Super Coconut Quinoa Granola with Hemp and Goldenberries

I'll admit it... I can't live without granola!!  If you had asked me three years ago to even try granola, you'd have been met with a big, "Um... no thanks. I don't do granola."  Fast forward those three years and I can't get enough of the crunchy, oaty goodness.

As we've all read, making granola at home is so much cheaper (and better!) than many you will find in stores, but my main fascination is with the ingredients I can put in it.

Filling our versions with all sorts of healthy ingredients while maintaining an aura of sweetness has sometimes been a challenge.  Not so with this Coconut version though, first try and it was good to go.

Oats and ground flax have been staples for my granolas, but lately I've been seeing granola versions with quinoa.  Quinoa in granola?  Oh, my yes!!  Personally, I love a good crunchy granola, and toasted quinoa adds just that.  Bringing me to my next thought, "What about Hemp Seed?"

Hemp is new on my nutritional radar, but being an easily digestible high protein seed containing all nine of the essential amino acids (just like flax), it's quickly rising on my favorite ingredient list.  A source rich in phytonutrients, hemp is thought to bring disease-protective elements including boosting and protecting the immune system, bloodstream, tissues, cells and organs.

But is hemp safe??  My husband's first question wondered why I was bringing marijuana into our pantry, but my prior research put his mind immediately at ease when I explained that hemp is THC-free, and while it is indeed part of the cannabis family, it is safe and drug free (I found this article from The Nourishing Gourmet to be great source of information with links to even more info).

But back to our granola... now filled with oats, flax, quinoa and hemp, we needed sweetness, or what I call "the goodies".  The goodies are sometimes my favorite part of the granola as they lend a burst of flavor and sweetness to each bite.  Another new to me ingredients, the superfood Goldenberries, made its bursting with flavor way into this concoction.  Filled with vital nutrients including beta-carotene, protein, bioflavinoids and vitamin A, Goldenberries are my new "grab and go snack".  With their sweet/tart flavor, the chewy dried berries became the perfect finishing touch to our mixture.

Super in taste as well as nutrition, granola is here to stay.

DIY Homemade Apple Pie Spice

Remember you can follow Liv Life on  Bloglovin'!!

My well stocked baking pantry covers nearly every spice imaginable... but throw in an spice mix like Apple Pie Spice or Pumpkin Pie Spice and I don't have it.  Hence, I find myself skipping over fabulous recipes simply because I don't have the required spice mix on hand.

Last year's successful creation of a DIY Pumpkin Pie Spice mix though, (which I found myself actually using all year round) has led me to put together an equally fragrant and wonderfully cinnamony Apple Pie Spice Mix.

With a few simple ingredients you most likely have in your baking pantry, a last minute run to the store is eliminated when the ingredient "Apple Pie Spice" is called for.  Easily altered to your taste preference, this mix is nice to have a little jar on hand ready for baking.

Whisking the 5 ingredients together sends hints of baked apple goods through the kitchen, and although I'm in no way ready for fall, I'm ready to use those fresh apples that are beginning to show up at our local farmer's markets.

Coconut Lime Detox Drink and a Caterpillar Invasion

From my morning Coconut Lime Detox drink to the brilliant green and orange caterpillars who have single handedly demolished my year old parsley plant, life here in San Diego has been all shades of green the last few days.

Parsley is an herb I use infrequently, hence I have (had) a gorgeous plant that has been left to grow somewhat untamed over the last year or so.  Needing a sprig or two the other day I sent Liv out to pick and moments later heard a not so happy yelp followed by, "Mom!!  Your parsley plant!!  It's been invaded!!!".

I have to preface this with the fact that Liv also has claimed tarantulas were crawling in her room one night, however what I found was a pencil eraser-sized, teeny tiny, spider on her screen... outside.  As such, I didn't really rush to her rescue regarding the invasion of my parsley plant.

In this case though, she was right.  An army of various sized green caterpillars, brilliantly marked with brilliant orange dots, has indeed invaded my parsley plant.   An internet search informed us that these beauties will become even more beautiful as they transform into Black Swallowtail Butterflies sometime in the near future.

I have no idea how long the caterpillars have been there, but we've been watching them closely over the last few days, and I'm positively amazed at the amount of parsley they are able eat.  Apparently they enjoy host plants in the carrot family, including carrots, dill, parsley, fennel and a few others.

Eggs laid by an adult female hatch into the caterpillars who take a few forms before entering the chrysalis stage, and my first hand experience tells me that they can eat an incredible amount of parsley as they grow.

Today one of our caterpillars seems to be entering that chrysalis stage, and we are eager to watch what happens!  I only hope we get so see one of the butterflies before they all fly away.  We'll keep the photos coming over the next few days/weeks.  

