Homemade Granola Adds Crunch to Breakfast

Good morning all! What a great day for a run! The sun was shining and the air was so crisp – I was even a little chilly in my shorts and long-sleeve t-shirt. I was up and out the door by 5:45 AM, which is pretty typical for me. I usually don’t see many people that early in the morning, especially on Mondays. But today, due to the beautiful weather no doubt, there were a few new faces outside at the crack of dawn. I just give a friendly wave or head nod and keep on moving.

I spent a little too much time lollygagging (inside and outside) this morning so  I had to make a quick breakfast of cheerios. But, I livened it up a bit with 3 tablespoons of homemade granola and a handful of blueberries. Crunch!

Cereal-blueberries

That’s the great thing about granola – you can throw it on top a variety of foods to liven things up a bit. I’ve put it on ice cream, oatmeal, pudding, and, of course, yogurt. You can even eat it straight like cereal which is fantastic, although you don’t need much to fill you up.

Granola Jar

My husband is working in the city all week, which means he will be home later than normal each day. This makes dinner quite a challenge. In the past, during our not-so-healthy times, we would simply go out to eat, grab a pizza, or eat prepared food. As we are trying to save money, going out to eat has become less of an option. But, we’ve also become much better at managing his unpredictable work schedule and our dinners have improved because of this. 

We try to prepare things ahead of time, such as chop veggies the night before or thaw chicken, which saves us time when we get home from work. This week, we’re having a few of our old standbys to get us through. Although these meals are relatively easy to prepare, they are all homemade and balance protein with veggies and carbs. Take a look….

  • Sunday – Fajitas (hmmm…they were gooood!)
  • Monday – Chicken Stir-fry with homemade sauce
  • Tuesday – Chicken soup with rice
  • Wednesday – Grilled Italian sausage with spinach risotto
  • Thursday – Turkey burgers, steamed carrots, orzo with spinach and feta
  • Friday – leftovers

Have a great morning everyone!