Homemade Coconut Almond Granola Oats
You know how I wrote yesterday that my favorite thing about oatmeal was the eating process? The granola oats were so fun to eat!! So much chew and lots of volume with my homemade recipe. Definitely some competition with Trail Mix Oats.
Today’s mixture:
- 1/3 cup oats
- 1/3 cup hemp milk
- 1/2 a banana
- 1 tbsp flax
- Vanilla
- 1/4 cup homemade granola
- Level spoonful peanut butter
With coffee. I think I’m burnt out on coffee. It’s just not tasting as good and my body feels overloaded after I drink it. But I don’t know how to stop! It’s so appealing when I get to the kitchen each morning, but once I’m drinking it I wish I hadn’t made any. I think I just need to switch to hot tea for a while – or perhaps just a big glass of water when it’s hot and steamy out.
I walked the husband to the lightrail this morning and am planning a formal workout for a little bit later.
Drool Worthy News
My very favorite summer splurge is Cold Stone Creamery ice cream. I’m one of those who loves mix-ins (the chew!!!) and I think their ice cream is just divine. I’m also a HUGE batter lover. Cake Batter Ice Cream = #1 in my book. So you can imagine how excited I was to read this in Rachel Ray Magazine this morning:
This just in: Batter up! On July 1, Cold Stone Creamery introduces four delicious spin-offs on its popular Cake Batter ice cream. There’s a flavor for every taste: Carrot Cake Batter, Chocolate Cake Batter, Blueberry Muffin Batter and Cinnamon Bun Batter. Spoon licking is encouraged!
I’ll be there come July!
{ 66 comments… read them below or add one }
Cinnamon Bun Batter!! Yes please!!!
I love cake batter. I have tried to be semi-good there and get the sinless stuff before, but it tastes like crap, IMO. Plus, Cold Stone is for splurging for sure.
Sorry to hear your prof stinks.
I HATE cake batter. I don’t understand how people eat it haha! My fiance is so happy about that because this way he gets to eat it all when we’re baking haha
Have a great day!
can I ask… how many magazines do you read a month?
Claire,
I get about 12 subscriptions (health, fitness, cooking and home – I’m not into fashion) and then pick them up at the gym (and leave mine on the racks there when I’m done). So I’d guess I read 15 a month?
K
I am with you on the cake batter. I always get sprinkles mixed in to add to the fun
The blueberry muffin one sounds divine!
Love the bowl! Crate and Barrel??
I love the “Birthday Cake Remix” with the sprinkles and brownie. MMMMMM. Not sure about the other flavors….why mess with perfection?
Cookie dough ice cream is the BEST invention ever!
I love love love cake batter from Coldstone! I like to combine my two faves by getting cake batter with cookie dough mixed in, a little decadent but so worth it!
I just had Cold Stone on Sunday! I LOVE IT! It’s def loaded with calories but it was a great little treat for my husband and I!! mmmmm…ice cream for breakfast anyone??
The carrot cake one sounds fantastic!
Did you ever think of making iced coffee? That might cure your “problem”! Happy Wednesday!
I LOVE granola in anything. I’m going to have to try this recipe. My dad and I make our own and are always looking for new variations. OMGosh! BLUEBERRY MUFFIN BATTER! I’m going to die if I go there. :::fainting:::
oh my god, I love the cake batter ice cream too. I love cake batter and it tastes just like it!! That is pretty exciting news. I wonder if they’ll be good? I’m the same as you, plain ice cream is boring – I love the mix ins. I like to get the cake batter with heath bars, cookie dough, hot fudge and sometimes pecans. Can’t even imagine how bad it is for you so I always share!!
I don’t like the sprinkles mixed in like a lot of you though, something abotu the texture.
Carrot cake batter? I am so there!
Darnit – I’m screwed! Cold Stone Creamery is probably my favorite place in the whole entire world (that and Red Lobster) and the Cake Batters are my favorite too! YIKES!
YUM!!! I have to say that the cheesecake ice cream is my fav…with cherries and graham cracker crumbs mixed in….but that carrot cake batter might be taking its place…..
hahah i tried the “sinless” version of cake batter at coldstone on friday…. and it was SO TERRIBLE tasting in comparsion that i went ahead and got the regular stuff… YUM! sometimes its totally worth it!
