Short and Sweet...

Hello friends! Sorry I've taken so long to post. My world is about to get VERY different, to say the least! 

In two days, my hubs will undergo the Gastric Bypass Surgery. We are both very excited, yet very anxious about what the future holds for him, as well as us! We have NEVER both been skinny, at the same time! He has NEVER been less than 250 pounds since we've been together. In the past, it seems like he would lose weight and I would gain the amount he’d lose or vice versa.

Thankfully, we have reached a place in our marriage and in our finances, where the surgery has become possible for him! So, after MUCH prayer and obvious favor and MANY doctor appointments, Thursdays the BIG day, LOL!!  

In the meantime, if you’re a prayer, please keep him, Jay, in your prayers, as well as, myself and our daughter, Elaina. Pray for wisdom, for Dr. Gorospe, while in surgery.  This is going to be a HUGE adjustment for Elaina and a test of compassion and patience for me!

Here is the link to my husband’s blog: jaywakefield@wordpress.com. Feel free to follow him as he personally blogs about his weight loss journey from the very beginning!!!

Now, to leave you with a recipe, since that is the point of MY blog after all.  This is a slow cooker or “crock pot” Granola recipe!! It is YUMMY!!!

ALMOND-CHERRY GRANOLA

Ingredients:

5 cups old fashioned rolled oats

1 cup raw, whole almonds

1/2 cup dried tart cherries(Craisins)

1/2 cup sunflower nuts

1/4 cup unsweetened shredded coconut

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup honey

1 teaspoon vanilla

Slow cooker instructions:

Mix the oats, honey, oil,  almonds and vanilla in a 4 quart slow cooker. Stir. Leave uncovered and turn on high. Cook for 1 hour, stirring every 20 to 30 minutes. Reduce to low and add the coconut, sunflower nuts and cherries. Continue to cook on low uncovered for about 4 hours, stirring every 20 or so minutes. The granola is done when it looks completely dry. Cool on baking sheets then store in an air tight container. *(My first time making this, I made it EXACTLY like recipe. It was AWESOME! However, I'm the only one who can/will eat it. So, with the next batch, I cut EVERYTHING in half, INCLUDING TIME. I also didn't have the coconut or the whole almonds. So I omitted the coconut and subbed sliced almonds for the whole. Still turned out just as wonderful!!)

What you'll need(plus coconut and I added cinnamon to mine)

Step 1: Mix oats, honey, coconut oil, almonds and vanilla. Cook on HIGH, uncovered, for 1 hour. Stirring ever 20 to 30 minutes. (I did 30 minutes. But I'm OCD like that. I also sprinkled a lil cinnamon in with this mixture, just for fun!)

Step 2: Add remaining ingredients. Reduce temp to LOW. Stir every 20 to 30 minutes for up to  4 hours or until ingredients are dry. (I only cooked mine for 3 additional hours)

This is what my final product looked like!! It was YUMMY!! I ate it by itself, on my frozen"yogurt", on Greek yogurt, in cereal. I even tried adding a lil Natural Peanut Butter and Honey to it to make a Granola bar, that was mildly successful, but still delicious!!