I love spring

I love spring! The sun re-introduces itself to us and the garden. The air holds the balmy promise of fruits and vegetables, flowers and long sultry days of warmth and sunshine. I took a walk with my dog in Hamlin Park and the scent of the new growth mixed with the evergreen trees was heaven. It is possibly my favorite time of year…. ask me in July or August or September and I will most likely change my mind, but you get the point. It is a re-awakening of life and that is intoxicating.
My dog is named Blink. Why? I don’t know. She is what I call a rescue dog. Her previous owner mistreated her and then abandoned her when the neighbors brought her in to my sister’s veterinary clinic for care. Blink was two years old at the time and knew her name. I wasn’t about to turn her world upside down any more by changing it. When my sister brought her home as a ‘foster dog’ for a day I cursed her…literally. Why? I wasn’t looking for a dog, let alone a 70 pound German shepard/rottweiler mix. I was a goner after 15 minutes. Blink and I bonded then and it has been the two of us ever since. We nursed her back to health and she is a beautiful, very well behaved (most of the time) happy dog. She does however think she is a lap dog. I am pinned to what ever piece of furniture I am sitting in when she wants to cuddle. They say dogs have over 100 facial expressions. I tend to agree. My favorite is when we are walking in the park. She has a smile as wide as her face that makes me laugh.

The first week of “putting my money where my mouth is” went fairly well. I ate a generally whole foods diet (with a few left over chocolate Easter eggs and some Soy Delicious frozen dessert). I also did some form of exercise or physical activity four out of seven days. Blink was thrilled when I took the lease out of the closet. Taking a walk is one of her favorite things to do. I wasn’t inactive the other three days; I just didn’t do something specific, although 20 minutes of the wrestle-tickle game I played with my niece should be considered exercise!

I made some granola which is 10 times better than anything you can buy in the store and full of omega-3s, fiber, vitamins and minerals. The great thing about this recipe is you can adjust it to suit your tastes. Change up the nuts; add dried cranberries or cherries and it’s a whole new taste. One year I received a jar of homemade guava jelly from Hawaii that was too sweet for my tastes, but used instead of honey or maple syrup in the granola and it was perfect! Be creative and use what you’ve got in your cupboards.

HOMEMADE GRANOLA
Adapted from a recipe by Kathy Nichols, RD

5 cups rolled oats (or a combination of different whole grains - experiment and see what you like)
5 cups nuts and seeds (again experiment - almonds, walnuts, pumpkin, pecans, sunflower, flax, sesame - what every you like)
2 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1 cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup maple syrup or honey (or your favorite fruit jam or jelly)
2 Tbsp canola oil
Optional:
½ cup dried fruit (If you use dried fruit, add it AFTER the granola comes out of the oven, otherwise they turn into rock hard jaw breakers that will send your dentist’s kids to college).
½ cup unsweetened coconut

Preheat the oven to 300°F.
Mix the dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl, mix the wet ingredients.
Stir the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing well.
Place granola in a single layer on a cookie sheet.
Bake for approximately 1 hours turning granola every 15 minutes until golden brown.

Store in an air tight container in the freezer to protect the oils in the nuts and seeds.

Eat as a cereal, use in a parfait, as a topper for ice cream or as a crumble for a baked fruit dessert. Enjoy!