Patriotic Parfaits

 So May is here. My son Derek's birthday is tomorrow. Derek thinks May is the best month of the year  because of the weather. When I think of May, I think of the end of the school year. I also think about Veteran's Day and the other holidays coming up.

I have been thinking about my feelings on patriotism this last week. Wherever you live, I hope that you are grateful for the place you are living. I loved the unity that came after 9/11. I would see signs of people saying things like, "I love America" etc.. The tragedy was horrific, but the unity was sweet. We can make a difference and one person can have an effect on others.

My parents are great examples of honoring their country. They have a flag pole with a flag waving in front of their house. My Mom always put up a flag for patriotic holidays even before she had a flag pole. I love seeing flags waving and will often mention to my children how pretty they look. I love the red, white, and blue colors. My Dad was a pilot in the Air Force and loved that experience. They both have always sung songs about our country with vigor. Their influence has had a great effect on me.

So I am going to give you a challenge this month and hopefully it will carry on throughout the year: find some way to show appreciation for your country and  those who work in our military. Encourage others to as well. We can make a difference. We need to pull together. I love America! Have a great weekend.

Granola recipe 

Jeanie's Granola

Mix together in large bowl:

12 c. rolled oats
3 c. chipped coconut, unsweetened

2 c. almonds chopped in food processor2 c. sunflower seeds1/2 c. flax seeds ground (they also could be whole, but you get more health benefits from ground)1/2 tsp. sea salt1 T. cinnamon

Mix well in seperate bowl:

1/2 c. coconut oil or 1/2 c. olive oil
3/4 c. honey or (The honey makes it clump together well.)

Add 2 tsp. vanilla or 1 tsp. maple syrup or 1 tsp. almond extract. Pour over top of oatmeal mixture and stir through. Pour on to cookie sheets. Spread out. Bake 25 min at 300. I stir it about every 10 min.

Turn off oven and leave 3 hours or leave overnight. (I have done both leaving it overnight and eating right after the cooking time. Both work! Both ways are yummy!)

 Ingredients

2 C Granola

2 C Plain Greek yogurt with honey added or vanilla

2 C Cut up strawberries 

2 C blueberries

Directions:

Layer The ingredients starting with the granola first and end with granola and blueberries on top for garnish. Enjoy a patriotic treat. :)

This is my Mom, (who is amazing) receiving a flag at my Dads graveside service. It is hard to not get choked up when I look at it. 

Spelt Waffle Parfaits

Today I enjoyed a wonderful morning walk with my wonderful mother. I sure do love her. She is an amazing influence in my life. That teaches me from example and love. I will forever be grateful for her and the the way she has blessed me and my family. It was wonderful to see the signs of Spring coming. We saw some beautiful daffodils and new growth on trees. It is wonderful to see the world waking up. :) Happy Spring!

 I just spent a wonderful vacation in Mexico. The sunshine, water and blue sky were heavenly. It was a treat to have all that time with my husband. Life is sweet.

This is a fun way to serve your waffles. They could be a nice breakfast, brunch or dessert. Yum! I just finished eating one of them, and it tasted really good. You can decide what kind of fruit you want as your topping. You could even have make your own parfaits. There are a lot of fun options.

Ingredients

Spelt waffles

2 C spelt flour or whole grain flour

2 T cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 large eggs
1/4 C coconut oil (Melted)
1 3/4 kefir or yogurt or buttermilk
2 T honey 
1 tsp lemon juice * optional
1 tsp lemon zest * optional
2 T cream tarter

Topping

plain yogurt

strawberry jam

fruit: blueberries and bananas or fruit of your choosing

Directions:  makes about 8 waffles

1. In a medium size bowl mix flour, cornmeal, salt, and baking soda with a wire whisk. Set aside.

2. Separate the eggs in two separate bowls. Into the egg yolks stir in the oil, kefir, honey, * lemon juice and *zest. Stir into the flour mixture until all moistened.

3. Beat the egg whites adding the cream of tarter till stiff peaks. Fold into the flour mixture. Set aside. (I have found if I let it sit 5 to 10 min. It grow and makes better waffles and pancakes

4. Bake the waffles in a preheated waffle iron. ( I wanted them a little more crispy since I was adding them to the  yogurt.) Take out and let cool. Cut into small squares. You could freeze leftover waffles in zip locks.

5. Place a few of the cut up waffles in the bottom of the parfait dish. 

6. In a small bowl mix yogurt and jam together. Spoon some on top of the  cut up waffles. 

7. Put a few banana slices and some blueberries on top. Then top with some more cut up waffles. Then some yogurt on top and you could end with a little fruit on top. Enjoy!

*Seve right away so the waffles don't get soggy.

Chocolate Banana Parfaits

May's Recipe Redux Theme is all about May's Showers. Not the rain kind, but the wedding and baby kind. I (Britney) recently threw a baby shower for a friend and we had all sorts of sweet goodies for people to eat, and a couple of healthy ones too. Sometimes I'm nervous about giving all my healthy goodies to my friends, you know? What if they think that you need sugary cookies/cake/candy buffets to make a party a party? I must admit that I sometimes worry about what they would think. But there really are plenty of delicious, healthy options out there.

Today's treat is definitely a treat, but it is a healthy treat. (I promise!) Chocolate doesn't have to be high in fat. The chocolate granola helps you eat some whole grains, the chocolate yogurt is flavored with cocoa and honey and has the tangy taste of wholesome yogurt, and then you add bananas. And aren't chocolate and bananas just made for each other?

All of your friends should love this treat.

As usual, check out some of the other delicious shower foods shared by our other Recipe Redux partners. They always come up with some great ideas!

Ingredients

Granola

1 C unsweetened flaked coconut

3 C old-fashioned oats

4 T cocoa

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 C honey

1/2 C coconut oil

2 tsp vanilla

* Optional you could add 1 T. peanut butter for a chocolate peanut butter variation.The granola would be great to eat alone too. :)

Yogurt

2 C plain yogurt or greek (you could also use vanilla and leave out honey and vanilla extract)

2 T honey

1 T cocoa

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

and sliced bananas (fresh berries would be a delicious substitution!)

*You could garnish with chopped almonds, whipping cream, and or chocolate chips

 
Directions

1. Start with the granola. Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Mix together coconut and oats in a bowl.

2. Add cocoa, salt, honey, coconut oil, and vanilla to a sauce pan. Heat, stirring, until just combined. Take off heat and pour over oat mixture. Stir until all combined.

3. Place parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Pour over granola in a thin layer. Bake for 30 minutes. You could stir once during the baking.

4. Mix together yogurt ingredients.

5. Layer the ingredients in a glass just before serving.