Wedding Planning and Football Sunday

So I'm getting married!! I can't believe that I get to marry my best friend in the whole entire world! He's just the best.  And we've been starting the planning process which is kind of difficult once school started a couple weeks ago.  But this morning we had time to meet up with his parents and look at a couple venue options.  And the excitement continued!

Today is also the first Sunday night football night of the season too.  And since the Lions were playing today, we had to have some great grub.  Since we were gone all morning, I put a pork shoulder in the crockpot.  It was really simple but it tasted so good! I added a can of beef broth, about a cup of apple cider, some good barbecue sauce, and a cup of water.  It simmered for about 5 hours and them I removed about 4 hours of liquid and reduced it on the stove.  I added some more barbecue sauce and reduced it back down to the thickness of regular sauce.  I also made pasta salad and some brownies with peanut butter frosting.  Yum!

What a great sunday!

Yummy Granola and My New Favorite Cookbook

I love granola.  It's one of my core food groups.  For the longest time, I would buy that Nature Valley chocolate protein granola which I would mix with dried cranberries and more chocolate chips (you would too).  It was so sweet that I would often eat it in place of dessert and it helped me get my protein for the day since some days I don't eat meat (college student problems).  Then it dawned on me; I could make this for so much cheaper! I found this recipe in a wonderful cookbook that I received for Christmas this year.  The author is also a fellow blogger and you should definitely check out her site!

I literally carry a huge bag of this yummy snack around with me everywhere so I always have a healthy option for snacking.  Plus, then I am less inclined to head to the vending machine.  Also, the flax meal in this recipe really helps out the ol' digestive system if you know what I mean.  I have made this recipe twice since I began writing this blog post! I think I'm going to go through at least a bag a week!

Seriously, if you make nothing else from this blog, which I hope isn't the case I mean just check out this  yummy recipe, you have to make this granola.  I have a batch in the oven as we speak and it smells divine!! It's so versatile too because you can add whatever dried fruits or nuts or seeds you want to make it yummy for you.  Plus, it's can easily become gluten free by using gluten free oats. And, its only 150 calories for 1/4 cup.

Oatmeal Cookie Granola (Recipe courtesy of Jessica Merchant Seriously Delish Cookbook)
yields 4 cups

2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 cup sliced almonds
1/2 cup ground flaxseed
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons coconut oil
1/2 cup chocolate chips

(1) Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
(2) In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients.
(3) Melt the rest of the ingredients besides the chocolate chips in a small saucepan.
(4) Pour the melted ingredients over the oats and toss to combine.
(5) Bake for 30 minutes tossing several times during the baking process.
(6) Toss in the chocolate chips and let cool.

Happy Snacking!