Granola Time!
November 26, 2011
Keeley and I both have a history of being involved in many extra curricular activities. Ever since we were young, both of our families have emphasized the importance of dedicating time to give back to the community. Since Wild Squirrel started back in January, all of our extra time and energy has been devoted to the business and a lot of the things we used to do “pre-peanut butter” have gone out the window. This being said, we both recently discussed how we have felt our lives have been incomplete lately because we have been so wrapped up with our Wild Squirrel endeavors. We decided something as important as volunteering within our community is worth making time in our lives for. Although our days are always busy and it sometimes doesn’t seem possible to fit anything else in, they will be busy forever! There is always time for the thing most important things in life.
Since we both love working with kids, we decided that an organization like the Boys and Girls Club would be a perfect fit! We had a meeting with the director for the location in Eugene and the next week we were with the kids! We wanted to do an activity that was interesting, interactive and stimulating. Keeley and I being the foodies that we are, naturally thought food would be a great way to connect with the kids because what kid doesn’t love food! We decided on a simple yet tasty recipe, granola!
In this picture Keeley is working alongside the kids to prepare the granola for the oven! We used a very simple recipe that we found online. We all had a great time in the kitchen and let the kids do most of the work! They measured out the ingredients, poured them on the baking sheets and then mixed in the wet ingredients! Their favorite part was drizzling the honey and coconut oil on top.
HONEY COCONUT GRANOLA
- 5 cups old fashioned oats
- 1 cup mixed nut
- 1/4 cup flax seed (optional)
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut (unsweetened preferred ingredient ) (optional)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/3 cup coconut oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1/2 cup dried fruit (optional)
We left out the almond extract, used raisins for the dried fruit and added more honey. We didn’t really factor in the baking time, so many of the kids were dissappointed they had to wait so long for the granola to bake. Next time we are going to make something that doesn’t have to go in the oven so the kids can get immediate satisfaction from their hard work!
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After making the granola and waiting 40 minutes for it to bake, we were all anxious to have a taste! Everyone agreed that it was tasty! The kids were excited because we brought bags so they could take some home. They wrote their names on the bags and left the building with smiling faces and bags full of granola!
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It was a very positive experience and we can’t wait to go back! We are already brainstorming ideas for next time. As we were talking with the director, Adam, he mentioned that consistency is key to working with these kids. He said now that we have come once the kids are going to look forward to it every week! We are so excited to further our involvement with this great organization that provides kids of all ages a safe place to go after school. They get to hang out with their friends, play games and there are tutors there to help with homework. They provide a lot of great resources for the kids but have been struggling financially for a while so we are excited to help out in any way we can.
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We can’t wait to cook more with the kids and share our passion for good food and good health with them!
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A Childhood Classic With a Wild Twist
November 4, 2011
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are just one of those childhood classics that are undoubtedly delicious. The nutty flavor of the peanut butter combined with the sweet and smooth texture of the jelly is a combination unlike any other. Especially when generously spread onto fresh and hearty bread, do we need to go on??
Above are a few of our creations:
1) Raisin Walnut Bread, Wild Squirrel Pretzel Pizazz Peanut Butter, sliced bananas and a drizzle of honey all sandwiched together then grilled to perfection!
2) Pani di Como Italian bread, Wild Squirrel Sneaky Cinnamon, strawberry jam, sliced green apples
3) Coco-Loco! Raisin Walnut bread, Wild Squirrel Curious Cocoa-nut and Marionberry jam
We wanted to experiment in the kitchen so we decided to make the beloved childhood classic with a sophisticated twist. All of the sandwiches were made with Eugene City Bakery bread, Wild Squirrel Peanut Butter, clover honey and jam from Republic of Jam, an awesome start up local business like ourselves!
We of course sampled these as did our friends! They were greatly enjoyed (and devoured) by all! What creative PB and Js will you come up with?
