Clean Granola in the Crockpot

I was doing really well eating clean for about 2 months and then fell off the wagon, gained 3 pounds, but now I am back in the saddle. I was so\ick of eating eggs everyday, but I was also too lazy to really look for something different until I stumbled across a post  on Bless this mess please about making your own granola. I changed some of the ingredients and I also made it in the crockpot.

Recipe
3 cups coarse oats
3 cups soft oats
3/4 cup almond flour
1/2 cup coconut oil
1 cup honey
2 tbsp Cinnamon
1 pinch ofsalt
2 tbsp vanilla
1/2-1 cup of water
1 cup coconut
optional are dried berries or nuts

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Melt the oil, mix together with honey and water and add to dry mixture.

Stir it until everything is wet and pretty sticky.
Pour into ungreased crockpot and put a spoon under the lid so the moisture can escape.

 

Set on low for 4-5 hours, depending on your Crockpot, stirring every 30 minutes. This step is very important because it will burn if you do not stir as instructed; in the last hour add the berries or nuts

Store it in air tight container and enjoy.

Notes:
My house smelled amazing while this was cooking and the taste is really awesome! I love it even though I did not add the cranberries, which as it turns out, I probably should have.

Stop eating like a garbage can

For a long time I have been having problems when I eat, mostly issues with being bloated like an elephant every time I ate:

 Noodles

Bread

Pizza

Cake

or anything that had a bunch of starch, like potatoes. I tried to reduce it but that is just not possible when you like to eat a lot. At first I thought I would just ignore it and eat whatever I want because 'no stupid food' was going to tell me what I could eat and not eat, but eventually, it started to really mess with me. I would have to go home early because I had to run to the bathroom (I know TMI) or I had to wear my pants unbuttoned.

It became really annoying because I knew that if I didn't want my evening to end early or to be miserable, I couldn't eat certain things. To top it all off, my hair started to fall out and my skin was a disaster, and I do think that had a lot to do with what I ate. Of course, there was also the stress, but eating like a garbage can

did not help.

 Source

Like with everything else I do, I went big and quit sugar, starch, and a whole lot of other stuff cold turkey, and the first week was really hard and made me not so nice, but after day 5 it started to get better. 

I researched the living daylights out of paleo and eating clean and found a lot of recipes to try and some I liked while some were just gross.

Another side effect of clean eating that I had read about was the weight loss that every person who stopped eating junk had.  So of course, I was really excited about that but when, at first nothing happened, I was really bummed. It took about 2 weeks to realize that the scale was not going down but that I was burning fat like crazy.  Now, after two months, my belly is about gone and my arms and legs are looking pretty good again -- all that without the exercise that I was doing with no results. 

I have lost 8 pounds since I started and I don't know how many inches, and I am hoping that when I start to exercise more then it will really start to change. 

I am now eating about 80% clean and 20% whatever I want. 

Breakfast 

Eggs

Sausage

Bacon

Crushed tomatoes with spices

Banana and an apple

Mushroom omelet

Lunch

Chicken

Mango/cucumber salad

Zucchini spaghetti in all kinds of sauces mostly Tomato or Balsamic

Steak 

Salad

Soups

Steamed Vegetables

Dinner 

whatever is left over from lunch

Snacks

Blueberries

Cashew and almonds

Banana

Apple

Cucumber and tomatoes cut up with spices

Source

I cook everything in coconut oil and sometimes butter depending on what it is (like eggs). I still drink two cups of coffee a day with sweetener because, without it, I was a total witch.

The reason I say I only eat 80% clean is because sometimes I cheat and that makes it so much better. I was not about to deprive myself and be miserable, so if I am somewhere, whether at a restaurant or a party, then I am going to eat even if it's not clean. I hate being the person who sits there unhappy because she is hungry while everyone else is having a good time and stuffing their face. Oh, and  I still drink wine because I don't want to give it up. 

There are 5 of us in this house so I do what I have to and cook two separate meals, unless it's something I know the kids will eat.  Most of the time we eat separate things but that doesn't keep my teenager from eating his stuff and my stuff too. 

I did download one cookbook app which is nom nom paleo.  Her stuff is pretty easy to make and I like that she doesn't make you feel nasty when you cheat, which even she does.

So, if you are considering changing your eating habits because you want to feel better and fit better in your, clothes then I would definitely recommend eating Paleo or Primal for a while and seeing how you feel. I can guarantee you will feel so much better.