You know what really gets in the way of my snack schedule? Work. I start seeing patients at 7:00 each morning and don't have a lunch break until 12:30. This means I eat breakfast at 6:15 and don't eat lunch until 12:45. FYI: in a pregnant lady's world that just screams disaster as far as snacking schedules go. Even before being pregnant, it was a struggle to get through the mornings on days when I had patients scheduled back to back, and by 11:00 I was pretty sure my stomach was eating itself. Now I'm pretty sure the baby is eating its way through my stomach. Wait, that's weird, and definitely doesn't work that way. But in an irrational and hungry pregnant mind, that's how it works.
I try to go to work every day with, at the very least, and option for mid-morning and mid-afternoon snacks, in the case I do have time to sit down and eat sometime in the morning. Some days it's string cheese or a Lara bar, and others I like to do yogurt and granola. Here's the thing about store-bought granola though: it is loaded with sugar. I'm typically not someone to ever call anything "too sweet" but I find store-bought granola so sweet I can barely eat it, as evidenced by the bag of barely eaten granola that's been in my desk drawer for months. Even my hungriest rages couldn't get me to eat the stuff.
Instead, I prefer to make my own granola, so I can not only control the amount and type of sugar, but also switch up the nuts and other goodies in there. I typically fall back on my Coconut Almond Quinoa Granola or Cinnamon Apple Granola as my go-to's, but switched it up this week with Honey Coconut Cashew Granola.
Along with stellar granola, I need a solid yogurt to go with it, and was really excited to try Silk's new Dairy-Free Yogurt Alternatives, though admittedly a little skeptical. Isn't it the dairy that makes yogurt so creamy and delicious?! I have to say, both Marc and I were really impressed with the creaminess and flavor of both the flavors we tried. We tried both Black Cherry and Pineapple and both of our favorites was the cherry, which also happened to complement the granola really well.
In addition to being delicious, these yogurt alternatives have some pretty great nutritional stats, too. It has 6g of soy protein, no cholesterol, and is made with real fruit and without any artificial sweeteners or colors.
So if you've been intimidated by the thought of making your own granola - don't be! It's super easy and just takes a bit of time in the oven. I love this base of using honey as the sweetener and coconut oil for part of the wet ingredients. Since coconut oil is solid at room temperature, it keeps the granola crispy and crunchy, with a hint of coconut which I love.
With this combo of delicious granola and tasty yogurt, my mid-morning snack will be a breeze!
This conversation is sponsored by Silk. The opinions and text are all mine.
This looks fantastic! What kind of coconut oil do you use? Solid or liquid? I haven't used it before, but am seeing it in lots of recipes… This granola looks like a perfect snack for Baby E! (and mama Tay!) 🙂