My newest go to breakfast these days is homemade granola with fresh berries and greek yogurt. Its full of protein, fiber, and good for you natural vitamins. Its a great way to stay full all morning, and gives you lots of necessary and welcome energy. Theres never a morning when I don't welcome this dish on my table. 

 Granola Ingredients: 

4 cups old fashioned oats

2 cups coconut

1 cup cashews, chopped

2 cups sliced almonts

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/2 cup lavender honey (found here) 

Directions: Mix your oats, coconut, cashews, almonds, honey, and oil in a large bowl. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, then stir. Bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown. Once your granola is cooked, you can seal and store it in a Tupperware container. When ready to eat it in the morning, sprinkle with fresh cut strawberries, blueberries, and greek yogurt. 

We love the crunch from the granola, the sweetness from the lavender honey, and pops of delicious juice from the berries. Get in all great nutrients like these early in the day and you will be feeling good all morning. Plus it tastes great too. Bon Appetite! 

If you have been a long term reader of our blog, you may remember an easter recipe I shared years ago called Heavenly Berries. We have so many new readers here that I thought I would share it again because it is one of my favorites! 

Heavenly Berries is a scrumptious combination of meringue, creams and berries.  It taste HEAVENLY.   If you  want to try this for easter, you'll want to make the meringue soon, so that the meringue and the cream mixture can marry and create some heavenly flavors.  I love recipes that can be made in advance, especially on holidays when there is so much to do!  Just pull them out of the fridge and say "TA-DAH!"  

Don't let the lengthy instructions discourage you, It's simple,really.

Day 1
Make your meringue base.  Put it in the oven before you go to bed;  cook for 1 hour at 275.  Turn off oven and leave meringue in oven with door closed over night for 12 hours.

Recipe
6 egg whites. warmed to room temp
1/2 tsp. cream of tarter
1/4 tsp. salt
1 3/4 sugar

Method
Heat oven to 275.  Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  If you don't have parchment paper, spray with Pam.  In a large bowl (Stand mixers work best), beat your warmed egg whites, cream of tarter and salt until almost stiff.  Beat in the sugar 1 Tbs. at a time, until they are very thick and glossy.  Remember, don't under beat.  Now you can choose if you want to make one big cloud of heaven or individual ones.  I used a pastry bag, but if you don't have one no worries.  Whatever method you use, you need to create  a "swimming Pool" effect in the middle so the cream can set inside.  Since a good meringue is the key to this recipe, here are some hints for a good meringue.  1. separate your eggs when they are cold.  2. don't allow any yolks to get into the meringue  3. make sure your egg whites are at room temp  4. oil or anything greasy is an enemy to meringue, so make sure all your utensils are free of any thing greasy.

Day 2 (filling)
The next morning make you filling,  fill your meringue base or bases then Refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

Recipe
2 cups whipped cream (no cool whip allowed)
1 8oz cream cheese, softened to room temp (leave out overnight)
1 tsp. vanilla
1 cup sugar (use 2 Tbs. of this sugar to sweeten the cream)
2 cups mini marshmallows

Method
In a chilled bowl (stand mixer works best) whip your cream, add vanilla and 2 Tbs, sugar.  In a separate bowl mix the rest of the sugar with the cream cheese at room temperature until smooth.  Fold the cream cheese mixture and marshmallows into the whipped cream.  Fill, cover and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

YOUR DONE!!
Almost.  just before serving pile on your berries.  My berry favorite berry sweetener is "the Lavender Apple's" Lavender Simple syrup.  It adds such a unique and wonderful flavor.  

Along with the simple syrup  I sweeten my berries with brown sugar.  Let them sit awhile on the counter so the sugar can dissolve. This is a fun and unique treat, perfect for the Easter holiday.