Chunky Coconut Granola

 

I seriously wish you guys could smell how amazing this granola smells. When you make this, your house will literally flood with the aroma of apple pie or Thanksgiving. And it tastes just as good, to me even better than it smells. It's chunky, crispy, nutty, sweet, coconut-ty, and even a bit spicy from the cinnamon. It's all around DELICIOUS. I've been eating mine in the morning for breakfast, with some sliced banana, strawberries and blueberries and some coconut milk. Mmmmm it's making me want some right now lol but I will fight the urge! It's also good just to snack on plain, or on top of anything you want really. So let's get to the recipe! :)

1 1/2 cups of oats

1 cup of shredded coconut

5-6 dried apricots 

1/4-1/2 cup pepitas

1/4-1/2 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup almonds

1/4-1/2 cup walnuts

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup coconut oil

1/4 cup maple syrup

Small handful of cacao nibs (or chocolate chips!)

Lots of cinnamon!

First, turn on your oven and set it to 225 degrees (this is in fahrenheit). So basically, you can add all of the dry ingredients in a bowl. Chop up the dried apricots into little bite sized pieces, and if you want you can chop up some of the almonds too. I did just because it makes it seem like theres more, and it's easier to eat. Give it a little mix (i just tossed it with my clean hands haha!) and then get a little pot and warm the coconut oil and maple syrup on the stove. This doesn't need to be hot at all, just enough for the coconut oil to liquify, so a couple of seconds on the heat. Then simply pour the mixture over the the dry ingredients and mix mix mix! Now is a good time to sprinkle the heck out of it with cinnamon. Even if you think you put enough, put more. That's the secret to making it so warm and tasty, along with the maple syrup. I dare you to try and not eat any!! ;) Spray a baking sheet and spread the mixture evenly onto it. Put it in the oven and let it bake for about 40 minutes, then check on it and mix it up. Then, I turned the heat up to 280 degrees, and let it cook for another 30-40 minutes. It came out nice and golden brown! It all depends on how crispy or baked you want it. 

Then just let it cool and you have yourself some delicious homemade granola! You could also drizzle a tiny bit more maple syrup or sprinkle it with stevia while it's cooling :)

Let me know if you bake any <3

Maddie

Sketchy

So I think I found a new obsession: doodling. But especially with the fine-point black sharpies. Am I the only one that finds it so satisfying to draw with those? They make the most perfect, smooth lines and even if you mess up you can create something out of it. I started looking up pictures on pinterest and google to just mess around, but then I found myself sitting in the exact same spot for 3 hours trying to perfect a drawing! It was crazy. A couple nights ago I even forgot to eat dinner, that's how intensely I was into it.

And for those who don't know, I also have an attachment to the yin-yang symbol, don't ask me why. But ever since I can remember, probably since the 3rd grade, I've always loved it. I even have a chocker necklace that's very tumblr looking haha. So I looked up a picture to doodle and 2 hours later that's what I finished. The calligraphy I did actually surprised me, because I've wanted to learn calligraphy for ages now, and seeing that I actually have a chance of being okay at it makes me happy! 

I'm gonna try and doodle my own ideas, because it's kind of boring to always copy something. I've been doing at least one sketch a day, and I find it's making me think a lot more clearly, kind of like I used to when I was painting and playing the piano. Man I really need to get into that again. 

Do any of you doodle? I would love to hear from you :-)

OH p.s.-my house currently smells like Thanksgiving and apple pie thanks to my granola baking in the oven. Recipe will be up tomorrow ;)

Maddie

Weekly Recap ♡

Well happy Friday everyone! :) This week flew bye. I planned on doing more than I did, but I just got caught up with other things and now it's already the weekend, crazy! My dad was away all week for a business trip so I'm looking forward to spending time with him...I'm scheduled to go and get my driver's license (yikes!!) so I need to practice with him a weeeee bit more haha! Anyway, I though I would just share some moments of my week that made me smile. I personally love to read these kinds of posts, so I wanted to write one myself :) 

Monday// I woke up and felt so energized and ready for the week. I had an amazing workout and much needed tan time!

Tuesday// At about 10:00 at night, I got the urge to bake some homemade granola. Lemme tell you, I don't know how I didn't eat the whole batch. It's got everything from sunflower seeds, to walnuts, almonds, dates, coconut flakes, and toooonns of cinnamon. Recipe coming soon ;)

Wednesday// Guess what I ate for breakfast? Yep, my granola. With some sliced banana, strawberries, blueberries, and a splash of coconut milk. It was heaven. 

Thursday// My mom, little brother and I all went out to this outdoor shopping center. We walked around and had the nicest time, then stopped by the Cheesecake Factory for dinner. But you know what that means, yes of course we ordered dessert. I'll just say we all licked the plate clean.

Friday// Since it's technically the beginning of the day I can't really say much, but I am feeling extra grateful all snuggled up in my bed sheets writing this. I'm going to go make some tea and then do some yoga. Ahhh, I'm so happy :) 

I hope this made you smile a little bit! Did you have any special moments during your week? Share them down below! :-)

Maddie <3

∙•Create, Not Compete•∙

We need to create instead of compete. I sat outside just thinking about everything, and this thought popped into my mind. Wouldn't it be amazing if people everywhere just created anything they wanted to, with the intention of being happy? Not out to compete with anyone, but just for the sake of their own happiness?

Just imagine how much freedom everyone would have. No one would be looking for any anger, stress, competition. 

But why can't it be like that now? Why can't everyone just start to create what they want to? Do you want to create your own blog? DO IT! What's stopping you? The fact that someone else has 10,000 followers? Big deal, because you could get there with hard work and belief that you can.

