Lately I’ve started to notice that my dog is losing his svelte doggie physique and is almost starting to morph into a sausage type shape. Yes, like an actual hot dog! Ha! Happens to the best of us. We get lazy or we blame the winter. Stupid Winter!!!

But I think I figured out what his problem is… He is 100% food obsessed. But it has actually gotten to the point where he’s even getting a wee bit pushy. Let me paint you a picture; So I walk into the kitchen to grab something and no word of a lie, my dog will hip check me if I even look in the direction of his treat cupboard (yes my dog has a treat cupboard) but I think this is only fair seeing as I had a chocolate bar drawer growing up. I too was once sausage shaped.

And yes for all of you wondering, I am a good pet owner, I take my dog for long walks daily, I buy high quality treats to fill his cupboard when he does in fact behave (this happens rarely), and I mention “high quality” because if you wouldn’t eat it then why should they?!? I’m not saying that I find myself hanging out in his cupboard looking for a snacks but you catch my drift.

Not too long ago a good friend of mine was over for dinner and became fascinated with my dogs bag of freeze dried duck. She inspected the bag, opened the bag, had a good long look, even went as far as to jam her face into the bag to have sniff. Well don’t I turn around again and she’s got a piece of freeze dried duck in her mouth. “Ummmm, you know those are dog treats right?!” Her response: “But they’re 100% duck!”

So in honour of my treat loving buddy who I know has a special place in her heart for granola, just like I do, I encourage her to put the dog treats down, and go make yourself a bowl of granola instead.

Paleo Banana Granola

Ingredients:
1 cup pecans
1 cup almonds
1 cup walnuts
1 cup of unsweeted coconut flakes
1/2 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup coconut oil
2 tbsp honey
1 tsp vanilla
1 tbsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
2 very ripe bananas
salt to taste

Preheat your oven to 250 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper and then set aside.

Next in your food processor toss in all your nuts and then pulse a few times just to break them down slightly. Just keep in mind that you don’t want to make nut meal.

Into a large bowl the nuts go then add in your seeds, spices, coconut, and salt.

In a smaller bowl toss in the rest of your ingredients: bananas, melted coconut oil, honey, and vanilla. Then with a hand mixer beat it up for about a minute.

Toss your banana mixture in with your nuts and mix well. Then onto your baking sheet it goes and into the oven for about 1 hour.

Hit it Mrs Shelton….This @!%$ is bananas B-A-N-A-N-A-S!