Recipe by Bailey Campbell

Forward by Smart Solutions

Looking to support your health and help yourself feel more in balance? Try this chocolatey, crunchy granola that’s made with a few key noteworthy super seeds.

Based on the seed cycling idea, this recipe is made using pumpkin seeds and flax seeds for the Follicular Phase of your cycle (days 1 to 14, or until ovulation beings). Pumpkin seeds are rich in vitamins and minerals. They’re a good source of potassium, magnesium, and contain relatively high amounts of iron, calcium, zinc and more.¹ Another great ingredient to add to your meals is flax seeds because of their high contents of ALA (an omega-3 fatty acid), lignans (plant compounds that have antioxidant and estrogen properties)², and fibre.³

You can substitute the pumpkin and flax seeds for sunflower seeds and sesame seeds in the Luteal Phase of your cycle (days 14-28, or until day 1 of menstruation).  Rich in protein, sunflower seeds offer many benefits (such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory) and are high in vitamins A, B, and C.⁴Sesame seeds include vital minerals, vitamins, lignans and more.⁵

We recommend this recipe any time of the month because it’s so delicious!

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cup gluten free oats
• 1 cup pumpkin seeds
• ½ cup flax seed
• ¼ cup cacao nibs
• ½ cup unsweetened coconut flakes
• ½ cup coconut oil, melted
• ½ cup maple syrup
• ½ cup cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp course sea salt
• Dark chocolate chips, amount of your liking

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 300F.
2. In a medium size bowl, mix together the gluten free oats, pumpkin seeds, flaxseed, cacao nibs, and coconut flakes.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the melted coconut oil, maple syrup, cocoa powder, and vanilla.
4. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and stir until everything is well coated.
5. Spread out on a baking sheet and press down on granola (this will yield more chunky pieces), sprinkles with the sea salt, and bake for 30-40 minutes, mixing once or twice.
6. Remove from oven, add the dark chocolate chips, and let sit for at least one hour. This will allow everything to crisp up and harden like store bought granola.
7. Store in fridge for up to two weeks! Keeping in the fridge will keep everything more crunchy and solid.

Instagram Handle: @basicswithbails

References:

1. Amin, M. Z., Islam, T., Uddin, M. R., Uddin, M. J., Rahman, M. M., & Satter, M. A. (2019). Comparative study on nutrient contents in the different parts of indigenous and hybrid varieties of pumpkin (Cucurbita maximaLinn.). Heliyon, 5(9), e02462. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2019.e02462
2. Durazzo, A., Lucarini, M., Camilli, E., Marconi, S., Gabrielli, P., Lisciani, S., Gambelli, L., Aguzzi, A., Novellino, E., Santini, A., Turrini, A., & Marletta, L. (2018). Dietary Lignans: Definition, Description and Research Trends in Databases Development. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland), 23(12), 3251. https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules23123251
3. Goyal, A., Sharma, V., Upadhyay, N., Gill, S., & Sihag, M. (2014). Flax and flaxseed oil: an ancient medicine & modern functional food. Journal of food science and technology, 51(9), 1633–1653. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13197-013-1247-9
4. Guo, S., Ge, Y., & Na Jom, K. (2017). A review of phytochemistry, metabolite changes, and medicinal uses of the common sunflower seed and sprouts (Helianthus annuus L.). Chemistry Central journal, 11(1), 95. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13065-017-0328-7
5. Pathak, N., Rai, A. K., Kumari, R., & Bhat, K. V. (2014). Value addition in sesame: A perspective on bioactive components for enhancing utility and profitability. Pharmacognosy reviews, 8(16), 147–155. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.134249