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Last-Minute Homemade Holiday Gifts For Healthy Living

Susi May — Thu, 22 Dec 2011 13:19:26 PST

Everyone loves receiving gifts, especially when they're homemade! And luckily you still have time to whip up these simple homemade presents for the folks still on your list. A DIY gift shows the recipient that you put a little extra thought and care into his or her gift - not to mention a little elbow grease. Ready to get crafty? We've rounded up a half dozen healthy gifts for the holidays.

For the Health Foodies

Whole Wheat Biscotti

Cinnamon Sugar Toasted Almonds

Personalized Granola

For the Fitness Freaks

iPhone Arm Band

Upcycled-Jeans Yoga Mat Bag

Homemade Headband

Are you giving any homemade holiday gifts this year?

Reader Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Granola

Yum Community — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:02:17 PDT

Yum reader LindsayTarquinio is celebrating October as "put pumpkin in everything" season. What are you making this month? See more recipes and share your own in the Kitchen Goddess group.

Get her original recipe!

A Reader Recipe: Almond and Flaxseed Granola

Fit Community — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 01:56:42 PDT

Save on money, sugar, and fat with this healthy granola recipe from FitSugar reader prepel. She posted this recipe for almond and flaxseed granola in our Healthy Recipe community group.

Deee-licious! I forgot to take pictures when I made this granola so this was all that was left. It tasted delicious over blackberries and banana oatmeal.

See how easy it is to make this granola after the break!

A Reader Recipe: Granola Bread

Fit Community — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 00:12:47 PDT

Here's a new twist on granola: granola bread! FitSugar reader Actorsdiet posted the recipe in our Healthy Recipe community group.

Learn how to make it after the break!

Delicious Gluten-Free Granola Options

Heather Dale — Tue, 26 Apr 2011 01:03:36 PDT

Granola mixed in with fruit and yogurt is a quick and healthy breakfast option. But for those who can't eat gluten, finding a gluten-free granola that isn't doused with sugar can be difficult. If this sounds familiar, check out these gluten-free granola options that don't overdo it with the sweet stuff. And don't forget to take a look at these gluten-free energy bars, which can also be used as a quick breakfast option when you're in a pinch!

Let's Break It Down: Oatmeal vs. Granola

Michele Bell — Fri, 14 Jan 2011 02:00:43 PST

Some like it hot . . . some like it cold. During these brisk snow ridden months, oatmeal is almost irresistible. Unless, however, there's granola on the table. While I like both of the breakfast foods, I'm often partial to the chillier bowl topped with strawberries and bananas. Then again, a steaming porridge complete with pumpkin goodness is pretty hard to turn down. So perhaps knowing the nutritional value of each will help you and yours truly decide which one to turn to more often, especially for the duration of the seemingly long Winter season.

Ready to see the comparison?

Speak Up: What Did You Eat Today For Breakfast?

FitSugar — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 03:00:04 PDT

FitSugar reader summer m shared her healthy breakfast in the Healthy Recipe Group.

Fresh fruit from the farmers market is the best. And Sunday mornings (the day after the market) are perfect for a fresh and simple breakfast of fruit, yogurt and granola. For this quick meal I mixed together some fresh strawberries, raspberries, peaches and fresh figs. Mixed the fruit together and topped my fat free plain Greek yogurt with them, a little Everything Granola and a drizzle of honey. Not sure it gets much better than this.

Sounds tasty and healthy! I would like to eat like this every day of the week - not just Sundays - but weekday mornings can be hectic. I'm wondering what you all had for breakfast this morning, and whether it differed from what you ate for your morning meal over the weekend.

Food Review: Attune Probiotic Granola Münch

FitSugar — Tue, 04 May 2010 12:00:34 PDT

I first encountered Attune via its wellness bars, which promise to deliver the probiotics of yogurt in a convenient bar. Since the bars don't really fill me up, I prefer old-fashioned yogurt. But since I love granola, I figured I'd give the brand another shot, with its Attune Probiotic Granola Münch.

