Granola

This Granola. Oh my.

Loaded with nuts and seeds, it's high in protein, naturally sweetened with maple syrup and high in fiber thanks to hemp hearts and chia seeds, this granola is probably one of my favourite breakfasts to have.

I never liked store bought granola's much for two reasons. For one, they are always way too sweet! Second, too much oats with not enough hearty ingredients to keep you full long enough to make it to lunch. This Granola definitely hits the spot.

Slowly baking the granola at a low temperature not only leaves the nutrients intact, but makes for a wonderfully crunchy treat.

Granola is one of the simplest things to make yourself...so why spend (way too much) on the store bought stuff that can't keep you full?

 My favourite way to serve it has been to top with frozen raspberries or fresh cherries and a blend of almond and coconut milk. Recently though, I found an amazing Dairy free, Soy free yogurt!!! Seriously guys....I didn't quite realize just how much I really missed it until I had my first delicious spoonful of this yogurt.

The brand is Yoso. They started with Soy based yogurts, but since soy turns my insides black (seriously...it's disturbing) and sends me to the bathroom for hours there is no way I'm going near it. But then walking by the yogurt section at my local grocery store reminiscing of the days I could enjoy this fermented treat, I spotted this wonderful stuff. It's the closest thing I've found to dairy yogurt. Creamy with just a bit of tang, and not all jello-like as other coconut milk yogurts tend to be. As an added bonus, it's actually a great source of calcium as well as being a probiotic!

So back on track with the Granola...

Since i've found this yogurt, I'm loving parfait again! Crunchy, perfectly sweet granola, slightly tangy yogurt topped with berries. Drool. That was definitely my breakfast this morning.

Hurry and make this so you can enjoy it too!!

Granola

5 cups Gluten Free Rolled Oats
1 cup raw cashews
1 cup walnut halves, coarsely chopped
1 cup raw almonds, coarsely chopped
1 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 cup raw pumpkin seeds
1 cup coconut chips
1/3 cup hemp hearts
1/4 cup chia seeds
1 cup maple syrup

*Mix all dry ingredients together in a very large bowl. Add maple syrup and mix until everything is coated.
*Spread over baking sheets lined with parchment paper. Don't over fill the sheets or the granola won't cook evenly. (I usually need three large trays).
*Bake at 200°F for 2 - 2.5 hours, or until lightly golden (easiest way to tell for me is the watch the coconut chips...when they're golden, the granola is usually done)
*Let cool then store in an airtight container. (I use 1/2 gallon mason jars)


**To shake things up, I sometimes add dried fruit once the granola is done baking and has cooled. Try adding 2/3 cup of a dried fruit of your choice if you like. Yummy options could be raisins, chopped dried apricots, cranberries, golden berries, blueberries, etc. You can also switch up the nuts for a change or if you just don't really like one of the ones listed above.


I hope you enjoy this healthy Granola as much as I do!



Eryn

Feathers

This past week I've spent my down time casually cutting up this pile of pretty fabric.

I had originally planned on this being a scrap only quilt, but most of my scraps were just too small for the cuts required. So I dipped into my stash.

Fin helped! He's much faster than me.

So this has been my view most of the week. (baby sock will not be included in the quilt...)

These 10 stacks are the fruits of my labour. They are so pretty all lined up. I've been testing them next to the slate grey that will be filling in all the spaces between. I can't wait to start sewing! Colin has taken Fin to the museum today...so maayyybe!

These little mushrooms have to be my favourite fabric. Ever. It's just so cute! It's Mushrooms in aqua from the Little Red Riding Hood Line by Riley Blake. I bought it a while back, so most places i've checked recently are sold out. You can still find pretty much the entire here at Hawthorne Threads. They have an amazing selection of fabrics and the site is one of the easiest to navigate (compared to other online fabric stores)! I'm pretty sure i'll be buying more!

I'm usually not a fan of purple, but these shades have called out to me and are making me swoon!

 

Hopefully I'll have a few blocks to show you next week.


Before I go, here's a quick update on R2D2!

Since most of my spare time this week was spent on the feathers not too much got done (sorry Colin), but I did manage to finish all the applique pieces! I was even able to start the embroidery. I can already see how much that will make everything pop. Eeek!

Until next time!