I LOVE the extreme crunchiness of granola – definitely makes creamy oatmeal more fun to eat! :0)
Sounds like you’ll be at Cold Stone Creamery more often, with all those tantalizing new batter flavors!! Enjoy!! :0)
Thanks Kath for the lunch bag suggestion!
$25 dollars seems reasonable for something that will last. How did you learn about this bag? I always wonder how people know about these great things.
There’s a soft serve frozen yogurt place in town that sometimes has brownie batter frozen yogurt. I get it with cookie dough on top. Yum!
The Dreyers (?) American Idol Cake Batter ice cream is insanely good, too!
i’ve never actually liked cold stone, but those flavors might just win me over.
I get a lot of magazine subscriptions, too. I love reading them at the gym and it’s a great way to unwind when your brain is too full for a novel.
My summer schedule has me eating lunch at 11:00am a couple of days a week – it’s weird! We have lots of snackers in my class who crinkle bags and wrappers. Luckily this prof is very laid back.
I must be the only person in the world who doesn’t really like ice cream…but I love REAL batter.
Speaking of magazines… what are everyone’s favorites? I probably get about 10 a month, but I’m always looking for something new and interesting.
i love fitness magazine…. its so much better than shape or self, as it actually has challenging workouts in it and not a lot of fashion stuff.
plus… if you dont get the oprah magazine (i know some of you are oprah haters, but its really very good), you should pick up an issue. there are so many topics covered, from money management to relationships to fashion to food… it’s a HUGE magazine and takes me weeks to get through.
Mmmmm, Coldstone. Just went there the other day with the boy. He got the birthday cake remix (cake batter ice cream) and I had a bite…yummy but almost TOO sweet! I almost always get the sinless flavors…I’m so boring…
Oh, and for all the Coldstone lovers (if you didn’t already know) you can sign up for their birthday club on the website and get a free Love It size creation (big enough to share) during the week of your birthday!
I’m sort of embarrassed to admit how many I get…a lot were gifts! Fitness, Self, Shape, Health, Real Simple, Martha Stewart, Oprah, Gourmet, Food & Wine, Saveur…I think that’s it.
I’ve never been a big fan of Coldstone. But I can go to town on some Ben & Jerry’s oatmeal cookie.
I’m with you on the magazines, Kath. They’re such a great way to get caught up on stuff while working out.
I’m actually not a big Rachael Ray (show) fan at all, but her magazine is great. Can’t wait to try the chocolate cake batter
ben and jerry’s oatmeal cookie is maybe my favoriet thing ever. in the historyof the world.
Dude, B & J’s oatmeal cookie ice cream is my all time fave ice cream. *drools*
I could have my arm twisted to try the cinnamon bun batter stuff at Coldstone, though.
Um, carrot cake batter? I think I have died and gone to heaven!
Kath–
I second the ice coffee suggestion. I have my own strange way of making it (I like it strong) but here’s a link to a more friendly, less-stomach-burn-inducing
one:
http://www.ehow.com/how_964_make-iced-coffee.html
I do love me some oatmeal cookie B & J, but good lord – Phish Food makes me weak in the knees. Once I start I cannot stop.
hi everyone i just have a question! i’m thinking about joining a gym, but i just think it would be weird working out with a bunch of people watching! I also want to join a class like pilates or some kind of cardio one, but i’m nervous that i wont be able to keep up with everyone else! has anyone else felt this way? or is it really not that bad?
haha, right after i saw the part about cold stone i called my best friend and we made a date to go next weekend…..and then i saw that it doesn’t start until JULY! bummer…..guess i will have to wait for my carrot cake batter!
haha, long time no comment Kath! Though I have been reading ofcourse!!
So sorry to hear about your prof… I hope that course goes quickly!! I start my next set of night classes in a week, so I can relate… and I totally agree about the early dinner + snack, rather than dinner on the go. Home cooked food is much nicer!! (So yeah, I have dinner around 4:30pm too on those days I have class!)
Cake batter was also one of my favorite flavors…and like Tina, carrot cake sounds to die for!!
Have a great Wednesday!!!
question.. are ALL partially hydrogenated oils bad?
