Pumpkin Spice Granola #PumpkinWeek

This extra crunchy Pumpkin Spice Granola is flavorful, lightly sweet, and loaded with pumpkin seeds 

and dried cranberries. It's perfect sprinkled over a bowl of yogurt, or just eaten by the handful!

Happy Monday and welcome to Pumpkin Week! If you've been reading my blog for awhile then you know how much I love all things pumpkin. I'm really excited to be joining a group of my blogger friends to focus on all pumpkin recipes, all week long. From drinks to snacks, main dishes to desserts, we will be sharing amazing recipes with you for the next 5 days!

Simple Vanilla Almond Granola

This simple homemade granola is sweet, crunchy, and most importantly, delicious! 

It's perfect sprinkled over yogurt or just eaten by the handful! 

One of my favorite weekday breakfasts is yogurt and granola. It's so simple to make, it's healthy, and most importantly, it's delicious. Some days I even throw fresh berries on top! Although the granola selection is huge at the grocery store, there's nothing better than making it yourself at home. It's crazy easy to make, it's customizable, and you know exactly what it's made with.

This recipe is one of the most basics. Just a simple vanilla almond granola. You can use any type of nuts you like, but almonds just happen to be my favorite. You can also add dried fruit to give it a bit more texture, but make sure if you decide to add some that you do it after baking! You never want to cook the dried fruit, just toss it onto the pan as soon as it comes out of the oven and stir it to combine.

Pumpkin Spice Granola Muffins

These hearty, crunchy granola muffins are simple to make and are a perfect weekday breakfast for the whole family!

I'm always looking for new breakfast ideas, especially ones that are good for busy weekday mornings. I want them to be delicious, but also hearty and healthy. They need to get me, and my kids, through the morning without being hungry, and give us plenty of energy. 

One of my favorite quick breakfasts is yogurt topped with granola and berries, so I decided to do something a bit different with my granola. I made granola muffins! I wasn't sure how the granola would do when baked, but it came out fabulous! I love the added crunch it gives the tender muffins.

Peanut Butter Harvest Granola #Oatober

Homemade granola couldn't be easier! Make a batch of this healthy and comforting 

Peanut Butter Harvest Granola and enjoy it with your family for breakfast or as a snack!

I don't know about you, but I looove peanut butter. On toast, in a sandwich, in my baked goods, even in my smoothie. It's delicious no matter how you eat it and it's really quite a versatile ingredient. Peanut Butter & Co. and Bob's Red Mill declared October as #Oatober. As part of the #YumSquad, I was tasked with developing a recipe using peanut butter and oats, and of course I was thrilled! I mean, what's not to love about peanut butter and oats? 

One of my favorite breakfasts, especially during the week, is yogurt topped with granola. It's quick and easy, and can also be portable if need be. I decided to take one of my favorite flavors of Peanut Butter & Co. peanut butter, The Bee's Knees, and mix it with some Fall ingredients to make a delicious and healthy granola. I call it Peanut Butter Harvest Granola! The pumpkin seeds, hazelnuts and dried cherries seems like a perfect Fall combination!

Cherry Walnut Granola

Homemade crunchy granola studded with walnuts and tart cherries is a perfect breakfast, especially over yogurt!

Do you make resolutions? At the start of each new year I always resolve to lose some weight. I'm pretty sure it's been the same resolution every year for as long as I can remember. I start out doing well but by the end of January it seems like I've fallen off the wagon. I know I'm not the only one that goes through this. I've heard from many of my friends that they go through this same routine, year after year.

So this year I decided to give myself a break and have a more attainable goal. Instead of striving to lose weight, I'm going to take baby steps and focus on eating better and trying to exercise more. My eating habits have definitely improved over the last few years. I cook dinner just about every single night, my family eats way less fast food, and I've incorporated more fruits and veggies into our diet.