Healthy Eating: Pecan Coconut Granola {Recipe}

I try hard to eat healthy in order to nourish my body and in hopes of coaxing it back to health. I don't associate myself with a specific label when it comes to my diet. Aside from not consuming dairy, I am not strictly paleo, vegan, raw, etc. I do love to read cookbooks and blogs by people of these dietary persuasions though! They offer ideas and recipes that fit well into my diet, so I am going to start sharing recipes on occasion that I have tried and enjoy.

This first recipe I am going to share is very easy and doesn't require a lot of time on your feet. Plus it is something you can make once then enjoy all week. I find that using a "spoon" to cook is much more worthwhile when it will be eaten for a few days.

This granola is inspired by Ella over at Deliciously Ella. I have mentioned her blog before. Seriously, check it out if you aren't familiar with her. She is super talented and even more inspiring. I didn't have all of her ingredients on hand, so I winged it with what I had.

Her original recipe would yield more than what my recipe did. I filled a 12-ounce mason jar with the finished product and ate whatever didn't fit. I probably really needed a 16-ounce jar, but I didn't mind taking one for the team and eating some on-the-spot. My adaptation appears below:


Pecan Coconut Granola

1 cup rolled oats
1 cup pecans, roughly chopped (or cute, itty-bitty guys left whole)
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup sprouted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup raisins (add more if you would like)
sea salt to taste, optional

2 T. coconut oil
2 T. maple syrup
2 tsp. cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a bowl, mix together the oats, pecans, coconut flakes and pumpkin seeds.

In a small saucepan, heat the coconut oil, maple syrup and cinnamon until melted and combined. This only takes a few minutes; I whisked it to help it combine and keep it from burning.

Pour the syrup mixture over your oat mixture and stir to coat. Spread out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Bake for about 20 minutes, stirring a few times while it bakes (watch it closely so it doesn't burn). At this point, add a bit of salt of if you would like. Let it cool completely on the baking sheet, then you can mix in your raisins and transfer the granola to a jar or storage container.

Enjoy! I thought it was especially good with unsweetened, vanilla almond milk.


A few notes:

1. I was not exact at all with the cinnamon-syrup ingredients. I didn't feel like measuring, so I eyeballed it. It might have been a little more than the amounts listed, but you can't really go wrong with maple syrup and cinnamon.

2. I wasn't patient enough to wait for the oven to preheat, so I put the granola in before the oven reached 350 F. Had I waited, it might have been done before 20 minutes. Also, if you double this recipe or add to it, the timing might change.

3. I took my granola out when it smelled like the pecans were roasted. I didn't want them to burn, which nuts will do very quickly if you aren't careful. My granola still looked shiny like it wasn't dried yet, but it was fine once I let it cool.

4. Since the space in my jar was limited, I didn't mix my raisins in. I decided I would just sprinkle some on top one serving at a time.

5. The sea salt is totally optional. Ella doesn't include salt in her original recipe, but in true POTSie fashion, I like to add sodium where I can.

A Spoonful of Cacao Helps the Medicine Go Down

Diet and nutrition are the building blocks of healing.  Yes, I am taking a lot of supplements for my symptoms and issues, but creating an environment within your body that supports and encourages wellness is really important.

During my first visit with my ND, she asked, "How do you feel about smoothies?"

"I am pro-smoothie," I replied.

Enter my new daily breakfast.  There are many, good-for-you smoothie recipes out there, but my daily smoothie is a concoction of a few health products by my doctor's recommendation.  The main idea is that the smoothie is an optimal combination of protein, carbs, vitamins and minerals.  It is basically like drinking my multi-vitamin.

The best part about starting my day with a smoothie is it helps me enjoy breakfast without having to force-feed myself.  Thanks to POTS I always find it hard to eat in the morning due to nausea, but I know not eating just perpetuates the problem.  Drinking my morning meal is much easier on my stomach and digestive system.  It helps to prime the well for the rest of day.

The basis of my smoothie is a product called PaleoMeal.  It is available in various flavors and also available in a dairy-free variety.  My body hates dairy, so I use the dairy-free version.  Personally, I like the berry flavor over the vanilla flavor.  The vanilla has too much stevia in it for my taste; I am not a stevia fan.  I will admit, just mixing the powder directly into water or milk isn't all that tasty.  When I mix mine, I blend it with a banana, unsweetened almond milk and water.  One other POTSie bonus about the PaleoMeal... 400 mg of sodium!

In addition to the PaleoMeal, I mix in SpectraGreens and Natural Health Fruit Anthocyanins.  (I believe these two products are only available through licensed health professionals.)  I forget the exact ratios of how many cups of vegetables and fruits these add to my smoothie, but basically it ensures I get my daily needs in this area. That does not mean I am done eating fruits and veggies for the day.  Remember, I think of this as my multi-vitamin, not a pass to eat whatever I want for the rest of the day.

The great thing about smoothies is you can get creative with them.  I could add more fruits and green veggies, sometimes I add ground flaxseed, or I could even add some almond butter.  This morning I added raw cacao powder, and it was such a great treat!  I am not sure how I lived this long without it.

I had been reading a lot about the health benefits of raw cacao lately, so when I saw some at my local health food market I grabbed a bag of it.  This stuff really packs a lot of nutrition: magnesium, iron, potassium, antioxidants and fiber.

Obviously, if you don't have access to the products I use for my smoothies or want to take a more basic approach, that's not a problem.  You still might find that whipping up a healthy smoothie in the morning is a helpful start to your day.

If you are looking for some healthy and creative smoothie recipes, check out deliciouslyella.com!  Ella has wonderful recipes and great photos.  (You should also follow her on Instagram and Twitter.)  She is a fellow POTSie in London who has been helping her body heal through nutrition and natural means.  Ella is such an inspiration, and I hope I can find as much success as she has on my own natural journey to wellness!