In the meantime, how about a lovely green detox drink?  Featuring some of my favorite flavors, lime and coconut, I'm joining Eat. Drink. Be Skinny's 30-Day Juice Challenge.  Teresa, a local San Diego Girl like me,  suggests substituting a nutritious juice or smoothie for one meal a day, which I can see valuably increasing the veggies and fruits that I'm sorely in need of.  Want to join me in the challenge?  Check out her Facebook page for more info.

Perusing the counter my fruit stock proved fairly low this morning, but a bowl of limes called to me.  Working with our Lemon and Kale Ice as a guide, coconut water became our base enhanced with freshly squeezed lime juice and a squeeze of lemon.  Spinach added the rich green color and a dash of pure maple syrup brought a delightful sweetness to balance the sour.

So, joining our hungry caterpillars, here's to a green start to the day... Enjoy!

SLO Weekend Part 2, Bubble Gum Alley and Big Sky Cafe

College applications... words that seemed so distant 17 years ago are now nearly an every day part of our vocabulary.  Doing due diligence, our travels this summer took us on a California college tour including Cal Poly, UCSB and UCLA.

Overnighting in one of my favorite central coast towns, San Luis Obispo, I eased my college anxiety with a visit to the SLO Farmer's Market, time in Morro Bay (see yesterday's post on Morro Bay) and also enjoyed a fabulous breakfast at the esteemed Big Sky Cafe.

Dinner....!

After driving a little over 6 hours on our trek from San Diego, our schedule just happened to mesh perfectly with the weekly downtown San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market, held Thursday's from 6-9 PM.  Covering some 5 blocks on Higuera Street - between Osos and Nipomo Streets - the road is closed to car traffic as rows of vendors fill the area with many intersections featuring live music and entertainment.

Incredibly popular, the mid-market hours find the area packed with locals and tourists alike as people fill up on produce for the week or simply fill up on BBQ for dinner.  One end of the market features a plethora of prepared food choices ranging from homemade pasties to Indian dishes to tender BBQed ribs and artichokes, while the other boasts the bounty of the area with tables overflowing with produce.

McLintocks BBQ... mouthwatering!

While we didn't wait in the 2 block long line for McLintocks BBQ, one couldn't help but stand and watch the grilling guys who sang and cheered their way through the evening.  Cheerful bouts of laughter resounded as customers made their orders of grilled corn, artichokes and the famous McLintock Tri-tip, and happy faces eagerly received their loaded plates of bounty.  The incredible aroma, wafting for blocks, will easily lead you to their location, which I hear is most definitely worth the wait.

Taking a gander around town, we made a point to stop at a San Luis Obispo landmark... Bubble Gum Alley.  Whether your thoughts turn somewhat to disgust or pure fascination, the alley is worth a peek.

Legend has it the bubble gum in the alley began to accrue sometime in the 1950's as a rivalry between SLO High School students and those from Cal Ploly (though it has also been said that the gum may have began as far back as WWll as a SLO High School graduation event).  In any case, Bubble Gum Alley has been very "gummy" since at least the 1970's and has been growing every since.

Located between 733 and 734 Higuera Street, the alley walls are covered with vibrant wads of chewed gum.  Have you left some on your visit??  While we didn't leave our mark, we did watch a young couple fashion their chewed gum into an artistic heart, marking their love on the wall forever more.

SLO has numerous lodging options, and I thought I'd mention our stay at the La Cuesta Inn.  Cute, comfortable and clean, the Inn offered a reasonable price, a good location and my son loved the free wifi.  Note the Apple Restaurant across the street was NOT recommended by a number of locals.  And luckily, I have a wonderful alternative...

Big Sky Cafe... what a treat!   With breakfast served until 1 PM and dinner menu beginning at 4:30, all day is covered (they are open for lunch as well) with healthy, fresh choices.  Offering a comprehensive menu in addition to vegetarian and vegan options, everyone is sure to find something to suit their tastes, and I loved the local and organic resources.

Breakfast for us began with good (and I mean really good) coffee and juice quickly followed by our entrees of eggs, oatmeal and a fabulous yogurt/fruit/granola parfait which I selfishly refused to share.  My son gushingly commented on the bacon which he refused to share, and my husband devoured his perfectly cooked steel cut oatmeal and ended up ordering a fruit plate of his own.

Heading out of town on our way to UCSB and then home, we all three reflected on our stay.  My son loved the campus as well as the towns of SLO and Morro Bay, but more importantly (teasing!) so did I.  Stamping my whole hearted approval on this college possibility I know I'll be happy visiting often should this be his final decision.  If not, I'm happy to visit anyway!