This granola is designed to be eaten on its own, with milk, or atop yogurt for extra probiotic punch. The Münch comes in three flavors: chocolate granola with chocolate yogurt chips, apple cinnamon, or maple nut with vanilla yogurt chips. The chocolate seemed way too dessert-like for breakfast, so I went for the maple. To find out what I thought,

read more. This granola contains lactobacillus acidophilus, the same healthy bacteria found in yogurt that aids digestion. According to Attune, the maple nut variety contains 1 billion CFUs of probiotics per one-ounce serving. In order to earn the live and active cultures seal, a product must contain at least 10 million cultures per gram, so this granola is legit, and you don't need much. Which is good, since the serving size is pretty small. As granolas go, this one is pretty low in calories and fat. Each one-ounce serving (about 10 per container) contains 120 calories, 4.5 grams of fat (1 g saturated), and 6 grams of sugar, about the same amount of sugar as six ounces of plain yogurt. Not bad, considering that it tastes pretty sweet and, I might add, yummy and authentically maple-y. Though the product is advertised as "high in fiber," it contains just three grams of fiber per serving and a mere two grams of protein. So there are certainly cereals that pack more fiber and protein punch, but Attune has the added probiotic benefit. I'm not sure why you need that if you're eating it on yogurt, but to each her own. You can buy it online for $6 for a 10-ounce bag.

Food Review: Bear Naked Granola's New Flavors

FitSugar — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 09:00:09 PDT

Granola is filled with sweet oaty goodness that not only satisfies your sweet tooth, but also fills your belly and gives you energy all morning. Bear Naked is one of my favorite brands because their products always test fresh, homemade, and are made with basic ingredients like oats, agave syrup, and almonds. If you're also a fan of Bear Naked, you'll be happy to see they came out with two new flavors of granola: Maple Pecan and Peak Flax.

To hear more about these tasty new granolas and see how they measure up nutritionally,

read more. The Maple Pecan has a traditionally warm and autumnal flavor, with a very strong hint of maple syrup. The pecans add a crunchy surprise, and every bite reminds me of pancakes at my grandma's when I was a kid. I equally enjoyed the Peak Flax granola. It has a uniquely sweet hint of honey and lemon that's very refreshing, and the crunchy texture complements the chewy dried blueberries beautifully. You'll see on the package that this granola is made with heart-healthy flaxseeds which deliver 320 mg of ALA per serving.

	1/4 cup Maple Pecan	1/4 cup Peak Flax
Calories	130	130
Total Fat (g)	4.5	4
Saturated Fat (g)	.5	0
Cholesterol (mg)	0	0
Sodium (mg)	20	0
Carbs (g)	22	21
Fiber (g)	2	3
Sugars (g)	7	7
Protein (g)	4	4

When you check out the nutritional info above, you'll see that both are low in saturated fat, sodium, and surprisingly, sugars. Four grams of protein per 1/4-cup serving isn't bad at all, but I would have thought they'd be higher in fiber. All in all, I'd definitely recommend trying these new flavors out if you're a granola fan. They taste great in milk, on top of yogurt or ice cream, and they were especially delicious warmed up.

Healthy Recipe: Low Cal Chai Spiced Granola

FitSugar — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 07:00:43 PST

I love a little granola in the morning. It naturally sweetens my bowl of Greek yogurt, a breakfast staple loaded with protein but a bit on the sour side. Problem is, my favorite granola is packed with calories and fat. I decided to create my own recipe using a bunch of spices to add flavor without calories while omitting the oil which adds fat. I added warming spices, many of which can be found in chai tea: cinnamon (a granola must in my opinion), nutmeg, cardamom, and cloves. My kitchen smelled divine as the granola baked, and I definitely cut a significant number of calories of the total calorie tally, as well as halving the grams of fat.

Check out the recipe when you