JennC,
YES! They are ALL BAD! There is nothing good about them, except for the fact that they are made cheaply, but when it comes to your body, they are basically crap!
Wow, I apparently feel strong about them!
*strongly
Kath-I know you’ve said you have a cappucino machine, so if you’re sick of coffee why not make lattes/cappucinos? I make mine with unsweetened soy milk, so it’s not that high in calories (I know you’re not counting anymore but I’m always generally aware of what I’m having) and it’s delicious!
April- join the gym. It’s so much fun and I guarantee no one will be watching when you work out-unless you’re like this one girl who wears her underwear outside of her pants….I watch her but only because I’m creeped out
Carrot Cake Batter sounds amazing.
I have a problem with magazines. I don’t even know how many subscriptions I have (at least 10-15), I can barely finish them all in a month (I currently have 4 on the to-read pile), and then I refuse to throw them away after I’m done (but never open them again). I’m seeking help.
I have a hydrogenation question for anyone: I get Cook’s Illustrated and they did a brief piece this month about “Zero Trans Fat Crisco” and one ingredient in there is “fully hydrogenated [soybean I think] oil.” And it says that because it is fully hydrogenated, it doesn’t have the trans “bent” shape to the molecule. It goes on to say that this makes it closer to saturated fat, but I don’t know if I believe it.
I thought that bending the fat molecule was always a consequence of hydrogenation, whether it’s full or partial. In any case, I guess I don’t care that much because I’d never cook with crisco anyways.
I work at Cold Stone and we’ve had the chocolate cake batter for several months now. It’s been extremely popular. Cinnamon bun is just okay. We also used to have OATMEAL COOKIE BATTER, which was amazingly delicious! I hope my store gets the blueberry muffin flavor. I don’t really eat Cold Stone ice cream anymore but that might be an exception!
I have a question for everyone regarding yogurt. I opened a container from my fridge this morning and saw it had a little bit of freezer burn : ( Is it still good? Also does anyone know at what temperature yogurt loses it’s active enzymes?
The Husband-
I’ve heard the same about fully hydrogenated oils-that they’re not as bad as the partially hydrogenated. Apparently they don’t have the same effect on your body as trans-fats. I still try to avoid them though because they’re definitely not a healthy fat!
Wow, I’ve never heard of Coldstone (Candian here) but am wishing we had one close by. Damn it. Those cake batter flavors sound amazing!
Oh, and I’d have to agree with reading Fitness magazine. To be honest I’m always drawn to the Self magazine, but after May’s issue I won’t be buying it for a while. I agree with caitlinbo that I want more workout ideas and motivation and less fashion advice, etc.
Why didn’t you like May’s issue of SELF? just curious
Our apartment is surrounded by not one, not two, but FOUR ice cream places. Luckily, the one in our building is frozen yogurt, but still it’s right next to an upscale liquor store. Which, for me, is just as exciting as ice cream.
Wow, I think I would go crazy if I got my hands on some of those cake batter ice cream flavours. Carrot Cake? Cinnamon Bun? Oh. my. gosh. YUM.
Well, I just thought there was a little too many advertising pages in it and not enough substance. I was initially excited when I saw how thick it was, but soon realized it was just full of ads.
Of course it has positives as well, but I think I’ll stick with Fitness magazine for the next little while. That’s just me though.
About the fully hydrogenated fats – from my biochemistry knowledge – If they are fully hydrogenated/saturated with hydrogens, the fatty acid chains can no longer be in the cis or trans conformations (only occurs with double bonds/when hydrogens are missing), and must be linear (the same shape as saturated).
the husband — yesss.. once ‘fully’ hydrogenated, they become saturated. but i’ve read that food manufacturers will sometimes just write “hydrogenated” instead of putting fully or partially in front of it…. but that is a sneaky way to say trans fat.
april – trust me, no one is “watching” you work out! we’re all trying to work out ourselves
and its ok to go into a class when you don’t know anything. at many classes i’ve been in the instructor has asked newbies to raise their hands, and there is always a least 3 or 5 new people, so you wouldn’t be the only one!
Cold Stone Creamery rocks. Hang in with the chem. One unkind prof. can really make it tough. Maybe bring him an ice cream cone to cool off.