CREATE something. ANYTHING you want. WITHOUT the intention of doing better than someone else, because THAT DOESN'T MATTER. If cutting out pictures from magazines makes you happy, then do it! Don't worry about what the end result will be, just be in the moment. Love every second of cutting those pictures out. 

By doing and creating what you want, you use your imagination and you set off more thoughts and ideas. And it will make YOU happy, and in turn that makes others happy. But don't do something to be better than, or cooler than, or smarter than 'someone else.' Create the life you want, for YOU.

Just some Tuesday thoughts ~

Maddie

4th of JULY ☼

Happy 4th of July to all my fellow Americans! To be honest, I really didn't feel like I usually do on the 4th. Well first, usually I am in California on the beach *holds in tears* Ugh I can't tell you how sad I am that I can't be there...but hopefully I will make it out there this month. Anyway, it just seems like this holiday came so fast so I wasn't ready for it. I made no plans and just hung out all day, which is fine by me! :) 

I did, though, do some fancy eye makeup and a bright red lip of course! I was feeling spirited later in the day so I though I would throw on my american flag shorts and matching scarf. I LOVE both of these to death haha, although I probably only wear them for this time of year. So, I guess I looked ready for the part as I watched fireworks at the park :)

The day after the 4th, my family and I were actually invited to a barbecue so we went to that and I had tons of fun. I swam, ate tons of yummy food, and then it started raining so I went home, showered, and snuggled up in my bed with a movie, i know I'm such a party animal right? I might of baked some cookies too...;)

Did you guys do anything fun or interesting for the 4th of July? Let me know! I hope you guys had a great weekend, even if you didnt celebrate haha :)

Happy Monday!

   Maddie

Are You an Introvert?

I was at the bookstore with my mom a couple days ago and I spotted Company Magazine in the sea of all the other magazines. I was shocked because my bookstore never carried this magazine before and I've been dying to read it for a couple months now, so as soon as I saw it I grabbed it right away! Anyway, I was reading through it and absolutely loving it. And, this may be cheesy or weird, but I love how everything in it is priced with pounds or euros, and they use English words that us Americans don't use, so it made me feel like I was actually in England...cries.

The point of this post is about an article I read in the magazine, and it really got me thinking. It was all about how introverted people are thought of the wrong way. I mean think about it, when you think of someone who is 'introverted' you think of someone who is shy, quiet, un-confident, simple..right? That's what comes to my mind. But after reading the article I quickly got to scolding myself thinking where did I even come us with those words?? 

An introvert is someone who could be totally social and talkative, but the difference between an introvert and an extrovert is simply this: an introvert needs time alone to recharge and re-energize, while an extrovert needs to be around people to feel re-energized. It all makes a lot of sense to me now. I think introverts get a bad wrap in society. Personally, I know I'm an introvert, and saying that doesn't bother me the slightest bit. I'm a very talkative, outgoing person, and when I want to speak up boy do I speak! (I've kinda gotta be careful with that lol.) But I definitely need my time alone. If I don't get the right amount of alone time in a day, I feel drained and frantic, you know like when you can't think straight. I'll admit, I could only hang around crowds of people for so long before I feel like I need to get away and come back to reality.

Some of the most successful business owners and celebrities are introverts; like Beyoncé (i know right! i couldn't believe it!) Christina Aguilera, Pink, and Lady Gaga to name a few. And not that it matters, but that made me feel better about it too haha.

So I'm curious, are any of you introverts, or extroverts? Do you think this information describes you, or what you thought? Let me know in the comments!

Maddie

∙•❁June Favorites❁•∙

I can't believe it's June Favorites already...I remember typing my May Favorites like it was yesterday! This month flew bye but I still managed to try some new things and now I get to share them with you :) 

Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray// This stuff is talked about everywhere so I thought I may as well try it..Well i absolutely love it. I used it on freshly washed hair and it did wonders, and I also used it on day 3/4 hair and it still made my hair so voluminous and wavy. Also, the smell to me is amazing, and it brings me to think about special memories I've had on the beach :)

Maybelline Vivids in Shocking Coral// I LOVE the Maybelline Vivids Collection (I have pretty much all of them) and since I've been getting tanner I've been able to pull off the brighter, peachy-er shades of lipsticks. This color is the perfect coral color (of course) and it's so smooth and buttery and it's actually pretty tough to take off. I love wearing this with some highlighter and bronzer, ooooh the summer feels!

#GIRLBOSS by Sophia Amoruso// All I have to say about this book is it got my imagination running like crazy and it made me want to get off of my ass and start something! Haha, but really if you're in need of some motivation or just an interesting read of a woman who started from the bottom, pick up this book immediately! 

L'Oreal Infallible The Super Slim Liquid Liner// Okay, so before I purchased this I probably would of had no future with cat-eyes or with any sort of 'flick'. But I'm telling you, this has helped me so much with precision and patience haha! It's so easy and build-able, and I love it to death. I've been wearing it for weeks. It really does stay on for 12 hours, and it's pretty tough to take off, and its BLACK!

Benefit They're Real! Mascara// I picked this lovely product up in my Mini Sephora Haul at the beginning of June and after hearing so much positive feedback about it I decided to give it a try. It definitely makes your lashes look voluminous and fake (hence the name they're real) and you could also probably get away with one coat because it coats them very thick. I would say if you're not a fan of the clumpy, spidery kind of lashes you may want to pass. Although it is build-able, and boy is it a job to remove.

Lot's of beauty lovin' this month. I've been having this urge to drop a lot of money at the mall, and I am trying soooo hard to fight it, but I think I might have to go and see what I can get...I need some summer clothes! ;)

Have you tried any of these products? What's a favorite of yours this month?


Maddie