A peek Into My Kitchen: Seedy Granola #nutfree #allergyfriendly #breakfast

I love granola, but, as the mom of a kid with nut allergies, most packaged brands are off-limits.  This is an easy recipe which, even if your household is allergy-free, is a much cheaper, healthier option than most of what you can find in your supermarket’s cereal aisle.

Note: Some people who are allergic to tree nuts also cannot have coconut, in this case you can easily substitute canola or other mild vegetable oil.  Likewise, any seeds which pose an allergy risk can also be omitted. If you are cooking for someone with a severe allergy, check packages to make sure that the oats, seeds and dried fruit you have purchased have not been packaged on a line with nuts.

Seedy Granola

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A peek Into My Kitchen: Blackberry Ice Pops: Even for Breakfast ;)

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These pops are so wholesome that you could even serve them for breakfast!

My quest for a variety of homemade popsicles to replace those laden with dyes, preservatives and other horrible (though sometimes tasty) unmentionables.

The only drawback to these pops is that the beautiful, deep purple color may make you want to drape your apartment and your kids in plastic wrap to prevent the inevitable staining when you serve them.

Blackberry Pops

2/3 cup water
2/3 cup sugar
2 cups blackberry puree
1 cup plain yogurt
1-2 Tbsp Honey or Agave nectar (You may need more if your use the optional lemon juice)
optional: 4 teaspoons lemon juice

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A peek Into My Kitchen: Mango Pops–Healthy, Dye-free & Bright Orange

This was my 4 year old son's hand hours (and several hand washings!) after I gave in and bought him a Sponge Bob popsicle in the park.

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I know the picture isn't perfectly clear, but if you look closely, you can see that the various red dye #s godknowswhat have streaked his hand.

A little scary, no?

What's a mom to do?  I remembered having a read a post on Weelicious about mango popsicles and tinkered around with the proportions a bit.

The next day, I made these:

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Mango Pops

3 very ripe mangoes, chopped

1 cup of whole milk or yogurt

an optional dash of cinnamon or chili powder (the latter for adventurous adults!)

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