Pantry Granola

We did something I am not quite sure is a good idea...we put our home on the market (explains why I have been a little quiet lately. Lots to do!!). We aren't sure where we are going to move at this point, but if we are fortunate enough to sell our home, we will figure that part out later. So what does selling our home have to do with granola? Great question...I am cleaning out the pantry in hopes of eliminating more stuff to pack! I threw some things together, baked it and voila! The result: AMAZING granola! 

Pantry Granola

Ingredients:
2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup millet
1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
1 tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 cup raw pecan pieces
1/2 cup quinoa flakes
1 tsp cinnamon
5 tbsp peanut butter
2 tbsp honey
3 tbsp maple syrup
1/4 cup avocado oil

Directions:
1. Preheat oven 300° and line large sheet pan with parchment paper.
2. In large bowl, combine oats, millet, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, pecans, quinoa flakes and cinnamon*. Set aside.
3. In small saucepan, heat peanut butter, honey, maple syrup and avocado oil over low heat until warm and smooth.
4. Pour warm peanut butter mixture over dry ingredients and stir well until mixture is lightly coated.
5. Place mixture on cookie sheet and use spatula to spread into thin layer.
6. Bake at 300° for 50 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes to get an even browning.
7. Remove from oven, let cool and store in airtight container in fridge.
8. Enjoy!

*If you don't have any of the dry ingredients or if you don't like something, skip it. Just be sure to increase something else to keep the dry/wet ratio the same. For instance, skip the 1/2 cup quinoa flakes and add an additional 1/2 cup rolled oats...you get my drift. 

Why I: Became a Beautycounter Consultant

TWO REASONS

1) To be a part of a movement whose mission is to get SAFE products into the hands of everyone and literally change lives.

2) Charity. I wanted to "play a part" and support a TRUSTED non-profit that protects our health and our environment. 100% of net profits made through my Beautycounter website from the purchase of Beautycounter products, will be donated to one of the three charities. My readers will decide at the end of each year, which charity will get our donation.

WHO IS BEAUTYCOUNTER?

So who is Beautycounter and why am I so dang excited that I found them? I was introduced to  Beautycounter products by a friend who knows how particular I am about what I put on my skin. I was pregnant at the time and super, duper leery of anything and everything that I came into contact with. I started doing some research on the company and I liked what I found. Not only did I like what I found, we had A LOT of the same passions and philosophies. I started trying the products...I fell in love with the products...I became obsessed with the products. Let's get real, makeup and personal care products are just that, personal. Nobody wants to give up their luxurious products that make them smell decadent and that promise to make them look 22 for the rest of their life. The great news is with Beautycounter you DON'T HAVE TO GIVE UP ANY OF THAT. Every single one of their products is top of the line AND completely safe and I have to be honest...I am completely sleep-deprived due to Baby G and my skin looks better now than before my sleep was constantly interrupted! That in and of itself says something.

Beautycounter was founded by Gregg Renfrew with the mission to get safe products into the hands of everyone. If you have a few minutes, I highly recommend watching her video:

If you don't have time to watch the video, the key points from Gregg are:

  • Women should never have to compromise their health in the name of beauty.
  • The average American puts between 12 and 20 products on their skin every single day, 365 days a year, year after year, decade after decade.
  • 80% of the ingredients used in personal care products have never been tested for safety.
  • 1300 toxic ingredients have been banned in Europe, ONLY ELEVEN HAVE BEEN BANNED IN THE U.S.
  • The last year a law was passed regulating cosmetics & personal care products....1938. Seriously?!?
  • So many companies hide behind words such as natural, safe & organic but the reality is that due to the lack of regulation in this industry there is nothing safe about these products at all.

WHY BEAUTYCOUNTER IS AWESOME

There are 3 pillars of the Beautycounter business:
1) Chic
2) Safe
3) Effective

As products are developed, there are two checkpoints:
1) Safety - list of very strict ingredients, nothing linked to human health issues will be used in Beautycounter products.
2) Performance - products must perform just like the "traditional" products on the market BUT guess what? They are safe, unlike the others.

We have talked in the past about how to find safe products to use, the thing I love about Beautycounter is they have done all the homework for me. I can rest assured that EVERY, SINGLE product I get from them is safe and effective.

HOW TO PURCHASE

Visit www.beautycounter.com/ambergordon

 If you have any questions about Beautycounter please reach out to me...I am happy to help. 

PARTING FOOD FOR THOUGHT