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From the Archives....
Perusing my iPhoto Library, this shot turned up from exactly 7 years ago to the day of our 2013 visit to Bubble Gum Alley.  That's Liv on the right in the pink... 4 of the other kids are beginning their own college searchs this year.  Dave, the man in the back, is a good friend of ours and a Cal Poly graduate.  He insisted the wall was a must see and the kids loved it!

Notice from the photo above how the gum goes so much farther down on the walls.

Liv Life - 2007 - SLO Bubble Gum Wall

Morro Bay | SLO Weekend Part 1

I keep looking for the button to slow life down, but I just don't seem to be able to find it.  When they handed me that squirming 9.5 lbs of boy baby some seventeen years ago I felt as though I had eons until the words "college tour" would become a regular part of my vocabulary.  Well... those eons have passed all too quickly, and last weekend became a real SLO weekend.  San Luis Obispo, that is for a college tour of CalPoly.

Having camped at the Morro Bay Campground, our love of Morro Bay goes back many years.  A quaint, sleepy town on the edge of the water, SLO is an ideal location for a weekend getaway and leisurely walks by the bay.

Morro Rock, with its 23 million year volcanic history, remains one of my favorite San Luis Obispo sites.  At 576 feet, Morro Rock is the smallest of the chain of Nine Sisters (a chain of volcanic peaks and hills between Morro Bay and San Louis Obispo) and in February of 1968 was declared a California Historical Landmark.

Considered a sacred site to the Salian and Chumash and dating as far back as 6500 BC, Morro Rock was first charted in 1542 by Portuguese explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo who dubbed the rock "El Morro" due to its resemblance to the Moor's head-wraps.  Today, the Chumash remain the only people legally allowed to climb Morro Rock for their annual solstice ceremony.

Popular with tourists and locals alike, Morro Rock also serves as a sanctuary to the endangered peregrine falcons who are joined by 3 species of cormorants and 2 species of gulls who nest in the rock's crevices.  Sea lions and otter regularly swim in the waters surrounding the rock and seals also breed in the nearby lagoons.

Whether camping at the Morro Bay Campground, staying on the water's edge in Morro Bay or downtown San Luis Obispo to visit Cal Poly (we were very happy with our stay at the La Cuesta Inn - but don't eat at the Apple Farm Restaurant across the street.  Big Sky Cafe was a much better choice!), Morro Bay brings stunning vistas and becomes a lovely, peaceful stop while visiting this Central California area.

Double Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter, oatmeal, and peanut butter cups... 3 ingredients leading to positively perfect peanut buttery heaven.  Add in those other cookie ingredients (flour, sugar, etc) and we have a cookie that tempted me to hide the batch and not share with a soul.  Caught in the act, Liv and her brother twisted my arm eagerly grabbing what they claimed to be their "fair share".  Needless to say, this batch didn't make it to morning.

Have you tried these Trader Joe's Mini Peanut Butter Cups??  Let me just say we had to return to the store more than once as they somehow seemed to evaporate before we actually got the cookies made.  Little bites of peanut buttery awesomeness, they added an outrageously incredible bite to the soft, puffy cookies.

I must also note that the cookie dough test (we do test all of our cookie dough, but we suggest you do so at your own risk due to the raw egg content...) was unquestionably amazing.  I may or may not have maneuvered my spoon gathering a few extra mini pb cups during the test, but I can without a doubt proclaim perfection.

Peanut Butter Lover's unite!!  This cookie is for you!

Jalapeño Manchego Corn Bread

Here we are half way through August, and already much of the food blog universe is be switching to fall and autumn-like recipes, but here at Liv Life it's still summer.  After living these chilly, gray months of July and early August, I'm relishing an afternoon with full sun.

San Diego's stats may show some 275+ "days of sun", but I'm here to profess that some of those days the sun doesn't reach the coast, and if it does it may only peek through the ever present marine layer for a mere minute before retreating back to the heavens.  I shouldn't really complain as the temps are in the lovely low 70's region, somewhere where you really don't notice the temp - its neither hot nor cold... it just is.

The gray though, is taking its toll and I find myself dreaming of fields of corn raising their stalks up to greet morning rays of light.  With the change of the calendar to August my heart sank as I read quite a number of food blog posts proclaim a season change to fall, to which I'm hereby proclaiming a fall boycott.  As such, with my local farmer's markets still providing tables filled with fresh ears of perfectly grown white and yellow corn, I'm still living summer.

Some 3 years ago (almost to the day) and one of our first posts after establishing Liv Life, this Jalapeño Cornbread laced with nutty Manchego cheese, has earned its top spot as a summer favorite.  Made with whole kernels of grilled corn in addition to the cornmeal, zesty pickled jalapeños (did you know you can make your own??) give the recipe a nice little kick without being too overpowering.  Slathered with sweet honey butter, this cornbread becomes somewhat irresistible.

So here's to summer!  Anyone joining me in the fall/autumn boycott??!!