You know what I think is great? It seems that there are more and more conscientious people starting up businesses. With that, means that we actually have more choices. Choices that support whatever morals and values we may agree with. Something that I prioritize is being aware of how I, a person, may affect another person or anything else in the world.  How something I may be doing could either benefit something else or contribute towards a seemingly vicious cycle. I’d say the decisions I make for myself, for the most part, are ones that I feel at peace with; from how I treat myself and others, to not littering, to the food I eat. Whatever it is that you believe in, those beliefs are expressed and reflected in so many different ways. Yeah, I know it’s not up to no one person to save the world, but we can make it a more peaceful place. Awhile back I was sent some granolas by Love Grown Foods to sample and share. I am a lover of granolas, and there are few things that make a great recipe in my eyes. First, let me share with you what Love Grown Foods is all about: Here at LOVE GROWN FOODS, we take pride in the fact that all of our recipes are made with LOVE!

• Free of Refined Sugar
• Free of High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Free of Trans Fats
• Free of Hydrogenated Oils
• Free of Artificial Flavors
• Free of Preservatives
• Free of Gluten (my gluten-intolerant mom’s stamp of approval)
• Free of Genetically Modified Ingredients

“[...] we choose ingredients that are wholesome and nutritious.”

When I read what their intentions are behind the yummy things they make–well, it’s nice to know that some companies are started have real people with hearts behind them, and actually care about people’s well-being. And honestly, who purposely adds hydrogenated oils to their food when they’re making something in their own kitchen? Although some may do it accidentally when they cook with an oil at a higher temperature than its burning point. Anyway, let’s get to the real test because in the end I’m pretty simple… it’s taste that matters to me.

That’s actually one of my criteria for what makes a good granola–chunks! And lots of them. This was the ‘Cocoa Goodness’ flavor, for all the chocolate lovers out there. On top of the oats being dusted in 100% cocoa powder, they also use 63% dark chocolate chips. Oh yeah. This granola would say “psh and so what” to anyone that laughs it off as hippie food.

Sidenote: that ‘shake’  was Angela’s recipe (highly recommended by moi) for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough ‘Blizzard’.

Comparatively speaking, this flavor wasn’t my favorite (doesn’t mean it’s bad) out of the three I was sent, but this granola gets an A+ for texture. I’ll give it a B+ for taste.

The granola all the kids hated because it always got extra credit in grade school: A++…+! Personifying these granolas makes for a more interesting review, don’t you think?

How can you go wrong? You can’t. When I first tried it, it was straight out of the bag and I almost ate the whole thing. Then I thought to myself “hey, save some for tomorrow!” Actually all of the granolas had me munching out of the bag. In fact, each one lasted me two or three days tops. I think by now you can tell what I think about Love Grown Foods’ granola. Take my word for it.

Flourless Coconut Pancakes (Gluten-Free)

Adapted from Alejandra

Serves 2

Ingredients

2  eggs

1/4 cup regular coconut milk*

2 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1 teaspoon coconut sugar (you can use another sweetener)

pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut, finely ground

Directions

1. Mix the eggs, coconut milk, coconut oil, coconut sugar, and salt in a bowl.

2. In another bowl, combine the baking powder and ground coconut.

3. Mix the dry and wet ingredients together. Make sure to mix well.

4. Heat a heavy bottom skillet over medium heat, then warm up a bit of coconut oil.

5. Spoon the batter onto a skillet. Only make a couple at a time so the pancakes don’t ooze into each other. Let cook until edges start to brown, then flip and let cook for a minute or so on the other side.

* I suggest using regular coconut milk to get a thicker pancake, but light was what I had on hand.

*You can grind the shredded coconut into a fine powder by placing it in a blender or food processor.

I especially made these for my mom, and she raved about them. I topped them with her favorite fruits, shredded coconut, and maple syrup. I tried only a small bite since eggs are hard for me to digest, but from what I tasted it was very yummy.

Do you guys like to cook special recipes for someone you care about?

Have you tried Love Grown Foods’ granola?

p.s. I know the reading blogs may be the last thing on some people’s minds right now, but I hope that everyone that is in the path of Hurricane Irene is safe. Mother Nature’s ways can sometimes be a force that puts us humans in a very different place at times. “Storms are one of nature’s ways of moving heat around, and high temperatures at the ocean surface tend to feed hurricanes and make them stronger.” [Source.] So if you may be affected try not to think about how this hurricane is ridiculous and ruining your plans, but rather focus on staying safe and hopefully you’ve got a comedian nearby to cheer you up.

p.s.s. I loved your responses to my post on skincare, and I want to talk about that in another post.