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Wholesome Skinny Chocolate Granola with chia seeds! A crunchy breakfast or snack to satisfy you when a chocolate craving hits! Gluten Free + Low Calorie + Vegan
Stress is a weird thing. For me, it's manifests itself in so many ways. Last year when my hairdresser came from Tucson to cut my hair, she noticed something strange about my hair. She asked "did something happen 8-12 months ago that really stressed you out?"
Of course, I just had a few stressful things going on around that time. I was in a car accident, recovering from hormone imbalances, quit my corporate job, started nutrition school, and was faced with hip replacement surgery.
She took me in the bathroom to show me in the mirror where all my hair had fallen out. I could see a layer of baby thin, short hairs that were growing back. It was the craziest thing. Thankfully, I have crazy thick hair so no one would notice.
I suddenly had vivid flashbacks of a college roommate whose hair fell out from organic chemistry stress. Every night she would count the hairs that fell out.
At one point, she even accused me and our other roomie for putting something in her shampoo to cause her hair loss. Eventually, she dropped the semester and moved home. She was a mess.
It's scary how stress manifests itself in the body. I've always known stress was a problem for me. In fact, it's what caused my hormones to shut down. But there was something about seeing it physically that made me realize how important it is to the health of my body to slow down and find ways to relax.
Cooking is a form of stress relief for me, but it wasn't always that way. There was a time when cooking really stressed me out. My idea of cooking was tossing a pizza in the oven. Anything more complicated gave me an anxiety attack. Oh, how things have changed!
It took me years to get comfortable in the kitchen.
Many women who I help lose weight come to me feeling overwhelmed with cooking as well. They don't know where to start, they're working full time and guess what?
It's preventing them from reaching their goals. I always them to focus on one thing they can do in the kitchen and practice it until they can do it really well. Then when it feels like a breeze, add something new.
You don't have to do or be everything at once. By the way, I need this reminder as much as you!
Once you build the habit of cooking something really well, it becomes no big deal. Then you build from there, and actually discover the joy in doing it instead of viewing it as a task.
Not to mention you get to enjoy really awesome food like this Skinny Chocolate Granola!
This is one recipe I've had in the freezer for awhile. As in, I had a entire mason jar of it in the freezer and forget about it. Oops! My heart could not have been happier to find it.
This skinny chocolate granola is packed with regular old fashioned oats, chia seeds, cocoa powder and unsweetened coconut. Healthy carbs, fiber, antioxidants, omega-3 and a sprinkle of sweetness!
Perfect to eat as a snack on it own, with milk as a bowl of cereal or scattered over a yogurt with a spoonful of almond butter and berries. Seriously, the best snack combo!
No matter how you do it, I'm sure you could use a sprinkle of happy, stress free, tastiness in your life, and this skinny chocolate granola will surely do that!
Skinny Chocolate Granola with Chia {GF, Low Cal, Vegan}
Ingredients
- 2 cups Gluten Free rolled oats
- 1/4 cup shredded coconut flakes unsweetened
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 4 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 tablespoons coconut oil melted
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons mini chocolate chips dairy free
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 300 F. Prepare a medium baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Bring a medium saucepan to medium heat. Add coconut oil, almond extract, cocoa powder, salt and maple syrup to the pot. Stir until coconut oil is melted and ingredients are thick and syrupy.
- To a large mixing bowl, add oats, chia and shredded coconut. Then pour the syrup mixture over them mixing to combine well.
- Transfer the granola mixture onto a prepared baking sheet into an even layer.
- Bake 35 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and let the granola sit on the baking sheet 1 hour to harden. Once cooled, add chocolate chips to the baking sheet and break up the granola with spatula.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a mason jar or container to store.
Notes
- 1 serving is approximately 1/4 cup
- My Amazon shop has more products similar to those used for this recipe and that I recommend to my nutrition clients.
Nutrition
What I Used For The Recipe
This looks so yummy and convenient!
where is the salt and the chia seeds on the process?
When my great grandfather died, all of my great grandmother's hair fell out from the stress. Then, the little bit that did grow back was white as snow. It's crazy what stress can do to you!
I cook to decompress too. It's so relaxing and gives you something delicious to focus on. Like this chocolate granola.
OMG...that happened to my Dad! He got really stressed once and his hair turned white. It's now back to normal, but yes I know what you mean. So scary!
Stress & age - OMG!!!!!
I knew you'd get it!
I SO need to try this! It reminds me of the chocolate Purely Elizabeth granola that I love to buy -- but way more affordable!
A stress-free way to have breakfasts and snacks ready to go!
I love that granola! I like making my own thought so I can control the amount of sugar. Store bought ones always have so much added.
This granola looks amazing. Stress can kill you for sure! It reeks havoc on the body. Cooking and golf are my stress relief . Im glad your hair is growing back, great indicator that your healthy now!
Eating good food helps too!
I put chocolate granola on my Greek yogurt almost every day . . . need to try this recipe. And about the hair, right now I am facing a quarter-sized tuft that is growing back in right on the TOP of my head --- I try to re-part my hair, but it poofs through - hahaha. Ahh, stress.
Oh no! I hope everything calms down for you soon. 🙂
I know all too well the damage that stress can have on your life, body, and mind. . I have a client right now that is going through perhaps as stressful a time as any I've seen, and she is exhibiting so many symptoms. I wish she would do something about I can only do so much.
On the happy side, yum to this granola.
Oh I can relate! But being aware of it is a start to coping. Right? And granola! Yum
I think most of us are generally aware when we're stressed, but in denial about dealing with it. Right?
That's the thing, everyone has a choice every if they don't think they do.