As you all know, I think so highly of my sisters. Each have impacted me in a different way, and each of them have been given their own set of beautiful talents. When I thought about wanting to include some new topics on IHOD, I knew the next best thing to Martha Stewart was my sister Maria. She has this ability to bring life to a meal and every family gathering. My philosophy in the kitchen is usually “Just give me a recipe and I will make it.” I don’t have any creative juices left by the time I need to make dinner. I am sure for many of you it is the same! Maria will be offering some new ideas that will hopefully encourage you to not only try something new, but share it with loved ones. So thankful she will now be a part of the IHOD team!  (side note-how amazing is her hair?) Now I will let her take over from here…

Anna, my childhood sister-soulmate, prodded me into sharing my passion for cooking and good recipes on her blog.  Well, it didn’t take much before I was thoroughly on board!

Since I can remember, I’ve always had a  passion for cooking. Good food is important to me. A good meal can be a catalyst in bringing people together and creating happy memories. So much of life’s greatest moments are centered around a good meal: birthdays, holidays, weddings, and family dinners!

So I share My Food Philosophy: Because the effort to make good food is a gift to those around me, it’s happy memories, togetherness, the living part of life.

January always fills me with great anticipation because it’s a fresh new start to a new year. So with all those resolutions to exercise more, comes my resolve to feel healthy and eat well.
It’s a perfect month to share my favorite healthy breakfast recipe: Go-Go Gronola! Loaded with flaxseed and coconut oil and tweeked to be the BEST homemade batch of gronala you will ever make 🙂

Dry Ingredients:
9 C. of Old Fashioned Oats
1 1/2 C. Ground Flaxseed (Engery Booster!)
1 C. Sliced Almonds
1/2 C. Unsalted Sunflower Seeds
2 C. Sweetened Coconut (or unsweetened if you prefer)
2 pkgs of Dried Cranberries (you could also use raisins, but I’m not a big fan)

Wet Ingredients – Warm in a Pot
3/4 C. Honey
3/4 C. Canola Oil (I substitute with Coconut Oil if I have on hand)
1 tsp. vanilla
2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/2 tsp. Salt
 
Preheat Oven to 325 degrees. Combine all dry ingredients, EXCEPT cranberries, in large bowl. Pour warmed wet ingredients over granola. Stir until well combined. Divide granola onto two large baking  and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes.
Let cool, stir in dried cranberries.

Makes a good large batch that lasts for weeks. I love it in the morning with vanilla yogurt.
Store in large sealed container and enjoy!