Day 4:

On this day, I was craving a sweet treat for breakfast.

I have been really well behaved for the past 3 days,
and did not eat dessert. I figured I deserved a bowl of
granola & honey flavored yogurt!

I made the granola from scratch....a first for me. It gave me one of those giddy feelings inside, when I came to the realization that I had control of the amount of nuts, cranberries, and apricots in my mix. I am always disappointed at the lack of goodies in my granola, when I purchase it from the store.

The recipe yields 4 servings, I made enough for 8.

Here's the recipe from William-Sonoma's Essentials of Breakfast & Brunch:

3 cups of rolled oats
1/4 cup each of walnuts & almonds, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup shredded coconut
1/4 cup maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 cup sesame oil
1/4 cup dried apricots
1/2 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.

In a large bowl, using a large spoon (I used my hands), mix together the oats, walnuts, almonds, and coconut. In a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup, vanilla, and sesame oil. Drizzle the maple syrup mixture over the oat mixture and stir to moisten evenly. Transfer the oat mixture to a rimmed baking sheet and spread in an even layer.

Bake, stirring every 7 minutes, until the oats just begin to turn golden, about 30 minutes. The granola should feel dry, rather than moist. It becomes crisp as it cools. Stir in the apricots and cranberries. Let cool on the baking sheet. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

I found a new Greek yogurt at the supermarket, that is cheaper. The only problem is it only comes in honey flavor. Fine by me for this purpose!

During the cooking process, my little rascally cat Ferris, wanted to play...............in the middle of my Christmas tree with the ornaments......sigh!

Lunch: Leftover turkey meatballs (no pasta) just meatballs, from yesterday's entry.

Dinner: Butter seared scallops (or as my kids call them "sea marshmallows") over a bed of arugula with lemon juice. So light before bed time and tasty too.

No time to go to the gym today......instead I seated my one 1 year old on my hip, and went up & down my basement stairs 20 times. I switched hips and she had a blast. I definitely got my heart rate up and my calves were feeling it too.

At the end of the evening, I hung up my "Inspiration" Board. Always wanted one of those magnetic/cork boards. I was so thrilled to finally treat myself. Reminders on one side and crafty projects on the other. I am in Heaven.