The below is taken directly from Alysa’s blog INSPIRED RD:

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“Last week, the kids and I were invited to a blogger breakfast hosted by Love Grown Foods.  They had sent me some granola last month, so I was already a fan (it’s delicious!!).  Hanging out with Alex and Maddy, the creators of this health-food company gave me an even greater appreciation for what they are doing.  This young couple started Love Grown Foods because of their passion for health and wellness.  Not only do they make amazing granola, but they genuinely care about inspiring and educating people to live a healthy lifestyle.  One of the ways they do that is by visiting elementary schools to teach kids about the importance of eating wholesome foods and exercising.  A certified pilates instructor, Maddy realized that by starting a health-food company and traveling the country, she could impact infinitely more people on the road to health than she could by teaching pilates to just a few people in a studio.

If you have been around my blog for long, you know I don’t endorse many products.  I only talk about the things that I love and really inspire me.  I hope you will check out Love Grown Foods and see for yourself just how awesome they are.  You can find their products in most major stores.  I am excited to see where Alex and Maddy take this company next.  I know they have great things in store for all of us!

Please enjoy these photos of our breakfast:

Love Grown Food products are:

-free of refined sugar

-free of high fructose corn syrup

-free of trans fats

-free of hydrogenated oils

-free of artificial flavors

-free of preservatives

-free of gluten

-free of genetically modified ingredients

Read all of Alysa’s blog – she has fabulous recipes and amazing fitness tips (plus the most adorable kids) on her blog Inspired RD!

Meet Elby

Love this photo of Maddy

…and this one of Alex

Oat Clusters & Love — very popular amongst the younger set!

…as was the fascinating Elby bus

I really enjoyed meeting all of the blogger moms…

So long, Elby. Come back soon!”

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Be sure to check out all of Nicole’s blog (and her fabulous recipes) and you can also find her in the Scottsdale Examiner!

 

“I’m glad to hear that most of you are goat cheese lovers too. As an update, I polished off the remaining bit at lunch today, which means I need to get more tomorrow…

In other, not so goaty, news my mid-afternoon snackage this week has been lovely and full of yogurt.

Today’s strawberry chocolate yogurt bowl was quite be-u-tiful!

I’d share the recipe, but in reality it’s more of a non-recipe.

Basically I spooned out 1/2 cup of plain Chobani Greek yogurt into a bowl and mixed it with 3-4 drops of stevia to take away the tartness (this is the only way I can handle plain yogurt), strategically placed sliced strawberries around the outer edge of the bowl and topped it all with Cocoa Goodness granola. Easy as (chocolate strawberry) pie!

The star of this snack was the granola.

Sweet, crunchy and chocolately granola that is made with LOVE.

I was sent a few bags of Love Grown Foods granola to try out. Currently I have 3 bags open- the Cocoa Goodness, Apple Walnut Delight and the Sweet Cranberry Pecan. They’re all delicious but I’ve been going crazy about the Apple Walnut! I think the large oat clusters I found in this bag stole my heart. What I love the most about the Love Grown Foods granola, besides the large chunks of granola, is that the company strives to produce a product that is made with wholesome ingredients.

Their granola is delicious, healthy and lower in calories and sugar than many other granolas out therer. They’re also:

• Free of Refined Sugar
• Free of High Fructose Corn Syrup
• Free of Trans Fats
• Free of Hydrogenated Oils
• Free of Artificial Flavors
• Free of Preservatives
• Free of Gluten
• Free of Genetically Modified Ingredients

And,  I already spotted Love Grown granola on the shelf at my local Kroger!! This is nice to see because often times natural food products are only sold at organic markets, which many people may not have access to. I grew up in a small town so I know what it’s like to feel left out of the loop when certain products aren’t sold at stores near you.

I used the Sweet Cranberry Pecan to top a batch of pumpkin spice yogurt. Another non-recipe with 1/2 cup plain Greek yogurt, stevia, 2 T of pumpkin puree and a dash of pumpkin pie spice.

I love dried fruit in granola and the cranberry coconut combo in this variety is phenom!

I finished off my large container of yogurt for the week already so now it’s time to get creative with the granola. Who knows what crazy combos I’ll come up with, but believe me you all will be the first to find out!

And be sure to look for all the Love Grown Foods varieties (in the organic section) at a grocer near you.”

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Check out the rest of this fabulous blog and be sure to try some of the DELICIOUS recipes on Eating Bird Food!

A package from Love Grown Foods! I’ve been hearing about this lovely gluten-free high fructose-free granola around the Internet, and was pretty excited when I won a contest of theirs on facebook.  My new granola stash consists of their Cocoa Goodness, Simply Oats, Raisin Almond Crunch, Apple Walnut Delight and Sweet Cranberry Pecan.  Needless to say, with my level of hunger rising by the minute, I dug right in.  I chose the Cocoa Goodness, and was pleased when I opened the package and got a wonderful waft of chocolate comfort.

Look at those huge clusters of cocoa-coated oats, screaming to be chomped down upon and eaten.  And those chocolate chips are indeed dark chocolate.  What’s even better, these oats are certified gluten-free.  No wheat cross-contamination happening here.  Sweetened with agave and honey, a handful of this was the perfect way to prevent a blood-sugar drop from killing my afternoon.  No yucky hydrogenated oils, trans-fats,  or GMOs in these delightful bites, either.  Definitely a new food to LOVE.

As usual when I get a new goodie, my brain and taste buds combine forces to develop a recipe.  Since we had some bananas hanging out on top of the fridge, I thought about how satisfying it would be to combine this cocoa bliss with the bananas to make a nourishing and satisfying breakfast.

I love how light, nutty, and fluffy quinoa can be, and it makes a great way to begin the day at breakfast.  The hint of nuttiness of the quinoa complements the nutty taste of the granola, and the banana makes every bite a bit creamy and luscious.  Cinnamon and ginger compliment the chocolate in the richest way.  This breakfast might be a favorite for a while.  Bananas are a great way to get some sustained energy throughout the day — this kept me full until lunch time.  Bananas are also full of potassium, which may help relieve headaches, and are a good source of iron.  This tropical fruit also contains an amino acid that gets converted into serotonin, which helps improve your mood.  If this, paired with chocolate, doesn’t improve your morning, I don’t know what will.