Homemade Banana Coconut Granola

I recently went to the supermarket with a friend of mine. As we were leaving she exclaimed "Oh I have to get granola for the kids!". We walked to the cereal aisle to find the fancy bags of granola. Small bags, beautiful packaging, and high prices. I asked her why she buys granola at these prices and she answered the way most mother's answer, "It's something healthy that the kids actually like."
But how healthy is it? Just because it has eco-friendly packaging and says ORGANIC across the label doesn't mean it's healthy.
I love the explosion of "organic" shelf stable food. If you know like I know, then you know that the things they have to add to the product to make it shelf stable negates the organic properties the item once had. To be organic is to be perishable. Point blank.
Back to my friend. I asked her what was in this pricey granola. We looked at the package. Oats, dried fruit, and nuts. In Barbados, nuts can be pricey, but everything else, super cheap. Lets not talk about the high sugar content. How do we combat this? Make your own of course. Granola is easy to make and can be made with left over items. Oats, dried fruit, coconut, nuts, fruit chips, etc. Here is my recipe for Banana Coconut Granola. This is a nice recipe with a great texture and great taste.You can use this as a guide and add to or subtract at your leisure. If you remove the banana you would use about 1 cup of mixed fruit and increase the agave by 2 more tbsp.

3 cups of oats
1/2 cup of almonds
1/2 cup of pecans
1/2 cup of grated coconut
3 tbsp of raw sugar
1/2 tsp sea salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 mashed bananas
1/4 cup coconut oil
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbps of agave, maple, or honey

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients up to the cinnamon. Mix well and set aside. In a separate bowl mix the mashed bananas, vanilla, agave and coconut oil. Mix well. Pour over the oats mixture. Mix well and place on to a parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350° for about 20 minutes. Until dry and crumbly. Be sure to check and stir you granola midway through the baking process

Crockpot Turkey Neck Soup!

Crockpot Turkey Neck Soup!

Im moving! If you have ever moved, you know the process is daunting!  The packing, moving, unpacking, buying stuff for the new place. Cooking was not the priority. Needless to say, my tummy was craving good home cooked food.

I decided to make a soup. A crockpot soup! Good meal, without having to hover over the stove and provide a great source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. 

I went to Carmeta's.  Located on Princess Alice Highway, right before the Fish Market. They are a great place for local meats, low cost and great quality.

I bought Canadian Smoked Turkey Necks. Not local per se, but at $8 for a package it was a great buy.

I picked up some pumpkin, onion and a herb bag and a pumpkin soup starter packet. Ok. Lets get started

Turkey Necks

Salt

Salt Free seasoning

Pumpkin

Carrots

Potato

Onion

Garlic

Green Onions

Marjoram

Thyme

Bay leaf

Hot Pepper

Pumpkin Soup Packet

Soak the Turkey Necks in water, vinegar, and lime for at least an hour, then rinse off. Sprinkle salt and salt free seasoning over the necks. Let it marinate covered in the fridge.

Cut up all the vegetables. Get your crockpot. Place the Turkey Necks in the bottom, cover with all the vegetables, and then top with the fresh marjoram, thyme, bay leaf and hot pepper. Cover with 3 cups of water and sprinkle the soup packet on top.  Turn on the crockpot on low. I cooked my soup for 8 hours. Till the meat fell off the bones. It was DELICIOUS!  

Of course you have the option of adding more vegetables and dumplings and not using a soup starter. I was super tired so I just used what we had in the house. 

Please try the recipe. Let me know how it comes out! 

Top image is the before, bottom image is the after... Mmmmm :)