Gettin' Goin' on Granola

My fitness journey continues this week with more running and ab work. :)

I started the second week of the Couch to 5K program that I chose.  I didn't realize there were so many until my sister and I were comparing the two we printed out.  
My program for this week is as follows:
5 Minute Brisk Warm-up Walk
Alternate between:
90 seconds Jog
2 min Walk
up until 20 minutes.
I have to admit....this morning's run was really hard.  Especially when my mp3 player died at minute 14.  I looked down at it when it stopped, wondering what was wrong...it actually read Bye Bye across the screen.

I haven't talked a lot about nutrition in this blog, mostly because I really haven't changed my eating habits at all....except that I gave up chocolate after dinner, substituting fruit instead.  I have a chocolate protein shake after my workouts in the morning, which helps to curb the chocolate craving that never entirely goes away.

The protein shake also fills me up for a couple hours since it's usually not until around 7:30-8am that I'm able to fit in some breakfast.  Since I get up at five, there's no way I can make it until then without some food so the shake fits perfectly into my schedule.
My breakfast every day consists of a bowl of granola with milk and fruit on top....raspberries, blueberries, strawberries or banana...anything I can find in the fridge.  I make the granola myself using the same recipe I've used for years.
For anyone interested in trying it out, here it is:

Old Fashioned Oat Granola


1 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups rolled oats
3/4 cup sweetened coconut flakes
1/2 cup toasted wheat germ


1/3 cup water
1/3 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla


1/2 cup raisins


Mix the dry ingrediants all together in a big bowl.  I measure out the honey in a 2 cup measuring cup and then mix the rest of the wet ingredients in that cup.  Pour the wet into the dry and mix it up, once mixed, add the raisins.  Spread out the mixture on a lightly sprayed cookie sheet and bake for an hour at 250 degrees.
I always make a double batch and use two cookie sheets.  About halfway through, I take them out, give it a little stir and then switch their positions.  Depending on how you like your granola, you can adjust the cooking time.  Colton likes bigger pieces so I leave it more in chunks if he's going to be snacking on it as well.  Cassie likes it soft so less baking time is required, while I like it a little crunchier so I leave it in there for about an hour and a half.  I then store it in a covered container in the fridge. 


These quotes are for 1/2 cup servings: 299 calories, 6 g protein, 47 g carbohydrates, 11 g fat and 4.5 g fiber.  

Super yummy!!!