*There’s a heavenly Christmas giveaway for all readers living in Germany at the end of this post.

So, I guess it’s safe to say that it’s finally Christmas time, now that Thanksgiving is over. Being American at heart, my boyfriend and I had ourselves a small little Thanksgiving dinner as well, even though we don’t live in America anymore. But it’s always a nice reminder of good old times in the United States. Now it’s inevitable that Christmas is around the corner and everyone is starting to stress out about Christmas gifts. I am a big fan of homemade DIY-Christmas gifts, which is why I thought I’d give you an early idea of an easy but thoughtful Christmas gift: homemade gingerbread granola in a mason jar. The stores in Germany are filled with “Cookies in a Jar” or “Bread in a jar” mixes, so why not do something different and make granola in a jar? Your friends or family will appreciate the homemade aspect of the gift, and everyone can use a good old Ball Mason Jar at home.

Of course it doesn’t have to be the original Ball Mason Jar, any pretty jar will do it. Just wrap a nice Christmassy strap around it, and your friends will love the thoughtful DIY Christmas gift. When you prepare it, your kitchen will smell heavenly, too, and it will certainly get you into a jolly Christmas mood.

The granola is perfect to start your day with an extra touch of Christmas feeling, because every bite of this gingerbread granola tastes like Christmas. It’s not particularly sweet, but it is nicely crunchy, with a wonderful nutty and gingerbread-y flavor. The spices really give it an amazing touch, and you’ll never want to eat another granola ever. I don’t think I will only have this granola during Christmas time. It will be my winter granola until at least the month of March. Don’t believe me? Then try it for yourself. It’s just sooooo good!

If you live in Germany, then I have a nice little Giveaway for you. Together with Lieblingsglas.de*, I am giving away two sets à 2 Ball Mason Jars as well as a pack of paper straw of your choice. Find more details in my German post.

INGREDIENTS

– 1/2 cup (65g) of whole almonds
– 1/3 cup (30g) of pecans
– 1/2 cup (65g) of hazelnuts
– 1/2 cup (40g) of pumpkin seeds
– 1/4 cup (35g) of flax seeds
– 1/4 cup (35g) of uncooked quinoa
– 2 1/2 cups (210g) of old-fashioned or gluten-free oats
– 1 teaspoons of cinnamon
– 1/2 teaspoons of ground ginger
– 1/8 teaspoons of ground cloves
– a pinch of ground vanilla
– 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin coconut oil
– 3 tablespoons of maple syrup
– 1 tablespoon of almond butter (optional)

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C (320 °F).
2. Start by putting the almonds, pecans and hazelnuts into a food processor and crush for 2-3 pulses until they are broken into pieces. They should not be completely crushed, you still want to be able to identify them as nut pieces. Place the crushed nuts into a large bowl. Add all the dry ingredients except spices, and stir well until the ingredients are combined.
3. Next, melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan. Add the maple syrup, spices and almond butter if you’re using it, and stir well until everything is dissolved.
4. Now pour the sweet spice mix over the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is slightly sticky.
5. Pour the granola on a baking sheet which you have aligned with parchment paper, and bake for about 20-25 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, take the pan out and stir well so the outer edges do not get burned. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes for the rest of the time.
6. Take out the tray and leave it to cool for about 20 minutes. By this time the granola should be nicely crunchy but not burned and your kitchen should smell devine.

Serve with milk, non-dairy milk, yoghurt or non-dairy yogurt, top with fruits. Stored in an air-tight container it should taste amazing for up to 6 weeks.

Enjoy!

The post Gingerbread Granola & A Christmas Giveaway appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

This granola is just so perfect for fall, it’s been my go-to-autumn granola for the last two years now, and I still don’t have enough of it. I top my overnight oats or porridges with it or eat it straight from the container. It’s my happy-place-granola and I always have it in the house. Whenever my family pays us a visit, they walk straight to the kitchen to see if I have any granola left and I usually make a batch for them just in case.
I’ve even thought about selling this granola, that’s how much everybody loves it. Maybe I do, depending on how you guys like it. Please don’t hesitate to tell me in the comments below. It’s of course also incredibly good for you as all ingredients are completely natural and packed with nutrients. Of course there’s oats which contain a good amount of manganese, which protects our bones. Oats are also loaded with fiber, which regulate our blood sugar levels and keep us satisfied for hours.
The real hero in this granola is buckwheat though. The little seeds contain all essential amino acids, making it a real protein. It is said to lower blood pressure and cholesterol because of it’s high amount of magnesium. It relaxes our blood vessels which allows our blood to flow better, which in turn leads to a normal blood pressure.

All the nuts and seeds in this granola make it such a great source of protein and fiber, which keep you satisfied the entire morning. The granola also has much less sugar than store-bought granola, which are usually loaded with refined sugar.
Combined with creamy porridge, chia pudding or overnight oats, this buckwheat & pumpkin granola really makes the best breakfast.

