Chunky Granola

Wednesday is by far my favorite weekday. I always feel the most motivated on Wednesdays because I wake up, run through the previous few days in my mind, assess how they were, and then center the rest of my week accordingly. If I felt unproductive or just off for some reason on Monday and Tuesday, Wednesday is the perfect opportunity to turn that around for the rest of the week. If the first part of the week left me feeling motivated and excited, that gives me the drive to push through the rest of the week! 

Yesterday afternoon I got myself out of the house, which is really crucial I’m finding, because I work primarily from home and a person can start to go stir crazy after awhile. I settled in at a coffee shop to do some work and immediately felt ultra motivated. Like, that kind of motivated where you make 1,000 to-do lists, write down all of your lofty goals for the future, and then sit there wondering where to start. I started by sharing my goals for the blog for February with Kev and I’d love to share them with you as well! I’m still at the baby blog stage but bit by bit my baby is growing – very, very, slowly, but growing nonetheless.

I’ve found that I care even more than I knew about sharing recipes that I love with people. Especially people who fall into 1 of 2 categories. Those who are just learning to cook and are still super nervous and those who have been cooking for 30, 40, 50 years but are simply burnt out. It’s my goal to be your Wednesday – to light a fire in your kitchen (not literally) and inspire you to make great food! For yourself, for your family, for the people you invite into your home.

In the next few months, my goal is to offer more resources to you to help you achieve those goals, but for February my goals are simply to expand my reach, continue bringing you great recipes, and make sure my site is set up for growth. To bring more accountability to my goals, here they are! Ask me how I’m doing throughout the month and once March comes if that’s your thing. I’d love to hear your goals for February as well – whether they’re personal or with opportunities you’re working on.

• 5,000 Monthly Page Views
• 500 Pinterest Followers
• 500 Instagram Followers
• Finish all Food Blogger Pro videos
• Post 12 times
• Draft game plan for how to grow newsletter
• Upload all photos to site
• Update all Meta-Tags

Now for today’s recipe! Kevin and I don’t usually buy snacks other than apples, peanut butter, popcorn, and chips and salsa. We’re inherently snackers, so if you just don’t buy junk food, you won’t eat junk food. That’s my mantra when it comes to snacking. There are times though when I just need something to munch on or times when my sweet tooth hits and I need something right then!

This chunky granola recipe is one of my favorites and was inspired by Smitten Kitchen. It can be eaten as a healthy breakfast or kept in a jar for snacking throughout the day. It’s extremely versatile and can be adapted for whatever type of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds you prefer. Nuts.com has some great resources if you’re stuck in a snack rut and need more options for go-to healthy snacks. In my opinion, it’s the key to staying motivated throughout the day. If I find myself getting sluggish between meals, I’ve taught myself to stop whatever I’m doing, drink some water, grab a healthy snack, and get back to work. Within a few minutes you’ll find your brain speeding up again and your body feeling more energetic.