Month: January 2023

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Recipes

Cranberry Orange Cosmopolitan Blondies

Happy New Year! We hope this joyous and relaxing holiday season has recharged you.  Every year brings new adventures and many possibilities and opportunities. As you conquer the year ahead, we encourage you to take time to prioritize cultivating joy in your day alongside accomplishing goals or tasks. 

Incorporating little things, like a warm cup of your favorite tea or a fun playlist, can bring life into the daily routine and make it a great year ahead! 

We, of course, love to bake and enjoy sharing our granola and recipes with you all. Our cranberry orange blondies are a great treat to share with family and friends. The orange and cranberry flavor combination is a match made in heaven.  This recipe can easily also convert into a breakfast blondie by cutting back on the sugar.  No matter the occasion you choose, we hope it brings a little joy to your day!

Ingredients

¾ cup melted butter

1 ¼ cup brown sugar

A pinch of salt

A pinch of cinnamon

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 egg

1 ½ cup wheat or all purpose flour

½ cup dried cranberries

Zest from one orange

½ cup cosmopolitan granola crushed

¼ cup rolled oats

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F, lightly grease an 8-inch square baking pan with spray and line with parchment paper, both sides overhanging for easy release.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine melted butter, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla, and egg.  Whisk by hand until blended.
  3. Fold in flour, cranberries, crushed granola, and orange zest. 
  4. Spread batter into the lined baking pan and sprinkle rolled oats on top of the batter.
  5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown. 
  6. Let cool completely, cut into squares, enjoy!
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News

Is Yogurt and Granola Healthy For Breakfast?

Is Yogurt and Granola Healthy

 

Yogurt and granola maybe a traditional breakfast go-to. But you might be wondering: is yogurt and granola healthy for breakfast? When considering your options, pay attention to serving sizes, prioritize lower sugar options, and choose varieties of yogurt that are high in protein. 

Is Yogurt and Granola Healthy? Here’s Why Serving Size Matters

Everything in moderation, the old saying goes, and the same is true about yogurt and granola. Even with a ‘healthy’ food, we can get too much of a good thing when it comes to portions. Starting the day out with six to eight ounces of high-protein yogurt, like Greek yogurt, paired with your favorite granola is an easy go-to. A nut-milk or soy-based yogurt is also a great substitute if you are lactose intolerant. Next, we turn to toppings!

High Fiber, Nutritious Oats Keep Your Gut Happy

Things like oatmeal and granola provide that signature contrast of fiber and crunch when it comes to choosing the perfect pairing for yogurt. Fiber helps to slow everything down in the body during digestion, preventing a blood sugar spike after eating. The whole-grain fiber from oats makes for a happy gut. The oats in granola help to move things along in the digestive tract and reduce inflammation. Fiber is also great for heart health, helping lower cholesterol when it’s part of a healthy diet.

So the next time you reach for your bag of granola, you’ll have a whole new appreciation for what this crunchy, snack-time favorite is doing for your health!

Source Your Probiotics and Protein From Yogurt

To kickstart the day, yogurt is a probiotic-packed protein source that also includes calcium and B vitamins. In a cup of Greek yogurt, there are 13 grams of protein which helps you stay full during the busy rush of the morning. When choosing yogurts, it’s easy to fall into the sugar trap of flavored varieties at the grocery store.  Our advice is to stick to lower sugar options like unflavored Greek yogurt and add some honey or your preferred sweetener so you can control the sugar content. 

Is Yogurt and Granola Healthy For Breakfast? Yes, If You’re Watching Sugar Intake. 

The same goes for the quality of your granola. The American Heart Association sugar recommendation for men is to consume no more than 36 grams of sugar per day, and women to consume 24 grams or less. Note that this is only for added sugars, so not counting sugars that naturally occur in dry or fresh fruit (which is actually fructose).

Keeping your breakfast under 10 added grams of sugar is a good guideline to ensure you don’t spike your blood sugar too early in the day. 

Some types of granola can be high in sugar content, so we recommend something made with high-quality ingredients like our original granola! Two-thirds cup of our original granola contains 7 grams of sugar, which is just under the recommended threshold for a balanced breakfast. 

Enjoy Your Morning Crunch With Little Red Wagon Granola

For your next breakfast, you don’t need to ask “is yogurt and granola healthy?” because now you know it meets your expectations for a high-protein, low-sugar jumpstart to the day. Your morning scoop of yogurt contains all the vitamins, proteins, and probiotics to keep a healthy lifestyle fueled. Check out our delicious, small-batch granola flavors to shake up your morning breakfast bowl.