Healthy Pumpkin Spice Granola
It's pumpkin week here at The Well-Planned Kitchen. Why is it pumpkin week, you ask? Because it's fall. And pumpkin is delicious. And because I have decided that it should be so.
First, let's start with coffee. Because we should always start with coffee, right? If you haven't seen it yet, check out this low-carb Pumpkin Spice Latte recipe. It's good. It also keeps me from spending money at Starbucks.
Now – today's post – yummy deliciousness called Pumpkin Spice Granola. This original was not my recipe, but it's one of my all-time favorites so I had to share my THM-ifying secrets with you. This recipe is from SkinnyTaste, and I seriously love it. You can follow my instructions below to make a healthier, sugar-free (well, maple syrup and honey-free) version.
SkinnyTaste's Pumpkin Spice Granola
Now for the fun part – I've been eating this for a few years, but it definitely doesn't work with the Trim Healthy Mama way of eating. I finally figured out a way to modify it to be THM friendly.
Start with your base:
Preheat your oven to 300, and toast 1/2 cup quinoa seeds (rinsed and dried) with 1/2 cup rolled oats (gluten-free if you need it) for 10-15 minutes. I shake the pan several times throughout the 10-15 minutes to make sure they get evenly, lightly toasted.
Let the oat/quinoa mixture cool.
To make this an E for the Trim Healthy Mama plan:
-add 1/4 cup unsweetened, unsulfured, freeze-dried fruit (optional) to the cooled oat/quinoa mix
To make this a crossover, like the photo (this makes a really delicious crossover, perfect for pregnant or breastfeeding mamas, or even to switch things up and keep your metabolism going every once in awhile):
-add 1/4 – 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds or other favorite seeds to the cooled oat/quinoa mix
-add 1/4 – 1/2 cup of your favorite nuts (I like chopped pecans or sliced almonds or a combination of the two) to the cooled oat/quinoa mix
Whether you are eating an E or a crossover, you'll combine the following wet ingredients in a separate bowl:
1/2 cup Trim Healthy Mama Pancake Syrup (from the new cookbook, page 480)
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons coconut oil (this is well within the 5 grams of fat allowed for an E, and it gets spread out over several servings)
2 teaspoons pumpkin spice blend (recipe below)
1/4 teaspoon mineral salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Mix wet ingredients with dry ingredients and bake at 325 for 20-25 minutes.
If you chose to make an E, you can add 1/4 cup fresh chopped apple to your granola mix before eating, and you can add unsweetened cashew or almond milk to eat it like a bowl of cereal.
I have a brand new pumpkin recipe coming out later this week, and a round up of a ton of pumpkin-flavored favorites from your favorite THM bloggers, so stay tuned!
- 1/2 tsp. ground cloves
- 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp. allspice
- 1/2 tsp. ginger
- 1/2 tsp. nutmeg
- Mix together for the ultimate pumpkin spice mix! Store in a sealed container.
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Thank you so much for all your help and resources here! I am so elated to have found your website. I started researching and reading trim healthy mama a couple weeks ago and have been on the plan for one week I am excited on the results I feel and see already. I need help with quinoa when I go into the store there are 10 to 15 versions and brands and I just don’t even know where to start can you tell me what you buy and how you prepare It please. I also wanted to know what kind of chocolate chips you use? We too are dairy free and I know we need to be gluten-free due to my daughters allergies, so any help with a brand of chocolate chip I would really appreciate it. I have seen A couple Brands, like Lily and I’m not sure how they taste or how my kids will react Thanks so much !!
I use Tru Roots Quinoa from Costco, but any quinoa without added ingredients will be similar. I use Lily’s – they are pricey, but we use them sparingly. I think they taste great! I have a link to buy them from Netrition.com here – Netrition.