Hey there! We’re Molly and Chelsea and we’re the baking and cooking duo behind Bests and Bites! We’ve been besties for 23 years and loving connecting over a good piece of cheesecake, a cheesy dip or sipping on our favorite refreshments. Our fave things include health and fitness, baking, and pool days!

First things first, the red white and blue in this glass makes us want to PARTY. Like really celebrate America’s birthday!

Breakfast party? Snack party? Picnic party? All of the above.

We used to think the Fourth of July food spread was limited to only festive fruit-topped desserts, and okay fine we’ll take a bomb popsicle while we’re at it, but we’ve recently discovered (by way of this parfait) you can celebrate all day long!

This recipe is perfect for this holiday because strawberries and blueberries are in season and so naturally sweet and ripe. Not to mention they won’t hurt your wallet to get a carton or two.

They give this parfait so much substance and a sweet bite that perfectly complements the yogurt.

Now, let’s get down to the star of this recipe: the vanilla almond granola.

Say helloooo to your favorite snacking, breakfasting, and crunchy-sprinkled-topping! The granola itself is mildly sweet from honey, vanilla and maple syrup, slightly nutty from the slivered almonds, and whole-wheatty from the oats and whole wheat flour.

It’s just the right combination of semi-soft and crunchy. The centers still have a softness that makes is easy to carry on a conversation over the table, but just the right crunch that adds the perfect texture to the soft and creamy yogurt.

A fun tip about these parfaits. If you’ve got big breakfast plans like banana pancakes or french toast, these also make for the best snack or recipe for a picnic! You could even set up a create your own parfait bar and set out all the yummy ingredients and let your friends and family go crazy with their toppings and layers.

We have good ideas sometimes.

Another fun tip. Make the granola a week before and have it ready. Then these parfaits only take 5 MINUTES to make.

So everybody say hello the next big thing in breakfast and Fourth of July history, because you’re about to fall in love!

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Red, White and Blue Patriotic Parfaits

Servings 2 large parfaits

Ingredients

• For the granola:
• 6 cups rolled oats not the quick instant oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts I used walnuts
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ cup honey
• 1 cup coconut oil melted
• ¼ cup maple syrup
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• For the parfait:
• 1 cup vanilla yogurt
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1/2 cup strawberries sliced

Instructions

• For the granola:
• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
• In a very large bowl, combine the oats, almonds, pecans, whole wheat flour, cinnamon, salt, and sugar if using. Stir to combine.
• Whisk the melted coconut oil, maple syrup and the honey together. Pour over the oats mixture and stir until the mixture is well combined and is completely coated. Pour into a large baking sheet in a single layer. It will be a thick layer, which is okay, you want it to create large clusters.
• Bake for 20 minutes, stir and bake for another 10 minutes. Stiry again and bake for a final 5 minutes and remove from the oven.
• Do not stir right away. The granola will will become more clumpy as it dries.
• When granola is completely cooled, layer 1/4 cup of blueberries in the bottom of a glass. Add 1/4 cup of yogurt on top, then add 1/4 cup granola. Add 1/4 cup sliced strawberries and blueberries, another 1/4 cup of yogurt and another 1/4 cup of granola on top. Garnish with more blueberries and strawberries and serve immediately.

Some of our other favorite breakfast recipes:

Coffee Cake Crumble Muffins

Lemon Poppy Seed Bread

Berry Almond Smoothie Bowl

The post Red, White and Blue Patriotic Parfaits appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

I’m not the kind of person that enjoys spending all morning making breakfast just for it to be devoured in a matter of minutes. I’d rather cook once and eat for a week.

You don’t need me to explain the convenience of cereal to you. We all know it’s fast, delicious, and the kids love it! So today I thought I’d share with you a healthy alternative to everyone’s favorite breakfast.

The things you’ll need to make this Cinnamon Blueberry Almond Granola Cereal are:

• Old-fashioned oats
• Slivered or chopped almonds
• Ground cinnamon
• Flax seeds
• Maple syrup
• Coconut oil
• Vanilla extract
• Freeze-dried or dried blueberries

Super simple, healthy ingredients. Check.

I’m not even kidding you guys, this is one of the simplest recipes ever. It only takes a couple of minutes to mix all of the ingredients together and then you just pop it in the oven, stirring halfway through baking and boom! You’ve got yourself some of the tastiest granola cereal ever.