)
I don’t know if you like jelly beans, but I just read your thing about Coldstone, and they just came out with four new flavors they are on the jelly belly website…but one is cake batter, I know it won’t exactly compare, but I bet its prety good! Who knows? I havent tried them!
Allyson ,
Thanks! Its not C&B though, it’s from a boutique store here in Charlotte
Lindsay, Rahel + SarahF ,
I don’t think it’s the temp. or flavor of the coffee – just the caffeine and heaviness of it in general. I just need to take a break, I think.
Robin ,
I’ve seen them in gift stores and then ordered it online because it was cheaper. We have some great gift shops around here.
april ,
I agree about the gym. It’s like the obgyn. You’re nervous about it because it’s once a year but the doctor does it ALL the time so it’s no big deal. Same with gym goers!
the husband,
I agree with Justy and the others!
angelcubbie ,
I think the yogurt is probably fine. I have heard freezing deactivates cultures (as in fro yo) but I don’t think that’s a reason to throw it away for anything.
Kath
Hayley ,
I used to LOVE Jelly Belly – esp. the toasted marshmallow and cheesecake and champagne punch! I’ll have to look for it. I think they have them at Fresh market.
Kath
April (regarding working out) -
I totally understand what you mean…I spent years being totally terrified of the gym because I thought everyone would be looking at me and I would feel stupid because I was a newbie. Well, I finally got over that fear and started doing cardio in the gym (elliptical) but was scared of weights / machines / classes because I thought people would be staring at me. Well, I’ve finally overcome that fear and now do machines, classes, and free weights – and I’ve realized that no one is looking at me and no one cares what I’m doing. I can’t believe I spent all those years being worried about that. It all changed one day when I was at the gym and I walked up to a machine (my first time doing machines without my gym buddy) and then I got scared and paniced and started to walk away. Then I stopped and looked around (the gym was packed) and I stood there for a minute, just looking around, and I realized that not a SINGLE person in the entire gym was looking at me. So that was my big turning point. I’m so glad I overcame my fear. Please try it – you won’t be sorry
husband–
fully hydrogenated to me completely equates to saturated, and actually it kind of sounds like this is their fancy way of getting around calling it a sat fat. if you look at the structure of a long chain saturated fatty acid, all the carbons have got hydrogens attached. because of the outer valence electron shells, the only configuration they can take is linear. hydrogens like to have lots of space around them, so though the molecule would LIKE to bend, alas it cannot.
Husband,
I guess this question was already answered, but I can tell you that as a PhD in chemistry, a fully hydrogenated fat IS a saturated fat. They just pass the fats under an excess of hydrogen and catalyst in order to fully react all of the double bonds to make them saturated. Trans fats stack wonderfully on top of each other, whereas cis double bonds and saturated alkanes do not. The stacking ability of the fats make them more stable and less suseptible to breaking down either on a shelf somewhere or in your body. Hope that helps!
OH I LOVE COLDSTONE!!!
in fact i had some last nite because we were celebrating my sister’s graduation.
i had the french toast flavor which is AMAZING with cookie dough mix in (indulgent but good)
come july i’ll be stuck between the cinnamon bun and carrot cake flavors
Now I want ice cream. And I’m not really an ice cream person (give me a pastry any day). But carrot cake is my favorite so……
I’m reading in AWE at how many magazine subscriptions some of you get! I treat myself to one a year (my fitness subscrip was for 2 years so this one is longer) and then i get a new one when that is up, i would LOVE to get 10 magazines a month, but can’ t stomach the thought of spending $150 per year on MAGAZINES! maybe when i’m out of the starving college student phase of my life i will let loose a little and subscribe to a few more!
JessieP,
I too love magazines but can’t bring myself to subscribe to so many (although I’d honestly love to, and per month it wouldn’t be too expensive). I like to get a coffee at Borders or Barnes & Noble and read one there instead
Noo way! I will definitely be right there with you! Blueberry muffin sounds especially appealing!!
If you think no one is watching you at the gym, you’ve never talked to many men about it. I know a couple who even use their camera phones at the gym. They act like they are texting but are really snapping photos of the chicks. So, yeah, people watch. But people watch you everywhere. It shouldn’t stop you from living and doing what you want to do. They call those people hermits.