INGREDIENTS:

– 1 cup (80g) raw buckwheat groats
– 1 cups (80g) (gluten-free) oats
– 1 cup (120g) pumpkin seeds
– 1/2 cup (60g) sunflower seeds
– ½ cup (75g) raw unpeeled almonds (with skin)
– ½ cup (50g) pecans
– 2 tbs virgin coconut oil
– 3 tbs maple sirup
– 3 tsps cinnamon

METHOD

1. Preheat the oven to 180°. Start by putting the almonds and pecans into a food processor and crush for 2-3 pulses until they are broken into pieces. They should not be completely crushed, you still want to be able to identify them as nut pieces.
2. Place the crushed nuts into a large bowl. Add all the dry ingredients except cinnamon, and stir well until the ingredients are combined.
3. Next, melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan. Add the maple syrup and cinnamon, and stir well until everything is dissolved.
4. Now pour the sweet coconut cinnamon mix over the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is slightly sticky.
5. Pour the granola on a baking sheet which you have aligned with parchment paper, and bake for about 25-30 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, take the pan out and stir well so the outer edges do not get burned. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes for the rest of the time.
6. After 25 – 30 minutes, take out the tray and leave it to cool for about 20 minutes.
   By this time the granola should be nicely crunchy but not burned and your kitchen should smell devine.

Serve with milk, non-dairy milk, (coconut) yoghurt or greek yogurt, and top it with fruits. Stored in an air-tight container it should taste amazing for 3-4 weeks.

Enjoy!

The post Buckwheat & Pumpkin Granola appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.

If you’ve been following my blog or my Instagram account then you’ve probably noticed that I have a thing for delicious breakfasts like porridge or granola, and also for blueberries. I just love blueberries! They’re amongst my favorite berries because they are just so naturally sweet and delicious. Especially in the summer when you get them locally I go through at least one big batch a day. As all other berries, blueberries are great for your health as they are packed with antioxidants , which protect your whole body from free radicals. That’s why I like to think that berries make you pretty and help you glow from the inside out.
Since blueberries are about the sweetest berries you will find, they are perfect for this recipe as they make this granola naturally sweet. They also make your granola purple, which I love.
For a little extra goodness I added some millet to this recipe. This might sound very strange especially since I used it raw, but it just adds that extra crunch to the granola, which I love. In my opinion there’s nothing better than sweet and crunchy granola.
Millet is not only crunchy, it also has great health benefits. The gluten-free grain has a high iron content (about 1/2 cup (100g) provide more iron than the same amount of red meat), and it is packed with good minerals such as magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc. Millet is also extremely skin-friendly, and won’t cause break-outs or pimples as other grains do. Thus millet is really a beautifying grain – one more reason to add it to your morning breakfast bowl. I hope you enjoy this homemade granola just as much as I do.

Health benefits in this blueberry millet granola:
– copper (important for the development of the myelin sheath that surrounds the nerves; important for the transformation of melanin which is involved in the pigmentation of hair, eyes and skin)
– iron (important for healthy red blood cells that transport oxygen through your body)
– lauric acid (prevents heart diseases and lowers blood pressure)
– mono-unsaturated fats (decreases risks for breast cancer, important for heart health)
– magnesium (important for a healthy nerve system, muscle health, energy production)
– potassium (lowers cholesterol levels and blood pressure)
– vitamin B (lowers blood pressure, important for healthy nerves, and energy production)
– zinc (important for growth, skin, and a healthy immune system)

  
Ingredients:
– 2 cups (160g) (gluten-free) oats
– ½ cup (80g) millet
– 1 cup (120g) sunflower seeds
– ½ cup (60g) pumpkin seeds
– ½ cup (75g) raw unpeeled almonds (with skin)
– ½ cup (60g) flax seeds
– 2 tbs virgin coconut oil
– 1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
– 3 tbs maple syrup or agave

Preheat the oven to 180°. Start by putting the almonds into a food processor and crush for 2-3 pulses until they are broken into pieces. They should not be completely crushed, you still want to be able to identify them as nut pieces. Place the crushed almonds into a large bowl. Add all the dry ingredients except blueberries, and stir well until the ingredients are combined.

Next, melt the coconut oil in a small sauce pan. Add the agave, and stir well until everything is dissolved. Add this sticky mixture to a blender together with the fresh or frozen blueberries and mix well so you have a nice smoothie-like texture.

Now pour the sweet blueberry mix over the dry ingredients and mix well until everything is slightly sticky.

Pour the granola on a baking sheet which you have aligned with parchment paper, and bake for about 30-40 minutes. After 10 minutes or so, take the pan out and stir well so the outer edges do not get burned. Repeat this every 5-10 minutes for the rest of the time.

After 40 minutes, take out the tray and leave it to cool for about 20 minutes.
By this time the granola should be nicely crunchy but not burned and your kitchen should smell devine.

Serve with milk, non-dairy milk, yoghurt or non-dairy yogurt, top with fruits. Stored in an air-tight container it should taste amazing for 3-4 weeks.

Enjoy!

The post Blueberry Millet Granola appeared first on Heavenlynn Healthy.