damn it!

    Your granola looks amazing, but I wouldn’t dare have it in my house at this juncture – I could see myself eating the entire batch in an hour. I’m not kidding. Maybe someday! I’ll be back here for sure.
    .-= Leslie´s last blog ..Anti-progress or Fear of Success? =-.

  8. Karyn

    Your granola looks great. Unfortunately, granola and I don’t get along. It’s the oats fault! They cause weight gain!!

    I will have to try those waffle sandwiches you make. I make waffles from scratch for my kids. I wonder what they would think of a waffle sandwich? 🙂 🙂
    .-= Karyn´s last blog ..A new one for me. =-.

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