Brrrrr....

This morning we woke up to very cold temps and even colder snow. I went outside to check the mail, awaiting two netflix, In Living Color season 1! Wow. I remember this show as a kid and wanted to see some of the all-time favorite characters such as Fire Marshall Bill, Homey the Clown and HandiMan. I forgot how funny the show really was, however, I don't think we will be getting all 8 seasons via netflix, unlike 24, I can stop watching this!! So anyway, on my short trip to the mailbox I saw these:

Little birdy tracks:



They were right next to the chippy tracks, but they didn't photograph too well. I would certainly welcome these tracks over bear tracks! My parents have spotted evidence of a bear, mainly the view they got of him the other night, he welcomes himself to the bird feeders and bends the post as if it were a bendy straw! Scary.

My crockpot surprise was WONDERFUL. I am convinced that anything thrown into a slow cooker will, with time, turn out great! I have yet to try a crock pot recipe that I didn't like and this latest "throw together" meal proves that all the flavors just blend together to make a great meal. I made some brown rice and topped it with this recipe that has no name. It was great and it made a ton of leftovers!



I've been on this budget/wholesome/natural food kick lately, mostly from reading this blog and this blog. They both inspire me to eat healthy and cheap and creative. They are great blogs to follow. I found a recipe to make your own granola. I always knew you could make your own granola, but had I known it was so easy, cheap and delicious, I would have never, ever bought a box of the expensive, sugar laden, preservative filled stuff (not all shelf granola is that bad). I bought some of the ingredients, but most I had on hand, here is the recipe:

(6 cups) rolled oats (not quick cooking or instant)
(2 cups) mixed nuts and seeds (sunflower, sesame seeds, walnuts, pecans, almonds, cashews, etc., chopped)
(1 cup) dried unsweetened coconut, shredded
(1 teaspoon) ground cinnamon
dash salt
(1/2 to 1 cup) honey or maple syrup, or to taste
(1 cup) raisins or chopped dried fruit

Preheat oven to 350. In a bowl combine oats, nuts and seeds, coconut, cinnamon, salt and sweetener. Place on a sheet pan and put in oven. Bake for 30 minutes or a little longer, until browned evenly. Remove pan from oven and add raisins or dried fruit. Cool on rack, stirring a few times until granola reaches room temp. Store in sealed container in the fridge and granola will keep indefinitely.

This make a TON (and I mean TON) of granola, so cutting the recipe in half would still give you a lot. I loved that I could control all the ingredients that I liked most, some things I didn't have, so I just added a little more of the other things. It is truly fool proof and delicious. Try it today!





This cost about .27 a serving vs. some granola that cost as much as .90 a serving. Great on yogurt, oatmeal, etc. Yummy!

Have a great weekend!