Protein-Packed Homemade Granola With Chocolate and Nuts

I love granola and if there is something I can eat for like a whole week without any complaint whatsoever, it would have to be granola.

There is a problem though - I'm based in the Philippines.

Oh and I know how common place granola is in anglo countries but in this part of the world, it is easier to find Cerberus - that dog from hades - than it is to find some freakin granola!

You know what I mean?

Anyway that situation changed a bit in recent years and these days, some big name stores have commercial granola. Still, it isn't like the variety you'll see in an average American or Australian grocery store. 

I often find myself combing the city (I'm in the capital, mind you) just to get the kinds I like because although SM supermarket sell granola these days, they only carry 1 brand. 1 brand!!! 

It is either that or they cost a fortune!

What's a girl to do right? 

Well, I simply told myself that it is high time to give making my own granola a try. I don't have anything to lose but have lots to gain.

Who am I kidding? Getting the ingredients together was a pain. For real!

I had to visit 3 supermarkets (SM North Edsa Hypermarket, Trinoma Landmark Supermarket, and Waltermart North Edsa Supermarket) but in the end, it was all worth it. 

The granola came out perfect for me and now, I can have granola to my heart's content and customise it the way I want to. Yey!

Homemade Granola With Chocolate and Nuts

Get all your ingredients ready and preheat the oven to 180C. See the supplies list for the quantities of each ingredient.

In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, and wheatgerm/bran.

Pour in the honey.

Mix everything well since this will be the base of your granola bar.

Add in the almonds, cashews, mini chocolate chips, and raisins. Mix.

Prepare your baking tray or pan by lining it with wax paper so the granola would be easy to take out later.

Pour the granola mix into the prepared baking tray.

Pack firmly and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes on the middle rack so it won't burn.

12 Minutes will be a softer chewier version and 15 minutes in the oven will give a crunchier version. I love crunchy so I baked it a bit longer. If you want squares or rectangles, you have to cut it while still warm or do it like I did and just break off pieces for a more rustic look.

Doesn't it look so yummy? It's a great breakfast or snack on the go. Full of fibre and protein so it would be great as a pre-workout or post workout snack as well. Keep in a tightly sealed container and can be freezed too. Enjoy!

Here's the easy to print version:

Chewy Homemade Granola with Chocolates and Nuts

Ingredients:

2 cups rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup whole almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup wheatgerm (or use sunflower seeds)
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup cashews

Procedure:

Get all your ingredients ready and preheat the oven to 180C. See the ingredients list for the quantities of each ingredient. In a bowl, combine the rolled oats, brown sugar, and wheatgerm/bran. Once mixed, pour in the honey. Mix everything well since this will be the base of your granola bar. Add in the almonds, cashews, mini chocolate chips, and raisins. Mix. Pour the granola mix into the prepared baking tray.Pack firmly and bake in a preheated oven for 12-15 minutes on the middle rack so it won't burn.

Chicken Stir-Fry For One

I love chicken. I love it simply steamed, boiled, poached, fried, baked, and even when it doesn't look like chicken anymore. Yep! I can eat chicken everyday and not get tired of it for like mooonnnths!

Anyone here feeling me? :P

I'm sure a lot of you reading this have your own favorite meat or veggie and that's awesome (and makes each of us uniquely weird). However, eating the same chicken dish for a few days a week is not something I would like to go back to no matter how much I love it. I don't believe in just one true love when it comes to food haha!

You see, when I started living by myself a few years ago, I was stuck with eating the same thing for almost the entire week because I only knew how to make stuff for like a family of 5. 

I must admit, cooking for one is a whole new level of difficulty compared to let's say, cooking for 3-6 persons. I'll gladly welcome cooking for an entire family as compared to cooking for just 1. No kidding!

Needless to say, this resulted to me either ordering out (hello calories!), or  stuffing myself trying to eat everything as soon and as much as I can just so I can cook something else (I know this is self-defeating). I gained lots of weight and was unhappy :(

So what I did was develop recipes or adapt recipes to be good for one and yup, I did quite well with dozens of them. 

No more leftovers unless I wanted it for this gal!

This chicken stir-fry is one of my favorite dinners because it is so versatile. You can eat it on it's own or with rice. Mix up a little sauce and it's good for noodles too! 

What I like the best about this chicken stir-fry for one is how fast it comes together and how flavorful and filling it is. In fact, when I want to lose weight, this is one of my go-to dinners. 

Why? 

Because this chicken stir-fry is low carb and high protein! 

Yep! Does that sound too good to be true?

It's got lots of fiber and vitamins too!

Before I start sounding more and more like a real info-mercial, let's head on to the main recipe shall we?

Chicken Stir Fry For One Recipe

As the usual thing with stir-frys, this chicken stir-fry recipe only spends about 5 minutes tops cooking, so you'll have to chop up everything that needs to be chopped and prepared before you start heating your wok.

I can't stress how important using a wok is for this recipe. There's just something magical when you cook with woks. The way it is shaped and how it handles and distributes heat makes food cook a certain way, it's simply superb.

You can use a frying pan but it won't be as awesome..

You can try a cast iron skillet and maybe come up with 90% wok awesomeness :P

Heat the wok over high heat until it starts smoking. Add the oil and swirl to coat the whole pan.

add the chicken and let it cook for about a minute on each side. This happened very fast so I wasn't able to get pics :(

Once the chicken is no longer pink and slightly browned, add the ginger, the green onion, and baby corn. 

Keep sauteing for about 1 minute.

Have you watched one of those cooking shows where the chef creates a little mushroom poof of smoke when a liquid is added to the stir fry? 

That's gonna happen when you add in the soy sauce so be prepared!

this is it!

(only captured the last of the smoke and steam show)

and for the last step:

turn off the heat and toss in the red bell pepper and sugar snap peas for the last 20-30 seconds. 

Transfer immediately to a plate.

isn't it absolutely gorgeous?

I love sprinkling this chicken stir-fry with korean red chili flakes and some sesame seeds.

from another angle...

Of course I'm using chopsticks! 

If I don't do that I'll either inhale this thing or start shoveling this dish into my mouth haha!

Incredibly tasty and very satisfying! You might forget about the rice when savoring this chicken stir-fry dish.

And here's the full recipe:

Chicken Stir-Fry For One By PinkGingerSnaps

Ingredients:

• 1 chicken breast fillet (about 1/2 lb or 250 grams) sliced thinly
• 1 cup sugar snap peas (chicharo)
• 1 cup baby corn sliced diagonally
• 1 medium size red bell pepper cut into strips
• 1 tablespoon light cooking oil
• 3-5 stalks green onions cut into 1-2 inch sections
• 1 slice ginger
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• chili flakes and sesame seeds for garnish

Procedure:

Slice up everything which needs to be sliced and heat your wok over high heat. Once the wok starts smoking, add the oil and sliced chicken breast fillet. Toss the chicken around in the wok and cook for about two minutes until slightly browned and no longer pink. Add in the baby corn, ginger, and green onion. Don't forget to keep everything moving! after a minute of sauteing everything together and the ginger gets really fragrant, add the soy sauce and keep tossing for about 30 more seconds. Turn off the heat and add the sugar snap peas and red bell pepper. Cook in the still hot wok for about half a minute and transfer immediately to a serving dish so the veggies don't get wilted. Garnish with sesame seeds and chili flakes if desired. Serves 1 :)

Let me know if you tried this dish! Thanks for reading :)