crunchy granola

Really good granola costs anywhere from 4-7 dollars for a few servings at the store. But most of us actually have the ingredients for granola just sitting in the pantry. No extra cost. And, it’s actually a really simple process to make granola.

Preheat oven to 350

2 cups oatmeal (any kind of oatmeal will do, just not the instant kind)

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp salt

Mix it all together. Spread onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 min.

Then sprinkle on about 1/3 cup almonds. Bake for another 5-7 min.

Take out of oven, let it cool down for about 30 min and then break it up.

I like to mix in 1/2 cup of dried cranberries. Or mix in whatever you want. Enjoy!

i realize it's getting cold

but the back-to-school thing has me craving classic things like pb&j, except i have it in the form of ice cream.

right, peanut butter and jelly ice cream.

you can eat it for lunch.

it contains healthy fats. and NO cream. just milk. and peanut butter. and strawberry (or any flavor you'd like) jelly.

1 cup peanut butter

2 cups whole milk

1/3 cup sugar (i like less sweet, so use 1/2 if you like things sweet)

1/2 cup grape jelly or strawberry jam or raspberry preserves, whatever you'd like

that's the whole ingredient list.

blend the pb with the milk in a blender. add the sugar. blend again. stick in fridge to cool.

freeze according to your ice cream maker's instructions. it takes mine about 20 minutes.

layer peanut butter ice cream with the jelly. freeze for a few hours to get the "swirl" effect when you scoop.

no need to cut crusts, so much better than a sandwich.

once upon a time, i used to bake

and waayyyy back then (all the way back to august, oh my!), i made a coconut cake with my sister. it was for my dad's birthday. we tried to make it really pretty. tried to see if we could trick my dad into thinking we bought it. i think it might have worked.

new title for "case of the mondays"

so here's the thing, i'm no longer working and am no longer susceptible to a "case of the mondays." i LIKE mondays. it's the beginning of a whole new week with endless possibilities (and endless recruiting events, endless group meetings, endless coursework . . .)!

but i'm loving it.

it's great to be a michigan wolverine (again)

being a ross mba is an adventure and i'm glad hubby and i are traveling down this road together.

we actually drove across country this summer. the cadotte's very own m-trek.

so in case you're having a case of the monday's, take a cross-country trip and visit our beautiful national parks, even if it's just visually.

driving "across" the country from west to east: Yosemite National Park

Arches National Park

Canyonlands National Park

Pike's Peak (Colorad0)

Badlands National Park

Hope you enjoyed the short tour of our beautiful nation!