Pumpkin Spice and Running Fuel

 

Currently hiding out in the house during the day due to a heat advisory in full effect. We’ve only been able to head outdoors at night when the sun has started to go down and the temperature drops below 96 degrees. In an attempt to keep both myself and the children from going stir crazy we have been coming up with indoor activities. They put together huge floor puzzles in the garage where they have a bit more space to run about and I worked on a new recipe during their nap time. I have been
wanting to try to make granola for awhile as I know store bought cereals can be loaded with added sugar. I also might be willing fall to arrive as  the first flavor combos that came to mind were pumpkin and gingerbread spice. I’m definitely ready for sweaters, pumpkins and cocoa.

I’m still working on the second installment of my macronutrient focus series as the role of fat has taken a lot more research than I initially anticipated. As part of that research I have been reading Shalane Flanagan and Elyse Kopecky’s new book, “Run Fast. Cook Fast. Eat Slow.” This has come in handy as my husband and I are both training for a 10k at the end of September. Although, they do not focus specifically on tracking macros in their newly released cookbook, they do focus on healthy, whole-food, nutrient rich foods to fuel a runner. As always, when reading a cookbook I am inspired to start creating. I came across a few delicious sounding granola recipes and I knew it was time to try and make my own. I had recently made a batch of pumpkin pie spice, which I thought would go great for flavoring the granola and it is one my kids love.

If you want to follow along on our training journey I will be updating the blog at least once a week but my IG @StrengthinStrides is updated daily. My husband is my first runner and test subject for the training plan I wrote as he hasn’t been running with me for several months and is currently working to build back his running base. Although, this training plan is a bit shorter than I would usually do I think that he will do great. I shortened our training plan by a couple weeks as this race fits perfectly into our schedule as it falls right at the beginning of his vacation and gives us a great practice race before our goal race on my birthday. I’m really excited to see how our hard work will pay off. In the meantime we will be focusing on fueling our bodies with nourishing food, which brings me back to the granola.

One thing I love about making anything homemade is that I know exactly what ingredients are in the food that I am eating and giving to my kids. Cereal is one thing that both my kids could eat at anytime of day and finding ones that are vegan, not loaded with sugar and other additives can prove both time consuming and costly. Why we have to pay so much more for fewer ingredients doesn’t exactly make sense but it tends to be the case. Today’s recipe calls for very few ingredients and most that you probably already have on hand in your pantry. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice you can make your own with 4 tsp cinnamon, 2 tsp ginger, 1 tsp cloves and 1/2 tsp nutmeg. Either will work.

PUMPKIN SPICE GRANOLA
Printable Recipe

Prep Time: 5 min Bake Time: 40 min Level: Easy Yields: 20 servings 

Macros: 110 cal per 1/4 cup serving 12.6g carbs, 6.2g fat and 2g protein

3 cups oatmeal (old-fashioned or quick oats will work)

1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1/4 cup chopped almonds

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/3 cup melted coconut oil

1/3 cup mild molasses 

1 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. Mix oatmeal, pumpkin pie spice, chopped nuts in a large bowl. In a small bowl combine coconut oil, molasses and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid mixture over the dry ingredients until all the oats are thoroughly coated. Grease a large glass plan spread the the granola evenly across the pan and bake for 20 minutes. Lightly stir the granola and bake for an additional 20 minutes or until lightly browned. Allow to cool completely before storing.

Thanks for reading! Hope you enjoy this granola as much as I do!