I've Done It. Granola Perfected.

I have absolutely no intention of this becoming some kind of recipe blog.  That just doesn't feel like my style, but my daughter has been begging me to make granola again for weeks and my mom also gently suggested that I make some to take with us on vacation next week.  (By gently suggested, I mean that she shoved a large container of oats at me as well as 2 large containers for the finished product.)  This seemed like the perfect opportunity to try something somewhat original and so I consulted 4-5 different granola recipes, picked and chose what I thought would be tasty, and added my own flair.  The finished  product is pleasing to the palate, to say the least.

This is a big batch, by the way.  This stuff doesn't last long around our house.

The Recipe

6 cups oats

2-3 cups coconut (I love coconut, so I definitely do 3)

1 1/2 cups sliced almonds

1 cup wheat germ

1 cup flax seed

3/4 cup brown sugar (I use the splenda 1/2 and 1/2 blend)

2 cups craisins

1/2 cup canola oil

4 egg whites, beaten

1 cup honey

2 tsp. vanilla

1 tsp. almond

2 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325.

Heat the brown sugar, honey, and oil in the microwave for approximately 45 seconds.  

Allow to cool slightly and transfer to a large mixing bowl.

Add egg whites, vanilla, almond, and cinnamon and then stir in everything else, except for the craisins.

Spray 2 cookie sheets and spread in an even layer.

Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir.  Bake for 10 minutes.

Remove from oven and stir again.  Add craisins.  Stir.  Bake for 5 more minutes.

Allow to cool completely in order to achieve maximum crunch and then transfer to an airtight container.  

The Nutrition

Serving Size:                1/2 cup

Number of Servings:    34.5 

Calories:                240

Fat:                         11

Carbohydrates:       32

Protein:                    5

Fiber:                       4

Weight Watchers Points Plus:  6

The Nutrition Breakdown

There is a good chance you may want to eliminate certain ingredients, so I have broken down the nutritional information for each ingredient so that you can come up with a new nutritional information per serving on your own.  Math is not my strong suit, but I am going to do my best.  

Nutritional Information for the Entire Batch

I find these numbers somewhat disturbing...

                                               Calories          Fat         Carb         Protein          Fiber

Oats                                        1800                 36           324              60                   48

Coconut                                  1680               120           168              24                   24                                

Almonds                                 1026                 90             42              36                   24

Wheat Germ                             400                   8             48              27                   16

Flax Seed                                 400                  27.5          27.5           15                   22.5

Brown Sugar Blend                 120                   0              24                0                     0

Craisins                                    780                   0            198                0                   18

Canola Oil                                960                112              0                 0                     0

Egg Whites                               100                  0                4               20                     0

Honey                                     1031                  0            279                1                      0

Nutritional Information Per Serving

These numbers are approximate.  I did a lot of rounding up or down for the purpose of eliminating certain ingredients if desired.  This is why the numbers don't add up at all when compared with the general nutritional information provided above.  Definitely go with those numbers; they are much more accurate.

                                               Calories          Fat         Carb         Protein          Fiber

Oats                                            52                  1               9                   2                  1.5

Coconut                                      49                  3.5            5                   1                  1

Almonds                                     30                  2.5            1                   1                  1

Wheat Germ                               30                   0              1.5                1                  1

Flax Seed                                    30                   0              0                   0                  1

Brown Sugar Blend                      3.5                0              1                   0                  0

Craisins                                       22.5                0              0                   0                  0

Canola Oil                                   28                   3             0                    0                 0

Egg Whites                                    3                   0             0                   1                  0

Honey                                         30                    0             8                    0                 0

The Reflections

Do not eat the entire batch in one sitting.  Your stomach will explode.  

I may try to eliminate the oil and possibly add a few more egg whites.  There is a whole lot of fat in that stuff.  There seems to be a whole lot of fat in the coconut too, but I really don't care.  Did I mention that I love coconut?  I also may consider adding more almond extract... something else I love. 

Keira is going to be super excited in the morning.  She has been talking about mixing granola in her yogurt all day.  

Trying to Do It All While Sleep Deprivation Takes Over My Life

I have daydreams about having a decent night of completely uninterrupted sleep. What would it be like to sleep through the night without a small foot kicking me unexpectedly in the ribs or waking up at 3 in the morning with my mind already spinning with the next day's agenda?

I can only sleep on my side. At 22 weeks pregnant, sleeping on my back or stomach is no longer an option. On a semi- related side note, I am pretty sure I can claim 22 weeks, although I keep forgetting and have to ask my friend who has the same due date. I don't know why I can't keep track from week to week. It bears some similarity to my inability to remember my age ever since I turned 30. I always have to really stop and think about it, consult my husband, or subtract my birth year, which requires pen and paper for me, so I go ahead and just claim that I'm 32... Again. What's the difference between 32 and 33, really? Yes, I'm 33. Or is it 34? No, definitely 33. Maybe I'll come back to this when my husband gets home tonight... Back to my pregnancy sleep situation. It's not that I hate sleeping on my side, but to have my only options be my right or my left side just irritates me through the night. I like having options and control. Limiting sleep options must be one of God's lovely reminders that there is limited control with parenthood at times. You just have to go with it. In addition to the irritating lack of options, my legs sweat and it is understandably uncomfortable. I don't think I need to go into this. My belly is growing and my bladder is shrinking simultaneously and as soon as the second trimester hit, the task of falling asleep has become treacherous.