Eryn

Scrap Happy

Today, I realized something.

I am becoming over-run with fabric scraps! Pretty, pretty scraps. It's kind of exciting actually.

January marked my first full year of quilting! I'm sure any quilter who's been in the game for more than a year will think me crazy for being excited about scraps.

But with the 5 quilts, and other projects i've completed this year (plus the 4 quilts in progress), I have a pretty decent selection of colourful scrappy goodness.

And this awesome quilt pattern is the lucky winner for how those scraps will be put to cozy good use. Feathers by Alisson Glass can be found here, or here, as well as her new fabric line, Sun Print here, that I have been so tempting to snatch up (especially the feathers). I love how the bright colours contrast with the grey, so my version will probably be similar in that way. This quilt pattern requires paper piecing, which i've never done before. I am looking forward to learning this new skill! It's supposed to be great for accuracy.

I also have this fairly new stack of solids that i'm itching to use. Maybe I'll slip some in those feathers :)




Eryn

Traill's Chevron Forest

Last week was a busy one, but I did manage to squeeze in some sewing and baking here and there. Here are some snippits of what I was up to last week!

The chevron forest quilt that I showed you in this post for my friends baby is finally finished! Some late night stitching allowed me to get the binding all finished!

The yellow chevron is so cute for the binding! I decided to quilt with a nice yellow thread 1/4" from seams to bring out the chevron. Keeping the quilting nice and lose like this, in addition to the super soft minky back makes for one floppy baby quilt!

Look at that cutie down there! The quilt finished at 35" x 55". Big enough he can enjoy it for years to come.

As a little treat I made some Oatmeal Raisin cookies. De-Lish!

I started whipping up some cute wash cloths for baby or general use...

I'll be selling them in sets of 3 or 4 in my Etsy shop that i'm in the process of setting up. As soon as it's ready i'll make sure to link it up here so you can get some!

They are backed with a nice fuzzy Chenille cotton that make them nice a thick. Great for cleaning the wee-ones, personal use, dishes, you name it!

And last but not least, R2D2...

The applique stage is almost done thanks to late night-the baby's asleep-tv watching stitching! Next step will be adding embroidery to make everything pop. So excited to see this little guy come together!


Until next time (which hopefully won't be so long),

Eryn

Un-Cheesy Kale Chips

These Kale chips are one of my favorite snacks that really pack a health punch!

What kind of punch are we talking about? Well to start, Kale is packed with Vitamins K, A, and C, Iron, Calcium (per calorie, it has more calcium than milk), powerful antioxidants, fiber and sulfur (making it a great detox food too).

Then add Nutritional Yeast loaded with B12, Folic Acid, Fiber, protein, raw Cashews packed with copper, magnesium, the heart healthy fat Oleic Acid and antioxidants, and Red Bell Peppers full of Vitamins C, A, B6 and Lycopene. Now there's a health punch for you!

This tasty snack is perfect to replace that pesky last night crunchy chip craving! Not only will you get loaded with nutrients, but they are dehydrated (or baked) not fried. I love taking these on road trips too!

Want to make them for your kids lunches, but need to follow a No-Nuts school policy? Raw sunflower seeds make an excellent substitute for the cashews!

Try and use Organic Kale and Red Peppers since these veggies tend to have very high pesticide residues when grown conventionally.

Un-Cheesy Kale Chips

2 bunches kale, washed and dried
1 cup raw cashews, soaked for 4 hours
1 large red bell pepper
1 lemon, juiced
1/3 cup nutritional yeast
sea salt & black pepper to taste

*Tear kale leaves into bit sized pieces. Put in a large bowl and set aside. (Leave tough stems out)
*In a food processor, puree cashews with lemon juice to a hummus-like consistency. Add all remaining ingredients (except kale) and pulse until smooth.
*Pour cashew mixture over kale pieces, and use your hands to massage the mixture into each kale leaf.
*Place the kale pieces one by one on your dehydrator trays. They can be fairly close together. Dehydrate for about 8 hours, rotating trays every 2 hours for even drying.
*Alternate cooking method:  Place kale on a baking sheet and bake at 150°F for about 1 hour (check every 20 minutes to ensure they don"t burn).
*Store in an air-tight container and enjoy!



Happy snacking!

