It's the little things

The good Lord smiled down on me today and led me to these. You can take them out of your suitcase, Mom, I found them!

Recipe: Homemade Apple Cinnamon Granola

 

I received this recipe from the guys at BeachBody, which are the same ones that produce Insanity. I'm still a big fan! I made it and it's delicious. Good for a snack or I also mixed it with plain Greek Style fat-free yogurt. Which, if you've tried it, tastes like sour cream and is a good substitute for it, but add the granola and it tastes like heaven! Now my kitchen smells like autumn. I didn't have the parchment paper, but it still worked fine on a cookie sheet.

• 1/4 cup raw honey (or 100% pure maple syrup)
• 1/4 cup virgin coconut oil
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. sea salt
• 1/2 cup chopped, dried, unsweetened apples
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped raw walnuts

1. Preheat oven to 300° F.
2. Line baking pan with parchment paper. Set aside.
3. Heat honey and oil in small saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently, for 2 minutes or until oil has melted. Add extract; set aside.
4. Combine oats, cinnamon, and salt in a large mixing bowl; mix well.
5. Combine oat mixture and honey mixture, stirring until oats are evenly coated with honey.
6. Place on prepared baking pan, spreading in a thin, even layer.
7. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes, until granola is light golden brown and crunchy.
8. Cool granola completely (it will get crunchier as it cools).
9. Add apples, raisins, and walnuts; mix well.

(Makes 16 servings, 1/4 cup each)

Tips: Other healthy additions include unsweetened shredded coconut, sulfate-free dried apricots, flax seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, dried unsweetened berries, hemp seeds, etc. You can store cold granola in an airtight container for up to a week.

Nutritional Information: (per serving)

Calories	Fat	Saturated Fat	Cholesterol	Sodium	Carbs	Fiber	Sugar	Protein
81	5 g	3 g	0 g	38 mg	10 g	1 g	7 g	1 g

Singapore

We were in Singapore two weekends ago. We had so much fun! We went with our friends, Tom and Sara. We drove down on a Saturday morning, the drive wasn't too bad, but it took 2 hours to cross the border! Passports were scrutinized and we blamed it on Tom being the one Brit in our group.

Once we arrived we walked around a bit, then hurried off to some other friends place and then on to a fun pizza restaurant.

On Sunday, we were at Universal Studios. Brady is such a dare-devil and rode a crazy, fast roller coaster that went upside down twice. Then, he rode it again! He didn't want poor mom to be left out. I remember when I was a kid I cried when my mom took me on the Shock Wave a Six Flags for the first time. I'm pretty sure I was older than 7.

That same night we went to the Night Safari at the zoo. We loved it! We walked our legs off, but we had so much fun. Poor Mason keeps asking "when are we going to get a stroller?"

Before the drive back, we visited the Marina Bay Sands Resort. Since we weren't guests we just got a ride to the top to look out. Hotel guests get to look out from the infinity pool-57 stories high!

It was a bit easier traveling back to KL, however traffic did pick up as we got closer. It turned out to be a late night as we didn't get back home until 9.

Tom and Sara don't have kids of their own yet and I'm sure after that weekend they will hold off for a while longer! It was nice for us though. Brady and Mason had 2 other people to hang on, talk to and laugh with.

New shoes

Here they are - my custom, hand-made Malaysian shoes. I wore them out to dinner last night. We ended up walking quite a bit and they felt pretty good. My feet are a little sore today just from wearing wedges, because obviously, they aren't running shoes. But, they are super-cute!