I started preparing for a month of full-blown veganism (remember that I am vegan, but Ish is not). I have to start by saying that I am SO excited!! So I went to the grocery store and loaded up on all of the good stuff: plenty of veggies, fruits, legumes, and some meat-substitutes. Now I’m making easy oat recipes to prep (skip to them).
Easy Oat Recipes: Powerballs & Granola
As soon as I got home, I got started prepping. I wanted to make sure that there were plenty of hubby-friendly snacks on hand (he doesn’t like to do much prep), so I chopped some veggies, cleaned some cherry tomatoes (YUM!), and made power balls and granola.
Now, I LOVE granola. My house smells heavenly, and now I can’t stop snacking! I wanted to be sure to share my recipes for the power balls and granola, as they have been snack staples for me (just not normally in the same week), and are great for curbing those holiday cravings for less than healthy snacks.
Quick & Easy Granola
- 2 1/2 cups gluten-free rolled oats, like GF Harvest
- 1/4 cup grapeseed oil
- 1/3 cup 100% grade B organic maple syrup
- 1/8 teaspoon mineral salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Optional add-ins: 1/4 cup chopped nuts, 1/4 cup seeds, 1/2 cup dried fruit of choice (add these at the very end)
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put all of your ingredients into a large bowl and stir to combine. Carefully your mix onto a parchment lined baking sheet and use a spatula to gently spread it out. Put your granola in the oven.
Set your timer for 10 minutes, then remove from the oven and stir. Do this 2-3 cycles (for a total of 20-30 minutes of baking time) Be careful not to let it burn! If your granola is getting close to crispy and done, set the time for 5 minutes at a time (I didn’t watch carefully the first time I tried to make it, and ended up with sadly charred bits.)
Once it’s done, let it cool, then you can add in any dried fruits that you may want…I like cranberries and cherries. Enjoy!
Quick & Easy Powerballs
- 6-8 Medjool dates, pitted and soaked
- 1 1/2 cups walnuts
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I like Simply Organic)
Put the walnuts into a food processor and process them go until they’re near dust. Next, add in your dates, and the vanilla extract. Blend until smooth, almost like cookie dough.
Next, form the dough into little bite-sized balls, for uniformity, you can use a cookie scoop. Chill tightly covered for about an hour to allow to firm up and enjoy!
This is a very versatile recipe! Try using 2 tbsp of either cocoa powder, key lime juice, coconut, almond extract, etc. to vary the flavor. Get creative!
