I have never really considered myself a morning person. Before discovering Nutritional Medicine I woke up feeling so ridiculously tired EVERY morning that I would give absolutely anything for an extra hour in bed.
These days, thanks to finding my Nutritional balance, I wake up often before my alarm, find it difficult to sleep in past 7am and actually look forward to going to bed early and waking up feeling refreshed. This year I even found myself glad when daylight savings came as I had been waking up with the sunrise at 530am anyway - now I wake up naturally at 6 on my days off and 630 on clinic days.
This is me out for a run along the beach on the Gold Coast at 7am while on holiday for my birthday - you would never have caught me doing this 10years ago, let alone so obviously enjoying it!
Since finding my energy and love for life, I've now found that I also have a great appetite in the morning too. Previously dragging myself out of bed I would force myself to eat some combination of caffeine and sugar - anything to wake me up but I certainly wasn't enjoying breakfast.
Now breakfast is my favourite meal of the day and I'm discovering some really delicious combinations.
So today I'm going to share with you my current favourite - Cinnamon Toasted Granola.
Now that I've discovered this recipe I jump out of bed excited to get stuck in to this delicious bowl of goodness. It's made such a difference to my energy and happiness - and it keeps me full right up until lunch too.
So here we go....
Cinnamon Toasted Granola
Ingredients
Granola mix:
- 1 cup of nut+seed mix - use your favourites. I used a mix of cashews, almonds, macadamias, pepitas.
- Half a tablespoon of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon of coconut oil
Topping:
- 2 tablespoons of coconut yoghurt
- Handful fresh berries
Optional extras:
- 1 tsp of agave syrup, maple syrup or honey - for those of you who want it sweeter.
- Half cup of rice flakes (Remember, this is optional, you could just double the mix above for a grain free mix or of course use oats if you're lucky enough to tolerate them).
Directions:
Take the coconut oil and warm in a wok or large fry pan on medium heat.
Once the oil has melted, add the granola mix to the pan and top with cinnamon.
Keep stirring the mixture so that it is evenly coated and doesn't burn.
After a couple of minutes turn off the heat. If you are using a sweetener such as agave, molasses, maple or honey - this is the time to add it. Drissle over the mixture and stir well.
Serve warm and top with coconut yoghurt and berries.
NOTES:
If you want to get maximum protein and nutrients out of your nuts I do recommend soaking them for a minimum of 1 hour in water (or overnight) before use.
Do not use extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil for this as these oils are not heat-stable. Coconut oil is your best bet (and tastes so yum) but if you are one of those strange people who does not like the taste then I recommend grapeseed or macadamia oil.
This mix makes a great breakfast but can also be used as a snack or post-dinner dessert-type treat.
I hope you enjoy this delicious home-made granola. Please feel free to leave a comment and let me know what you think.
Until next time, stay deliciously healthy.
Kindest Regards
Jennifer May Adv.Dip.Nut.Med.Cert.Hemaview.ATMS
Nutritionist and founder of Sydney City Nutritionist