Sunday, November 7, 2010

E: Fruit or Vegetable Puree Granola

Sunday so soon! How is your weekend going? Mine has been very nice and mostly relaxing. Other than the usual activities, I got to spend time with a few of my relatives who are in town visiting. While the men headed to the University of South Carolina football game, the ladies indulged in lunch at Mosaic and shopping. At Mosaic, I got their special soup of the month, butternut squash. It was totally delicious and served with a side of toasted pita:

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I kind of already want to go back and get this again…. After fabulous shopping, we stopped at Starbucks for a pick me up. My cousins:

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Aunt & Grandma:wee 006

Mom, Grandma & Me:wee 007

As Mandi mentioned in her last post, we received a few cookbooks to sample/review. I took on Jessica Seinfeld’s Double Delicious, Good Simple Food for Busy, Complicated Lives (disclaimer: we received the cookbook for free from the publisher):

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In the introduction to the cookbook, Jessica discusses how she struggled with trying to get her kids to eat a healthy balance of foods. Throughout the book, she shares her healthy & delicious tips & tricks (like using vegetable/fruit purees instead of fats in many recipes). Another neat part about the book is the recipe commentary provided by Jessica, her three children, husband and a nutritionist.

The first recipe I decided to try was Jessica’s Crunchy Almond Granola. This granola is made with a variety of nuts & seeds and uses carrot puree instead of oil or butter. Since I didn’t have carrots or carrot puree on hand, I used pumpkin.  Pre-baking:

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And post baking:

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A delicious and unique tasting granola! Later this week, I plan to make her Butternut Squash Tomato Soup.

A quick shout out and thank you to Tina for sharing her amazing Smores cupcakes with Mandi & I:

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What are you up to today?

17 comments:

Lauren said...

Shopping with the girls is the best. Glad you had a great day with your family.

I have always used applesauce for my granola but I think pumpkin or carrot would also be fantastic.

Hope today is wonderful, relaxing, and everything a Sunday should be! ;)

CaSaundraLeigh said...

I love getting good restaurant meals that make you want to go back! Sounds like a fun weekend..it's always good to spend it with family! Enjoy your Sunday!

Susan said...

I love girls days like that. You guys took over that Starbucks!

Today I think I'm going to try to volunteer a bit and maybe experiment in the kitchen!

Krista said...

I saw that cookbook in Chapters the other day. The granola looks like it came out great!

Lovely to spend time with your family! Nothing beats that.

BroccoliHut said...

Love the idea of adding fruits/vegetables to granola! Might have to experiment with that once I get a break from school:)

Heather @ Get Healthy with Heather said...

I've added pumpkin to granola before but never carrot puree... what an idea! I wonder how it would have tasted.

Sarah said...

What an interesting thought, to use a vegetable puree in granola. Did you find it changed the flavors much, made the granola more veg-like? I'm still nervous to try it, I must confess. My past few batches of granola have really been great thanks to the buckwheat I've started adding- it gets so crunchy!

Lunch and shopping with the ladies is about the best way to spend a Saturday afternoon, IMO. Hope you are feeling better today!

Pound said...

ive always wanted to make my own granola!

Julie said...

oh what a fun ladies day! i love how everyone in your family looks so related :) haha all the ladies! starbies is such an excellent choice for a refueler :) glad you got some sold time spent with the itzy ladies!

today i'm just chillin watching the marathon, the jets, the giants and feasting :) perfect sunday!

Corey @ therunner'scookie said...

I love homemade granola! Though I have trouble pacing myself with it - last time it was gone in a few days! I'm catching up on lots of errands, laundry, and work today...with some baking and watching football mixed in!

teresa said...

oooh, i love that you put pumpkin in the granola, what a delicious idea!

Tina @ Faith Fitness Fun said...

Is that cookbook like the other one with all the pureed veggies added in to recipes? Or is more general recipes that are simple? I didn't care for all the secret veggie stuff.

Natalie said...

your fam is too cute! glad you had a fun weekend :)

Monique said...

omg I want those cupcakes!!! :) Looks like a fun day with the fam!

Melissa @ For the Love of Health said...

you can never go wrong with butternut squash soup- that looks amazing!

That's nice you got to spend time with family! I spent the day cleaning and made time for a grocery trip. :-)

Britt said...

Sounds like a great day!

Seems like a fun and interesting cookbook!

Tiffany @ The Chi-Athlete said...

You have such a beautiful family! Glad you had a wonderful day. :)