You can use either freeze-dried blueberries or dried blueberries for this Cinnamon Blueberry Almond Granola. I chose to use freeze-dried, simply because that’s all I had. Although I imagine it would taste just as amazing with regular dried blueberries.

If you’re not a fan of almonds, feel free to switch it up and use the nut of your choice. Pecans or walnuts would make a great substitute.

This cinnamon blueberry almond granola cereal is toddler approved. Ahem, pickiest-toddler-in-the-world approved.

So, I mean if that doesn’t tell ya you need to make this simple recipe ASAP, I don’t know what will…

Sweet, nutty, toasty granola in less than an hour. Trust me when I say you need to add this to your breakfast rotation.

Here’s the recipe for the best Cinnamon Blueberry Almond Granola Cereal you will taste!

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Cinnamon Blueberry Almond Granola Cereal

Author Margaret Anne @ Natural Chow

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups old-fashioned oats
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon golden flax seeds
• 1/2 cup pure maple syrup or honey
• 1/4 cup coconut oil melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup freeze-dried blueberries or dried blueberries

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 300° F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, almonds, cinnamon, and flax seeds and stir. Set aside.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the maple syrup, coconut oil, and vanilla extract. Pour the mixture over the dry ingredients and stir thoroughly to combine.
• Spread the granola onto the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 45 minutes, stirring halfway through. Let cool completely before serving or storing. Store granola in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three weeks.

Looking for more granola inspiration?

Skinny Dark Chocolate Chia Granola

Cardamom Almond Coconut Granola Cereal

The post Cinnamon Blueberry Almond Granola Cereal appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.

When I hear the word granola, I think of my sweet Granny. When I eat this White Chocolate and Craisin Granola, I know it’s the kind of granola she would never have eaten. I, on the other hand, can’t seem to eat enough of it! Neither can my kids, a single batch of it disappears pretty quick at my house. We all love this stuff!

With age comes aches, pain and some wisdom. My body has some very definite ways of letting me know when I have eaten too much refined sugar. My shoulders start to ache so bad that I loose range of motion in them. I get that fabulous sugar high that comes with the horrible sugar crash. I’m guessing that there are plenty of you who by choice or necessity  have cut down on how much sugar you consume. About 4 months ago my daughter and I did a 8 week sugar cleanse. Going sugar free took all the ache’s and pains away, I regained full range of motion in my shoulders again. I feel great, but what about my granola?

Giving up this awesome granola just wasn’t an option for me, so I worked to create a healthier, sugar free version that tastes just as good as the regular version! I feel like I have accomplished the impossible; creating a granola recipe that my Granny would eat because it’s healthy and one I love to eat because it tastes as great as the original.

Now we can all have our granola and eat it too, enjoy!

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White Chocolate & Craisin Granola

Author Tracy van Overbeek Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cashews roughly chopped
• 3/4 almonds roughly chopped
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 1/2 cup craisens
• 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp if using coconut oil instead of butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/4 cup honey
• 6 oz. white Ghirardelli white chocolate - shaved pieces or small chopped pieces
• 2/3 cup brown sugar
• 1-2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or coconut oil, honey and brown sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.
• Spread granola on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake granola for 15 minutes at 325. Remove granola from oven and break into pieces. If granola is still soft bake 5 more minutes. Let the granola cool, break into pieces and add the white chocolate & craisins.
• Optional you can use other nuts i.e. walnut or pecans.

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Sugar Free White Chocolate & Craisin Granola

Author Tracy van Overbeek Made From Pinterest

Ingredients

• 3 cups old fashioned oats
• 3/4 cashews roughly chopped
• 3/4 almonds roughly chopped
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 1/2 cup craisens
• 1/2 tsp salt 1 tsp if using coconut oil instead of butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup flax seed
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup Malted Rice Syrup
• 6 oz. sugar free white chocolate shave or chopped into small pieces
• 1/2 cup Truvia Sugar Free Substitute - can use more or less to taste
• 1-2 tsp vanilla

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 325.
• In a large bowl, combine oats, cashews, almonds, coconut, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter or coconut oil, honey and brown sugar until sugar is completely dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour mixture over oat mixture and stir to combine.
• Spread granola on parchment lined baking sheet. Bake granola for 15 minutes at 325. Remove granola from oven and break into pieces. If granola is still soft bake 5 more minutes. Let the granola cool, break into pieces and add the white chocolate & craisins.
• Optional you can use other nuts i.e. walnut or pecans.

The post White Chocolate and Craisin Granola appeared first on TGIF - This Grandma is Fun.