And so it goes, my unborn child keeps me from sleep and it seems that my other two treasures don't want to miss out on the action. Judah, age two, doesn't seem to understand that he is supposed to stay in his bed the entire night. At times he makes his way to our bed before we are able to get there ourselves. There have been multiple times we have come upstairs, thinking that our little ones have been sleeping soundly for several hours only to find that Judah has thrown our decorative pillows on the floor and neatly pulled back the covers and crawled in, on my side of the bed, of course.

The last time we came upon Judah in our bed, we beheld an unexpected sight when the covers were pulled back in order to return him to his proper sleeping place. Before the removal of the sheet, he was my sweet and beautiful, exasperating child. However, the act of pulling back the covers revealed the makings of a regular uninhibited man. He had on a t-shirt which was loosely positioned around his waste, his hands were sprawled above his head and his legs were spread revealing all his glory, for he had removed his diaper before making his way to our bed. There was nothing to do except run into the hallway stifling our laughter.

Not only can Judah magically dig the poo out of his diaper with his bare hands while leaving his clothes completely unscathed, he can climb into our bed while we are sleeping and we never hear anything. He must shimmie his way up the bed between us and slyly make his way beneath the covers. I only come to discover him when I wake to switch to my other side only to find that I cannot because of his small body pressed up against mine. I relent and continue seeking to sleep uncomfortably on my left side... Until I feel a gentle tap on the top of my head. My eyes flutter open to find deep brown eyes inches from my own. "Mommy, I had a bad dream.". What can a mother say to that? I gently scoot Judah over and I lift Keira to lay beside me. I am thankful we sprung for the King bed.

I can't blame my children entirely for my sleep deprivation. My college roommate often referred to me as the "girl who never sleeps". In those days, I was living it up late at night in the dorm lobby or drinking coffee at the Waffle House or Perkins. These days it is Words with Friends and historical, somewhat trashy, fiction novels that keep me from the bliss of sleep. Why waste those precious moments of complete quiet, save for the light, rhythmic breathing of my husband lying next to me, sleeping? This is my time.

I wake far too early even on the mornings when I could sleep a bit longer and my thoughts immediately race to the items I need to remember to add to my grocery list, the choreography of my new Zumba routine, what is needed to spice up the white walls of my new office, emails I need to send and phone calls I need to make. Just when I begin to feel the frustration of my pervasive thoughts overwhelm me, I feel a soft hand upon my shoulder, rubbing in a gentle circular motion. I roll over. "Goo mornin' Mama!"

Sleep or not, all is right in the world.

A Little Late on the Bandwagon

It is a bit strange that I have waited this long to jump on the blogging bandwagon. In fact, I am so late that I expect that by the time I get really into it, it will have become archaic. It is strange that I have avoided it for so long, for starters, because I am an unashamed Bandwagoner. When Twilight became the craze, I read the trilogy in 3 days, fell in love with Edward, and continue to attend the midnight showings. (The same can be said about me and The Hunger Games). I am a Mac user, because Mac's are clearly cooler than PC's. When skinny jeans became popular, I jumped in them. Scarves became the fad, and I bought 3 dozen of them. Zumba took over the fitness world, so I became an instructor.

The second reason my late coming is smewhat surprising is that I love to write. There is something wonderful about the accomplishment of stringing words together in a way that brings the soul to life. Words on a page have the power to change your mind, create an unforgettable experience, capture a precious memory, heal pains and provoke joy. I am not an accomplished writer, but it is certainly one of my many undeveloped ambitions. Blogging... What a great outlet for the writer who only has time for a paragraph here and there.

Another reason I can't believe I haven't taken up blogging is that I am always ready to give too much information at any given moment to anyone who gives me the space to do so. Perhaps nothing more needs to be said about this. I hope that this sentiment will become clear.

I embark on this journey knowing that I will probably fail miserably. This is a creative outlet that I know has the potential to relieve some stress and give me some satisfaction, while the reality is that my track record with such things is not great. At least five times a year I decide that I am going to start journaling again, so I go and buy a pretty journal or find a diary app and journal for about a week. Although I am a faithful, and I mean super faithful, Facebook stalker, my status updates are sporadic. I may go a month without a post and then I'll post 17 updates in 24 hours. The same can be said about my tweets. Time will tell... We will see how this goes.

As I considered the content of this blog, and incidently, considered for a long time before landing where I've landed, I realized that I must not put myself in any kind of box because the thoughts that enter my mind often have no rhyme or reason. I need to be able to ramble about motherhood and work and theology and housework and sex and fear in one breath. I need to have space for humorous anecdotes, despair, and gratitude. I need to honor people, remember places and spaces, sort out my crazy emotions, and embrace the beauty of the unpredictable and adventurous life that I treasure and long for.

All of my ramblings naturally somehow center around one of my primary roles, mom, which is second only to wife and God-follower. My plate is full and my days are fuller and I find myself pulled in a million different directions and yet, I am grounded in the reality that in the midst of it all, I am always mom, and for this season, Keira, Judah, and this wonderful baby that will join us in October, are the joy of my heart.

And so, MOMblings is born, the ramblings of a mama trying to do it all.