cheap eats [paleo granola//nutnola//nutola]

Ohhh I love this discovery and can't wait to share it with you.

I completed Whole30 last month, which means 30 days of no sugar (including honey, maple syrup, stevia, etc), no  alcohol (including extracts), no beans (including peanut butter, chickpeas, etc), no grains (wheat, flour, farro, quinoa, etc), and no dairy. At first you're hit with, "then what do I eat?!", but pretty quickly you understand what you can and can't go for: vegetables, meat, seafood, fruit, nuts, potatoes, coconut milk, EGGS, all that good stuff. I have more recipes coming your way, don't you worry.

Breakfast was easy, since I already did green smoothies each morning. If you want to go for a smoothie bowl, though, you need to adjust your traditional granola recipe, since you have to avoid sweeteners and oats. This recipe for a granola-like nut crumble is so tasty, but make sure you're thoughtful about how much you're using. Like all granolas, even just 1/4 cup can have hundreds of calories. Nuts are nutrient dense, but high in calories and fat as well.

I lightly adapted this recipe from Peachy Palate. Basically, once you have a ratio, you can use any mix of spices and nuts. I used:

3.5 C nuts
1 C seeds
.5 C dried fruit (coconut, raisins, etc)
.25 C coconut oil
.25 C almond butter
.25 C hot water plus 6 dates
cinnamon, vanilla extract, salt
toss in flax seeds

Soak dates in boiling water for 20 minutes, then blend to puree. I soaked and blended in my vitamix. Then add coconut oil and almond butter, and vanilla extract (I used beans while doing Whole30). Thin it out a bit with more hot water if you'd like. Pour this over your nuts and seeds (I crushed my nuts before this step, rather than pulsing in a food processor). Use your hands to really spread the sauce over the nuts. I then sprinkled in some flax seeds, like a dry powder coating. Lay it all on a parchment paper-lined tray and sprinkle your cinnamon, salt, and any other spices. Bake for 45 minutes or until golden. I stored mine in a mason jar for over a month. It travels great in plastic baggies, too!