Eryn 

MyMy Mei Tai

A couple weekends ago I finally was able to whip up my new Mei Tai and I'm quite pleased with how it turned out!

I made it reversible to suit mood, outfit, and me vs. hubby. One side is a pretty aqua chevron, with the other a charcoal grey with white birds. I love that this will also work for carrying boys or girls (future baby maybe!?).

I followed a great tutorial by Anitra over at Pigs Pancakes and Knitting Needles. It's the style of a Babyhawk Mei Tai, and it is pretty darn comfy!

I like it a bit better for front carries since It doesn't hug Fin as close to me as I'd like. I also made it a bit too short for my crazy long baby. D'oh!

 

We had our first test run at the Aviation Museum, and this is what I quickly discovered. Once Fin fell asleep his head was flopping back (as you can see below)! I'm glad the top of the body piece is padded since it was able to support his neck enough when it tipped back. (Don't worry I didn't leave him like that!)

Luckily, I can make a pretty quick fix - a hood! I have a good amount of both fabrics leftover so I think i'll make a nice hood that I can snap on. Problem solved!

So if you don't have loads of money to spend on a fancy baby carrier or woven wrap, I definitely recommend making yourself a Mei Tai. If you're new to babywearing, or interesting there's lots of great info out there. Here's a short list of some of the benefits of wearing your baby.

To add to the list, my three favorite reasons to babywear are:
*you get lots of sweet snuggles
*you can cook dinner hands free, and
*you don't have to fight with fitting a stroller through stores or small spaces!

Happy sewing (and hopefully babywearing)!
Eryn

Kombucha Craze

One of my favourite beverages is Kombucha. Not only is it oh so delicious, but it has so many health benefits!

First, what is Kombucha you might ask. It's a sweetened tea that’s been fermented by a symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast (a SCOBY, a.k.a. “mother” because of its ability to reproduce, or “mushroom” because of its appearance).

Now back to those health benefits! One of kombucha’s greatest health benefits is its ability to detox the body. It is rich in many enzymes, vitamins, amino acids, anti-oxidants and bacterial acids which promote a healthy liver and cancer prevention. Kombucha is fantastic for treating arthritis because it is rich in glucosamines which helps preserve cartilage structure and prevent joint degeneration. Kombucha can reduce inflammation which will benefit any part of your body, but also fibromyalgia, depression, etc. 

You can't forget that Kombucha is a probiotic beverage! That natural fermentation of the sweetened tea allows the bacteria to grow and produce the nutrients needed for the health benefits listed above. Probiotics have been the biggest part of the long journey I took to heal my digestive system, and I feel everyone can benefit for them!

And the greatest part is how simple it is to make your own Kombucha at home! You just need to make sure all your equipment is sterile,wait, and then enjoy all those health benefits.

Here is the recipe I always use:

Kombucha

1 Gallon purified water
8 tea bags, organic green or black tea
1 cup cane sugar
1 cup previous batch kombucha
1 mother scoby

*Bring water to a boil then remove from heat.
*Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Let the water cool for about 5 minutes, then add your tea bags, steep for 15 minutes and remove tea bags. Now cover the pot and let it cool to room temperature (I usually do this before bed so it can cool over night).
*Once your sweet tea mixture has completely cooled add in your kombucha and scoby. Never use metal utensils when handling kombucha and especially your scoby and it can damage the bacteria needed for your fermentation.
*Cover with cheese cloth making sure no bugs can get it (fruit flies are your worst enemy!). Let ferment for 1-4 weeks.
*Remove your mother scoby, a the new daughter scoby as well (if there is one). Strain through cheese cloth if you wish to remove all the little 'wispy bits' (I like to leave them since its beneficial bacteria, but Colin prefers it strained).
*Bottle your kimbucha for a second fermentation. This will make it nice and fizzy! I like to bottle it in sterilized Grolsh flip top bottles. I love to add chopped fresh ginger to half my bottles and let it ferment with the ginger. Allow at least a few days to week for the second fermentation.
*Drink as is, or diluted in water or juice. Enjoy!


Cultures for Health is an amazing website if you're interested in fermenting! They are such great a resource with recipes, directions, supplies, FAQs, troubleshooting, etc. I highly recommend you check it out! Here is there page for kombucha. It has everything you need to know to get started!