Goodness Gracious Granola Bars!

As promised, here is the recipe for the oh-so-simple but deliciously good granola bars I whipped up for the event at Temple Beth Sholom last weekend.

I have always made my own granola and granola bars because it's actually quite simple and most store bought granola bars are sadly chock full of food no-no's from high fructose corn syrup, corn flours and even added coloring.



Almond Apricot Granola Bars
1/2 cup almond butter or other nut butter
1/2 cup of honey (or maple syrup or agave nectar)
1 cup crispy brown rice cereal (pref. organic)
1 cup of granola
1/2 cup almonds, chopped
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
vegetable oil for greasing the dish

1. Put almond butter and honey in a small saucepan over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until the melt together; whisk to combine
2. Put the crispy cereal, granola, almonds, apricots and salt in a bowl and add the melted mixture of almond butter and honey' stir well to combine
3. Grease a 7- or 8-inch square baking dish with a little oil and line it with plastic wrap. Spread the granola mixture evenly into the dish, pressing down gently, and cover with more plastic wrap. Refrigerate until set, at least one hour.
4. Once set, remove by lifting up edges of the plastic wrap out of the dish; peel off the plastic and cut the bars into any size or shape you would like (use cookie cutter shapes for the kids!)

Yield: about 16 - 20 granola bars.

Now that's good, healthy snacking!

Gardening

I just spent a beautiful hour in the garden before the sun rose. It was quiet, cool and so very peaceful. The lovely Miss Bear at my feet,  and Sam our cat there as well. Pretty magical having both my pets as serene as I,  just being in the moment.  That is the magic of creating your own garden. I left it when the sun starting to warm us, carrots, eggplant and potatoes  planted this morning. I feel so accomplished, a quiet joy. This weekend I will be at Fairchild attending workshops and buying some seeds and seedlings. This is the time in our region for planting.
 As The Miami Herald captioned this week- Save The Planet, fuel your body with home-grown vegetables. The vegetables and herbs you grow at home taste a world apart from the ones you buy in the store that have been traveling upwards of two weeks to get to your local store.  The taste is deeper, richer, the benefits of knowing you are eating things fresh from your own soil without pesticides, should give you such joy, peace of mind and good health.
 What you are doing for our environmental goes beyond words, we make the difference, our actions each of us, have such an impact on our planet.  Questions? Ask me, if I can't answer you I will put you in contact with someone who can. This year my seedlings and seeds are coming from Natural Gardening Company. There are lots more great companies out there,  please order organic let demand lead where big business goes. Once again you honor me by visiting my blog. Thank you. xo ginny

community

I am still making my way through the Sunday magazine section from last week. I am enjoying each article. They all point in the same direction as to food creating community. It is so true, I feel it everytime I do a workshop. This past week Mindful had an incredible raw food workshop, and it was interesting because so many of the attendees had crossed paths before. Connections from life were discovered. Many were yogis from the same studio, had met at previous community events whether thru Mindful Organics or other sources. I find the people that are drawn to my company are intelligent, passionate people who I get so excited to meet. I learn as I give.

This week we have our 1st meeting for our CSA, a green smoothie workshop at Green Monkey after yoga Friday night at 6:30 Miami Beach location, I am teaching on Food and the connection to breast cancer Thursday at a local corporation. We have Nov 13, a Yoga and smoothies for kids workshop. Join a CSA, attend something like what I have mentioned through me or any community event, Nov 19th at Green Monkey we are showing the movie What's Organic about Organics? Sit on pillows with us, enjoy our raw vegan snacks, be part of a dynamic group. There is a fabulous night planned for local eating by wonder chefs under the stars and moon, at the Botanical Gardens this Friday night . Fairchild is having its edible plants weekend this coming weekend. Join in to community, become impassioned and dig into the earth, start your gardens. Do something, anything that helps our understanding of food as the core of relationships to eachother and the planet.

I know these are Miami area events mentioned, but trust me if you look all kinds of things are available in your area too. xo ginny off to teach tots about Whole Foods-love my life.

Eating Together

I quote from The New York Times Magazine section today. It is The Food Issue.

Over the centuries, we've moved from huddling around a fire to gathering around a hearth to sitting around a table to clustering on the Web. But food is what has always brought us together-for sustenance as well as for conversation. In the last decade, the movement toward buying locally has, perhaps inadvertently, resulted in the creation of new communities. Conversations are started when people ask questions of men and women who grow, make, cook and serve their food, as they are when they seek out others with similiar tastes. One result is a multitude of new-and often surprising -connections. Strangers are chipping in to buy a whole steer together. Orthodox Jews are eating wood-fired pizza next to West Indians and hipsters. Graphic designers are trying to revive an impoverished county with an all butter crust. In one city 100,000 people have converged to eat street food and learn how to butcher, pickle, home-roast coffee and brew beer. In this, our third annual food issue, the hunger to connect is stronger than ever.

The Food issue is incredible and I for one am so proud to be forging ahead in this movement.

I will refer back to the articles this week. Perhaps we can work together as Mindful's FB community to see how we can make more of a difference, maybe in each of our own communities we can begin with a communal table once a month where we share in ideas, passions, and breaking bread together. Maybe as individuals we can make a commitment to ourselves to have animal free Mondays, or decide to slowly move into more dinners cooked with fresh, simple ingredients instead of ordering in. What a gift to ourselves, children and communities if we too could start to gathering around the table together with delicious smells we have created with our own hands. Maybe it is time to understand cooking at home is the greatest gift we give to ourselves and the ones we love. Just some thoughts, please share yours.

xo ginny

Get Slow

Leave your watch on the bedside table.

Check email only twice a day.

Take the scenic route.

Light candles before you start to cook dinner.

Make up rituals.

Say a silent word of thanks and make eye contact with everyone at the table before you start eating.

Make a handmade present for a friend.

Set aside private time every day, give yourself permission to just be.

Spend as much time as possible outdoors in natural settings.

Pay attentiom to the cycles of the moon and the changing seasons.

Sit for a moment with your eyes closed before you turn on your computer.

Take a few moments before you climb out of bed in the morning to remember your dreams and think about what you want from the day.

When your cellphone rings choose if you want to answer it.

Factor in extra time when estimating how long something will take.

Always jump at the chance to play with a child.

Create a garden and spend time seeing all the changes.

Never pack your schedule so tight that there is no room for a short walk.

Take a left where you generally take a right.