gluten-free granola

Originally posted on my original Which Name? blog on October 21, 2010!

gluten-free granola

I know there are gluten free granola recipes all over the web, but we had our favorite granola recipe and two of us are big granola eaters, so I had to have a go at making a recipe on my own.


Nicola's Gluten-Free Granola
7 cups gluten free oats (I use Bob's Red Mill)
1/4 cup ground flax
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1/2 to 1 cup slivered or chopped almonds
1 cup sunflower seeds
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon gluten free vanilla extract
3/4 to 1 cup canola oil
3/4 to 1 cup honey
Optional: Any and all additional nuts or seeds. We like chia seeds and walnuts. Additional spices, such as nutmeg, ginger, and/or ground clove. Dried fruit (add after baking), such as raisins or coconut. You can also add gluten free flours, such as soy, however I found the resulting granola to be too bitter for my taste.

Mix all of the dry ingredients. Stir in the vanilla. Pour in the oil, then use the oiled measuring cup to measure and pour in the honey. Stir well.
Bake at 350 F for 15 minutes on an oiled baking sheet. Stir on the baking pan and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until the desired brownness us reached.
Remove from oven and stir several times while cooling, to prevent sticking to the pan. Add any dried fruit at this time.

52: 29

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of July 16, 2017

52: 28

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of July 9, 2017

planning for 2017-2018, part 1

You'll notice a photo theme (repeating view) here. One of my daily anchors is to rise early, journal and do a little work outside on the deck (the birds! the air! the sunlight!) and then get some exercise.

In June, I participated in Jean Miller's Waldorf-Inspired Learning Plan It Out online course (Homeschooling with the Lively Arts) and I am so glad that I did! (The class was like a more in-depth, personalized version of her free webinars, free online articles, and inexpensive planning guide combined, but not overwhelming.)

While I feel as though, several years into this homeschooling gig, I have planning under control, and I am a lifetime member of Waldorf Essentials' Thinking Feeling Willing (TFW) program (which definitely covers planning), I found myself in a different place this past spring, with different needs than other approaches were meeting.

This past year, we all changed quite a bit, each in different ways. I realized I was feeling overwhelmed, tired, and tangled in the mess of parenting, homeschooling, special needs, Waldorf approach, and mainstream life, resulting in anxiety of where we are, what we have missed, what is to come, and how to tackle that all. We had deviated quite a bit from the typical Waldorf scope and I was feeling stuck in how to envision the upcoming year, given I hadn't taught "just so" up to this point. Jean's gentle, calm approach was just the guidance I needed.

My planning is not yet done, but I have a much clearer picture of what I need to do, why, and how to pull it together. My spaces are more organized, I am fretting less, and I feel more inspired. I also know from past experience, I cannot pull together a solid plan until just before school starts, because I don't know what classes and projects will be offered through our charter or 4-H, or when they will take place, so I am reminding myself not to over-think and over-plan with information lacking.

 

So for now, I am deeply appreciating the small group discussions, the personal support, the resource sharing, and my accountability partner! I am reading online article, e-texts, and books, picking and choosing resources, and realizing how much my thoughts keep returning to an essential need to simplify our daily and weekly rhythms. 

How is homeschool planning going for you?

52: 27

52 weeks of photos. A special moment during the week of July 2, 2017

in the mountains

This past weekend, we went up to the mountains for a long weekend. The weekend was not without bumps. Some of them big. (Oh, I have so much to say, so much in my heart, about this emotional shift in parenting a pre-teen.) But overall ("net net" as M would say), it was a connected, soul filling time together, with my parents.

 

Above and below...same location, same hike. Summer and winter are a little mixed up this year.

 

In the creek with my kiddos. Making fairy houses, above, and racing kid-made stick and bark rafts, below.

 

My dad invited the kids mountain biking, a favorite activity with Nonno, for Little Brown Mouse. M and I invited ourselves along. It was great fun! I ride my bike on a trainer several times a week, so it felt wonderful to get it out on a trail. M used to ride a lot, but a horrendous commute has taken its toll, so he felt so happy to get some exercise out in nature. And the wildflowers were eye candy.

 

The fireworks were beautiful. My mom packed up a little post-dinner dessert snack and we sat on the beach, nibbling and reading while we waited for it to get dark.

 And restful pleasure. I brought an Independence Day appropriate puzzle for whoever was interested below. The kids also spent a lot of time reading, because my parents had taken them to the library and they signed up for the local summer reading program!  And above, my dad, who models what self-care can be. I found him on the deck before 7am, with his cappuccino, chocolate croissant, sudoku, and birding binoculars. (I had come up for a cup of tea after journaling on the deck below him. What is missing in this photo is the beautiful view of the trees and creek and the sound of the gushing creek water.)

We are so grateful to my Mom and Dad, for inviting us and spoiling us. A lovely long weekend!

summer

Summer is here. Solstice has come and gone, but even before that, summer had arrived when we had our first fresh picked blueberries and our first heat wave.

Our nature table is full of shells and sea glass, and beach stones.

Last week, we went to a friends' house and brought all the makings for solar ovens, which the boys built and then everyone enjoyed solar oven s'mores. (We used these instructions from Kiwi Crate.)

One thing I have been doing some days is leaving a little something out for the kids on the side table. (We call it the red-legged table. It's a table M and I trash-picked years before kids and he re-did the top. It has red legs, of course. I am only sharing this because I know I will care years from now when I read this post.) The things I am leaving out, vary. One morning, it was the ingredients and recipe for giant bubbles. On this particular morning, it was a make-your-own passport template to go with the country they are building based on the book How to Build Your Own Country.

 Little Brown Mouse had his last drum lesson for a little while. Time for a break.

 And, of course, watermelon and creek play (after watering the native plant restoration site the kids are part of maintaining with 4-H).

I hope an adventurous and restful summer is underway for you!